Confessions of a Dunmer Hater

ArchMikem

My "displeasure" of the Elven kind dates back to my exposure to The Elder Scrolls through Skyrim, though back then my view was much more centered on the High Elves as they were center stage in the game story wise. However Elder Scrolls Online has given me the opportunity to experience all cultures through ZOS' story telling, and over the almost two years of playing now I've developed a, well, developed, hate of Elves more so. But Dunmer especially.

I hate their Superiority complex, their strict, extreme devotion to their "Living Gods", how naturally Evil looking their facial features are. But most of all, I cannot stand their Slavery.

I know it's just a fantasy game and it's just a part of the Race's Culture and Tradition, but still the broad subjugation, enslavement, and objectification of pretty much every other Race that doesn't have pointy ears has earned them the number one spot on my list of what grinds my Dwemer gears. I used to believe the High Elves were the worst, what with their excessive Superiority complex and all, but when I learned more about the Dunmer, I realized they were FAR worse. The difference? The High Elves only want to rule over you. The Dark Elves want to own you. Dunno about you but I see that as much worse.

But on to my point of all this. Lately I've been missing out on the playstyle of a Magicka Dragonknight. I love Magicka and I miss Flame Lashing everything in my path. Playing with my Mag Sorc I discovered over time that AoE abilities are FANTASTIC in PvE content, and PvE is what I care about the most. MagKnights have several Magicka AoE abilities and having Flame Lash on top of it all would be icing on a cake I've learned to bake with my Sorc. But the thing is, every time I've made a Character, it's ALWAYS been a Khajiit. The Khajiit are the only Race in Elder Scrolls that fascinates me the most. They're the underdog, the downtrodden, the prejudiced, and especially for me, the non-Human. I've loved Khajiit since Skyrim and I just can't see myself in a Fantasy setting now if I don't have fluffy ears and a tail. And it should be common knowledge now that Khajiit don't have ANY Racial bonuses regarding Magic. They're the best StamBlades, but the worst Magic Casters. So, I had to do some thinking and decided I guess it was time to move outside the box.

But what Race would this MagKnight be? Something that specializes in Magic. Breton? Well, nah I don't feel like much of a Breton kind of person when it comes to that people. High Elf? Oh Hell no never. Pretty soon I was left with one option that fits MagKnights to a 'T'. A Dunmer. Of course. The Race I hated so much is best suited to play a Magic Dragonknight. But then, as I thought more about it, gears went a'turnin. Certainly not ALL Dunmer are egotistical slave driving Nyx Hounds. That would be generalizing. Surely there had to be naysayers within the Race, outcasts, progressives. That would certainly clear my mind of having a Dunmer Character. So that gave me the will to get into the Creation Menu, making my very first EVER Dunmer that I liked, and when it came to the name, I continued my tradition of Lore Friendly names and thought I'd give her the name of one of the Great Houses. So I looked them up, read about them in the Lore. And hot damn wouldn't you know it? I found this little line under House Hlaalu that made my night.

However, House Hlaalu's most distinguishing characteristic was its willingness to live in harmony with the other races, setting it apart from the other, occasionally xenophobic, Dunmer Great Houses.

That settled it. The Lore has spoken. My desire for there to be a Dunmer that rejects the traditionalist Evils of her people to exist is backed by Canon. So now, even though I still cannot stand the majority of the Dark Elves, I now have one of my own.

Teva Hlaalu



tl;dr: I hate the Dunmer. They're crap. But I wanted a decent Magicka Dragonknight. So I found a way to have a Dunmer character without hating it too much.

Turelus

Get off my forums, you're a disgrace to our race!

Glad you were able to find a way to make it work for you, it can be hard to make some races you dislike feel fun/natural to play sometimes.

Banana

Some people

max_only

It's okay, we know Dunmer are horrible, and they know it too. It's why they have an inferiority complex.

ArchMikem

Banana wrote: »

Some people

Glad my wonky thought processes is humorous.

Zyrudin

Your post suggests that you may hate too much.
Remember that it's just a game.

I would advise against bringing your real life experiences or beliefs into it too much.

ArchMikem

Zyrudin wrote: »

Your post suggests that you may hate too much.
Remember that it's just a game.

I would advise against bringing your real life experiences or beliefs into it too much.

And you seem to be reading a tad too much into it. I even said in the OP how I know it's a fantasy game.

Zyrudin

ArchMikem wrote: »

And you seem to be reading a tad too much into it. I even said in the OP how I know it's a fantasy game.

ArchMikem wrote: »

I hate their Superiority complex.

I hate their strict, extreme devotion to their "Living Gods".

I hate how naturally Evil looking their facial features are.

But most of all, I hate their Slavery.

Hallothiel

Not as bad as the Bosmer. Shall never ever have a Bosmer character.

Can't bear the pseudo mockney accents for one. And they are such teeny tiny things. And the Green Pact as an excuse for cannibalism.

But at least the Dunmer in eso look better than they did in Skyrim.

raidentenshu_ESO

Altmers and the Dunmers are the most superior and intellectual Mers of all Tamriel. The rest of the races are below standard.

The weak should serve the strong. That is how it should go.

LMar

Well, keep in mind that Hlaalu get kicked off the Great House list in the 4th Era due to their (traitorous) err accommodating nature. They are basically glorified merchants that sell their beliefs for a quick buck (or drake). The Dunmer culture has developed the way it has because of all the hardships they have faced. And not everyone is bend on having slaves. The Dres are more into that and by the time of the 4th Era slavery isn't quite a thing with the Dunmer anymore. But all the 4th Era shenanigans leave the Dunmer into a different situation and finds them more united and unerstanding. They even tolerate Nords to some extend XD

Enteum

Don't you dare even set foot on Vvardenfell OP!

Anhedonie

I simply did a no-death run a couple days ago in vCoS and now using spiderkith skin. My dunmer doesn't bother me too much now. Xivkyn polymorph works too. So try using something that will deform your face and everything is cool.
And yeah, elves suck. Same goes for khajits and argonians.

Human master race.

raj72616a

Hlaalu are more willing to work with other races because they are merchants and business owners. they use slaves extensively in their agriculture business.

congratulations to joining the great house!

binho

I actually like dunmer but already gave up trying to create a good looking male caracter... they all look weird

raidentenshu_ESO

Hlaalu sucks! House Telvanni is better


Now shut up and make me some Apple cabbage stew with some canister root tea.

HatchetHaro

I actually like the slavery aspect; it adds a bit of a darker background story for my Argonian characters, especially my main one. Not that my characters are going to like it RP-wise, but from a lore standpoint it's pretty great.

Also, yeah, not all Dunmer are bad, even house Dres. If you look at the TES: Legends cards, you'll find a Dres Renegade card that depicts a Dunmer helping Argonian slaves escape. (Although the Dres Guard and especially the Dres Tormentor depictions don't really help...)

Tabbycat

Ordinator - "We're watching you. Scum."

KaiDynasty

I am disgusted to share my genes with you. You are not worthy to my eyes (I support Telvanni House)
Dunmers are the sexiest race. Dunmers are the master race.

Cadbury

As Morrowind was my first ES game, I liked the culture, the Houses (Telvanni yeeeeah!), and their war with the Ashlanders.

I did kinda feel sorry for them in Skyrim, though. But I'm sure Ulfric Stormcloak took good care of them...

117Dios

Gather around, folks. Only Men are worthy of walking on this earth. Not because we're better (well, we kinda are). Not because elven race FORCED us to commit our atrocities, but because we walk as one, united, and don't seek to put down every other thing slightly different from us. You're welcome Argonians. You are safe with us, Khajiits. Akaviri shouldn't really get close though.
Unite under one banner. Not the banner of Men, but the banner of Humanity.
Elven blood will never understand what it is like to be united and with a common desire to go forward despite the past, instead of weeping while looking back.

Let this man be a lesson.. no, a PREACHING to everyone. No one shall put his foot on your head. You are men. You are free people.

stewhead2ub17_ESO

@ArchMikem I appreciate the thought you put into and your process in creating your new char. Well done! However, I think it may be a toss up over who's more oppressed: The Argonians or the Khajiit?

wenchmore420b14_ESO

[Quoted post has been removed.]

That's all good and stuff, except you do know that Breton's are half Elf right?
Also as we learn in Morrowind, not all Dunmer worship the "Tribunral" and not all support slavery. There is even a side quest in Morrowind where you help break the "Dres Family" by liberating Argonian Slaves.

Ajaxduo

*begins chanting* one of us!

BlackSparrow

Even the Dunmer hate the Dunmer. Have you seen how they treat Ashlanders?

But yeah, Dunmer, as a race, are jerks. I love them, but sweet Aedra are they flawed. Even though my main in TES games is always a Dunmer, I almost always add an element of rebellion or distaste for certain qualities of their own race to their backstory.

Case in point: my ESO main was born into House Telvanni (second most deplorable house after Dres, imo ), but was pretty much raised by an Argonian nanny who taught her some actual empathy, and then she bucked the traditions of the House when she was recruited into the Morag Tong. Since then, she goes by the moniker Nephikah "the Houseless" as a big middle finger to that whole system.

Granted, she's still a jerk, but that's more of a personality problem than because she's a Dunmer.

KaiDynasty

117Dios wrote: »

Gather around, folks. Only Men are worthy of walking on this earth. Not because we're better (well, we kinda are). Not because elven race FORCED us to commit our atrocities, but because we walk as one, united, and don't seek to put down every other thing slightly different from us. You're welcome Argonians. You are safe with us, Khajiits. Akaviri shouldn't really get close though.
Unite under one banner. Not the banner of Men, but the banner of Humanity.
Elven blood will never understand what it is like to be united and with a common desire to go forward despite the past, instead of weeping while looking back.

Let this man be a lesson.. no, a PREACHING to everyone. No one shall put his foot on your head. You are men. You are free people.

You never heard the story of bretons and orcs right? ...

Llaren_Uvayn

I always play Dunmer, but yeah, their culture is for the most part appallingly xenophobic. TES III: Morrowind is by far my favourite game and I've always felt Nerevar Incarnate would most likely be born as a Dunmer, a descendant of the Chimer. It's the lore I'm most fond of, not so much the hateful superiority complex. I'm most sympathetic to the Ashlanders. They don't really have slaves (as far as I know), since they don't associate with other peoples for the most part.

My char in ESO tends to disregard the Dunmer superiority complex as a silly distraction from the noble pursuit of knowledge of all things Aedric and Daedric.

theher0not

HatchetHaro wrote: »

I actually like the slavery aspect; it adds a bit of a darker background story for my Argonian characters, especially my main one. Not that my characters are going to like it RP-wise, but from a lore standpoint it's pretty great.

I like it from a lore point of view, darker themes can make stories way better if done correct(TES did it pretty well), but that doesn't mean I dislike them any less. But that combined with their narcisism and megalomania makes them really unlikeable as a whole.

However there are a few Dunmer I actually like, for example the guy in greenshade who wants to turn into a khajiit, or the ex-Dres woman in Abnar's Landing.

Jemcrystal

If they don't hate you, you are not playing a dark elf right.

Lynx7386

Play khajiit everything, to hell with racials

hmsdragonfly

S'wit...
S'wit never changes.