Questions About Roleplaying An Altmer

BlackWormDisciple · March 2016

Hello everyone. So... I figured I would ask a few questions about roleplaying an Altmer, and hopefully learn a few things as well as get confirmation and some things as well.

Question one is going to seem familiar from me, if a topic of mine in the general forums is an indication for people, but are there people who roleplay as Altmer with dark hair here? Also, the shade of brown that is available for an Altmer right now - would that pass as dark brown? I know, weird question, but I still find it strange to exclude the darker hair colors (black - being the most requested, dark brown - my personal favorite when using a pale gold skin tone if that wasn't apparent :P , dark red, etc.) that Altmer of pure-blood (only Altmer ancestry - no Bosmeri, Dunmeri, Orsimer, or worse, HUMAN blood anywhere in their veins) can have - as NPCs in ESO such as Isiraamo (a Mage from Craglorn) - dark brown hair, Eambar (An Altmer in Dune) - dark brown hair, Ealare (a bard in Firsthold) - black hair, Sanessalmo (a Mage and former member of Ayrenn's inner circle) - dark brown hair, Ocando (an Altmer at the Arrowpoint Club) - black hair, Canonreeve Valano (a high-ranking Altmer) - black-gray hair, Aldarch Colaste (an Altmeri priestess in Valenwood) - black hair, and even members of the Altmeri nationalist group, the Veiled Heritance: Nenaronald, Varustante, and Palomir - all black or black-gray hair. Oh, and the book "2920, Sun's Dawn", which has been present in Morrowind first, then Oblivion, Skyrim, and even ESO describes one Altmer on the Isle of Artaeum in the first part as a "young, dark-haired Altmer lass" (although, funnily enough, the option for dark hair in vanilla Morrowind isn't available unless you use mods).

Wow... okay, I apologize about that, I just had to get that out of the way. Moving on with the questions!

Question two - regarding Altmer Sorcerers who happen to dabble in Daedric Summoning, what exactly would the thoughts of one's fellow, Isle-born and raised Altmer be regarding one of their kin summoning something from the planes of Oblivion? Would they be repulsed, considering the Altmer are typically followers of the Aedra, although individual exceptions always exist in cultures? Would an Altmer who dabbles in the art of conjuration be accepted? Would they have to dismiss their conjured servants when among proper Altmeri company or on the Isles?

Question three, how exactly should/would an Altmer that's a member of the Dominion react towards members that are not Khajiit, Bosmer, or another Altmer? I'm sure they would question why, for example, an Orc, an Imperial, or a Breton would be among them, but should they act negatively towards them - especially those who are human? Would they treat Dunmer or Orcs/Orsimer with any form of respect, or look down at them for their people being influenced by the Daedra?

Question four, for an Altmer who focuses on the use of magic of any sort - a Nightblade who focuses on either their illusion magic or siphoning magic(Destruction? Restoration? Mysticism?), a Templar who focuses on Restoration or sun-damage Destruction, a Dragon Knight who focuses on fire-based Destruction and Alteration, or a Sorcerer who focuses on Conjuration, as well as curse and shock-based Destruction - would there be any school of magic that is looked down upon in Altmeri society? Any that would be praised or even revered?

Thank you for your time, everyone. I'm looking forward to reading your answers - and again, if anyone can give any confirmation regarding the first question, it will be appreciated.

Grayphilosophy · March 2016

I'm not too experienced in Altmer lore in particular, but I think I can answer, or at least share some insight regarding question three since it applies to all the factions

To me it seems like the three alliances are only made up of the three most prominent leader figures within each race. Outside of that there's always stragglers. Nords who don't follow their jarl and therefore end up in the Daggerfall Covenant, maybe they grew up there, maybe his parents were exiles, who knows.
Currently it's very common to see NPC's that are most certainly not the same race as the ones in your own faction, and noone seems to raise any eyebrows. Additionally, there's the Fighters/Mages guild with almost every race in there somewhere, and who also operate as neutral guilds within all three factions.
Perhaps this suggests that the three factions are more like cultural alliances with predominant races, rather than entirely racial alliances.

So in conclusion, it's probably not something to consider highly uncommon in RP either. When you see someone roleplaying a race that isn't ordinarily a part of the faction you're in, they're probably just another [insert your faction here] who just so happens to be a minority.

That's my theory anyway

Shunravi · March 2016

Grayphilosophy wrote: »

I'm not too experienced in Altmer lore in particular, but I think I can answer, or at least share some insight regarding question three since it applies to all the factions

To me it seems like the three alliances are only made up of the three most prominent leader figures within each race. Outside of that there's always stragglers. Nords who don't follow their jarl and therefore end up in the Daggerfall Covenant, maybe they grew up there, maybe his parents were exiles, who knows.
Currently it's very common to see NPC's that are most certainly not the same race as the ones in your own faction, and noone seems to raise any eyebrows. Additionally, there's the Fighters/Mages guild with almost every race in there somewhere, and who also operate as neutral guilds within all three factions.
Perhaps this suggests that the three factions are more like cultural alliances with predominant races, rather than entirely racial alliances.

So in conclusion, it's probably not something to consider highly uncommon in RP either. When you see someone roleplaying a race that isn't ordinarily a part of the faction you're in, they're probably just another [insert your faction here] who just so happens to be a minority.

That's my theory anyway

That's pretty much it.

BlackWormDisciple · March 2016

Grayphilosophy wrote: »

I'm not too experienced in Altmer lore in particular, but I think I can answer, or at least share some insight regarding question three since it applies to all the factions

To me it seems like the three alliances are only made up of the three most prominent leader figures within each race. Outside of that there's always stragglers. Nords who don't follow their jarl and therefore end up in the Daggerfall Covenant, maybe they grew up there, maybe his parents were exiles, who knows.
Currently it's very common to see NPC's that are most certainly not the same race as the ones in your own faction, and noone seems to raise any eyebrows. Additionally, there's the Fighters/Mages guild with almost every race in there somewhere, and who also operate as neutral guilds within all three factions.
Perhaps this suggests that the three factions are more like cultural alliances with predominant races, rather than entirely racial alliances.

So in conclusion, it's probably not something to consider highly uncommon in RP either. When you see someone roleplaying a race that isn't ordinarily a part of the faction you're in, they're probably just another [insert your faction here] who just so happens to be a minority.

That's my theory anyway

Huh... Not bad, friend.

I was wondering since it might seem odd to see any of the races of Man as part of the Aldmeri Dominion, and I'm not sure how an Altmer would handle the sight of a Nord, Imperial, Breton, or Redguard on Auridon or serving the Dominion.

Now I just have to hope I get some insights/answers regarding my other questions.

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

Anyone else?

newtinmpls · April 2016

BlackWormDisciple wrote: »

Question two - regarding Altmer Sorcerers who happen to dabble in Daedric Summoning, what exactly would the thoughts of one's fellow, Isle-born and raised Altmer be regarding one of their kin summoning something from the planes of Oblivion? Would they be repulsed, considering the Altmer are typically followers of the Aedra, although individual exceptions always exist in cultures? Would an Altmer who dabbles in the art of conjuration be accepted? Would they have to dismiss their conjured servants when among proper Altmeri company or on the Isles?

Well... I can tell you that in my personal roleplay with extended "family" (I play several sibs and my husband plays a few more, ages from 800+ to 17 - hey, long lived family) one of our conventions is that daedric "followers" are not as limited as they appear ingame (i.e. there are more shapes/forms available).

Also, any time any of the above summon the Twilight Matriarch (or winged Twilight for that matter) it is presumed to be the same single, individual entity named "Roo" who is a mischievous spirit who has a long term magical connection with the family. Even if summoned simultaneously be two siblings, "Roo" will appear, not being limited by space/time/personal timeline conventions in the same way as mere mortals.

Not really an answer to your question - or maybe the answer is "depends on how you look at it".

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

newtinmpls wrote: »

BlackWormDisciple wrote: »

Question two - regarding Altmer Sorcerers who happen to dabble in Daedric Summoning, what exactly would the thoughts of one's fellow, Isle-born and raised Altmer be regarding one of their kin summoning something from the planes of Oblivion? Would they be repulsed, considering the Altmer are typically followers of the Aedra, although individual exceptions always exist in cultures? Would an Altmer who dabbles in the art of conjuration be accepted? Would they have to dismiss their conjured servants when among proper Altmeri company or on the Isles?

Well... I can tell you that in my personal roleplay with extended "family" (I play several sibs and my husband plays a few more, ages from 800+ to 17 - hey, long lived family) one of our conventions is that daedric "followers" are not as limited as they appear ingame (i.e. there are more shapes/forms available).

Also, any time any of the above summon the Twilight Matriarch (or winged Twilight for that matter) it is presumed to be the same single, individual entity named "Roo" who is a mischievous spirit who has a long term magical connection with the family. Even if summoned simultaneously be two siblings, "Roo" will appear, not being limited by space/time/personal timeline conventions in the same way as mere mortals.

Not really an answer to your question - or maybe the answer is "depends on how you look at it".

Hmm. Interesting way to look at it. Thank you for sharing that - as well as offering a response at least.*Smiles*

newtinmpls · April 2016

As for in-game roleplay, Hisa Ni Caemaire (altmer sorc) is, of all the characters I play, the single most likely to tell someone standing around nude to "put some clothing on" (sometimes even offering a robe if she is near a crafting station), and much more so if the person is an Altmer, because after all we are the most civilized.

She also had an argument with another character of mine (Urgash gra Sharn [orc sorc]) and dyed (cursed) her with hot pink armor for a month. Urgash was NOT happy. But learned her lesson.

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

newtinmpls wrote: »

As for in-game roleplay, Hisa Ni Caemaire (altmer sorc) is, of all the characters I play, the single most likely to tell someone standing around nude to "put some clothing on" (sometimes even offering a robe if she is near a crafting station), and much more so if the person is an Altmer, because after all we are the most civilized.

She also had an argument with another character of mine (Urgash gra Sharn [orc sorc]) and dyed (cursed) her with hot pink armor for a month. Urgash was NOT happy. But learned her lesson.

Heh, not bad!

Hmm... Hopefully it's alright if I ask you this, but what are your thoughts concerning my first question? It still bothers me about the lack of darker hair colors for Altmer, even though they can clearly have them looking at NPCs in previous games and this, as well as the lorebook mentioned in the original post, but until they add additional customization options in (which I hope they do, and soon), if I make an Altmer I'd have to hope it could at least pass for a dark brown. Weird and specific, I know, but I really like the contrast it provides. :P

newtinmpls · April 2016

I honestly don't have strong feelings one way or the other about the Altmer hair issue - actually my weird reaction is about skin tone.

If you consider, the only actual "Chimer" in the game "currently" are the three gods of Morrowind (Tribunal). For some weird reason my husband (who started this whole Caemaire family thing) was really into rolling up pairs of twins. So I followed suit; but while most of the Caemaire are pale skinned and fair haired, Hisa Ni's twin Hisa Fae is golden skinned and golden haired, so it happened that in the roleplaying thing, she is actually the daughter of a mysteriously non-named Chimer (fraternal twins, obviously).

Again, my associations with what the races look like were kind of formed by playing Morrowind, and I recall the Altmer as mostly being golden or silver haired, (not saying they all were - just that I recall them that way) so I just don't picture Altmer as dark haired unless they were ... oh... maybe cursed or slumming?

I'd imagine that the black-grey is just a ....sort of dark silver, and not really a true "dark" color, but that's just thoughts off the top of my head.

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

newtinmpls wrote: »

I honestly don't have strong feelings one way or the other about the Altmer hair issue - actually my weird reaction is about skin tone.

If you consider, the only actual "Chimer" in the game "currently" are the three gods of Morrowind (Tribunal). For some weird reason my husband (who started this whole Caemaire family thing) was really into rolling up pairs of twins. So I followed suit; but while most of the Caemaire are pale skinned and fair haired, Hisa Ni's twin Hisa Fae is golden skinned and golden haired, so it happened that in the roleplaying thing, she is actually the daughter of a mysteriously non-named Chimer (fraternal twins, obviously).

Again, my associations with what the races look like were kind of formed by playing Morrowind, and I recall the Altmer as mostly being golden or silver haired, (not saying they all were - just that I recall them that way) so I just don't picture Altmer as dark haired unless they were ... oh... maybe cursed or slumming?

I'd imagine that the black-grey is just a ....sort of dark silver, and not really a true "dark" color, but that's just thoughts off the top of my head.

You're not mistaken about Morrowind having no dark haired Altmer in the vanilla game. However, dark-haired Altmer have existed in Arena and Daggerfall, Oblivion as well. Skyrim and Morrowind lacked dark haired Altmer, although there's a preset in Skyrim that has black hair - so dark hair isn't far-fetched for an Altmer, nor is it lore-breaking. If I had to guess, dark hair is less common than the typical whites, blondes, grays, etc. - though they are indeed possible for pure-blooded Altmer. And again, there's even a lore book that first appeared in Morrowind that mentions a dark haired Altmer, which has since then been included in the other Elder Scrolls games.

From my understanding, each race of Mer is differentiated by their skin tone, as well as physique and eye color - those would be the main indications of what sort of Elf they are. Altmer are known for skin that ranges from pale/white-gold to bronze, being the tallest of all playable races, and having typically either gold, green, or amber eyes - not sure how the blue thing got started, but it seems acceptable as well. Bosmer are the shorter of the races of Mer, with their males being shorter than their females, with light brown to pale tan skin, physiques typically made for agile movement - especially in areas with lots of trees - and eyes that are typically very dark. Dunmer, very obvious to tell with their skin tones of various ash gray shades and red eyes, their physiques and heights are closer to that of Humans though a bit lighter than humans. Orsimer, again, very obvious with their green to dark brown skin tones, powerful and tall frames, distinctive tusks, and their eyes - at least in Skyrim - have a unique look to them and can be various colors, from red to pale blue, to even yellow (again, at least going by Skyrim). Ear shape as well can be an indication of each type of Mer. Altmer having long, straight pointed ears. Bosmer having ears that are shorter than Altmer ears and a bit more angular - sometimes misshapen judging by a passing glance at male Bosmer in ESO. Dunmer with long ears that curve unlike Bosmer and Altmer ears. And Orsimer with also curved, and shorter ears.

On a slightly unrelated note - if any of the four playable races of Mer were to be of mixed heritage, I think deviation from one of these listed traits would indicate something being different - an Altmer who is considerable shorter or more, say, gray or flesh-colored. A tall male Bosmer. Any of them having ears which are rounded or smaller. To me, hair color wouldn't factor into pure-blooded nature because Dunmer, Bosmer, and Altmer seem to exhibit a variety of hair colors - yet people seem to draw the conclusion of "Altmer are the purest - they should be light-haired AND light-skinned", even though there are plenty of examples through the game that argue against this.

.... Sorry. >< Sometimes, the rant/nerd-mode just kicks in on its own.

ListerJMC · April 2016

Altmer are my favourite race, and unfortunately are known to be incredibly secretive about their lore. I'll try my best, though I don't roleplay so this may not follow conventions - I'm looking at this from a lore point of view.

1. Dark hair has been included in previous games for Altmer, though that was already answered.

2. Typically an Altmer would be horrified at the notion of summoning creatures from Oblivion, as you are correct they follow the divines. There's even a quest somewhere in Valenwood I think where an Altmer states that his people never dabble in summoning creatures from Oblivion as it's seen as fundamentally wrong. However, that's not to say it never happens; and in fact the Altmer are credited with being the first to fully master the craft of controlling daedric summonings. It's really going to depend on your character, but if you're generalising Altmer society then daedric summoning and daedra worship = very bad. However, if you are powerful enough to control them you may not be so negatively viewed for doing so (e.g. Telenger the Artificer summons Daedra); but it takes such a high level of power to do correctly that it goes wrong quite a lot and incites fear. Most Altmer you meet would likely be mortified at your pets, so it would be a good idea to not summon them among company especially in the Isles.

3. Again, it's going to depend on your character's personality. Ayrenn herself states that she has nothing against the races of man, so your Altmer may follow that policy and maintain civility. He may even be impressed that these races have come to accept High Elven rule. However, it's no secret that many Altmer have a superiority complex due to their belief that they're descended from gods; so your Altmer may well be rude to the "lesser races" and see them as his inferiors. I mean if you've played through the questline you'll know some Altmer aren't pleased about being allied with the Khajiit and Bosmer and still see them as lesser. They're typically not fans of the Dunmer and Orsimer due to their Daedric influence as you've said (they even kicked the Dunmer out of the Isles for worshipping Daedra a long time ago, back when they were called "Chimer"). If your Altmer is a suspicious type, they may treat them with hostility assuming they're a spy.

4. Altmer have had the strongest illusion skills in previous games, though I've come across nothing indicating that it's the favoured/most praised school of magic. According to the Mages Guild destruction, mysticism, alteration and illusion are the "great schools of magic" (the guild has its origins in the Isles), so you could say that however that text was written at the time of Oblivion not ESO. As mentioned earlier conjuration is the only school of magic which could be frowned upon, as some forms of it are seen as necromancy and linked to the daedra and have been banned in magical institutions throughout history (e.g. the Mages Guild and the Psiijic Order, which have their origins in the Isles). Looking at the current state of Auridon and the destruction Estre caused through summoning, I'd say it's not particularly favourable at the moment.

Hope some of that helps!

Edit: Misspelled Telenger's name

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

ListerJMC wrote: »

Altmer are my favourite race, and unfortunately are known to be incredibly secretive about their lore. I'll try my best, though I don't roleplay so this may not follow conventions - I'm looking at this from a lore point of view.

1. Dark hair has been included in previous games for Altmer, though that was already answered.

2. Typically an Altmer would be horrified at the notion of summoning creatures from Oblivion, as you are correct they follow the divines. There's even a quest somewhere in Valenwood I think where an Altmer states that his people never dabble in summoning creatures from Oblivion as it's seen as fundamentally wrong. However, that's not to say it never happens; and in fact the Altmer are credited with being the first to fully master the craft of controlling daedric summonings. It's really going to depend on your character, but if you're generalising Altmer society then daedric summoning and daedra worship = very bad. However, if you are powerful enough to control them you may not be so negatively viewed for doing so (e.g. Tellenger the Artificer summons Daedra); but it takes such a high level of power to do correctly that it goes wrong quite a lot and incites fear. Most Altmer you meet would likely be mortified at your pets, so it would be a good idea to not summon them among company especially in the Isles.

3. Again, it's going to depend on your character's personality. Ayrenn herself states that she has nothing against the races of man, so your Altmer may follow that policy and maintain civility. He may even be impressed that these races have come to accept High Elven rule. However, it's no secret that many Altmer have a superiority complex due to their belief that they're descended from gods; so your Altmer may well be rude to the "lesser races" and see them as his inferiors. I mean if you've played through the questline you'll know some Altmer aren't pleased about being allied with the Khajiit and Bosmer and still see them as lesser. They're typically not fans of the Dunmer and Orsimer due to their Daedric influence as you've said (they even kicked the Dunmer out of the Isles for worshipping Daedra a long time ago, back when they were called "Chimer"). If your Altmer is a suspicious type, they may treat them with hostility assuming they're a spy.

4. Altmer have had the strongest illusion skills in previous games, though I've come across nothing indicating that it's the favoured/most praised school of magic. According to the Mages Guild destruction, mysticism, alteration and illusion are the "great schools of magic" (the guild has its origins in the Isles), so you could say that however that text was written at the time of Oblivion not ESO. As mentioned earlier conjuration is the only school of magic which could be frowned upon, as some forms of it are seen as necromancy and linked to the daedra and have been banned in magical institutions throughout history (e.g. the Mages Guild and the Psiijic Order, which have their origins in the Isles). Looking at the current state of Auridon and the destruction Estre caused through summoning, I'd say it's not particularly favourable at the moment.

Hope some of that helps!

Thank you for the wonderful response!

I figured it would be a wise move for an Altmer mage who dabbles in conjuration to hide their daedra typically on the Isles or in properly Altmeri company - unless they can demonstrate the ability to properly control such summoned beings, of course. And yes, I remember reading of the well-known Direnni clan of High Rock being known as the first ones to practice the art of Conjuration as well as create many methods that are still used when it comes to such a school.

And of course, one cannot forget the split of the Velothi/Chimer from their Altmeri cousins - which led to the change of Trinimac into Malacath as well.

Good point as well, regarding illusion magic. It always made me wonder why they had such a strong affinity for Illusion spells in particular regarding previous games - like the Bretons and their high skill in Conjuration (more than likely due to Direnni influence in High Rock), and the Dunmer and their Destruction skill (their balance of martial prowess, stealth, archery, and the use of magic and being able to seamlessly weave them together).

Also, thank you for answering my first question as well - although, in your opinion, do you think the darkest color available to them at the moment in ESO could pass as a dark brown? Sorry, I know it seems odd to ask but I just want to be certain about it is all.

ListerJMC · April 2016

@BlackWormDisciple the darkest colour at the moment is a dark brown, yes, though Altmer can and have had black hair in the past (tagging @Abeille about that because she's been campaigning for it to be included in this game). In some lights it may look closer to black and some lights closer to brown, but it is a dark brown.

Ghanima_Atreides · April 2016

ListerJMC wrote: »

2. Typically an Altmer would be horrified at the notion of summoning creatures from Oblivion, as you are correct they follow the divines. There's even a quest somewhere in Valenwood I think where an Altmer states that his people never dabble in summoning creatures from Oblivion as it's seen as fundamentally wrong.

I also wanted to add that they even constructed a special maximum-security prison for Altmer who got too deep into Daedra summoning: the Banished Cells in Auridon (that zone's group dungeon). A former High Kinlord who made deals with Daedra has been imprisoned there so it's safe to say they really frown on it.

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

ListerJMC wrote: »

@BlackWormDisciple the darkest colour at the moment is a dark brown, yes, though Altmer can and have had black hair in the past (tagging @Abeille about that because she's been campaigning for it to be included in this game). In some lights it may look closer to black and some lights closer to brown, but it is a dark brown.

Thank you for the confirmation, friend.

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

Ghanima_Atreides wrote: »

ListerJMC wrote: »

2. Typically an Altmer would be horrified at the notion of summoning creatures from Oblivion, as you are correct they follow the divines. There's even a quest somewhere in Valenwood I think where an Altmer states that his people never dabble in summoning creatures from Oblivion as it's seen as fundamentally wrong.

I also wanted to add that they even constructed a special maximum-security prison for Altmer who got too deep into Daedra summoning: the Banished Cells in Auridon (that zone's group dungeon). A former High Kinlord who made deals with Daedra has been imprisoned there so it's safe to say they really frown on it.

Really? Huh - I was unaware of that. Thank you for bringing this up!

WhiteCoatSyndrome · April 2016

Necromancy would probably be something you'd want to hide from general Summerset society. The Altmer are big on revering their ancestors, and enslaving their ancestor' bodies/spirits after their deaths rather flies in the face of that. I also seem to recall random NPC dialog disparaging the Phaer alchemist as a 'death lover' although that might have been refering to vampirism specifically rather than undead in general.

Abeille · April 2016

I was summoned @_@

1 - I roleplay my Altmer as if she had black hair, because she would have black hair if it was available. Yes, I've been an annoying little elf (uhh... big elf?) for a while now because of this. They could have dark hair in previous games, and there are black-haired Altmer npcs in this game. Some even part of the Veiled Heritance, which indicates that it is a characteristic that Altmer with pure blood can have.

2 - According to a character in the Mages Guild in Skywatch, the Dominion gives members of the Mages Guild especial permission for summoning Daedric creatures. I imagined it would still be frowned upon, but tolerated if the Altmer doing that is a member of the Mages Guild, out of respect for this special permission and the Great Mage. I imagine that an Altmer that doesn't know you are from the Mages Guild that sees you summoning Daedric creatures would be horrified.

3 - This depends on your character, but they shouldn't act much differently because Ayrenn's policy of tolerance. Maybe your Altmer feels superior to everyone, and will dislike Bosmer and Imperials equally. Maybe they just feel superior to the races of men. Maybe they do not feel superior to anyone (my Altmer) and is friendly towards anybody who is friendly towards them. Remember that there are different kinds of prejudice, too. Some Altmer think other races need help and guidance and act in a condescending way, while others think other races need to die in a fire and act in a violent way. Most friendly Altmer in the Dominion are not openly racist (although I don't doubt many of them are racist in hiding) because of Ayrenn's policy of tolerance, and I imagine that an Altmer that is loyal to the Queen wouldn't be openly racist either.

4 - There is nothing in previous games or in this game that indicates that one school of magic is preferred and another is looked upon in Altmeri society, at least nothing that I can remember.

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

Abeille wrote: »

I was summoned @_@

1 - I roleplay my Altmer as if she had black hair, because she would have black hair if it was available. Yes, I've been an annoying little elf (uhh... big elf?) for a while now because of this. They could have dark hair in previous games, and there are black-haired Altmer npcs in this game. Some even part of the Veiled Heritance, which indicates that it is a characteristic that Altmer with pure blood can have.

2 - According to a character in the Mages Guild in Skywatch, the Dominion gives members of the Mages Guild especial permission for summoning Daedric creatures. I imagined it would still be frowned upon, but tolerated if the Altmer doing that is a member of the Mages Guild, out of respect for this special permission and the Great Mage. I imagine that an Altmer that doesn't know you are from the Mages Guild that sees you summoning Daedric creatures would be horrified.

3 - This depends on your character, but they shouldn't act much differently because Ayrenn's policy of tolerance. Maybe your Altmer feels superior to everyone, and will dislike Bosmer and Imperials equally. Maybe they just feel superior to the races of men. Maybe they do not feel superior to anyone (my Altmer) and is friendly towards anybody who is friendly towards them. Remember that there are different kinds of prejudice, too. Some Altmer think other races need help and guidance and act in a condescending way, while others think other races need to die in a fire and act in a violent way. Most friendly Altmer in the Dominion are not openly racist (although I don't doubt many of them are racist in hiding) because of Ayrenn's policy of tolerance, and I imagine that an Altmer that is loyal to the Queen wouldn't be openly racist either.

4 - There is nothing in previous games or in this game that indicates that one school of magic is preferred and another is looked upon in Altmeri society, at least nothing that I can remember.

Ah, yes - I remember when we mentioned this. I remember the mentioning of the Veiled Heritance members have dark hair as well, which is quite a strong point in favor of dark hair colors for Altmer. Also, if you don't mind me asking, I'm guess you use the darkest hair color Altmer have at the moment in-game? If so, how dark does that shade of brown look? Would it pass for a dark brown in your opinion?

Good to see you on this other topic of mine by the way, Abeillie.

I was unaware of the the permission the Dominion gives to Altmeri conjurers - though it doesn't seem too surprising or far-fetched. Of course, as you said, I'm sure a typical Altmer who doesn't know one is part of the Mages Guild would be very concerned and terrified at the thought of them just summoning a Daedric creature for seemingly no reason.

As for the lack of any indication of a preferred school of magic among the Altmer people as a whole, I suppose I knew that answer all along but was wondering if I overlooked anything. The Altmer are naturally gifted in the art of the arcane, so honestly, they should have very few objections regarding magical pursuits and practices. Necromancy, of course, being one of those objections... although, a book in Morrowind mentions Altmeri nobles being allowed to study/practice it in the Third Era, mainly in the name of further expanding the Altmer lifespan, but still.

Abeille · April 2016

BlackWormDisciple wrote: »

Abeille wrote: »

I was summoned @_@

1 - I roleplay my Altmer as if she had black hair, because she would have black hair if it was available. Yes, I've been an annoying little elf (uhh... big elf?) for a while now because of this. They could have dark hair in previous games, and there are black-haired Altmer npcs in this game. Some even part of the Veiled Heritance, which indicates that it is a characteristic that Altmer with pure blood can have.

2 - According to a character in the Mages Guild in Skywatch, the Dominion gives members of the Mages Guild especial permission for summoning Daedric creatures. I imagined it would still be frowned upon, but tolerated if the Altmer doing that is a member of the Mages Guild, out of respect for this special permission and the Great Mage. I imagine that an Altmer that doesn't know you are from the Mages Guild that sees you summoning Daedric creatures would be horrified.

3 - This depends on your character, but they shouldn't act much differently because Ayrenn's policy of tolerance. Maybe your Altmer feels superior to everyone, and will dislike Bosmer and Imperials equally. Maybe they just feel superior to the races of men. Maybe they do not feel superior to anyone (my Altmer) and is friendly towards anybody who is friendly towards them. Remember that there are different kinds of prejudice, too. Some Altmer think other races need help and guidance and act in a condescending way, while others think other races need to die in a fire and act in a violent way. Most friendly Altmer in the Dominion are not openly racist (although I don't doubt many of them are racist in hiding) because of Ayrenn's policy of tolerance, and I imagine that an Altmer that is loyal to the Queen wouldn't be openly racist either.

4 - There is nothing in previous games or in this game that indicates that one school of magic is preferred and another is looked upon in Altmeri society, at least nothing that I can remember.

Ah, yes - I remember when we mentioned this. I remember the mentioning of the Veiled Heritance members have dark hair as well, which is quite a strong point in favor of dark hair colors for Altmer. Also, if you don't mind me asking, I'm guess you use the darkest hair color Altmer have at the moment in-game? If so, how dark does that shade of brown look? Would it pass for a dark brown in your opinion?

I do not think it can pass for a dark brown. It looks more like chocolate milk, in my opinion. The Nord have a dark brown available (though no true black either, which also bothers me), so you can compare it to the darker brown shade for Altmer. It depends on your settings, though. In lower settings, it looks darker.

BlackWormDisciple wrote: »

As for the lack of any indication of a preferred school of magic among the Altmer people as a whole, I suppose I knew that answer all along but was wondering if I overlooked anything. The Altmer are naturally gifted in the art of the arcane, so honestly, they should have very few objections regarding magical pursuits and practices. Necromancy, of course, being one of those objections... although, a book in Morrowind mentions Altmeri nobles being allowed to study/practice it in the Third Era, mainly in the name of further expanding the Altmer lifespan, but still.

The Wilderking quest chain in Greenshade bothered me a bit because of this. I wouldn't have expected Aranyas' parents to react like they did. I would have expected them to be very proud and happy to see that their daughter had such amazing talent for magic, and to send her straight to the Mages Guild. Maybe the Altmer of the smaller islands are more fearful of magic, maybe because they are more isolated from the rest of the Summerset Isles.

BlackWormDisciple · April 2016

Abeille wrote: »

BlackWormDisciple wrote: »

Abeille wrote: »

I was summoned @_@

1 - I roleplay my Altmer as if she had black hair, because she would have black hair if it was available. Yes, I've been an annoying little elf (uhh... big elf?) for a while now because of this. They could have dark hair in previous games, and there are black-haired Altmer npcs in this game. Some even part of the Veiled Heritance, which indicates that it is a characteristic that Altmer with pure blood can have.

2 - According to a character in the Mages Guild in Skywatch, the Dominion gives members of the Mages Guild especial permission for summoning Daedric creatures. I imagined it would still be frowned upon, but tolerated if the Altmer doing that is a member of the Mages Guild, out of respect for this special permission and the Great Mage. I imagine that an Altmer that doesn't know you are from the Mages Guild that sees you summoning Daedric creatures would be horrified.

3 - This depends on your character, but they shouldn't act much differently because Ayrenn's policy of tolerance. Maybe your Altmer feels superior to everyone, and will dislike Bosmer and Imperials equally. Maybe they just feel superior to the races of men. Maybe they do not feel superior to anyone (my Altmer) and is friendly towards anybody who is friendly towards them. Remember that there are different kinds of prejudice, too. Some Altmer think other races need help and guidance and act in a condescending way, while others think other races need to die in a fire and act in a violent way. Most friendly Altmer in the Dominion are not openly racist (although I don't doubt many of them are racist in hiding) because of Ayrenn's policy of tolerance, and I imagine that an Altmer that is loyal to the Queen wouldn't be openly racist either.

4 - There is nothing in previous games or in this game that indicates that one school of magic is preferred and another is looked upon in Altmeri society, at least nothing that I can remember.

Ah, yes - I remember when we mentioned this. I remember the mentioning of the Veiled Heritance members have dark hair as well, which is quite a strong point in favor of dark hair colors for Altmer. Also, if you don't mind me asking, I'm guess you use the darkest hair color Altmer have at the moment in-game? If so, how dark does that shade of brown look? Would it pass for a dark brown in your opinion?

I do not think it can pass for a dark brown. It looks more like chocolate milk, in my opinion. The Nord have a dark brown available (though no true black either, which also bothers me), so you can compare it to the darker brown shade for Altmer. It depends on your settings, though. In lower settings, it looks darker.

BlackWormDisciple wrote: »

As for the lack of any indication of a preferred school of magic among the Altmer people as a whole, I suppose I knew that answer all along but was wondering if I overlooked anything. The Altmer are naturally gifted in the art of the arcane, so honestly, they should have very few objections regarding magical pursuits and practices. Necromancy, of course, being one of those objections... although, a book in Morrowind mentions Altmeri nobles being allowed to study/practice it in the Third Era, mainly in the name of further expanding the Altmer lifespan, but still.

The Wilderking quest chain in Greenshade bothered me a bit because of this. I wouldn't have expected Aranyas' parents to react like they did. I would have expected them to be very proud and happy to see that their daughter had such amazing talent for magic, and to send her straight to the Mages Guild. Maybe the Altmer of the smaller islands are more fearful of magic, maybe because they are more isolated from the rest of the Summerset Isles.

Fair enough point about the darkest hair color at the moment for Altmer - although it could possibly pass for dark brown. I guess it would depend on the lighting as well as settings (although I still hope darker hair colors, as well as additional customization options get added to the game soon whenever the barber shop is added, or sooner preferably...).

Interesting idea, by the way, about the possibility of Altmer who are fearful of magic if they reside on the smaller islands of Summerset.