OP sounds like an N'wah.

Rex-Umbra wrote: »

I like dark elf stats and darker complexion of them over high elfs. They are too short though

I never really got that. Like I know they were turned into the ash elves yatta yatta yatta, but why did they get shrunk too?

grannas211 wrote: »

Rex-Umbra wrote: »

I like dark elf stats and darker complexion of them over high elfs. They are too short though

I never really got that. Like I know they were turned into the ash elves yatta yatta yatta, but why did they get shrunk too?

They didn't. Altmer got taller (perhaps).

Altmer indulge in a sort of eugenics that promotes certain 'breeding' positions and arranged coupling between partners in order to keep a pure and 'perfect' race. There's a few lore books on it throughout the game world, and of course the pocket guide to the imperial empire which suggests that Altmer killed babies born less than perfect -- however, most of the content of said book is rather prejudiced and more than a touch tainted by racism, and definitely less than favourable to non human races.

Androconium wrote: »

JayAstrophel wrote: »

Honest question here. Personally I’ve never been able to stand them. Their homeland looks cool but the slavery thing bugs me big time. They’re definitely last place for me in terms of the races of Tamriel, so why are they first for a lot of people? Would really love to know

You would really love to know why people choose to play as an elf that enjoys enslaving other races?

What could you achieve with this knowledge?

ALL human progress has been achieved by a few humans exploiting masses of other humans to achieve their goals.

Slavery exists today.

If you're unhappy with the dunmer racial outline, don't play them.

You play an interesting game with your quest. Goodbye and poor luck to you.

I think it's a interesting question, which, if answered honestly and with thought can yield some fascinating answers. But better asked in the context of each race explicitly by their negatives -- that would reveal true insight.

The thing is, most speculative and fantasy fiction uses its in-world to hold a mirror to the real world, and races are common reflections of aspects of human nature; the content is more abstract than people care to admit, and our tolerance for the content, or affinity for it is based not only on what we recognise of ourselves in it, but also what we condemn.

So asking 'what is it about race x that you like?', is a far easier question to answer than the negatively loaded 'what is it about race x that does negative thing y that makes you want to be one?' An interesting abstraction of truthiness, condition, awareness, and intent? You decide in how you answer the question.

coop500 wrote: »

I have been in the OP's shoes for years, but I've just summed it up that these days, being 'dark/evil/mysterious' is cool and fun for the edgy crowd.

Which is the same reason given behind why Nightblade is such a popular class.

Hmmm... I wonder why not all Nightblades are Dunmers or why not all Dunmers are Nightblades?

Nerouyn wrote: »

Bosmer cannibalism isn't evil. It's good.

As it is said "The monster never sees a monster in the mirror".
Yeah, cannibalism is good, from the point of view of the bosmer aiming to nom their neighbors... perhaps not so much by any other people looking at getting eaten just to avoid making a meal of the ambundant plant life., not to mention, how these would think about baking your own granny into a pie as soon as she breathes her last...

Just like if you were to ask some dres dunmer, they might hold a long rant of how slavery is "good", how it benefits the enslaved argonians to not waste their lives in some dinky swamp but contribute to a great civilization! How their slaves are well-treated and have the security of being fed through their lives, never having to worry is some wammasu might chew up their tribe or anything, being rescued from the harsh living conditions of a "primitive" society by their slavers and allowed to trade their dirty mud dwellings for proper, civilized stone sheds - why, they ought to be grateful to their enslavers, right?
From the Dres point of view.
His slaves might tell an entirely different story, yes?

Good and Evil, like so many other truths everyone cling to, often depend entirely on the individual point of view!

But... that is an entirely different discussion!

Kombinator wrote: »

I'm a fanatic egalitarian. So anyone who uses slaves of any kind is considered enemy.

Personally I am inclined to agree.
Though I also value responsibility very highly, and thus might make exceptions when it comes to forced labour to make people who do damage and are unwilling to make it right on their own to contribute towards repairing what they messed up.
But that is the only exception.

Also, there is another ally of that sort, the Ayleids were really -big- on slavery back in their day (which is where I reckon the dunmer tradition came from, seems ALL elves who lived back in the first era thoughr humans and other races beasts of burden, though events proved the practice less then optimal, just ask saint alessia, right?), so... King Dynar was probably happy enough to have had that chance to do something right at the end, huh?

BtW, to throw more shades of grey... how about enslaving daedra to do your bidding? Like... every sorceror does when they summon winged twilights, which are -definitely- sentient (a case can be made scamps and clannfear are more beasts). You think those beastiers like it when they get... summoned by a mortal?

In the end, slavery is -not- what defines the dunmer.
It is also not only present with the houses telavanni and dres, if you keep your eyes open, you will find slavery from Abah's Landing to the the Reach... even the cyrodillic empire which is traditionally more opposed to slavery due to Alessia and so on, has (and will) at times taken up in the same practice themselves.
And furthermore, as has been said, the other houses -did- indeed abolish slavery during the formation of the ebonheart pact (which is why house Telvanni refused to join after all), and quite a few dunmer see the practice as questionable at best, or abhorrent and a relic of the past that should be done away with. Of course, we do know from the TES lore they are in the minority... but that is why the dunmer will get a -hefty- bill for all of their habits come the Red Year...

So... in the end, "slavery" is basically the skeleton in the donmers... well, not closet, more like front yard (the one in the closet would be the truth about the tribunal), while other races have different skeletons.

From a RP point of view... you -can- choose to play a slaveholder Telvanni scu... uhm... character. or you can choose to play a servant girl from a commoner dunmer household, or a bookish dunmer boy that went off to work as a librarian... each as they like.
Just like you can choose to RP as "bad guy/gal" from any other races. A redguard bandit, or an imperial pirate, a orc murderer or a altmer whor... lady of questionable morals.
Up to each person, how they want to play, not part of the racial package!

I just like their dark humor and racism. Dunmer literally are everything I am not in real life. That is why I like them. As a Dunmer, you can roleplay a rude racist(ingame races) and get easily away with it.
Ever since morrowind back in the day I am in love with Dunmers.

1) 'Cause we played D&D or AD&D back in the day and dark elves were cool
2) 'Cause we're of Nordic extraction and our mythology is chock full of cool ones
3) 'Cause we're in to characters that look like dead things
4) 'Cause they have some of the coolest lore in all of TES
5) 'Cause they make kick-a** DK's and/or NB's and pretty good Sorcerers and Wardens (sorry, I loathe them as Templars - doesn't make any sense for Daedra worshippers to be channeling Aedric power)
6) 'Cause their zones are a heck of lot more interesting than the "pretty, pretty" DC or AD areas
7) 'Cause they're unique looking, unlike the generic other races (okay, they're the only non-beast race, that has unique looks)
8) 'Cause they're the one race where it makes sense to have tatoos.

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of any at the moment.