The thing that I like the most about the Ayleids is that their architecture and aesthetics is so at odds with their actual culture. Divorced from their history of enslavement, cruelty, and violence, their ruins might convince people they were a peaceful people with a refined sense of art, engineering, and appreciation for natural beauty.
And you think the Ayleids didn't have a sophisticated sense of art, engineering and natural beauty? Different as our understanding of those things is from theirs, there's simply no way they would achieve what they did without it! Hey, how else would a people enjoy sapient taxidermy and flesh gardens if they not only understood the intricacies of the hunanoid body, but also cherished them?
@@Eren8544 Both are good gameplay-wise, but High Elf vampires are ugly as fuck, much more so than Bretons, so unless you have access to mods I'd pick Breton.
Love, LOVE anything Ayleid related! Bringing their ruins back to life for Skyblivion has been really fun and studying their lore to further enhance the experience has been pretty fun. Will keep the vid to send to my level designers and 3D artists ;)
I should really learn to check my rantings before throwing them onto the internet, if ever. Yeah. I wish I'd have played Skyiblivion. I'm sure it will be amazing as well.
Also in Oblivion there was a High Elf noble in the Imperial city who spent a fortune trying to regain some of the powers of the Aylied kings. It's a super long quest but if you give him the right crown he becomes a super powerful and pain in the ass lich. Also another Altmer Mage during the Chorrol Mage's Guild Recommendation quest tries to recover a powerful Aylied spelltome. Even more suspicious. *Watches every single Altmer.*
Only until you get the Platinum Chip. From there, I like to string the NCR, Legion, and House along and then throw them all under the bus by killing House and installing Yes Man. Now I have all the cards and my own country, built with Securitrons, local tribes, the Followers of the Apocalypse, trade with the Mormons and tribes of Utah, and the tech from Big Mountain and the Sierra Madre.
They may not be Ayleids in body, but they sure are Ayleids in mind. If you talk to Ondelemar, a Thalmor justiciar in the Understone Keep, Markarth, he very blatantly states that the Thalmor's "end-game" is to created Mer's supremacy over Man, and he also states that this alliance is made between them and their "Bosmer cousins." The way Thalmor has meticulously crippled the Empire and shown great hatred towards Talos and all Mankind is further reinforcing this idea. So really, i wouldn't be least bit surprised if the Ayleids are pulling the strings from the shadows of bureaucracy and politics. Hidden in plain sight, waiting to reclaim their power over Tamriel.
Honeslty, the Altmer have good enough reason to hate Man after what Tiber Septim and his Imperials did to the 2nd Dominion. The Ayleids don't have to be involved for the Thalmor to hate humans, and if anything, the other races of Mer that have fallen to Man would be motive enough for the Altmer, a wish to avenge their fallen Elven kin. And "Bosmer cousins" is stated since the Bosmer are Elves, and all races of Mer are technically "cousins" in the end, really.
Something I'd like to add. There is a particularly pompous high elf in the ragged flagon, that performs flesh sculpting for a fee. Just putting that out there
+Chlorruption They're both unstoppable killing machines *&* (don't click "Read More" if you haven't done Knights of the Nine yet cuz spoilers) The Hero of Kvatch (who's already dealing with the Oblivion Invasion) ends up mantling with Pelinal, so it's safe to say that the Hero of Kvatch is basically Doomguy. (or Doom Slayer as he's now called)
"No, that we're just kids. A couple of kids in way over their heads. We were doomed from the start. I mean, look at us. We didn't even come close to the crown. We let everybody down. We failed." - Spongebob
"In the caverns of lore, ugly and obscure, shines the gold of truth." I sometimes forget to show the Bethesda writers the love they're due. What a sublimely resonant quote. Very James Joyce'esque. Thanks FM for the great video.
It's also worth noting there may be Ayleid vampires or other undead. Either by having simply been vampires already, or becoming them with the fall of their empire. I wonder as well if Umbacano, an Altmer in the Imperial City, is possibly Ayleid, or has them in his ancestry, as his desire to renew the Ayleid empire is the goal of his questline, not to mention the simple fact that he seems to know a great deal about them, more than most do.
he speaks with a convincing manner - but, he would not fare well if he took up a university degree in history; he uses overly emotive language, he makes very bold assertions which are no where grounded, we have no first hand evidence for any of the behaviours he casually mentions, he shows no awareness of the fact that 'victors' tend to write and rewrite historical documents in their favour, he uses a frame of moral judgement to characterise an entire race, which is, to be frank, indefensible for a balanced historian and it reeks of the fact that his argument is agenda driven and that he had his conclusions before he had even started looking into the subject. Basically, he sounds convincing, but only to the untrained eye and ear - sorry to say!
@@2meroyn he does mention the bias of the historical records and mentions that the cruelty of the Ayelids is more than likely an exaggeration of the imperials
@@2meroyn Professors in Universities literally do this all the time... it's standard to make bold claims based on your own political views in top tier Western universities....
Leeonardo di Enfield Yup, especially common among the social sciences across the Continental United States, for starters. Very unfortunate yet not too surprising now a days.
wanderingbufoon Only well after finishing all the DLCs. Like to walk into The Tops with the Fist of Rawr, She's Embrace, Holorifle, Compliance Regulator, and a fat stack of throwing spears. Add in Implant GRX and the immunities from the Heartless and Spineless perks for good measure. Usually, I'm already within striking range with the FoR and kill him in one hit; don't need to poison it first.
5:23 The way he says the Ayleids enslaved the Nedes as an entire race vaguely implies that Men and Mer are the same. Men and Mer are different Species of humanoids, not different Races. Khajiit = species Argonians = species Mer = species - Dwemer, Dunmer, Altmer and Bosmer are races of Elves, as are Orsimer and the Falmer. Men = species - Nords, Redguards and Imperials are races of Men. The Nedes were also Men. Bretons (Mermen) are an intermingling of Man and Mer - a by-product of the Ayleid Masters 'enjoying' their Nedic Slaves, and a species different from either one. The child of a Slave is also a Slave and thus, Bretons are considered to be Men. It's also why they were called Mermen and NOT Manmer. Ending the name of their species with 'mer' would imply a closer relationship to the Elves, which was not wanted.
--------------------------- The Falmer are considered to be Mer, i.e. 'better' than Men according to the Elves. Yet, when I soul trap one of the ugly MFs, he goes into a Grand or Greater soul gem like an animal, instead of a Black soul gem like a person.
Ok, I can understand Molag Bal, Meruhnes Dagon, and Sheogorath being part of "The House of Troubles" but why is Malakath in there? He's arguably one of the least evil Deadra. And I get that they worshiped Boethia and Mephala, which is questionable in and of itself but that's not the point right now, but Vermina and Namira are way *WAY* worse than Malakath.
Well I think it's because Malacath favours the Orc race over all other races, and Malacath/Trinimac tried to prevent the sundering of the Altmer into the Dunmer
He tests the Dunmer’s strength, by Orc attacks them and their will of character. The House of Troubles are not to he avoided, but wary of. For each tests the Dunmer in different ways. It’s just personal between Malacath and the Dunmer.
@@ZACHANDJACKSZACHSMAFIA Not strictly true. While Malacath does favor the Orcs as a race, his sphere is open to just about anyone considered an outcast or pariah by society, regardless of their race, so long as they follow his tenants: honor, strength in battle, smithing, protecting one's kin, ect.
Divine: Ayleid i have the highground! Ayleid: i can best you! Divine: don’t try it you will fail. When a race disappers from nirn many bad and good things happen.
You know: I ponder always when there are stories about an utter empire/race of ones turned cruel about the few who are the exceptions that prove the norms at play. Think about it. Its impossible for every single person in an empire/race to be cruel to the core, there will always be a very small sum of people who see the wrongs no matter what the culture might be, and take pity upon those suffering, thus wanting to lend aid. The acts of these few forgotten decent ones do not make up for the monstrous things committed by them all, but they are stories that are never told. Being heroic is done: "Without hope, without witness, without reward" (-The Doctor), except for the appreciation of those helped. In the case of the Ayleid Empire, I could see such lot being the type to try, and shelter as many as possible from the utterly horrifying practices at play, with the end goal of getting them safely out of the domain controlled by the cruel powers that be, so they have a chance of living the life that they ought to be able to live. There are likely many of these forgotten heroes who sleep among the lost pages of any books of history, but even though they may never be talked of: It's best to remember again that the exception again does not remove the fault of the actions of the majority, and rather simply proves the norms at play. A few good, heroic Ayeleid elves doing what they can to save who they can do not even come close to cleaning the slate of the actions of the whole Empire of evil.
I would argue that Nocturnal, Hircine, Herma-Mora, Malacath, and Mephala are are all "not-so-bad" Daedra. Grey, sure, but not exactly evil. And Sheogorath is pretty much just anywhere he feels like being in terms of morality. The rest are all pretty undeniably evil, at least by human standards.
I have always believed the leaders of the Thalmor may indeed be Aylieds. It would explain alot about the Thalmor's policy on humans and their idols. Their beliefs and past hatreds coming together to create Thalmor idiology. If true its ironic because this idiology can only lead to their downfall. The Aedra may well again punish them.
Most of the thalmor hate is built on that false god talos and his shitty way of waging war and using a massive metal giant to force the high elves into an empire of enslavement
The altmer had little respect for the Ayleids and would certainly not accept them into their leadership. While they sympathize with their fellow high elves being destroyed by humans, they didn't do anything about it, and they seem not to have taken any refugees either, with the Ayleids being forced to mix with the Direnni and Bosmer populations. The Altmer don't like humans because of religious reasons and because of Tiber Septim, whom they see as an evil, cruel tyrant , being elevaed by humans to the state of godhood.
Matheus Moreira doesn't beat the evils the empire has caused, Talos set in motion the events of Skyrim by using a giant metal machine to kill off thousands.. so yes fuck the empire and fuck talos
In ESO you see there were two opposing cities, Abagarlas that worshipped molag bal and I can't remember the name but A city of light that worshipped Meridia
I think the Ayleids tried to do something horrible to/with the "heart of valenwood", in ESO it is surrounded by an Aylied ruin, which doesn't make sense unless Aylieds were up to something. I think the wood elves found out and stopped them (and probably ate them all)
@Matheus Moreira But the Bbosmer *are* the Valnwood Ayleids, they were breeded into themselves. If I recall correctly this was some Ayleid king who wanted to recreate the White Gold tower in Valenwood but failed because the Bosmer magic and belief was too different from their own.
Ayleids were well documented as being able to change their appearances with magic. They were also said to have disappeared into the forests. For all we know, the Ayleids are now known as Spriggans.
not 100% sure because im not sure about where this happens in the timeline: but it could be that they were fleeing to either the falmer or the dwemer. or if its after the dwemer disapeared, perhaps they thought they could take over the dwemer ruins and rebuild in secret, deep under ground.
This will always be one of my all-time favorite videos by Fudgemuppet. The script was masterfully created, sparing no expense in finding just the right words to convey the intricacies of the Ayleid culture and to invite the viewer to reflect, theorize, and think critically. The relevantly scenic cinematography and use of slow, pensive soundtrack was all the more useful in conveying the messages and theories that were presented. Thank you so much for your insightful and inspiring content.
And yet the high elves look down on the Dunmers as lesser, even though both race of elves related to Ayleids. In summary, the Thalmor just a bunch of racist elves just as the the Nords who joined the Stormcloaks. A typical Ayleid were darker complexion than the high elves but not as dark a Dunmer. They also looked more human like, then either with lesser jaw and chin and more round-headed and blue-eyed. Here is the last king of the Ayleids, according to Elder S lore: vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/elderscrolls/images/b/b0/King_Laloriaran_Dynar.png/revision/latest?cb=20140417192259
I'm pretty sure this is the first time i've heard someone actually use the word "ersatz" in my life. Immediately made me think of the Lemmony Snicket book lul
"Its not like the argonians annexed morrowind into black marsh" *annexation of most of southern morrowind and massacre of house dres in the 4th era intensifies*
what if the dwemer were a race of mer that split of the ayleids? would be interesting and explain why they were so innovative and really didn't want to get involved with either deadra or aedra
Knowing that the Ayleids not only enslaved the Nedic ancestors of the Imperials, but also brutally tortured them for entertainment, it just makes Ayleid ruins even creepier.
Something that has always bugged me.... why are they called Ayleids? Every other strain of mer has a name that ends in -mer, even orsimer for the orcs. Why is there not a -mer designation for the Ayleids, and how did they then get the name Ayleid?
Wow! Great theory about the Aelyid assimilation being a possible cause of the thalmor and Mankhar being an Aelyid. And keep up the lore videos man I love them!
Great video. I started to think that maybe they were the ones in control of the thalmor, about ten seconds before you said it. Great minds and all that.
Anyone else here from Beyond Skyrim: Bruma? I had seen the structures before and knew someone else built the white gold tower. But i went into the ruin showcased the most and was so lost. Thanks for the video.
Strictly speaking, the Ayleids were at least an alliance of convenience of independent city-states, not a united empire. That's why it was so easy for Alessia to conquer them. Herminia Cinna in Oblivion says as much.
Here's a question: If the stars in the night sky of mundus are the holes the Magna Ge made as they escaped to Aetherius, and the sphere which these holes are in the surface of contains all of Oblivion and Mundus, the planetary bodies of the Aedra, etc., then where do the meteors from which the Ayleids are getting this iron and glass come from? Like are they perhaps pieces of the aedra planets and other moons that bump off from impacts, or is Mehrunes Dagon just using his free time to chuck boulders at Mundus?
The amount of lore these games contain is god damned staggering! How many videos are out there about ES lore?? And in everyone I hear something new it would seem. Just incredible.
Civilizations may fall, but culture stays for eternity. Either way, extinct or pulling strings from behind the curtains, the Ayleid to this very day influence the politics and history of Tamriel and its inhabitants. Imperial City was after all Ayleid capital for many centuries, and with Ayleid ruins dotting Cyrodil, their Culture will stand. The tale of Ayleid is one of wasted potential, corruption and decadence. It is a tragic tale of a civilization that could very well be among races of Men and Mer in today's Tamriel if not for mistakes of past, that doomed them in future...
Victor Elliot he’s done videos on them as well. Look at his video on Hircine if you are interested on werewolves, or watch his video on Molag bal if your interested on vampires
Hircine: Hunters who wanted to live on in Hircine's Hunting Grounds after death, they basically have a wolf spirit bound to their human spirit which makes them tainted and only fit for The Hunting Grounds. Vampires: Followers of Molag Bal, the initial ritual involved a priest or priestess of Bal being raped by Bal until dead then brought back to life if he deemed them worthy of being his champion/follower. Very few are worthy of being Children of Cold Harbor (Molag Bal's realm), those that are become horribly grotesque creatures that thirst for blood (but grow stronger the less they have). Those who become vampires by disease are lesser, even the most ancient disease vector vampires are beneath Molag Bal's chosen in terms of power and ability. THAT BEING SAID The disease-born vampires are still followers of Bal, just lesser than the chosen. The early vampires broke into tribes that fought amongst each other, the Cyrodiil ones are an ancient tribe that phased out or assimilated all competition in the area. They differ from Skyrim's, Black Marsh's, Elsweyr's, etc.
I like the puppet master theory, perhaps after their defeat by the hands of Alessia and later Tiber Septim, some of the the Ayleids may have made it back to The Somerset Isles, weaseled their way into power and are the force behind the Aldmeri Dominion and especially their henchmen, the Thalmor. The sadistic Thalmor behavior is more like the Ayleids than the other Mer, they also seem to have a bone to pick with Talos/Tiber Septim and the humans in Tamriel, perhaps for revenge? The Ayleids were not patient but they were thorough schemers and it may have taken from the time of Tiber Septim until the chaos following the Oblivion Crisis to weasel into power, set up their plan and strike at the most opportune time. The first time I ran into the Thalmor in Skyrim and researched their story, I wondered if they were the Ayleids returning for revenge, there really was no other logical reason for the invasion of Tamriel and war that led to the White Gold Concordat.
Interesting theory, my own theory is that the surviving ayleids all fled to various planes of oblivion where they were slowly turned into the Xivilai. mainly because of the incredibly similar weapon designs. almost one for one.
Xivilai can rebel against MD, they are powerful enough tp do so. Xivilai also dont need to serve in MDs army, they can become merchants and other things.
The deadra are like computer programs. They only can do the same thing if you initiate the right prompt. The Chimer/Dark elves were smart to exploit this! The Alyeids not so much.
Hey Fudgemuppet! I've been watching loads of youtube vids lately and I Love Elder scrolls. Your vids are so well done and I truly enjoy watching them. Thank you so much for doing what you are doing!!!
Hey just wanted to leave a comment and say thanks! I really enjoy your lore videos and this one in particular is super useful as I am running a d&d campaign centered around the Alessian rebellion in the first era. Great job and keep up the good work!
I installed a Drow(basically Altmer with pitch black skin and white hair) race mod in Skyrim and made a headcanon lore, where the drows are the most superior of all races in Nirn and are evolved from surviving Ayleids. They have a civilization in the deepest, unexplored underground realm in Tamriel and is more advanced than the Dwemer. Also they had been secretly kidnapping random humans from the surface as slaves and this continues on even in the 4th era.
As shown in Oblivion, there's still elves who know they have Ayleid ancestry. But they're not from Summerset. The altmer of Summerset would find it unbecoming to intermarry with Ayleids, they don't even like the Ayleids. They empathize with their fate, but by all accounts when the Ayleids were destroyed they didn't take refugees seeing as the Ayleids had to find refuge in Valenwood and High Rock. The Chimer seem not to have taken them in either.
@@computerassistedbiological5391 Yes but ideology lives on through younger generations, remember the saying, ideas are bullet proof. Bonus if you get the reference.
I just want a book or something telling the amazing stories that took place during the reign of the Ayleid and the Alessian Rebellion. I feel like that is one of the most interesting times (easily the most so if you count the Middle Dawn), and yet I feel as if we know hardly anything about it.
Ayleids would've defused among the Bretons, Bosmer and Altmer. As such, they still exist the same way the original Latins of Rome exist, inside our genetic makeup. As for any plots for revenge, your evidence seems highly circumstantial. I doubt even the Altmer especially wouldn't have looked kindly on the acts of their cousins. The anomisity towards men is more easily explain by plain racism and bitterness. You would probably curse a dude who brought a giant-death-machine-god and utter humiliation on your people for the rest of your life. Altmer have very long lives.
The Daedra worshipping Ayelids being behind Thalmor just strengthens the theory that the Oblivion crisis was caused by them. Thalmor has the word "Dawn" in their projects, the Dawn magic forexample. So the Mythic dawn might have been in their control. The Ayelidic thalmor could have made a deal with Dagon. Of course the altmer had their share of the troubles during the crisis, at least according to them, but that is the nature of deals with daedra.
Some info you seem to be lacking is the confirmation that Mankar Camoran is or became high elf as he is portrayed in TESL. So either you're saying high elfs are ayliads or your theory has one less leg to stand on than you thiught.
I never even thought of the possibility of the modern day Thalmor could be descendants of the Ayleids. Love your videos guys! It's great to know there are other people that are as into the lore as I am!
The Ayleid's are fascinating. They pretty much rigged themselves to fail though. It seems like that's what happens when you get involved with Mehrunes Dagon
The thing that I like the most about the Ayleids is that their architecture and aesthetics is so at odds with their actual culture. Divorced from their history of enslavement, cruelty, and violence, their ruins might convince people they were a peaceful people with a refined sense of art, engineering, and appreciation for natural beauty.
And you think the Ayleids didn't have a sophisticated sense of art, engineering and natural beauty? Different as our understanding of those things is from theirs, there's simply no way they would achieve what they did without it!
Hey, how else would a people enjoy sapient taxidermy and flesh gardens if they not only understood the intricacies of the hunanoid body, but also cherished them?
@@LeohTheArcher I want to know one thing fudge has bound bow different than other ,his bound bow shining than other why ? In video arcan archer
@@Eren8544 I checked the video out and it seems to be just the bound bow with a visual mod installed.
@@LeohTheArcher thank you dude I want to pick race and I need your opinion , which better (Breton or high elf's ) I want to play mage vampire
@@Eren8544 Both are good gameplay-wise, but High Elf vampires are ugly as fuck, much more so than Bretons, so unless you have access to mods I'd pick Breton.
Love, LOVE anything Ayleid related!
Bringing their ruins back to life for Skyblivion has been really fun and studying their lore to further enhance the experience has been pretty fun.
Will keep the vid to send to my level designers and 3D artists ;)
I am not only proud you used my quote , but disappointed that you like elves.
Skyblivion or Beyond Skyrim?
I should really learn to check my rantings before throwing them onto the internet, if ever. Yeah. I wish I'd have played Skyiblivion. I'm sure it will be amazing as well.
I was about to say, if you know where to download that mod, please tell me.
How'd anyone get Skyrim and Oblivion to work together? They both use different engines.
Ayleids: Owna slaves and Worship a being known for revolutions and change
Slaves: Rebel
Ayleids: *Surprised Pikachu Face*
Rofl tbf they worshipped tons of Daedra
Daedra and Aedra... their pantheon was odd.
**SurprisedPikachuFace.jpg has stopped working, please restart device**
hence hubris
Imagine rocking with mahrune dagon, and being surprised people came along and smashed up your shit in a violent revolution.
And suddenly I’m even more suspicious of the thalmor
Wirr Ling Ayleid culture could be what is the driving motive behind them
MORE suspicious than when you found out they were literally looking to unmake creation? :p
Arkone Axon yes actually
Also in Oblivion there was a High Elf noble in the Imperial city who spent a fortune trying to regain some of the powers of the Aylied kings. It's a super long quest but if you give him the right crown he becomes a super powerful and pain in the ass lich. Also another Altmer Mage during the Chorrol Mage's Guild Recommendation quest tries to recover a powerful Aylied spelltome. Even more suspicious. *Watches every single Altmer.*
In Highelves perspective, men are a byproduct of a betraying god that took their immortality so what would you think of them?
Truth is the game was rigged from the start.
ah Fallout New Vegas
Hm guess from where they were kneeling it must have looked like an 18-carat run of bad luck
Only until you get the Platinum Chip. From there, I like to string the NCR, Legion, and House along and then throw them all under the bus by killing House and installing Yes Man. Now I have all the cards and my own country, built with Securitrons, local tribes, the Followers of the Apocalypse, trade with the Mormons and tribes of Utah, and the tech from Big Mountain and the Sierra Madre.
Why you gone and edit your comment. Boo
how many had to die for you to get this name
I personally think the Thalmor, starting out as an ignored group of extremists, might very well be of Ayelid origin.
I think I could reason with them.
'pelinal was from the future"
Done
Based if true.
They may not be Ayleids in body, but they sure are Ayleids in mind. If you talk to Ondelemar, a Thalmor justiciar in the Understone Keep, Markarth, he very blatantly states that the Thalmor's "end-game" is to created Mer's supremacy over Man, and he also states that this alliance is made between them and their "Bosmer cousins." The way Thalmor has meticulously crippled the Empire and shown great hatred towards Talos and all Mankind is further reinforcing this idea. So really, i wouldn't be least bit surprised if the Ayleids are pulling the strings from the shadows of bureaucracy and politics. Hidden in plain sight, waiting to reclaim their power over Tamriel.
Honeslty, the Altmer have good enough reason to hate Man after what Tiber Septim and his Imperials did to the 2nd Dominion.
The Ayleids don't have to be involved for the Thalmor to hate humans, and if anything, the other races of Mer that have fallen to Man would be motive enough for the Altmer, a wish to avenge their fallen Elven kin.
And "Bosmer cousins" is stated since the Bosmer are Elves, and all races of Mer are technically "cousins" in the end, really.
Something I'd like to add. There is a particularly pompous high elf in the ragged flagon, that performs flesh sculpting for a fee. Just putting that out there
I don't think I've ever talked to that NPC once because of Race Menu
They broke the first rule of fictional species: Never, *EVER* mess with humans.
Lol true that let's make a list of fictional species that didn't lose to humans
Yea plot armor and shitty writting makes humans boring and op
yeap I agree
Lol this person knows xD
@@sephiroaone-of-nine101 The altmer and dunmer (at least until red mountain exploded) have some pretty thick plot armor too.
Ofcourse they were Doomed.
I arrived.
Its time for a crusade!
@@IamaDinosaur COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SIDE
Pelinal Whitestrake do it again based Pelinal
Wait.. serious question. Weren’t some of the knights of the nine elves?
RIP AND TEAR
Well thanks to that title, I'm just picturing Pelinal Whitestrake as the Doom Slayer.
Well, they are both unstoppable killing machines, so it fits.
I mean... Its not inaccurate
+Chlorruption They're both unstoppable killing machines *&* (don't click "Read More" if you haven't done Knights of the Nine yet cuz spoilers)
The Hero of Kvatch (who's already dealing with the Oblivion Invasion) ends up mantling with Pelinal, so it's safe to say that the Hero of Kvatch is basically Doomguy. (or Doom Slayer as he's now called)
Explains why the thalmor are so anti-human, if the Ayleid's reassimilating back into the High Elves is true.
Fuck the thalmor, elves have always been shitty to humans. WHITESTRAAAAAAKE
H Ggaming they hate them because of the Great War
Well humans have plot armor - elves have shitty plot scripts
@@sephiroaone-of-nine101 Yeah, so do the elves
I think Talos' conquest of elven lands + the mass slaughter of elves by using the Numidium is the main reason for the elves hate of humans
"No, that we're just kids. A couple of kids in way over their heads. We were doomed from the start. I mean, look at us. We didn't even come close to the crown. We let everybody down. We failed." - Spongebob
Points* Imperial City
Shell City...
Yep, we never even made it to imperial city
That moment spongebob quotes replaces shakespeare.
How does that fit so perfectly?
I love how everyone is now using Beyond Skyrim for their lore videos. When the full projects are released this community will erupt like Red Mountain
"In the caverns of lore, ugly and obscure, shines the gold of truth." I sometimes forget to show the Bethesda writers the love they're due. What a sublimely resonant quote. Very James Joyce'esque. Thanks FM for the great video.
Know who else is wise, magically gifted and ambitious? The guys at Fudgemuppet.
Ayleids being part of the Aldemeri Dominion campaign would be a great plot
It wouldn't make sense.
The Dominion will avenge their long-dead Ayleid cousins and bring about a beautiful new Merethic era.
@@Vairyehil
Indeed they shall, my friend. Humanity will see their 4th Era of Man come to an end, for a new, 2nd Merethic Era
@@Vairyehil they live in exclaves in valenwood, you know I hope
Pelinal Whitestrake sir , right here
It's also worth noting there may be Ayleid vampires or other undead. Either by having simply been vampires already, or becoming them with the fall of their empire.
I wonder as well if Umbacano, an Altmer in the Imperial City, is possibly Ayleid, or has them in his ancestry, as his desire to renew the Ayleid empire is the goal of his questline, not to mention the simple fact that he seems to know a great deal about them, more than most do.
I'll bet the Dwemer and the Ayleids just wanted to throw an awesome party and not have to invite the lesser races so they left
xD
You can't sit with us
You must have killed essays in school
he speaks with a convincing manner - but, he would not fare well if he took up a university degree in history; he uses overly emotive language, he makes very bold assertions which are no where grounded, we have no first hand evidence for any of the behaviours he casually mentions, he shows no awareness of the fact that 'victors' tend to write and rewrite historical documents in their favour, he uses a frame of moral judgement to characterise an entire race, which is, to be frank, indefensible for a balanced historian and it reeks of the fact that his argument is agenda driven and that he had his conclusions before he had even started looking into the subject. Basically, he sounds convincing, but only to the untrained eye and ear - sorry to say!
@@2meroyn he does mention the bias of the historical records and mentions that the cruelty of the Ayelids is more than likely an exaggeration of the imperials
S G H he’s speaking as a theoretical scholar either nirn.
@@2meroyn Professors in Universities literally do this all the time... it's standard to make bold claims based on your own political views in top tier Western universities....
Leeonardo di Enfield
Yup, especially common among the social sciences across the Continental United States, for starters. Very unfortunate yet not too surprising now a days.
"The truth is, the Ayleids were rigged from the start"
Quest updated: kill benny
i love this
wanderingbufoon Only well after finishing all the DLCs. Like to walk into The Tops with the Fist of Rawr, She's Embrace, Holorifle, Compliance Regulator, and a fat stack of throwing spears. Add in Implant GRX and the immunities from the Heartless and Spineless perks for good measure. Usually, I'm already within striking range with the FoR and kill him in one hit; don't need to poison it first.
Quest added
Aint that a arrow to the knee
5:23 The way he says the Ayleids enslaved the Nedes as an entire race vaguely implies that Men and Mer are the same.
Men and Mer are different Species of humanoids, not different Races.
Khajiit = species
Argonians = species
Mer = species - Dwemer, Dunmer, Altmer and Bosmer are races of Elves, as are Orsimer and the Falmer.
Men = species - Nords, Redguards and Imperials are races of Men. The Nedes were also Men.
Bretons (Mermen) are an intermingling of Man and Mer - a by-product of the Ayleid Masters 'enjoying' their Nedic Slaves,
and a species different from either one. The child of a Slave is also a Slave and thus, Bretons are considered to be Men.
It's also why they were called Mermen and NOT Manmer. Ending the name of their species with 'mer' would imply a
closer relationship to the Elves, which was not wanted.
---------------------------
The Falmer are considered to be Mer, i.e. 'better' than Men according to the Elves. Yet, when I soul trap one of the ugly MFs,
he goes into a Grand or Greater soul gem like an animal, instead of a Black soul gem like a person.
They have been wholly corrupted
Ok, I can understand Molag Bal, Meruhnes Dagon, and Sheogorath being part of "The House of Troubles" but why is Malakath in there? He's arguably one of the least evil Deadra. And I get that they worshiped Boethia and Mephala, which is questionable in and of itself but that's not the point right now, but Vermina and Namira are way *WAY* worse than Malakath.
Well I think it's because Malacath favours the Orc race over all other races, and Malacath/Trinimac tried to prevent the sundering of the Altmer into the Dunmer
Malacath hates all but his little brothers, he only loves orcs and ogres not beautiful beings!!
He tests the Dunmer’s strength, by Orc attacks them and their will of character. The House of Troubles are not to he avoided, but wary of. For each tests the Dunmer in different ways. It’s just personal between Malacath and the Dunmer.
@@ZACHANDJACKSZACHSMAFIA
Not strictly true. While Malacath does favor the Orcs as a race, his sphere is open to just about anyone considered an outcast or pariah by society, regardless of their race, so long as they follow his tenants: honor, strength in battle, smithing, protecting one's kin, ect.
@@Scotttjt So Malacath is a Daedric prince who has sense of honor.
Heavy metal music starts*
Pelinal Whitestrake: REEEEMAAAAAANN AAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I believe I've found Pelinal Whitestrake's theme song: ua-cam.com/video/P0TzUNti3rY/v-deo.html
@@roadhouse6999 ua-cam.com/video/E5ix0_W-ouI/v-deo.html
@@armoduesgrimlock7677 ua-cam.com/video/jYZR7yszaFk/v-deo.html
Have you heard of the high elfs?
UUUAARGH
Any news from the other provinces?
Elves dipshit plural
Uh-huh
Good day
"Be good to one another", when the 8 become the 9, that kind of take a lot of weight out of that phase
Divine: Ayleid i have the highground!
Ayleid: i can best you!
Divine: don’t try it you will fail.
When a race disappers from nirn many bad and good things happen.
Nice one
The godhead decides that!!
God head decides nothing
Around elves watch yourselves.
Im not scared of piss skinned knife ears
Watching them seems to be the more effective precaution.
@Wirr Ling tell that to my axe
@Wirr Ling *facepalms*
Around elves never relax
You know: I ponder always when there are stories about an utter empire/race of ones turned cruel about the few who are the exceptions that prove the norms at play.
Think about it. Its impossible for every single person in an empire/race to be cruel to the core, there will always be a very small sum of people who see the wrongs no matter what the culture might be, and take pity upon those suffering, thus wanting to lend aid. The acts of these few forgotten decent ones do not make up for the monstrous things committed by them all, but they are stories that are never told.
Being heroic is done: "Without hope, without witness, without reward" (-The Doctor), except for the appreciation of those helped.
In the case of the Ayleid Empire, I could see such lot being the type to try, and shelter as many as possible from the utterly horrifying practices at play, with the end goal of getting them safely out of the domain controlled by the cruel powers that be, so they have a chance of living the life that they ought to be able to live.
There are likely many of these forgotten heroes who sleep among the lost pages of any books of history, but even though they may never be talked of: It's best to remember again that the exception again does not remove the fault of the actions of the majority, and rather simply proves the norms at play. A few good, heroic Ayeleid elves doing what they can to save who they can do not even come close to cleaning the slate of the actions of the whole Empire of evil.
*"Play with fire expect to get Burned"*
I don’t care what the Mer believe, Meridia and Azura are as “good” as you’re going to get out of Daedra
I agree
Meridia is the only not evil daedra
Malacath is the only daedra that cares about his people. Azura likes the worship. Meridia doesn't care about the living only killing the undead
Agree, but Malacath is a dick to the rest of Tamriel. He just sends out Ogrims randomly to kill people.
I would argue that Nocturnal, Hircine, Herma-Mora, Malacath, and Mephala are are all "not-so-bad" Daedra. Grey, sure, but not exactly evil. And Sheogorath is pretty much just anywhere he feels like being in terms of morality. The rest are all pretty undeniably evil, at least by human standards.
I have always believed the leaders of the Thalmor may indeed be Aylieds. It would explain alot about the Thalmor's policy on humans and their idols. Their beliefs and past hatreds coming together to create Thalmor idiology. If true its ironic because this idiology can only lead to their downfall. The Aedra may well again punish them.
Most of the thalmor hate is built on that false god talos and his shitty way of waging war and using a massive metal giant to force the high elves into an empire of enslavement
Paul Grattan The Ayleids went extinct during the 2nd Era.
The altmer had little respect for the Ayleids and would certainly not accept them into their leadership. While they sympathize with their fellow high elves being destroyed by humans, they didn't do anything about it, and they seem not to have taken any refugees either, with the Ayleids being forced to mix with the Direnni and Bosmer populations. The Altmer don't like humans because of religious reasons and because of Tiber Septim, whom they see as an evil, cruel tyrant , being elevaed by humans to the state of godhood.
@@sephiroaone-of-nine101 Man youre a real thalmor lover arent you lol.
Matheus Moreira doesn't beat the evils the empire has caused, Talos set in motion the events of Skyrim by using a giant metal machine to kill off thousands.. so yes fuck the empire and fuck talos
"In the commandments of the Nine Divines" *Thalmor burn down door* DIRTY TALOS WORSHIPPERS!
They break down the door and barge into a wall of arrows
Loving all these lore videos :) Thanks for the great content FudgeMuppet!
In ESO you see there were two opposing cities, Abagarlas that worshipped molag bal and I can't remember the name but A city of light that worshipped Meridia
I think the Ayleids tried to do something horrible to/with the "heart of valenwood", in ESO it is surrounded by an Aylied ruin, which doesn't make sense unless Aylieds were up to something. I think the wood elves found out and stopped them (and probably ate them all)
God I love the Bosmer.
The Ayleids of Valenwood had to adapt to life in Valenwood and eventually were absorbed into the local Bosmer population.
May have been from the time Anumaril tried to turn Green-Sap into a new White-Gold.
@Matheus Moreira But the Bbosmer *are* the Valnwood Ayleids, they were breeded into themselves. If I recall correctly this was some Ayleid king who wanted to recreate the White Gold tower in Valenwood but failed because the Bosmer magic and belief was too different from their own.
There are a few Altmer, Bosmer and Dunmer who have Alyied ancestry. People tend to forget this. Even a few Bretons are part Alyied.
Ayleids were well documented as being able to change their appearances with magic. They were also said to have disappeared into the forests. For all we know, the Ayleids are now known as Spriggans.
Immortal Panda Spriggans are tree spirits so no they aren’t ayleids
You mentioned in your video that some of the Ayleids fled north and were immediately wiped out by the nord.
what tf did they expect?
Z are retarded mortals who had the hubris to do so many retarded thins
not 100% sure because im not sure about where this happens in the timeline: but it could be that they were fleeing to either the falmer or the dwemer. or if its after the dwemer disapeared, perhaps they thought they could take over the dwemer ruins and rebuild in secret, deep under ground.
it is far, far, far before the dwemer's disapperance
Probably the were so desperately to flee that they didn't care about where lol
This will always be one of my all-time favorite videos by Fudgemuppet. The script was masterfully created, sparing no expense in finding just the right words to convey the intricacies of the Ayleid culture and to invite the viewer to reflect, theorize, and think critically. The relevantly scenic cinematography and use of slow, pensive soundtrack was all the more useful in conveying the messages and theories that were presented. Thank you so much for your insightful and inspiring content.
Ayleids: Were we doomed from the start
Daedra: Always have been..
Thalmor with Ayleids connection not far fetched...thanks for sharing.
And yet the high elves look down on the Dunmers as lesser, even though both race of elves related to Ayleids. In summary, the Thalmor just a bunch of racist elves just as the the Nords who joined the Stormcloaks.
A typical Ayleid were darker complexion than the high elves but not as dark a Dunmer. They also looked more human like, then either with lesser jaw and chin and more round-headed and blue-eyed. Here is the last king of the Ayleids, according to Elder S lore:
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/elderscrolls/images/b/b0/King_Laloriaran_Dynar.png/revision/latest?cb=20140417192259
Hearing the Oblivion soundtrack always makes me remember my childhood 😂 I spent far too long playing Morriwind and Oblivion growing up.
I feel you man. Oblivion felt like a step backwards compared to morrowind. Thank god for mods
@@codygreyeyes1610 Oblivion is great in atmosphere, but it's mechanics are sure horribly broken.
I'm pretty sure this is the first time i've heard someone actually use the word "ersatz" in my life. Immediately made me think of the Lemmony Snicket book lul
I'm reminded of the Orokin when I think of the ayelids. Though, it probably should be the other way around
Aedra: "Be good to one another"
Ayleids: "Hold my Welkynd stone"
Your videos are so chill please never stop can’t wait to see what you do with es6
"Its not like the argonians annexed morrowind into black marsh" *annexation of most of southern morrowind and massacre of house dres in the 4th era intensifies*
I've always taken an interest in elder scrolls societies , especially ancient ones like the dwemer or falmer , this vid just gave me more material
I'm Glad UA-cam Is Back. Man, I can't sleep without watching this kind of videos
Video on the Ayleids?! Hoooooo, the nostalgia is flooding in.
what if the dwemer were a race of mer that split of the ayleids?
would be interesting and explain why they were so innovative and really didn't want to get involved with either deadra or aedra
Knowing that the Ayleids not only enslaved the Nedic ancestors of the Imperials, but also brutally tortured them for entertainment, it just makes Ayleid ruins even creepier.
Great stuff. I always like to learn more about the Ayleids.
Something that has always bugged me.... why are they called Ayleids? Every other strain of mer has a name that ends in -mer, even orsimer for the orcs. Why is there not a -mer designation for the Ayleids, and how did they then get the name Ayleid?
If they are still around, then the Aeylyids must be the hidden Illuminati of Tamriel. TAMRIELIC ILLUMINATTI CONFIRMED.
“I will not deny Her the heads of kings” Pelinal Whitestrike
Wow! Great theory about the Aelyid assimilation being a possible cause of the thalmor and Mankhar being an Aelyid. And keep up the lore videos man I love them!
Such a cool video about a Race I had never fully understood before, thank you Fudgemuppet!
Great video. I started to think that maybe they were the ones in control of the thalmor, about ten seconds before you said it. Great minds and all that.
It's interesting that the abolition of slavery played such a large role in the history of the Imperials, but their entire aesthetic is Roman.
Anyone else here from Beyond Skyrim: Bruma? I had seen the structures before and knew someone else built the white gold tower. But i went into the ruin showcased the most and was so lost. Thanks for the video.
Strictly speaking, the Ayleids were at least an alliance of convenience of independent city-states, not a united empire. That's why it was so easy for Alessia to conquer them. Herminia Cinna in Oblivion says as much.
Here's a question: If the stars in the night sky of mundus are the holes the Magna Ge made as they escaped to Aetherius, and the sphere which these holes are in the surface of contains all of Oblivion and Mundus, the planetary bodies of the Aedra, etc., then where do the meteors from which the Ayleids are getting this iron and glass come from? Like are they perhaps pieces of the aedra planets and other moons that bump off from impacts, or is Mehrunes Dagon just using his free time to chuck boulders at Mundus?
You just convinced me to roleplay as a secretive Ayleid that roams Skyrim seeking power and to restore what lost knowledge they once had.
Love waking up and having a new video from fudge muppet !!!
By far my favorite non playable race, I find myself completely fascinated by them
The amount of lore these games contain is god damned staggering! How many videos are out there about ES lore?? And in everyone I hear something new it would seem. Just incredible.
Civilizations may fall, but culture stays for eternity. Either way, extinct or pulling strings from behind the curtains, the Ayleid to this very day influence the politics and history of Tamriel and its inhabitants. Imperial City was after all Ayleid capital for many centuries, and with Ayleid ruins dotting Cyrodil, their Culture will stand.
The tale of Ayleid is one of wasted potential, corruption and decadence. It is a tragic tale of a civilization that could very well be among races of Men and Mer in today's Tamriel if not for mistakes of past, that doomed them in future...
Thank you for compilinh this chapter of ES history.
That was very interesting and brautifully done.
Looking forward to your next chapter! ❤
I'd like to learn more about were-creatures or vampires like the tel both
Victor Elliot he’s done videos on them as well. Look at his video on Hircine if you are interested on werewolves, or watch his video on Molag bal if your interested on vampires
Hircine: Hunters who wanted to live on in Hircine's Hunting Grounds after death, they basically have a wolf spirit bound to their human spirit which makes them tainted and only fit for The Hunting Grounds.
Vampires: Followers of Molag Bal, the initial ritual involved a priest or priestess of Bal being raped by Bal until dead then brought back to life if he deemed them worthy of being his champion/follower. Very few are worthy of being Children of Cold Harbor (Molag Bal's realm), those that are become horribly grotesque creatures that thirst for blood (but grow stronger the less they have). Those who become vampires by disease are lesser, even the most ancient disease vector vampires are beneath Molag Bal's chosen in terms of power and ability.
THAT BEING SAID
The disease-born vampires are still followers of Bal, just lesser than the chosen. The early vampires broke into tribes that fought amongst each other, the Cyrodiil ones are an ancient tribe that phased out or assimilated all competition in the area. They differ from Skyrim's, Black Marsh's, Elsweyr's, etc.
At this point, I am now pretty damn sure whoever is in command of the Thalmor order must be of Ayleid descent.
I like the puppet master theory, perhaps after their defeat by the hands of Alessia and later Tiber Septim, some of the the Ayleids may have made it back to The Somerset Isles, weaseled their way into power and are the force behind the Aldmeri Dominion and especially their henchmen, the Thalmor.
The sadistic Thalmor behavior is more like the Ayleids than the other Mer, they also seem to have a bone to pick with Talos/Tiber Septim and the humans in Tamriel, perhaps for revenge?
The Ayleids were not patient but they were thorough schemers and it may have taken from the time of Tiber Septim until the chaos following the Oblivion Crisis to weasel into power, set up their plan and strike at the most opportune time.
The first time I ran into the Thalmor in Skyrim and researched their story, I wondered if they were the Ayleids returning for revenge, there really was no other logical reason for the invasion of Tamriel and war that led to the White Gold Concordat.
It’s amazing how many races there are in the Elder Scrolls lore but we only have a few main ones we get to play as
Interesting theory, my own theory is that the surviving ayleids all fled to various planes of oblivion where they were slowly turned into the Xivilai. mainly because of the incredibly similar weapon designs. almost one for one.
makes sense. they worshipped Mehrunes Dagon and MD controls the Xivilai, which are also pretty tall.
Xivilai can rebel against MD, they are powerful enough tp do so. Xivilai also dont need to serve in MDs army, they can become merchants and other things.
The deadra are like computer programs. They only can do the same thing if you initiate the right prompt. The Chimer/Dark elves were smart to exploit this! The Alyeids not so much.
Tfw the fierce Nords came down from the north and smashed the Ayleids to bits.
Aye-lee-id, homey.
That's how it's done where it matters.
Hey Fudgemuppet! I've been watching loads of youtube vids lately and I Love Elder scrolls. Your vids are so well done and I truly enjoy watching them. Thank you so much for doing what you are doing!!!
Fire can be a powerful tool but if left uncontrolled it will destroy everything in its path
I'm pretty sure that the loading screens are showing Ayeleids when showing Altmer. The Altmer on the loading screen have a hella dark skin.
What you said about the imperials writing the history of the Ayleids is pure genius... hats off. 😁
Drew illustrates it perfectly. Puns. but he does though.
Hey just wanted to leave a comment and say thanks! I really enjoy your lore videos and this one in particular is super useful as I am running a d&d campaign centered around the Alessian rebellion in the first era. Great job and keep up the good work!
Man.. I freaking love you guys.
Ayleids: Enjoy torturing people for fun.
*Excited Slaaneshi noises*
I installed a Drow(basically Altmer with pitch black skin and white hair) race mod in Skyrim and made a headcanon lore, where the drows are the most superior of all races in Nirn and are evolved from surviving Ayleids. They have a civilization in the deepest, unexplored underground realm in Tamriel and is more advanced than the Dwemer. Also they had been secretly kidnapping random humans from the surface as slaves and this continues on even in the 4th era.
Yeah?
9:42 The wailing wheels of Vin Diesel. 😂
So, what if the thalmor are actually being ran by the ayleids? According to your theory this could be quite possible.
No because the Ayleids went extinct a long time ago.
@Not Todd Howard They're still extinct.
As shown in Oblivion, there's still elves who know they have Ayleid ancestry. But they're not from Summerset. The altmer of Summerset would find it unbecoming to intermarry with Ayleids, they don't even like the Ayleids. They empathize with their fate, but by all accounts when the Ayleids were destroyed they didn't take refugees seeing as the Ayleids had to find refuge in Valenwood and High Rock. The Chimer seem not to have taken them in either.
@@computerassistedbiological5391 Yes but ideology lives on through younger generations, remember the saying, ideas are bullet proof. Bonus if you get the reference.
I just want a book or something telling the amazing stories that took place during the reign of the Ayleid and the Alessian Rebellion. I feel like that is one of the most interesting times (easily the most so if you count the Middle Dawn), and yet I feel as if we know hardly anything about it.
Ayleids would've defused among the Bretons, Bosmer and Altmer. As such, they still exist the same way the original Latins of Rome exist, inside our genetic makeup. As for any plots for revenge, your evidence seems highly circumstantial. I doubt even the Altmer especially wouldn't have looked kindly on the acts of their cousins. The anomisity towards men is more easily explain by plain racism and bitterness. You would probably curse a dude who brought a giant-death-machine-god and utter humiliation on your people for the rest of your life. Altmer have very long lives.
The Daedra worshipping Ayelids being behind Thalmor just strengthens the theory that the Oblivion crisis was caused by them. Thalmor has the word "Dawn" in their projects, the Dawn magic forexample. So the Mythic dawn might have been in their control. The Ayelidic thalmor could have made a deal with Dagon. Of course the altmer had their share of the troubles during the crisis, at least according to them, but that is the nature of deals with daedra.
Some info you seem to be lacking is the confirmation that Mankar Camoran is or became high elf as he is portrayed in TESL. So either you're saying high elfs are ayliads or your theory has one less leg to stand on than you thiught.
Remember kids. ” Slightly tanned. Not a friend.” - Sun Tzu
Man I've been watching you guys for almost a year and I've never seen a video posted this early oh it's 6:09 am here
I never even thought of the possibility of the modern day Thalmor could be descendants of the Ayleids. Love your videos guys! It's great to know there are other people that are as into the lore as I am!
The Ayleid's are fascinating. They pretty much rigged themselves to fail though. It seems like that's what happens when you get involved with Mehrunes Dagon
You guys are releasing ES content almost daily.
Subbed!
Thank you, the Ayleids have always been a mystery to me.
What kind of elves ride motorcycles?
"Eeeyyy!"leids
What?
It's a pun about The Fonz! Aaaayyyy!
@@Thescott16 That wasn't even funny-_-
The niche and borderline obscure context needed to understand and appreciate this pun is truly a sight to behold.