Dunmer (Skyrim)

SepLnUp Dunmer b4&d4 — Dunmer in *Skyrim*.

For other uses, see Dunmer.

"Also known as "Dunmer" in their homeland of Morrowind, dark elves are noted for their stealth and magic skills. They are naturally resistant to fire and can call upon their Ancestor's Wrath to surround themselves in fire."

―Racial description^[src]

The Dunmer, more commonly referred to as Dark Elves, are the dark skinned elven natives of the province of Morrowind but can be encountered anywhere in Tamriel. Notable, after the eruption of Red Mountain, many Dunmer fled to Skyrim. There, they face extreme prejudices due to their elven blood and their status as refugees. Despite this, several Dunmer have established a foothold in Skyrim as skillful merchants and mages.

Biology

Dunmer have glowing red eyes and grayish skin tones that range from shades of blue to green.

Height

Male and female Dunmer have a height of 1.0, the standard height of many races in Skyrim. Of the elves, they are taller than the Bosmer, which rank at 0.95 and shorter than Altmer, which rank 1.08.^{[note 1]}

History

Migration – Red Mountain eruption

After the eruption of Red Mountain, many Dunmer fled to Skyrim. Several took up residence at the College of Winterhold, to bolster their innate magical talents.^[1] Many more fled to Windhelm, the seat of the Stormcloaks' resistance against the Empire of Tamriel.

Azura's vision

Before the destruction that led to the mass exodus of Dunmer, several of the faithful of Azura received visions of the eruption of Red Mountain. Setting out for Winterhold, these Dunmer built the Shrine of Azura and remained there as priests and priestesses, though they eventually left over time, until only one remained, Aranea Ienith.^[2]

Character creation

Skill bonuses

Starting spells

Special abilities

Ancestor's Wrath: Once per day for 60 seconds, opponents that get too close take 8 points per second of fire damage. Ancestor's Wrath can harm neutral NPCs such as town guards.
Resist Fire: Your Dunmer blood gives you 50% resistance to fire.

Popular usage and unique game play

The Dunmer is a versatile race that can almost fill any role, due to the racial powers and skill bonuses.

Combat, Stealth and Magic

The Dunmer racial Ancestor's Wrath power adds additional usefulness to melee combat. Causing fire damage to any foe within melee range, this racial power seems to benefit most from a melee fighter play-style.

In terms of skills, the Dunmer is an advantageous race for thieves, assassins and mages, as they offer a good balance of stealth and magical talent. This race provides a middle ground between the other Mer species, as the Bosmer are adept at stealth and the Altmer are experts of magic.

The Dunmer are known for their aptitude in magic, especially destruction magic. Dunmer also have increased abilities in other magical classes, including Alteration and Illusion. Dunmer characters begin the game with the additional spell Sparks, even though this advantage is short lived, as a Sparks Spell Tome (Skyrim) can be acquired in the tutorial quest "Unbound."

Vampires

Seeing as they have a natural resistance against fire, Dunmer could also effectively be used when playing as a Vampire with the Dawnguard add-on. As Stage IV vampires have 50% weakness to fire, the Dunmers' resistance counteracts this penalty almost entirely.

Notable Dunmer

Aranea Ienith – Priestess of Azura.
Athis – Member of The Companions in Whiterun.
Brand-Shei Telvanni – Merchant in Riften; heir to House Telvanni.
Drevis Neloren – master of Illusion at the College of Winterhold.
Erandur – potential follower, priest of Mara, and former cultist of Vaermina.
Gabriella – sister of the Dark Brotherhood.
Irileth – Housecarl of Jarl Barlgruuf the Greater, in Whiterun.
Jenassa – a potential follower in Whiterun
Lleril Morvayn^DR – Redoran First Councilor in Raven Rock.
Karliah – a Nightingale; former associate in the Thieves Guild.
Neloth^DR – Master wizard of House Telvanni.
The Night Mother – whispering corpse who leads the Dark Brotherhood.
Savos Aren – Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold.
Brelyna Maryon – mage at the College of Winterhold; member of the Telvanni bloodline.
Teldryn Sero^DR – a potential follower in Raven Rock.

Gallery

Trivia

One can sometimes encounter Dunmer (usually Dunmeri women) whose skin color is almost navy blue to black. However, the scale shader in the character creation menu does not allow the player character's skin to be this dark.

Footnotes

↑ The getscale command shows that races all have their own unique base scale.

Appearances

References

↑ On the Great Collapse
↑ Dialogue with Aranea Ienith

[1] The getscale command shows that races all have their own unique base scale.

[2] On the Great Collapse

[3] Dialogue with Aranea Ienith

[note 1]

[1]

[2]

Races in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Humans	Bretons Imperials Nords Redguards
Mer	Altmer Bosmer Dunmer Orsimer
Beast	Argonians Khajiit