Added by Darth Storm

The Summerset Isles (also Sumurset Isle and, rarely, Summurset Isle) is a region in The Elder Scrolls series of games.

Contents 1 History 2 Events in the late Third Era 3 Events of the Fourth Era 4 Politics 5 Places of Note 5.1 Alinor 5.2 Crystal Tower 6 See also 7 References

History Edit

Summerset Isle is the traditional home of the Altmer, or High Elves, and the possible first landing place of the Mer arriving from their ancient homeland. The Altmer of the lands have allowed little in the way of exploration of their lands, beyond the capital of Alinor by Ambassadors of the Second Empire of Cyrodiil. Recently, travel into the Isles has been more frequent, as Tiber Septim, with the aid of the Numidium brought it into the Third Empire, but most of the Isle is still unknown. It is also noted that daedra worship in the Summerset Isle is quite prevalent and is largely considered to be the main religion of its people.

Events in the late Third EraEdit

In the last few years, Summerset Isle has been at peace with its neighbors. To all outward appearances, it has returned to its normal state of unchanging tranquility. In fact, the Altmer are perhaps the most bitterly divided society in the Empire. The war in the province today is a cultural one, which has its origins with the surrender to Tiber Septim four centuries ago which shook Altmer society to its very foundations. While in Skyrim and Morrowind more blood has been shed in recent years, this struggle between the old and the new may have even more radical end results. The very future of the oldest province in the Empire of Tamriel is at stake.

For thousands of years, the Altmer have implicitly believed in their superiority to all other races and cultures in Tamriel. For much of this time, they may have been right. But after the incorporation of Summerset into the Empire, doubts began to creep in. With the insularity of the Summerset decisively broken, many Altmer, particularly the young, began to take a more critical view of the rigid heirarchy of Altmer society and its strict cultural xenophobia. While there had always been discontent on the fringes of Altmer society, which was traditionally resolved by the exile of the malcontents, for the first time a significant element of Altmer began to agitate for social change.

This nascent revolution in the Summerset Isle has taken many forms. Most constructive, surely, is the acceptance of new cultures and races onto its shores, some occupying positions that would have been forbidden just a century ago. The Queen of Firsthold, for example, is the Dunmer Morgiah, daughter of Barenziah and sister of the King of Morrowind, Helseth. Her children, Goranthir and Rinnala, though half-Altmer, are fully Dunmer in appearance, and stand to inherit the throne.

A darker side of this movement, however, is exhibited by a shadowy group who call themselves the Beautiful. Originally a salon for artists with the reasonable philosophy that Summerset must let go of its past in order to move forward, the Beautiful became a revolutionary gang dedicated to the destruction of the greatest monuments of Altmer civilization. The Crystal Tower was naturally an early target, and fortunately attempts against it have failed, but many other great, ancient sculptures and emblems of the past have been vandalized. Lately, the Beautiful have turned their attention to living symbols of the Isle, the royalty of Summerset. The particularly gruesome murder of the daughter of the King of Shimmerene has horrified and outraged the public.

Finally, some of the Summerset's youth are rebelling against their present, ironically, by embracing their past. The Imperial Geographical Society is not allowed to visit the isle of Artaeum to survey and document it, but there is little doubt that the Psijic Order is increasingly popular among the young, and is willing to exploit this. Over the past thousand years, only seventeen new initiates were brought into the order. In the past two years, however, another thirty have joined. Thirty new members of an Order may not be enough to be considered a surprising trend in most circles, but to the tradition-bound graycloaks of Artaeum, it raises many questions. What is the Psijics' aim in this recent recruitment, however, is anyone's guess at this time.

Events of the Fourth EraEdit

After the political chaos of the Oblivion crisis, the Aldmeri Dominion ( the powers of Summeret Isles and Valenwood) declared war against the Empire, nearly destroying it. However, Emperor Titus Mede II surrendered to the Dominion, signing a treaty known as the White-Gold Concordat. The treaty, which heavily favored the Aldmeri Dominion, outlaws worship of Talos throughout the Empire, allows the Thalmor free movement throughout the Empire and authority to persecute anyone worshipping the outlawed god.

The Psijic Order and its base, the Isle of Artaeum, disappeared from Tamriel during this period.

Galmar Stone Fist mentions after the Stormcloaks storyline they will attack the Summerset isles when you ask what will you do now to Galmar.

Politics Edit

The Altmer have a monarch, who is presumably an Imperial King. Little else is known.

In the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Thalmor are refered to as the ruling government of the Aldmeri Dominion. Whether this refers to a oligarchy, noble class or political caste is not specified. There is no mention of a monarch or monarchy suggesting perhaps that the earlier rebellion against the Empire may have resulted in political restructing.

The White-Gold Concordat ended the Great War of the Fourth Age, giving the Thalmor the ability to crush the worship of Talos and free movement throughout the Empire. The near complete victory of the Aldmeri Dominion in this conflict gives the Elves considerable political might, as shown by their general arrogance in Skyrim. The Thalmor have established an Embassy located to the west of Solitude, suggesting that diplomatic relations between the Empire and the Aldermi Dominion exist, however unsteady. The current ruling government, the Thalmor, are Elven Supremacists dedicated to ending the dominance of Humans and destroying the Empire, making political relations with the Empire difficult at best.

It is suggested that the Aldermi Dominion is predominantly comprised of Altmer Elves with some Bosmer suggesting a unifying alliance between the two elvenkinds.

Places of Note Edit

Alinor Edit

The capital of the Isle, Alinor, has been described by human traders as "made from glass or insect wings." ^[source?] Other accounts, by diplomats of the Reman Dynasty, say that it is "a hypnotic swirl of ramparts and impossibly high towers, designed to catch the light of the sun and break it to its component colors, which lie draped across its stones until you are thankful for nightfall." ^[source?]

Crystal Tower Edit

A monument to the spirit of the elven people. Within the glittering walls of the Tower are housed the graves of the early Aldmeri settlers, preserved forever as a lasting symbol of the power of the people for that brief moment in history, fully unified.

See also Edit

• The Elder Scrolls: Arena
• Tamriel
• The Elder Scrolls

("Current Events" needs to be reorganised based on POV Timeline)

References Edit

• The Pocket Guide to the Empire - outdated pamphlet that shipped with the Redguard game.
• The Pocket Guide to the Empire - a new version of the guide that shipped with the Oblivion game.