The Ayleid Elves were this super advanced and, well, kinda terrifying race that once ruled Cyrodiil. But then, humans and beastfolk sorta kicked them out. Imagine! Despite being mostly, you know, wiped out, a few Ayleids still pop back into history—like that King Dynar guy and, oh, Umaril the Unfeathered. Yeah, they worshipped Meridia, did some creepy necromancy stuff, and uh, enslaved humans. Nasty business, really.
So, I boot up Oblivion Remastered, and BAM! Those Ayleid ruins just, like, spill across Cyrodiil’s landscape. These ancient Mer ruins? They’ve outlasted their creators. Spooky or what? You walk by a roadside and, whoops, there’s another ruin. They barely explain much about ‘em in the game. Just snippets of lore here or there. Could just ignore them, think they’re just rocks. But nah, their backstory’s way more important and, I dunno, fascinating than it seems.
Once upon a time, the Sundering of Aldmeris split the elves from their mythical homeland, throwing them around Tamriel. The Altmer, so shiny, went to Summerset Isles. The Chimer? Off to Resdayne with the Dwemer. But the Ayleids, they snagged Cyrodiil and said, “This is ours.” Spread through Morrowind, Black Marsh, Elsweyr, Valenwood too.
They built those grand city-states, like, way before dudes showed up. White-Gold Tower? On some island they snagged from bird-people. Paid in reading lessons, can you believe it? They had these wells collecting magicka or something—totally sci-fi, catching star juice, turning it into power.
The stars were their jam. Somehow, those shiny dots in the sky defined the Ayleids’ life. They worshipped the stars, made magic wells, crystals—Welkynd Stones, powering underground cities and whatnot. Their empire kinda boomed ‘cause of it.
But let’s talk Meridia! Ayleids loved Meridia, the light-bringer, even built cities for her. Yet, other Daedra got some love too. These guys? They didn’t fuss much over which Daedra to worship. Got many cults going—some even went necromancy-style dark, y’know?
And oh boy, humans showed up and the Ayleids thought, “Why not enslave them?” Not everyone was mean, but gosh, their cruelty was legendary. Gut gardens in Sercen, wailing wheels in Vindaesel—what even? Torture was an art. Remember those bird-teachers? Likely enslaved too.
But uh, karma’s a thing, right? Alessia, a badass slave, prayed to gods—boom! Demigod allies, fighting back. First Empire born, goodbye Ayleid rule! Some Ayleids thought, “Heck, maybe peace is cool?” Joined human forces at first. Empire builds, Order rises, and—buh-bye elf rights.
Over the years, sightings dropped. Ayleids, mostly vanished by the Second Era. Except King Dynar, found in Coldharbour, then returned. Plus Umaril the Unfeathered, Meridia’s champion—there’s whispers he’s back. But, nope, as old warriors rise, so do their enemies.
So yeah, Ayleid history? Totally worth digging into. Those ruined cities? Real stories buried in those stones.
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