Game News Skyrim Abilities and Perks

[Turjan]

It's mentioned in in-game books that if you take a machine away from the stronghold it belongs it will simply turn off, meaning the machines are much more than feats of engineering ( probably enchantment). That's why they still work after 3000 years.

Sure, Dwemer technology is supposed to be based on magic, not technological understanding. Funny enough, that matches the RL Norse idea of metal-working as a magical task, even that done by the normal human kind of smiths, and especially that done by dwarfs (which are elves in Norse myth). So, Bethesda's Nords called those elves that lived underground and did metal-working dwarves, and as you see, that fits real world myths perfectly, if we look past the old Mesopotamian style.

So, ironically, Bethesda's treatment of dwarfs is a better match for real world myths than LotR .

Every race mine, dwemer included, I just tought that at the time the dunmer (chimer at the time) and dwemers lived together (not always in peace) the dwemer employed most of the workforce from the savages. I just can't imagine the dwemer, the guys that even on war used machines and employed nord mercs because they preferred stay in their comfy strongholds, mining kwama eggs or ebony.

Chimer/Dunmer were using mostly chitin and bonemold, and you don't need mining for both of those materials. I'm not sure why eggmines are actually called so in the game, as it's not really any kind of mining.

On the other hand, I don't think that the Dwemer actually needed any kind of traditional mining to quench their enormous need for metal (they made nearly everything from it), as they were sitting on the source. Ebony is the blood of Lorkhan in Red Mountain, and the Dwemer built their cities directly on this material in liquid form (=lava). They didn't even need to melt it before use.

 

[Andhaira]

I want to play a Orc Barbarian Warrior Mage in Skyrim, weilding a mighty greatsword and many deadly spells.

Sadly, I don't have a PC powerful enough to play it, nor do I have a console.

 

[.Sigurd]

It's mentioned in in-game books that if you take a machine away from the stronghold it belongs it will simply turn off, meaning the machines are much more than feats of engineering ( probably enchantment). That's why they still work after 3000 years.

Sure, Dwemer technology is supposed to be based on magic, not technological understanding. Funny enough, that matches the RL Norse idea of metal-working as a magical task, even that done by the normal human kind of smiths, and especially that done by dwarfs (which are elves in Norse myth). So, Bethesda's Nords called those elves that lived underground and did metal-working dwarves, and as you see, that fits real world myths perfectly, if we look past the old Mesopotamian style.

So, ironically, Bethesda's treatment of dwarfs is a better match for real world myths than LotR .

Hmm, my standard for dwarves always was the one from LotR. Don't get me wrong I've read my share of nordic sagas and know how they used to be reclusive and create enchanted items of great power, it's just that I'm so used to see the Tolkienesque drunk and agressive dwarf in every game that I never figured out the similarity between the old dwarves of the nordic sagas and the dwemers when it comes to crafting and enchanting.

 

[Mastermind]

I want to play a Orc Barbarian Warrior Mage in Skyrim, weilding a mighty greatsword and many deadly spells.

Sadly, I don't have a PC powerful enough to play it, nor do I have a console.

It's a 360 port, why wouldn't you have a pc powerful enough to play it?

 

[DraQ]

It's mentioned in in-game books that if you take a machine away from the stronghold it belongs it will simply turn off, meaning the machines are much more than feats of engineering ( probably enchantment). That's why they still work after 3000 years.

Sure, Dwemer technology is supposed to be based on magic, not technological understanding.

I don't think those two things are quite as distinct in TES as they are in, say, Arcanum or modern understanding.

Magic is an integral element of the world in TES and can be incorporated into technology, so it's more akin to Mieville's Bas-Lag in this aspect.

(I'm not an expert of Nordic mythology, so I'll leave discussing that to the others.)

Every race mine, dwemer included, I just tought that at the time the dunmer (chimer at the time) and dwemers lived together (not always in peace) the dwemer employed most of the workforce from the savages. I just can't imagine the dwemer, the guys that even on war used machines and employed nord mercs because they preferred stay in their comfy strongholds, mining kwama eggs or ebony.

And I can't imagine Dwemer refraining from using they advanced mining technologies and understanding of geology to pursue rich veins of ebony and other valuable minerals, in order to use whatever primitive tribals can scrap up with their primitive tools and techniques.

Plus, we have readily available evidence - Dwemer containers with valuable minerals scattered around their ruins.

On the other hand, I don't think that the Dwemer actually needed any kind of traditional mining to quench their enormous need for metal (they made nearly everything from it), as they were sitting on the source. Ebony is the blood of Lorkhan in Red Mountain, and the Dwemer built their cities directly on this material in liquid form (=lava). They didn't even need to melt it before use.

I don't think Ebony forms much of the lava in Vvardenfell, or that it even melts in normal volcanic temperatures.

It would certainly have to be mined.

They have, short beards mind you, but they have. See Morrowind

Pics or it didn't happen.

and Battlespire

Haven't played it yet.

or the intro of Daggerfall with Ocato.

By the way, was Ocato even established to be an Altmer pre oblivious? If so, can you give me sources?

I'm not saying for sure that Altmer can't have beards, because it wouldn't be that weird given all the other elves having ability to grow facial hair, but I don't think I've ever seen one in MW with one.

Also, regardless of Altmer beards, possession of rich, mezopotamian-style beards is part of cultural characteristics of Dwemer (males, at least), while in other races facial hair doesn't seem of much importance.

There is now a spell type that allows you to cast a damage spell with yourself as the centre and it damages anyone inside it.

Innovashun!


But not quite the innovashun it was in Daggerfall.

 

[abnaxus]

or the intro of Daggerfall with Ocato.

By the way, was Ocato even established to be an Altmer pre oblivious? If so, can you give me sources?

Daggerfall manual mentions "Ocato of Firsthold". Firsthold is on Summurset Isle.

 

[DraQ]

or the intro of Daggerfall with Ocato.

By the way, was Ocato even established to be an Altmer pre oblivious? If so, can you give me sources?

Daggerfall manual mentions "Ocato of Firsthold". Firsthold is on Summurset Isle.

If so, that settles it, as Firsthold's location has been established since Arena.

 

[Turjan]

It's mentioned in in-game books that if you take a machine away from the stronghold it belongs it will simply turn off, meaning the machines are much more than feats of engineering ( probably enchantment). That's why they still work after 3000 years.

Sure, Dwemer technology is supposed to be based on magic, not technological understanding.

I don't think those two things are quite as distinct in TES as they are in, say, Arcanum or modern understanding.

Magic is an integral element of the world in TES and can be incorporated into technology, so it's more akin to Mieville's Bas-Lag in this aspect.

Sure. I should probably have said "technological understanding in the modern sense". The game makes clear that it's magic that we are dealing with, and that the Dwemer saw their creations as such.

On the other hand, I don't think that the Dwemer actually needed any kind of traditional mining to quench their enormous need for metal (they made nearly everything from it), as they were sitting on the source. Ebony is the blood of Lorkhan in Red Mountain, and the Dwemer built their cities directly on this material in liquid form (=lava). They didn't even need to melt it before use.

I don't think Ebony forms much of the lava in Vvardenfell, or that it even melts in normal volcanic temperatures.

It would certainly have to be mined.

Maybe. The game is not very concise in this regard. Is Ebony a glass or a metal? I guess the ingame answer is supposed to be both, which does not make much sense ("it's a crystalline glass"). As such, you cannot really tell where its melting point would be. The lava itself is probably not very hot (relaitvely speaking), given that the metal Dwemer structures stand in it. But the game is sloppy with regard to these aspects, as having to speak "protection from fire" on yourself to be able to walk on the floors of the Dwemer ruins would not be much fun. So, I guess, this question has to remain open. However, I did not want to claim that this is the way the Dwemer did it, just that this would be one possibility that came to my mind and would explain why their buildings stand in lava. Just for steam, you don't need it that hot.

Edit: Although I found this, which is kind of cool.