History of Summerset

Mythic and Merethic Foundations

The Summerset Isles, later renamed simply Summerset, were the cradle of the Altmer, the High Elves. According to Altmeri myth, they are the direct descendants of the Aldmer, who migrated from Aldmeris in the dawn ages. The Altmer claimed to preserve the purest form of Elven culture, revering Auri-El, Trinimac, and the other et’Ada. They built great cities of gleaming stone, culminating in the Crystal Tower on the Isle of Auridon, said to be one of the oldest structures on Nirn. Their society was stratified, valuing bloodline, arcane knowledge, and adherence to tradition. In the Merethic Era, the Altmer spread influence across Tamriel, sending settlers and colonists who would eventually diverge into Bosmer, Dunmer, and others — but the Summerset homeland remained the cultural core of Elvenkind.

The Crystal Tower

The Crystal Tower, or Crystal-Like-Law, was among the oldest structures in Tamriel. Said to predate recorded history, it served as a repository of knowledge and a conduit to the divine. Altmer scholars claimed it reflected the perfection of Auri-El’s order, a symbol of Aldmeri continuity stretching back to the Dawn. Its fall during the early Fourth Era was catastrophic — not only the loss of a monument, but the shattering of a cultural anchor. Many Altmer saw its destruction as justification for abandoning reliance on the Empire and embracing the Thalmor’s radical new vision.

First Era: Isolation and Supremacy

In the First Era, Summerset remained aloof from the chaos of the human-dominated mainland. While Nords, Bretons, and Imperials fought wars of conquest, the Altmer preserved their traditions, practicing magic and building an insular society. The Isles occasionally repelled invasions, most famously against Sload incursions from Thras. Altmer fleets crushed the Sload during the Thrassian Plague in 1E 2260, establishing naval dominance in the Abecean. Yet despite moments of intervention, Summerset avoided direct entanglement in continental politics. Its legacy in this era was cultural: the preservation of ancient Aldmeri language, arcane study, and strict social hierarchy that marked it apart from all other races.

The Sload and the Thrassian Plague

The Thrassian Plague of 1E 2260 decimated Summerset, killing countless Altmer and destabilizing the Camoran Dynasty in Valenwood. The Sload of Thras were blamed, and Altmer fleets led a coalition to annihilate the Sload kingdom, sinking much of their coral architecture beneath the sea. This campaign showcased Altmeri naval strength and confirmed their mastery of the Abecean Sea. The memory of the plague endured, reinforcing the Altmer’s suspicion of outsiders and obsession with purity, both cultural and physical.

The Psijic Order

The Psijics of Artaeum were the mystic conscience of the Altmer. Devoted to the Old Ways, they counseled rulers and preserved ancient magical traditions. Their island appeared and disappeared through arcane means, vanishing at the end of the Second Era to escape the corruption of Tamriel. When they returned in later centuries, they remained aloof, critical of the Thalmor and resistant to Dominion ideology. To the Altmer, the Psijics were both revered and resented: guardians of wisdom who refused to wield power, frustrating those who sought a stronger Elven role in Tamrielic politics.

Second Era: Psijics and the First Dominion

The Second Era brought Summerset reluctantly into Tamriel’s struggles. The Psijic Order of Artaeum, mystics dedicated to preservation of Old Ways magic, wielded immense influence, counseling rulers and guiding arcane policy. In 2E 582, the Altmer spearheaded the formation of the First Aldmeri Dominion, allying with Bosmer and Khajiit to contest control of the Ruby Throne. The Dominion presented itself as a rebirth of Elven supremacy, seeking to restore Tamriel to its “proper” rulers. Though it failed to secure lasting empire, the attempt revealed a pattern: when threatened, the Altmer would abandon isolation and seek dominance. Artaeum itself famously vanished from Nirn at the end of the Second Era, leaving a vacuum in arcane authority.

Third Era: Tiber Septim and the Empire

Tiber Septim’s conquest of Tamriel eventually reached Summerset. The Altmer resisted fiercely, relying on fleets and sorcery, but even they fell before the might of Numidium, the brass god. Summerset was absorbed into the Empire in the late Second Era, becoming a province under Septim rule. Though many Altmer chafed under human domination, others cooperated, securing positions in the Imperial court and guilds. Throughout the Third Era, Summerset provided battlemages, scholars, and administrators to the Empire, even as it maintained cultural superiority. Periodic revolts flared but never succeeded. For four centuries, Summerset endured Imperial rule, contributing to the cosmopolitan character of the Empire while preserving its own identity.

The Oblivion Crisis and Withdrawal

The Oblivion Crisis of 3E 433 shook Summerset deeply. Daedric forces invaded the Isles, threatening even the Crystal Tower. Though repelled, the devastation humiliated the Altmer, who had prided themselves on magical mastery. With the Septim line extinguished and the Empire weakened, Summerset withdrew from Imperial affairs. The collapse of the Crystal Tower shortly afterward — destroyed during the chaos of the early Fourth Era — was a cultural catastrophe, severing one of the Altmer’s greatest symbols of continuity. These twin losses hardened Altmeri resolve to reassert their dominance.

Altmeri Society and Hierarchy

Summerset was structured by lineage and merit. Altmer nobility traced ancestry back to Aldmer settlers, claiming divine bloodlines. Below them were scholars, artisans, and mages, all expected to perfect themselves in service to cultural continuity. Outsiders were excluded or treated as inferiors, rarely granted full rights. The Altmer placed enormous value on tradition, preferring preservation of old forms to innovation. Even their architecture reflected this — gleaming spires of pale stone, preserved for millennia rather than rebuilt. This conservatism made Altmer society stable but brittle, vulnerable to shattering change like the Oblivion Crisis.

Summerset’s Naval Supremacy

Summerset’s fleets dominated the Abecean and Eltheric seas, giving the Altmer control of trade routes and unrivaled ability to project power. Even before the rise of the Thalmor, Altmeri navies crushed pirates and repelled invasions. Under the Dominion, their fleets became the backbone of Elven war strategy, blockading Imperial ports and cutting supply lines. Naval supremacy allowed Summerset to remain secure from foreign conquest for millennia, feeding the Altmer’s belief that their isolation was both natural and inviolable.

Fourth Era: The Rise of the Thalmor

In 4E 22, the Thalmor rose to power, seizing control of Summerset and rebranding it officially as Alinor. Claiming to have restored order after the Oblivion Crisis, they imposed strict rule, presenting themselves as saviors and guardians of tradition. They soon forged a new Aldmeri Dominion, incorporating Valenwood and later Elsweyr into their empire. The Thalmor rejected the worship of Talos, declaring it heresy, and positioned themselves as the rightful rulers of Tamriel. Their propaganda framed the fall of the Septims and the weakness of the Mede Dynasty as proof of human inferiority. For the Altmer, the Thalmor offered a vision of restored supremacy; for others, they embodied tyranny.

Legacy up to 4E 201

By 4E 201, Summerset — now Alinor — stood as the heart of the Dominion, its fleets controlling the Abecean and its armies marching under Thalmor banners. Centuries of isolation had given way to aggressive expansionism. The Altmer had once preserved their culture apart from Tamriel; now they sought to impose it upon the whole continent. Their history is one of continuity turned outward: the Crystal Tower may have fallen, but the Dominion claimed to be its living successor, promising an age where Elves would rule and humans would submit. Summerset’s destiny, bound to tradition and supremacy, now drove the greatest threat the Empire had faced since the Oblivion Crisis.