V - What were they like?

Since the Dwarves died so long ago, it is not know exactly what they were like. What we do know about the Dwemer in general is that they were reclusive, powerful, and tended to use "technology" over magic (the Dwarves at Stros M'Kai were reliant on steam power). They lived in great half-subterranean buildings and created mechanical creatures called Animunculi as well as other devices. We know that they were feared- by the Dunmer, by the Nords, by the Redguards, perhaps even by the Gods. Some might say that, in this respect, the Dwemer were "blasphemous". They challenged the power of the Et'Ada (Aedra and Daedra), questioned their authority, and travelled into the "Outer Realms". These factors may have led to their demise, as discussed below.

Probably the defining aspect of the Dwemer is their use of "The Heart". According to legend, after Lorkhan tricked or convinces the Aedra to create the mortal realm, they tore out his divine heart and threw it down to Nirn, to be hidden forever. The Dwemer found this heart, researched its intricacies, and used its divine power to create many things. They created the blade/tuning fork Keening and the hammer Sunder, along with the Wraithguard, to tap the power of the Heart.

One of the things they built was a monstrous golem called Numidium, or the Brass God, which was designed to help them "transend the Grey Maybe [Nirn, the Mortal Realm]" by drawing power directly from the Heart. In other words, this golem was more than just a destructive force. It was an actual new God that the Dwemer had created from the substance of Lorkhan, the "Dead" God.

After the Dwemer disappeared, Numidium makes a reappearance in a weaker form when Tiber Septim uses its power to conquer all of Tamriel and forge the Third Era.

A good example of the attitude of the Dwemer is the story Azura and the Box, in which a Dwemer challenges Azura to a guessing game and tricks her. He does this in order to discover the extent of the power of the Et'Ada. By contrast, his devout Chimer friend is flabergasted by the Dwemer's insolence, but agrees to help him, and is the one who summons Azura. At the end of the story, Azura places a curse on the Dwemer for their hubris, and possibly also on the House of the Chimer Priest. This is also a good example of the contrast between the faith of the Chimer and the curiosity of the Dwemer.

This theme is a reoccuring one for the Dwemer. Baladas Demnevanni says that "During the Dawn Era they researched the death of the Earth Bones, what we call now the laws of nature, dissecting the process of the sacred willing itself into the profane. I believe their mechanists and tonal architects discovered systematic regression techniques to perform the reverse -- that is, to create the sacred from the deaths of the profane."

There is one final aspect of interest in regards to the Dwemer. Although many think of them as a technologically-oriented race, there was an extra dimension added to them. Obviously the power of Lorkhan's Heart throws an element of magic into their "technology". However, there is also evidence that the Dwemer possessed an element of spiritualism that might not be expected.



The all so feared Heart of Lorkham.

According to Chimarvamidium (Ancient Tales of the Dwemer, part VI), it has been suggested that the Dwemer had an ability that was named "The Calling". This is akin to what we know as telepathy or field-consciousness. It allowed Dwemer to communicate with each other over great distances. It has been suggested that, in the last moments before they disappeared, the Chief Tonal Architect Kagrenac used The Calling to summon all of the Dwemer people and rally them to carry out their plans to transcend the Mortal Plane. Whether this version of their end is the true one remains to be seen.

Secondly, the last living Dwarf, Yagrum Bagarn, said that when the Dwemer disappeared he was in the "Outer Realms", and thus did not disappear with them. The Outer Realms refers to that which is outside of Nirn, whether it be Aetherius, Oblivion, or some other "location" in the Aurbis is unknown. At any rate, this shows us that at least some Dwemer had the ability to remove their bodies from the mortal Plane and travel beyond normal bounds, something like having an out of body experience and (perhaps) taking your body with you. This idea is backed up by Baladas Demnevanni, who says that the Dwemer had practiced "generations of ritualistic 'anti-creations'", which possibly contributed to their disappearance.

As a side note, I should mention that it is unkown whether The Calling and these anti-creations were a natural or learned trait or whether they stemmed from some technology or from some use of the Heart.

Next: Where did the Dwemer go?

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