When you go to talk to Septimus Signus about aquiring the Elder Scroll in the Dwemer Ruin he states that the Dwemer had built ways to read the Elder Scroll. It is my opinion that they possibly tried to use an Elder Scroll inappropriately while trying to best the gods themselves and were thwarted through time like Alduin. Anyone think this to be likely? I personally would love to see them return some day in a future game.

edit: I would like to add that even the Dwemer wouldn't have had the capability of making their entire race vanish from Mundus without the use of an Elder Scroll. Also, Elder Scrolls are the central point of lore and they even say that the Gods themselves would be foolish to tamper with them.

It makes sense to me. But a lot of people think they just died, not "vanished." In Tribunal, an expansion for Morrowind, you found huge Dwemer ruins that had little piles of ashes all over the place where Dwarves had been. That made it look like they died, not just vanished. But the lore makes it sound like they disappeared to another time or plane or something. *shrugs*

Not all were lost. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Yagrum_Bagarn was around during the time of Morrowind and he was a Dwemer.

Yes but he explains that he was on a different plane outside of Oblivion entirely which makes me believe it was an Elder Scroll as well. Also in regards to them dying it doesn't mean that all of them died. Sometimes in TES spirits stay behind whether they are Dwemer or any other race. Their cause of death was never specified so they could have just been haunting the place.

Personally, I really, really want to see a game centered around them. So much untapped potential.

This seems correct... But who knows.

The Dwemer, for how smart they were, were pretty stupid for messing with the Heart of Lorkhan. They had no respect for the Gods of old and their insatiable appetites for knowledge got the better of them. They tinkered with anything regardless of how sacred or evil it was.

I've never seen such an insightful thread. I love this mystery, and think about it all the time. I can't believe I didn't connect those dots!!

I'd say it's extremely possible, if not necessarily likely. I can not remember what it was that I heard, but in speaking with an NPC about Alftand and Mzuleft, they said something almost fourth wall breaking that made it sound like the dwarves were only temporarily displaced, as if they were going to come back, or were still around in some capacity but unable to affect our "universe," per se... But this is just a feeling I got from the conversation, and I could totally just have been hearing what I wanted to hear.

Either way... INTRIGUING thought, my friend.

It's not an elder scroll, one of the mages guild side quests even throws it in your face that it was the heart. Pretty sure they're not dead either.

I hope not, some mysteries are best left unsolved.

This. All lore points to the cause of their disappearance being the Heart of Lorkhan. When the Dwemer and Dunmer fought over Red Mountain the greatest Dwemer smith, Kagrenac, used his tools Sunder and Keening in an attempt to unlock its divinity. When he did so all Dwemer in Mundus disappeared instantly. I'm guessing they're stuck somewhere outside the current cosmos and we'll be seeing them eventually. Most of this information is firmly established in Morrowind.

However! Consider that they were for the most part a cruel race that didn't respect or hold anything scared. Even if we do see them again it's not necessarily going to be a welcome reunion for the rest of Nirn.

Attaining knowledge is a benevolent goal, and attaining all the knowledge is the noblest goal.

Sentinent beings/life has a RIGHT to know everything and this should be achieved by any means necessarry.

In fact, the goal of us humans - long term - if we survive, should be to attain all the knowledge of the universe and use the vast technology to create a utopia for all life.

The GODS are the ones lacking the respect DENYING mortals this knowledge and should be considered a malevolent enemy that attempts to halt or stop natural progress.

There is no evidence that points to the Dwemer being benevolent. It would have been bad for everyone if they had the power of divinity.

We can argue ethics all day, but mutating an entire race through slavery into what are now the Falmer, is insanely cruel, the Molag Bal probably toasted the accomplishment. And considering the Gods made the humans and the dwemer and what have you, they're the ones mucking things up. Arniel Gane messed with a cheap knock off of the heart and only one of the tools used to tap it and he poofed. No knowledge is worth driving a race into virtual-extinction. The College of Winterhold couldn't even handle the Eye of Magnus, what makes you think a dead god's heart is going fare any better?

Cruelty and your precious "morals" are of no importance, everything they made is awesome, and that is all that matters.

Meh you guys have a point and i stand corrected. Guess the inherent cruel nature of the dwemer would only end in tragedy for all parts.

Also OP: If Alduin can return from such a disappearance then it is likely the Dwemer can aswell. Cant believe I never thought of that.

The Dwemer returning would be awesome.

Edit: @Letshavecake: I agree to a certain point that ethics and morals should be set aside for the greater good, and for science (Im a ulititarian moralist myself and value consequenses not actions) but as pointed out and seen in the game - the Dwemer was kinda cruel and selfish. If their goal was to use the knowledge for the good of all life then I would support them but that isnt very likely? Everything they made is awesome is agreeable, but not that this is all that matters. Though one could say social darwinism is just... nature. And from a moral nihilist point of view where there is only cause and effect and no true good/evil the Dwemer could rule by right of nature. A discussion on that would derail to thread hijacking though so Im not sure if we should go there.

This is only the second Elder Scrolls game I played and from that quest it does seem that maybe they are still there but cant affect us. Now I dont know much on the history of TES too much nor have I completed the main quest so I dont know why the Dragons returned nor do I know more than what a few NPCs tell me about when the Dragons were defeated in the Dragon Wars.

What do the dwemer/dwarven people look like? Please tell me they aren't short and fat...

Yes, the Heart.. But they could have used an Elder Scroll in conjunction to the Heart of Lorkhan.

@falloutofchair Nope. They are not actually Dwarves. They are Dwemer which are Mer (elves). Look for a picture of a dwemer spirit from morrowind in the UESP if you can.

Books regarding dwemer from historical records describe them of average height and build for a mer (akin to the average dunmer).

The dwemer by and large weren't really evil, but when you make the heart of a dead God your plaything all the best intentions in the world won't make it work out well. No avenue of research was off-limits to them and the pursuit of knowledge unbound is an entirely different breed of evil.

And for chipping in on Falmer: should've just wiped them from existence in the first place. Evil jerks. No pity for them.

Why stop there? I think a movie would be quite fitting

My thoughts on Dwemer:

Bethesda committed genocide in order to prevent what's happening to Guild Wars2 and elsewhere: space ships vs horses, rockets and mines vs bows and arrows.


I want to play RPG with swords and magic or just swords. When I'll want to fight with rockets and mines I'll play Modern Warfare not Guild Wars2 or Elder Scrolls13.


IMO, the removal of Dwemer was a design choice. That doesn't mean Bethesda can't script a glorious return, but it would require taking a different direction in Elder Scrolls style and I hope it doesn't happen. I don't want to play Mechwarrior in Elder Scrolls.

I don't see why everyone wants the Dwemer to return. :/ They are better off dead. And no, they are not in some other cosmos, not flung through time, not in Oblivion, etc. Wanna see the Dwemer? Stare at Numidium for a little while.

Made me smile

The Dwemer can't come back, they are as dead as the dragons that were eradicated ages ago.

I certainly think Bethesda is creative and clever enough to bring them back in an appropriate way but it would take some care. While adding too much of the steampunk element could detract from the medival theme of the game I don't think it would be a major impediment to balance this aspect in even a Dwemer themed game. The bigger risk to bringing back the Dwemer is losing that sense of mystery that they add to the game. One potential way to handle this would be to bring some of the Dwemer back but in a way that robs them of their complete memories. Given their intellectual nature their primary motivation would be to recover the lost knowledge of their formerly proud civilization and hence Dwemer ruins would still hold that sense of mystery if not more so. I'd love it if we got the chance to play as the Dwemer some day but I should have plenty of Solid Dwemer Metal chunks to haul to keep me busy until then.