My ESO lore questions... : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:21 am

Is there an official eso lore forum?

I'm a huge ES fan since Morrowind. Very involved in the lore. While playing ESO, however, a few questions came up that I haven't been able to answer myself.

Dwarven Ore. What? I thought Dwemer Alloy was an alloy made by a technique lost to modern civilization. I know that ESO takes place before Morrowind, and all of that, but wouldn't it be known if dwemer just an ore.
Riften, who is the Jarl and where is he?

I have more questions, but I can't think of them right this second. I'll add them later on.

» Thu Apr 17, 2014 1:36 am

There's Dwemer ore in ESO? Now I'm confused as well. And a bit annoyed.

» Thu Apr 17, 2014 12:17 am

Yep. In-game it's called "Dwarven Ore" and used to create "Dwarven Ingots" which are then used for "Dwarven Armour & Weapons." It contradicts everything I thought I knew about Dwemer alloy.

» Thu Apr 17, 2014 8:56 am

It does, since Skyrim and the other games pretty much state that Dwemer armor at least is either pieces scrapped together by adventurers, or melted down to be reforged. Its certainly new, and very meh. Here's to hoping it'll never show itself again. It can take its Far Shores with it while they're at it.

As for the Jarl...not a clue. Haven't played the game, so I can't say.

» Thu Apr 17, 2014 12:07 pm

This place is as good as any for ESO Lore. It is an Elderscrolls title, after all! Everyone is learning new things with ESO at this point, so I expect everyone to be on the same level as resourcefulness when it comes to the title.

1. I have no idea how Dwemer metals are made, but by that standard, you shouldn't be able to construct Dwemer items from ingots, in TES V: Skyrim, either. I feel like Dwemer armor should have been a racial motif rather than an actual grade of armor, too.

» Thu Apr 17, 2014 1:10 am

I'd chalk the "Dwarven ore" matter up to something akin to a colloquialism more than anything else.

» Thu Apr 17, 2014 4:35 am

A possibility:

Dwarven ingots are, as per previous lore, often made from melted-down Dwemer metal artifacts.

Dwarven ore, however, is a generally cheap and hard-ish metal ore that is added to other constituents along with these metal artifacts to produce an ersatz "dwarven metal" that looks the same, and to the rudimentary skills of 2nd Era smiths and metallurgists, is just as good for arms and armour, but has none of the longevity of true Dwarven metal.

The use of "dwarven ore" to create Dwemer weapons and armour is a gameplay-wise simplification of a process employed by any cutthroat smith who, having obtained a small quantity of true Dwemer work, wants to make a profit on it.