Other than the game Morrowind, why do you think there are Imperials everywhere? I thought they were only all over Morrowind because they were a new and spiffy race Bethesda wanted to feature prominently. Treating the game as demographically relevant strikes a humorous ring.

What I'd like to know is where there are so many Dunmer in Cyrodiil, not why there are so many Imperials in Morrowind. Fleeing the Tribunal, after they've been killed or kidnapped, doesn't seem to be a good excuse for what appears to be a second exodus (a bit of exaggeration there...).

Could be many were Chimer that split off from the main migration, others were fleeing the Nord invasion, the war with the Dwemer and subsequent disruption of Dagoth Ur. Then there was the war of conquest by the Cyrodillians. After that came seizure and exploitation of their lands by Imperials.

Although Dunmer are often presented as protective of their own society it may be that they migrated in the first place because that is their nature. And ofc, it may be that they are fleeing each other - the rivalry of the Great Houses is not without its victims.

How many were able to flee Vvardenfell and the blight before the quarrantine was imposed ...

Nah. Even with the fantasy Empire equivalent of a politically correct multicultural comedy show, the Empire would be everywhere. It has always been a simile of the Roman Empire, so you can assume the aspects of colonial imperialism to be there. Really, these are not the lore [censored] developments you are looking for.

Ah, but they weren't conquered, so it's not like they've been forced to move, and as they were still allowed their own practices and government because of the Armistice it's not like they're looking for work or to move into a 'civilised' land, either. The reasons you gave are all okay (except maybe the Great House conflicts, which seem to have been conducted via the Morag Tong rather than open warfare before the start of the Oblivion crisis, and most Dunmer in Cyrodiil, in Cheydinhal, especially, seem to be recent immigrants), but they wouldn't make the Dunmer the third largest minority in Cyrodiil.



The Chimeri Exodus was a religious divide. It's not in their nature. What is in their nature is racism, xenophobia, and Elven arrogance, not to mention contempt for Imperial attitudes (evidenced by Dervera Romalen in the game Oblivion) even amongst the more tolerant Dunmer. The large number of them in Cyrodiil has to have been influenced by something other than the need for change, and something very unusual (which would rule out ongoing House conflicts).

I suppose the Blight may have been involved, but then only a minority of the Dunmer in Cyrodiil actually seem to be from Morrowind (Ulen Athram, a trader from Kragenmoor, and Dervera Romalen herself don't appear to be). In fact, the only Dunmer who I've heard mention that she's from Vvardenfell is Llensi Llaram. So the Blight, whilst it is a factor, may not be a major influence of the emmigration from Morrowind.

The politically correct multicultural empire strikes back.

I was saying the empire would be everywhere because of the politically correct multicultural comedy show going on. I think the simile to Rome is only fair for Morrowind, and I'm not sure why you don't agree.

I don't come here for lore, I come for the comedy.

I was specifically commenting on "I thought they were only all over Morrowind because they were a new and spiffy race Bethesda wanted to feature prominently."

But since you are asking, discounting the Elder Council, the single city empire fetish and the names frequently ending on -us or -ius. Not much actually, pretty much everything we knew about the Empire in Daggerfall.

The First PGE from Redgaurd and Battlespire to an extend fleshed out the Empire and created the Imperials. Now I take it you don't actually believe that any group of people living together will not develop their own culture. Or in fantasy terms, they won't become a race. So I think it's a bit silly to do the Imperials of as a spiffy new race.

They were not conquered by the original military force - they were conquered by betrayal from within by both Vivec and his Hlaalu friends.

However the Empire prosecuted a war of conquest on Dunmeri soil - while all was peaceful in Cyrodiil - so mnay in the path of those armies may have seen their lands, possessions and livestock appropriated by the invading Imperials. Others may have lost their jobs and been unable to find new - collaborated with the Imperial Armies and decided to flee when found out or accused etc. All these people would have found themselves forgetting the details and many would not have wanted to tell their children about what they may have seen as their own failures or those of their people and God/s.

About the Exodus - surely there was a massive religious divide and also, maybe just as important, persecution by the Altmer? - but I wonder how many disagreed about the destination or simply did not want to follow those who went to Morrowind or decided to go by another track and then liked the places they found, intermarried, whatever.

About their nature - some of that would be innate and some created by circumstance. The Ashlanders are Nomads - and they believe they are closer to the old ways than the Great House Dunmer. Note that it is claimed that when the Chimer and other modern mer arrived in Tamriel (before they became Chimer then Dunmer, Bosmer, Altmer etc) they met mer with their original ancient, civilisation intact and those mer considered them all to be primitive nomads ...

Again re House conflicts - I was not only thinking of small hands-on combats or assassinations - I was also thinking of trade routes and access to resources cut off, fraud, theft etc ... the vast array of 'civil' and criminal weapons that make up the Hlaalu Modus Operandi. You might consider how the Hlaalu rose from being a Minor House to being a Great House and came to have control of so much Redoran Land even before Vivec betrayed the Dunmer.

There are a lot of variations on the above possible when you look at personal motivation. But the last but not least is that th eDunmer in Cyrodiil have been infected with the Imperials' over-inflated view of themselves and either are ashamed to be thought of as Dunmer or are worried that they might become subject to racist persecution if they push their Dumer background - note that 'Dun' Mer in Cyrodiil are now 'Blue' Mer.

A lot of people move because they want to leave things behind them.