Cities of Summurset : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:14 pm

I'm about to RP an Altmer from Summurset Isle, but I dunno what that entails. What do Isle cities look like / what is the culture like, as far as we know? (Specifically, Shimmerene or Dusk) I've always imagined them to be some mix of Telvanni structure (turning plants into housing) along with a lot of Rivendell-esque traits. Am I close, or is this just going to be a go-nowhere thread?

Thanks.

» Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:25 am

There is some to read about it on TIL.

Here are a few things: http://www.imperial-library.info/dfbooks/b002_artaeum.shtml, http://www.imperial-library.info/dfbooks/b038_mages.shtml, http://www.imperial-library.info/gttpo/ and much more.

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:22 pm

Crystal skyscraqers illuminated by light that shines in the rainbow raiment of Magnus himself.

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 2:59 pm

Crystal skyscraqers illuminated by light that shines in the rainbow raiment of Magnus himself.

http://toys.about.com/od/hotnewtoyreleases/ss/hasbrohighlight_7.htm

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:49 pm

http://toys.about.com/od/hotnewtoyreleases/ss/hasbrohighlight_7.htm

Hah!
Now add some goblin servants and that's it.

» Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:46 am

Breton,

The best description of Altmer architecture comes to us from the first Pocket Guide to the Empire, Aldmeri Dominion. I highly sugest reading all of this excellent section, it is very enlightening despite obvious bias.

A forbidden city for nearly fifty years, Alinor is both capital of the Summerset Isles and the heart of the Aldmeri Dominion. Human traders were only allowed at its ports, and they described the city as "made from glass or insect wings." Less fantastic accounts come from the Imperial emissaries of the Reman Dynasty, which describe the city as straight and glimmering, "a hypnotic swirl of ramparts and impossibly high towers, designed to catch the light of the sun and break it to its component colors, which lies draqed across its stones until you are thankful for nightfall."

I, personally, would stay away from any Tolkein elements with the Altmer. Tolkein elves are generic everywhere except in the original work, and Elder Scrolls is much too unique and interesting to ride upon this cliche. I have heard Altmer society described as an ant colony in its intricacy and structure. Mundane activities are so complex and so shrouded in tradition that they are incomprehensible to the outsider.

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:04 pm

Wow, thanks guys; didn't expect this much info at all, this really helped.

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:17 pm

Not sure if it helps (I may be too late, or wrong, or both) but on the screen where you choose your race in Battlespire where it has the pictures of the regions, there's a landscape of what the Sumurset Isles were pictured as looking like then. There's some buildings in the shot if I remember correctly. It's been so long since I've played or started a new character I can't remember now if that's completely right. Need to go play again...

And I've searched and hunted, but I couldn't find any screenshots of it. Maybe one of the better navigators among us...?

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 2:18 pm

http://www.uesp.net/w/images/AR-Img-CrystalTower.jpg from Arena.

» Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:01 am

Not sure if it helps (I may be too late, or wrong, or both) but on the screen where you choose your race in Battlespire where it has the pictures of the regions, there's a landscape of what the Sumurset Isles were pictured as looking like then. There's some buildings in the shot if I remember correctly. It's been so long since I've played or started a new character I can't remember now if that's completely right. Need to go play again...

And I've searched and hunted, but I couldn't find any screenshots of it. Maybe one of the better navigators among us...?

You're not too late, MW hasn't come in the mail yet (I lost my last copy so I got the GotY edition off Amazon). But I don't have Battlespire (and don't think I can run it on my Vista POS computer anyway), so dunno if that's gonna help any. Thanks anyway, tho.