I only mentioned Dunmer because fashion trends are explicitly part of Mephala's sphere, and in his trial, Vivec makes mention of fashion.

I believe it was Haute Queteure who made a statement to the effect of "Making an Altmer bored is a monumental task." They would see each millimeter added or removed from a cut of clothing as bleeding edge, racey, and unconventional. Radical change would be vulgar.

Perhaps, but I personally find the levels of similarity in what we see in the game are rather astonishing and can potentially set a precedent. I suppose we'll have to wait and see, but I'm already skeptical.


Is Glass Armor actually Elven though?

As for being as extravagant, I thought the same but then we see the Psijic robes. It didn't exactly instill confidence. Sure, the robes are still awesome, but it didn't feel impressive or awe-inspiring, let alone truly magical and arcane. Artaeum, the island where the Psijic Order is, is the third largest island in the Summerset Isles Archipelago and is the oldest mage order in Tamriel. You'd think it would somewhat represent a bit of Altmer culture and if that is the case, I don't see absolutely out of this world robes any time soon.


Agreed. They're basically Elven gestapo robes. It works really well.

Could you link me to the Mephala fashion ref? I can't find it, and I've never heard of that before.

I could go with the idea - a smidge of Terrible Trivium in the Altmeri national character would be interesting - but I don't recall getting that impression from any of the in-game Altmer, nor do I remember reading anything to the effect about Summerset Altmer. If you could link me to something on this, too, that'd be cool. Actually, on thinking on it more, I think I like it. But still; link?

http://www.imperial-library.info/content/lord-vivecs-sword-meeting-cyrus-restless
The bit from the trial would require trawling through the forum archive, but I remember it being around the summoning of Sheogorath.

As for the bit about Altmer, that's really extrapolation on their status as being the most Anuic of the races. It's interesting and amusing enough that I support it.

yh. I'm also expecting something very much like this. Plenty of shiny & elegant silk type materials. ^



I always understood it as Imperial Empire manufactured.

Iron, Ebony & Glass is controlled, mined and distributed by the Imperial East Empire Company to those with the gold to afford it. In Morrowind the all mines were held by the Imperial East Empire Company with support from Imperial legion soldiers. It is the very much the same in Skyrim. Some of this I would go to the Empire I'm guessing in taxes.

Most of the basic Imperial legion armor is made from leather & steel but the Imperial Dragon Armour in Oblivion which is the top Imperial armor looked like an upgraded Ebony armour. Maybe if there was an Imperial Newt Armour (as in the Imperial Dragonscale & Newtscale armors seen in Morrowind) it may have been the glass equivalent (as dragonscale was black with yellow and newtscale was green).

The Steel plate & Ebony armors in Skyrim (& Oblivion to a lesser degree) look later Western / Southern Europe knight inspired in design which is unlike normal Imperial legion armor which is obviously very Roman.
In Skyrim steel plate, ebony & glass all have similar wing designs on the helmets with is unlike the obvious Nord armors which tend to fur (in morrowind & bloodmoon) or are iron or steel with Nordic rune style patterns on them (skyrim) or they are made of bone (trollbone & dragonplate - Morrowind & Skyrim).

I used to think during Oblivion that the Elven armour was Ayleid due to some of the Ayleid artefacts looking elven but seeing the Thalmor in Skyrim confirms in my mind that it is an Altmer / Bosmer produced design. In one of the in-game book in Morrowind it said that the Orcish made armour that appeared in the game which looked similar to Samurai armour was copied from a High Elven design. Maybe that was a much older Altmer design.

On the subject of what the Altmer wear; Elven armor is made from moonstone. Do we have any explanation for the name and origins of moonstone? If not, I was thinking of doing a monkey truth for it...

Yep it's Elven

""Raw glass is similar to raw ebony, but less well-known. Ebony is jet black, while glass is a milky translucent green. Less durable, but much lighter and more flexible than ebony, glass is used primarily to make the distinctive, elegant glass armors and weapons of High Elven design.""

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Raw_Glass

That's the volcanic glass of Morrowind's dunmer. I'm speaking about the Glass Armor we see in Skyrim. It's entirely different.

what makes u think its different? The only group that wears the stuff are the Altmer

In any of my games of Skyrim, I've yet to encounter any Altmer or Mer wearing glass armour. Also, it's made from malachite, and not raw glass like the armour worn by the Buoyant Armigers in Morrowind.

So Skyrim got a major crafting upgrade and 'raw glass' became malachite. Does that signify a completely different animal? I don't think it's enough to say so. And personally, I don't remember encountering anyone, mer or man or beast, wearing the stuff.

Once you reach a certain level, the Thalmor will usually have one Mer per group wearing glass armor. But no, aside from it being called "malachite", we can't be sure it's different from the glass armor on Vvardenfell.

I have, and strangely enough, the most I have seen utilizing glass armor and weaponry was a Thalmor stronghold Northwatch keep, which is the most conclusive evidence I can point to.

Thalmor Justiciars will wear glass armor 50% of the time when you get into your late 60's. I just recently went to Northwatch or w/e and every single Thalmor, except archers and mages, were wearing glass.

Shoot, my bandits all wear glass these days.

Bahaha, you see how good I am at getting to high levels. x D

I checked out UESP and it says that they are essentially the same; just have slightly different names since it's two different provinces.


Ah, I see. My highest character is level 52 and has yet to encounter any NPC's wearing Glass Armour. As I mentioned above, it turns out they are mostly the same, just regional variants and have different names.

They don't deserve it? Wanting to rule over all the other races believing they are superior. Sending anyone who doesn't bow down before them to their dungeons to be tortured and die a slow and agonizing death. I would like to high five an elf in the face with my weapon too

Anyone even considering banditry these days just HAS to wear glass armor. It's the fashion these days. Elven is IN dahling, those old nordic horns on your head aesthetic is SO Great War.

Meh. I'm more into the vintage stuff. Dwemer armor is so cool.

Pfft. All the cool adventurers go out with just the shirt on their backs. No fancy pancy armor for me.

Hipster.

I think that hipsters would wear Netch Leather or something else weird and obscure.

True hipsters only wear fair-trade boiled netch leather raised by ashlanders.

That, or they would wear Imperial Armour in Stormcloak cities simply so they could do it ironically.