And suddenly I’m even more suspicious of the thalmor

The thing that I like the most about the Ayleids is that their architecture and aesthetics is so at odds with their actual culture. Divorced from their history of enslavement, cruelty, and violence, their ruins might convince people they were a peaceful people with a refined sense of art, engineering, and appreciation for natural beauty.

Ayleids: Owna slaves and Worship a being known for revolutions and change Slaves: Rebel Ayleids: *Surprised Pikachu Face*

I personally think the Thalmor, starting out as an ignored group of extremists, might very well be of Ayelid origin.

Love, LOVE anything Ayleid related! Bringing their ruins back to life for Skyblivion has been really fun and studying their lore to further enhance the experience has been pretty fun. Will keep the vid to send to my level designers and 3D artists ;)

Something I'd like to add. There is a particularly pompous high elf in the ragged flagon, that performs flesh sculpting for a fee. Just putting that out there

They broke the first rule of fictional species: Never, *EVER* mess with humans.

Well thanks to that title, I'm just picturing Pelinal Whitestrake as the Doom Slayer.

Explains why the thalmor are so anti-human, if the Ayleid's reassimilating back into the High Elves is true.

Truth is the game was rigged from the start.

They may not be Ayleids in body, but they sure are Ayleids in mind. If you talk to Ondelemar, a Thalmor justiciar in the Understone Keep, Markarth, he very blatantly states that the Thalmor's "end-game" is to created Mer's supremacy over Man, and he also states that this alliance is made between them and their "Bosmer cousins." The way Thalmor has meticulously crippled the Empire and shown great hatred towards Talos and all Mankind is further reinforcing this idea. So really, i wouldn't be least bit surprised if the Ayleids are pulling the strings from the shadows of bureaucracy and politics. Hidden in plain sight, waiting to reclaim their power over Tamriel.

Know who else is wise, magically gifted and ambitious? The guys at Fudgemuppet.

"No, that we're just kids. A couple of kids in way over their heads. We were doomed from the start. I mean, look at us. We didn't even come close to the crown. We let everybody down. We failed." - Spongebob

I love how everyone is now using Beyond Skyrim for their lore videos. When the full projects are released this community will erupt like Red Mountain

Heavy metal music starts* Pelinal Whitestrake: REEEEMAAAAAANN AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ayleids being part of the Aldemeri Dominion campaign would be a great plot

It's also worth noting there may be Ayleid vampires or other undead. Either by having simply been vampires already, or becoming them with the fall of their empire. I wonder as well if Umbacano, an Altmer in the Imperial City, is possibly Ayleid, or has them in his ancestry, as his desire to renew the Ayleid empire is the goal of his questline, not to mention the simple fact that he seems to know a great deal about them, more than most do.

"Be good to one another", when the 8 become the 9, that kind of take a lot of weight out of that phase

"In the caverns of lore, ugly and obscure, shines the gold of truth." I sometimes forget to show the Bethesda writers the love they're due. What a sublimely resonant quote. Very James Joyce'esque. Thanks FM for the great video.

I'll bet the Dwemer and the Ayleids just wanted to throw an awesome party and not have to invite the lesser races so they left

You must have killed essays in school

Ofcourse they were Doomed. I arrived.

Have you heard of the high elfs?

Divine: Ayleid i have the highground! Ayleid: i can best you! Divine: don’t try it you will fail. When a race disappers from nirn many bad and good things happen.

"The truth is, the Ayleids were rigged from the start"

*"Play with fire expect to get Burned"*

"In the commandments of the Nine Divines" *Thalmor burn down door* DIRTY TALOS WORSHIPPERS!

I don’t care what the Mer believe, Meridia and Azura are as “good” as you’re going to get out of Daedra

There are a few Altmer, Bosmer and Dunmer who have Alyied ancestry. People tend to forget this. Even a few Bretons are part Alyied.

Ok, I can understand Molag Bal, Meruhnes Dagon, and Sheogorath being part of "The House of Troubles" but why is Malakath in there? He's arguably one of the least evil Deadra. And I get that they worshiped Boethia and Mephala, which is questionable in and of itself but that's not the point right now, but Vermina and Namira are way *WAY* worse than Malakath.

You mentioned in your video that some of the Ayleids fled north and were immediately wiped out by the nord. what tf did they expect?

You know: I ponder always when there are stories about an utter empire/race of ones turned cruel about the few who are the exceptions that prove the norms at play. Think about it. Its impossible for every single person in an empire/race to be cruel to the core, there will always be a very small sum of people who see the wrongs no matter what the culture might be, and take pity upon those suffering, thus wanting to lend aid. The acts of these few forgotten decent ones do not make up for the monstrous things committed by them all, but they are stories that are never told. Being heroic is done: "Without hope, without witness, without reward" (-The Doctor), except for the appreciation of those helped. In the case of the Ayleid Empire, I could see such lot being the type to try, and shelter as many as possible from the utterly horrifying practices at play, with the end goal of getting them safely out of the domain controlled by the cruel powers that be, so they have a chance of living the life that they ought to be able to live. There are likely many of these forgotten heroes who sleep among the lost pages of any books of history, but even though they may never be talked of: It's best to remember again that the exception again does not remove the fault of the actions of the majority, and rather simply proves the norms at play. A few good, heroic Ayeleid elves doing what they can to save who they can do not even come close to cleaning the slate of the actions of the whole Empire of evil.

Ayleids were well documented as being able to change their appearances with magic. They were also said to have disappeared into the forests. For all we know, the Ayleids are now known as Spriggans.

Around elves watch yourselves.

I have always believed the leaders of the Thalmor may indeed be Aylieds. It would explain alot about the Thalmor's policy on humans and their idols. Their beliefs and past hatreds coming together to create Thalmor idiology. If true its ironic because this idiology can only lead to their downfall. The Aedra may well again punish them.

I think the Ayleids tried to do something horrible to/with the "heart of valenwood", in ESO it is surrounded by an Aylied ruin, which doesn't make sense unless Aylieds were up to something. I think the wood elves found out and stopped them (and probably ate them all)

In ESO you see there were two opposing cities, Abagarlas that worshipped molag bal and I can't remember the name but A city of light that worshipped Meridia

Ayleids: Were we doomed from the start Daedra: Always have been..

Thalmor with Ayleids connection not far fetched...thanks for sharing.

5:23 The way he says the Ayleids enslaved the Nedes as an entire race vaguely implies that Men and Mer are the same. Men and Mer are different Species of humanoids, not different Races. Khajiit = species Argonians = species Mer = species - Dwemer, Dunmer, Altmer and Bosmer are races of Elves, as are Orsimer and the Falmer. Men = species - Nords, Redguards and Imperials are races of Men. The Nedes were also Men. Bretons (Mermen) are an intermingling of Man and Mer - a by-product of the Ayleid Masters 'enjoying' their Nedic Slaves, and a species different from either one. The child of a Slave is also a Slave and thus, Bretons are considered to be Men. It's also why they were called Mermen and NOT Manmer. Ending the name of their species with 'mer' would imply a closer relationship to the Elves, which was not wanted. --------------------------- The Falmer are considered to be Mer, i.e. 'better' than Men according to the Elves. Yet, when I soul trap one of the ugly MFs, he goes into a Grand or Greater soul gem like an animal, instead of a Black soul gem like a person.

Strictly speaking, the Ayleids were at least an alliance of convenience of independent city-states, not a united empire. That's why it was so easy for Alessia to conquer them. Herminia Cinna in Oblivion says as much.

I'm pretty sure this is the first time i've heard someone actually use the word "ersatz" in my life. Immediately made me think of the Lemmony Snicket book lul

Loving all these lore videos :) Thanks for the great content FudgeMuppet!

Hearing the Oblivion soundtrack always makes me remember my childhood 😂 I spent far too long playing Morriwind and Oblivion growing up.

If they are still around, then the Aeylyids must be the hidden Illuminati of Tamriel. TAMRIELIC ILLUMINATTI CONFIRMED.

"Its not like the argonians annexed morrowind into black marsh" *annexation of most of southern morrowind and massacre of house dres in the 4th era intensifies*

what if the dwemer were a race of mer that split of the ayleids? would be interesting and explain why they were so innovative and really didn't want to get involved with either deadra or aedra

Aedra: "Be good to one another" Ayleids: "Hold my Welkynd stone"

Something that has always bugged me.... why are they called Ayleids? Every other strain of mer has a name that ends in -mer, even orsimer for the orcs. Why is there not a -mer designation for the Ayleids, and how did they then get the name Ayleid?

I'm reminded of the Orokin when I think of the ayelids. Though, it probably should be the other way around

The deadra are like computer programs. They only can do the same thing if you initiate the right prompt. The Chimer/Dark elves were smart to exploit this! The Alyeids not so much.

You just convinced me to roleplay as a secretive Ayleid that roams Skyrim seeking power and to restore what lost knowledge they once had.

This will always be one of my all-time favorite videos by Fudgemuppet. The script was masterfully created, sparing no expense in finding just the right words to convey the intricacies of the Ayleid culture and to invite the viewer to reflect, theorize, and think critically. The relevantly scenic cinematography and use of slow, pensive soundtrack was all the more useful in conveying the messages and theories that were presented. Thank you so much for your insightful and inspiring content.

I've always taken an interest in elder scrolls societies , especially ancient ones like the dwemer or falmer , this vid just gave me more material

Great stuff. I always like to learn more about the Ayleids.

Video on the Ayleids?! Hoooooo, the nostalgia is flooding in.

One of the biggest things that ever stood out to me about the Ayleids did not come from the games themselves, but a mod. In VIGILENT, you get a chance to fight in one of the battles Pelinal Whitestrake did, where you battle against Ayleids and Daedra alike. But at the end, you come across a gruesome scene. Ayleid art that looked like a swamp of gore and bones, like someone took a massive press, smashed a hundred people between it and then opened it up for the now smashed bodies to drip down slowly. It showed their true cruelty and why they needed to be eradicated.

Your videos are so chill please never stop can’t wait to see what you do with es6

Interesting theory, my own theory is that the surviving ayleids all fled to various planes of oblivion where they were slowly turned into the Xivilai. mainly because of the incredibly similar weapon designs. almost one for one.

By far my favorite non playable race, I find myself completely fascinated by them

Such a cool video about a Race I had never fully understood before, thank you Fudgemuppet!

“I will not deny Her the heads of kings” Pelinal Whitestrike

It's interesting that the abolition of slavery played such a large role in the history of the Imperials, but their entire aesthetic is Roman.

Thank you for compilinh this chapter of ES history. That was very interesting and brautifully done. Looking forward to your next chapter! ❤

Can you imagine if the Dwemer and Ayleids had teamed up and merged their minds, magics, etc?!

I'd like to learn more about were-creatures or vampires like the tel both

I'm Glad KZfaq Is Back. Man, I can't sleep without watching this kind of videos

Anyone else here from Beyond Skyrim: Bruma? I had seen the structures before and knew someone else built the white gold tower. But i went into the ruin showcased the most and was so lost. Thanks for the video.

Great video. I started to think that maybe they were the ones in control of the thalmor, about ten seconds before you said it. Great minds and all that.

Drew illustrates it perfectly. Puns. but he does though.

Knowing that the Ayleids not only enslaved the Nedic ancestors of the Imperials, but also brutally tortured them for entertainment, it just makes Ayleid ruins even creepier.

Here's a question: If the stars in the night sky of mundus are the holes the Magna Ge made as they escaped to Aetherius, and the sphere which these holes are in the surface of contains all of Oblivion and Mundus, the planetary bodies of the Aedra, etc., then where do the meteors from which the Ayleids are getting this iron and glass come from? Like are they perhaps pieces of the aedra planets and other moons that bump off from impacts, or is Mehrunes Dagon just using his free time to chuck boulders at Mundus?

So, what if the thalmor are actually being ran by the ayleids? According to your theory this could be quite possible.

Love waking up and having a new video from fudge muppet !!!

Remember kids. ” Slightly tanned. Not a friend.” - Sun Tzu

Aye-lee-id, homey. That's how it's done where it matters.

I really love these elves, I hope we'll see them again in some way

The amount of lore these games contain is god damned staggering! How many videos are out there about ES lore?? And in everyone I hear something new it would seem. Just incredible.

Man.. I freaking love you guys.

Hey just wanted to leave a comment and say thanks! I really enjoy your lore videos and this one in particular is super useful as I am running a d&d campaign centered around the Alessian rebellion in the first era. Great job and keep up the good work!

You guys are releasing ES content almost daily. Subbed!

Wow! Great theory about the Aelyid assimilation being a possible cause of the thalmor and Mankhar being an Aelyid. And keep up the lore videos man I love them!

Hey Fudgemuppet! I've been watching loads of youtube vids lately and I Love Elder scrolls. Your vids are so well done and I truly enjoy watching them. Thank you so much for doing what you are doing!!!

I just want a book or something telling the amazing stories that took place during the reign of the Ayleid and the Alessian Rebellion. I feel like that is one of the most interesting times (easily the most so if you count the Middle Dawn), and yet I feel as if we know hardly anything about it.

The idea of an entire community, much less a whole kingdom, worshipping Molag Baal is terrifying. Basically fantasy 1984 at that point.

Fire can be a powerful tool but if left uncontrolled it will destroy everything in its path

Civilizations may fall, but culture stays for eternity. Either way, extinct or pulling strings from behind the curtains, the Ayleid to this very day influence the politics and history of Tamriel and its inhabitants. Imperial City was after all Ayleid capital for many centuries, and with Ayleid ruins dotting Cyrodil, their Culture will stand. The tale of Ayleid is one of wasted potential, corruption and decadence. It is a tragic tale of a civilization that could very well be among races of Men and Mer in today's Tamriel if not for mistakes of past, that doomed them in future...

I installed a Drow(basically Altmer with pitch black skin and white hair) race mod in Skyrim and made a headcanon lore, where the drows are the most superior of all races in Nirn and are evolved from surviving Ayleids. They have a civilization in the deepest, unexplored underground realm in Tamriel and is more advanced than the Dwemer. Also they had been secretly kidnapping random humans from the surface as slaves and this continues on even in the 4th era.

It’s amazing how many races there are in the Elder Scrolls lore but we only have a few main ones we get to play as

What you said about the imperials writing the history of the Ayleids is pure genius... hats off. 😁

Ayleids: Enjoy torturing people for fun. *Excited Slaaneshi noises*

"WAR NEVER CHANGES" derp

Man I've been watching you guys for almost a year and I've never seen a video posted this early oh it's 6:09 am here

I like the puppet master theory, perhaps after their defeat by the hands of Alessia and later Tiber Septim, some of the the Ayleids may have made it back to The Somerset Isles, weaseled their way into power and are the force behind the Aldmeri Dominion and especially their henchmen, the Thalmor. The sadistic Thalmor behavior is more like the Ayleids than the other Mer, they also seem to have a bone to pick with Talos/Tiber Septim and the humans in Tamriel, perhaps for revenge? The Ayleids were not patient but they were thorough schemers and it may have taken from the time of Tiber Septim until the chaos following the Oblivion Crisis to weasel into power, set up their plan and strike at the most opportune time. The first time I ran into the Thalmor in Skyrim and researched their story, I wondered if they were the Ayleids returning for revenge, there really was no other logical reason for the invasion of Tamriel and war that led to the White Gold Concordat.

I'm pretty sure that the loading screens are showing Ayeleids when showing Altmer. The Altmer on the loading screen have a hella dark skin.

"Seen any elves?" Laughs loudly.

What kind of elves ride motorcycles? "Eeeyyy!"leids

I always wanted to play elder Scrolls game in the golden age or downfall of the aeylids era

9:42 The wailing wheels of Vin Diesel. 😂

The Ayleid's are fascinating. They pretty much rigged themselves to fail though. It seems like that's what happens when you get involved with Mehrunes Dagon