The long-abandoned Dwemer ruins of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have always been locations shrouded in mystery, but have led many players to question why there are so many Dwemer ruins in the kingdom at all. Dwemer ruins are always a great source of crafting materials and expensive treasures to sell to vendors, making them a point of interest for many players. To find a new set of ruins could mean upgrades for a sword, or enough treasure to buy expensive shop items. With over 25 Dwemer Ruins locations in the region, the Dwemer had a clear and heavy presence in Skyrim at one time, but why?
In The Elder Scrolls series, the Dwemer were a race of dwarf-like elves best known by players for their advanced civilization. With revolutionary designs in city planning and architecture, backed by their knowledge of science and technology, the Dwemer's ancient civilization can be seen as more advanced than the contemporary civilizations in the region of Skyrim. Despite these advancements, however, they have all seemingly disappeared, and the circumstances surrounding the mysterious, sudden disappearance has meant that no one really knows what happened to the Dwemer of Elder Scrolls.
Their presence in the region of Skyrim is strange, however, as their homeland was in Morrowind. This raises many questions, one of which being why the Dwemer seemingly migrated to Skyrim in such high numbers. Skyrim is thought to be part of the ancestral range that the Dwemer were a part of - lands that they had always occupied - but one specific discovery in the region of Skyrim made their strongholds and cities so important that a wide presence was clearly required.
Aetherium May Explain The Dwemer's Presence In Skyrim
Little is known about the Dwemer, but they may have had such a large presence in Skyrim due to the presence of Aetherium in the region, a rare mineral that possesses a strong magical aura. As told in Skyrim's Aetherium Wars book - which was added in the game's vampire expansion, Dawnguard - after the Dwemer discovered it in the ancient city of Blackreach, centuries before the beginning of Skyrim, the civilization quickly mobilized around the discovery, building four city-states to oversee the mining, processing, and studying of the crystals.
Though incredibly difficult to create anything from this resource, the Dwemer merely saw this as a challenge, and by smelting the materials under very precisely controlled conditions in the Aetherium Forge, their research proved to be a huge success. Properly smelting Aetherium led to some of the most powerful magical artifacts ever constructed, imbued with powerful enchantments from the moment of creation. The four city-states would soon war with one another, however, each wanting control of the Aetherium Forge for themselves, bringing about the beginnings of the end for the Dwemer civilization.
Dwarves continue to be one of the more fascinating aspects of lore in The Elder Scrolls, with many fans theorizing the Dwemer's return in Elder Scrolls 6. The race's advancements in technology, such as their ancient mechanical automatons, have dazzled players with hopes of their return, or at the very least, hopes of more lore explaining who they were and what happened to them. Although no Dwemer physically appear in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, their presence in the region is felt whenever players stumble upon the game's many ancient Dwemer ruins.