Let's Explore One of Skyrim's Unsolved Mysteries

[@lakdav]

Random Bethesda developer 12 years ago: "I'm gonna put a chandelier here, but flip it upside down." Fudgemuppet 12 years later:

[@ThePortalGeek1337]

@Boss J Desano some dude writes an old fantasy novel and 2000 years later we have religious zealots and wars being fought over same but differing beliefs

[@zaonth1414]

@@ThePortalGeek1337 people are gonna go wild about star wars in the future

[@chuck5667]

@@zaonth1414 “in the name of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and the holy Obi-Wan, Amen”

[@buttsagonton101]

@@chuck5667 imagine if some group worshipped Emperor Palpatine as "The Dark One".

[@zerrierslizer1]

@@chuck5667 "In the name of the High Ground, i command thee to stop thy besiegement!"

[@chimneysmoker11]

I'll never forget the first time I met the Falmer. Skyrim became a horror game in seconds

[@GothicLeviathan]

I remember thinking they were kinda creepy but not too bad. But Alftand, that place was freaky as FUCK

[@chimneysmoker11]

@@GothicLeviathan my first time was the cave right by whiterun, where it's a whole hoard of them. It was also on ps3 so it was way grainier and I never saw them til they were killing me

[@DH-gq7bm]

@@GothicLeviathan blackreach is the coolest, dwemer architecture at its finest👌

[@chiefhowlingwolfhannibal7360]

Facts! I couldn't wait to "nope!" Out of their territory, lol!

[@Selcryn]

For those of us with strong arachnophobia, it became a horror game when going for the golden claw.

[@MsKeroseneLamp]

"View as one god with different personalities." Sheogorath: And they're all fond of you.

[@forthexp8649]

"Or I'll rip out your entrails... and skip rope with them!"

[@drboze6781]

"And the cheese! To _die_ for!"

[@stuatagovailoa7536]

Wabbajack Wabbajack Wabbajack

[@The_Good_Captain]

Regarding the green banner, id laugh if it was just that color because the dwemer who made it was colorblind 🤣

[@coltoneasterwood3483]

I would’ve never been able to notice the banner even if it was pointed out for that exact reason 😂

[@thomasalvarez6456]

I thought it was the fungus there. Could be that the Flamer rub fungus on it to turn it green, knowing the fungus just by smell and touch. As a dye and because of the smell is familiar to them. It’s probably just a bug.

[@remytheassassin]

Makes sense

[@zebuldevil5499]

They did rely on sounds and tones. Maybe they were losing their sight?

[@jacobbagnall2915]

Perhaps it was made by a Falmer slave who was in the process of going blind .

[@ryanbright1363]

Loses their eyes trying to get the eye of magnus, guess that's an eye for an eye... I'll show myself out.

[@ColtonWalker073]

An eye for an eye will make a whole race blind.

[@The_Good_Captain]

buddum'cha!🥁 😉 good one

[@TheRealTerranMarine]

I'll turn a blind eye to that

[@dd11111]

I enjoy this joke. Thank you.

[@obijuanquenobi1911]

Off to Oblivon with thee

[@t00thman]

I have a simple explanation: after having lost their sight for many years, the Falmer forgot how to spell.

[@alter6243]

I wanted to say "How could the Falmer even find or make something to write with?" But then I remember that they somehow can make bows, arrows, swords, and shields despite being blind.

[@robinyourhouse3399]

@@alter6243 Yeah but there’s the book about daedra. They can’t read because they can’t see

[@fernandoxavier3089]

Don't forget they shoot arrows to invaders, and they are "blind"

[@StormOfMaat]

Xarxes: Remember who I am, ye Snow Elves: I am a scribe. Falmer (Years later, trying to pronounce Xarxes' title): Scrib.

[@rhett5058]

What? There are plenty of Falmer shamen who use magic just fi- oh, Like writing.

[@mnk9073]

Ever notice how the Falmer altars and totems all have this Namira vibe to it? It wouldn't surprise me if she had a hand in the snow elves "makeover" since corrupting Auriel's sun worshipping people into blind cave dwelling vermin sounds exactly up her alley...

[@silvercandra4275]

I mean... Namira's Rot damages magicka... could that have been somehow used to make them blind? I don't know, but it would probably be a good idea to keep a bunch of elves from using magic

[@mnk9073]

@@silvercandra4275 Holy crap I actually never considered that in order to enslave naturally gifted magic users like elves you also have to neuter their magical abilities besides making them blind. Namira's rot grows in blackreach and I think Chillwind Depths is literally full of them...

[@MrFinch-vx2kb]

Ive always had a feeling that the "blinding" of the race meant less about them losing their sight, but rather them losing connection to their god auriel, being blind to his light and kind of separating them from all of the glory and splendor that auriel gave their race. Maybe he cursed their race and they started to worship daedra. Maybe teaching a falmer how to worship auriel again would start to restore them to their former state? But because theyre so devolved and wicked no one has ever been able to try? Food for thought

[@SQmaniac01]

Even though this isn't the conclusion you reached, I think it's important to note that the shrine of Azura is a recent addition to the Skyrim landscape, having been built by Dunmer refugees fleeing the eruption of Red Mountain only 200 years before the events of Skyrim, making it unlikely that the Temple and Altar of Xrib are related to her.

[@RoanokeGaming]

I enjoy these breakdowns because I can legitimately hear your interest in the topic over this

[@Yavorh55]

Oh hey Roanoke, same reason I watch your vids

[@zeroxssir492]

Hands to yourself, sneak thief.

[@Garry_Combine]

So, what are your thoughts on the Falmers feet?

[@ThePortalGeek1337]

Wait why doesn’t Roanoke have a creator check?

[@vladthecon]

i just find it odd that this is a ten year old game.

[@JereMiesh]

9 years of playing skyrim and this is the first time i hear of this location, better go check it out

[@porcelainpup]

Same

[@The_Good_Captain]

i knew the location but being colorblind myself i didnt see the one green banner in the whole game 😂glad we have fudgemuppet to point it out

[@paultanner7297]

I don't know how anyone could play this without finding the location.....baffling

[@porcelainpup]

@@paultanner7297 im blind as shit

[@mokokawi]

Same here

[@snefu1142]

Everyone watching this video would be considered a top tier prestigious academic on Nirn for being able to understand this video, which is a weird thought in of itself lol

[@davidkamps9879]

You know I never though about it that way. All my time role playing a scholarly wizard has actually made me a top tier intelligence in game lmao.

[@silvercandra4275]

I still feel like, compared to everyone else, I'm just a novice... everyone is talking about Morrowind all the time and I'm sitting here... with Morrowind being older than I am... but having gotten so deep into Skyrim, I felt the need to read every single book in that game.

[@thunderhammerx2966]

@@silvercandra4275 The lore fountain overfloweth in the land of Tamriel, there is yet so much to see and hear, even for myself who started with Arena; if anything the story becomes ever more immersive. May your journey yield you great knowledge.

[@skynyrdjesus]

That's actually highly unlikely. As the players we have a very top down, limited perspective of the world and it's lore. Considering most of what we know fairly well to be true is speculation and conjecture among the people in universe, and we have little to no practical information about the world on a micro social scale, we would probably just seem batshit insane. We have a lot more in common with the deranged acolytes of Hermaeus Mora than an intellectual scholar

[@snefu1142]

@@skynyrdjesus where are you watching KZbin videos in Skyrim dawg lol

[@ariaxrose1]

The fact you can still make in depth videos on a game that came out so long ago

[@muslimcrusader5987]

That’s how good it is

[@FissuredAnus187]

@TP LOL yeah right. Andromeda and others.

[@David-un4cs]

I think that's part of why Morrowind is many people's favorite. That game is really carrying the rest of the games in terms of lore building. Not that Oblivion and Skyrim don't build on stuff and have cool lore, but Morrowind pretty much established all of things people theorize on.

[@imightmakefunofyou4433]

Facts Dragon-kin👌🏾

[@Galaxy-rj1kj]

@@David-un4cs ok

[@jacobcavallin4047]

We need to just stop to appreciate the amount of work and dedication that goes into these videos. Lore videos, theory videos, it's all so thorough.

[@k2h873]

According to Gelebor, the transformation of the snow elves into to Falmer wasn't just because of the toxic fungi that they had to consume, but thousands of years living underground twisted their form and affected their overall mentality and physiology. Neverlethess I'm eager to see a group of snow elves and dwemer that remained unharmed and hidden in the future games

[@insaincaldo]

Yes only the blinding was purposely done. The rest is just history, history only the Falmer know and the Falmer, well by now they just shriek allot.

[@papaswench8161]

Yeah they didnt use a fungus they used tonal magic

[@achmadtitofauzan3809]

Yea, the decline was natural. It wasn't magic but devolution

[@muhammadedwards8425]

@@achmadtitofauzan3809 Someone explored the idea that blind slaves is a dumb idea. However, the way the dwemer conduct themselves in regards to the enslavement of the falmer makes it seem like they needed them nevertheless. Also that degeneration is extreme, too extreme. Yargrum the last dwemer had less degeneration even with corprus disease. So the most likely explanation is that the diet was aiding something else, being the main reason for their degradation, tonal architecture. The falmer being test subjects

[@achmadtitofauzan3809]

@@muhammadedwards8425 i also suspect the falmers were a subject of experiments too, dwemers may use the tonal architecture and yes that magic is a completely different kind of magic because it altered the world by sound. But still, i believe the main reason of their decline was thousand of years underground, poisoned by the fungus and experimented with the tonal architecture, made their body to degenerate naturally adapting to the new environments (you can say the fungus and tonal architecture magic boosted the declining progress). The first time dagoth released that ash disease was in the second era, meanwhile the falmers were poisoned and conducted as test subject in the merethic era thus having more time for their body to degenerate even more. As for yagrum i don't know in which era he contracted the corprus when he visited vvardenfell, but was cured and taken care of by a dark elf wizard, divayth fyr, so his fate is not as misserable as the falmers

[@tollername6329]

I wish there was some kind of job like "video game historian" that emphasises on collecting video game lore and preserving it for generations to come as it clearly can be seen as a cultural good. The three of you should start something like that so you can make a decent living of it, you'd really deserve it.

[@powfoot4946]

There is an elder scrolls loremaster, not sure if hes employed by bethesda or what, but it does exist!

[@tachthechatgoblin]

Is that not what they are doing now? I mean the videos are like a library for us they do make revenue from KZbin.

[@silvercandra4275]

Then I'd finally have found my calling. I love collecting all the lore I can, be it the lore of the Elder scrolls, which I haven't even scratched the surface of, Kirby lore, which is where I started out, or the lore of Hollow Knight, which is my specialty.

[@powfoot4946]

You guys should check out the fudgemuppet podcast, they literally just talk about lore for an hour

[@SneakyKitten3614]

Imagine if aliens came to our world and elder scrolls lore was all that was left of our society.

[@_mrcrypt]

You all are truly the champions of Hermaeus Mora. Well done and thank you 🍷

[@casvandijck9338]

They must've used the Ogma glitch

[@xgc666]

I think it's so funny that there is a nearly 30 minute long video about a dungeon because someone found a green banner where most banners were red.

[@georgemurdock7670]

This banner is red too

[@MrFunreal]

@@georgemurdock7670 yea. the blue light and the red banner makes it green... i.imgur.com/IDg0nCz.gif

[@aidanrock8719]

Thank you sincerely for saving me from trying to find out what this video was drivelling on about. Clickbait "unsolved mysteries" that aren't mysterious in the slightest.

[@Just_Call_Me_Tim]

@@aidanrock8719 It's known to be red and gold by people who pulled it up in the creation kit and toggled lights on it. It just looks green in-game due to the lighting in that area (according to a number of comments about it).

[@Thor-Orion]

@@Just_Call_Me_Tim it’s actually hung backwards. If you go up to it in game the side facing out is that dark green color, but the backside is red and gold.

[@NiSiSuinegEht]

The green banner isn't actually green, that's just the lighting in that spot. If you look at it in the creation kit, it's the same static object as the other banners, "DweBanner01" and pressing the "Toggle Lights" button while viewing it in the render window reveals it to be red and gold like the others.

[@vampireguy24]

Fucking murdered his entire crackpot theory, nice one

[@gasface88]

Ouch. I'm almost sad you posted this. But if it's true, then it's true...

[@thalmoragent9344]

Oof, lmao 🤣 Well, I guess the whole story of it being Xarxes does still have a lot of credence

[@thekiwibird37]

Or maybe somebody was hella lazy and didn't wanna make a whole ass banner green for one place and decided that fiddling with the lights in one area was easier. Sounds like a Bethesda move.

[@BlookbugIV]

I thought something was up, I saw no green, too dark to tell. The lighting has a greenish caste but my mind and eye didn’t interpret that as a green object.

[@DinoDragon98]

Some dev on the Skyrim team: Adds wrong color value to banner FudgeMuppet: *...I can milk you*

[@WokeGhettoSpiritualist]

It's like ancient astronaut theorists, or ancient Aryan theorists.

[@MEEEEOOOOWWWW738]

@@WokeGhettoSpiritualist paintbrush hair guy guest appearance next podcast???

[@georgemurdock7670]

@@WokeGhettoSpiritualist but unlike ancient astronauts there where ancient arians and there are many interesting theories about them cuz we know few about them even tho they kickstarted all higher civilisation from india to europa, africa and north america. And all we got is some ruins and the story about how some dude build his great wall and his friend got killed cuz he didn’t want to marry some goddess.

[@MEEEEOOOOWWWW738]

@@georgemurdock7670 you're not allowed to talk about ancient white success these days lol isnt it a shame

[@georgemurdock7670]

@@MEEEEOOOOWWWW738 ofc i am certainly would never do this, i soley was talking about sumerians wich are middle eastern and not white. After all, besides minor resistance boosts and one specific ability as well as there starting stats, all races are absolutely equal.

[@ajh8566]

On my first ever play thru in skyrim i was just wondering around winterhold discovering things and quite literally fell into this dungeon completely on accident. I was only level 12. I still have nightmares about the struggle I went thru to get out of this cave without reloading the save

[@CorvoFG]

First dungeon I ever attempted in Skyrim. It didn’t end well.. I think it’s one of the very few ‘one way’ dungeons in the game so once you’re in, you’re in.

[@AvodatGaming]

It was source of my death when I attemted a hardcore playthrough. I've been avoiding that cave since then. Chaurus hunters are nightmare fuel.

[@sbcistheboss]

I have a very similar story. It’s still one of the worst dungeons in the game to me. Not because it’s bad level design, just from that past experience.

[@mfspectacular]

Had a similar experience w bloodlet throne. Dont remember how i cleared it esrly on, but i was confused af when i got vampirism & everyone stsrted attacking me (before dawnguard was even announced)

[@The_Good_Captain]

i have to admit my first "dungeon" was Blackreach and i only wound up there because i knew about the "using a wooden plate to clip through walls" hack, seen a big gate and thought.. "ooo whats in there?!"... Safe to say, ive never put plate to gate so fast when trying to escape my own curiousity and the many creatures that were there to greet me, if only i knew there was a lever to open the gate i came through right next to it and in my panic didnt see it so spent 10-15 minutes running into the gate 😂

[@antonfernandez3175]

Skyrim in 2021? This game is still alive and hopefully it forever will be

[@McHobotheBobo]

I mean, Morrowind is truckin' strong after neqr two decades, and even Daggerfall has a reasonable following still

[@antonfernandez3175]

@@McHobotheBobo yea even my brother is still playing arena

[@ghorstbusters6238]

@TP hope it’s not an Mmorg. Want another straight up single player game

[@The_Good_Captain]

@@McHobotheBobo Morrowind is king in my view, but i would say that.. it was the one that lead me down this 20+ year rabbit hole of lore chasing lol

[@joexer1]

@@antonfernandez3175 I've been playing Arena lol. Only because I want to experience the game, because it's really technologically obsolete these days lol.

[@colinedgar6742]

DEEP LORE: This is actually a temple dedicated to the noble Scrib of Vvardenfell. The chaurus of today are in fact descendants of a single scrib that swam to mainland Morrowind and walked the Nirn until at last it came to the snowy shores of Northern Skyrim.

[@JP-my7fu]

I thought about something similar lol

[@thalmoragent9344]

Wait, is this true?

[@colinedgar6742]

​@@thalmoragent9344 nah I made that up. The chaurus does kind of look like a big scrib though.

[@thalmoragent9344]

@@colinedgar6742 Ah, I see. Welp, either way, could always just be a fun, inside joke 😅

[@Brunozamp]

Maybe the chaurus are just distorted scribs, just like the falmer are distorted snow elfs

[@Jooceee]

Fun fact about the “alter of Xrib”, when you kill the skeleton on the alter, he will have a book on him called the Doors of Oblivion. When you exit his body, the book will double. It does that for every time you open his body.

[@robertsmalls2293]

I love doing that glitch.

[@Just_Call_Me_Tim]

So what you're saying is... there's another way to make gold, if you have the patience.

[@azadisoleil6319]

Even if they don’t worship Namira, I feel like she is looking over them.

[@DharmaDerelict]

Or taking advantage of them to look over her beasts.

[@azadisoleil6319]

@@DharmaDerelict either way man Namira is definitely involved with them in one way or another and I don’t know how it took me this long to realize it

[@sadberserkr]

I agree. Also, Rakdos Gang.

[@gokibros4451]

@@azadisoleil6319 Since worship gives power to dieties then it would make sense to look over them even if they are worshipping some distorted image of her. The snow elves possibly got the shortest end of the stick of any of the races on tamriel. Least she can do is let them lord over their old oppressors ruins. I have been wondering why there are no dwemer ghosts in Skyrim unlike in Morrowind.

[@gokibros4451]

@Samuel Bishop No telling. I imagine the writers/devs will keep them ambigious. I think I read that we are going to hammerfell so the dwemer mystery will once again take the back seat. The last dwarve, the fat spiderman in morrowind, has the hammer which defined the name of hammerfell (someone threw the hammer in the air and wherever it landed they would settle.) So maybe we will see sooooomething but I wouldn't hold my breath on getting an answer if I were you. We can almost gaurantee elf and god shit though, because skyrim had it seeded throughout the entire plot and many subplots and dialogue.

[@fumarc4501]

Last time I was this early, the Atmorans were still Dragon Worshippers.

[@The_Good_Captain]

ahaaaaaa😉😜 smart and funny, well played to you sir.

[@drewbles22]

Also probable: Todd Howard- "Ehhh, just throw another dungeon in there somewhere and make it a little nonsensical but leave some stuff around so people draw their own conclusions."

[@drewbles22]

@@LWLProductions you're at an 11, bring it down to a 2. It was a joke.

[@JacobBite]

@@LWLProductions this is todd howard you're talking about

[@magonus195]

@@JacobBite I doubt the boy knows.

[@rickinielsen1]

I always assumed that Xrib was something like a minor daedric god, and the “temple” is a prison and laboratory where the Dwemer imprisoned and studied it. Altar outside could be for summoning Xrib or other gods/Daedra, and then some mechanism trapped it inside for further study. After the disappearance of the Dwemer, the Falmer could have found it and started worshipping Xrib and possibly released it. Hence it no longer being imprisoned there and the prison is in disarray. Different coloured banners could be the Dwemer way of marking zones of danger or security, as red banners being low security prisons for smaller Daedra and green being “super-max” holding the most powerful(Xrib). Upside down chandelier could be meant as a base pedestal of some imprisonment device.

[@kunsttm5267]

My theory for the flipped light: reused assets

[@rippspeck]

Yeah, Occam's Razor.

[@OscarGreenworth]

Yeah that’s what I was my immediate thought when I saw it.

[@OscarGreenworth]

@An Internet Stranger Yeah but it also is know for a lot of asset reuse.

[@l0lLorenzol0l]

Well yeah that is obvious, the question *why* was it flipped. Nowhere else did the devs use it like that.

[@AvodatGaming]

I wonder if developer who made these things sometime watches your videos and cheers that someone explored and understood the effort they put in :) Great vid!

[@davidkamps9879]

That’s how I felt about camelworks college of winterhold video. So in depth and if I was a dev I’d be so proud.

[@JL-tn1kv]

Nah they’re probably just like “Yeah that sounds good we’ll go with that”

[@higheverrains7386]

Hey all, checked in CK. Banner isn't actually green, it's on account of the lighting. It's the same DweBanner01 as elsewhere in the room. It doesn't have any different attributes assigned to it.

[@levi_ackerman_119]

Maybe one of the devs wanted it to be green, but didn’t want to make an entirely new item, so used clever lighting instead.

[@Loopcats]

I've spent hundreds of hours in Skyrim and never knew that hole was there. Thank you for showing me a new place to explore.

[@aliveandwellinisrael2507]

7:34 The real mystery is how Todd gets people to buy the same game so many times.

[@chucklytell]

One of very few games I got platinum trophy for that not only can you still play and enjoy it, but you will consistently find things you still haven't done or known about. So many others you get the plat and immediately lose all desire to play anymore, and there isn't anything to do even if you wanted to. I felt no guilt getting it for ps4 even after plat on ps3 lol, that's just good game design I say

[@JP-my7fu]

@@chucklytell i couldnt get plat because the deadric artifact trophy is bugged

[@fetusdeletus9266]

The vague promise of more content via mods and rereleases on more advanced systems.

[@sbcistheboss]

Sightless Pit was my first encounter with the Falmer. They scared me so much with how strong they were. The poison damage, sneak detection, the numbers and traps. I died more times there on my first play through than some areas of Dark Souls.

[@Dethstorm]

The armor theory isn't half bad, since you know, Falmer can't see the color of the chitinous armor they wear, but they can still feel it.

[@ergomate9092]

Xrib definitely sounds more Ehlnofex than Dwemer, so I'm much more inclined to think him a Falmer deity. The shrine, statue, and the Eyes of the Falmer were probably created in the earliest days of Snow Elves' subjugation, when they still had eyes and remnants of their cultural heritage. They probably do still have traditions, but they have definitely degenerated a lot over the millennia.

[@georgemurdock7670]

The eye of the falmer where created after there blindness i think. They wished there eyes back so they put special attention to them in hope some god would appreciate it and give them there eyes back.

[@TheRukisama]

It's possible that the letter 'x' for Dwemer is a similar situation of 'w' in French: it exists and is part of their alphabet, but it's only really used for loan words and foreign proper names.

[@JohnWhiteHere]

I would love to see a re-emergence of the snow elves in TES 6 maybe they'd still be half wild but their sight slowly returning, as they fight to regain a place on the surface world

[@BionAvastar3000]

What if that was the main quest of TES 6?

[@jdawg1086]

It's interesting how both the Ayleids and Snow Elves fell because they underestimated the tenacity of humans.

[@valendrien6517]

I agree about the Ayleids but it was both the tenacity and complete cruelty of humans with the Snow Elves.

[@chrisdominguez5097]

Not tenacity really but merely outbreeding elves coupled with their Thuum which is practically a cheat skill. Do you really believe 500 metal wielding brutes managed to wipe out a race during their lifetime just because of tenacity? Nah. Human ships arrived by the hundreds. And with them, thousands of raging vikings with dragon powers. The figure "500" was merely there to exaggerate the legend.

[@DarthSidian]

@@chrisdominguez5097 I personally think the "500" meant the number of _ships_ that sailed there. Either way, regardless of if you wanna whine about the Thu'um being "cheating", they still dunked on the Elves.

[@chrisdominguez5097]

@@DarthSidian Which I never argued against. But this idea that Nords just happened to be this kind of humans that eliminated a race by being tenacious is by all means wrong. It paints the wrong idea that if Nords try NOW they'd be able to do it again... And that's not gonna happen. Not without a Dragonborn to support them and not without magic which they shun. A single fireball will kill them by the dozen. They're just normal humans after all who are used to cold weather.

[@thalmoragent9344]

Well, we can't say that for sure. Aylieds sure, but even the Nedes had 2 Demigods, as well as Nords and other Aylieds helping them. The last Aylieds in Cyrodiil were betrayed and slaughtered by their old allied humans. As for the Snow Elves, we don't have the specifics of the Night of Tears, nor do we know why it happened, or if the Snow Elves actually killed everyone or took any prisoners or slaves. Ysgramor never saw how the fight started, and wasn't in Saarthal when it was Sacked. Not only that, but they had the Thu'um and Dragons with them as well. It wasn't just 500 Nords that wiped out the Snow Elves, just saying. Ans you can't judge a whole race on a single event that you don't have the full story of.

[@themadgamer1217]

God I love this game’s lore. It actively makes me want to be a better writer. 😭🥰 Xrib was a Falmer god, worshipped by those blinded Falmer that retained even a smidgen of their minds after the altering effects of the fungus. Those who worshipped Xrib wanted to do one thing, the thing that they could not do either alone, nor together, because of their lost sight, and quickly dwindling minds: tell their story. I’m gonna go cry now that I’ve made myself sad over this goddamned game. 😂😭😭😭

[@thalmoragent9344]

Damn, yeah it's sad what happened to them. Ysgramor was terrible.

[@Cypherwraith001]

*cough* Night of tears, sacking of Saarthal *cough* Dude was an asshole, but he had a reason. I would put more of this on the dwemer experimenting on the Falmer refugees. The Nords may have driven the Falmer underground, but the dwemer *broke* them.

[@BiTurbo228]

​@@Cypherwraith001 Defending your homeland from colonisation much? #Falmerdidnothingwrong

[@stealyourface6000]

The similarities between Auri-El's armor and the Heavy Falmer Armor are uncanny. I think the Falmer still worship Auri-El to an extent.

[@iamfine2624]

I believe that Xrib might be a title that the daedric prince Namira has mantled and that the falmer are unknowingly or knowingly worshipping her.

[@SereglothIV]

Theory: rituals at the Temple of Xrib allowed the Falmer to see through Calcelmo's spycam

[@Mary_Beth_Reimer]

Actually, Michael, I would have to agree with you. It does make a lot of sense for it to be Xarxes. Maybe the Dwemer set this area up specially for the snow elves, to help assure them that they would not be forgotten. Thank you for delving in to this for us! 💜❤️💙

[@insaincaldo]

"..as your vision clouds, as the darkness sets in, fear not. Know only our mercy and the radiance of our affection, which unbinds your bones to the earth before, and sets your final path to the music of your new eternity."

[@mathewhoeschen1147]

Maybe that's what the green banner's about: color coding designating Falmer stuff. Not so much for THEIR benefit, they're blind, but so their Dwemer handlers could keep track of it better. Hence why they wear the green tatters as well, it's the stuff they had access to from their old holding areas

[@thalmoragent9344]

@@insaincaldo Given the torture chambers, I'd say the Dwemer meant you're gonna go insane and feral, but you won't be wiped out and now your eternity will be spent in this new world underground. They didn't have a general concept of "mercy" it seems

[@thalmoragent9344]

@@mathewhoeschen1147 Yeah, most likely. Nothing kind for the Falmer, just for them to keep track of their new slaves 😓

[@AGuyNamedRicky]

Maybe “temple” according to the dwemer is used more like “laboratory” or “factory”

[@leek.3671]

What I always found interesting in my playthroughs of Skyrim is how many Necklaces of Arkay I’d find in the Dwemer ruins. Don’t know if this is the same for others, but in all my playthroughs, that’s the only ‘god’ artefact I’d find in mass abundance in any of the ruins. Always found that odd. Perhaps they belonged to the Snow Elves, but it could also be an indicator just the same of some connection to the old Dwemer. Would be interesting to know if others have noticed this too!

[@kishensukhu2292]

Less than a minute in, and I'm already hooked 😂

[@xSqrlz]

A minute? I was hooked the second I clicked on it

[@kishensukhu2292]

@@xSqrlz 😂 I only realized that after half a minute

[@Metal_Slyme]

One huge thing I want to point out is that the whole artificial levitation for Telvanni Towers thing was likely exclusively stuck in for gameplay reasons... The Telvanni restricting their towers to require the ability to USE levitation magic to access was established in Morrowind as a long-standing norm among Telvanni due to the secluded nature of their house... Also the fact that most Dwemer ruins oddly are largely in proper orientation is odd itself due to their nature, so the idea that you are entering some form of maintenance shaft or something holds plenty of merit itself

[@jasonscarborough94]

Tinfoil hat time, "The snow elves never attacked the settlement and Ysgamor just needed to cover up some really poor leadership choices"

[@hyenascreech2183]

This actually isnt far off from the actual lore.

[@WhoTookMyMirr]

Considering how happy they were to invade Resdayn and attack the Chimer unprovoked, I can see it.

[@MrsTavington]

@@hyenascreech2183 How do you figure? The attacks by the snow elves on Sarthal were well documented, were they not? No one denies or even questions that it happened.

[@hyenascreech2183]

@@MrsTavington they were horribly documented. And only documented by the winners. Same situation the vikings in real life faced.

[@mr.niceguy3583]

Everyone in this thread sounds like dirty Elf apologists. The Snowmer were merciless, so Mora replied the same Ysgramor and the 500 returned with vengeance And set the Mer aflame

[@zacharymesecke9638]

Fudgemuppet: Vibrant green Me squinting: Huh? It just looks dark like everything else

[@zootedandstoopid]

Well stop squinting!

[@zacharymesecke9638]

@@zootedandstoopid oh, yeah that helps!

[@t.t6294]

It's not really a theory anymore. ESO kinda confirmed that The Falmer were afraid of the Eye of Magnus's Power

[@RecordedMercury]

ESO gets a lot of shit wrong too. It's really up for interpretation.

[@WhoTookMyMirr]

The events of ESO are a massive dragon break reality though

[@RecordedMercury]

I also can't tell if you mean the KZbinr ESO or litterally "Elder Scrolls Online"

[@thalmoragent9344]

Where and how was it confirmed? Did they say why they killed off people in Saarthal for it? Was it a full massacre, or did they take prisoners? Did they ask for it first, or just had a hunch? Where did you get this information? Still has a lot of questions here. If they were actually at peace, then why was there a supposed Massacre? Were tensions rising before the event? Did an accident or event take place that made the Snow Elves distrust the Atmorans?

[@yourmother9747]

@@thalmoragent9344 Man U gotta find something real in life to spend your time thinking about, like just realize how irrelevant to your life that info is

[@RecordedMercury]

I remember playing skyrim pretty young and I found myself at the sightless pit. I had no idea falmer or dwarven automatons were enemies. Shit gave me childhood trauma

[@Serana_is_so_CUTE]

*le Unofficial Skyrim Patch : - Fixed a banner appearing green due to wrong colour values

[@baronofbahlingen9662]

I can’t believe you thought the same thing as me. I was thinking of Xarxes right away. He was a Scribe, Xrib is a similar-ish word, and the letter X being shared seems potentially similar, as it does not come up much. It’s a stretch obviously, but there are other connections which you bring up.

[@Spiketrooper]

Holy shit in all my time playing Skyrim I have NEVER seen this place. Just goes to show you how great a game it is.

[@JumbojayMK]

This dungeon is a hole you jump in and fall for like 7 seconds so you'll know if youve been there

[@TattooedMilk]

Okay hear me out. Xrib is actually misspelled version of scrib and they were praising a giant Scrib for the best jelly in Tamriel...

[@casvandijck9338]

Everybody knows that's false, it's clearly netch jelly

[@guardiancologne9034]

That opening was so close to avatar, then everything changed when the falmer attacked! @3:40 i always thought an earthquake just caused the tunnel to shift. @23:00 ah this is why i love you guys! Final thoughts: this was an amazing video! Makes me think it is xarxes, and has something to do with not being forgotten like you said, which is funny being that they have white souls now. The war of the crag lasted a long time and had many fronts, and the falmer were slaves working with stone for a while before they rebelled, so this temple could exist in a window of conscious decsent.

[@conorduh]

Dude ABSOLUTELY LOVE with ur channel pls never stop making content man ur the GOAT thx for amazing content everyday

[@FudgeMuppet]

Thank you so much! Really hope you enjoy this one!

[@conorduh]

@@FudgeMuppet So far I’ve never not enjoyed one of ur vids so hopefully I will! I also always wondered what the temple really meant lore wise so this should prove informative tpo

[@dianslabbert504]

I like to think the Temple of Xrib was maybe a Dwemer equivalent of a school or college. They took pride in knowledge and logic so a place of higher learning could be seen as a "temple" by them. Xcrib could have then maybe have been a renowned teacher/professor/lecturer who taught there or the place was named after because he/she was the founder. Though there is no proof of it the place being used for that and the place is dilapidated and caved in. The pillars and and entrance make me think of a high end college. Edit: the alter could be where they held graduation ceremonies of some sort and the chest is where they paid their tutition fees maybe. Its a stupid guess I know

[@dbehnia2351]

I do like this idea

[@672Kevin]

You really hit the ball out of the park with this one, Michael. Brilliant.

[@FudgeMuppet]

Thank you!!

[@jaspr1999]

Fascinating! I will be more than happy to storm my brain over this as you hit a LOT of questions that I've always had since the game came out. The only thing I could think of is the "Scribe/Xrib" but you hit on that as soon as I had the thought.

[@jasonmcadam3189]

You guys are awesome, never commented on one of your videos before but wanted to say that this is great entertainment for a timeless game

[@kellygallagher5447]

Michael, I love your deep dives. The Xarxes theory makes perfect sense: of course they would want to venerate a god who could help them preserve their past so history always sees them, even as they themselves go blind. It is perhaps the most fitting rebellion against the Dwemer. Really great work!

[@applejuice3562]

Even bigger mystery, since the falmer are blind, how did they know there was a color difference with the green banner?

[@angela_merkeI]

Or how do they make this symmetrical armour. Or how are they able to block?

[@Raycheetah]

@@angela_merkeI Touch and hearing, both amplified due to their blindness. =^[.]^=

[@angela_merkeI]

@@Raycheetah So they hear whether the bow you pulled is aimed towards them or their buddy a few metres away?

[@Raycheetah]

@@angela_merkeI Just remember: It's only a game. No need to be a s'wit. =9[.]9=

[@Kahadi]

@@angela_merkeI Logic and sound. They know they're being attacked already, whether from a previous arrow that missed or at least didn't kill them (or maybe they heard it kill an ally), or from a sword (or axe or mace/maul) swing that stung already. If they have already been attacked once, its unlikely the bow they hear being prepared is aimed at someone else instead. After all, with a ranged weapon, why not finish off one enemy before moving onto the next? Close range is different, attack the closest enemy, but a normal person wouldn't use a bow close range. So logically speaking, its most likely aimed at them. As such, its much safer to block and end up with the arrow hitting your ally while you miss a chance at an attack, than it is to try rushing in and attacking and hoping it isn't aimed at you. That and, as someone else already said, its a video game. Its very hard to program AI that are competent enough to fight, let alone be a threat, while making them fully blind and have no way of knowing they should block your arrow. I mean, they could go with the ideas mentioned above, but with the limits of AI, you'd end up with enemies that are almost constantly blocking instead of attacking in a game where you could, in theory, aim for a spot the shield can't cover, hit them in the foot, and still kill them, or have them never block and have them so easy to pick off that they're less threatening than wolves. So skip logic a bit for game purposes, then have a bit of lore explain how, in theory, they are managing, even if game AI doesn't perfectly fit that. Or are you going to complain about the logic of a lone bandit wearing leather thinking he can take out a traveler in full plate armour and still not fleeing even after being shown they have no chance of winning, or of any animal that should have survival instincts continuing to attack "potential prey" that has just killed 4 others, instead of running away and surviving instead?

[@ericaguzzo2845]

Agh you're so good at this. Excellent work, wonderful scholarship, clever analysis, and so concise without leaving out meaningful details.

[@ProfArmitage218]

The spelling shifted of the ages, and it's actually the Temple of Scrib. They really liked the larval Kwama that wander Morrowind.

[@Mariseaninikkou]

I know I do.

[@jamalco5457]

Last time I came this early I was reading Lusty Argonian Maid

[@austinhawkins3307]

Ayyyyt

[@gptechnologiesmangalore6909]

Still looking for volume 3

[@Serana_is_so_CUTE]

@@gptechnologiesmangalore6909 There are many versions of volume 3, but these are poor unofficial adaptations, Curio be rolling in his grave

[@Jordan-xb2dq]

I’d actually like to know why high rock didn’t help end the civil war because I know they are allies with the empire and the would be able to gain access to Skyrim pretty easily given their location

[@Kahadi]

I believe there is a hint as to why the Empire was having such troubles and not getting backup, a hint that is the main support for why the canon timeline will have the Empire win the war. I can't remember where, but there's a mountain pass or something that would normally lead out of Skyrim, but it has been blocked off by a rockslide. There's even a note nearby that you can find, a letter stating the Empire is trying to send backup, but because of the rockslide, the backup will be delayed while they clear it out. Once they clear out the rockslide, the full power of the Empire would be available to fight off the rebellion. I would have to double check full maps myself, but I believe this passage also slows, if not fully halts, any real passage from High Rock as well. Given the mountains, it wouldn't be easy to march an army into Skyrim from just anywhere. So while the rest of the Empire could potentially send small groups to help, a large enough group to really make a difference is blocked off I suppose they could try by sea, given that's how the Emperor got there, but that doesn't seem ideal either.

[@atwilliux456]

@@Kahadi yeah pale pass

[@insaincaldo]

@@Kahadi Correction, they would have been able to send some reinforcements, but nowhere near the full might of the Empire. They are reeling from the great war and currently preparing for what seems an inevitable second war with the Dominion. Because that pass was closed of, the time to act is over. The outcome of the civil war is in the hands of Skyrim and Skyrim only. It even seems unlikely that there will be any retaliation for the Emperor dying on foreign soil.

[@PyrusFlameborn]

@@insaincaldo the Imperial Legion having to watch the border with the Dominion is the entire reason why General Tullius was sent without an actual legion. All the legionaries we see in Skyrim are merely local recruits rushed through training and with the help of the TLD they can still win the Skyrim Civil War.

[@insaincaldo]

​@@PyrusFlameborn Yes that is what I said, in the hands of Skyrim. I wasn't my any means implying that the civil war is supposedly decided in lore. Just that no matter the outcome, no more legions will be going to Skyrim. At least as long as there is a greater threat to deal with. Besides no matter if you take side and which. Skyrim will be unstable do to continued skirmishes, even in truce. The same goes for the dragons being a continued presence after Alduins defeat.

[@abeltejada8084]

When you talk about dwemer ruins, I always imagine you as a more polite and slightly funnier Calcelmo. I absolutely love you.

[@wesleybrown9018]

What if Xrib was both mortal and deity? Like the Vivec or Talos? A snow elf that found a way into godhood.

[@donnykitsune6289]

Vivec abused the heart of an ancient dead creator god, and lost his power after the heart was destroyed in the Third era, with the concluding events of Morrowind. Tiber Septim abused the construct originally powered by the heart of said ancient dead creator god, the only difference being that he _succeeded_ and became the ninth divine. The Eye of Magnus technically has the power to completely collapse nirn, rather than have someone _ascend,_ which is pretty much what ondolemar was trying to use it for during the mages guild questline (destroying the fabric of reality, that is.) And the psijic order had to intervene, though, that having been said, there is no telling what all races make up the psijic order, so there could be snow elves among their ranks, but we'll never know.

[@levi_ackerman_119]

@@donnykitsune6289 *Ancano, not Ondolemar 👍🏻

[@marjanovicmilorad226]

I think this will be about why is my two handed sword character the Arch-mage of the CoW, or why is he also a master thief with sneaking still at 15.

[@bargun5889]

lmao

[@Teknikah]

Perhaps "Arcanex" is just 2 words smushed together: Arcane + Annex = Arcanex ? Just an idea

[@justme0910]

I think I like the Xarxes theory the most. I have my own theory that the Eyes of the Falmer are actually a special type of soul gem and were used to "store" parts of their souls, perhaps to preserve their memories and cultural accomplishments in case they ever managed to break free from their enslavement by the Dwemer, which is why the Falmer we encounter in Skyrim have white souls rather than black ones. It'd make sense for them to choose the eyes as a symbol for what they lost, and the statue representing Xarxes (especially considering that it's holding a book) would fit very nicely into that. Perhaps they were calling onto Xarxes to safeguard their stories and their connection to their ancestors, since the Falmer were no longer capable of doing so themselves. The Temple of Xrib could have been another attempt at reaching out to Xarxes for help and protection from the mental and cultural deterioration forced on them by the Dwemer.

[@runespaze]

I’m ready to see the falmar evolve back having their sight

[@dreadedworld8864]

They are too

[@arnesieper8332]

on a slightly tangient note: i wanna mention that Scribs (not Xrib) are a 'large' insectiod species found in morrowind. the are ant-like in appearance, althoug about the size of a skyrim fox. in the morrowind Quest 'In Search of the Falmer' there are indications that the falmer used the scrib as foodsource and lifestock. maybe that is tangient to this temple?

[@keebmack]

This is absolutely one of my favorite locations in Skyrim. It's one of the few caves/dungeons/dwemer ruins that I remember discovering the first time... Like you said, just so mysterious and different than any other Dwemer ruin, and ya wtf is a xrib? lol Keep em coming, love it! Edit: there is also a mod called “atlas map markers” that adds map markers to all the POI and unmarked locations. This location is in fact included and is called the altar of xrib. I highly recommend it.

[@Rivedon]

Really Good Video!!! I am a Big Fan of the Falmer (both pre and post betrayal) I always thought of Xrib as the Falmer version of Sithis but this video has convinced me other ways!! keep up the amazing work

[@jacobbagnall2915]

I love this video . So those stone frescos in the Dwemer ruins of a circle with several lines spreading from it just might be Herma Mora aye ?I think Xrib must b Xarxes now , you convinced me .

[@PelinalWhitestrake36]

I like the idea of Xrib being Mora. It sounds like something he'd do, manage to deal/trade with the Dwemer to get that sweet sweet knowledge, and in return they 'worship' him.

[@Fidel9209]

This video's thumbnail gives me EpicNate315 feelings

[@imightmakefunofyou4433]

But murdered to death🤣

[@tachthechatgoblin]

Too bad he ditched his audience

[@jiquan]

@@tachthechatgoblin did he? Do we have it confirmed that he isn't returning to youtube?

[@tachthechatgoblin]

@@jiquan well he’s been blocking people on Twitter for asking about his videos and deleted his last update promising the parthurnaax vid. So I’d say after ghosting his audience for 6 months it’s safe to say he’s done.

[@fomharfirebrand6083]

You could've made a perfectly good pun at the end with, "Subxrib." Dammit.

[@farhansaber9330]

7:57 : as you can see in the footage of this video Me, with Max brightness up: no, I can’t see shit.

[@acecerberus8230]

After 6 years playing, missed this one!! Current playthrough now includes this!!! You and your crew really amaze, new and fresh information after all this time. Thank you, Michael.

[@PelinalDidNothingWrong]

I still like to think the Dwemer were Atheists in the D&D sense of the word: They don't deny the existance of the divine yet choose not to revere them

[@jshburgess4172]

They absolutely acknowledged the existence of the Aedra and the Daedra, but they instead believed in the divinity of science. That's what the Numidium was, the god created to rival the gods. It is also what some believe to be the great sin that led to their disappearance, that they were destroyed for their hubris.

[@BionAvastar3000]

That's agnostic

[@DoeSwiftandBond]

The camera work exhibited in this video is top notch. Great pans, nature and scenery view like the skyshots and the mountain cascades. Very interesting topic, still have yet to see the res tof the video. My compliments

[@chloebastone4445]

The way I jumped to this notification!

[@cursed-dragongaming6798]

Same

[@ScottieDo]

We all felt tht lol

[@mgtowdadYouTubeSucksCoxks]

Open sentences!

[@toytacambery9427]

Am I the only one who thinks that the centerpiece made from an inverted chandelier is supposed to represent a mushroom? I would venture to say that Xrib is another name for Namira, hence the mushroom statue (if that's what it is) representing the rotting materials in which fungus feeds.

[@princekrazie]

I think the green banner is just the result of lighting... Maybe use magelight to see if it’s really green?

[@georgemurdock7670]

It is. Gonne to the creation kit and toggled the light and then its red

[@megladon5645]

I would love to see one of your theories make it into the game as a book or something, the fact you’re still talking about this game to this day deserves some love from Bethesda and because each one of your theories go into great depth.

[@theenclave5816]

I would like an Elder Scrolls game where you can play as a snow elf. Or at least get to interact with a group of surviving elves. Or even get to witness the rise of the snow elves as they try to re-take Skyrim from the Nords. I’m quite fond of the snow elves if you couldn’t tell😅

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

It would be epic to have a sidestory where you visit Atmora were a few of them have fled and built a new home.

[@TheCheezeybacon]

@@Duchess_Van_Hoof I like the idea but can’t think of a worse place for them to go seeking refuge it’s the atmorans that are genocideing there race

[@liamwaddleton]

"calcelmo Spycam 1" was fucking hilarious I love how thorough your guys' research is, and also how funny your editing is

[@idipped2521]

I really want a Merethic/First Era game

[@dantereinhardt6911]

Everyone does, but the merethic and first era was so trippy, OP and Ancient Era Tolkien world that making a game of it would just end up the same as when the Thu'um was translated into skyrim from the lore.

[@mrexcadrill8474]

You say you want it but trust me I wouldn’t work. The reason it’s so cool is the mythos around that time so taking away the mystery would kill the beauty of the first era

[@sebastianlinares6626]

I started and platted my first play through of vanilla Skyrim on my PS4 about a month ago, started watching your channel, and now I am pushing my poor laptop to the brink with modded oblivion and Skyrim while patiently waiting for skywind and skyblivion. Y’all are the reason I made 5 characters before finishing the main quest and I don’t know whether to thank or blame you.

[@cy3125]

Only one green banner and the falmer are wearing green torn up loin clothes. Hmm

[@robr135]

I love that there is nice discussion in the comments and it really made the mystery even more compelling. On the other had you have to search through a hundred posts of people talking about how early they are and patting themselves on the back.

[@Deatheater4444]

In light of ESO lore developments, I'm going to guess that the Nighthollow and Greymoor vampire clans probably kept the Falmer population down.

[@faeriebell]

This was so fascinating. I’ve studied a lot about the Falmer during my research and this was so so cool to hear the speculation. I think the xerxes theory sounds very plausible and it makes sense that as the falmer devolved into who they are in Skyrim their understanding of their pantheon would get corrupted. I really like that theory. Thank you for this video!

[@indirabadal7107]

Man the thumbnail made me think this was a epic Nate video man I hiss him sad 😢 😔

[@gam4rnay]

Same here lol

[@personagrand5674]

Does anyone know why Nate went MIA?

[@VegitoMew]

I heard covid 19 kicked his ass..

[@Knight-PaladinEleanor]

His moderators said he had a bad break up and he decided to step away from youtube for awhile

[@Knight-PaladinEleanor]

@@VegitoMew you lie

[@RWNetworkEX]

It makes me happy that, even after a decade of playing this game and learning about its universes’ lore, I still learn something new or there are people who still talk about it. Thanks fudgemuppet and those who also enjoy TES for keepin it alive.

[@Crystantemum]

Not a loremaster but the statue in the forgotten vail made me think Umaril and ultimately Ayleid. If you look up Ayleids, scroll to the bottom of the elder scrolls fandom for them, a few of the images look very similar to the pieces of info you collected in this video. The flipped candles look like Welkynd Stones but of a light variety. That light tablet also looks like one of the images. What if this specific subsect of Falmer, in the height of their madness, were uncovering ancient Ayleid memories and rediscovering repressed religious rites from evolutions ago? I'm not personally sure if Snow Elves and Dwemer are subsets of Ayleids just like dark elves and wood elves come from a similar evolitionary split to high elves, but if that's the case, I can definitely see these having ties to why these ancient elves made a cultural shift long ago and ultimately helps strength the topics you were discussing on from a deeper lore perspective.

[@georgemurdock7670]

Yes the snowelves split from the ayleids but memorys aint genetic

[@Crystantemum]

@@georgemurdock7670 that's a limited theory I have on life so I won't continue that line of thought. So maybe, like Michael suggested, they had dealings with a god/Daedra and that deity suggested some old teachings? Does that sit better?

[@georgemurdock7670]

@@Crystantemum our dna is shorter later in live then our dna as child. Yet when new memories would been added it would be longer. So yeah. And i would speculate deadra cuz i never saw an altair in that kind for the gods. And most likely a deadra wich is disliked by azura. So a deadra who is disliked by azura and likes offerings. Molag or this cannibal deadra probably.

[@Crystantemum]

@@georgemurdock7670 that's true but later in life also indicates the bodies natural process of degradation. I read a few studies similar to each other that show, as generations go on our DNA actually gets longer. So a healthy child would have longer DNA than their healthy parents would in the most natural scenario. Could be fringe thinking and nothing more but I'm a Daedrologist in the regard that I'm interested in trying to make sense of what seems senseless or what isn't the norm. I'm with ya on the Daedra speculation. I liked that a friendly god of Azura's was mentioned in the video but it all screams Daedric to me appearance wise

[@georgemurdock7670]

@@Crystantemum the dna gets longer and longer due to errors during the copying of the dna. Some parts get copyed twice and implemented twice in the dna strang inside the gametes or random amino assets attach between working parts of the dna. Also when dna carrys memorys, you would only have memorys from your mom till circa her 12 year of life and from your dad till circa a month bevor you where made. So your mind would be full of memories of little girls and random bits of 20-30 year old guys if you carry the memories of all your ancestors.

[@Serjo.Redoran.Indrasi.Sarano]

I love how with the dwemer bending the physics of time and space with tonal magic in a corridor for the lulz is the more plausible explanation instead of "some stairs should be here, they have eroded away because its thousands of years old and experienced multiple floodings"