Chapter 12

Ayleid Elves of Cyrodiil

"So these are the elves that enslaved the humans of Cyrodiil?" Silverstream asked as the opening began. "Why do we have to learn about them?"

"I guess it's kind of like how we learned about Caeser from the Wasteland," Gallus shrugged. "Sometimes, you need to learn about the bad guys."

It turned out that there was a more significant reason. Out of all the races of Tamriel, the Ayleid Elves would be known as the "First." Not just the first to sit upon the Ruby Throne but also among the first civilizations and advanced people that could be equal to that of the Dwemer Empire. They were said to be the first Empire that had charted the course for many in the ages to follow ever after their downfall. Every great Empire in history owes its groundwork to the Ayleid Elves, who stood proudly in their golden armor among the White-Gold Tower they built. Ironically, the Empires of Man owed the beginnings and foundations to the elves that enslaved them.

"You know, when you think about it, all Empires are often built upon the ashes and remains of the old ones that use them as a foundation," Ocellus recalled

"Yeah, even we dragons still use some of the foundations from the old Dragon Empire in our society," Smolder said.
"Same with griffins from the old Griffin Empire," Gallus recalled.

"And a few traditions and beliefs from the three tribes' days for us at Equestria," Sandbar said happily.

Though not as technologically advanced as the Dwemer, they were masters of culture, governance, and Magic that saw them well ahead of all other races. Their many kingdoms stretched across the land and united under one Empire. While mankind was still using caves, tents, and campfires, the Ayleid Elves built cities, monuments, and works of art that made them the shining light in the dark beginning ages of civilization. The cradle to all walks of life. No more was this evident than the visual comparison of the dirty and tribal humans speaking in a broken language while seeing the Ayleid Elves hosting parties in beautiful gardens of luscious green surrounded by white art columns.

"Wow, it's like comparing Yakyakistan to the Crystal Empire," Gallus whispered.

"What does that mean?!" Yona glared.

"Nothing," Gallus quickly said before whistling while Yona turned away but gave a grumble while doing so.
The Ayleid Elves' main home was the central province of Cyrodiil, thus giving them the name "Heartland High Elves." A similar name to the other High Elves because, like all elves, they originally came from the Summerset Isles. Naturally, being elven, they were gifted with the powers of Magic, but they were even more renowned for it than their Summerset Isle brethren. One Ayleid Elf warrior was seen practicing with a flame-powered sword and shield, which made the group stare in awe. The arcane arts were the Ayleid Elves' bread and butter. Everything from their cities to clothing was made with Magic or constructed to have some unique magical property. Even today, their ruins contain Magic, with historians theorizing they were so advanced they could even gather Magic from the stars.

One of their most well-known objects was a unique blue stone shown on screen lying on a black shrine. These stones held magical energies that the Ayleid Elves used to repower themselves. Allowing them to use Magic longer than most others could.

Another well-known object of interest was the Ayleid Wells. These large white wells found all over Cyrodiil, were often sought after by travelers. These glowing, light-filled wells were not found anywhere else in the world. An elven mage walked up to one at night and absorbed the Magic inside it. It was from these wells that one drew Magic gathered from the said stars. If a mage desperately needed more Magic to repower themselves, this was like a spring to a person needing water.
"Wow, that makes unicorns look like chimpanzees to these guys," Ocellus whispers as took down notes.

"I wonder if that's similar to how Princess Luna uses her magic?" Sandbar asked, knowing the Night Princess's abilities tied to the celestial sky.

"How does one gather magic from a star anyway?" Gallus asked.

"Maybe they ask it politely?" Silverstream suggested with a smile.

"Yeah, that would be funny. Oh, hey? Mr. Ball Of Gas? Can I borrow some of your Magic to power my lantern? Thanks," Gallus joked, which made Silverstream giggle.

Another kind of unique stone made by the Ayleid Elves, a white stone, was known as a Varla Stone. Varla Stones were unique in that they were supercharged enchanted items unlike any other known means before. Be it a sword of elements or an armor of shadow, a single Varla Stone could recharge magical items to their full strength in seconds. This was useful in warfare as anyone with these stones could recharge their equipment to full power if drained in the middle of a battle.

"So basically, they're like the Dwemer except more magical-focused instead of technology-focused," Sandbar pointed out. "I wonder if a society ever combined both perfectly?"

"I wonder who would win in an all-out war?" Smolder asked.

Regarding faith, the Ayleid Elves believed that the world was composed of elements. For instance, the world was composed of Earth, Water, Air, and Light. To them, the most spiritual and powerful element was Starlight.
"Starlight isn't an element," Ocellus said in confusion.

"Yona thought Starlight, our teacher?" Yona said in confusion.

"Not that kind of starlight, Yona," Ocellus giggled.

Starlight was said to be the barrier between Mundus and Atherius. Mundus is the mortal realm, and Atheirius is the immortal realm of the Aedra and spirits. It is said that Magnus, God of Magic, was the one to tear the veil between the two realms, which gave the sun, moons, and stars and allowed Magic to be drawn from the heavens. Because of this, believing that their gifts of Magic were from the Aedra, they, too, worshiped the Aedra like most of their elven brethren.

One unique fact that had been forgotten in history was that the White-Gold Tower, the symbol of government for the many Empires to come, was not originally the heart of the Ayleid government. Instead, it was a monument built to the legacy of the Aedra and nothing more. It went by the name "Temple of the Ancestors," which was dedicated to the ownership of their past ancestors and the Aedra.

"So, the big shiny white tower is actually a church?" Yona realized.

"Seems that way," Sandbar said.

For most races of Tamriel, you either worshiped the Aedra or the Daedra. The Ayleid Elves were different in that they were willing to worship both. This got the attention of the others, who looked at each other in confusion.

"Wait, aren't the Aedra and Daedra total opposites in terms of what they are?" Smolder pointed out.

"Yeah, so why worship both?" Ocellus asked as she looked over her notes. The two sets of gods were not even close regarding similarities save for their divine nature.

The Ayleid Elves desired power to ensure that their Empire stayed in control, so while they freely worshipped and praised the Aedra on one side, they also conspired with the Daedra on the other. An underground temple dedicated to Mehrunes Dagon could be seen with their followers indulging in dark worship, making the students weary.

The worship of the Daedra was so great that the Ayleid Elves were said to have thousands of Daedra under their command, forming vast armies that allowed them to conquer and wage war against their enemies. Combined with the power of the Aedra through magical inventions and abilities, the Ayleid Elves were a nearly unstoppable force that saw them as one of the most, if not THE most, powerful forces on Tamriel. When the image of a human trapped in a small cage hanging above was seen, the group knew this wouldn't be an empire of good tidings and enlightenment.

"Yeah, getting Caesar vibes with this," Smolder sighed.

"Why can't advanced civilizations just be good?" Sandbar wondered out loud while shaking his head.

The story of the Ayleid Elves is one of migration, domination, and self-destruction. A warning to all Empires that would come in the future. Much like all elven origins, they came initially from the Elven continent of Aldmeris, where the Ancient Altmer left and landed on the Summerset Isles. Much like the Dwemer and Chimer (aka the future Dunmer), the Ayleids broke away from the Isles, but the reason remains a mystery, though most can assume it was similar to the Chimer. After all, Daedra worship is outlawed in the Summerset Isles even today. So it makes sense they were either banished or left to be accessible to practice worshiping both sets of gods.

Regardless, the Ayleids found themselves in Cyrodiil and soon took over it with their ambition and desires for power. For all the criticism the elves give mankind for its greed and hunger for power, nobody desired control and domination more than the Ayleid Elves. This desire for power made them do amazing and terrible things that would forever change everything.
"I guess power is power, and it corrupts anyone regardless of who it is," Sandbar said sadly.

The Ayleid Civilization achieved much in the highlight of its golden age. Even today, scholars are baffled by how the Ayleids achieved so much. Their advancements in culture and Magic remain, to this day, unequaled and unknown, especially after their downfall. Yet, despite achieving much, the Ayleids desired more and more power. Using their Daedric forces, they subjected and enslaved the tribes of mankind who did their best to resist their elven oppressors. One by one, they failed and were put in chains to serve their new masters.

"This is terrible," Silverstream whispered as she watched one tribe get slaughtered until they surrendered and were put in chains.

"Remember that this is how things were back then," Ocellus pointed out. "Even our own history had eras where slavery was normal."

The group watched as humans were made slaves for various positions and reasons. You saw your average servant slave who cooked and cleaned, such as sweeping their master's study room. However, the main thing that they were used for was to maintain their infrastructure and power. You see, while humans answered to the elves, the elves had to respond to the Daedra, who desired payment for their power.

"I do not like the sound of that," Sandbar gulped.

Daedric masters desired many things as payment for the use of their powers. Primarily sacrifices.
"And I hate being right."

Customary sacrifices to the Daedra were sinister and cruel, but the Ayleid Elves turned it into an art form. The group gasped in horror and felt their jaws drop. Hearts weeping in horror as they learned of the atrocities that the Ayleid Elves committed that were so infamous even the Elves of today looked at it in disgust despite their distrust of man. Every single one of them was silently crying upon seeing bloody sacrifice altars and hearing of the horrific actions, including the burning of human children.

"I'm going to be sick," Gallus muttered as a trashcan appeared out of thin air, thanks to a certain mad god. He didn't even question it; he just took it and puked.

"... I'm glad they got destroyed," Sandbar muttered darkly. "The Ayleid Elves got what they deserved."
Nobody retorted that.

Despite having a vast, powerful empire that had lasted for centuries, the Ayleid Elves' weakness was soon made clear. They did not know the meaning of "enough" and desired more and more power. It got so bad that they started fighting among themselves, and the weakening cracks of their Empire were already beginning to show.

The Civil War weakened the Ayleid Elves, and the humans of Cyrodiil were starting to realize they had a chance to revolt. They were also encouraged by the recent actions of the Nords in Skyrim, who had overthrown the Snow Elves. This proved that the Elves, despite their great power, were not invincible and could be taken down. Providing aid to their human brethren, the Nords gave the humans of Cyrodiil the means to start fighting back. All they needed was a leader, and she came: The Slave Queen Alessia.

None of the six shed tears upon seeing the human revolutionists fighting against the Ayleid Elves. The Ayleid Empire fell and gave way to the Alessian Empire in less than a year due to the Civil War weakening them. This would be the mark when power in Tamriel was forever shifted from the Elves to the races of Man. The downfall of the Ayleid Empire has been known for countless ages. A story of how the oppressed can turn on their oppressors and how slaves can one day earn their freedom

"Sounds like a good story to tell at firepits of home!" Yona claimed. "Have all things yaks love in stories."

"Including smashing stuff?" Smolder asked with a smirk.

"Yes! Lots of smashing!"

However, one thing that wasn't often told, for various reasons, was that the rebellion wasn't all humans vs. elves. There were numerous Ayleid Elves who aided the humans. Not all of them were pompous, bigoted Daedric users. Many saw the decadence of their Empire and saw that there was no saving it while pitying the race of man. Many swore their swords to Alessia and died side by side with men, seeking a better Empire for both humans and themselves.

"Well, that's good to know! It shows that not everyone in a single race is the same," Silverstream pointed out.

"Yeah, that was the lesson Spike and Thorax told the ponies of Equestria, and look at us now!" Ocellus said happily.

When the rebellion was over, many Ayleid allies served as nobles or loyal vessels to the new human government, ruling and living with them side by side. After all, they knew how to manage an empire better than anyone. Sadly, old hatred dies hard. After Alessia's death, a new order took root called the Alessian Order, which was dedicated to the eradication of all things elven. Their hatred for Elves was so intense that they managed to end the Ayleid nobility, despite once being their allies, and expelled them from the land and forced them to live as nomads away from the nation they once called home.
"What?! How could they do that?! Those elves helped them gain their freedom, and they just betrayed them like that?!" Silverstream shouted in both shock and anger.

"Old grudges don't fade away easily. Especially after a thousand years of enslavement," Gallus remarked.

The Ayleid Elves were once the greatest civilization and most powerful, only to become exiled in their hubris actions. While nobody has seen a pure-blooded Ayleid since it is assumed that they are still out there either living in isolation or having mixed with other societies as their bloodlines still continue. Despite primarily being human, many of those bloodlines live in Cyrodiil and High Rock, home of the Bretons. After all, the Bretons were both humans and elven at the same time, half-breeds who carried the blood of both, which made them a unique race.

But that is a story for another day.

Author's Note

Sorry I haven't been active. Summer is always a busy time for me and lot of stuff happened this week. Enjoy the chapter