We are not made to be alone

Hey there! I do love me some dunmer rambling. (Just a note, most of my Dunmer HC are based on what I've noticed playing Morrowind. So some influences come ESO might be different, I just haven't really managed to get into MMOs.)

Now I can never find a 100% certain source for the exact influences Bethesda uses for their inspo as far as Dunmer are concerned, but I have a few guesses based on my own knowledge and research.

I see influences from various Chinese and Japanese historical periods, particularly for the Redoran, who seem to be closely influenced by Bushidō. At least as far as their rules around honour and combat are concerned.

I've picked up on a lot of South Asian influence when it comes to the Tribunal and the religion they have built around them. A lot of Vivec's sermons remind me of the Vedas, plus his artistic depictions as well as the Tribunal in general remind me of what you find in Hindu and Buddhist art across South and South-east Asia. I find that there's a lot of similarities between the art you find on ALMSIVI shrines and in temples and Wayang puppets from Java.

There's Mesopotamian influences in both Redoran and Hlaalu architecture, as well as significant influences from Sumer in Chimeri architecture. Dunmeri strongholds in game are very clearly influenced by Ziggurats. I've even noticed some interesting ruins along Kogoruhn's outskirts that are eerily similar to some late Bronze Age dwellings that I have excavated myself.

Below is a pic of the Kogoruhn Citadel.

And the Anu/White Temple at Uruk

Platformed structures with administrative and or religious site on top and an inner structure which is usually administration and storage. You can also point towards similar inspirations for the cantons in both Vivec City and Molag Mar. I can also see inspo from Kowloon Walled City which is a whole interesting topic in and of itself. The Vivec Cantons are a series of cramped, winding hallways filled with apartments and shops and all the workings of a city. It's chaotic but what city isn't.

I've found that a lot of House Hlaalu architecture resembles Babylonian two storied houses.

(A terracotta model of an Old Assyrian Period "spirit house" and what Joshi would refer to as bumfuck Balmora.)

Telvanni are a tricky one, since I haven't truly tackled them yet, but one point of interest for me is what they call their dwellings. The term Tel in Dunmeris translates to tower, and we generally associate it with Telvanni Wizard towers. The term Tel or Tell in archaeology refers to a man made hillock that consists of multiple layers of habitation.

So whenever I see a damn mushroom I go "That's not a hill".

Ashlanders are where I've put most of my focus because they're just cool. I've noticed that there's influence taken from nomadic Turkic and Mongolian cultures and this influences parts of the language, whereas the rest of Dunmeris seems to be influenced by Semitic languages. You see terms used like Khan and Yurt which both have origins in Mongolian and Turkic languages respectively. They tend to use specifically Assyrian naming conventions, and a lot are taken from the Assyrian King List. Compare what's there to the Ashlander section of this list and I swear the amount of times Ashur is used...

When I write my Ashlanders, I draw mostly from Mongolian and Turkic cultural practices during the Mongol Empire through to the Timurid Empire. I also take inspiration from Tengrism for their religious practices, as I feel that just stating "ancestor worship" like the lore does is a bit too broad. I take death rite inspiration from Ancient Egypt, the Pazyryk burials, and the Chinchorro culture as well as aspects from Zoroastrianism and Tengrism. I also have aspects of Horse Burials when dealing with how Ashlanders in game view guar.

Indoril and Dres I haven't quite fleshed out yet so I won't comment on influences there. I am basing my Nerevar off of Timur and his conquests with Josh reflecting some of that when he conducts his. Again I'll be basing this off of the aforementioned Khanates.

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“If you're American, you've almost certainly heard about how Indigenous reservations were and are located on whatever land the US doesn't want anyway. That they're just a way to whisk away undesirables until the land becomes useful to the US. That's the two-state solution.”

Two state solution is living side by side with people that tried to exterminate you with land theft genocide ethnic cleansing and settler colonialism When we say land back We mean all land stolen by settler colonizers Not just half of it to appease colonizers or respectability politics

“it’s worth mentioning that the proposal of a “two-state solution” is exactly what was offered to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas by European settler colonizers as a peaceful way to coexist.”

leftovers and meal plans dont matter

A quick Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie!