They are taller than the other races and have a golden skin color. The Altmer, also called High Elves, live in the Summerset Isles. Although the Aldmer no longer exist as a distinct race, their culture lives on throughout the Empire, forming the basis of Tamrielic language and religion. The term 'Aldmer' is sometimes used to describe the entire Elven race, as in the 'Aldmeri Dominion', or in common Elven usage, as evinced by the entry for 'Aldmer' in the Elder Scrolls Treasury. By the beginning of recorded history, they had already branched off into a number of distinct population, among them the present-day Altmer. Beyond Aldmeris, their first known settlements were in southwestern Tamriel, from which they eventually moved on to settle the entire continent. As is often the case with Elder Scrolls lore, many contradictory accounts concerning Aldmeris exist, with some suggesting it to be entirely mythogical. Certain maps are cautious enough to exclude the mythic continent from their mappings of Nirn, while others place it to the south of Tamriel. It traces their origins first to the mythic continent of Aldmeris, noting the alternate rendering of Old Elhofney for the place. The Oblivion game book Before the Ages of Man is the most comprehensive source of their history. 'The Aldmer', translated as the First or Elder Folk, are thought to be the first race to appear on the world of Nirn. 4.4.1 Khajiit's Ja-kha’jay (moonphase-defined borncard).
