To understand the Kel’vos one must first know the history of two races: the Esrimer and the Ka.
Esrimer History
Descendents of the Aldmeri, the Esrimer diverged from their Aldmeri kin during the exodus of Velothid due to both philosophical differences as to the nature of the Earthbones and to flee from what they feared was the corrupting influence of Boethiah after the Daedric Prince consumed Trinimac. The Esrimer have a strong alignment with the Earthbones and use a highly refined and advanced type of nature magic, which they use in most daily tasks from the production of goods to the construction of homes.
Ka History
When the Esrimer migrated to the island of Esroniet they discovered the Ka, refugees from a dead Universe/Dream. There they took the form of sentient crystalline entities with many different shapes and sizes; some could be as large as mountains while others as small as a grain of sand. They would communicate with one another using complex psychic vibrations. The Universe/Dream itself had laws very different from that of Tamriel’s (in fact a visitor from Tamriel would have a great deal of trouble navigating around in that type of world). The Universe/Dream, however, was dying. In order to escape the collapsing Universe/Dream, the Ka had to shed their crystalline forms and merge their consciences into one collective mind. This mind manifested as a massive spore-like cloud of energy, which would come to be known as the Luminous Cloud on Tamriel. Using the combined energy of the Ka race, the Luminous Cloud was able to pierce a hole in the Universe/Dream and escape through it. In the fractal space between Dreams (which later the Kel’vos would call the In-Between), the Luminous Cloud traveled for eons, until it finally came to the Dream of Tamriel (the Universe). Using the same energies it used to pierce and escape its old universe, the Luminous Cloud pierced and entered Tamriel’s Dream. It made landfall on the island of Esroniet. Unable to once more take their physical form the Ka remained a massive, mostly intangible cloud of energy. However, the Ka was able to “seed” parts of it/themselves into the living organisms of the island. Unfortunately, the newly seeded consciousnesses could only take on a limited level of awareness with the lower lifeforms of the island, at least until the Esrimer arrived.
The Kel’vos
When Esroniet was conquered in 3e284 the Esrimer had formed a unique symbiotic relationship with the Ka for thousands of years. The Ka who were joined with an Esrimer had higher functioning consciousnesses due to the higher complexity of Mer minds. With the joining of the two races came the ability to join their consciousness together into one gestalt mind. These joined consciousness of the two races called themselves the Kel’vos, though most non-natives will identify them by their more apparent elven features and call them Esrimer.
The consciousness of the Kel’vos can split and fuse as the Ka and Esrimer desire, though the two minds are often in their fugue state.
Appearance and Description
The Esrimer aspect of the Kel’vos are most similar in appearance to their cousins in the Summerset Isles though their faces are often less harsh and skin a more silvery color. The Kel’vos’s Ka traits manifest in the Esrimer’s hair and eyes. Often giving their hosts vibrant multicolored hair which may occasionally pulse or slowly shift colors. Their eyes take on a similar appearance in the irises. Additionally, small motes of magical, multicolored light may occasionally emerge from a Kel’vos’s head; this is the Ka communicating with the Luminous Cloud.
Economy and Production
Kel’vos production is an interesting aspect of their society as it is quite different from that of most other cultures, particularly those of men. Since the Ka have infused themselves into every living thing on the island, the Kel’vos need only “speak” to another living thing with their own Ka in order to have it act in some way. Trees bear succulent fruit year round. Beautiful gardens are created in an afternoon with little effort from the Kel’vos. Kel’vos architecture is grown from living wood and is as beautiful and intricate as the best carpentry on Tamriel; a Kel’vos can alter their household with but a thought, as the room literally moves around them.
Additionally, the Crystalline nature of the Ka has not been entirely lost and is able to manifest in the living things they reside in. In fact, crystalline production is a major part of the Esrimer’s economy, though rarely to they trade them to outsiders, as Ka minds may reside within the crystals as well. Some examples of crystal production are below.
Kel’vos households grow large, flat crystals from the living wood that act as interface devices that connect with the Luminous Cloud, and anywhere the Cloud reaches.
A unique breed of silkworms on Esroniet known as Latticweavers produce a crystalline silk that is weaved into the clothing of the Kel’vos. This clothing is weaved in such a way that it produces brilliant visual effects such as shifting patterns, color changing, or fabric that glitters like the starry night sky.
Locations of note on Esroniet
The community of Esroniet is largely rural with only a few cities, while the population is largely homogenous except for the imperial soldiers who live in Black Harbor.
The most notable structure on the island is the Skyglow, a massive tree that marks the point of arrival of the Luminous Cloud into the Anuverse. Incidentally, the Skyglow also has the highest concentration of the glowing points of energy that makes up the Cloud. One could consider this point the figurative central CPU of the Cloud network.
The Luminous Cloud itself is a massive gestalt mind that contains the entire memory of the Ka race. Every Ka’s memory, living or dead, is backed up into the Cloud.
Other structures of note on the island include: the huge, vaguely humanoid shaped crystal statues standing around the perimeter of the island, the resonance chamber, the council hall, and the vine tower.
The largest city in Esroniet is the city of Prisma, located near the central eastern part of the island. Prisma houses the largest percentage of civilians, and is a major economic hotspot as well. Many structures in the metropolis can stand as tall as White-Gold Tower in Cyrodiil and some even rival the height of the Skyglow itself, the tallest structure on Esroniet. The structures are often made from dense crystals intertwined into tree-like structures. The city always glows at night with an ethereal and colorful light.
Syncing
Some Kel’vos have such a good rapport between their Esrimer and Ka selves that they have unlocked some incredible feats such as magical understanding, enhanced attributes, or special abilities. This is a skill the Kel’vos have called syncing.
Kel’vos can also sync with crystalline weapons, armor, and clothing as they have Ka minds within them. The Kel’vos can manipulate their clothing by requesting it change form (a cloak could become a sword, a blouse could become a breastplate, a hat could become a helmet etc.). A Kel’vos who is experienced in syncing can receive spikes in power when he syncs his mind with the minds within the armor, effectively making them one entity for as long as they wish. Few can withstand the power of a Kel’vos who has perfectly synchronized their minds and their armor. Luckily for others, few exist, and the ones who do are dedicated to fighting the creatures from the In-Between; a much more dangerous threat than any Imperial legion.
Frequency and Light Spectrum
Sentinels (Dichromal)
Another type of syncing can occur if two or more Kel’vos are perfectly synchronized with one another. Here they physically and mentally combine with one another becoming one mind and one giant crystalline body that usually stands at about a height of 100 meters. Few Kel’vos pairs reach this point, though most are lovers, and those that do may not wish to sacrifice their individual selves as the process to separate is much more difficult; however, those that do will stand guard over the island of Esroniet and combat any threat that arrives from the In-Between. These sentinels will stand motionless, forever if they must, though they are not trapped within themselves, but free to roam the datascape of the Luminous Cloud, viewing memories, or communicating with family or friends through crystal screens or mind to mind contact.
The Dichromals
Yew Sleuth – This amethyst dichromal is hunched over and headless with a large crystalline tree growing from its left back like a hump. Yew Sleuth is primarily a support dichromal that can scan the battlefield with vibration pulses that originate from its tree, buffer allies defends by creating kinetic dampening vibrations around nearby allies, and make enemies more vulnerable by targeting them with heavy vibrations.
Transmat Memory
Devil Astra
Magna Mantra
Sight Zero
Distant Egg Song
Palace Hexagon
Telephasic Singularity
Sacred Null
Liquid Aeon
Chrome Solid
The Rift
The Rift is the hole that the Luminous Cloud tore to enter the Anuverse. Unfortunately, it never closed behind them. Many denizens of the space between Dreams, known as the In-Between, have found the hole and used it to enter the Anuverse, where they crash into the ocean just outside of Esroniet. Once an In-Betweener has been spotted, the Kel’vos deploy their forces, which includes the crystalline sentinels and the Syncers. In-Betweeners often have bizarre non-humanoid appearances and come in many shapes and sizes (often enormous), they can often get larger than a sentinel. What one may consider parasites also make the journey to Tamriel and are often the targets of the smaller Syncers as the larger kaiju-like In-Betweeners are usually a bit too large for them. The Ka believe it to be their obligation to stop the invaders at the doorstep to this universe, especially since they left the door wide open; though they have been trying to figure out how to close it for some time. In recent years the attacks have become more consistent and predictable, which has lead Kel’vos researchers to believe there is something on the other side that is trying to get in.
The Ka and Esrimer Language
The Esrimer have a language similar to that of their common ancestors the Altmeri. Sentence structure and syntax remain similar and morphemes and phonemes are closely related too with little minute amounts of variation. The lexicon of the Esrimer is the same as the Altmeri with the only differences being the slight alterations of the morphemes and phonemes. An Altmeri could easily communicate with an Esrimer with little difficulty, though some words have been adopted from the Ka language as they have no Altmeri analogue.
Esrimer Great Houses
Kel’vos Antagonists
The Kel’vos know of several enemies who pose as a threat to the Kel’vosan way of life, and sometimes, to the well-being of the Grey Maybe itself. These enemies range from systemic threats of the rebel Neo-Ka to the giant (Oneirovores) Kaiju who threaten all of Nirn.
Neo-Ka
Neo-Ka are Ka dominant individuals within Kel’vos society who believe in the superiority of the Ka over their Esrimer counterparts. These individuals have dominated and absorbed any trace their Esrimer partner’s mind. Only the Ka are left within the vessels. The Neo-Ka wish to rebuild Ka dominance on Nirn by removing the Esrimer and Esrimer sympathisers from within Kel’vos society.
Neo-Ka do not meet with one another physically but operate within small cells deep within the Luminous Cloud Network. the Neo-Ka are very good at manipulating the data within the network to hide their presence; though, traces of their activities can be easily found through the pro-Neo-Ka documents that they have scattered throughout the Cloud network. The Neo-Ka are primarily endemic to Kel’vos society and considered a terrorist group to the whole of society. Most Ka do not agree with the Neo-Ka ideology unless they to have, or will, try to burn away their Esrimer counterpart.
The Ideal Masters
Only the Ka know the true origins of the Ideal Masters, because they were once Ka. In fact, the Ideal Masters were an individualistic faction of Ka from their original Dream who found a way to manipulate the souls of other beings, in a fashion very similar to the necromancers of Nirn. Though these Ideal masters could take a living soul and suppress it, creating zombie-like shells that they could control. Additionally, they were also able to suck the soul out of the shell and into themselves, simulating a sort of false-fusion without the alteration of Ideal Master’s mind.
Unlike the rest of the Ka race, which lost its form upon leaving the Dream becoming the Luminious Cloud, the Ideal Masters were able to keep their crystalline forms by shaping souls pulled from their servitors to construct a vessel that would allow them to travel out of the collapsing Dream and through the Dreamsleeve, this vessel was and still is known as the Soul Cairn. Whether the Ideal Masters’ vessel became marooned on the shores of the Anuverse, or Oblivion’s structure is trans-Dreamensional, the result was the same The Soul Cairn eventually became a realm of Oblivion.
Cerandal the Necromancer
An ancient threat from the 1st era. Though he was thought to be destroyed by the ancient hero Ur-Calibrand. Cerandal was an Esrimer Necromancer who discovered how to corrupt, twist, and manipulate the dormant Ka souls within the crystals that grew on Esroniet. Like the ancient ideal masters, Cerandal shaped his minions into black jagged obsidian zombies. Cerandal’s own Ka counterpart has been twisted, and corrupted by Cerandal’s necromancy, becoming nothing more than a puppet to perform certain tasks.
Cerandal nearly conquered the Island of Esroniet however, Ur-Calibrand was able to destroy his body but not before the Necromancer was able to “upload” himself into a dark mirror of the Luminous Cloud. The Obsidian Cloud runs counter to the Luminous cloud; attempting to hack and corrupt Ka souls around the island. It’s central “core” floats in the sky above Jagged Peak, the location where Cerandal was struck down, where it appears as a black cloud with shards of obsidian floating within.
Though Cerandal’s physical body was destroyed he still remains a major threat among the Kel’vos.
Oneirovores (Kaiju)
Oneirovores are towering nightmarish monsters that originate from the Dreamsleeve. Oneirovores climb through the Rift, arriving off the coast of Esroniet. They come in many different shapes and sizes. Their alien minds cannot be comprehended only that they wish to consume everything within the Dream. Many theories have been introduced as to what exactly they might be, including twisted remnants of dead Dreams, and Memory “fragments” coalescing into random forms. Some have speculated that Oneirovores are being directed by some outside force within the Dreamsleeve, but its identity has yet to be known.
Kel’vos society makes annihilation of Oneirovores its primary objective because of the dangers the monsters pose and the responsibility the Ka feel they have in causing the Rift in the first place. When an Oneirovore is detected off the coast of the island the Sentinels (Geminels) activate to destroy the threat. Although many Oneirovores are destroyed, there are some that escape undetected and roam the vast Padomaic Ocean. Hungery.
Musical Inspirations
Pacific Rim Theme – Why? Every TES story has a C0DA. This is the Esrimers’.
Sentients By Fuck Buttons off the album Slow Focus – Pretty much
A lot of Steven Universe music has become quite an inspiration.
Steven Universe – Dad Museum
Steven Universe – Lapis’ Tower
Bard, The Wandering Caretaker – Voice – An inspiration for the language of the Ka before they lost their physical forms
Oneohtrix Point Never – Americans – The beautiful, alien, other-worldly sounds of the Dream that the Ka migrated from