Altmer (The High Elves)

The Altmer are a race of tall, gold-skinned mer that hail from the Summerset Isles (Alinor), a set of islands off of the southwestern coast of Hamerfell and Valenwood. The word Altmer is elvish for High Elf ('Alt' meaning high and 'Mer' meaning elf). It is believed that they resemble the Aldmer, the original elven race, more closely than any other modern elven race.

Biology:

In general, High Elves are taller, thinner and fairer than most races in Tamriel. Just like all mer, High Elves also do have pointed ears. Being thinner, on average, than other races, the Altmer tend to be less physically apt. To compensate, the Altmer people do tend to be more in tune to the realm of Aetherius and excel in delving into the mysteries that is magic. The Altmer are the most intelligent race on Nirn and are stronger in magic than even their Breton cousins. To preserve their close connection with Aetherius, Mundus and their Aldmer ancestors, the High Elves have even taken to selective breeding and are thought have even developed a resistance to diseases that rival the Argonians'. Their connection to Magnus, although making them more powerful, also magnifies the power of magic that is dealt to them. Most would consider it a worthy penalty, but a penalty nonetheless.

Religion:

The Altmeri religion forms the basis for most of the other religious practices on the continent, primarily due to its widespread acceptance prior to the advent of human civilization. It is generally assumed that the Altmer pantheon derives directly from the original gods of the Aldmer, and was nearly identical to that of the Ayleids that ruled central Tamriel before the Alessian revolt.

The Altmer pantheon consists of nine of the Aedra that originally cooperated to form Nirn, the mortal plane. They primarily worship those Aedra which removed themselves from the creation process in time to save their divinity, with a few notable exceptions. As with nearly all Tamrielic religions, they revere Akatosh, whom they call Auri-El, as their chief deity, at least in principle. However, Akatosh, along with the Altmer deities Stendarr (whom the Altmer view as an apologist of Man) and Mara, were part of the creation process until its end, and so were severely weakened from their original form. In practice, the Altmer followed the teachings of Trinimac, the champion deity of the elves, who was still able to physically walk the face of Tamriel during the Mythic Era. Other key divines in their pantheon include Magnus, the source of magic on Nirn, and Phynaster, the patron god of the Summerset Isle, whom the Altmer claim taught them to live much longer lives by taking shorter strides.

Although they do not revere him as a god (in fact, quite the opposite), the Altmer do acknowledge the divinity of Lorkhan, the patron god of man. Much of the early Altmer history involves conflicts between Trinimac and his elves, and Lorkhan and his humans. The Altmer cast Lorkhan as a treacherous, shifty character who tricked the other Aedra into carrying out his plan for creation. As the elves believe themselves to be direct descendants from Auri-El, they blame Lorkhan for the loss of their divinity. This is the key difference between human and mer theology: humans consider themselves creations of the gods, not descendants of the gods. Unfortunately for the Altmer, Trinimac disappeared near the end of the Mythic Era; according to legend, he was eaten by the Daedric Prince Boethiah and reformed into Malacath. The start of the First Era marked the beginning of a sharp decline in Altmer cultural and religious dominance across Tamriel; in modern times, Altmer outside of Summerset are as likely to worship the Nine Divines as their own traditional gods.

-Taken from the Elder Scrolls wikia

Culture:

The Altmer are one of the oldest races on Tamriel, one of the earliest descendants of the original mer race of Aldmer, and from there, through the Ehlnofey to the divine et'Ada themselves. As a race, they are extremely proud of their Aldmeri heritage and make a concerted effort to maintain their genetic lineage. Their name translates from the Aldmeri language as High Ones or Cultured Ones; a name which is often interpreted to mean "tall", or more often, "snobbish". For their part, the Altmer argue that they are the first true culture on Tamriel and still the most civilized race; an argument that even human scholars find difficult to refute.

The Altmer primarily live in the province of Summerset Isle, a large island off the southwest coast of Tamriel, which shares a border with Valenwood. According to their histories, their Aldmeri ancestors arrived on Summerset Isle due to mysterious reasons from the continent of Aldmeris. From here, splinter groups of Aldmer spread throughout Tamriel, but the Altmer remained on the Isles, acting as the nominal head of the empire of Altmeri nations on Tamriel. For most of the Mythic Era, the other races of elves on Tamriel acknowledged the Altmeri king as their own ruler, a practice which persisted until the founding of the Camoran Dynasty in Valenwood which marked the start of the First Era and the beginning of the decline of Altmer-dominated Tamriel. Their influence is still felt across the continent, however, as their culture forms the basis for the religion, language, and even architecture of the Cyrodilic Empire. The Altmer also have a very precise culture. From their customs to their buildings, or their appearance to their table manners. If one is to dine at an Altmeri dinner table, they must remember a very precise set of rules:

• Refill the glass of the diner to your left when it is low. Never refill your own glass.
  
• Never rest utensils on the edge of any vessel.
  
• Do not eat more than the most prestigious attendee at any function.
  
• Always allow the head of your table to lead the discussion.
  
• Never watch another while they chew.
  
• Using the wrong utensil is considered barbaric. If you do not know which to use, watch other guests and follow their example
  

-Per the Elder Scrolls wikia

Recent History:

After the Red Year and the invasion of Morrowind, the Altmer people saw the unshakable bond of provinces that was the Empire tremble. They saw their opening and took it, reestablishing the Aldmeri Dominion and gaining control of their Bosmer brothers of Valenwood and their Khajiit neighbors in Anequina and Pelletine (formerly Elsweyr). After seeing their own empire, quickly spread, they brought the fight to the heart of the new Mede Empire and entered a siege in Cyrodiil that quickly became the Great War. After a long a bloody fight, both the Dominion and Empire found themselves severely broken and the White Gold Concordant was signed to end the bloodshed. Since then, an uneasy peace has developed between the two governments and many believe that a second Great War is bound to break out...