At first, many Ayleid lords continued to rule as vassals of the new human regime.
In any event, excavations at a number of Ayleid sites show continued occupation and even expansion during the so-called Late Ayleid Period (1E 243 to c. This suggests either that Ayleid rule was not universally detested or that Alessia and her successors were more pragmatic than is traditionally believed (or perhaps some of both). The popular image of the Ayleids as brutal slavemasters is based in fact, of course, but it is less well-known that a number of Ayleid princes continued to rule parts of Cyrodiil after 263 as vassals of the new Empress of Cyrodiil. Imperial historians have traditionally attributed her victory to intervention from Skyrim, but it appears she had at least as much help from rebel Ayleid lords during the siege of White-Gold Tower. Alessia appears to have taken advantage of a period of civil war to launch her uprising. The first two centuries of the First Era saw increasing strife between the great Ayleid lords of Cyrodiil. One of the earliest recorded dates, in fact, is the Fall of White-Gold Tower in 1E 243, which is commonly assumed to mark the end of the Ayleids.Īlthough Ayleid rule over Cyrodiil was broken in 1E 243, this was only one of the most obvious stages near the end of a long decline.
The Ayleids, or Heartland High Elves, ruled Cyrodiil in the long ages of Myth before the beginning of recorded history.
