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Crafting Motif 25: Aldmeri Dominion Style
by Aicantar of Shimmerene, Sapiarch of Indoctrination
A guide to crafting armor and weapons in the Aldmeri Dominion style
- Attention smiths, forgers, weapon-masters, and arms crafters: the following are the specifications for all work to be done for the Aldmeri Dominion military. We expect the finest workmanship in every piece, for those of Aldmeri heritage can do no less, but deviation from these norms is not acceptable. I have heard some commentary to the effect that the Aldmeri Eagle is overused in these designs. Such remarks are contrary to Praxis.
- Do it right. Do it well. Do it to honor the Ancestors.
AXES
- What could be more natural than that the unfurled wings of the Aldmeri Eagle should become the razor-sharp blades of our warriors' axes? Long may they lop, and ever may they sever!
BELTS
- Many pieces of a Dominion warrior's armor are intricately embellished, but the cincture that supports the soldier's weapons and tasset-plates has too much humble work to do to carry much in the way of decoration. A simple Aldmeri Eagle belt-buckle will suffice.
BOOTS
- The toes of Dominion soldiers, the most elegant in Tamriel, are protected by reinforced points on the Aldmeri trooper's sabatons. At need, our warriors' very boots can serve as weapons!
BOWS
- The Dominion longbow may look too slender to be able to drive an arrow through armor, but look again: its winged limbs are forged of a supple alloy known as Lillandril Steel, as durable as it is ductile. Our enemies have learned to fear these bows' deadly darts!
CHESTS
- As an eagle's plumage has layers, from down to flight feathers, so are our cuirasses made of layers of metal plate over a leather aketon both thick and flexible. On the plastron, the Aldmeri Eagle soars over an abstract world below.
DAGGERS
- A Dominion dagger is essentially smaller versions of our sword: a double-edged blade that broadens toward the tip before it narrows to a point, with the wings of the Aldmeri Eagle as serving as the crossguard.
GLOVES
- Dominion gauntlets are of soft kid leather, so as not to compromise our nimble Aldmeri fingers. For protection our warriors rely on broad vambraces that shield the forearm, and also provide a prominent place for military unit insignia.
HELMETS
- Aldmeri flesh can be sensitive to overexposure to sunlight, so it's as well that we wear full helms with full-face visors. Our helmets' steel caps are surmounted by golden eagles' wings, the very symbol of the Dominion!
LEG GREAVES
- A Dominion soldier's greaves are worked in metallic patterns that represent the flow of wings under the wings of a soaring eagle. Actual Aldmeri Eagles should not appear on the poleyns that protect the knees, as it is not appropriate for a warrior to kneel upon the sacred symbol of our alliance.
MACES
- A Dominion warrior's mace has a tripartite head of three heavy eagle's wings: one for each of the Aldmeri races in our alliance! The sharpened wings can slash as well as bludgeon, and as they are made of a dense ebony-steel alloy, they are heavier than they appear.
SHIELDS
- The shining shield of the Dominion is worked with an intricate design that combines both the eagle of Summerset and the graht-tree of Valenwood, thus commemorating the historic alliance between our two Elven races!
SHOULDERS
- The eagle-winged pauldrons of Dominion armor not only provide practical protection to our warriors' shoulders, they also provide a convenient location for insignia of rank.
STAVES
- With their flaring winged heads, the weapons of Dominion spellcasters almost look more like pole-axes than magical staves—and indeed, many an arcane warrior has used them as such when in a tight spot.
SWORDS
- Dominion swords are long, straight, and powerful, edged on either side, and with a blade that widens toward the tip before ending in a point. The eagle's-wing crossguards are sturdy enough to trap an opponent's blade on a parry and, with a twist, perform a disarming maneuver.