Vaal and Dwemer, long lost cousins?

Ok, hear me out - Skyrim's Dwemer and The Vaal might be related. Not a complaint or accusation, just a very curious observation. It struck me pretty early but now I have assembled the ones I have observed.


* Live under and in mass amounts of rock
* All furniture is stone
* Obsessed with both magic and tech
* Machine servants:
- Guard/soldier on a ball, attacks w/blades
- Large humanoid that slams
- Fast quadruped
- Powered by a soul crystal
* Basically vanished in some mysterious cataclysm
* Left ruins everywhere to "explore", filled with mechanical and magic traps
* Artifacts are highly prized
* Sacrificed others (not sure if Vaal sacrificed their own but it seem not, Dewemer arguably sacrificed the snow elves
* Harnessed/Attempted to harness deific powers none since have (which led to their downfall)

I first noticed it when going through the portal and visited some of the quarters. I though "ah, so this is what the Dwemer could have been if they went more into the soul/blood magic avenue that they did when the did whatever it was they did to the snow elves to turn them to Falmer. Then I figured that first observation of living in an with stone and mechs running around on a ball was a minor humor.

But as I've spent more time in it, well yeah it kind of seems that way. One big difference is the Dwemer didn't seem bent on ruling the world. It'll be interesting as we get more story to see if any more parallels crop up.

Anyway, just something I thought would be interesting to share. :)

Side note: Why does the vendor woman in Act 3 tell you not to drink the water? Because the well is the old Vaal sacrificial table. You're welcome.