Where is a good place to discuss lore and other RPG elements?

[tomomi1922]

I think the most obvious I get out of this great discussion is how I view different races.

I used to wonder why Imperial is so dark skin. And in standard medieval perspective: darker skin = labor/low class = less noble and desirable. This is with everyone on earth beside African (since they are dark with or without the sun tan). But my recent play with full ENB... Imperial are "normal", the Nord just have way too pale skin that light up under the sun, totally overexposed, a big no-no in photography. I wrote a small .esp to tone down Nord's skin tone. And now playing an Imperial. I also switched Altmer skin to be more like human, no more jaundice for them, if you want to know.

I am very certain now that I am just visiting a province of Tamriel (instead of feeling like foreigners invading a "peaceful" country). I may side with the Stormcloak still, but if I do, it's for the people, not for Ulfric. Yarl Elisif is no position to be the High Queen. She is putting up an act of being fair and wise, but she is not fooling me she has no idea how to play this game. It may take one of her adviser with ill intention and good plot to manipulate her to be a complete tyrant without even her knowing. And if I side with Imperial, I do believe in law and order of a nation. The Empire is weak now, this civil war best finishes quick to avoid further drain in resources they don't have.

Are dragons supposed to be wise and noble? And without Alduin's influence they may not be so murderous? Or am I reading into other games/movies, and dragons in TES are indeed that murderous, and Alduin only organizes them.

I spent the last few days watching a lot of quest, gameplay, commentaries about Oblivion on youtube. So 200 years before, Cydoril, and the Imperial army looks like medieval European. And 200 years later, we can tell at first glance they are literately Roman military inspired. Why the huge jump in aesthetic/lore? Tulius sounds Roman too. This can be why it is so hard for me to connect the dots. Roman Legionaries (in real history) are known for their harsh treatment toward those opposing them, add onto my perception of Imperial as foreign invading force, I never sided with Imperial, not even once. Maybe once, just to see the story, but really uncomfortable doing it as if I am the oppressing force.

[kthompsen]

I think the most obvious I get out of this great discussion is how I view different races.

 

I used to wonder why Imperial is so dark skin. And in standard medieval perspective: darker skin = labor/low class = less noble and desirable. This is with everyone on earth beside African (since they are dark with or without the sun tan). But my recent play with full ENB... Imperial are "normal", the Nord just have way too pale skin that light up under the sun, totally overexposed, a big no-no in photography. I wrote a small .esp to tone down Nord's skin tone. And now playing an Imperial. I also switched Altmer skin to be more like human, no more jaundice for them, if you want to know.

 

I am very certain now that I am just visiting a province of Tamriel (instead of feeling like foreigners invading a "peaceful" country). I may side with the Stormcloak still, but if I do, it's for the people, not for Ulfric. Yarl Elisif is no position to be the High Queen. She is putting up an act of being fair and wise, but she is not fooling me she has no idea how to play this game. It may take one of her adviser with ill intention and good plot to manipulate her to be a complete tyrant without even her knowing. And if I side with Imperial, I do believe in law and order of a nation. The Empire is weak now, this civil war best finishes quick to avoid further drain in resources they don't have.

 

Are dragons supposed to be wise and noble? And without Alduin's influence they may not be so murderous? Or am I reading into other games/movies, and dragons in TES are indeed that murderous, and Alduin only organizes them.

 

I spent the last few days watching a lot of quest, gameplay, commentaries about Oblivion on youtube. So 200 years before, Cydoril, and the Imperial army looks like medieval European. And 200 years later, we can tell at first glance they are literately Roman military inspired. Why the huge jump in aesthetic/lore? Tulius sounds Roman too. This can be why it is so hard for me to connect the dots. Roman Legionaries (in real history) are known for their harsh treatment toward those opposing them, add onto my perception of Imperial as foreign invading force, I never sided with Imperial, not even once. Maybe once, just to see the story, but really uncomfortable doing it as if I am the oppressing force.

 

Imperials are inspired by Roman culture and aesthetic. But it's only inspired on the surface. The TES version of the Empire is more about cosmopolitanism and compromise. The "melting pot" of the Tamriel cultures. Even the Imperial race bonus is for Diplomacy and Speechcraft. The struggle throughout the series is the singular provinces revolting against that: Especially the age old conflict of Mer vs Men - with Imperials caught in the crossfire, in one way or another. They're kind of like the Globalists to everyone else's Nationalists.

 

Yet their compromising behavior shouldn't be seen as weak necessarily either. Anything that disrupts Peace is the enemy, and they will fight to preserve it. They have no ulterior motive or vendetta to chop Ulfric's head off in the beginning of Skyrim, other than that he disrupts the peace. For that, he deserves to die. The dark side of it all is the Empire is now insisting on Peace that disrupts Talos worship.

 

I would say the Thalmor are the winners in all of this btw. Nothing makes them laugh more than seeing men kill each other off. All because they threw a monkey wrench in an agreement to get Talos worship stopped. It's kind of brilliant on their part. They know the Nords are mostly knuckleheads and would fight like mad.. and end up killing their Imperial brothers in the process.