Zykerion

1. I'm not looking for a mod. 2. The Shield of Solitude isn't included in that list, because it's :supposed: to be disenchantable in the base game without any mods whatsoever. But for whatever reason, the game will not allow me to disenchant the shield because it says I know the enchantment already. I do have one version of the Resist Magic enchantment, but according to everything I've been able to find, the Shield should be disenchantable for a different version of that enchantment. I was wondering if anyone else had run into this issue at all and what might be done to fix it. Apparently there aren't any console commands to remove an enchantment effect from your learned list (I thought maybe the problem was from ordering, I.E. needing to get the Shield's version first, then getting the regular version). Edit: So, I just tried a little experiment. I went into my mod loader and disabled the Unofficial Skyrim Patch and ran the game, and then took the shield to a disenchanting table. Lo and behold, the Shield was available for disenchanting. I'm guessing that there's something in the USKP (most likely the fix to one of its leveled variants displaying the incorrect resist magic amount) that for whatever reason also changes the enchantment on the shield to one that isn't 'different'. Hopefully the temporary disabling of the mod and then re-enabling won't cause any issues with the game, but I do have a separate file that's before I did this, so I'll keep an eye out for any problems.

I have no idea if this is the right place for a thread like this or not, but I've been Google-fu-ing for the past hour and apparently I'm the only person this seems to be happening to. I can't seem to disenchant the Shield of Solitude, despite every single resource I find about the Shield and the Resist Magic effects saying that I should be able to to get the slightly different version of the Resist Magic effect from this shield. Has anyone ever experienced a similar issue, and if so, how did they go about managing to get this other effect off of the shield? Thanks very much for your time.

This Post May Contain Spoilers. Avert Ye Eyes if Ye Wish Not to See Them. Having played through the Stormcloak side of things, I may be able to provide you some information regarding their side. The further along I went during that quest chain, the more I felt like a complete a-hole. I don't like who Ulfric replaces the current Jarls with, many of the replacements being mere puppets anyway who look like they wouldn't know how to manage a small argument, much less a hold. The one that really hammers this home is (if you've done the story without resolving the Civil War) when you take Whiterun. Balgruuf gives you a few words and a few looks that pierce your very soul and make you feel like an utter heel. The new Jarl of Whiterun, Vignar Grey-Mane, sounds like another version of Ulfric, only greedier. The end of the Civil War if you side with the Stormcloaks actually has an option that I think should be interpreted as an attempt to atone for the sins you've committed against Skyrim. Ulfric asks if you would like to be included in his great speech about the defeat of the Empire and how Skyrim now belongs to the Stormcloaks. You can respond in a myriad of ways, but I think the most telling is the option 'I think it would be best if I were left out of this.' or something to that effect. Now, granted, you can take that as a great act of humility, and not grabbing for power, but to me it sounds more like someone with a guilty conscience, someone who is trying to downplay their role in Ulfric's rule because it just feels downright wrong. A lot of the people who accuse the Empire of being the Thalmor's puppet really need to look at Ulfric's Jarls. It's very telling when he says he's defending the traditions of Skyrim, but has no problem rigging the Moot with puppet Jarls who are in his pocket, not to mention the fact that he says 'Damn the Moot' at one point. Elisif is essentially a hostage of war at its end, left in power as a 'show of generosity' but really Ulfric could have her killed whenever he wants with whatever flimsy reason he needs, as the Jarls would support his actions. He is using a bad political situation for his own ends, which, let's be honest, sounds very much like the Evil Dictator many allude to when they start comparing Ulfric to someone else. Can't say much about the Empire's side of the Civil War, but I'm trying to stay out of it until I've done everything else in the game I can.

Technically speaking, they weren't really in a position to. However, after years of war, the Emperor just wanted the conflict over. The Legion had lost a good portion of its fighting force taking back the Imperial City. The Dominion was not in a position to retake the territory they had lost quickly. The Empire 'won' because they had pushed the Dominion back for a time. Thus, the White-Gold Concordat, and the current civil war in Skyrim because Ulfric and many nationalist Nord sentiments believe the Empire is too weak to govern, and often give the impression that they simply serve the Thalmor agenda. The Stormcloak rebellion does more for the Thalmor than the Empire would have ever done. And again, I posit that if the Empire were mere puppets of the Dominion, the Dominion could just have them cede all their lands to them. Why bother letting the Empire continue to exist?

Considering the information regarding the treaty is pulled from an IN-GAME BOOK, I'd say it's pretty darn reliable. Not to mention UESP has quality standards, just like any other wiki, which includes that information must be confirmed by an in-game source. You'll be hard pressed to find a site that has information regarding any of this that isn't a wiki. In any event, both sides were in essence annihilated by the end of the Great War. The Battle of the Red Ring is the battle where the Imperial forces launched a three-prong assault on the Imperial City and RETOOK IT. It's unclear whether ownership of Anvil, Kvatch, Skingrad, etc. was still in Thalmor hands at that point. The tensions between Hammerfell and the Empire currently are a direct result of the fact that neither side was particularly ready to engage in the conflict for much longer. Hammerfell wanted the Empire to come get rid of the rest of the Thalmor residing in their lands. The Empire was forced to renounce them as a province to maintain the peace. Hammerfell thought that, should the Empire come to their aid, the Thalmor would no longer be a threat at all. And in fact, the forces within the province managed to get rid of the Thalmor permanently after five more years of bloody war. It's also made VERY clear in-game from sources like General Tullius that the Thalmor are no friends of the Empire, and that they don't tell anyone in the Empire what to do. As for the provinces you mention 'no longer abiding' by the treaty, let's look at them in-depth, shall we? Morrowind has never been very 'Imperial' in the first place, and the eruption of Vvardenfell has basically rendered the province uninhabitable. It's why the Dunmer have evacuated to other regions of the Empire. In essence, Morrowind is abandoned. Black Marsh seceded from the Empire shortly after the Oblivion Crisis, so, since they aren't part of the Empire, they don't need to abide by its laws or rules or its treaties with other powers. Skyrim is in a state of upheaval at the moment, the very topic of the debate. I sincerely doubt that the Empire condones the treatment of the people of Skyrim under the terms of the WGC. As further proof of the Empire and Skyrim's defiance of the Thalmor, you need look no further than Elisif, who has her own private shrine to Talos, and supports the Empire. Going even further than those slices of evidence, the Thalmor Dossiers discovered within the Embassy during the game indicate heavily that they can influence sides, but they want neither to gain advantage over the other. Were the Empire merely puppets of the Thalmor, the Dominion could simply work out some sort of political alliance between the two (which currently DOES NOT EXIST) that has the Empire cede control of all of its lands to the Dominion.

http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:White-Gold_Concordat The Empire won, but were forced to sign a peace treaty to give the Legion time to recover. The Thalmor also have no authority in the Empire beyond their Talos inquisition in Skyrim.

The terms of the White-Gold Concordat are not exactly known at this time. However, I would imagine that given both sides suffered heavy losses after the Great War, I doubt the Dominion has the military might to maintain an occupation force within Cyrodiil. It's simply not logistically feasible for them right now. In much the same way that the Empire has a hard time maintaining order within Skyrim. Both sides are substantially weakened and can't put down the authority they need to. A reminder: technically the Aldmeri Dominion LOST the war. The Empire only quit because they lacked the resources for a protracted and bloody offensive. So they offered the olive branch of peace. Cyrodiil and its Empire is not a puppet force of the Dominion.

I've been having some difficulty deciding this myself, though, I can speak from experience that I do not ever want to see the Stormcloaks in control of Skyrim. I actually started a character over to not deal with the world left behind. I don't think this is a spoiler, but just to say that the more I went down the Stormcloak path, the more I felt that I was handing Skyrim into the hands of a dictator. A greedy racist ass of a man who wants nothing but power. For now I'm staying out of it until I have absolutely nothing else to do. Here are some facts of the current political situation in Skyrim to help others who may be sitting on the fence: 1. Ulfric Stormcloak is a highly charismatic ruler. In fact, some of the people who don't support him say he's a very good one as well. The problem is that his policies focus too narrowly on Nords, and he seems to care little for the rest of the people who are his responsibility. Interestingly enough, the city where he rules can be seen as something of a metaphor for him and his policies. Windhelm appears very spartan, little decoration, and unwelcoming to the average citizen. The Grey Quarter is a slum where the Dunmer live, shunned by the Nord majority who run the city. That Ulfric allows them in the city at all is very interesting. Then you get to the Palace of the Kings. It is interesting to note how few windows there are on this structure. Not to draw too heavily on an Orwellian comparison, but the starkness of the building, and how opulent it is in contrast to the rest of the city, it could be seen as something not unlike The Ministry from Orwell's 1984. A cold, harsh exterior that has little association with the people it's supposedly meant to serve. Ulfric seems to fit the bill for 'rule to a few, but not all' quite well in this case. 2. The Empire is NOT allied with the Thalmor or the Aldmeri Dominion. People seem to keep claiming that they are in allegiance with one another. What people aren't actually understanding is that the White-Gold Concordat is essentially a cease-fire agreement between the Empire and the Dominion. One could also argue that it's basically Imperial terms of surrender, as the Empire is in something of a weakened position following the Great War. As part of the agreement, the Empire is allowed its autonomy and the Dominion agrees not to attack. But part of that agreement is also to allow the Thalmor free reign to run an inquisition in all parts of the Empire that currently stand. This naturally makes the Empire appear even weaker than it most likely is, but provides much of the political incentive for a lot of the Nords of Skyrim to want to eliminate Imperial rule. They feel an intense sense of betrayal by what is essentially their creation in the first place. The Nords feel that the Empire is kowtowing to the Dominion and working in concert with them to root out Talos worship, etc. The peace conference during Season Unending should make it abundantly clear that the Empire doesn't care much for the Dominion, summed up by Tullius' rather terse remark to Elenwen at the negotiating table: "That's enough out of you." 3. Freedom for Skyrim's citizenry is a legitimate cause, as well as the cause of self-rule. How this cause is handled, however, makes all the difference in the world. Ulfric knows how to rally the masses behind his banner, but he does not seem above bullying and back-room deals to get his way. He can't quite grasp the idea that helping EVERYONE in Skyrim is in his best interest, and will make his cause stronger. Tullius can be argued to be fighting for the same cause, but with different methods. Tullius makes some of the same mistakes Ulfric does. Tullius makes remarks towards Nords that can be seen as very racist, even to his closest subordinate, Rikke. Tullius also comes off as a bit overbearing and arrogant, which, as he is the Military Governor of Skyrim, reflects on the Empire as a whole. Instead of trying to counteract Ulfric's rhetoric, Tullius behaves in a self-righteous manner which is off-putting and does not garner support in the way it should. Hopefully these arguments will help people who are having some difficulty deciding who to join. In the end, neither side is perfect, and it all comes down to personal preference and who matches your sensibilities the best. On my second playthrough though, I think I'm leaning more towards the Empire, to see what results, rather than listening to another word of Ulfric's version of 'Mein Kampf'.