BrettM
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Posts posted by BrettM
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I've also made a little comparison of the Jarl's that side with the Stormcloaks, and with the Empire. I can honestly say that the Jarl's supporting the Empire are utter douche bags that care nothing for but for themselves. They also look like proper rich idiots that don't give a crap about pride and honor. But just like with everything, it's just a matter of opinion. The only Jarl I like that supports the Empire, is Balgruuf the Greater. He doesn't like the Thalmor and he's not a Thalmor slave.
I see a mix of good and bad jarls on either side, and the average quality of leadership seems pretty darned low no matter which side wins. Neither Tullius nor Ulfric is really concerned with who would best serve the people of each hold, but only with whether the jarl gives them at least lip service and won't cause them any trouble.
Let's look at the record, leaving aside Windhelm and Solitude. By my count, both sides have four jarls that range from acceptable to outstanding and three that range from inept to vile.
Empire:
Maven (Riften) -- Vile. Enough said.
Siddgeir (Falkreath) -- Concerned only with his own luxury and priviledge. Despicable, though not as actively bad as the Black Briars.
Igmund (Markarth) -- Clueless, inept, and willing to ignore the corruption in his city as long as it keeps the mine operating.
Brina (Dawnstar) -- Doesn't seem too bad, though I believe some of the people consider her self-interested for unclear reasons.
Kralder (Winterhold) -- Pretty decent. Seems more interested in doing something about Winterhold's problems rather than sitting around whining about the College being responsible for them.
Idgrod (Morthal) -- Very decent. Concerned with her people and doing justice, though her people don't seem to understand her. Trying to keep Morthal off the radar of both sides, since Hjaalmarch doesn't really have much that anybody wants anyway. Apparently sees supporting the Empire as the best way not to rock the boat. Certainly has no love for the Thalmor and is willing to help you during "Diplomatic Immunity".
Balgruuf (Whiterun) -- Outstanding. Enough said.
Stormcloak:
Thongvor (Markarth) -- Vile. Enough said.
Korir (Winterhold) -- Concerned only with image, influence, and placing blame. Ineffective.
Skald (Dawnstar) -- Complete idiot. Basically useless.
Laila (Riften) -- Clueless and somewhat concerned with her own priviledge. Seems willing to do the right thing given a chance, but ultimately in the pocket of the Black Briars through her corrupt steward. She might be decent if someone would give Maven and Anuriel a dirt nap. She's a borderline case, but I'd count her on the acceptable side. Barely.
Dengeir (Falkreath) -- Decent, despite his paranoia. A canny grasp of the virtues of local rule vs. control by a remote Empire.
Sorli (Morthal) -- Very decent. Practical and concerned for the welfare of the people. Her people are probably more comfortable with her than with Igrod's mysticism, though, in the long run, Igrod might have an edge in wisdom and experience.
Vignar (Whiterun) -- Very decent or even outstanding. He certainly would have been outstanding if he became jarl when he was Balgruuf's age. Not the senile idiot that everyone portrays or that he sometimes sounds like. Is just as willing as Balgruuf to help the dragonborn, has practical plans for the welfare of his hold, and is certainly honorable (as one would expect from a Companion).
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Just speculation, but I've found four dead-end roads leading out of Skyrim. Two lead to Morrowind in areas that match the appearance of the areas around the two castles in the Dawnguard trailer. The other two lead out of Falkreath into Cyrodiil, so perhaps there is some hope for the Cyrodiil fans, maybe in a second DLC.
I also seem to recall that some people have used the console to explore past those dead ends and found models of Vvardenfell and the Imperial City out there, already part of the game. Some speculate that this additional territory was meant to support modders while others speculate that it is support for future DLC. You decide. :)
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@fraquar: It depends on the non-Nord.
Sure, many of them are students, traders, refugees, and other transients who have no reason to pick a side. Others, however, have put down roots and made Skyrim their home, sometimes for generations. They have started families, own businesses, and so forth. Those have just as much reason as any Nord to support whichever side they believe gives the best chance against the Dominion.
There may be others as well who have good reason to pick a side even if they plan to return to their own provinces eventually. A Thalmor-hating Bosmer or Khajiit, for example, might see support for either the Empire or Skyrim as being the best way to get the Dominion out of Valenwood/Elsweyr in the long run. A Dunmer or Argonian might want either a strong Empire or strong Skyrim as a bulwark to keep the Dominion out of Morrowind/Argonia, which surely the Thalmor are not planning to neglect even if they aren't ready to try for a takeover just yet. A Redguard might have taken his family out of Hammerfell after the Concordat, thinking to protect them, while a Breton might have simply wanted to put some distance between himself and the fighting on either side of High Rock. Both of them might now realize that there is no running away from the Thalmor problem in the long run. (These make pretty good motives to explain why a non-Nord character was crossing into Skyrim, unfortunately ending up in the trap set for Ulfric.)
In short, some non-Nords may realize that the civil war isn't just about Nords and Imperials, but has broader implications that affect them as well.
@MacSuibhne: I've never heard Ulfric say that, only assorted bandits and Ulfric detractors. What Ulfric actually says is the Skyrim is for the sons and daughters of Skyrim, and that if you consider Skyrim a home that you're willing to fight for, then you are one of those sons/daughters regardless of your race.
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As far as I know, the truce can't be undone once you do it until you have finished the MQ. It just wouldn't make any sense to set up the trap with Balgruuf and then attack Whiterun. There isn't any way to have a truce and a war going on at the same time, and Vignar wouldn't be bound by any agreements that Balgruuf made with you. :) You can either have a truce or prosecute the war, but not both at once. The only way to get what you want is to avoid "Seasons Unending" by making sure the quest will never be offered.
If you want to complete the civil war before the MQ, you have to do it before the MQ gets as far as the peace conference, in which case the "Seasons Unending" quest never happens. Don't progress the MQ beyond "Elder Knowledge" before doing the "Battle for Whiterun". After the "Battle for Whiterun", Vignar will agree to the trap without demanding a truce, whether the civil war is fully complete or not. Rikke (or Ulfric, if you take the Imperial side) will be present in Sovngarde when you arrive if you fully complete the civil war before heading to Skuldafn.
Your safest way out would be to use any save you have from before doing "Alduin's Bane", so that you are never told to seek aid from the Jarl of Whiterun. Join the Stormcloaks, deliver the axe, conquer Whiterun, and then you can proceed as desired.
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Flying with "Fus Ro Dah" isn't the problem. The only ones who ever tried it had not thought out the landing problem, which is why we have no reports of the experiment. Just one more skeleton laying around the wilderness. :)
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I like to play the good guy, so I won't be joining the vampires. However, I hope that the Dawnguard are nothing like the Vigilants. The Vigilants are nearly as bad as the Thalmor, being a bunch of religious intolerants who take it into their own hands to punish anyone who doesn't worship as they see fit. Though many of the Daedric Princes are outright evil, not all are cut from the same cloth. Who gave these Vigilant loonies the right to run around persecuting anyone?
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When I made my remark about the question being whether the Concordat was an irreparable mistake, I was actually thinking of whether or not the Empire could repair the mistake they made. Of course Skyrim can repair the mistake as far as they are concerned by successfully rebelling, as was pointed out. However, if the Empire can repair the mistake then it would be better not to rebel as the "strength in unity" claimants would have the right of it. Sadly, my answer to that question has to be that the Empire has no hope of fixing the situation.
What did the Thalmor do immediately after the signing of the Concordat? After the loss of many of their best troops and leaders in Cyrodiil, they must have had a manpower shortage. They had a fight on their hands in Hammerfell, they had people committed to Elsweyr, and Valenwood can't be as firmly under Thalmor control as many might assume given that they are conducting purges among the populace there. I can't see that they would have had the people to simultaneously place in Cyrodiil, High Rock, and Skyrim.
Evidence shows that they began enforcing the Concordat in Cyrodiil early on but did not really start making inroads into Skyrim until after the Markarth Incident. We know that one of the terms of the Concordat was the disbanding of the Blades, and the Thalmor did start destroying the organization at that time by attacking Cloud Ruler Temple and other Blades refuges in Cyrodiil. It would make little sense for Bolar, Delphine, and Esbern (presumably among others) to flee to Skyrim unless the Thalmor presence there at the time was limited or non-existent. Cyrodiil surely had a significant number of Talos worshippers aside from the Blades as well, so the available justiciars must have had a busy time of it for a while.
Along with this, the Thalmor must have also been placing "observers", "advisors", and "ambassadors" -- spies and political-control officers -- close to the seats of power in Cyrodiil. This is their practice in Skyrim and we have no reason to believe that they wouldn't have done this in Cyrodiil first. Likewise, we know that the Thalmor are recruiting assassins and informants from among the population of Skyrim, so they surely did as much in Cyrodiil.
I don't believe the Thalmor could have had the manpower to do all of the above in every province at the same time. If they did, then they could have annihilated the Empire during the war. It seems like a forgone conclusion that they started with Cyrodiil and have only recently begun doing the same in Skyrim. They don't have a presence in every hold capital yet, but just in a couple of key areas. If they had the power, they would surely have raised hell about the statue of Talos and the preacher in White Run, if nothing else. But you can be sure that they intend to eventually have that much power. The situation is almost certainly far worse in Cyrodiil, as they have had more time to tighten their grip on the seat of the Empire.
What this means is that Cyrodiil must be riddled with spies and informants, allowing the Thalmor to identify and counter any attempt the Empire makes to gather any strength that might threaten them. Meanwhile, the destruction of the Blades means that the Empire has little or no intelligence on the Thalmor. (Before anyone mentions the Penitus Oculatus, would the Thalmor allow that organization to exist if they saw any threat in it?)
Furthermore, the presence of informants and collaborators among the populace must be very destructive to the social fabric in Cyrodiil. There are many examples of the effects of this in dictatorships in the real world. Neighbor can't trust neighbor, unscrupulous people falsely accuse their rivals to gain advantage and curry favor, and the population becomes demoralized. This makes it very hard to organize an insurgency or underground.
How many examples can we think of where people have overthrown this kind of oppression without the assistance of outsiders, whether it be military support or just economic pressure? If Skyrim can stop the Thalmor takeover before it really takes root there, then an independent Skyrim may actually be the Empire's best hope of fighting the Dominion! Skyrim would be able to build strength, forge alliances, and make plans without the Thalmor being fully informed almost immediately. They could be the force that frees the Empire, but only if they don't end up in the same boat as Cyrodiil.
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My first character did it that way because I had a hard time making up my mind which side to join, so I finished the main quest first. There was no problem about going to Ulfric and joining the Stormcloaks later, though it was a bit annoying that Galmar insists on testing the Dragonborn -- Conqueror of Alduin, known throughout Skyrim -- against a mere ice wraith despite his having been at the peace conference and supposedly knowing full well who you are. Lazy, Bethesda, lazy! :) Later characters mostly finished the civil war first and never got to do "Season Unending", though I did have another one do it just to try some different choices, like letting Elenwen stay.
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What Bergritte says is "evgir unslaad", which is an expression in dragon language meaning "season unending". This expression comes down from the ancient Nords and is just a way of saying "war".
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Yes, it is possible to complete the main quest before ever starting the civil war. I've done it that way on a couple of characters. After the truce you are able to capture a dragon, which leads directly into the last stage of the MQ. So, when you're done, the truce can be broken as soon as you pick a side.
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Trukittn, I tried your technique, and nothing changed. I also tried the variant shown on the UESP wiki (drop on floor, leave house, quicksave/load, return to house). Using that technique the map vanished entirely. Oops.
@landy8: Volendrung can be placed in one of the big display cases without problem. I reserve those for artifacts that otherwise present problems, like Volendrung and the Ghost Blade. So far it has worked, but I keep my eye on them remembering how many daggers I've lost to the dagger cases in Hjerim.
Why, oh why, does do-it-yourself decorating have to be such a pain? I now keep a list of artifact IDs around so I can use the console to respawn all the ones that get lost while I'm trying different placements. It would be easier if they just all disappeared immediately, but sometimes they'll last for days before deciding to take a hike. Just when you think it's safe ... zing!
Edit: @Tidus44: Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look at it.
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Stemin, you could be right about that. The road past Refugee's Rest leads to Blacklight, and I would guess this part of Morrowind is very similar to the northern coast of Skyrim. This seems like a good place for vampires to set up shop after everyone fled the eruption of Red Mountain. It's also near Solstheim, which ties the area into the background of the Snow Prince and the expected Falmer involvement in the story.
If that's the case, then I would be willing to bet that the Dawnguard castle is going to be down the road southeast of Riften, either in Morrowind or very close to it. We could get a big chunk of that upper left branch of the "U" around Vvardenfell, which looks like it might expand the map by around 10% at a rough guess. Maybe someone familiar with TES DLC could tell us if that matches Bethesda's usual practice.
Sure, it's all speculation, but it seems pretty well founded. Besides, speculation is just plain fun! :)
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I find very little to disagree with in Imperistan's description of the situation (at least in the first half of his post. ;)).
It isn't that both sides are "bad guys" or both are "good guys". Both sides have individuals that are flawed and others who are decent. As someone once said, there is no cause so pure and holy and right that it won't attract a certain percentage of nutburgers as supporters.
It isn't supposed to be an easy and obvious decision. You have to listen to people talk and weigh their arguments against what you know of TES history and current events if you really want to role-play the decision. NPCs will express opinions, quite sincerely, and you must decide if their opinion is well founded or if they haven't properly weighed all the factors. In-game books will provide more information, but the authors are often clearly biased and you have to take their claims with a grain of salt.
Kaindjinn, keep in mind that it has been 200 years since Oblivion, and the Empire is NOT the same one you knew from that game. The Septim dynasty is over and there was some kind of fight for the throne that put the Mede dynasty in place. These troubles seemed to have turned Cyrodiil's attentions inward and the other provinces were neglected for a long time. This neglect cost them Valenwood and Elsweyr even before the Great War began. The Empire seems to have been growing steadily weaker and becoming more insular and parochial.
There are many reasons why a non-Nord might have no love for the Empire and might see an independent Skyrim as the best hope against the Thalmor threat. The Thalmor have been conducting secret purges of families in Valenwood, so a Wood Elf might want to think twice about supporting an Empire that is a client state of the Thalmor in all but name. A Dunmer, OTOH, might see a strong and independent Skyrim as a greater potential threat than a remote Empire, especially considering the weakened condition of Morrowind. So racial politics and history enter into the decision as well.
The only real constant is that everyone hates the Thalmor. Even those who support the Empire concede that the Concordat was a major mistake and that the Stormcloaks have some justice in their cause. The question is whether the Concordat is an irreparable mistake, making rebellion the only viable response. That's the decision you have to make.
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Even my mage has a bow, since arrows have a longer range than spells. Archery is great fun, and even greater once you get the Eagle Eye perk for zooming in. I just love plopping an arrow or two into a sleeping dragon from far enough away that he won't wake up as I approach.
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If Clavicus gave you his mask as a reward, then you are all done with the quest and everything is fine. If you don't kill Barbas, he is supposed to become part of the statue at the end of the quest because Clavicus takes him back.
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You only need the truce if you haven't yet done the "Battle for Whiterun". You have finished the civil war quest line, so you can talk the jarl of Whiterun into your plan to capture a dragon without him asking for a truce.
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A few random thoughts:
Location of the vampire castle: If it is a north-coastal location or island in the Sea of Ghosts, is it possible that we will get at least part of Morrowind? The road past Refugee's Rest leads to Dunmeth Pass and Blacklight, on the north coast of Morrowind. Sounds like a great location for vampires to build a hangout without interference, since the area may be about depopulated because of the eruption. Such a map expansion might even include access to nearby Solstheim, or part of it, especially if the Falmer are involved in the add-on. (I've also heard rumors that Cliff Racers will be in the expansion. If true, it sounds like further confirmation of a trip to Morrowind.)
Falmer involvement: It occurs to me that the Falmer, being blind, might welcome the dimming of the sun. Such conditions would be perfect for a Falmer invasion, giving them an advantage over foes that rely on sight, and there are plenty of hints in the base game that they have been working up to such an invasion. They might even have allied themselves with the vamps and be actively working to support the plan. There seems to be plenty of excuse to bring the Falmer into the Dawnguard story line, tying up another loose end from Skyrim.
Daedric involvement: Would Meridia, with her hatred of necromancy and the undead, have reason to get involved with this story? What about Molag Bal, who, if I understand correctly, is responsible for creating the first vampire? How about the other Daedric Princes? Would any of the others have a stake in such a fight? Azura, perhaps, since she might not approve of permanent night replacing dusk and dawn.
Involvement of characters and factions from regular Skyrim: I can't see how the expansion could involve Blades, Graybeards, Empire, or Stormcloaks without creating possible conflicts with player choices during the main game. Each of these factions might be given some new dialog acknowledging the crisis, but that's about it. I don't see any reason, however, why the Companions couldn't have some related quests in the expansion. Likewise there doesn't seem to be any bar to College of Winterhold involvement. As I've said elsewhere, I'm convinced Falion needs a piece of the action. Sybille Stentor could get involved, given the hints that she is a vampire. (But which side would she be on?) Anyone else?
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"Season Unending" is a way of limiting the interaction between the two quest lines. Without it, Bethesda would have had to script for the situation where the jarl of Whiterun changed between getting his permission to set a trap and actually springing the trap. Putting the war on hold makes things simpler.
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Good point, njits. Perhaps that road that dead ends past Southfringe Sanctum, since that's in a snowy area not far from the area you suggest. Bloodlet Throne is also in that area. Though the bit with Odie diving through the ice looks more like the north coast in the vicinity of Winterhold, and there are plenty of islands out that way that could be used for a castle site if they just pushed the border a bit further north than we can currently go.
I still have my fingers crossed that Falion gets into the story somewhere, since the swamp would be such a great place for graveyard stuff.
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I remember that, in my first playthrough, I encountered a big and non-functioning wall/gate somewhere (iirc) at the end of a road in the southeast portion of Falkreath hold
I know of three roads that appear to lead on but stop you from following them. One ends just past Refugee's Rest in Eastmarch, heading into Morrowind. Another dead-ends southeast of the Black Briar Lodge in the Rift at a wall with an open gate that you can't pass. I'm not sure if that one leads into Morrowind or Cyrodiil. The one you're thinking of dead-ends just east of Southfringe Sanctum in Falkreath hold at a wall with a closed gate, and likely leads into Cyrodiil.
The gate SE of Black Briar Lodge seems like the best candidate to lead to a castle like the one in the trailer, if it is indeed in the Rift.
I'm not sure what to make of the vampire castle. It does have a kind of Hjaalmarch-ish feel to it, so perhaps it's tucked away out in the swamp. Considering that's where we also find Movarth's Lair and that Morthal is home to a mage with a cure for vampirism, it would be a good location. Maybe Falion will finally get a chance at a role in the story, and we will learn the reason for his mysterious trips into the swamp.
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It looks like most or all of the action is going to be taking place in Skyrim, though perhaps the borders will have to expand a bit to make room for the new castles. The Dawnguard castle sure looks like it's somewhere in the Rift. This may be sad news for those who were hoping to get to Cyrodiil, Morrowind, or other provinces in the first DLC, but I'm happy to see new life being injected into Skyrim.
It will be interesting to see how they pull off a mega-disaster story like the sun going out without involving any of the major figures from the original main quest or rebellion. At least we can hope for some involvement from the College of Winterhold, since it would make sense for the baddies to try to tear the place apart looking for Elder Scrolls rather than just taking Urag's word for whether or not they have any. More contact with the Falmer would make sense as well, since the Scroll we retrieved for the main quest can't be the only one that the Dwemer ever had in their possession.
That purple-ish swirly thing sure looks an awful lot like Alduin's portal to Sovngarde. Does it lead there or maybe to someplace else in Aetherius? It can't lead to Oblivion, given the events of the previous game, can it?
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The game is about as complex as mortal humans can make it. To have every NPC in every quest line respond appropriately to you based on your accomplishments in all of the other quest lines would take such enormous amounts of programming and dialog that generations of developers would live and die before the game could be released. Yes, not having those connections leads to some silly situations. But there is just no practical way of dealing with all of them.
Imagine if every NPC in Skyrim had to have the right dialog and actions programmed in just in case they happened to be the one who was around when you killed your first dragon or the one who was around when the Graybeards summoned you. This alone would be a monstrous task, not to mention handling all the ramifications branching out from the event depending on where you were and who informed you.
And what would happen if you were alone when you killed that first dragon? Who would explain the concept of "dragonborn" to you, and who would know that the Graybeards were summoning YOU?
Any game like this needs to have certain choke points in the storyline to make it feasible to produce. Balgruuf is one of those.
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IIRC, it's the Emerald Claw. The others will stay on shelves like normal objects, but that one acts like the map and repeatedly falls through anything I put it on. The White Phial is another object that behaves this way as well.
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I've often wondered how he got there and whether he's one of the dragons who never died and didn't need to be resurrected by Alduin. Was he captured by the Dwemer long ago, perhaps held in that orb until we released him? Did he find his own way to Blackreach while hiding from the Dragonguard extermination squads? It would be nice to learn his story one day. I generally let him live, so perhaps he'll become lonely enough to want to talk rather than fight.
Who are the "Good Guys" in this war?
in Skyrim LE
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How, though? The Empire surrendered to the Thalmor and is now occupied by them. If they couldn't stop the Thalmor before, what chance do they have now or in the future? The Dominion is not stupid and is now in a position to stop the Empire from building up any strength that could challenge them. To me the Empire seems to be in a hopeless position.
I've already explained in previous posts why I believe the Empire can't beat the Dominion and the in-game evidence that I think supports this view. I would like to see the counter-arguments from those who keep insisting that they are the only ones who can do it. How do you (Empire supporters, not you personally) justify this claim?