Where did the Dragonborn cross the border into Skyrim?

[XunAmarox]

So I was thinking about it myself... Where do you think the Dragonborn tried to cross the border into Skyrim?

 

We have the following information:

-Stormcloaks were ambushed at Darkwater Crossing (just south of Eldergleam Sanctuary - well into Skyrim)

-The captives, yourself included, are bound and taken by carriage to Helgen

 

Here's a map of the relevant area of interest:

http://i.imgur.com/4lw9Bys.jpg

 

Now, it's probably not possible to determine exactly where the Dragonborn entered, but if we assume that they were caught crossing the border then it should probably be somewhere between Darkwater Crossing and Helgen, somewhere that your captors could have caught up with Tulius's little caravan of prisoners, or where said caravan could have captured you.

 

Most importantly, Darkwater Crossing is under Riften's control so it's Stormcloak territory. They likely wouldn't have traveled deeper into that territory but instead tried to get out as fast as possible into neutral territory (Whiterun Hold), and then into Falkreath Hold (the closest Imperial hold).

 

The problem with that though is that their route doesn't go anywhere near the border. You would have had to of been captured somewhere around Southfringe Sanctum and Arcwind point to be both crossing the border and remotely close to the potential route of the caravan carrying Ulfric...

 

There's also the possibility that they just went all vanilla-stupid-npc-style and just followed the road, in which case there's a pretty big stretch of Southern border where Skyrim meets Cyrodiil that you could have crossed.

 

Well, your guess is as good as mine but if I had to take an educated guess I'd say we crossed somewhere between Arcwind Point and Autumnwatch Tower. In fact, crossing the mountains into Skyrim near Autumnwatch Tower puts you right next to an Imperial camp and is exactly where the road would cross traveling from Darkwater Crossing to Helgen.

 

My conclusion? We crossed around Atumnwatch Tower and that's where we were caught.

 

Hopefully that'll help you guys in your character's stories, if you wanna get all technical into it. :tongue:

Edited January 16, 2014 by XunAmarox

[Lachdonin]

I love the analysis. There was a similar discussion on /r/TESLore and on the Bethesda forums some time ago, and they both came to roughly the same consensus. That the Dragonborn entered Skyrim somewhere around Autumnwatch.

 

Either you read the work there, or you accomplished the task of at least 6 people on your own :P

[XunAmarox]

lol I only started thinking about it earlier tonight and I didn't read any threads or anything... I just looked up a map and plotted the points and came to my conclusions that way. :tongue:

[Deleted6537900User]

Never really thought about it till now, thanks!! lol.. right i think you are very correct going over the info you have given here and what the NPC's say in-game but this then leads to another question.... because we can choose a race (vanilla only races) would make these conclusions irrelevant because a Nord would come from Skyrim thus not really needing to cross any borders...right?, Argonians would be from Black-marsh would have to cross border's and so on with the other races..so was the true Dragon Born actually born? and who is this true Dragon born? what race was he/she? Male or Female?......

 

Have fun!! :P

[Solmyr77]

If you are a Nord, it's implied that you were away from Skyrim and just returned. Ralof says as much. Given the area, it's likely that whatever race you are, you were in Cyrodiil previously.

[BrettM]

Isn't the Pale Pass the only route between Cyrodiil and Falkreath? The road leading from the Pale Pass is the one going by Southfringe Sanctum, and Ft. Neugrad was part of the Neugrad Watch settlement set to guard that road.

 

If I remember the cart ride correctly, doesn't it approach Helgen from the direction of Ft. Neugrad? If so, perhaps those captured at Darkwater Crossing were first sent to Ft. Neugrad, where they were consolidated with other prisoners (such as the Dragonborn) to await the arrival of Tullius and the Thalmor at Helgen.

[EvilBastard]

Perhaps your character was trying to leave Skyrim, was caught somewhere around the northern edges of the mountains that borders Cyrodiil, rather than trying to enter? During a civil war, borders are probably under heavier guard. While I agree on the point of capture, I´d say it's more likely people trying to leave are more suspicious and likely to be caught, than someone trying to enter.

Becuse if you were to enter, you'd probably know about the war BEFORE going into the country, and therefore try a more legitimite approach, say as crew member on a merchant ship, or part of one of the many caravans.

But anyhow, I'd say the attempt to leave unnoticed, for whatever the reason, is more likely to succeed if you do it solo or in a very small group, and travel out of skyrim might be more problematic now that the Thalmors are calling the shots. Am i on a probable track here?

[chanchan05]

I'd venture to say I'm against the theory of leaving simply because the Dragonborn is a stranger to Skyrim. He doesn't know the culture and all that. I'm just keeping it simple in believing that Akatosh or Kyne just dropped him along the way of the caravan with the purpose of actually getting him captured. :D

[AsHdRoN]

or maybe he/she is the descendant of the champion of cyrodiil

possible you know because he/she was THE only one after centuries who could hear the night mother, this is very important

and maybe it was because of his/her bloodline that Akatosh gave him/her the gift of being the Dragonborn

he might've believed he/she would save the skyrim just like his/her ancestor did in cyrodiil :geek:

[camycamera]

If you are a Nord, it's implied that you were away from Skyrim and just returned. Ralof says as much. Given the area, it's likely that whatever race you are, you were in Cyrodiil previously.

 

my character, Earow, is a Nord, and i like to think that he grew up as a child in Skyrim, but remembers little of it except the mountains because he ran away after his parents were killed, to put it simply.

 

so yes, that could be plausible, you've just gotta role play. :D