Join Empire or Stormcloaks? My Thoughts

[notmyhome]

 

Eating the world is not necessarily literal. The dragon shouts and abilities are tonal magic, so just as the Dragonborn has Dragonrend, which weakens dragons drastically, Alduin likely has something similar but stronger capable of undoing the entire world, if used properly... not necessarily just by Alduin. He was bringing those other dragons back for some sort of reason.... A full dragon chorus of Nirnrend would probably be very bad for the world.....

 

As for bringing the dragons back, take down Alduin permanently and that stops. Frankly I think the main reason it has to be a Dragonborn to save the world is the Greybeards are too stupid to trust anyone else, and everyone else is too stupid to trust Paarthunax. Even Paathunax argues he shouldn't be trusted.

 

 

Agreed, the Eating part might have been more methaphorical. Though it's sometimes surprising what turns out to be literal in TES lore; looking at you, Atmora frozen in Time...

 

However, I am almost entirely sure you would need a Dragonborn to bring down Alduin.

The current consensus is that Miraak was actually made Dragonborn so he could overthrow the Dragon's dictatorship, but abandoned his destiny for Power (in a surprising parallel to Alduin himself).

[MidbossVyers]

Well, eating is not necessarily gulping in 1 fell swoop, so Alduin's actual mouth does not need to be bigger than the planet.

[Lachdonin]

Well, eating is not necessarily gulping in 1 fell swoop, so Alduin's actual mouth does not need to be bigger than the planet.

 

This.

 

Alduin will, literally, eat the world. In fact, he's much smaller than usual for some reasons, which is probably linked in some way to the prophecy... The 7 Fights has him sneezing out farms, though that is somewhat sensationalised for the sake of the story.

 

We do have a direct statement from both Kurt and Kirkbride saying that the 'Eat the world' thing is literal, and that we're not dealing with a Scorched Earth thing, but rather our version of Nirn in Alduin's "mighty gullet".

[kimmera]

 

Well, eating is not necessarily gulping in 1 fell swoop, so Alduin's actual mouth does not need to be bigger than the planet.

 

This.

 

Alduin will, literally, eat the world. In fact, he's much smaller than usual for some reasons, which is probably linked in some way to the prophecy... The 7 Fights has him sneezing out farms, though that is somewhat sensationalised for the sake of the story.

 

We do have a direct statement from both Kurt and Kirkbride saying that the 'Eat the world' thing is literal, and that we're not dealing with a Scorched Earth thing, but rather our version of Nirn in Alduin's "mighty gullet".

 

 

Silly writing is silly.

 

Edit: This seems to be the quote in question : http://www.imperial-library.info/content/forum-archives-michael-kirkbride

 

(I'd link the actual details but every time I try to do that kind of thing this stupid forum attributes the paste to someone I am replying to)

 

Note the date was January 18, 2011, ten months before Skyrim's release. Concepts might have changed between then and release. Furthermore, he is making the distinction between wiping out life and wiping out and Nirn being completely eliminated from existence. And he could still break it down via tonal magic and absorb it in the same way the Dragonborn absorbs dragon souls. He said Nirn would end up in Alduin's gullet. He said nothing of how it gets there.....

 

The Seven Fights.... is excerpts from a collection of bard songs. It is written in the style of entertainment, not of historical text. It is not exactly something to be taken literally.

Edited April 26, 2015 by kimmera

[MidbossVyers]

Well, have you seen the beginning scene of Souten Kouro with the "Ton" monster (representing human greed or desire, I think) devouring the world? It doesn't do it all at once but with several chomps.

[Lachdonin]

 

Silly writing is silly.

 

 

Why exactly is it silly? Because it doesn't fit with a mundane envisioning of physical capabilities? This is a world where cats can climb to the moons, infinites exist as spheres (because of mortal limitation) and simple belief causes gods to develop split personalities.

 

You need to consider the nature of the divine in TES, as well as the influence of Mythopea. The Alduin we see shows no sign of being able to eat anything. The question is why? The Prophecy has something to do with it, obviously, because it sets terms, but exactly what the prophecy is, and how it works, is debatable. It could be an enforcement of another Aka-spirit (most likely Akatosh). It could be the result of Mythopea (enough people believing it makes it true).

 

End of the day, though, there is no source, in game or out, which depicts his 'Eating the world' as anything but literal.

[kimmera]

 

 

Silly writing is silly.

 

 

Why exactly is it silly? Because it doesn't fit with a mundane envisioning of physical capabilities? This is a world where cats can climb to the moons, infinites exist as spheres (because of mortal limitation) and simple belief causes gods to develop split personalities.

 

You need to consider the nature of the divine in TES, as well as the influence of Mythopea. The Alduin we see shows no sign of being able to eat anything. The question is why? The Prophecy has something to do with it, obviously, because it sets terms, but exactly what the prophecy is, and how it works, is debatable. It could be an enforcement of another Aka-spirit (most likely Akatosh). It could be the result of Mythopea (enough people believing it makes it true).

 

End of the day, though, there is no source, in game or out, which depicts his 'Eating the world' as anything but literal.

 

 

Re-read my edit, please. Even to the extent it is literal, there is no depiction of the mechanics of dragons eating at all, which leaves the manner in which they eat open to interpretation.

 

We do know that the Dragonborn can absorb the spirit of a dead dragon. Dragons may eat in a similar, but more efficient process. Alduin may be able to eat Nirn on a metaphysical level, eating its existence rather than merely it's physical form.

 

It is a higher level of 'gone.' Regardless, Kirkbride's answer may have just been monkey talk. Alduin is defeated so it is academic whether the eating was literal in the 'chomping bites out of Nirn' sense or literal in the meta 'chomping the existence of Nirn' sense. Alduin is gone and therefore incapable of eating anything.

 

And it is silly for exactly the reasons you describe, namely that in reality there are no rules to this universe, the writers are making it up as they go along without any particular concern for logic. Is it different this time? Oooh, simple belief changed it. In that kind of environment, you can't hold the writers to anything from the past.... because it might have changed.

[Lachdonin]

 

because it might have changed.

 

So your entire justification for disregarding ALL the information we have on the matter is that it MIGHT have changed internally and we were never told? Do you see the problem with that line of reasoning?

 

If you can't, i'm done.

[kimmera]

 

 

because it might have changed.

 

So your entire justification for disregarding ALL the information we have on the matter is that it MIGHT have changed internally and we were never told? Do you see the problem with that line of reasoning?

 

If you can't, i'm done.

 

 

Not really, no, particularly when Kirkbride states quite openly in a lot of his correspondence that much of what he says is legend and myth and not necessarily completely true.

 

Besides, I gave an alternate explanation for 'eating' that fits his statement.

 

Taking everything a dev says as gospel also leads to problematic lines of reasoning. How do you explain the Skeleton Key being handed out freely by Nocturnal in prior games yet in Skyrim it being needed to stay in the lock to the door to her realm, other than a lore change?

[JustATac0]

i would say join the stormcloaks but thats just my opinion. i didnt really like the empire even tho they give you better stuff, stronger armor, better weapons..... the stormcloaks were still more fun to play as.