How did Elenwen not notice Delphine or Esbern?

[Deleted5960587User]

Hi all, the title gives this one away. I was at the peace negotiation part of the storyline and started wondering, how did Elenwen not notice The Blades in attendance? She's a high ranking member of the Thalmor and at one point Ulfric addresses Delphine by her name, Delphine is surely a well known member of The Blades and presumably will be wanted by The Thalmor, just like Esbern is.

[TheVampireDante]

She probably noticed them, but in that situation and setting it would have been a stupid move to say or do anything against them.

 

Even though Elenwen is part of the Imperial delegation, the blades are purely a Thalmor interest and I don't think Tullius would have stood for her making a scene over the blades if it had any chance of compromising the negotiations.

[BlackRangerXIII]

She probably noticed them, but in that situation and setting it would have been a stupid move to say or do anything against them.

 

Even though Elenwen is part of the Imperial delegation, the blades are purely a Thalmor interest and I don't think Tullius would have stood for her making a scene over the blades if it had any chance of compromising the negotiations.

yep

and Elenwen isn't crasy to do that without angering everyone inside (Simple assumption, Never Did the Season Unending quest http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/005/180/fuckthat.jpg)

Edited May 13, 2013 by Foxhound03

[gsmanners]

The whole negotiation scene exists to wrap up loose ends in the possibility of the player having initiated but not completed the civil war quest. It's a little baffling that this stupid game wants to ram it down your throat even outside of that eventuality, but then what else is new? Elenwen is only there to give you the opportunity to put the Empire at a disadvantage and to upset the balance of the negotiation, thus forcing the issue one way or another to compensate. It has nothing to do with story or with plotting or anything that actually contributes to make an RPG work. It's a bug, as far as I'm concerned, and if I cared enough I would fix it (by amputating the whole pointless civil war quest from the game).

[BlackRangerXIII]

The whole negotiation scene exists to wrap up loose ends in the possibility of the player having initiated but not completed the civil war quest. It's a little baffling that this stupid game wants to ram it down your throat even outside of that eventuality, but then what else is new? Elenwen is only there to give you the opportunity to put the Empire at a disadvantage and to upset the balance of the negotiation, thus forcing the issue one way or another to compensate. It has nothing to do with story or with plotting or anything that actually contributes to make an RPG work. It's a bug, as far as I'm concerned, and if I cared enough I would fix it (by amputating the whole pointless civil war quest from the game).

Finishing it helps.

[Bloodlust666]

I always finish the Civil War first so I don't have to do this stupid quest.

[RJLbwb]

What I want to know is why Elenwen doesn't reconize the dragon born at the her embessy party if the dragon born is Harbinger of the Companions, or the Arch Mage of the Collage of Winterhold or even the Riften Theive's Guild Master. Those are all high profile positions.

I always finish the Civil War first so I don't have to do this stupid quest.

And that raises another question; The Thamor specifically say they are determined make sure the civil war lasts as long as possible so why do they sit on their refined elvish behinds while the dragonborn ends it it? The opening scene of the game they help Ulfic escape.

 

That truce negotiations has to be one of the most tedious and obnoxious scenes in computer RPG history. Just a lot of NPCs being irritating and then it means nothing to the rest of the game so the only reward is you get to leave a room full of irritating NPCs. And then it’s followed up by that utterly contrived “Parthanax Dilemma” (ya sure Bethesba, no one suspects Parthanax even exists for thousands of years and yet Esebern figures it out in a couple of days, because you know the leader of the Gray Beards is such a burning issue)

 

Then again this same game were the Theives Guild is running a protection racket in a society who'se motto is "A True Nord NEVER backs down"

Edited May 13, 2013 by RJLbwb

[gingersnapples]

What I want to know is why Elenwen doesn't reconize the dragon born at the her embessy party if the dragon born is Harbinger of the Companions, or the Arch Mage of the Collage of Winterhold or even the Riften Theive's Guild Master. Those are all high profile positions.

thieves guild master is simple-no one does

college of winterhold archmage as well, as the only two thalmor you actually are in contact with die (not to mention that one does not simply walk into the college)

and the thalmor don't care about the companions (if they do, its most likely a trivial ordeal at best...i don't even think there are any high elves in the companions)

And that raises another question; The Thamor specifically say they are determined make sure the civil war lasts as long as possible so why do they sit on their refined elvish behinds while the dragonborn ends it it? The opening scene of the game they help Ulfic escape.

you can delay an explosion by keeping what will cause it away, but you cant stop it once it happens. the aldmeri dominion was purely a third party participant in the stormcloak uprising. they can urge, suggest, sabotage, ect. but they have no say when the armies mobilize.

That truce negotiations has to be one of the most tedious and obnoxious scenes in computer RPG history. Just a lot of NPCs being irritating and then it means nothing to the rest of the game so the only reward is you get to leave a room full of irritating NPCs. And then it’s followed up by that utterly contrived “Parthanax Dilemma” (ya sure Bethesba, no one suspects Parthanax even exists for thousands of years and yet Esebern figures it out in a couple of days, because you know the leader of the Gray Beards is such a burning issue)

bethesda did spendedly with showing how a "peace conference" between two warring sides would likely go down (see the russo-japanese war) and its not as if parthuunax was hard to find, all they had to do was read a book. (no seriously, you can read it too)

Then again this same game were the Theives Guild is running a protection racket in a society who'se motto is "A True Nord NEVER backs down"

that would be saying a dunmer=nord Edited May 13, 2013 by gingersnapples

[gsmanners]

I guess I should clarify a bit and state that most of the writing was well done, just not the design or the plot or anything else about the game (which seems fairly tossed-together at the last moment). This is pretty typical in the world of video games, though. It's pretty rare that you see plotting done well (like in Dragon Age or Mass Effect).

 

Bethesda had at least a year to notice the user interface that Dragon Age uses, and yet they insisted on this utterly backward twenty-year-old design for handling companions. I could understand not having a quicklaunch at the bottom, but come on. A skewer for companions is just about the most freaking obvious improvement in the world, nowadays.

[Deleted5960587User]

Some good points made, thanks for the replies. I must say I was tempted to take the majority off essential and go "F U AND YOUR WAR" and kill them all.