Skyrim, or, How I Ruined My LifeFollow

There's also that whole Spoiler"tool of the Thalmor, playing right into their hands" thing.

But yeah, the Balgruuf thing pretty much insures that I'll never go Stormcloak outside of an achievement run.

The war itself was a convenience for the Thalmar. I sided with the Stormcloaks because the Imperials seemed comfortable in "appeasing" the Thalmar, going as far denying Skyrim the basic right of freedom of religion... just to make the Thalmar happy. Also, the Battle-born made themselves out to be a bunch of elitist pricks. I ended up killing all of them except the two that could not be killed, their leader and the little boy.

Meh, all that aside, my character at this point could destroy the Dominion all on his own. Yet everyone still talks to him like some kind of bum looking for handouts.

I didn't mean to say he wanted to attack my house, I meant Whiterun itself.

I don't think I agree. Skyrim's greatest asset are its warriors, true. But the Empire is doing a LOT to downplay their significant weaknesses. This primarily relates to food supply, as Skyrim simply cannot grow enough crops to sustain itself. Its population grew after joining the Empire, because they received resources from all over Cyrodiil. They don't make a huge deal of this in the game, but it is mentioned every so often that Skyrim relies on those.

Add to that the fact that Hunters will tell you that the lands are actually controlled by feudal laws. The Jarls own all the game in their woods, which means hunting them is illegal. And if we are assuming that lessons learned from human history apply, it's definitely not safe to assume they would allow increased hunting in years where the crop was bad.

They are rich in lumber and ore, which makes for good trading material. Under the stability of the Empire, that allowed the population to swell (and become relatively prosperous). But if they are surrounded by the Dominion on all sides, that won't be an option--many people will starve.

Add in the fact that Winterhold used to be one of its most powerful Holds, but it's now a shell.

There are other issues too. Lack of food challenges their ability to maintain a standing army (the Stormcloak's lack of resources is pretty apparent next to the well-funded Imperial military).

One of the most important, imo, is the turn from magic. It was WAY more common in Skyrim when Tiber Septim was emperor. But magic has been stigmatized as a result of the Thalmor and the Oblivion crisis.

And that's a ridiculously huge reduction in their capability for war. Healing, support, recon work, heavy assault, etc. A trained mage is worth way more than the best warrior is from a logistics standpoint. They can, in an instant, switch from acting as a highly mobile (and potentially invisible) heavy artillery platform and move to the role of combat medic. They can erect shields around the base of command, bolster the morale of your troops (and depress the enemy), turn the enemy on itself, conjure additional allies, and make allies from the fallen on both sides. Etc.

I seriously doubt that Skyrim, with its huge lack of Mages, can actually counter the Dominion in any meaningful way. A single Mage can produce a massive fireball capable of wiping out multiple soldiers from long range, or a small group can work together to blast through some gates. No number of catapults will counter that.

Also note that the Voice used to be more common in Skyrim, too. They actually used to have schools that taught the Thu'um. So they can't even make up for it by their own skill in magic.

Sure, the Dragonborn is a huge asset. But I can't believe he/she'd be significant enough to turn the tide of battle if the Dominion actually invaded.

Don't forget the fact that, inexplicably, nothing ever goes bad. Even if it was placed on the altar thousands of years ago.

rmdcandle, to be fair, General Tulius had nothing to do with your execution. Halvd... Half... Hadwhatevershisface tells the womancaptain that you're not on the list and she sends you off to the block anyway. If you follow Thatotherguy to the keep then you get to kill her. End of grudge.

General Tulius is only there to oversee the execution of Ulfric. The female captain is the one who sentences you to death despite your innocence.

I wanted to kill Baalgruf so much when I first visited him and was like "Oh, yeah, the Imperials damn near chopped my head off!" and he's like "Ah, I'm surprised you admit your criminal past /broseidon_pose" It took me a couple of reloads before I decided to stop trying to kill him and just let it go.

Edited, Mar 7th 2012 12:36am by Mazra

-shrug- The fact that Ulfric was there probably had Tulius's full attention. So what if a couple innocent people had to die if the Empires most wanted criminal in Skyrim is at the chopping block? (obviously the only innocent one was you but considering the horse thief wasn't in Stormcloak garb means Tulius wouldn't know about the horse thief's actions unless was told)

Besides I would rather work for Tulius who really don't give a rats butt about me than Ulfric, who treats me like I don't deserve to lick the mud from his boots. This coming from someone who hasn't gotten very far into the quests on either sides. What? I got more important things to do... like ripping wings off butterflies.

An imperial is an imperial. If I died under that axe who would save Skyrim, and who would **** off that stuck up ***** of an ambassador.

I stand by my decision.

That and a Thalmor patrol leading a random dude tried to kill me when I stopped to ask why they were walking a gy with underwear down the road. I hate Imperials, but I hate Elves more, Imperials are in bed with elves, a feint or not, I kill the highborn and wood elves on sight (or try to.)

Did they? I green-arrowed everyone, just to be safe. :P (On this page at least).

[EDIT]

They have potions of invisibility, right? You could just use those for any odd bits that really bias in favor of stealth.

Edited, Mar 8th 2012 3:02pm by idiggory

If I recall, the ingredients are Frost Wraith Teeth and Vampire Dust. So if you know some regular places to get those, hit 'em up.

FTFY.