Results 241 to 270 of 620
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2024-03-21, 11:30 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2018
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2024-03-21, 11:30 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 11:48 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 11:49 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2020
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
The word "tradition" again has a lot of weight.
You are right that recent tradition has definetly not allowed duelling to replace the High King.
But, as it has been said many times in the game, the Moot and the whole "Jarls approve a High King" has been a rubber stamp of the Emperor's choice for centuries. That is the tradition currently followed in Skyrim, and Ulfric wants to change that.
To change that is to explicitly defy the Emperor. No matter what, you are branded a Traitor to the Empire. There is no "legal" way to defy the Emperor, because the Emperor's word of Law.
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2024-03-21, 11:54 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
If you favor one side during the negotiations, then the other side will demand compensation for an attack on their territory by their opposite number.
The part you are passing over is that a very good portion of the Jarls (more than half!) don't want to defy the Emperor. The problem is not the Emperor or the Empire, the problem is that Skyrim is still very signficantly pro-empire, and Ulfric apparently cannot accept getting outvoted on this matter.“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 11:54 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 11:59 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
No? Right at the beginning of the game, Balgruuf's advisor is concerned that garrisoning Riverwood would be seen as joining Ulfric's side and preparing to attack Falkreath. The Jarls are absolutely already involved, to say nothing of the fact that just under half of them have already openly joined the rebellion.
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 12:06 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 12:07 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 12:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 12:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 12:15 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 12:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 12:28 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 12:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 12:43 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
Last edited by druid91; 2024-03-21 at 12:47 PM.
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2024-03-21, 12:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 12:53 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2018
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
That is not a cold war. It's a civil war in its opening moves, where both sides are gathering strength and taking stock of the situation while skirmishing, but the war is most definitely hot and ongoing. At the start of the war, Ulfric had good success against Imperial troops and that situation got turned around when Tullius arrived with reinforcements and his expertise to deal with that kind of conflict. The ambush where Ulfric is captured is a trap set by Tullius as he made it known to the Stormcloaks that more Imperial reinforcements were incoming at the border, so when Ulfric went with his army to intercept those reinforcements, he was set upon by Tullius' troops and captured.
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2024-03-21, 12:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 12:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 01:01 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Lemuria
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 01:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2018
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
A missive in one of the forts, indicating that the Stormcloaks knew of reinforcements coming from Pale Pass (where the ambush takes place and the player is captured along with the Stormcloaks). That Tullius knew that the Stormcloaks were coming is a very strong indication that he intended for this information to reach Ulfrik.
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2024-03-21, 01:24 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2020
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
I am not passing it. This is the very thing Ulfric wants to change. He wants to lead the way in open defiance to the Emperor.
He is basically filibustering the Moot until he managed to change the votes to his liking. Because, to Proventus's admission, most Jarls have accepted to do the Empire's bidding.. because the gold.
I.e. the central government bribing local officials to make sure they enforce the central government's rules and decisions.
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2024-03-21, 01:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2024-03-21, 01:57 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2016
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
I am 95% sure the duel will be ruled 'legitimate' if Ulfric wins the civil war, and 'illegitimate' if he loses. Just like Uriel III would have been the 'legitimate' Emperor if he [and his mother, Potema] had won the War of the Red Diamond five centuries before, and not a usurper/pretender. To a certain extent, yes might does make right - it's as simple as that. Stuff like 'legitimacy' or 'just cause' shall get retconned in afterwards.
Anyway, all four human empires have been feudal in nature. The Emperor does not 'rule' directly; they operate through their vassals - in the Septim Empire, the only two orgs which directly answered to the Emperor was the Blades and Legion [which they then use to bribe/blackmail/persuade/bully their subordinates]. A strong Emperor has their vassals on a fairly short leash, a weak Emperor doesn't [in fact, this caused the rise of the Dominion; the old Altmer 'vassal kings' were too weak to resist the Thalmor overthrowing them and there was no Emperor to move directly to prop them up].
It is important to not apply modern views of 'statecraft' and politics to something which is quite clearly more akin to a pseudo-mediaeval era.
There's the occasional refrence that the scrap has been going for years. That shopkeeper in Falkreath says he was basically 'invalided out' of the Stormcloaks after a battle by Windhelm 'years ago'.
A Legion Legate [can't remember who] outright says the Legion is so under-strength/provisioned because they're not a priority; that the bulk of the funds/personel are going to defend the Imperial-Dominion border. To a certain extent, Ulfric is getting away with it because the Emperor is too busy staring at the Altmer and Tullius is following a 'force in being' strategy because he knows he cannot make good easily combat losses [I mean, they don't even send forces to clear bandit castles so they can occupy them].
I will argue this; the Mede Empire suffered mainly due to historical incompetence - they did not take the Dominion threat seriously. Thus, they were totally caught with their pants down with the invasion, assisted by the fact the Dominion had effectively neutralised the Imperial spy network and didn't get any warning. This 'element of surprise on a under-armed and complacent empire' is not something the Dominion will ever pull off again - for example, you can bet every old 'ruined fortress' on the southern Cyrodiil-Alinor border [as known from Oblivion] have now been fully refurbished and garrisoned.
What's more, I doubt the Dominion's power could match even a rump Mede Empire if it's moblised. The Dominion really only has Summerset; I don't see Valenwood being able to contribute a ton of Bosmer for 'foreign service' and Elsweyr [as a vassal] even less. Black Marsh is independent, as is Hammerfell. That leaves three provinces [Morrowind will need to keep what forces she has to guard against an Argonian invasion] to resist - Cyrodiil, High Rock and Skyrim. Three on one and a bit? Good luck with that.
Lastly, and with hesitation [as the canon is inconstent on this] point this out; the Altmer might have a 'demographic issue'. The Great War was 25 years ago; that's long enough to start making up 'war losses' in human populations. There's been refs that elves live perhaps x4 the time humans do; does that mean it takes x4 to raise an elf to adulthood? If so, it could mean that the Altmer will be still carrying the demographic scars of the last war [esp if they lost a lot of their most experienced folks which they relied on counteracting the Imperial numerical superority].My online 'cabinet of curios'; a collection of seemingly random thoughts, experiences, stories and investigations: https://talesfromtheminority.wordpress.com/
'This is my truth, tell me yours.' - Nye Bevan
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2024-03-21, 03:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2012
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
The Altmer also have a culture that kills or abandons a lot of kids for not meeting their racial purity standards, though specifics aren't given. This probably relaxed under the Empire, but the Thalmor will most likely have reinstated it or even made it harsher than before. Culling or sending kids to a monastery because their ears are slightly too round or they have a cleft palatte or something is not great for the birth rate.
As far as I know elves age to biological adulthood at a similar rate to everyone else, and then just get treated as juveniles for longer, but they have waaay lower fertility. Elves can be married for hundreds of years and still have just one child, despite presumably doing the deed fairly often during that time period. It's part of why the Direnni produced the Bretons, half-elves were a more convenient way for the Direnni to bolster their numbers isolated away from other elven populations, so even beyond the odd incidental and scandalous coupling between mer and men they took concubines from among the nedic people of High Rock.Sanity is nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
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2024-03-21, 03:57 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2009
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
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2024-03-21, 04:10 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2012
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
IIRC the Stormcloaks were informally founded as a paramilitary as part of the Markarth Incident, which was 25 years before Skyrim starts, and it's plausible that some of them got into fights with the authorities who came to punish them for Talos worship in those 25 years between Markarth and the events of the game.
They also serve as the guards for Eastmarch, and their first fight was with the Forsworn, so not every battle they mention is necessarily against the Empire, it can also be against bandits, the Forsworn, giants, Thalmor patrols, undead and so on.
Though there is also probably some wonky timeline stuff going on. Bethesda has a history of not updating things to fit rewrites during development.Sanity is nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
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2024-03-21, 05:07 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2020
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
Yes?
Its both. The Emperor's will cannot be defied or contained without open rebellion, and he leads the minority of Jarls who are willing to go against the Empire, and believes the majority of jarls keep their loyalty due to monetary interests rather than doing what's right for their people.
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2024-03-21, 05:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: Stormcloaks Or Empire (One Of The Three Certainties Of Life)
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”