UESP Forums

Hey guys! I was looking around for a subject like this but haven't been able to find anything like this, so I figured why not? (◡‿◡✿)

Anyway! I got to talking with a friend and we were discussing about how radically different the provinces change from one era to the next :> In the case of Skyrim (and the end of Oblivion if you really want to nit pick ;>), how do you think the other provinces have changed? We've seen Daggerfall in the early Third Era, as well as Morrowind around the same time.

What changed and what hasn't? Especially since you've got Thalmor folks pulling strings in and around the Imperialists.

For me, I think there'd be a considerably stronger Thalmor presence in Cyrodiil. The Mage's Guild have all been disbanded, save for two colleges-- The Synod and the College of Whispers, however, still stand and seem to be more involved in politics than teaching/training mages. Perhaps Thalmor influence? Perhaps the Imperial is trying to appease someone or protect something?

Then there's Morrowind-- we all know about the Red Mountain eruption and how it located loads of Dunmer into other provinces. But how about the ones that stayed or planned on returning? What changed and what would they expect to find?

And High Rock is said to be quite peaceful at the time, despite the terrible case of constant court intrigue running rampant among the nobility. My headcanon says High Rock politics is nothing without the court intrigue, and it's sort of a 'joke' to the other provinces (remember when Hadvar commented about 'running away from some court intrigue' with a little laugh?). I would imagine Daggerfall and Wayrest to be the most notorious of the two cities to indulge in them. But with the province being Imperial supporters, do you think the Thalmor have their fingers in that pie too?

Mods, if there's a thread like this, please let me know, and you're free to lock/move it if you need to (◡‿◡✿)

1.All the Argonians took, was land that was taken from them, even they don't want Morrowind. Say good bye to your mushroom trees. The Dunmer are still in control of the original land.
2.Cyrodill is not "full" of Thalmor, they are there, but they are not "full" of Thalmor. And there are two Mage's Guild. The, I want to say College of the Mystics, and the Synod.
3.Hammerfell and the Dominion signed a treaty, they are at "peace".
4.Valenwood is part of the Dominon, it is not overseen.

There are several strong hints in Skyrim that the Dunmer are slowly rebuilding Morrowind. It's not back to its former glory, but they're doing okay.

The Argonian attack was never an occupation. It was more a display of power to drive them out and humble them. Almost all of the Argonians pulled back to Black Marsh soon after, although many settled down in the former Dres lands, near the border.

VirtualWeasel wrote:We know how the others have changed.

Actually, not really? ; w; There have been a lot of hints dropped in Skyrim over what happened between the current game and the previous one-- but no one's actually outright stated "[XYZ Province] is back up on its feet/no longer exists/DAMN YOU THALMORRR!!"

Hence, the question XD

Pilaf The Defiler wrote:There are several strong hints in Skyrim that the Dunmer are slowly rebuilding Morrowind. It's not back to its former glory, but they're doing okay.

The Argonian attack was never an occupation. It was more a display of power to drive them out and humble them. Almost all of the Argonians pulled back to Black Marsh soon after, although many settled down in the former Dres lands, near the border.

- So it's not just me being optimistic on the Dunmer's part then, regarding Morrowind XD; I heard a lot of Dunmer folk talking about wanting to 'go back to their ancestral homelands', but man, what I wouldn't give to see a group of them travelling on the road ; w;

- I never thought of it that way. I always assumed it was what Breadmax said-- that they were simply retaking a chunk of land from the Dunmer, that they thought was owed to them. Interesting! Is there anything in-game or in the Lore that might suggest this?

I'm trying to form a more cohesive outlook on Tamriel for a story I'm writing XD We all know how it was faring from the first few games, but Skyrim was a huge leap, timeline-wise. So I appreciate the comments/headcanons/ideas flowing through, keep it coming guys ♥

Br3admax wrote:1.All the Argonians took, was land that was taken from them, even they don't want Morrowind. Say good bye to your mushroom trees. The Dunmer are still in control of the original land.
2.Cyrodill is not "full" of Thalmor, they are there, but they are not "full" of Thalmor. And there are two Mage's Guild. The, I want to say College of the Mystics, and the Synod.
3.Hammerfell and the Dominion signed a treaty, they are at "peace".
4.Valenwood is part of the Dominon, it is not overseen.

Nitpicky people, Jesus.
The College of Mystics and the Synod are not THE Mage's Guild.
Yes, Hammerfell is at peace with them, but from what I know the Thalmor do not necessarily honour that treaty all the time.
And srs? Overseen means that they are governed by Thalmor, which means they're part of the Dominion. :c

VirtualWeasel wrote:

Br3admax wrote:1.All the Argonians took, was land that was taken from them, even they don't want Morrowind. Say good bye to your mushroom trees. The Dunmer are still in control of the original land.
2.Cyrodill is not "full" of Thalmor, they are there, but they are not "full" of Thalmor. And there are two Mage's Guild. The, I want to say College of the Mystics, and the Synod.
3.Hammerfell and the Dominion signed a treaty, they are at "peace".
4.Valenwood is part of the Dominon, it is not overseen.

Nitpicky people, Jesus.
The College of Mystics and the Synod are not THE Mage's Guild.
Yes, Hammerfell is at peace with them, but from what I know the Thalmor do not necessarily honour that treaty all the time.
And srs? Overseen means that they are governed by Thalmor, which means they're part of the Dominion. :c

Hate to butt in...

But I thought the Mage's Guild was a separate entity than the Synod and the College of Mystics? And that it was head-quartered in the Arcane University? Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure y'all are familiar with how confounded TES Lore is, might've missed something :p

And I think what Bread meant by 'Overseen' is that the Thalmor generally have their fingers in that pie, but do not control it 'directly'. EX, they may have a council of 'advisers' or politicians working together with the current government. Thalmor are a sneaky bunch and like to pull strings (and subsequently, make deals). If they just sat themselves at the seat of the Government, not a lot of folks in Hammerfell are going to sit idly by, y'know? It's a small game of give and take on the Thalmor's end.

My $0.02 :p

Memai wrote: But I thought the Mage's Guild was a separate entity than the Synod and the College of Mystics? And that it was head-quartered in the Arcane University? Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure y'all are familiar with how confounded TES Lore is, might've missed something :p

And I think what Bread meant by 'Overseen' is that the Thalmor generally have their fingers in that pie, but do not control it 'directly'. EX, they may have a council of 'advisers' or politicians working together with the current government. Thalmor are a sneaky bunch and like to pull strings (and subsequently, make deals). If they just sat themselves at the seat of the Government, not a lot of folks in Hammerfell are going to sit idly by, y'know? It's a small game of give and take on the Thalmor's end.

It is a separate entity, that's what I was saying.

And, I said "overseen", which basically was implying that Valenwood is part of the Dominion.
Which... It is.

The Mage's Guild split into these two groups over the issue of necromancy. That does not mean that they are separate, or unrelated. In fact, it means the opposite.

It's actually the College of Whispers. I do beleive the Argonians never actualy occupied mainland Morrowind, but simply took back what they considered their land by right. They continued the invasion to show the Dunmer that they would not tolerate their continued slavery of their race, and as revenge to all their enslaved brethren.

Br3admax wrote:The Mage's Guild split into these two groups over the issue of necromancy. That does not mean that they are separate, or unrelated. In fact, it means the opposite.

Actually, we don't know that. For what I have read in the wiki, theres is almost zero information about these two new factions. The college of whispers is said to summon Daedra, though.

Betina wrote:

Br3admax wrote:The Mage's Guild split into these two groups over the issue of necromancy. That does not mean that they are separate, or unrelated. In fact, it means the opposite.

Actually, we don't know that. For what I have read in the wiki, theres is almost zero information about these two new factions. The college of whispers is said to summon Daedra, though.

Here's a lecture from Faralda at the College of Winterhold, from Skyrim:


"It is no secret that both the Synod and the College of Whispers have recently made inquiries as to the status of our College here in Winterhold. At this time, there is no indication that either group is aware of the other's correspondence. The College of Winterhold has thus far declined requests for direct meetings. This has been at the specific request of Arch-Mage Aren.

Aren believed that although the initial communications were innocent enough, they were sent with a particular motive in mind. The Synod's harsh rules and draconian structure are maintained only by suppressing any opposition to their Council's policies. It is entirely possible that they look to our College here in Winterhold in order to find supporters for their organization. Likewise, the College of Whispers has long been driven by its desire to directly oppose the Synod. They focus on research banned by the Synod, such as Conjuration and Necromancy. The College of Whispers hopes to learn that our College also supports these avenues of research. Thus they may claim that the Synod is indeed a political minority in the Empire and should be treated as such.

Our actual position and policies are irrelevant. No matter the facts of the response, it will certainly be twisted to suit the whims of either group. Indeed, it has been jokingly suggested that we send the exact same response to both, which each will warp into support for their side. At present, these two groups do little beyond attempting to gain the attention and favor of the Emperor. They appear to have little interest in real study and research for the sake of gaining knowledge.

Arch-Mage Aren believes that their conflict poses a significant threat to the autonomy of our College, and I concur. Falling in with either would threaten to draw much unwanted attention to our College. If either group goes through less official channels and attempt to contact you directly, please refer them to the College's Master Wizard. Say as little as possible so as to avoid compromising our neutral position."

Pilaf The Defiler wrote:

Betina wrote:

Br3admax wrote:The Mage's Guild split into these two groups over the issue of necromancy. That does not mean that they are separate, or unrelated. In fact, it means the opposite.

Actually, we don't know that. For what I have read in the wiki, theres is almost zero information about these two new factions. The college of whispers is said to summon Daedra, though.

Here's a lecture from Faralda at the College of Winterhold, from Skyrim:


"It is no secret that both the Synod and the College of Whispers have recently made inquiries as to the status of our College here in Winterhold. At this time, there is no indication that either group is aware of the other's correspondence. The College of Winterhold has thus far declined requests for direct meetings. This has been at the specific request of Arch-Mage Aren.

Aren believed that although the initial communications were innocent enough, they were sent with a particular motive in mind. The Synod's harsh rules and draconian structure are maintained only by suppressing any opposition to their Council's policies. It is entirely possible that they look to our College here in Winterhold in order to find supporters for their organization. Likewise, the College of Whispers has long been driven by its desire to directly oppose the Synod. They focus on research banned by the Synod, such as Conjuration and Necromancy. The College of Whispers hopes to learn that our College also supports these avenues of research. Thus they may claim that the Synod is indeed a political minority in the Empire and should be treated as such.

Our actual position and policies are irrelevant. No matter the facts of the response, it will certainly be twisted to suit the whims of either group. Indeed, it has been jokingly suggested that we send the exact same response to both, which each will warp into support for their side. At present, these two groups do little beyond attempting to gain the attention and favor of the Emperor. They appear to have little interest in real study and research for the sake of gaining knowledge.

Arch-Mage Aren believes that their conflict poses a significant threat to the autonomy of our College, and I concur. Falling in with either would threaten to draw much unwanted attention to our College. If either group goes through less official channels and attempt to contact you directly, please refer them to the College's Master Wizard. Say as little as possible so as to avoid compromising our neutral position."

Valuable information. I had no idea of this lecture!

They're glitched or something in most people's games. I think unofficial patches for the PC version are the most common means of accessing them, or just listening to the appropriate files in the folder, but they're in the game.

Pilaf The Defiler wrote:They're glitched or something in most people's games. I think unofficial patches for the PC version are the most common means of accessing them, or just listening to the appropriate files in the folder, but they're in the game.

Unfortunately I play on the Xbox 360, and because of my awful internet connection, I have not being able to install any patches yet. So probably is a bug, because I have spent so many hours at the College of Winterhold (my characters are always pure mage) and I have never listened to this.

Anyway, I look forward to see members of at least (and in my wildest dreams, being able to join) one of those magical factions. It would be interesting to see what they are actually trying to do. But we may never know, by the time the next elder scrolls is released, none of those factions may even exist anymore.

One thing is certain, they want power, control, maybe even a spot in the elder council. It looks like they care more about politics than the true study of magic, in my opinion.

Yeah.

In the novels by Greg Keyes, basically the main reason they were trying to fight off the flying city and the undead legions was to curry favor with the Emperor. They took credit even after the prince Attrebus Mede and his friends took it down from the inside by themselves, but Attrebus and Titus decided to let them because it helps ease political tensions in Cyrodill to let them have their way.