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videogamepolls · 3 months

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Requested by @volumina-vetustiora

Reblog for a larger sample size!

#elder scrolls #elder scrolls skyrim #elder scrolls v #skyrim #video games #gaming #video game polls #polls #tumblr polls #action #rpg

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umbracirrus · 9 months

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Okay, so, I have recently been thinking about axes and their importance in Nord culture in Skyrim, in part because I have something planned in a fanfiction that involves giving an axe and have been doing a little bit of research into it, and I have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole so please bear with me on this mini essay in which I have pulled together my thoughts/observations about axes in Skyrim and my two favourite Jarls, Balgruuf and Ulfric.

So, as anyone who has done the Civil War quests in Skyrim would know, there is a pivotal point in which the balance of power in Skyrim shifts either towards the Empire or the Stormcloaks based purely upon the player's alignment - when Whiterun either aligns with the Imperials or is taken by force by the Stormcloaks. Of course, there is one particular event which happens immediately before the battle begins, and that is the delivery of an axe.

However, at this point I would just like to bring up something which will become relevant later no matter what your alignment - at the point of the axe being sent, you have been named a Thane of Whiterun. Balgruuf won't hear anything to do with the Civil War when a dragon is attacking the Western Watchtower, so becoming both Dragonborn and a Thane is a prerequisite to the Civil War.

If you align with the Empire, it is Balgruuf who decides to send an axe. If you ask why, he gives the explanation that "if he returns it to you it means we have business to settle. If he keeps it, then we are at peace.", and if you ask whether you should say anything, he says that Ulfric knows what it means (also important for later!). The other dialogue option which isn't just 'sure, okay, I'll do that' also says that it is tradition, and that Ulfric honours traditions.

Obviously, Ulfric doesn't accept it and you return to Balgruuf with the news that he will be attacking Whiterun and suddenly, the city is under siege. When you win, Balgruuf personally thanks you for what you have done after his victory speech.

Now, on the other side of things, if you side with the Stormcloaks, it is Ulfric who gives you the axe to take to Balgruuf, but his explanation is much more... succinct. "If he keeps it, I will bide my time. If he returns it to you, it means war."

And as with the other side, because the game would be pretty boring is Balgruuf was to go "sure, I accept Ulfric's axe", he rejects the axe and that in turn means that you return to Ulfric with his axe, and he expresses his disappointment that Balgruuf had done so.

The two Jarls wanted the other on their side, but their views were fundamentally different they couldn't accept. 😭Sending their axes was just a formality, a way of saying 'this is it, we have to fight now'.

So what I am basically getting at, the civil war quest establishes that giving an axe is a way of determining allies and enemies, depending on whether it is accepted or rejected.

Coming back to what I mentioned earlier, in order to do the civil war quest and to talk to Balgruuf in order to either give him Ulfric's axe or to give his axe to Ulfric, you have to have become the Dragonborn and are a Thane of Whiterun. When you become a Thane in Skyrim, you end up receiving a weapon as a reward, typically named 'Blade of *insert hold name here*'. Except in two places.

Whiterun, and Eastmarch. In those places, you get either the Axe of Whiterun or the Axe of Eastmarch.

If I remember correctly, the blade weapons are randomly generated so have the potential to be axes, but these two are specifically named to be and are axes.

What else is in common with Whiterun and Eastmarch?

Their Jarls (Balgruuf and Ulfric) are the only two people in Skyrim who actively partake in and have knowledge of the tradition of the sending of axes.

When you become a Thane of these two holds, you are not just becoming a Thane, you are becoming a trusted ally of the Jarl, somebody who they can rely upon. Even more so with Ulfric, because you can only become a Thane of Eastmarch with Ulfric as Jarl if you are Stormcloak aligned.

Speaking of being Stormcloak aligned, how about a diversion back to the Civil War, specifically when the battle for Whiterun has reached its penultimate stages, Balgruuf has been defeated and has surrendered control of Whiterun. After an argument with Vignar (and I'll get into him later because he makes my blood boil), Balgruuf turns to you and says a line which absolutely breaks my heart - "And you. A Stormcloak? I'd thought better of you." 😭

Balgruuf thought you his ally, he had given you his axe, and you have just gone and stabbed him in the back (figuratively, and quite possibly literally depending on character build). As I said, it breaks my heart when he says that line.

Basically, what I am getting at, is that the depth of such a simple tradition in Skyrim is immense and I wish that there were more things like it (beyond the duel to the death for the throne thing, looking at you Ulfric) or saw it used more in the game. And that Balgruuf and Ulfric are by far the best Jarls in terms of character development and just how much their homeland and traditions mean to them. And I wish that there was a way to keep Balgruuf as Jarl even if you are Stormcloak aligned because fuck Vignar, and you know what? Fuck Maven Black-Briar too, she sucks. Laila is pretty incompetent as Jarl but at least she isn't Maven and that's a rant for another time. But not having Maven as Jarl is main reason I join the Stormcloaks more often than not. Balgruuf is usually the main reason that I join the Imperials on playthroughs.

Now... Vignar Gray-Mane. When you make him Jarl of Whiterun and he names you Thane, he gives you the Blade of Whiterun, not the Axe of Whiterun (yeah, I know I said that I think the blade weapons can be randomly generated as axes, and no doubt it was given to stop you from having multiple axes of Whiterun, but I just don't like Vignar soooo....). That's mean. Especially after we protected the city and helped him become Jarl too. There's another layer of insult there if you've rescued Thorald, his nephew, from the Thalmor. At least Brunwulf Free-Winter gives you the Axe of Eastmarch when he is Jarl if you defeat Ulfric for the Imperials and complete that shitshow of a quest 'Blood on the Ice'. Brunwulf is a bro, not Vignar. Hmph.

#Skyrim #elder scrolls v #the elder scrolls #skyrim civil war #tes v #tes v skyrim #jarl balgruuf #balgruuf the greater #jarl ulfric stormcloak #ulfric stormcloak #save me from this hell that is gushing over Balgruuf PLEASE #i wish I could marry him in-game and ahhhhhhh #I have been thinking about this ALL DAY at work after looking through the game scripts last night #and then realising that I got an axe from Balgruuf in a current playthrough #then checking the uesp page about weapons you get for being a thane and just going :O

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juniperberries-canisroot · 9 months

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What if someone moved him close enough to his bed just before 1am so that he could actually go to it?

Also I think it's so funny how he's programmed to 'only be allowed to search for his bed within a 500 units radius'. ALLOWED. Like, it's so close, but so far. He can see it, but somethin deep inside him prevents him from gettin sleep.

#Skyrim #Elder Scrolls #Elder Scrolls V #tes #tesv

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flibbleynova · 14 days

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vorpalfae · 7 months

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#skyrim #my edits #userboxes #skyrim edits #favorite games #the elder scrolls #tes skyrim #tes v skyrim #elder scrolls v #dragonborn #dovahkiin #video games #fantasy games #fantasy #dragons #fantasy rpg #open world games #rpgs #༺♡༻

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your-fave-is-being-blended · 7 months

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Delphine from skyrim

Delphine from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is being blended!!

You cannot save her.

#your fave is being blended #you cannot save them #blend requests #delphine #the elder scrolls #elder scrolls #elder scrolls v #skyrim #delphine skyrim

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amazingcusto · 2 months

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12 years later and this game still amazes me

#skyrim #elder scrolls v #the elder scrolls #elder scrolls skyrim #skyrim screenshots #gifs/pics

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stupid-tes-nerd · 10 months

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Flowers of Skyrim

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persnicketyotter · 7 months

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skyrim is good for my mental health because i, like the dragonborn, was meant to drink mead, protect my family from spiders, and eat 879 cheese wheels

#skyrim #the elder scrolls #esv #elder scrolls v #gaming #mental health

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dreamy-selfships · 1 year

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he is a tiny man and he is not allowed the drink ever.

#cicero #skyrim #elder scrolls #elder scrolls v #self insert #cicero/listener #self ship #cicero x listener #my art #skyrim cicero #tes #tes v #tes skyrim #tes fanart

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kedikatzen · 8 months

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The most appropriate reaction to encountering a Thalmor agent on the road.

#skyrim #skyrim art #elder scrolls #the elder scrolls #elder scrolls v #tes v #khajiit #skyrim oc #anaisha #fanart #myart #illustration

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theribbajack · 8 months

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Higher and higher he climbed. Odahviing shrieked and shrieked again until blood poured from his mouth, choking him. The flame of Thu’um in his eyes dimmed, then was extinguished. Then he fell.

A pair of pics I started some months back for my fic The Fallen but only just now finished. Odahviing, homie, I love you and I'm so sorry, but we also never found out how you died before Alduin brought you back, so I didn't feel nearly as bad for killing you.

#my art #odahviing #paarthurnax #tes #skyrim #elder scrolls v #tes v #dragon #my fic #my writing #blood #gore #i think it would be funny if the reason odahviing does not like paarthurnax #is because grandpa dov totally smoked him back in the day

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juniperberries-canisroot · 9 months

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Faendal has Resting Bitch Face

#I havent actually seen him do this with me #maybe cause I always make him a follower so Im in a good deposition with him #Skyrim #Elder Scroll #Elder Scrolls V #tes #tesv

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waxingwolf · 9 months

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I'm probably gonna get some hate for this but oh well, this is something I keep seeing a lot of lately in the tes fandom and it really irks me.

As a huge, unapologetic Thalmor and Altmer enjoyer, I am sick and tired of everyone making the same kind of characters. I keep constantly seeing OCs and such of Altmer that don't follow the traditional customs of Altmeri society or are ex-Thalmor that found out about the horrors of the Dominion etc. and decided to rebel/desert.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind this as a concept, but it's so boring when everyone does it. It becomes so oversaturated and dull. Everyone keeps playing it safe. It's like they're afraid to have a proper villain or someone with questionable morals. It's okay to have antagonists! They are fun to write too and you can love to hate them!

There's so many interesting dynamics you can pull off with this. They don't have to be a flat 2D caricature. The Thalmor in Skyrim are cartoonishly evil and do not touch on the complexities of why they hold such ideologies. We need more Altmer OCs that actually agree with the norms and values of their culture. I feel like potential is being wasted because people just don't seem to like evil or immoral things on here (for example attitudes I've seen towards Molag Bal).

Also in reality, rebellion isn't always glorious or triumphant. People who speak out or disagree with the common agenda do get stamped out. Sometimes it is easier to just conform. Again, there are different avenues you could take this idea but no one seems to want to touch it with a 10 ft pole. Think about how people get brainwashed or fall down pipelines of extreme media. Of course there'd be lots of Altmer that think what they're doing is right, especially given their Divine ancestry, for lack of a better term.

Tl;dr I'd just like to see more entitled, nasty bastards instead of everything being fluffy.

#tes #the elder scrolls #elder scrolls #the elder scrolls v: skyrim #elder scrolls skyrim #elder scrolls v #skyrim lore #skyrim #tes v skyrim #tes lore #elder scrolls lore #tes ocs #altmer #thalmor #rant #ted talk #psa #opinion

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vorpalfae · 10 months

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𝕾𝐤𝖞𝖗𝖎𝖒 𝕾𝖕𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝕿𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖘🔮🐉📚✨

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i-simp-for-fennorian · 2 months

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Took SkyFennorian back to Solitude..

#skyrim #fennorian #the elder scrolls #elder scrolls v #elder scrolls

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