What is your 'defining' moment...?

[Haru17]

Oh no you didn't just diss werewolf madness and ghost-cleansing tomb raiding !

The College Of Winterhold's quest was quite mediocre though, dissapointing since it had inmense potential.

Companions weren't anything like a werewolf should be. They never embraced the true wild aspect of the beast.

The only parts of the college's quest line that I liked were Mzulf (which made no sense bayond "hey let's send the player to a dwemer ruin") and Labyrinthian.

 

[feliciano182]

Companions weren't anything like a werewolf should be. They never embraced the true wild aspect of the beast.

The hottest redhead in Skyrim disagrees with that statement.

The only parts of the college's quest line that I liked were Mzulf (which made no sense bayond "hey let's send the player to a dwemer ruin") and Labyrinthian.

Pretty much.

I was dissapointed that it was so predictable that Ancano was going to be the villain, this was a chance to put the Thalmor in a more favorable light, but alas, it wasn't mean to be.

 

[Stigweard Ruadhan]

Thalmor will never appear favourable to me!

*shakes clenched fist*

 

[Haru17]

The hottest redhead in Skyrim disagrees with that statement.

There was no blood of innocents, no hunting foolish mortals, and ONLY ONE evil altar to Hircine!!! Seriously though, the werewolf content in the companions was very lacking. I mean, we get sent to the source of it, the evil font of the werewolf curse to vanquish the evil hagraven witches and... aaannndd- it's just a freaking cave. They could have done so much more with that and the lame radiant werewolf charm quests. Unique werewolf ruins, werewolf enemies, but no, just stupid, generic, and BORING caves.

 

[Monkeyzero]

I don't know about defining moment but my "oh I'm all in" moment was watching Todd Howard play the demo.

Also, obviously I missed something in this thread, but based on a quoted post I saw, holy crap. Some people have some serious issues that need working out.
My wife is a psychologist. She could make a ton of money round these parts.


Sent from The Nether

 

[Stigweard Ruadhan]

So...I think I am beginning to grasp the backstory to Skyrim.

(Bear in mind that most of you know this, but I'm researching as often as possible to become lore knowledgeable)

The Great War between the Thalmor (spits) and the Empire results in serious losses of power and land.

The disparity within the Empire leads the Redguard and Skyrim to openly oppose the Empire and the White-Gold Concordat that 'betrayed' their efforts during the Great War.

The Thalmor build their power and have the Empire over a barrel, threatening to invade and renew the war should the Empire test them.

The Stormcloaks, determined to have their vengeance for the betrayal by the Empire, plan to overthrow them and reinforce Skyrim in preparation for the Thalmor Invasion.

The Empire are keen to keep their people together and believe that strength comes through unity. They wish to take the war to the Thalmor, but are trying to play a diplomatic game whilst stuck between a rock and a hard place.

That about the crux of it??

 

[Haru17]

Basically after Martin Septim dies everything goes to hell. Black Marsh secedes and the empire withdraws from Morrowind in the wake of the Red year (Red mountain's eruption). Summerset is taken over by the Thalmor faction that secede from the empire declaring a new Aldmeri Dominion and naming it Alinor (all in reference to past glory). They conquer Valinwood and win the hearts of the khajiit in Elsweyr. They preform the latter trick when the moons of Nirn disapear for about a month, throwing the cat people into considerable dismay. When they reappear the Thalmor claim that they did it (this part is a little thin IMO).

Anyway after the empire retakes its capital in the Battle of the Red Ring they sign the White-Gold Concordant, ending the Great War. Basically the Concordant bans Talos worship and cedes Souther Hammerfell to the Dominion. Meanwhile the Redguard were having none of this and, angry at both the Empire and Dominion, declares its independence. The Thalmor invade, but are fought to a standstill by the forces in Hammerfell and the Dominion (I think) retreats. The "In my time of need" quest in Skyrim hints at this. Phew, that's all I got

 

[Stigweard Ruadhan]

*bump*

 

[Shyrith]

Spoilers ahead.

I was roleplaying a female nord who was furious at the banning of Talos worship. She had tracked down Ulfric at the border to ask to join him when they were caught by the Imperial Legion. Her detest for the Legion grew even more, expedtedly, as they were getting ready to kill her, not knowing if she was innocent or not and clearly not caring.

After she escapes Helgen she vows to herself to join them as soon as she can. But then Gurder askes her to go ask the Jarl for aid, so she does. Then she gets side tracked after finding out she is dragonborn. Finally, after the Diplomatic Immunity quest, she finds some time to get to Windhelm.

She arrives late, so she goes to the Inn and sleeps. The next day she decides to become more familiar with Windhelm, so she wonders about. In about a weeks time, she sees how neglected Windhelm is, and begins to question to herself if Ulfric really will be ale to do all he says he aspires to do. If he can't take care of his own city, is he truly fit to become High King? These realisations were devastating, as that meant the only other option would be to join the Legion.

In the end, she sided with the legion after getting more involved at what it meant to be Dragonborn and seeing the bigger picture.

So that was my defining moment in the Civil War quest line. Which led me to almost always side with the legion.

 

[Moris]

I already alluded to my "moment" in another thread.

In my initial playthrough, in the chaos of Helgen, I didn't realize I had any choice but to follow Hadvar, so my character did, and her sympathies were clearly aligned in favor of the empire, after speaking at length to Alvor and later others in Whiterun.

But my character fell under Ulfric's spell, Tullius was so immensely difficult a man to follow with any sense of passion, and Elisif was a shallow and weak character seemingly more interested in the luxury of attending Thalmor parties than in the hard work of leading a province through times of grave danger. My character gave away far too much to the Stormcloaks during the Greybeard's peace talks, and was almost accused of being just shy of treason for doing so. When you're basically a kid, and you're given such immense responsibility, and you are trying desperately to be fair, sometimes you can lose your way. She finished on the Imperial side, but with heavy and deep reluctance, and a very lasting sense of the utter and complete waste of it all: the loss of so many soldiers' lives, of course, but also, quite poignantly, the loss of a very passionate and exceptionally charismatic man who should have been able to put his irreplaceable talents to use to lead his people against the true enemy. A stupid, pointless waste, indeed. But that's war.

My character ended up hating the empire after that, and she gladly completed the Dark Brotherhood questline until the very end, when she met with her last contract. His demeanor and composure was enough to bring her full circle back to the very beginning...

It was quite an experience.

 

[Stigweard Ruadhan]

Fantastic Moris.

These are the events that define us...this is what makes this experience so special!

 

[Moris]

Fantastic Moris.

These are the events that define us...this is what makes this experience so special!

Thank you! Of course, these moments I think define that particular character. Do they define me? I'm not quite sure. Perhaps the first playthrough does have some meaning in that regard. Certainly none of my subsequent ones had quite the same emotional impact as the very first. Though I must admit, I am ardently non-religious in real life, but playing a Talos worshipping Nord who refused to take anything but essential quest items out of Nord ruins, always wore his amulet, organized his travel around visiting shrines, and always left offerings of his most prized possessions -- that was a different experience, and also very rewarding.

 

[Haru17]

I already alluded to my "moment" in another thread.

In my initial playthrough, in the chaos of Helgen, I didn't realize I had any choice but to follow Hadvar, so my character did, and her sympathies were clearly aligned in favor of the empire, after speaking at length to Alvor and later others in Whiterun.

But my character fell under Ulfric's spell, Tullius was so immensely difficult a man to follow with any sense of passion, and Elisif was a shallow and weak character seemingly more interested in the luxury of attending Thalmor parties than in the hard work of leading a province through times of grave danger. My character gave away far too much to the Stormcloaks during the Greybeard's peace talks, and was almost accused of being just shy of treason for doing so. When you're basically a kid, and you're given such immense responsibility, and you are trying desperately to be fair, sometimes you can lose your way. She finished on the Imperial side, but with heavy and deep reluctance, and a very lasting sense of the utter and complete waste of it all: the loss of so many soldiers' lives, of course, but also, quite poignantly, the loss of a very passionate and exceptionally charismatic man who should have been able to put his irreplaceable talents to use to lead his people against the true enemy. A stupid, pointless waste, indeed. But that's war.

My character ended up hating the empire after that, and she gladly completed the Dark Brotherhood questline until the very end, when she met with her last contract. His demeanor and composure was enough to bring her full circle back to the very beginning...

It was quite an experience.

I felt the same sense of depression as well as being used when I won the civil war for the Stormcloaks. Ulfric is a bit of a tool.

 

[KaitoGhost]

Aye. First time I went through the Civil War, I went Stormcloak. It was around the time that we took Morthal, that I started to see who Ulfric really was. By that time, it was too late to stop him. I finished the war, killed Tullius, but regretted it almost instantly.

I've been a Legionaire on every other character since.

 

[feliciano182]

Actually, I want to talk about the main quest for a bit.

It's interesting how the game sells you, from some loading screens and the very first scene, that dragons are just evil, heartless creatures that need to be put down for good. Barely any character in the entire game argues against this, and it is only when the great great revelation about who the leader of the greybeards is, that you kinda see what the game is trying to do with it's story (something nobody gives a fluff about).

That was a turning point in the story for me, and even if it wasn't as fulfilling to some other people, it still made me feel that Skyrim was a special game.

 

[Skulli]

Glenmoril witches.

Spent my life working in a penitentiary, this place made me afraid with graphic mods late at night.

 

[Stigweard Ruadhan]

Glenmoril witches.

Spent my life working in a penitentiary, this place made me afraid with graphic mods late at night.

Agreed...those hags are deplorably terrifying!