Avoiding Battle for Whiterun

[CitizenKane]

Long story short, I hate the civil war quest line but earlier in my current play through I inadvertently joined the Stormcloaks and started the Message to Whiterun quest while trying to do other things.

I am now effectively at the stage of the Message to Whiterun quest that means any time I enter the Palace of the Kings it triggers the dialogue between Galmar and Ulfric about attacking Whiterun which eventually triggers Battle for Whiterun if I let myself be engaged by Ulfric.

Is there a way to avoid triggering this quest, while at the same time being able to actually walk around the Palace of the Kings and interact with people in there without being approached by Ulfric and the quest triggering automatically?

Thanks

 

[The Seraph]

Maybe just go to solitude and talk to general Tullius. Or just look on the UESP.

 

[Accalia]

I checked in the book that I have, no. There is no way that you can avoid this quest as it is nessicary to continue with the Civil war quest line.
I hate the quest line to the imperials suck and so do the stormcloaks. I wish there was a way to just stop the war without bloodshed. But there isn’t.

 

[The Seraph]

As do I. It is probably my least favorite questline.

 

[Accalia]

Yeah it sucks. Did you know that Bethesda actually wanted to make the questline more complex. You would have to do 12 quests to get the hold and originally the final battle would be of the hold you didn’t get. But unfortunately it’s not what it should be.

 

[The Seraph]

It's like the Whispering Door. So much promise, possibility, yet it never came to be. So sad. It could have been so much more then attacking like five forts. Then again, that means at least 52 quest for the Imperials and 39 for the Stormcloaks. That's more then any questline in any TES game ever.

 

[Accalia]

But it would be amazing and realistic

 

[The Seraph]

It would have been phenomenal. I miss the long, complex quests of Oblivion, and how not all of them were structured around a running plot. They were just what the guild would normally do. I will always treasure Summermist Manor.

 

[Accalia]

Rest In Peace Oblivion

 

[CitizenKane]

Thanks folks. The problem is I inadvertently got to this stage in the quest line so long ago that I’ve done so much with this character since then - this is my first character to get over level 100, over a million gold, to beat the Ebony Warrior on Legendary, etc. - so I don’t want anything to mess this play through up, but it’s too late to go back and avoid the quest.

I was playing a bit last night and it doesn’t seem like there’s any way around this.

Interestingly (and quite humorously) now any time I’m in the Palace of the Kings Ulfric spends the entire time following me around trying to talk to me, as that’s the only way the quest line can progress to Battle for Whiterun. He never leaves or sleeps or does anything else except slowly walking after me.

The only way I can temporarily stop him doing this is by attacking him until he goes into limp mode as an immortal NPC. And, hilariously, I’ve noticed that when I do this nobody in the Palace (including Ulfric himself) turns hostile towards me!

I suppose that’s the only solution if I want to walk around the Palace and interact with other people without triggering this quest.