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Kalin of High Rock

Faal Lun Vahdin
So. You're in a dank cave, bringing glorious battle to a nest of thieves and ne'er-do-wells. Sending heads clattering across the floor. Generally living up to your legend as the best to have ever lived. You raise your blood quenched blade above your head to finish off some lowly cut-purse when suddenly the little cur takes to his hands and knees and starts begging for his life.

We've all been there. "I yield! I submit!" they cry, or "Mercy! I can not best you!" and normally I'd strike them down with a hearty laugh. There is no mercy in this dojo! But lately I've been playing my redguard barbarian, Shian of Rihad. She who the Stormcloaks call Redwind. And I thought to myself. "Is this what she would do?".

Shian is a warrior, not a butcher. She has a warriors honor. Her blade is not for cutting the necks of chickens or hapless lambs. There is no glory in cutting down some boy, too frightened even to stand. Just as there's no glory in crushing a beetle under foot.

So I stayed her hand, sword held defensively. Burning amber eyes watching the groveling figure as he stumbled about. Once he had collected his sword and his courage, Shian gave him the honor of a warrior's death. Sending him to meet his gods on his feet, not on his knees.

And I think this will be my new policy, at least for this character. A warrior's code of ethics! I already had a standing policy not to use sneaking attacks or to murder anyone abed. (that one's funny, because how casual and slow the "getting out of bed" animation is. *Yawn*. A sword-wielding madwoman is in my bedroom. Best see what she wants. *stretch*). A warrior's code of conduct!

What do you do with kneelers and cowards? Cut them down as they clutch at your boots for mercy? Leave them until they're through wetting themselves?
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
So. You're in a dank cave, bringing glorious battle to a nest of thieves and ne'er-do-wells. Sending heads clattering across the floor. Generally living up to your legend as the best to have ever lived. You raise your blood quenched blade above your head to finish off some lowly cut-purse when suddenly the little cur takes to his hands and knees and starts begging for his life.

We've all been there. "I yield! I submit!" they cry, or "Mercy! I can not best you!" and normally I'd strike them down with a hearty laugh. There is no mercy in this dojo! But lately I've been playing my redguard barbarian, Shian of Rihad. She who the Stormcloaks call Redwind. And I thought to myself. "Is this what she would do?".

Shian is a warrior, not a butcher. She has a warriors honor. Her blade is not for cutting the necks of chickens or hapless lambs. There is no glory in cutting down some boy, too frightened even to stand. Just as there's no glory in crushing a beetle under foot.

So I stayed her hand, sword held defensively. Burning amber eyes watching the groveling figure as he stumbled about. Once he had collected his sword and his courage, Shian gave him the honor of a warrior's death. Sending him to meet his gods on his feet, not on his knees.

And I think this will be my new policy, at least for this character. A warrior's code of ethics! I already had a standing policy not to use sneaking attacks or to murder anyone abed. (that one's funny, because how casual and slow the "getting out of bed" animation is. *Yawn*. A sword-wielding madwoman is in my bedroom. Best see what she wants. *stretch*). A warrior's code of conduct!

What do you do with kneelers and cowards? Cut them down as they clutch at your boots for mercy? Leave them until they're through wetting themselves?
Up until recently I just chased them down and killed them, but, on my recent "good" characters, I have adopted a similar policy. If they run and hide or beg, I generally let them live, although I know they'll just come at me at a later date.
 

imaginepageant

Slytherin Alumni
I kill them, because I know that as soon as they regain a sliver of health, they'll forget all about not being able to best me and come at me again. If the game worked in such a way that those who beg for mercy, if let live, go on their merry way grateful for their life, then I would let them go. Alas.

I do like the idea of the warrior's code of honor dictating that they at least gather their sword and shield before you kill them. I think I'll adopt that the next time I play a good character.
 

Kalin of High Rock

Faal Lun Vahdin
There's a few "true yield" mods out there. I believe there's even one that turns the surrendering thug into a rudimentary follower. I just don't use them because I like killing people and taking their stuff.

But I'm playing under a philosophy here! They can find the courage to die on their feet, or they can spend the rest of their lives on their knees. Warrior poet over here!
 

Gigapact

Lollygagging Milk Drinker (according to guards)
Yep since I now they're going to get back up and come at me again, I kill them.

But, honestly, I have NEVER made a good character.... ever. They're all either assassins, thieves, or ruthless warriors, or evil mages. And pretty much all my characters steal. I just can't help it. And they all sneak, even the warriors in their loud heavy armor.

I will have to say out of all the characters I've made, my newest one might be the most "honest" one... kinda... he still steals... and he still kills people. But he's not as inherently evil... if that makes any sense?
 

Kalin of High Rock

Faal Lun Vahdin
It's hard to say if Shian is "good", or not. She's pretty blood-thirsty! She provokes Imperials and Thalmor into a battle where ever she finds them.

The Empire would consider her lawless, but the truth is she makes her own laws. She has a series of simple codes that govern her actions.

She would claim she is not a thief. That she does not steal..But that's not exactly true. She will take plunder. If she kills a man, all he had is hers to choose from. That includes what's in his home. She would not consider that dishonest.

She kills, often. But does not consider herself a murderer. She will not harm a child, or an unarmed man or woman. She will not stab a man in the back, or cut a sleeping man's throat. Nor would she attack and kill a traveler just because she thinks his boots might look better on her. But anyone to provoke her, or unfortunate enough to be provoked by her into a fight is fair game.

She feels that battle is the highest form of expression. Two souls, locked in mortal conflict. Bared and exposed before gods and men. She approaches the arts of war with the same reverence a priest has for his alter. Every drop of blood spilled is a precious sacrifice. Every blow a stone on the scales of judgement!

All who die by her blade must die well. When the fallen go before their gods, the divine see her work. They must see a painter's brush. Not a butcher's cleaver!
 

ColleenG

When in doubt, follow the fox.
I wait to see if they're really going to run off. Some do. Others come back at me, and that's when I'll finish them off. But yeah, I don't tend to cut them down when they're begging. Unless, of course, it's somebody genuinely evil or vicious.
 

Wildroses

Well-Known Member
I did this in my first few hours of Skyrim when I thought they were actually yielding. Then when I realised Skyrim was full of liars I murdered them all on their knees. I've had my squishy mages, sneaks and archers be killed from behind by a yielder too often to be very merciful.
 

Lucid

Well-Known Member
Never leave an enemy alive behind you. Even good and honourable warriors will learn this lesson in the harsh lands of Tamriel (without mods to prove otherwise anyway). Become a jaded and detached killer, or stay within city walls and become a guard or merchant ;)
 

JoeReese

Well-Known Member
Never leave an enemy alive behind you. Even good and honourable warriors will learn this lesson in the harsh lands of Tamriel (without mods to prove otherwise anyway). Become a jaded and detached killer, or stay within city walls and become a guard or merchant ;)
Is it the SAS, who put a round into each corpse as they pass, just in case??
 

Lucid

Well-Known Member
I already told you, Joe. I can't tell those stories :D
 

W'rkncacnter

Mister Freeze
I'm testing out the Requiem overhaul at the moment. They tend to run and cower after this rather than attacking. That being said, how is it honorable to leave them alive to attack and kill the next hapless person to wander by? If I could drag them to the local prison I might do that. But really, the only option is to chase them down and put them out of their misery. This is in everyone's best interest (with the exception of the one being executed).
 

Wippii

Bookworm
I used to use a mod that modified the Speech tree, one of the new perks being "Merciful". With that perk, you could "activate" a yielding opponent to spare their life (and get some gold, but I never cared for that part) - and they did not attack you again. It was great!

In general, I sometimes let them get up, but not always. If it's a hostile-on-sight Imperial, I very rarely let them get back up. If it's a Forsworn, I never let them get back up. Anyone else, and it's pretty much random. If I'm in a good mood, I'll let them stand up and attack me again.
In the case of the random encounter involving two Bandit Chiefs, one regular levelled bandit and a coward levelled bandit, I nearly always chase the coward down. Otherwise I'd be stuck in "combat" for ages.

Edit: If I'm in a battle with multiple opponents (such as fighting a 5-member Imp patrol, which is a common occurrence), I try to finish off "yielding" enemies before they cat get up, simply because fewer enemies is always better. This is especially true when facing a bunch of Forsworn; they're extremely dangerous with my setup (most notably SkyRe).
 

Gigapact

Lollygagging Milk Drinker (according to guards)
Nor would she attack and kill a traveler just because she thinks his boots might look better on her.



This made me laugh. I have done this so many times, more so when I was a newer Skyrim player and saw all these different armors on people and wanted to see what they looked like on my character. At least I don't do this anymore :p
 

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