#THE BLADES

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Caius Cosades

Art for The Elder Scrolls: Legends

*Artist Unknown* if anyone knows the artist, comment below!

[skyrim-forever]

rip Blades Questline, imagine what you could of been

[mirthandir]

I also love how there hasn't been a single, solitary game where the Blades haven't been the most useless fucks on Tamriel

[wolfofwhiterun]

Delphine

Another personal favourite character, Delphine has always fascinated me as both a more grounded and blunt parallel to the Greybeards mentor role in the Skyrim narrative, as well as her past as a war survivor and her life leading up to the events of The Dragon Crisis, and what she might have had to go through to survive until now. I tried my best to reflect that in this design, taking big inspiration from the wonderful interpretations created by @dawns-beauty and @jiubilant! This would have been my last entry for Day 8 of @tes-summer-fest but alas, the file got corrupted right near the finish line and I had to start this piece from scratch unfortunately. Either way, super pleased with this second draft, expect more Delphine content in the near future, plus a piece I'm currently writing involving her and everyone's favourite Whiterun Housecarl :D Oh and if you want this scary old lady to hang up in your room, she'll be up on my Inprnt page very shortly.

[moodcrab]

Fixing Delphine

This bitch.

I actually like that they made a character that is on your side but is somewhat unlikable, Delphine is Team Dragonborn, but she's not really one of the good guys. And that's cool, conflict means drama. So what's the problem? Well unfortunately, this drama is surface level and isn't used to drive the story, so It's kind of just annoying.

People oversimplify their hatred of Delphine into "She wants you to kill Paarthurnax," because unlike Delphine, people actually like Paarthurnax. Understandable, but barely scratches the surface. We'll get to The Paarthurnax Dilemma in time, but that quest is a symptom, not the illness itself.

If I could sum up Delphine in a word it would be "inconsistent." For example, she's a fugitive waging a one woman war on the Thalmor from the shadows, who's only survived this long from sheer paranoia - but she also uses her real name and leaves a note in Ustengrav for whoever happens to pick it up with directions and a pass word to her secret hide out.

She needs to go through her super secret contact Farengar to use the Jarl's resources to go into Bleak Falls Barrow, a tutorial level dungeon she can see from her house, and she's impressed that you did it - but she also goes personally to the other side of the country to delve alone into the massive Ustengrav to steal the Horn of Jurgan Windcaller, no issues, just a quick in and out twenty minute adventure.

She takes the fact that you found her Ustengrav note as proof you're the Greybeard's new guy and not some Thalmor plant even though she herself, a non Dragonborn, had also completed Ustengrav and taken the horn proving it's totally possible. She even points this out in her own dialogue then demands we prove who we are, even though that was the whole point of the Ustengrav note. It's also a pretty big assumption that just because I'm the guy the Greybeards call Dragonborn that I can't ALSO be with the Thalmor.

We are left with this awkward sense that the writers are flailing to make us think this woman is competent and objective, without actually having her do anything that clever. Just act like the dumb thing was smart and have her act like a cocky brat if questioned about it.

Inconsistency. It's her thing. Does she hate the Thalmor? That would make sense given what we know about her. But that gets dropped half way through the main story and suddenly she hates The Greybeards, for absolutely no reason at all. She gives a reason, but it's bullshit.

In her own words, "If the greybeards had their way, the dragonborn would sit on a mountain talking to the sky." But that's not true is it. We know The Greybeards, they encouraged us to fulfill our destiny. Even if you say you want to follow their Way of the Voice, they'll be glad to hear it but warn you not to let it get in the way of what needs to be done. Delphine even uses Tiber Septim as an example, which is even stupider because The Greybeards actively encouraged Tiber to conquer Tamriel. Have I read more in game books than the dialogue writers??

But that's not the end of it, when it becomes convenient for the plot this hatred is flipped once again from The Greybeards onto dragons. Not Alduin. All dragons. Despite the fact that, as a Blade, she should know about Nafaalilargus, a dragon ally of the Empire and the Blades for thousands of years, and the Blades don't just indiscriminately kill all dragons no matter the circumstances, and that Tiber Septim himself almost certainly met Paarthurnax at some point, she suddenly seems to be acting like she has a personal grudge against dragons. Which brings us to the Paarthurnax Dilemma...

See here's the thing, you could easily write off the frustration everyone feels towards this quest as Bethesda's crappy design, where there is no conclusion other than to kill Paarthurnax, or else leave an unfinished quest languishing in the menu. Bethesda apparently didn't consider the idea that anybody would actually prefer to turn on the Blades, even though the Blades have become a bit of a running joke among the fans, or that anyone would take umbrage with Delphine giving out orders and ultimatums.

But no, it's so much worse than that. Delphine being a surly unlikable c u n t from the day we met her is one thing, but the fact that she has been wrong about almost everything she's ever said in game, and still having the AUDACITY to treat us like her work bitch and us never, not once, getting the opportunity to put her in her place... That's not poor quest design, that's the game gaslighting us.

Let's do a quick list of every one of Delphine's theories, and how many were actually correct shall we:

You are not the Dragonborn ❌

The Greybeards shouldn't be trusted to identify a Dragonborn ❌

The dragons aren't just coming back, they're coming back to life ✅

The Thalmor have something to do with the dragons returning ❌

Esbern is dead ❌

The Greybeards just want the Dragonborn to sit on a mountain and meditate ❌

The Greybeards wanted Tiber Septim to just sit on a mountain and meditate ❌

Paarthurnax, having lived in exile for thousands of years, deserves corporal punishment ❌

As ACTING Grand Master of the Blades, she gets to boss around the Dragonborn ❌

She deserves a seat at the peace negotiations ❌

And these are just the things that are factually wrong, leaving aside opinions on her morality and shitty attitude. This is the woman the game presents to us as a shrewd strategist.

BUT I CAN FIX HER!

Like I said I like the idea of a character who is on your side but is somewhat unlikable. It actually won't take much to make Delphine endearing to the fans. We have to do a Boromir on her. A Lot of people dislike Boromir throughout the Fellowship of the Ring but weep at his death. We have to tweak three things to have the same thing happen to Delphine:

1. Make her actually competent and useful so that while we don't agree with her we can see why she does the things she does, and desire to keep her around.

2. Have her mistakes called out and have consequences.

3. Have her redeem her mistakes with a badass honourable death.

[the-elder-polls]

thank you to @hale-b629 for the suggestion!

[xjunkriidx]

Delphine: Would you guys be there for me if I was going through something?

Lucien: Nope, absolutely not.

Inigo: I hope it sucks, whatever you’re going through.

Kaidan: I hope it emotionally scars you for the rest of your life.

Serana: I hope you reach out to me so I can ignore you.

Y/N: I can’t wait to go to your funeral, knowing I could’ve changed that outcome.

[enolezdrata]

Kuvu-Ashi and Martin for lovely @/jmsg92 (twt)

[elderscrollsconfessions]

Confession: I dislike Delphine as much as any Skyrim fan but I also think the hate for her is overblown. She’s definitely a jerk, but the way some people talk about her, it seems like she’s done far worse than force you to do some tasks and refuse to help you if you don’t kill Paarthurnax, and you can just ignore her request with no real consequences in gameplay.

[bertie987]

Ban Delphine from Skyrim

Available as a sticker, t-shirt, poster, notebook and more!

Shop here!

[elderscrollsconceptart]

"Alduins Wall"

Full Resolution render of Alduin's wall as seen in the trailer and promotional materials.

Credit for the render is unclear, but the design is directly based on a piece by Adam Adamowicz

This is the highest resolution image of the wall that I have ever seen. Even with Tumblr's compression, seriously, zoom in and check out the details.

[skyrim-forever]

Alright which table you sitting at?

[nooklingposting]

The Hero of Kvatch is testing Jauffre’s patience

[wolfofwhiterun]

TES Summer Fest 24 - Day 2: Secret

@tes-summer-fest

The Greybeards gather, eyeing the warrior cradling the dragon helmet standing before them.

Her hair is cropped short, blonde and close to her head, baring the fresh scars that shine across it in the dim torchlight. He armor, midnight blue-and-black, is dented and cross-hatched with a bevy of steel bitemarks, the boots slick with mud and snow.

“We cannot help you, I am afraid.” Arngeir says with polite forlornness in response to the woman.

“We need something. Anything. Otherwise, all this loss, this war, will have been wasted. I can’t fight back alone. I NEED what you have, what you can teach me” She says, a desperate hunger in her eyes, pleading, despite her better nature.

“What we have to offer is not meant for someone like you, someone bound in the fates of the world outside of this monastery. We seek only to use our gift to commune in the name of the gods. You seek much more than that.”

Anger flashes across the young woman’s face, her hand going reflexively for the sword hung at her hip. The Greybeards taking a minute step back as she does so. They all hold for a breath, looking across the hall at one another in silence.

“We think” Arngeir says, firmly, softly. “That it is best you take your leave.”

She stands, statuesque, before abruptly pulling on her helmet and swivelling to march towards the door without another word or moment given to the old monks.

“Kyne be with you, child.” Arngeir whispers, as the woman wrenches open the great stone door.

Delphine pauses almost as if to turn, before walking out and pulling shut the door behind her, out into the cold and the dark once more.

[feykrorovaan]

Delphine:"You have to kill Paarthurnax."

LDB:

[elderscrollsconfessions]

Confession: i need malborn