#ayrenn aldmeri

[the-tharns-speak]

How is Queen Ayrenn?

Either ask the woman herself, or out High Spymaster. I do not know and I do not care unless it becomes the Empire’s problem.

[pantaloonzzz]

For the Queen!!!!

[soullessbullshit]

Inspo:

[lotusfaebell]

⊱ Queen Ayrenn ⊰

[falmerbrook]

Damn, eso’s base games quests make you such a boot licker.

[crysdrawsthings]

Ayrenn, Naemon, Deer and Stabby ft. joke I have spent far too long on drawing.

[akaviri-dovah]

[theyre-gay-because-i-say-so]

Today's LGBT+ Headcanon is;

Queen Ayrenn Arana Aldmeri from Elder Scrolls Online-Pansexual

Requested by Anon

Status: Alive

[emrysthegoodwitch]

I loved Firesong, I just got done playing through it entirely.

I am worried about my lovely Raz though, he seems so tired and stressed😭

I won't say anything to avoid spoilers, but its great.

[saturniandragon]

Sometimes the things we've lost have ways to come back in the most unexpected manners.

Zanri al-Anaqi, my Khajiit ESO Vestige, with Queen Ayrenn, who now has become his mother figure.

After losing his parents as a teenager, Zanri found himself being part of the Aldmeri Dominion family as an Eye of The Queen. But 7 years later, Queen Ayrenn finally finds what he has been missing the most all this time: someone who loves him like his parents once did.

Commission by KSleepyCaffeine@Twitter.

Zanri al-Anaqi by me

Queen Ayrenn by Zenimax

[sasquach-scratches]

Jo'zira

Any Pronouns Khajiit Age Unknown

Citizenship: Aldmeri Dominion

Titles: Soul Mage Maven, Explorer, Eye of the Queen, Moon Hallowed, Arch-Mage, Laird of Misrule, Mystic, Numinous Weaver

Class: Sorcerer Weapon Skills: Restoration Staff, Destruction Staff Armor Skills: Light World Skills: Soul Magic, Psijiic Order Guild Skills: Mages Guild Crafting Skills: Clothier, Enchanting

A young Khajiit of unknown origin, having last lived in Vulkhel Guard in Auridon. His vast, encyclopedic knowledge on a variety of topics and natural affinity for spellcasting contrasts his lack of memories of his past before his arrival in Coldharbour.

Further compounding the mystery is his total lack of common sense--and at times, sense of self. With poor self-preservation instincts and abysmal understanding of any kind of social norm, one may assume he was a wealthy shut-in with a vast library. Indeed, when given the choice, he often prefers a good story over pragmatism or ethics.

However, this isn't to say he is a burden to the group in all aspects. His skill with war magic is undeniable, though his enthusiasm for battle and general callousness he displays can be disquieting. Despite this, he often means well, and wants nothing more than to have fun with his new friends.

Though at first he was content to be on an exciting adventure, even he started to notice how odd his situation was. There were few clues as to who he was in his little apartment, and there were no clues as to any family he may have had. His grasp of Cyrodiilic and lack of Ta'agra accent muddied the waters further.

Furthermore, he had to admit that his demeanor in battle and in the presence of Daedric Princes was such a radical change that he almost felt like a different person. Related to that, the breadth of his knowledge is uncanny even for someone of means. Yet no memories of his past ever surfaced, no stranger, ruler or Prince ever recognized him.

Above all else, he realized he was growing envious of his companions. Even as he made new, fantastic memories as an agent of Queen Ayrenn, deep down he resented that he lacked what most other people had. History, connections, memories both pleasant and not, there were none for him.

Soon, that alienation began to seep into every part of his life. He began to notice he didn't behave like anyone he met. He didn't understand or even experience things like others did. Hunger, fear, aversion to pain, instincts that all living things have that he didn't. When once he felt reluctant to claim Khajiiti heritage for what he assumed to be Imperialization, he was starting to wonder if he could claim to be a mortal at all.

He was aware of the situation he and his fellow Soul Shriven were in. It wasn't out of the question if it was all a symptom of having his consciousness forced into a simulacrum of chaotic creatia while his soul languished in Coldharbour. Yet deep down he felt it was more wishful thinking than anything.

Halfway through what he perceived as his journey in Greenshade, he would finally get an answer from a Bosmeri Spinner. While his worst fears would be confirmed, he would learn that there was a deeper horror waiting for him.

One Tamriel

When he discovered his origins, Jo'zira didn't despair. On some level, he always knew that he was never a mortal to begin with. When he found out his very existence was accidental, he found a certain beauty to it. He took pride in being the product of a bond that transcended worlds.

Of course, he was also keenly aware that his existence was conditional. His creator intended him to be something else, and though the Demi Lich respected his creation's right to life, he still expected him to serve. Luckily, the conditions were reasonable and easy to follow. The best part for him was that living life alongside his companions was one of those conditions.

For a short time, he had a mentor; the closest thing to a father he'd ever know. Together they finished the work Jo'zira had unknowingly began: the merging of several worlds to his Father's world of origin. Though their time together was short, Jo'zira came to know the deep grief that gave his Father purpose in this endeavor. Knowing he began as the tiniest fragment of his Father's vast soul, he resolved to be the unwavering hope his Father cast aside.

When his Father's work was done and began his thousand year slumber, Jo'zira earnestly took on the burden of assuring the new world persisted no matter who or what threatened it. Though he would step back as the main player in their adventures, he would always be by his companion's--his new family's--side.

Perhaps, when they meet again in the distant future, the records of life Jo'zira was tasked to record would once again stoke his Father's faith in the world.

===

OUGH, this one's finally done. Granted, this one went by a lot faster than the other 2 but hey, I'm supposed to be on vacation lmao

Some notes on his outfits and his gradual changes as time went on. Essentially, Jo'zira's physical form was held together by a dormant Demi Lich's power. So when he was finally able to manifest on Nirn again, he ended up looking a little different since he's on his own now.

His "true" form is what he looks like inside his core, which appears as a huge, colorful garden to outsiders where the flowers represent the memories he's recorded (both his and his companions'). He's still baby!

The usual armors for the Planemeld arc. TBH the alterations were in mind thanks to how weird Altmer armor looks in-game (those persistent hip flaps in ESO armor...) but ironically I came to sorta like them while working on this. Not enough to decide against the changes tho. Chalk it up to 1. Jo'zira becoming a better tailor and 2. He's a MAGE

...

So...

If he didn't have a soul to start with

Who's soul did he get back from Molag Bal?

[the-tharns-speak]

But you got to admit that Ayrenn is very pretty, no? And you’ll probably have enough political experience to deal with the Alinor court life.

As far as looks are concerned, Ayrenn Arana Aldmeri is the elf version of those Colovian hunting dogs. Those pointy ones. I do not see the appeal. Not that looks matter in political marriage.

Nevertheless, Ayrenn is not currently a suitable candidate for the Ruby Throne. At least a third of the Empire is incredibly bitter towards her, and that is enough to start a civil war, and we really, really cannot afford a civil war. Difficult times when we have to be picky about the next Emperor, really.

[thescrolls-haveforetold]

i need to draw some of my lesser known ships… like Ayrenn and my bosmer oc, Bitter Crickets..or Carlotta and Daena Aldmeris of Alinor,

[soullessbullshit]

Razum-dar: Whose dad is the hottest? Whoever gets the most votes takes a shot.

Ayrenn: Okay, well my dad's dead, so...

Shazah: Hmm... Was he cremated?

Gwaering: [snorts water out her nose]

[elenwen-and-ondolemar]

(in follow up to The Shards of Whitestrake) Oh Lady Elenwen, it seems that Razelan is upsetting the guests again. You should probably stop him before he causes a political incident and another ban on alcohol for the next few parties!

(After Elenwen leaves) Okay yes actually Ondolemar, please do address the historical claims by the shards of, Whitestrake? With this bottle of honningbrew mead too perhaps. I want to hear all about it!

Ondolemar: You brought your own bottle to one of Elenwen's parties? You certainly like to dance close to the fire, as the Nords say. I'm not partial to mead but He examines the bottle. Oh, this was bottled before that Black-Briar takeover. I'll make an exception for this rarity. He signals a servant for a pair of tumblers.

So what was it you wanted to know about? That lunatic group's historical claims? Let me see. It's a curious text but its central fallacy is common to many Nords, that all Elves are the Same. Note:

We know what you are! Time and time and time again you Elves have tried to return Mankind to your tyranny. First it was the Ayleids with their flesh forges and undead liches that to this day leak out from beneath Cyrodiil's hills like Reman himself.

Leak? How uncouth. The author believes in the myth of 'Reman Birthed from the Land' which has been thoroughly debunked by even Imperial scholars. Disgusting . . . but you weren't here to ask about the Cyrodiils' vulgar legends, were you?

Right, the Ayleids as examples of our alleged guilt. The Ayleids were Aldmeri by descent, but they strayed from the worship of our Ancestors to follow after Daedra. They formally rejected the sovereignty of Alinor in the founding year of the first Era. For their betrayal, they lost the gods' protection.

Then it was your Queen Ayrenn! She who sought to return Tamriel to Elven Dominion like that of the damned treacherous foul Elves of the City-States!

In retrospect, we can see that Queen Ayrenn's greatest fault was her forbearance. She entered the continental melee while the Empire was doing its best to deliver Tamriel into Molag Bal's maw. They surpassed his Ayleid worshipers a thousand times over.

Later still when her forced fell and Tiber Septim righteously crushed you with the Dwemer's Brass God, that wasn't enough!

This author is keen to blame Alinor for all the sins and alleged sins of the mer, but then is himself in love with "the walking horror" of the Dwemer. I will take this as a compliment.

You sent Jagar Tharn upon us to destroy the Septim Empire!

What? Did Alinor force Uriel VII to promote this mongrel to the rank of Imperial Battle-mage? Are the Tharns now a famous Altmer family?

After him the Camoran Usurper who attempted rule of arms. Then *again* with the Mankar Camoran's Mythic Dawn. We READ his Commentaries, we know what he was. A Bosmer turned Altmer! And we ALL know that the Bosmer are just the Ayleids in shorter form! He sought to fool us all even as he tried to enslave and kill the world.

None of that is in the Commentaries! Look, I don't recommend reading the Commentaries, that's cultist trash and if I saw you with a copy, I'd take it and burn it. Just for your own good. As a friend. But a Justiciar . . . well a Justiciar has to learn about this stuff, no matter how unpleasant. And I can tell you, none of this is in the Commentaries.

Though the Bosmer do have a great deal of Ayleid ancestry, so there's that. Not much going on for Master Shard, otherwise.

Then you killed Good Chancellor Ocato,

So there's at least one mer he likes.

and you would have gotten away with it were it not for a traitor of your own kind spreading the truth!

Who?

And no, of course we didn't kill Ocato. Honestly it's a surprise the poor mer lasted as long as he did. Ever notice how many of Uriel's family members and subordinates died or went missing in weird circumstances? Unless . . .

Have you ever heard of the theory that Ocato was a member of the Mythic Dawn?

Blessed be the Emperor that halted your plans with the White Gold Tower to wipe all of man out of existence like the Great Maruhk tried with you damned Elves.

It's spelt Marukh, you illiterate halfwit. Sorry, not you, of course, the author of this screed. Doesnt even know to spell his hero's name. And he thinks it was Marukh dancing on the tower, of course he does. Did Fervidius Tharn wheel in his mummy to do a spin?

Wait, our plans to . . . Dance on the tower? Because that worked so well when the humans did it. Stands to reason we'd want to do the same thing.

I'm being sarcastic, you get that right?

Blessed by the Lady Alessia, Blessed be Tiber Septim who became Talos,

No, he didn't.

Blessed be Martin Septim who became Akatosh

Even the Nords don't believe this heresy. Go ask the High Priest down at Castle Dour. He'll tell you. Akatosh appeared in answer to Martin Septim's prayer and took him to his side to live on in blessed Aetherius with all the other Cyrodiiil emperors. That doesn't make Martin Septim the Dragon King of Time. in a confidential tone It sounds unlikely, but it's not exactly heretical, just self-centred of the humans to believe the Lord of all Time needed Martin Septim's plea to banish Mehrunes Dagon from Mundus.

Blessed be Maruhk the Prophet! We know who you are, and you will be stopped!

signed, The Shards of Whitestrake Is this a reference to the laughable Shards of AKA theory? Odd . . . the author doesn't strike me as educated enough to have heard of such esoteric material. Perhaps he was servant to a mage, or worked as a bookbinder for a magical organization.

This screed exemplifies the need for oversight of all education. How can the Emperor and his Council expect to maintain their Empire if they don't ensure that their citizens are accurately taught by carefully trained instructors using vetted textbooks?

Well, they can't expect that. Just in confidence, they're obviously doomed. The Dominion does better by its subjects, and you would all benefit from our expertise.

notices Elenwen approaching I shouldn't take more of your time. Thank you for the drinks.

[falmerbrook]

Updating my ESO base game zone list (from roughly most to least favorite), adding the EP zones I'm done with (up through Deshaan), and elaborating on my thoughts for each zone and on the writing overall because I like yapping. Moving on to DLC now.

TLDR:

Grahtwood

Rivenspire

Coldharbor

Auridon

Glenumbra

Stros M'kai

Malabal Tor

Alik'r Desert

Betnik

Reaper's March

Greenshade

Stonefalls

Bangkorai

Bleakrock Isle and Bal Foyen

Khenarthi's Roost

Stormhaven

Deshaan

More detailed thoughts below (spoiler warning for these 10 year old quests):

1) Grahtwood - I would say Grahtwood and Rivenspire are tied for my favorites, with Grahtwood being all over strong while Rivenspire has a particularly strong environment and main quest. While for me most other zones maybe had a few standout quests if any, the side quests in Grahtwood were very consistently getting me invested and were fun/interesting (stand outs include: The Grip of Madness, Bosmer Insight, Keeper of Bones, The Wakening Dark, and The Unquiet Dead). The environment is just stunning too. It's one of the few base game zones where things truly feel grand and huge. I love the giant trees in this game and Grahtwood is full of them. The Bosmer towns are really cool too, and Gil-Var-Delle was very cool. I appreciate all the Bosmer lore and culture fleshed out by all the Valenwood zones, and it feels very unique compared to the other cultures fleshed out (in the base game at least).

2) Rivenspire - I love the main quest for this zone so much. The characters are more memorable, the story doesn't feel as forced (and the player's inclusion feels less forced) compared to the other zones, and the twists and emotional connection to the events are stronger. I love all the Ravenwatch characters. Verandis alone boosts my opinion of this zone. The scenery of this zone is probably one of the strongest in the base game too. Entering the zone to see the Doomcrag (A+ name btw) with the red lightning in the distance immediately got me excited for what the zone had in store (especially after the bore that was Stormhaven) and the way it sorta hangs over everything on that side of the map makes it such a strong set piece. Even beyond it, I love the gloomy and lightly gothic vibes of the zone and the Main Quest. The main reason I put it below Grahtwood is that I really didn't get invested in any of the side quests I did.

3) Coldharbor - I actually didn't realize this was going to be an entire zone, so when I first got to it I was a little put off, especially because my experience with planes of Oblivion in past games was mostly annoyance (the Deadlands and Aprocrypha), but I ended up really liking it! I liked how pretty much everything in it related to the main quest, so it made for a nice focused change of pace, and every quest relating to the same goal made me more invested in them. A lot of the quests felt more unique than the rest of the base games ones too. The scenery was really grand and cool and impressive, and the environment paired with the sound design really made the place feel uneasy and unsafe to explore (even if it wasn't really that much more dangerous than the other zones)! I also found a lot of the characters fun and likeable. Some stand out quests for me were Vanus Unleashed, The Endless War (and its follow-up quests), Special Blend, and The Soul-Meld Mage.

4) Auridon - I ended up spending a ton of time in this zone so I became pretty familiar and fond of it. The environment is so pretty and picturesque. I also liked how a lot of the side quests either related to/built on the main conflict with the Veiled Heritance or helped to elaborate on the current context of the Aldmeri Dominion. It helped the whole zone feel more cohesive. I certainly remember the quests of this zone better than most others. Razum-dar and Ayrenn are absolute treats as well!

5) Glenumbra - (bumping up) I might be a little biased in liking this zone more because it was one of my first, but I'm also pretty fond of Glenumbra. The biggest negative of it for me is that I barely followed the main quest storyline at all. It felt kinda all over the place and like different parts of it barely connected to others. However, the vibes and aesthetic are great. I love all the marshes and fog and general moodiness, which really fits a lot of the quests in ghost towns and cemeteries. I enjoy going back to Glenumbra for events and antiquities because I just like running around it (although it really suffers from having enemies on every square inch of the map, but that's an issue I've noticed to a lesser extent everywhere with the game so far). The environment is just very pretty, and a cool touch is the huge moving vines everywhere. Also, gotta say, I hate Daggerfall's layout. It's a really cool looking city and it feels more like a large city than most others in the base game, but it sucks for doing daily crafting. Overall I just had fun here.

6) Stros M'kai - So given this was the first zone I ever experienced, and I had just started Redguard right before earnestly starting ESO so it was fun going "like the one in Redguard!", I might have a bit of bias on how much I like this zone. But I am very fond of it! I found the characters of the main quest endearing and memorable (even if they and their story wasn't relevant almost at all to the rest of the DC) and the player's inclusion in the story didn't feel forced. I like the aesthetics of Port Hunding, and the desert around it just felt warm and big despite how small the map actually is.

7) Malabal Tor (after thinking about it more I'm bumping this one up a little) - I didn't really care for this one while doing it, but in hindsight, it's grown on me. I really like the lore and development of the Silvenar and Green Lady that they do in this zone, and I like how so many of the side quests help to flesh out those lore concepts and backstory beyond the main quest. It makes the storyline of the main quest for this zone feel more developed and worth getting invested in. However, I didn't really get invested in anything else very much. The scenery was pretty beautiful too.

8) Alik'r Desert - I was surprised how beautiful I found this zone given that it is a desert, but I really loved the scenery! I also liked the quests here fine enough. They weren't my favorite, but I didn't necessarily dislike them either. I liked the old Redguard temples you got to explore, and the way they implemented and introduced the Yokudan religion/gods. It was fun to engage with. This was a perfectly middle zone.

9) Betnik - I like the setting of Betnik. The rocky and foggy beaches are pretty. The history of the island is pretty interesting. in hindsight having done the first zones for the other alliances as well, I now appreciate that the characters from the Stros M'Kai main quest are here and the story is continuing with them, it feel more natural for why my character is invovled. However, I barely remember anything else from this zone, and in hindsight the environment isn't as pretty or as impressive as later zones, so I don't care too much more for it.

10) Reaper's March - This zone was very hit or miss for me. The scenery was nice, and the music stood out to me and I really liked it, but the quests and character writing was either something I really liked or something I really didn't. I loved Shazah and Khali, and while the whole concept of of the Moon Hallowed felt super contrived, I like that it gave us an opportunity to really get to know them and get invested in them. They were both charming and likeable, but it is for that reason that I was not a fan of how the main quest in this zone ended. I was looking forward to how they would handle which twin would be the Mane (or maybe push against tradition and make them both Mane or some other compromise...), but one ultimately dying felt like a stupid way to solve that issue. They could've been so much more creative with it. This feeling of enjoying parts of a questline and disliking others from some reason continued through the quests of this zone.

11) Greenshade - I wasn't a fan of the scenery in this one. Not only was it just not as cool to me, but I think I've developed a bit of a pet peeve over how everyone kept refers to it as a forest when it was clearly some kind of savanna woodland. Sorry Bosmer, that is not a forest to me. Anyway, the story and side quests for this zone didn't stick out to me at all with the exception of a few MVP characters. I liked the Wilderking quest, in part because the idea of the Wilderking is interesting (in theory, it's ok in execution) but mostly because I really liked Aranias and the story we see with her (I think it's kinda weird that the original Wilderking and her are Altmer, especially in the context of the politics around the formation of the Aldmeri Dominion, but besides that I enjoy the idea). I was got a little emotional over the very sweet short quest, The Flower of Youth, and it has really stuck out in my mind. And finally, I liked Indaenir. I found him very charming. To the extent that I was sad at his sacrifice at the end of the main quest and hyped for him when he becomes the Silvenar. Mid zone with some stand out moments.

12) Stonefalls - The story for this one baffled me a bit too much, in the sense that there were several moments where I feel like I didn't get enough explanations as to why what was happening was happening. I was truly just along for the ride. There weren't really any characters that stood out to me either. Like, I recognized them and remembered them as the kept popping up, but I wasn't invested enough in them, which is a shame, because I think the last few quests of the main zone quest would've been a lot stronger if I actually liked or felt endeared by Tanval, Garyn, and their relationship. The second half of the main quest felt drawn out and I think the writing was just kinda bad for this zone tbh (more than usual). Now, saying that, the scenery and environment for this zone was gorgeous, and the music stood out and really accentuated the mood! One of my favorites so far environment-wise. I think it felt very Morrowind-y, and I loved the mountains and the volcanoes and the land coral and the ash effects. I also love the look of the Dunmer architecture in this game, and I think it fits them well. I took so so many screenshots in this zone. I genuinely enjoyed just wandering through it.

13) Bangkorai - Nothing about this zone really caught my attention. I didn't care for the main quest, I didn't get invested in any side quests, and for me this zone feels more frustrating to navigate with how many areas as controlled entirely by enemies. It also does nothing new or interesting with the Reachmen, unfortunately. The scenery is pretty, but it is similar to everything else we've seen in the Daggerfall Covenant, so by the time I got to it it wasn't anything special. My opinion on this zone was also probably colored by the fact that at this point I just wanted to get further in the main quest. I also want to highlight this one quest, Freedom's Chains, which has a super interesting basic idea and hypothetical choice at the end, but is so horribly buggy and terribly written that it is one of 2 quests I've done so far in this game that made me angry.

14) Bleakrock Isle and Bal Foyen - I did the entirety of these in a little over an hour each, and really nothing stuck out to me. Not the characters, not the setting, not the quests, nothing. The only thing of note is that I was running around Bal Foyen at sunrise and it was very pretty, and there was a guar in Bal Foyen named Rollie.

15) Khenarthi's Roost* (I did it slowly over a few months while my hands were in pain and nothing about it stood out to me) - So there is an important context to this one, which is that I started this zone in January after the New Life Festival, but soon took a break from the game because my hand pain was really bad and I couldn't play. I attempted to play every few weeks (in this zone) and every time my hands hurt really bad, and I had forgotten what was going on. It took me months to finish this teeny zone, and I just don't have a great association with it. Outside of that bias, I just wasn't invested in the plot or characters (outside of Raz, of course), and I feel like the Maomer were uninteresting and a waste of potential. The aesthetics of the island were pretty nice, but I didn't find it as cool or pretty as most of the other zones.

16) Stormhaven My dislike of this zone was mostly circumstantial when I first played it, but in hindsight having gone back to it for other random things, I continue to dislike it. The wayshrine placement sucks. Somehow by the time I got to this zone I was already a little burnt out on all the Daedric prince involvement, and the involvement of Vaermina and her cult did nothing new or interesting. I could not bring myself to care about pretty much any quest in this zone, with the notable exception of the part at the end where you enter Emeric's dream and talk him off the ledge. I like Emeric, and I feel like this detail made it make more sense for why he can trust you so much. But other than that, it was a very mid zone. The scenery was Glenumbra but less cool in every way.

17) Deshaan - This is only below Stormhaven because of that one quest with Emeric (and maybe I'm a bit jaded right now). In a game where it feels like the Daedric Princes are invovled in every other quest, you're telling me that a questline focusing on an organization creating a plague had nothing to do with Peryite? Justice for Peryite! Speaking of, the main quest for this zone was so... what? The writing for this alliance so far has been really weak imo and this quest really exemplifies it. It's just antagonist doing miscellaneous antagonist things without a solid connection between their actions. Despite building up to the main antagonist's backstory throughout the zone, I still don't understand her motivation for just about anything she did until the last 3rd of the story, and the kinda interesting conflict of her backstory was written in the least interesting way it could be. None of the other quests stood out to me, and the environment, while fine, didn't catch my attention either. I did like that Mournhold felt larger than most of the cities in the game, and I loved how the temple looked and loomed over everything.

-

Daggerfall Covenant Overall Thoughts:

These zones were my starting zones so I was learning how the game works and doing the big main quest while going through them. I straight up can't remember whatever the overarching plot of these zones was, but I remember each zone as its own individual thing better. At the time I felt sorta meh towards it, but having done the other alliances it has grown on me because of the characters and pacing. The way you get invovled with the leader in this faction feels more natural and less contrived than the other two (and the build up to getting to that point is longer and more developed) since you have to prove yourself and work your way up the High Rock leadership to finally impress Emeric and get him to entrust you with things. You don't just do him one favor and he goes "ok I trust you with alliance secrets now", but compared to the AD it felt like the over arching story of the alliance is much much weaker and less developed. it feels more like each zone has its own story only loosely tied together with "WAR IS HAPPENING" (EP is sorta the same). The antagonists weren't memorable, but the side characters like Emeric, Darien, Gabrielle, Skordo, the gang on Stros M'Kai, Lady Laurent and Stibbons, etc. were fun! I read on Reddit that the team that made the DC also made Coldharbor, which is why so many DC characters feature in it, which definitely helped me feel connected to them more. Overall, not the most striking alliance, but I liked the characters and am probably more fond of it because it was my first one

Aldmeri Dominion Overall Thoughts:

I appreciate that there are overarching storylines between the zones (beyond just "[other alliance] is attacking!") between the Veiled Heritance, the death of and new Silvenar and Green Lady, etc. The other two factions' zones can sometimes feel too disjointed from each other or the way they are connected feels contrived, so the reoccurring characters feel more random (like, why are you here too??) or there are way less of them, while in the AD you meet a lot of the reoccurring characters in the first two zones and then it makes sense why you keep running into them. It makes the relationships you build with them feel more genuine, and there were a number of stand out characters for me. I think for this reason, having one small starting zone as opposed to 2 might've helped with that feeling. On the other hand, I feel like the build up to how you get invovled with the alliance leadership was way more rushed (in a bad way) compared to the other two zones. Like, you happen to be picked out as competent and trustworthy by one of the right hand men of the queen (no offense to you, Raz, you are one of the highlights of this alliance) and then you save the queen from an assassination attempt in the first story point of the next zone and she just trusts you immediately (once again, no offense to you Ayrenn, you are also a highlight). But once we're into the main storyline, I enjoyed it and followed it a lot better than the other two zones. I also appreciated how the antagonists had motivations that felt like they actually informed their decisions and related to the political and interpersonal dramas going on. It made them more memorable. I felt in general that the side quests were a little stronger here as well.

Ebonheart Pack Overall Thoughts (so far)

I've only done Bleakrock Isle, Bal Foyen, Stonefalls, and Deshaan, and hopefully I'll come back to do the rest later, but I'm a little sick of the base game and would like to move on to DLCs. With that disclaimer out of the way, I've found it so far lack luster compared to the other two. So far the zone stories aren't that connected (although that may change), and there seems to be less reoccurring characters. The one that I do know for sure shows up repeatedly, Naryu, didn't actually make her first appearance until Deshaan (not a fan of her so far tbh... why does she neg me so much??). Altogether, none of the characters so far stood out to me, and they've been overall less endearing and less memorable (so far). None of the quests have either. Generally in this series, but particularly in this game, and even more so in this alliance for some reason, the player's involvement in a quest or situation feels really contrived. The one positive for this alliance for me is that I think the environments are consistently pretty strong (so far). Finally, the antagonists have been weak in the sense that they aren't memorable or interesting (similarly to the DC). These ones frustrate me a bit more because they feel much more like wasted opportunities. So far there's a theme of family or parent-child relationships going on, but it's really shallow and I'm not sure it's purposeful. Like I said, maybe I'm just jaded with the base game zones because they are pretty same-y (and it makes sense why tbh), but this alliance has been my least favorite so far and I don't feel bad about skipping the rest of it for now.