Outrageous!

Post » Fri Aug 24, 2012 3:00 pm

First off, I would like to say that I am not blaming the devs for anything, except in the sense you could blame an author for having an evil character.

Secondly, I will use "Resdayn" in place of "Morrowind", and "Argonia" in place of "Black Marsh". Both provinces were renamed following the invasion of Tiber Septim, which is centuries after this game takes place.

Finally, I'll include a bullet note summary at the end.

Now I read the lore article on the game's Facebook page, and I saw this:

[Skyrim, Resdayn and Argonia] allied to form a new power, ruled over by the Great Moot, a council of equals from all three races.

When I read this, I felt disappointed. It makes far more sense for the Grand Council to rule the Ebonheart Pact, rather than the "Great" Moot. The Grand Council has more is more ancient and proven body of government.

I would like to draw your attention to this "Great Moot." First off, the Moot in Skyrim is not a legislative body, rather a temporary body that only meets and has any degree of power when Skyrim lacks a high king, and even in that case the Moot's only power is to name the new high king. I suppose Great Moot would imply unprecedented legislative and executive power, so I figure that's a mute point (ba-da-bum-tiss).

My greater issue with this piece of information is the apparent discrimination against the multiracial legislative body seated in Ebonheart, the one known as the Grand Council. The Grand Council was created as an interracial governing body to bridge the gap between the Dwemer and Chimer. Facing an outside threat, the Chimer and Dwemer put aside their differences to form the Grand Council and the mixed-race nation of Resdayn. The Ebonheart Pact is built on the same principle. Even after the Dwemer went extinct, the Grand Council continued it's spirit of unity. The occasional scuffles between the Houses were minimized, and House Hlaalu is know to elect "outlanders" to the Grand Council.

Now that I've been over some of the merits of the Grand Council, it is more than important to cover why the Grand Council should take priority. Firstly, Resdayn is the geographic center of the alliance, which is why it's called the Ebonheart Pact. The Grand Council is seated in Ebonheart, so it doesn't take much imagination to assign leadership to the Grand Council. Secondly, the power of the Great Houses (currently numbering 5, plus 2 "dead" ones) is self-reinforcing, politcal power would be centered on the Houses. The Houses make up the Grand Council. Thirdly and Finally, the Earthly-bodied Gods of the Tribunal live in Resdayn and have invested their power in the Grand Council. While each member nation of the Pact has it's own King and/or Queen, Gods typically take precedence over royalty.

[Edit:] The Grand Council would be made up of equal parts Dunmer, Nords and Argonians.

To Summarize:
  • The Moot, Great or normal, has no legislative or executive power.
  • The Grand Council historically maintained power in Resdayn.
  • The Grand Council was made to keep peace between bitter enemies.
  • Resdayn, and furthermore Ebonheart, is the center of the Pact, and it's only sensible to grant administrative authority to the Grand Council.
Thanks for reading.
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james tait
 
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Post » Fri Aug 24, 2012 3:06 am

It will be ok - I'm sure the devs have a reason/plan for "adapting" the Lore. I just can't wait to get my hands on the game! :biggrin:
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Andres Lechuga
 
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Post » Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:49 am

What about the Nords and Argononians though? When you have three nations that were only until very recently bitter enemies, do you think they would just sit back and agree to the Dunmer Council taking command of the alliance? With the frailty of the relationship between them as it is, it doesn't really seem like a good idea to essentially give all the power to one faction. The Grand Council may definitely be older then the other Race's Governments, but I don't think you could really say its any more proven then say the Nord's government. They're still around and have been fighting more or less on par with the Dunmer for years, that's got to account for something, right? While they may be the geographical center of the Pact, I just can't see a reason why the Nords and Argonians would agree to giving all the authority to the Dunmer. They aren't friends.

As a note, please correct me if I'm mistaken on any of the lore, I'm still in the process of familiarizing myself with it all.
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Sista Sila
 
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Post » Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:40 am

Well, what I was trying to (and failed, it seems) to say is that the Grand Council is ideally suited to the high-tension situation that the Pact currently faces. In Morrowind there were non-Dunmer Councillors (Yngling Half-Troll and Crassius Curio).
In retrospect, I should have made it clear the Council would be made up of equal parts Nords, Dunmer and Argonians. Will edit that bit in.

P.S: I'm not sure if Yngling and Curio were on the Grand Council, but I'm pretty sure that Hlaalu Councillor means they get a seat on the Grand Council.
P.P.S: Crassius Curio also wrote "The Lusty Argonian Maid".
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Marie
 
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