I just noticed this a few weeks ago. Have not visited Riften for a while so I don't know if my installing DawnGuard or Hearthfire had anything to do with this. Will be interesting to see if any of you have had similar experiences.

One fine day I visited Riften and when the game started I saw Imperial soldiers running towards someone. I decided to follow and lend a hand but by the time I got there the fellow was already dead. I got a shock to see a Riften guard there. Apparently the Imperial guards had attacked and killed the Riften guard. I had since visited Riften on several occasions and more often than not, the game will start the same way. I see Imperial soldiers attacking a lone Riften guard who fights back but usually gets outnumbered and killed. I don't get it. Why would Imperial soldiers kill a Riften guard in Riften? Yet anther infamouse Bethesda bug?

There was also one incident when I was strolling around Skyrim at night and came across a farm. Saw two ppl fighting and ran over to see what happened. Saw one Imperial soldier fighting with one Hold guard. I can't remember which Hold I was in but again, very odd. I can understand if the Imperial soldier was fighting a Stormcloak resistance fighter (I went the Imperial route for what its worth) but why attack a Hold guard?

Anyone else seen this happening in their game?

I've seen it a lot, but only in the Rift.

I've not seen it at all, so I don't know.

But The Rift is a de facto Stormcloak hold, so it wouldn't be too weird for Imperial legionnaires to attack a Rift guard.

There is a civil war happening in Skyrim.
Some Holds are loyal to certain sides of the war. Some of your actions in the game have affects on the civil war outcome. (the Main Quest, or the Civil War questline)
Specifically, the "Season Unending" quest, which will cause Imperial guards to fight Riften guards.


(a lot of this is explained in the game, while doing the relative quests)

I've seen a single guard take on three soldiers somewhere outside Riften. It's obvious that the guard won, with her big warhammer.

That's interesting. Well I sided with the Imperials and killed Ulfric. So you mean the Rift guards are kinda like pseudo-Stormcloak? LOL!

But if that's the case then how come when I killed one of them, the Imperial soldiers attacked me? Shouldn't they be pleased that I killed a Stormcloak sympathizer?