I really don't get their motivation in the story. First they are helping you, because they claim their purpose is to serve the Dragonborn and to see Alduin destroyed, and then before Alduin is even gone they demand you kill Paarthurnax, and if you don't they then refuse to help you any further or even talk to you.
To me this makes no sense whatsoever. Do they suddenly not care about Alduin and the Dragonborn, simply because Paarthunax exists? It just seems silly and petty.

The Blades of Skyrim are just esbern who is a good man but to old to lead the Blades to former glory and then delphine just a nerving dumb woman who has no idea of the blade's legacy, as soon as they told me to kill paarthunax i turned my back on them and never came back.. Skyrim doesn't need the Blades, they have the Dragonborn and the Dragonborn doesn't need those Blades, paarthurnax is far more valuable friend than an old man and a oil can.

I didn't liked Blades in skyrim at all (derpy samurai dragonborn helpers), so when they wanted to kill mr Paarthy (probably the only character in the game i liked) the choice was obvious...
If there was a mod to remove the blades from skyrim no one would ever notice they're gone (altought somone could miss the armor and weapons), they are just 5th weel in the wagon

talk to parth about it, he sort of agrees with them...almost. The dovah have an inborn need to dominate and destroy, he works everyday to supress his disires, what if one day he gets all evil agian and no one is around to stop him?

Btw i agree with the op, the blades are frickin stupid for forcing the issue,

I really hope Bethesda notices that the vast majority of players did NOT help the blades and continues this into future lore; ie. the blades die out in any meaningful capacity and/or paarthunax's legacy is recognised.

It'll be very annoying if in TES6 the blades are the protagonists AGAIN - i never liked them in Oblivion, and they didn't help make themselves any more likeable in Skyrim. You're meant to be able to empathise with the protagonist faction and the blades for me has never been a faction I could understand or care about.

^So you want to nullify my choices just because you're a majority? Pfft.

As for motivations.. It's really simple. They see you as a dragonslayer. Not a friend of a dragons. It's up to you whether you see it that way as well.

In the next game, if the Blades are in it, I see them being similar to the BoS in New Vegas. They'll be hunkered down in some "bunker" looking for a way to become great again, angry, and with little remembrance of what they were really about.

Wouldn't that depend on whether you helped them or not? I mean, that would be ideal.

Just like if you helped Kodlak in the Companions, and cured yourself as well.. You'd probably be taking them in a new direction (or the other direction, if you wish).

I'm not against linearity.. there are a lot of great games that heavily direct my path.. but it kind of svcks if this is also one of them, and my choices mean squat.

No. The Blades make zero sense in this game. It's a Faction (minor one at that too...) that Bethesda should have just let die off.

They aren't even consistent in the game. They continually whine about being oath-bound to do this thing or that, "We exist to serve the Dragonborn... but now you're going to do things our way or you're on your own... but we serve you." Apparently the Blades need to invest in a Webster's Dictionary or Encyclopedia Brittanica and find out what it means "to serve"... because they are constantly failing at it.

And if you do piss them off, what do they do? Do they go after Paarthurnax themselves? Do they show up randomly aroiund Skyrim engaging Dragons in fights to the death?

No. They sit in their little broken down temple and whine about you not doing what they say, they get a five year olds temperament and [censored] about how you need to kill Paarthurnax "or else", and they never go outside to perform their "duty" in slaying Dragons.

These guys are about as hypocritical as it gets. You could also throw in childish, selfish, arrogant, and ignorant as descriptive words.

If it wasn't for the stupid "essential" tag on them, my Dunmer Assassin would have made sure that the Blades are nothing more than a footnote in a history book somewhere...

The Akaveri were Dragonslayers before they became an army of Dragonslayers that served the Dragonborn. Their first and most primary purpose was to be Dragonslayers. Delphine tells you right at the start that the Blades have been searching for their purpose since the last Dragonborn more than 200 years ago (Oblivion-Martin was his name.)

In the game there's a book that walks you through how the Blades were in all the capital cities of Tamriel and that as the Emperor's personal guard they were also keepers of intelligence about most groups in Tamriel and about certain individuals... like the Thalmor for the Aldmeri Dominion. In fact, I would suggest that it's exactly this power that marked the Blades for complete extermination by the Thalmor when more than 100 of them were found and killed inside the borders of the Aldmeri Dominion and then the Blades were ordered to be hunted and killed everywhere else.

Delphine has a Dragonborn to serve, swore to be a Blade and protect the Emperor and then was hunted for her devotion. Now Dragons are back and her primary purpose is clear again. No matter how she's going to go about it, she is a Dragonslayer and she serves the Dragonborn. Except we "fall in love" with Paarthurnax and spoil her perfect little future. A Dragonborn who is not a Dragonslayer wasn't in Delphine's plans because it makes no sense. We're born to absorb their souls and keep them from coming back over and over again, why wouldn't we be driven to destroy them all?

In her mind you need to be educated and so she's going to "educate" you by making demands. She's entirely off her nut, and besides that, she's being insubordinate. We don't have any option that allows us that answer and so we abandon the temple that can only be opened by us and we leave her and Esbern in our temple to plot and plan and become a future problem because we can't take control over them.

Her motives make perfect sense. She's a Dragonslayer who serves the greatest Dragonslayer of all time, the Dragonborn. We're the ones not making sense... if you look at it that way. I don't have to agree at all to understand it.

Julienne is mostly right I feel, I hate the blades for asking it but their motivations are thoroughly explained in that post. Just one little addition however, the Blades never swore loyalty to you, or the dragonborns and they have disobeyed orders from even Emperors before, so there is nothing entirely new there.

The blades in this game dont actually realize what thier background or oatsh actually mean. delphie has been so far away from the group that she is basing all her assumptions on how the blades were by the Dragonguards. I REALLY dispised thier ultimatum. They are to serve and protect the dragonborn after they gave thier oath to Tiber after he whupped thier armys ass. And Tiber Septim gave his oath of protection to the dragons that helped him or stayed outta his way during his conquest, that is why pretty much every emperor since Tiber have forbade the Blades of going after Paar because they were HONORING Tiber Septim's oath to the dragons that have helped/stayed outta the way...and Paar has stayed outta the way PLUS Tiber knew that Paar was the leader of the Greybeards when they annouced him being the dragonborn. Its problemly because of Paar that Tiber septim realized that dragosn werent just mindless beasts ands they could be reasoned with.

What if I said I'm willing to be educated? lol..

Not that I really need to, but I could see that for my character. He doesn't even like being the dragonborn, let alone get in a hissy fit about being served. He never asked for any of it. He just knows dragons are a pain in the butt and he can permanently kill them. Might as well do what he does best.

Not everyone falls in love with Paarthurnax either. I don't really care for people like the Greybeards. It's funny that some of you claim the Blades are usesless, but that's what the Greybeards are to me. All pacifists are useless to me. That kind of thinking is totally overrated. I don't equate it with the "good" in the least.

And whatever you want to say about uselessness, it's the Greybeards and Paarth sitting around for thousands of years themselves, not getting involved in any human affairs. They even let this Civil War steamroll Skyrim into chaos, even when the leader of the Stormcloaks is one of their students. And for all the concern about the White Gold Concordat, they didn't care to lend their voice anywhere about it. Who knows, they might've convinced a few Jarls or the High King, before he was killed. Delphine on the other hand is just as much a Talos believer as any Stormcloaks. "Those bastards banned Talos!" She's been fighting Thalmor all of her life, more or less. She's been effective as much as one individual could be too. Her Thalmor dossier sounds like she's a thorn in their side. At the very least, even if you hate her, you'd have to acknowledge she isn't the devil incarnate. Wtf is that all about.

i think what people are pissed about is that not ONLY do u slay alduin and literally hundreds of other dragons that are flying around AND dosent give to [censored] that u have a dragon that FIGHTS for you AND lets you ride him.....its that they stop helping you BECAUSE u wont kill 1...just one specific dragon that has only killed dragonguards and blades that WENT AFTER him. Alot of people ARE playing DragonSlayers and even Tiber septim the BEST dragonslayer AND so awesome he became a god let Paar live also. Thats why alot of people cant stand delphie.



Bethesda really dropped the ball on that one, thye shoulda had a choice that let you tell Delphie NO and put her in her place or else fix the quest by bringing in AN ACTUAL Blade member from soemwhere and tell delphie WTF is she thinking ruining thier chance at being able to have purpose again and since thye wouldnt bring in the lady who voiced her, have delphie quietly walk away and abandon the Blades to whatever fate.....still let u recruit ur blades but maybe by not choosing to kill paar u miss out on the Perk and also that potion.

Also the greybeards WHOLE purpose is to TEACH the way of the voice AND to be there to educate the dragonborn whenever Fate decides to spit one out and the reason why they do not get into the affairs of thier country is because of the reasons why the way of the voice came around in the first place. The Skyrim people respect the Greybeards because they are POWERFUL AND because they are nuetral, meaning that if they ever have a dispute then they can go to the greybeards and get the most honest without bias advice on the best course of action. The greybeards do not get involved because yes the people see them as powerful, they would also see them as weapons and/or a force to overpower thier enemys and the greybeards do not use thier voice in battle any longer and if they started gettign inot the affairs of the people of Skyrim one of 2 things would happen. Either they would be placed into a situation where thye would have to abandon the way of the voice like Ulfric did OR they would lose thier creditibitlity and/or respect for not using the voice in battle or as a weapon. they are just doign what any isolated monks with a purpose are supposed to do...teach the way of the voice and herald in the dragonborn.

It was Reman Cyrodiil, not Tiber Septim, who got the Dragonguards. Tiber Septim was born after the Tsaesci rule, the 2nd Era. Tiber Septim ushered in the 3rd Era




They've been looking for a Dragonborn to serve. 2 eras ago Akaviri Army came to Cyrodiil only to beg forgiveness to Reman after he Shouted them. Perhaps he Shouted so loud their eardrums broke, but they surrendered the moment they heard his Shout. Had Reman tried to use his Shout a bit earlier, the war would've been shorter

I think I read somewhere in an in-game book that they spouted Akaviri equivalents of "we didn't mean to" and "we were looking for you" to Reman.

They have never been dragonslayers. They were ronins looking for a lord to serve to upgrade into samurai, and after a few centuries, they upgraded into ninjas. Now after some more centuries, they downgraded into 2 crazy citizens. They COULD kill dragons, yes, but so are any other Akaviri. It's nothing special.

Perhaps it's special because dragons are awesome by default, but so are Daedras, and we have Vigilants of Stendarr to compare (which is quite a crappy comparison, because both are crappy at the moment)

Dragons aren't awesome though. That's a matter of opinion. I hate dragons. I don't understand the fascination with them.

Ironically, and on a huge sidenote, I'm part Asian, where dragons are considered benevolent or fortunate symbols. I guess I have a more western mindset about them though. Maybe that plays into this a bit. And by Western, I mean a sort of apocalyptic view.. much like most Nords do. Modern western sensibilities, especially in fantasy, is more favorable towards them. Lots of fantasy fans have dragon statues or things like that. But I prefer the idea of killing them. Y'know, the old classic imagery of St. George impaling one in the head. Or the adventurer looting their caves, stealing their treasure, slaying them, etc.. To each their own.

They make plenty of sense.

The Blades' (or at least Esbern and Delphine's) motivations are control of the Dragonborn. They don't care about the dragons all that much, or they'd have actually done something themselves. In the course of the whole MQ, they do none of the heavy lifting and much of their work is dedicated to disrupting Elenwen and her Thalmor Justiciars. Quite frankly, the Dragonborn might only be a tool or weapon for the Blades to use against the Thalmor. If she so chooses.

Well put, which is why she deserves to die.

Well, in most legends dragons are pretty much the "end boss". They are the most powerful creatures short of the Gods 'emselves. Hercules could kil any number of Nemean Lion anyday, but how many dragon bodycounts did he have? Not many I can guess

Well, to be frank I don't know if Greek legend had dragons in it but you get the idea

this makes alot of sense, from my gameplay it does seem that i am nothing more than a tool that she can control. She reminds me sooooo much of Astrid, she KNOWS i suppose to bethe one in control but just cant give up that seat of authority...

Too bad you Thalmor have no options. I don't even know why you try to roleplay sympathy for them. You're railroaded, more than anything else. Forget this talk about canon outcomes for the Blades or Paarth. Your side is really screwed...it's almost definite.

Not that I like that. It'd be cool if you could make options leaning that way too. It'd change a lot of things.

The option to "be educated" is actually the one that has a chain to follow it. Become the Dragonborn Dragonslayer, the Hero and Leader of the Blades and help Delphine and Esbern rebuild the Blades, now when they need you most.

You only have to kill Paarthurnax and Alduin and then return to Sky Haven Temple and take your rightful place as bootlicker to an old lady who is going to tell you your job and how to be her leader.

I find insubordination and blind hubris far more distasteful and irritating than pacifism truly believed and lived, to be honest.

And if you want to be educated then settle in and let mama Delphine teach you how to be a Dragonslayer and a leader of men. Sort of.

The Tiber Septim, Paarthunax and the Blades bit does confuse things.
If Tiber Septim parlayed with Paarthanax, and let him live, and declared him off limits to the Blades, why do the current two Blades not respect that original decision and make contrary demands of us? The player is simply following in Tiber's footsteps by seeking the dragon's advise and then just letting him be.

i thought the dragon guards came into skyrim because they were chasing the fleeing dragons, and because they were in a new land they had alot of clashes and destroyed alot of villages/etc until the dragonborn of that time showed up and they fought him until he shouted at them and they realized what eh was and surrendered and placed themselves into his service under oath as a way of serving the dragonslayer AND to make up for the deeds they have wretched upon the land zeosly chasing after the dragons.

It's never going to be totally eye-to-eye either.. I'm just saying I could see my character as someone who's new to all this.

I don't want to be the Mary Sue who knows everything and solves everything in the most ideal fashion.