I sided with Kematu, but I found it very hard to understand who was in the right. Is this just one of those things where you have to decide for yourself?

All of you who said "oh pretty woman must help her out" would be dead with a knife in the back, a slit throat, or poisoned mead.

A pretty face is just a distraction and a cover that put men 6 ft under. Never trust a pretty face that you have no clue about.

I'm just sayin'... lucky for you guys bethesda didn't put more into that quest and made it where she tried killing you like in the TG quest. =p

Aw, now you're just repeating Kematu's words, aren't you? I mean, those are Kematu's arguments. You don't really know whether Saadia really is lying, she could just be bad at social interactions for all that matters, and be under so much stress she can't recollect the facts right. Don't take me wrong, I chose to believe Kematu too, and I surely thought he had a point when he said that at the end, but you have to find your own arguments to make a choice. It's really an interesting quest imo, you have to take sides without ever knowing who was actually the 'good guy' (or rather, the honest one). Makes the Nirn world more gray instead of black and white, and I'm loving it big time.

Kematu and his bandit friends could be a bunch of well-spoken slavers, for all we know.

I always help Saadia. I like her. I don't like Kematu.

Besides, she's already in exile. And what Lytha said.

Not sure why so many people think the Alikr are honourable
When one of them is captured the rest abandon him, thats not honourable, thats ruthless
The one who is captured sells the others out for his freedom. Again not honourable

As for Kematu being more plausible I spent 7 years working in law courts. Plausibility proves nothing

The problem with the quest is you have no evidence, just their stories and no way of checking them

I just want a way to get the curved swords without bloodshed...

I went with Saadia, but NOT because I believed her. I believe Kematu's story; that she sold out the redguard to the Thalmor...

...so I helped protect her for her fine work.



Long live the dominion

Saadia, because I like seeing her in the Bannered Mare. And I also like eliminating the Alik'r from the gate.

I sided with Kematu.

She's obviously lying:

- Hammerfeld is NOT under Thalmor control. It's a free province. If the Thalmor were after her, she'd be safe in her homeland, much safer than in Skyrim where the Imperials allow the Thalmor to move freely and kidnap/arrest/torture whoever they want. Case closed.

Kematu.


[censored] pulled a knife on me.

^THIS



The first time I saw curved swords was when I stumbled upon 2 dead Alik'r by the road and looted them. Some other road dweller must have killed them.

My personal opinion is that Saadia is obviously the liar; no one from Hammerfell would side with the Thalmor.

My Khajiit just killed Kematu and his men. After he talked with Saadia, he suspected that she would be a mole working for the Thalmor and being a good Khajiit, he worships the Thalmor for bringing back the two moons.

Finally, someone else who understands

It's a pity so few look for information before deciding their characters' options: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Fourth_Era

Well... I sided with her cause it doesn't matter. I play as an Argonian and as far as I know, the Thalmor doesn't care for my race and we live happily in our little Marshland.

Yes we do its called logic, reasoning and knowing history.

The Thalmor invaded Hammerfell and lost. The nation is independent from the dominion and are not subject to the terms of the White-Gold Concordat. Her story is complete and totall bull. Why would she flee the province that beat the Thalmor to Skyrim? Her story falls on its ass without ever speaking to anyone else.

Conclusions drawn logically that rely on incorrect or incomplete information are frequently wrong. Because Saadia is lieing to try and win your aid does not mean Kematu is telling the truth. He also wants your aid.

Except their stories are connected. Saadia's story falls falt on its face, but Kematu's makes sense in context. If both were lying I'd expect widely different explanations.

Maybe but perhaps its because I worked for a prosecutions agency. Balance of probability isn't enough for me to send someone off to an unknown but probably unpleasant fate. I want beyond reasonable doubt and that means evidence, not just Kematu's unsupported word.

Sided with Saadia on my dude and with Kematu on my chick. The only real evidence anyone has provided that Saadia's lying is that Thalmor assassins come after you, but I've seen none come after my chick.

If any of y'all side with Saadia just to get Kematu's gear you don't have to do that because he's still in Swindler's Den after the quest.

Edited to correct the name of Swindler's Den.

So let their courts handle it? I mean if a fugitive from Wisconson hides out in Illinois and law enforcement comes looking, you don't kill them because you can't be sure they're really police officers...The Alik'r warriors are wearing the official Redguard Alik'r garb after all.

If you're really not sure, don't side with either one.


But seriously, you side with Kematu, Saadia might die. You side with Saadia, Kematu DEFINITELY dies.(As do several other Alik'r)
All that work and manpower just to turn 1 specific person into a slave sounds incredulous.

That's a weird sense of justice you have.

Well... you're never going to get rid of those two at the gate.
Ever; they're tenacious. Also drove me crazy...
"Need something?" they'd always say, in their nerdy Eddie Murphy Alik'r voices.
Made me want to pull a Kurgan (from Highlander) on them every time:
"Don't talk to me. Don't EVER speak to me..."

Hey while I think of it, somebody should make a Kurgan armor mod - the helm, that iconic helm is so sick...

The bottom line is: it's all voice acting and CGI so it's not like we can observe them for the signs (body language and voice inflections) that they aren't telling the truth. Most likely Saadia is lying more, but with what we're given we can't be 100% sure (I still haven't seen Thalmor hit squads come after me for turning her in.). Even the excuse that the Hammerfellian government wouldn't come after someone for speaking out against the Thalmor can be spun. Perhaps their government doesn't want anyone speaking out against the Thalmor because it's a done deal. Even after a victory there would still be plenty of disdain towards the Thalmor for starting it. The Hammerfellian government may feel that there's no need to stir the pot and make the Thalmor suspicious that Hammerfell plans to invade Altmer lands in retaliation so Saadia needs to Please continue, my good sir. before she starts a movement.


Which they could've bought at Radiant Raiment...which is run by Altmer...who are very arrogant like the Thalmor.

I can go out and buy police uniforms if I want too. That doesn't mean I automatically assume every police officer is actually a kidnapper in disguise.