Saw this in another thread, so before it pops up a serious question, Are the blades scumbags? Based on their actions towards the dragons even post MQ and responses to the dragonborn, who they are sworn to serve and protect, if (s)he doesn't do as they say.
Discuss scumbags

Sorry but... lol.

Depends on your perspective.

Very few absolutely good or bad folks ... and good/bad is often in the eye of the beholder.

Obviously the GreyBaerds have one, perhaps less than objective given their relationship to Paarthurnax, viewpoint and Nords who've had their homes/towns roasted (in current Tamriel times) by dragons may have a different perspective.

My own is that, given Paarthurnax's own description of dragon personality, other beings might want to take a better safe than sorry route ... in which case, the Blades might be seen as quite admirable.

Of course this may cause a problem if "our" dragonborn doesn't share their perspective re: dragon extermination however, when you look at the nature of a "dragonborn", i.e., absorbs dragon souls leaving them entirely defunct, a "dragonborn" concern re: dragons surviving may seem somewhat contradictory.

Cripes, how many times are people going to be called scumbags in a day?

Totally called it.

Now we just need an "Is everyone a scumbag?" thread to bring it to a close.

Great Scott, Cecliff, what have you done?! What have you donnneeeeee!!!??

Wow. A new 'net meme is born from the ashes and idiocies of one poster's mental aberrations.... *sigh*

Yeah the blade are scumbags... they treat the dragonborn like dirt... like a slave. WTF how can you treat someone so poorly when you're suppose to serve them.

Ulfric is a scumbag! Oh wait... different topic!

So many scumbags these days that I wrote in the wrong place.

Ulfric isn't a scumbag

He is... he totally is.



And Blades are not scumbags. They are "Dragon Hunters" which means they... HUNT DRAGONS. Genious!

The Blades have rediscovered that they should kill Dragons, and our character may end up being the last remnant of the Dragons on Nirn. Who would they go after at that point, to ensure thier Genocide is complete

The blades are protectors of the Emperors and are seen as professional bodyguards in oblivion.
Hundreds of years ago they are dragon slayers
They are highly honored throughout tamriel
So no, they are not scumbags. If anyone is scumbag its the thalmor.
Remember the blades are meant to hunt dragons, so of course they wont trust parthunax, which then lead them to go angry and lose their control

And yet, Paarthurnax was protected by emperors. So what? They listen and protect the Emperor only when they feel like it?

Also, for me, Delphine and Esbern are not "The Blades". They are members of that organization, not the Organization itself.

The Blades are not scumbags, they simply do not exist anymore. The historical faction is gone, destroyed in a cold war waged in the darkness.

The two in Skyrim used to belong to the Blades, but the Blades are no more. They think they can speak for the Blades, but since the Blades don't exist the are just spouting off their own opinions. In their opinion the Blades (the two of them) need to go back to the old ways, the very old ways, the way things were when there were dragons ... like a thousand years ago. How would these two know what the Blades were really like over a thousand years ago? Old books and tales can't give that kind of details.

What the two in Skyrim are is Glory Seekers. They want to re-establish themselves by becoming known dragon slayers, as the ones who pushed back the dragons.

What really gets me is their long term goals ... they don't seem to have any. They never mention getting back under the support of the Empire or the Emperor. It is like they will be a faction on their own forever.

Not scumbags per-say, just stuck in their ways and highly agitative since there is only like, 2 left lol.

Explain why the Blades should listen to an Emperor who has disavowed them, and given the way dragons are making a comeback, would himself revoke the Septims' protection of dragons?

I'm talking about Paarthurnax, not all the Dragons that are making a comeback.
I'm also talking about the previous Emperors that protected Paarthurnax (it's either Esbern or Delphine that mention that he was protected by previous Emperors) not about Mede.
And, once again, Delphine and Esbern, for me, are not The Blades.

Also, who's to say what THEY did all these years to survive? Or can they say they kept their honor intact? Surely some trickery, deceit and even back-stabbing might have come into play.

What does honor have to do with it? The Blades never were some fluffy-headed group of paladins. The Septims are no more - the old rules no longer apply.

Quite simple and ill explain.
The emporers if they gave the ok to kill paar, they woulda had to go thru the greybeards first. Weither they actually got past the greybeards or got shouted apart, the people of skyrim would have been unfronted and most likely taken up arms as it was not only a grp they highly honored but also a declaration of war. The emporers would have stuck witha political fiasco and so they had a logically reason for not wanting the blades to go after him.

The dragonborn is neither emporer nor would suffer any king of fiasco or public outrage in killing paar since the dragonborn can walk freely up to paar. There is no political or public fiasco the dragonborn would suffer, only the displeasure of the greybeards.

So basically if the emporers would have given the order, they would be at war with skyrim. The dragonborn does it, he only has the greybeards pissed off at him.

Thats why. Nothing about paar being honorable or anything like that, it was at the time the action did not outweigh the consequences.

You're all scumbags.

So being a bad-ass and being honorable are mutually exclusive? And I'm talking about their deeds. Honorable, right, wrong, evil - however you want to put it. I was wondering on the deeds they (Esbern and Delphine) did all those years in order to survive.

As for "the Septims are no more" - well, then I guess Delphine and Esbern can come up with any reason they want to exact their justice.

The Septims protected Paarth. E+D : "screw that, the Septims are no more". "Mede protects Paarth" (we're talking theory now) E+D : "Screw that, he handed our heads over to the Thalmor" "Rule this and that says you have to respect this and that" E+D : "Screw that, we make our own rules!"
By this logic they can come up with everything, do whatever they want, still be considered the Blades etc. This sound more to me like a rouge organization, not The Blades.

Read the post above the one above you.

The emporers only forbade killing paar because it would disrupt the unity between skyrim and the empire. That was it. The dragonborn can go past the greybeard obstacle and do what the emporers and the blades could never do before and thats kill paar without starting a war.

The emporers had something legible holding them back, where as the dragonborn has absolutly zero.

I did read the post above. But I'm not talking about whether or not the Dragonborn can kill Paarth without creating a political tense situation.
I'm talking about Delphine's and Esbern's actions, and whether they are right in asking to kill Paarth.

And we never know if the only reason all the previous Emperors protected P. was to prevent a conflict. Maybe some considered him a cool guy and wanted him around!

And their reason for not killing Nafaalilargus? Or for enlisting dragons in their army?