What's next? Vegetarian Bosmer?

What Would Y'ffre Do?

green pact is only valid inside valenwood. So no, he isn't.

Someone needs to read up on the fluff . Also the bosmer are diverse beyond belief, seen all across Tamriel from everything to vegetarian agents to singing artists.

He could just cut dead trees

Bosmer sticking to the Green Pact are like Catholics avoiding meat on Fridays. Just for a funny RL example

Can you provide examples please? I've played Bosmer since Daggerfall, but until Skyrim did I read any lore and found out that they were cannibals who couldn't harm a plant. Was pretty shocked to find out that my favorite tree hugging archers couldn't make their own wooden bows or eat anything but meat and their fallen enemies! Yuck... anyway, my Woodelf is a deviant omnivore who eats everything short of Giant Toes and mercilessly mutilates any and all flowers, moss, and fungi for alchemical libations regardless of the silly Green Pact.

I'm telling your mother

They are allowed to use wood, they just can't chop it down themselves. And the Green Pact is null outside of Valenwood. For instance, a Bosmer may not chop down a tree in Valenwood to make a bow, but an Imperial can chop down the tree, make a bow and sell it to the Bosmer. And the Bosmer could do it all himself if it took place in Skyrim.

And as for diversity, not all Bosmer are fanatical either. There are plenty of Bosmer bandits out there, and I don't think they eat all of their victims.

So the only "holy" plants are the ones in Valenwood proper, and it's still ok for a Woodelf to profit from a felled tree as long as he didn't personally swing the axe? That seems pretty legalistic for a metaphysical motivation.

That's what I've gathered from what I've read. Can't remember where though, but I'll try to find the source.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Pocket_Guide_to_the_Empire,_1st_Edition/Aldmeri_Dominion. Racier than its 3rd edition, which was more legit. Just remember that it was "written" at the beginning of Septim Empire, so the book is full of total imperialist stereotypes, as noted by "elven owner," who writes down all these footnotes with his own bias.

or http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:A_Dance_in_Fire. Fun read about valenwood life. Poor Scotti never catches a break.

Thanks for providing the links. The quotes I had in mind were the following: ""Though they are excellent archers, the Green Pact forces their bowyers and fletchers to use bone or similar materials, or to buy bows and arrows from other cultures. The use of woodcrafts created by another race is not forbidden, nor is the sale of their own Valenwood timber as long as it is collected by a non-Bosmeri."

"At the trading posts of the Empire, the Wood Elves become very happy. Some creations of carpentry delight them to no end. Most of it has never occurred to them. They bring their own trade items: hides, river pearls, finger-bone charms made from the still-magically-charged hands of their dead wizards. They often buy woodcrafts that they have no use for or whose use they never bother to find out. Some of the bravest Wood Elven warriors use wagon wheels as shields, or as (they think) impressive headgear."

But as you said, the old Pocket Guide is full of bias but there may be some truth to it. Either that or the Bosmer we meet outside of Valenwood generally don't follow the Green Pact all that much. Just like how real life religious people may ignore the religious rules they do not like.

Awesome and enlightening read. I love the in game lore books, but I never guessed that "A Dance in Fire" was about Valenwood, so it was pretty low priory on my reading list. Thanks for the heads up. Poor Scotti! That guy has the worst luck, and the writing is so vivid and human that you really feel for the poor schmuck. Gotta wonder why he ever bothers to venture outside of Cyrodiil.

Offtopic now, but


Scotti certainly gets around. He returns in Oblivion with http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:The_Argonian_Account.