No, I don't want complete uncertainty. Just more genuine controversy. If I want to roleplay a Talos supporter, for example, it should feel a little more up in the air. Facts just breed too much confidence. It's not a religion, or even a philosophy, at that point. It's the actual expression of how the world is supposed to work.

As for Andraste, yeah, there's something unique about her. The controversy lies more in the chantry's claims on her. She could have been a mage herself, for all we know. Which is why she was interested in it's control, in the first place. Except, the cause might've gotten abused by anti-mage fanatics (this is merely one way of looking at it).

How do you know? Provide evidence its not hereditary. The Septims were called dragonborn and you can't prove that they weren't dragonborn.

Here's what you don't get, there was no Talos contraversy until the Thalmor took power in the Summerset Isles. And remember virtually all the lore comes from books written in the game. The in-game books could be full of [censored].

As far as I know, the hereditary blessing was only given to Alessia.

Talos came out of nowhere, like our character in Skyrim, and created his own Septim dynasty. I haven't found anything that said he was related to Alessia.

You quoted the wrong person here mate... Anyway http://www.imperial-library.info/content/first-era. 1E242. Alessia signs the convenant. lights the Dragonfires. This is the first "empress" of Tamriel. 2920 same era, Reman dynasty dies. Which is a different dynasty they all lighted the dragonfires. Keep in mind that these people are Imperials. Then http://www.imperial-library.info/content/third-era at the start of the Third Era Tiber Septim creates a new Empire and lights the dragonfires again.

Then read the history of the Empire http://www.imperial-library.info/content/morrowind-brief-history-empire Tiber Septim ruled, his grandon ruled and then the throne went to a different line of the family. Meaning if Tiber was dragonborn, the first and last and only his children would have been then nobody else would have been. There are more gaps there, like a Dark Elf Empress ruling who could not light the dragonfires because of no blood relation.

There is also absolutely no evidence that Alessia and Tiber are in anyway shape or form related and in fact there is evidence that not every Emperor from the First Empire was related to previous Emperors. Yet the Dragonfires were lit throughout all those times. The dragonfires can only be lit by somebody with dragonblood. Which means being a Dovahkiin is not hereditory...

Btw: You do not dragonblood in order to lit the fires. How you can become "dragonborn" is a completely different discussion.

Even if it was hereditary, there were periods in time when there wasnt a Septim on the throne and the dragonfires seemed to work just fine. Its not so much the dragonblood as the Alessian pact with Akatosh that was the neccesity.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Septim#Kintyra_Septim

Just read the book of the Dragonborn. No blood relation and all that. Akatosh's blessing falls where he chooses (though if it were Lorkhan's blessing, as with the Amulet of Kings, everything would make a lot more sense).

He doesn't have to be related to Alessia, red hair is hereditary but not every red head is related.

I never said they were related.

What was the pact? Didn't it have a line about Should the dragonfires fail, and should no heir of our joined blood wear the Amulet of Kings, then shall the Empire descend into darkness, and the Demon Lords of Misrule shall govern the land. Does the joined blood refer simply to Alessia and her decendents, or any human joined with dragonblood?

Ok I read the book
"Those blessed by Akatosh with "the dragon blood" became known more simply as Dragonborn." If we take this book to be true, then dragonblood refers to being dragonborn. The creation of the first dragonborn doesn't even mention soul, the word isn't even in the book. Alessia shared blood with Akatosh and become The book also states The Akaviri proclaimed Reman Cyrodiil as Dragonborn. Its also stated in the text. "The line of Septims have all been Dragonborn, of course"

I am not saying that there is some line from Alessia to Martin, I never did you people just assumed. Its completely unnecesary Akatosh can start a dragonborn line from scratch. Which he appears to have done two or three times.

If it's heriditary, even loosely, then I wonder if there's some latent akavir bloodline in some humans. And not merely a blessing, but something genetic connecting all of these different characters.

Who said Tiber Septim was Dragonborn? I thought he was the byproduct of the greybeards, the great pretenders.

This is because it is a world based on the classical era where people are indoctrinated at an early age to accept the parthenon, as opposed to Dragon Age where it is portraying a medieval setting.

Like Ulfric? No, he was dragonborn. Although I think he did train with the Greybeards more than the Dovahkiin in Skyrim.

The Amulet of the Kings with Akatosh's Blood was what lit the dragonfires anyways, to my understanding. Being Dragonborn (or not) had nothing to do with it. And Marten tapped that power out when he broke it, turning into the Dragon/Avatar, which isn't really to say it was even an avatar of Akatosh proper, rather then just a fairly powerful mortal wielding his equivalent of one of the Daedric Artefacts,

Other indications to the Septims not being Dragonborn, and the Dragonborn gift not being hereditary are that the Greybeards certainly knew Tiber had heirs, but never summoned any of them to High Hrothgar to study or even receive basic training the way they did Tiber Septim himself.

It's 9 Divines you F'in commie Imperials!

The heirs of Tiber Septim were Emperors, or kings or high ups in society. Training with the greybeards would take time that they do not have.

And yes being dragonborn had something to do with it. You need to be dragonborn in order to light the fires. Martin also summoned an avatar of Akatosh, he did not use an artifact and turned himself into a dragon on fire...

Key word being "was".
RPing a Thalmor sypmhathizer in game is one thing, doing that IRL? why? We out here know the lore, the Skyrim residents don't have the same blueprints.

Too bad Cthulhu is not in Skyrim... R'lyeh dungeon would have been amazing to visit... and maybe we could recover magical gear from down there, like a staff with tentacles or a sword made of human bones and flesh =D !

And maybe a dragon shout to call the deep ones and the enemy is swallowed through the ground...

And of course, we could recover the necronomicon book and give it to the old guy in his iceberg (located to the north of the mage academy)

Apparently Martin was also a daedra worshiper. Maybe the Thalmors save the whole of Tamriel and the Septims took credit for it.

Spoken like someone who didn't see the end of Oblivion. Or your being a smartbutt

I think he's referring to Martin's past? Although, yeah, he's not a friend of daedra in the end. I remember him having some line about losing his youth to daedra worship or something though.

He was a Daedra worshipper. This is obvious, but he's also the person that summons Akatosh and sacrifices himself in order to save the world from a Daedra.

Shout: Name the Unspeakable (Ha-Sto-Ur) - Summons Byakhee that try to kill you and anything else around. Use it too often and Hastur himself shows up and it's game over.

There are nine divines. If anybody says otherwise I will cleave them in two!