Just curious how others handeled the paarthrunax situation... the grey beards didn't like my choice but i thought it was the right thing to do just cause paarthrunax had a line where he said ''not a day passes where i dont get the urge to go back to my old ways'' or something of that nature... couldnt take a chance. You know skyrims an awesome game when you really ponder a decision that affects NPC's in the game.

Congratulations you've now destroyed the only path that other dragons had aside from destruction and conquest. For thousands of years he's followed the Way of the Voice and lived peacefully. He could have led other dragons down that path. If Paarthrunax had claimed he felt no temptation I would have killed him right there. Admiting its a struggle is admiting he makes a genuine effort.

He held back for thousands of years, and you took it upon yourself, a freshling to kill him because you couldn't "trust him" even though you're the fing DragonBorn he's literally your big bro, he helps you willingly become EVEN MORE of a threat to his existence than you already where by divulging a certain shout.

come on.


I think some folks are missing the point to paarthurnax

to deal with temptation/Trouble/fear/weakness


You must acknowlegde it first to overcome it.

seeing as im in favor of the Empire, i like to think the blades re-establishment into skyrim is essential to help in the future. besides parth did admit even he had trouble controling his "dova urges" whos to say the hundreds of other dragons are going to be as strong-willed as he was, the blades are just trying to protect skyrim

The first step to getting rid of a weakness is admitting you have it, your argument for murdering him is terrible.

In all honesty, without Paarthurnax, you would never of got
I wish rather than just leaving the quest in my log, I could tell the Blades to !@$% themselves. No way am I betraying big bro Paarth.

I let him live mostly on the fact that the Blades failed miserably in their duties to me, the Dragonborn. The fact that Paarthrunax admits to the daily struugles he deals with pushed me further away from The Blades.

If you didn't kill him then Paarth could've waited until you died and then took over the world. Everything he said to you about being peaceful is just rubbish and I don't believe it. The Way of the Voice will only be a tool that he would've used to get the Greybeards to be his personal guard.

what ever... than comes a new dragon born and [censored]s him up. problem solved.

I'll never kill him. I wish there was an option to feed Delphine to him, though he probably wouldn't eat her, the big softy.

[censored] the blades.... This is my solution http://youtu.be/ZKonJm34bsg <~~~~~ Down with Esbern and the [censored] Delphine.We all have our past that were not happy for. We all have a second chance. If Paarthurnax becomes the next Alduin then I will deal with him as well. Why should I kill him?

Well done, OP. Pathnx should've died thousands of years ago. Beside it's another dragon soul, yum yum.

How integral to the Empire's well-being the Blades are is debatable. I've often felt the Blades have their own agenda and have worked to it from behind the scenes. This agenda hasn't always been in the Empire's interest imo.


He's had thousands of years to make a move if that was his intention...

I disagree.

Besides, that rubbish the Blades say about protecting the Dragonborn is just that: rubbish. They may want to use her to stop the dragons, but they primarily want her to fight the Thalmor. Who knows, they might have been behind Armaud Motierre's plot to assassinate Titus Mede II. Delphine and Esbern have NO loyalty to the Dragonborn OR the Empire. They're the greedy, plotting relics of the past. The Blades of Uriel VII and Martin Septim's reigns would have spat on them.

as a player I have still been unable to make a character for whom ending Paarthurnax was the "right" decision. every time I think I've done it and head out towards that destiny something happens and I decide I like them too much for one reason or another to risk having to delete them because I hated the experience that much.

I'm a svcker and I believe that strength comes from staying your chosen course in the face of adversity, not cleansing the path so that no adversity ever exists. I admire the character too much and honestly feel like I never had enough invested in the "experts" that demand his end to feel like they had his strength of character or wisdom.

I know... way totally RP and... *shrug* sometimes I just can't overcome myself when I'm playing... it's a flaw and one I'm still tempting with each new character making the choice.

btw, you DO realize that Paarthurnax means, when translated, ambitious cruel overlord
Paar=ambitious
Thur=overlord
Nax=cruelty

Was he the ambitious cruel overlord and now has reformed or are we always that which we were and that which we are? Everyone has to answer that for themselves. The threads suggesting that he's just using the Dovahkiin to have the leadership he couldn't wrest from his brother's control have some justification, really. He IS a dragon and he DID warn us.

I'm just a svcker and can't kill him.

I didn't kill Paarthunax. I very strongly disagree with the Blades' reasoning that there are no second chances (or however they phrased it). Sure, he did some bad things, but he did a lot more good things than bad. "Oh I like you and all, but you're kicked out of our club for not killing Paarthunax. Why? Because that's the rules." Gosh I wish there was a dialog option to tell the Blades that they're being complete asshats. XP

There is no sure decision here. I guess it depends on whether you believe in redemption or not. If you do, you have to let him live. If you don't, then you kill him. However if you don't, then you really shouldn't listen to an organization (the blades) that has proven itself so inept every since the Oblivion crisis. Plus as I said before, you have to be careful about accepting that Delphine and Esbern (one field agent and a research librarian) represent the true opinion of the original organization. After all Parth has been there for a LONG time and the emperor apparently never sent the Blades after him right? Why not?

Lastly, the greybeards aren't great warriors, but they're peaceful, and they appear to be wise to me. Surely they deal with Parth all the time. So they've never had any idea that he still had ambition? Or is one meant to believe that they're on board with some campaign of dominance?

There's no real "right" choice because they don't give you the information, but I believe Parth more than I believe Delphine. I'm not saying I'm right, but that is what I'm doing.

And I think people who choose Paarth are missing the point of being a dragonslayer.

If one went the full Greybeard path, you can take it further and resolve the civil war relatively peacefully. The whole deal is set in place for those who are middle of the road and like to find "ideal" compromises.

Guess what though? Not everyone cares to play the role of idealism or peace. They understand what Paarth is about, but there are many valid ways of playing a video game. You can even play multiple characters with different outcomes. *gasp* There is no wrong or right.

My point would be that the Akaveri were dragonslayers and the first Dragonborn was a dragonslayer... my job description didn't come with a contract and it certainly didn't come with a list of duties. I showed up, got shoved down on a chopping block and covered in the blood of a murdered Nord, barely got away with my life and the next thing I know I'm muddling through this thing under the really heavy weight of everyone's expectations and bards in every town singing that I'm the end of all of Skyrim's foes...

zomg...

ALL of them? Is there time? alduin... lesser dragons... civil war... empire in shambles... thalmor around every corner... draugr... dragons... graybeards counciling peace and forbidding use of the voice as a weapon... blades demanding I'm a dragonslayer and telling me they're my soldiers but only if I do what I'm told... thieves in need... dark brotherhood in ruin... daedra everywhere... mage's college has discovered the possible end of the world... LOL

Slaying Skyrim's foes did not enlist me to end all dragons. And as the one in the point position as "the hero," I'll choose my targets, thanks much and blessings of your chosen god or gods to you.

Just gonna say: the decision to retcon the Blades into Dragonslayers was a really bad idea.

Well, there's one guy in Falkreath who doesn't welcome you. You can't dialogue with him, but he says random negative things and sees bad omens. "You have the face of a killer."

There was another thread on this earlier, and to be honest with you....both sides of letting him live or killing him have merit...it just comes down to personal choice.

As for Paarthurnaax taking over the world, that may be his plan.

there are those that say "Well Parthurnaax waited thousands of years, if he was going to do it, he would have done it allready" thats not true at all. Parthurnaax like all other Dragons knew for a fact that Alduin was not dead and could return at anytime....they also knew Alduin had the most powerful Thu"um of all Dragons...the only reason Alduin was their king was because he was the strongest....Parthurnaax could NEVER take over as long as Alduin was alive because he did not have the strongest Thu"Um and had ZERO legitimacy to the Thone/kingship of the dragons as long as Alduin still lived...the other dragons would have laughed at him and pretty much told him that alduin would have his head...and Parthurnaax knew this...he is not stupid.

There is a chance Parthurnaax could be truely reformed, or amybe he isn't...one my Noble Knight Character I killed him....I killed him because it was the right thing to do...As a Noble Knight...my duty was to protect the innocent...i could NOT risk leaving Parthurnaax alive....during the time he want to force the way of the voice on other dragons(Which Odaving calls Tyranny and doubts he would have any success) you can be sure the other Dragons would not go along with Parthurnaax and most likely fight back...that fighting would have spilled out on to the countryside and innocent people would be caught in the crossfire and killed...I can't have that....also, Parthurnaax has the inborn urge to dominate...Alcoholics can stay sober for decades and just lapse one day for no reason...Parthurnaax is no different in that regard.

As a Noble Character, killing Parthurnaax is the right thing to do for the future...to protect all innocent people...you cna't risk another Dragon that is close in power to Alduin taking charge and perhaps having his own agenda

(Parthurnaax DOES NOT show his true power in this game. You NEVER see Parthurnaax use his true power in this game...he hides alot of his power from the Dovakin) for good reason.....Parthurnaax is powerful enough to kill alduin himself if he has a human that can Dragonrend alduin....thats a feat no other dragon can pull off...the game made Parthurnaax kinda weak...but Lore speaking, he is the 2nd oldest Dragon only Alduin is older...the older the Dragon, the more powerful the dragon....Parthurnaax hides his true potential and true power from the Dovahkin because he can't risk letting the Dovhakin know how powerful he actually his....as it would put him at risk...

you can trust for certain...if left alive, if and when the Dragonborn dies, Parthurnaax is the most powerful sentient being in all of Tamriel (Only the Divines and Daedra would be more powerful then him).....and with an army of other dragons...he may be worse then Alduin....in terms of Intelligence...Parthurnaax may be much smarter then Alduin...and had thousands of years to learn to be even more crafty.....Parthurnaax unlike Alduin never underestimates anyone, and patience is a virtue....Alduin can't make quite such a boast...Parthurnaax could be a bigger threat to the World then alduin once Alduin is out of the way.

Its a fair assumption to make...then again...letting Parthurnaax live is viable too.

if it was me making the decision, personally, I would let him live...BUT I would also teach the Greybeards Dragonrend, and I would also carve the words of Dagonrend into a stone in a crypt somewhere....just in case the day comes when Parthurnaax wants to make his move, the knowledge will be there for another hearo to use Dragonrend on him and put a stop to it...