Good character: Why should I kill a good dragon?
Evil character: I'm the Dragonborn, how dare you disrespect me?

So nope, I will never kill him.

Yeah, The Greybeards also have a nice statement about the Blades. "Just a warning - the Blades have NEVER served the Dragonborn. Don't believe them."

So we know which way Bethseda was leaning.

After they told me that, I threw them off of the cliff behind Cloud Ruler Temple. Then I stole Dragonbane and took off.

Well, Ulfric is a Jarl but was caught during a skirmish in which he was leading his men.

As for the guildmaster doing some jobs, I would expect that only the most difficult heists or assassinations are passed to high ranked members. All the radiant quests job in the guilds are even easier that the jobs at the beginning of the respective quest lines.

It would be if you couldn't get it before the Paarth quest. ;D

Anyhoo! Lets looks at what they both offer..

Blades

+Free beds! (in YOUR temple, which YOU got for them)
+A bugged potion which doesn't work at the moment.

-Reluctant to help you save the world.
-Stole the damn horn you needed.
-Bad attitude, even though they need your help
-Instead of trying to kill Paarth themselves, the give you an ultimatum, and attempt to strong arm you into doing all their work for them.


Paarth

+Actively helps you.
+Helps you get one of three powers.
+Allegiance of the Greybeards who also help you and can point you towards word walls.
+Helps you fight Alduin (which alone is more help then the Blades ever offered you.)
+Is adorable.

-You can't sleep in the beds in Sky Ruler Temple.

It's actually nice to know it was good writing on Bethesda's part that Delphine's controlling nature is deliberate.

She's annoyed SHE'S not the Ultimate Hero and basically wants you to be a Private in HER army.

You're a nuke to her, not a general.

Yeah I found myself liking the blades at first, even was gonna start recruiting for them. Then I have to kill parth or they will have nothing to do with me? WTF? I thought we were cool blades, very disappointing. Your sh*tty guild/clan can stay at two members now and die off for all I care.

It annoys me because I *WANT* to rebuild the Blades.

Hell, I know they won't do it because it'd be murder but I'd love a sequel where you can take over the Empire as the Dragonborn and found a new dynasty.

The Blades could my 007 agents again!

I like these guys and think they were a powerful force for good but every conversation with Delphine seems to start with her thinking you're an idiot.

What does that mean? The last game's very opening had blades dying right away for a dragonborn. Then after that sequence, protecting and sheltering his son. Further back, it was Tiber Septim himself who founded them.

The Greybeards suddenly appear in this game, and they're just going to rewrite Elder Scrolls history. History that's actually presented in the games themselves, and not just hidden as a footnote in a random book.

It's obvious they wish to direct the course of the Dragonborn THEIR way.

It means they found each other useful. The death of the Septim bloodline is what started the chain of events which allowed Alduin to return to Mundus. Had they succeeded in preserving Martin's life (what dumb name for a latin inspired emperor) Alduid would have never returned.

The Blades are descendants of akaviri dragonslayers. They tend to stick around dragonborns because only they can make a dragon dead for good. That's why they 'protected' the emperors... in case dragons should return they have their ace ready in the sleeve. Other than that, they don't care for the empire... the proof is that they don't interfere in the stormcloack rebellion.

I walked into the Sleeping Giant with a new character, and overheard Delphine complaining to the guy behind the bar about being almost out of ale. I can't remember the exact words, but she wondered if he was listening and had wax in his ears. Left me with an impression of her being kind of overbearing.

The Blades have totally forgotten their oath to protect the Dragonborn. None of the Blades of the past would have thought it acceptable to place an ultimatum on the Dragonborn they served. It would be completely out of their character. Skyrim's Blades have decided that now dragonslaying is their defining purpose. Apparently the Dragonborn of the past were somehow more worthy of their loyalty. They seem to have a very selective memory.

Their ultimatum is really nothing short of a betrayal. Whoever they are, they are not the same Blades as Jauffre, Baurus, Caius, and Lady Brisienna. It seems to me that they've lost all sense of honor for the sake of some old vendetta.

This whole part of the main quest seems poorly paced and unfinished. We have no way of expressing our opinion to the Blades, other than to kneel to them and do as they wish, or just walk away. The way the ultimatum is presented is abrupt and comes out of nowhere. They (the writers) should have done a better job of foreshadowing it.

In defense of the Greybeards, at least they aren't demanding that I kill a friend.

Killing a former tyrant against mortals is hardly "their" way. How is that about them? Just because they're adamant about justice doesn't necessarily mean they're merely self-interested.

Paarth has two things going against him, that some like to ignore. He's not only a dragon, which already makes him a threat, but his past makes him a threat.

Note, I'm just saying a "threat". If people can at least acknowledge that, and still choose him, then that's cool. But it's kind of annoying when people call him "cute" or "awesome", and two mere humans are the scourge of the earth or something. They did nothing as bad as Paarthurnax. Not yet at least.

Screw the Blades, the Greybeards, the Imperials, and the Stormcloaks! We're going to do things MY way:

1. Undercut Delphine and Esbern's influence by recruiting only my most loyal followers into the Blades. With superior numbers and prowess, I dominate both of them and emerge as the true leader of the blades. I order them to go hunt down a dragon to get a taste of what the experience is like. (They'll most likely end up dead).

2. Learn all I can from Paathurnax and the Greybeards. Seek a way to bend the whole draconic race to my will with a thu'um such that I have a score of ariel fire bombers. (ultimate siege weapons galore)

3. Eliminate Paathurnax and the Greybeards to prevent anyone else from learning the thu'um and to protect Skyrim from the potential slip-up of an ancient dragon.

4. Use High Hrothgar as a new stronghold for a Blades army by drawing upon the ranks of the Companions at Whiterun.

5. Enter the civil war. Divide and Conquer. Raze the fortresses and strongholds of the Imperials and Stormcloaks to the ground with my new and authentic "Dragonguard". Claim the jagged crown of Skyrim.

Roleplaying is fun!

It's a question of character. Do you believe that Paarthurnax has changed his ways? If yes, then spare him. If no, then he has to die. But even if I chose to kill him, I could never trust the Blades again.

On a sidenote, I think they specifically got Joan Allen to play Delphine because of some influence from the Bourne Identity movies. She's a covert/shady/authoritarian character there as well, but she's not bad. I don't think it was Bethesda's intention. If she and Esbern were so bad, they'd be killable - and not performed by the two biggest names in the game.

He flat out tells you that he hasn't - and more importantly - that he never can. He has to fight his desire to return to his old ways on a daily basis.

It's a tough one. In the end I (my character) can't bring myself to kill him for what he might do, but I understand why some people think he needs to die.

Killing someone who saved mankind twice over, along with leading one of the most respected group of monks for thousands of years in complete peace, is not really what I'd call "justice". Mankind would've never learned Thu'um if it weren't for him, which was instrumental in banishing Alduin. And without him or the Greybeards (whom he had been leading), you'd have been completely lost in your quest against Alduin. Even if you do attack him, he just sits there and takes it until he gets low on health, which shows he really doesn't want to fight.

The dragonborn has the same will to dominate as the dragons do, thus is just as much of a threat. Paarth has had thousands of years to show he can keep himself in check. When the Dragonborn wants to show mercy, the Blades demand blood. So what's better.. pushing the Dragonborn onto a path of vengeance and domination, or letting him strive for peaceful coexistence?

No, he says he has changed his ways. He has to fight the desire to go back to the way he was (and that's something that will never go away), but he's able to keep it supressed and can trust himself to not revert back. The thousands of years he's been head of an order dedicated to peaceful worship with thu'um shouldn't be ignored. Even when he has you say hello by shouting fire in his face, he's able to take it in stride.

The Blades act as if they haven't commited any kinds of sins and play angels.

I don't know what your character is like, but mine is part of the DB, kills innocent people for money or kills bandits for gold.
So he doesn't judge anyone, that's why I won't kill him.

That's just a gameplay mechanic. He is set to friendly, and like most friendly NPCs, it takes a few hits for them to distinguish between "friendly fire" and "intentional fire".

The Blades (all 2 of them) are TOTALLY self-interested. They have delusions of grandeur about their past, and your (the PC's) future.

Tiber Septim forbade the Blades from slaying Paarthurnax ~400 years ago, and the Blades acquiesced, but it appears that the (2) Blades of today think that they can push you around, because you lack any sort of political capital, or something.

And they assume that you're completely ignorant.

So they feed you their version of history, and tell you that it's your destiny to wage a pogrom against Dragonkind. And if you don't follow along, they won't let you into their Super Special Secret Fort anymore. (The one that you opened up for them by spilling your own blood, mind you.)

They're taking advantage of your lack of footing, your na?veté. Don't let them.

They have their agenda, and it appears that this has always been the case... but you don't openly oppose a great general-come-emperor-come-Godhead.

You, on the other hand, are a peon, a tool, for as long as they can keep you believing so...

I don't know, a gameplay video I saw showed him taking a good 5 or 6 hits before reacting at all. Isn't there a three-shot limit before friendlies go hostile?

He also had Nafaalilargus, the "proud jewel of the Imperial crown", in his army.

This isn't quite related, but I'm confused. I thought men already knew the Thu'um. i.e. Dragon Priests and draugr who hang around word walls. If Paarthurnax is the one who benevolently bestowed the voice, then who were these guys? They served dragons, knew shouts, but weren't "good". They ruled over their fellow humans.