Well, be that as it may. I would say that Paar understands that being immortal does not mean invulnerable. And having spent 5000 years meditating on peace and reverence of the gods, I think it has tempered him enough that he would make a just king over the Dragons.

Anyway... it's just a game so who really cares?

Well, the actual game is lacking (imho).

This is the stuff that makes it more fun than it is and gives it more life.


Anyways, I've gone through the same thoughts as some people above. I still think if he was just a person (like a war criminal or a pedophile), no matter how old, they deserve justice. Despite the Blades talking about Justice though, their overall goal seems to be extermination of dragons. I don't think that's useful necessarily. He could be of some help (he already is). So I made a new character that spares Paarthurnax. I have nothing to lose really. I'll ride out this storyline, if they revisit it. He could be a good ally. If he's not, and flips out, then the Blades can simply say "I told you so." Even if they hated me for it, they're still not going to try to kill me for it.


edit: Here's another thing. Odahviing and Paarthurnax help spice up the game in their own way. They are fantasy creatures that you can ally with. There isn't much of that in this game. Everything is very humanoid-centric. Daedra are different, I guess, but they just want you to be a servant. It's an even more shallow relationship.

I guess it's time to put in my 2 cents. I have recently turned my attention onto the main quest and have gotten to the point where the first battle with the World Eater ended in his defeat/retreat. I was completely looking forward to setting up base at Sky Haven temple and begin work on recruiting/rebuilding the Blades, but then Esbern and Delphine ask something of me I couldn't even begin to ponder; and that is to kill the one dragon allied to the human cause Paarthunax before they will have anything else to do with me.

On one hand, I applaud Bethesda's writers for throwing in such a morally gray choice, but in the process of presenting that choice they turned the once fascinating (to me at at least) story and character of the surviving Blades into completely one-dimensional people bent on their own idea of "justice" akin to the character Inspector Javert of Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables who only concerned himself with the law and his idea of justice and payed no heed to the kind and good person the protagonist Jean Valjean has become only that he need to be brought to justice for crimes long past no matter what the cost or consequence.

Granted, the Blades may have a point and Paarthunax crimes against other living races, regardless of whether or not they are long past and regardless of whether his actions have actually saved the world and human/mer/beast-man kind: There may be a point where he would be considered irredeemable, like an alternate universe Hitler having a change of heart and instead of killing himself and attempting to spend the rest of his life trying to serve the same humanity he has so utterly wronged. There are going to be people who are never going to let their need for justice and vengeance slide.

The problem is that Esbern and Delphine do not leave the topic open to discussion, it either you kill Paarthunax or they will never deal with you again, while Paarthunax acknowledges the Blades desire to kill him and does not blame them for wanting to do so. Do I want to align myself with people so blinded with justice that they refuse to serve the greater good until that so call justice is served or do I wait and see like the Graybeards suggest until the best course of action reveals itself? Personally I choose the latter (though I may try out the former on a completely different playthrough).

What I really want to do is arrange a duel between one of the Blades and Paarthunax and the victor will decide the ultimate fate of the Blades and whose loyalty the Dohvakiin will ultimately align with. Now granted this is probably death to whatever Blade decides to go head to head with Paarthunax, so we build up the Blades, train one who is able to shout and teach that one the Dragonrend shout to make an even match.

Until that time, Delphine, Esbern, the newly recruited Blade recruits and Paarthunax and the Graybeards must unite under the Dohvakiin, to bring peace to the world and stand together in that cause to fight all those who threaten that peace.

Too bad no such option exists, aside from potential PC mods... =/

actually paar also never feels bad about what he did in the past, his own words "I was acting as a Dovah was created to do" per se. The whoel criems in the past he NEVER admits remorse or anythign of that nature, it was in his nature to do those things, he was acting as a dovah supposed to. So we got the crimes he did in the past, he dosent even feel sorry for, THEN u got the whole "hes been mediatiung on the mountain top for 5000 years suppressing his primal instincts to dominate or act as a dovah does"...well right after u take care of Alduin, Paars no longer mediating or suppressing, hes all about "the dragons bowing before the righteousness of my thuum"...so hes off dominating again.

In this case, it is also Bethesda's shortcomings that leave out an option for you as Dovahkiin to put Paarthunax in his place and establish a pact with him and his kind. After all, Paar would not be in a position to dominate anything so long as his brother remained alive. He owes his right to dominion to the Dovahkiin, a mortal. "Dominate your kind if you must, but you will leave mortal beings to dominate themselves."

What would Paar do? Attack a Dovahkiin who has already absorbed the souls of many dragons and know Dragonrend and who will gladly teach the words to any mortal able to learn and use them? The Dragonborn we play has both Paarthunax and the Blades over a barrel at this stage. If he can get Paar to defer, both he and Paar can confront the blades. And with the blades faced with the one they accuse who has laready sworn fealty to the Dragonborn, a pact between the three could be made. Maybe it only would last until the Thalmor are defeated and the Empire is restored, and the Dragonborn is crowned Emperor. Maybe then Paar will decide to beak the pact. Then Dovahkiin can destroy him if he does... And things have changed. Now the words of Dragonrend belong to mortals. Would that not give the dragons pause? Would they risk the one thing that they believe gives them dominion over mortals? Would they risk their immortality? Do Dragons reproduce? One mortal with Dragonrend brought Alduin to his end. What might many mortals with that thu'um be able to accomplish.

So you see, It wouldn't just be fear of losing dominion Paar would be faced with, but also of losing his very existance. And unless I am mistaken, he is the second strongest after Alduin who is already destroyed. Who would stand next in line?

In all of Paar's 5000 years of meditation and contemplation, surely he should be able to recognize when someone has his butt in a sling. By what he chooses to do, he would seal the fate of his kind forever. In effect, as long as someone can shout Dragonrend at him, for all intents and purposes, he's mortal.

This was a great post. But then you had to get all political and mess it up.

Back away from introducing politics into this thread please.

All of this is... bah... I don't even wanna play the MQ anymore...

There's a reason why this section of the forums is called Cheats, Hints & Spoilers.

It was Ysgramor and his 500 companions, not Tiber Septim. I do not know if Ysgramor used the thu'um but I don't think he did, but I could be wrong. However, if Tiber Septim did not unite the lands of Tamriel under the Empire, things would have been very different. It's like; would you prefer having the Roman Empire (being dominated by one faction) or the splintered states following it's fall? (Independence but chaos)

The Greybeards are doing it right, but they are not as pacifist as some people (like Delphine) think. The Greybeards say that using your Voice in service to Akatosh is good enough for the Dragonborn, he/she does not have to stop using the Thu'um. They were the ones who told Tiber Septim of his destiny to rule the Empire as well. So the Greybeards are not trying to stop the usage of power, but rather keeping it in the right hands, which is the right thing to do if you ask me.

Sometimes I kinda get the feeling that he secretly desires to replace Alduin. My main character is aligned with the Blades and will kill him eventually but if I ever do the MQ again I might spare him just for giggles.

LoL

You didn't get anything. I wrote that coz I can't decide what side I should chose.