The answer is literally because Delphine is ignorant. She simply doesn't know the history of the Blades, or of the Oath that Tiber Septim made to/with Paarthurnax.

Delphine has heard a small, moticum of information about what she thinks the Blades are supposed to do. "They kill Dragons, and when the Dragonborn comes, you will serve him and help him slay Dragons". But she has zero knowledge of the epic history or duty that the Blades are supposed to stand for.

Thanks to the Thalmor, she never will understand or know either. She is one of the only two Blades left in existence, the Thalmor having killed all of the rest. Maybe she should take some time off and go study in the Imperial Library in Cyrodiil, but alas any option to correct her and get the Blades back onto the right track will either have to wait for a DLC or Expansion, or it will never happen at all. If they aren't going to let us correct her and get the Blades back on track, then they need to remove the essential tag from the last two Blades (because I know that my Dunmer Assassin really wouldn't mind slitting a couple of arrogant, ignorant Blades throats...).

Like someone else mentioned, Delphine is very much like Astrid. She has been the unquestioned leader of the two for so long, that now when presented with an actual Dragonborn (whom she is supposed to serve), she just can't give up the reigns of power. So she is trying to use your character as a tool in her game, which she is ignorant to the actual rules that allowed the Blades to become great in the first place.

The Blades have become nothing more than a pathetic, sad joke of what they once were. They either need to allow us to fix them (a book fetch quest, return visit to Cloud Ruler Temple and Bruma, something...), or they meed to remove the "essential" tag and allow us to kill them (which will also fix the situation). Because as things stand right now, the Blades aren't even worth spitting on.

Just my opinion though...

I don't think its a bad thing having a rivalry between the Blades and the Gray Beards over how to shape the Dragonborn. The problem is that their motivations and goals are never really fleshed out, so you don't really know what they want of you beyond kill Paarthanax or don't kill him, which feels a bit hollow.


They will probably present it in a vague way like saying the Blades helped the Dragonborn defeat Alduin, which would be partly true either way since they set you on the right path during the main quest with the reading of the Dragonwall.

Are we next? Just wondering what anyone else thinks... if we side with them are we essentially disregarding our dragonblood and/or signing on to be the last dragon exterminated?

I think it's 5 years between games and lots and lots of DLC between them before anyone has to worry to what will be reported from our experiences in Tamriel.

Thank the Eight... because I really really love this game and tried to go back to Oblivion and it's just really outdated compared to the beauty and mechanics of this newest game.

She does across as a very arrogant woman who thinks she is always right.
I really wish they had some dialogue where you could just put her in her place ... or get the Thalmor to cart her off.

I say "let them try" - I'll finish what the thalmor started.

I think the Greybeards see the dragonborn more as a dragon, than anyone else. They call him/her Ysmir. I think on the Blades side, the dragonborn could be seen as an agent of the gods (or rather Akatosh).. one created to undo their previous creation, for good. Some of the Akaviri and Ancient Nord mentality goes into this. They see nothing but strife in their history with dragons.. but the only way to fight dragons is playing their own game. Fighting fire with fire. And the dragonborn is an ultimate weapon against them.

@Korr that's a really good point. I suppose if you "overlook" dragon blood and take it to the root, a gift of Akatosh then the Dragonborn becomes just another weapon in the arsenal against Skyrim's foes... or in this case, really Tamriel's foes.

Which brings us back to the original point... the Blades' purpose is to slay dragons and maybe, just maybe, Delphine's seeming dismissal of our authority and insistance that we are a tool to be utliized makes a little more sense?

@Ryuujin_O ... that's right! I'm still asking every day when I log in and check what's available that I'll get the DLC to tell Delphine what I think of her attitude and kick her out or kill her for her insubordination so that I can build the Blades in the image I choose. I did throw, well... SHOUT... her off of Sky Haven once when a dragon appeared, trying to make the best of an opportunity, and all that. That woman walked back out into the gardens from inside the temple like nothing happened before Esbern and myself could finish off the dragon. If she had a killable status I'd have taken her out forever ago.

I think Delphine's mentality mostly comes down to her own personal hangups, not any philosophy against the dragonborn specifically. When it comes down to it, she's really just some paranoid soldier, who's been living on the run for a long time. She's only grandmaster because it simply fell to her because of lack of headcount. She wasn't a grandmaster when they were operating more widely, I think. And Esbern isn't the leader because he was always more of the archivist to begin with. So that all said, I think she acts like she does because everyone and everything she's know has fallen apart, and now she's become a control freak and doesn't want it to fall apart further. Except she's just her own worst enemy, and alienates people by being that way. Real people are like this sometimes, with their jobs or family.

And like I said, I only play this side out of rp reasons. I like the Blades, but I wouldn't mind seeing her finally having a meltdown and turning on me fully. It'd make for an interesting story at least.

Personally, I was hoping that Delphine would be one of the marriage candidates.

Other than that I could care less about either the Blades or the old farts up on the mountain other than their direct involvement in the main quest line.

Just to add to my "my character needs to be educated by Delphine" comment: I'm going to start a new playthrough where I expand on that and side with the Stormcloaks as well. I want to roleplay a guy who looks up to both Delphine and Ulfric. Bonus if I get screwed over by both of them later.

He betrayed Alduin centuries before Dragonborn even existed. I think St. Alessia was the first.

"What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

My gosh, if people actually listened to the story, and paid attention to all the dialogue, this pointless back-and-forth bickering over if Paarthunax is the "good guy" or not wouldn't happen.

This.

We are in agreement. He's certainly more honest and straightforward than the Dragonborn. I know what he is. I know who he is. I know he is very very dangerous. Yet I'm still not certain that the threat of Alduin is gone forever. It is like the delay of Ragnorok -- my money is on Fenris here. At some point Alduin will end this cycle and a new cycle will begin. NOTE: I have not done the final Alduin battle yet.

I'm assuming that the DB absorbs Alduin's soul, and thus becomes Alduin or has the capacity of passing on Alduin to an offspring. So instead of killing Paarthurnax, the Blades should be killing you, the Dragonborn. Not that they could. Eventually the soul of Alduin gets recycled as a future dragonborn who will unmake the world as a whole, not just remove man or mer from it.

But given the choice between talking to Paarthurnax, Aerngir(?), or Esbern/Delphine, after the first Alduin confrontation when you first learn Dragonrend, how many here talked to Esbern/Delphine vs. Paarthurnax?

Perhaps this should be a book then, instead of a game. What's the point of playing anything if one choice is so obviously right. When there is that amout of linearity and a single vision to things, it is almost always better in the form of a novel or movie.

And here I thought games like this were all about choices and perspective, and Bethesda leaving room for us to roleplay our own stories. That the true story and angle of morality is one our own imagination imposes. But nope, it's all about the obvious good and obvious courses of action and how the "true game" is guessing what kind of character was intended to be the right way and how certain actions get the approval of some invisible morality meter. Silly me. Trying to roleplay in a roleplaying game.

tbh i like the strife between the blades and greybeards.....what i dont like is 2 things. When i heard that the blades were in this game i gave a lil fan boy scream seeing how i will finally have my personal own army that only purpose is to serve/protect/advise me without me having to join somethign and work my way up and the leader getting killed etc etc, i was gonna have a grp thats for me just because i was me the dragonborn. Alas i get 2 old cranky people who are trying to boss ME around and give me an ultimatum to kill Paar, mind u BEFORE alduin needs to be taken care of PLUS hundred of those dragosn are STILL flying around terrorizing people and cities...and they want me to kill the one dragon atm who isnt causing chaos or collatoral damage AND is helping me.....and if i dontwnt help me take on the menace thats alrdy out there. Who [censored]ign cares if hes gonna relapse or what not, after i finish off alduin and those hundreds of flying buggers, then basically any group of lucky or rightfully trainned warriors or farmers will be able to take him out and without Alduin around.....Paar is gonna be food for the worms.

Again i hve the treat of Alduin the big bad boss of the dragons PLUS hundreds of flying dragosn that are actively destroying cities and muching on people........AAAAAANNNNd your main focus atm is the dragon who is just sitting there...helping me.....not doing any chaos.....BUT hes the top priotie and if i dont waste him yal are gonna disown me the dragonborn the oen ur group has been looking for 200 years, the person who has giving u purpose again....

epic fail bethesda....

It's definitely an epic fail, I'll give ya that.

Fail it may be, they think you're a dragonslayer. Which you are. What better way of sending the ultimate message of dragonslaying than to kill Paarthurnax? No dragons have any hope after that. It's supposed to be a barbaric attitude. No [censored] compromises. Etc.. Arngier says the Blades are nothing but barbaric Akaviri. This is true. And this is the boat you have to willingly set sail in. Or not. Some of us see potential in it, believe it or not.

Except Odahviing. The dragon you RODE on to get to the ruins and the dragon you can use after the quest and use even if you join the Blades. The fact that the blades can't be consistent on "all dragons must die" makes it out to be a more personal grudge, and there's no oath on either side that says "Feed Delphine's ego". You can't make the excuse that "Oh, Odahviing helps you so he's excused". Paarth helps you a LOT more and he still helps after the quest via the meditation on words of power.

I believe that some do, for whatever misguided reasons in my PoV - which to me is all that counts.... As with all TES games, this one is set up so that really it CAN be all things to all people who play it (well.... as long as they aren't expecting miracles....)

I will always prefer a less.... antagonistic.... PoV.

As for Odah, I said that's Bethesda's fault earlier. It's a plothole. At least it seems like it. This game has many of them btw. I don't think it's something the Blade characters themselves were meant to excuse intentionally. At least for me, I try not to anolyze that side of the story, because I think it's just due to sloppines outside of the game. Not within the game.

Honestly, I would like to do that for some playthroughs. I just can't get a concept or look right. All of my characters are too brutal looking to be friendly with Paarth. lmao.. Not sure if that makes sense.

It's not like the Blades don't recognize Odahviing either, though. Delphine even remarks against you when she's told of you riding a dragon that you captured out of the Reach, saying you're "acting too flashy". Ah yes, I chose to ride this beast to the ruins who not too long ago would have deep fried and eaten me, just to look cool and mug for the ladies.


Lol like seriously, I don't know how anyone can like the Blades except to think that they're used to retentive old people who wag their finger at everything you do, then take their medication and forget that you're committing the greatest "sin" right in front of them.

And if it's intentional? Maybe they wanted the blades to be single-minded and driven by revenge. Would make just as much sense that way.