I recently decided it would be epic to play one character through from Arena to Oblivion and probobly Skyrim by the time i'm finished. I've seen other people mentioning they have done the same; but not now they swing it. I like things to 'fit' being slightly obsessive in that regard; though i'm not against the occasional tweak... I just need to know what to tweak. I was conflicted on whether to put this is 'Series' or 'Lore' but since ts the latter I need help smoothing out...

However, i'm trying to follow a theme and I also could use some advice on how to manage it all and end up with something coherent at the end since I keep a 'journal' of my haracters adventures.

In Arena at the moment my dunmer lass is seeking the third piece of the Staff of Chaos and quite frankly I was suprised just how unforgiving the game is. Initially I was going to play the rest of the games as times away from the bloodshed and living a normal life making her 'soft'. Considering the billion gallons of blood my character has lost in gaining her skill and the fact she fights thing in packs that you run into one at a time in Oblivion.. i'm probobly going to have to use the console/save editors to at least maintain a general skill level. Thoughts on this? I don't think its realistically possible to get as rusty as a level 1 character again, even after years of living a normal life, when you have been capable of what the Eternal Champion is. It's only going to get more... epic as the game goes forth and then Daggerfall happens only eighteen years later (likely fifteen with the time its taking me to get through Arena. I'm not going to make the 'year' it supposedly took. Not even nearly. Travel time alone is at 3/4 of a year and i'm only just about to enter Elden.) which i'd assume the PC would spend working as a Blades agent. So, advice on how to handle the skill discrepancy? I'd prefer NOT to use codes or editors if I can think of a good get-out as to why a Nightblade who can destroy walls, is a master of destruction magic and can juggle minotaurs with her saber will in less than forty-four years (and with another crisis and title under her belt) be having problems hitting a mudcrab.

Daggerfall is my biggest concern. How do you suggest I deal with the fact that your suposedly in jail again? Especially since you have saved the Emperor himself years ago and this character will be a loyal Blade if only for lack of better prospects. Perhaps a pre-planned act by the PC and the Emperor? But what for... and in the long run the Warp in the West. My character is as noted before dunmer and has no true problem with the Empire. I'm going to play her as adopted into an Imperial friendly family - which also helps with the Nerevar prophecy, I think(?). As such i'm thinking by this time, after learning of Barenziah and her ordeal in the Court, seeing what Emperors have to do to maintain order, and the potential for corruption that my PC is going to start seeing the Empire less favorably. Not to mention years of Blades work has got to remove the rose colored glasses. So, my 'cannon' ending will likely be a grudging 'for the Empire' one... with twisted memories of all the other endings, including dying, making her want to pass out when she tries to comprehend things. The death is pretty easy to dodge as a aradox; since while it happens, it only hapens in one of six different memories of the event, and not the 'true'/strongest one. And my intelligence-agility Nightblade would not be silly enough to get herself squished. xD

Then comes Morrowind. Its here I want to get my character back to its dunmer roots and truly start disliking the Empire while still being a personal friend of the Emperor. Would it be logical progression for my PC to develop a 'trust' (worship) in Azura and the other two Princes popular amongst the dunmer (I forget the ones this second, i'll look into it later. I'm not even nearly at the point of needing it yet.) what with the story of Morrowind? I've not actually completed the game and this character will be the first through. Fitting really since I plan to roleplay it. It'll be just as much new to my imperial-minded dunmer as me. On that note are there any choices I could make in game that would get in the way of the 'canon' lore. Also, I assume completeing Tribunal would be better after doing the MQ, and should I do Bloodmoon at all? In Oblivion i'll be dodging pretty much all (but one of) the guilds and Shivering Isles (or pretending companions are the main characters of them so I can still go through the story) and sticking to the main quest - does Bloodmoon fall into the 'unbelievable amount of responsabilities? The idea of playing the same Hero from game to game only works because of the time in between each event and special destiny (and Corpus with none mer characters). Being the head of three different guild, speaker for the DB, Sheogorath and the DC only works if you really are playing as Sheo and are gaving a bloody good laugh while waiting to 'grow into your role'.

Then, six years later you find yourself in a jail cell that the Emperor stumbled into with his Blades. This is fairly easy to sort out the cause of since I use a mod that allows me to choose when to get thrown into that fateful cell and when. The 'rumor' of a trip to Akavir will be just that - designed to give my PC a fresh start. I've already decided that when the Emporer says 'You... I've seen you... Let me see your face...' that it has much more siglificence than it implies to a new character. Then, when my PC fails to save him it will have much more emotional impact for her. Even with the last of her faith in the Empire crumbled/crumbling she has vengence for her oldest friend, the fact of needing to stop Oblivion for Tamariel in generals sake, and then protecting Martin as her drive for seeing the MQ through. Oblivion I actually have a pretty good idea of how i'm going to wrangle it all.

...

Then we go into the future to what will be coming in Skyrim. A two-hundred year leap forward in time isn't something to sniff at even for a dunmer. Nor the Nerevarine. Your ageless; not immortal. So much happens in this time frame - and a lot of it is especially important to a dunmer character compared to, say, a nord. Morrowind is for all intents and purposes gone. Thoughts on how a dunmer Nerevarine would would handle this mentally and emotionally? Even if 'prophecy is fulfilled it seems from TES Library bits I read that it was commonly accepted that the Nerevarine would play the protecter of the land. Ouch. The Empire as it was under the Septims has also fallen and it's replacement may infact not even survive the next novel. It's not exacly pulling punches with lore changes. On top of that we have the Altmer-Bosmer alliance; do we know if the Dunmer would/are be accepted/welcome as part of this? All in all two-hundred years is a long time. I'm probobly going to have my PC spend this time just... living. As a normal person with little to no adventure. Where i'm not sure yet; despite the fact she will own a castle and houses, potentially even a Mages Tower, in Cyrodiil i'm considering having her spend the majority of her years in that remains of Morrowind. Trying to avoid being dragged into another web of destiny; and failing when she ends up in a Skyrim jail. xD


Please, I really need help sorting this through in my head. Bouncing the ideas of people. I also could use people who know more about the lore helping me out witht he details and how best to make this work. I'm really enjoying my little project so far but i'm just worried i'm going to get frustrated trying to make things 'fit' and uin the experiance for myself. If I can go into Daggerfall onwards with a framework already set up then i'll be able to enjoy it all to its fullest.

I'm not too familiar with the older games, but I'll give you my two cents:

In Daggerfall, you never start in a jail. You start in a cave where your boat has crashed. You may want to actually play this first for a few seconds, and look at the possible background infos, just to know how to twist your Arena character around your Daggerfall character. Your character in Daggerfall always starts as a no one and slowly gains the trust of the emporer before the game starts.

In Morrowind, you are pretty much just saving the world from the big bad Dagoth Ur. If you want to become an Empire hating Dunmer, I would highly suggest joining the Tribunal Temple. Dagoth Ur's ideals are very persuasive to an outlander hater. The Tribunal, however, follow the Tribunal (obviously), who are opposed to Ur. It's all very grey.

I also wouldn't touch SI with this character. You don't want to fall into the very thing added to make your character fade out of future lore.

I'd suggest you join all Empire related factions, appropriate to your character through Arena Daggerfall and Morrowind. Half way through Morrowind you should get yourself expelled from most, if not all Empire related factions, and join the Dunmer ones. Pick a house, join the Morag Tong if you're that kind of character and join the Temple.

Tribunal is a bit difficult. While your character will be merely trying to help the Dunmer, you will eventually find out some things that may sway you from liking the Dunmer, in game. I would suggest definatly doing this if you plan to get back on good terms with the Empire for Oblivion, but think about it if not.

Bloodmoon has no real ties. It's good if your character starts to move away from the Dunmer due to Tribunal. Lore-wise, Raven Rock gets destroyed, IIRC, so you don't need to worry about that. The Skaal never really accept you as one of them, but the very end part of the main quest definatly doesn't seem something a "soft" character would be ready for..


I don't think there's all that much you can really do as an Empire hating Dunmer in Oblivion, so I'd go with the whole rejoining the Empire business I suggested. At this point, I have no idea how you could handle the fact that you're in prison again. Or why Uriel doesn't recognise you, other than from his dreams. Perhaps you'd be best to use an alternate begining mod? You've settled in Cyrodiil after your adventures in Morrowind?


Also - use magic. Restoration, especially. Even for a Mer, 200+ years is getting on a bit. Just over middle age, imo. A tad old for killing dragons with giant axes.