I made a post about this in another thread but it will be buried soon and I really want to get you guy's take on this. We all know that we start off as a prisoner that is on his/her way to be executed. We all know that we escape from that execution, and that's all well and good. But I have a question.

Why are we (the prisoner due to be executed) not pursued by the legion or any kind of authority? Why are we just allowed to continue to walk around? I'm sure we can make it back to our original place where we were due to be executed which implies that there would be people there that know what we look like, etc. You would think that someone would try to find you and bring you to justice.

Hopefully the game provides some kind of explanation for this but if not, I'm sure many of you guys on here, including me, will come up with stories to explain this. I just cannot come up with one. So, given the question, what's "your" story or explanation for this?

Well in Oblivion, I'm sure that Blade Redguard from the beginning probably put in a good word for you. In Morrowind you were being released. In Skyrim it might have something to do with us being Dragonborn. Which would give us some leeway.

Who says it's the government who is executing you?

There will be a reason. It's just not evident at this time what that reason is. My guess is everybody that cares about executing you ends up either getting gobbled up by a dragon or are grateful enough to you for saving them from a dragon that they let bygones be bygones.

Well, either way, why are we not being hunted down? If any organization, whether it be a government or any other kind of organization with the power to carry out executions were going to do so, I'm sure they'd go looking for anyone that got away. I'm by no means complaining, I'm just looking for a logical reason. And if the game does not provide one, I always like hearing what people on this forum come up with. I love the creativity, and like to copy ideas, too.

I'm going with no one knows.

Whatever happens wipes out everyone that knew about it.

With no witnesses, did it ever really happen?

the place where you are going to be executed in is attacked by a dragon (Japanese games show) i think its called helgen, the dragon 'attacked halgan and destroyed it' , you escaped with another guy called 'Hadvar', i think only your character and him survive so that rules out the 'that there would be people that know what we look like' .

I know some rumors about the reason we were in prison: you got arrested for illegally crossing the skyrim border like an illegal immigrant, but that's just a rumor, it might be like oblivion and morrowind when you don't know what your in for and have to come up with a neat back story :deal:

Well, if that's true, there it is. That would be a good, logical explanation. If not I'm going with this one.

I'm framed for a crime (don't know what yet). After I escape the truth comes out and the real criminal is rightfully pursued and executed. Or I kill him.

The city you were being held at is completely devastated by a dragon..
That's one way to look at it?

Oblivion was pretty flimsy ins this respect. "Uh. There's a prisoner in this cell. Whatever, let's just go instead of getting him transferred to another cell. Oh, the senile old emperor thinks he had a dream about you, so we'll give you the Amulet of Kings and let you go, potential murderer!"

Personally, I'd like to see them do away with the prison thing altogether.

you should put spoiler tags on that, seriously.

It is like this so that RPGers can make a decent backstory without having to go along with the games story. Like I love Fallout 3, but every time you start a new character. It is always the same storyline, because they stuck you in the roll of being the scientists child from Vault 101. This way each character can have its own unique backstory with being an unknown prisoner.
I admit they could come up with different ways of doing this. It has been this way since atleast Morrowind. I thought by now they could have made atleast multiple ways of starting. That is one thing I enjoyed about Dragon Age and a little part of Mass Effect, choosing your unique background.