Thanks everyone for the good info and even greater suggestions.

And Mark Havel, I think I like that idea best (although I see the logic in what others here have wrote). But your idea is so simple I'm ashamed I didn't think of it right away.

EDIT: Actually, now that I think about it, although that is a great idea, it falls into the same category and has the same pitfall for me of having two separate quest-lines with the same goal. Double the amount of work and double the amount of voice work that would be required. Generally that would not be so bad, except for the fact that I'd rather put most of my work into other events that I want to happen in the mod. Having two in-tandem quest-lines with the same goals from two different points of view would balloon my work-load to a state which I'd consider to be a tipping point for what all I could actually get done in a timely manner. Although I cannot deny how cool that scenario would be.

I think I'd be better served going with Darth's last suggestion of using a cover identity.

Unless someone can think of someone or some group with enough power to get a person (the Player) who would be considered an enemy (if they joined the Stormcloaks) assigned to the group? And honestly, even if there were such a power group, them pulling those kinds of strings, I imagine, would attract a lot of attention to the investigation/expedition. Which is not what I want, at least initially, when the expedition starts.

If your thinking of the "powerful guy puts pc in the expedition" route, my recommendation would be to make that route the standard for both stormcloak players and imperial players, if you decide to use it. Crafting such a route (well) is going to take a fair bit of work on your part, and you would simplify the process by standardizing quests when possible. A few handwavium dialogue changes could make sure players buy into it.

To answer your question though, a shady Nibenese politician could probably force the assignment, perhaps through a network of contacts or by having the ear of important members of the chain of command. The real question is why such a person would do that, as putting an enemy spy in the expedition is bound to benefit the stormcloaks more than anyone else. (or maybe that would be the point)

Honestly, my recommendation is that, for stormcloak players, you give them a short little quest to get a disguise. It only requires some dialogue with the questgiver, and a couple of script changes in the early part of the main plot.

Yes, thank you Darth. That is the direction to which I'm leaning.

If you read the UESP's description of the Civil War quests, you'll notice there is actually only one questline which is the radiantized to be adapted to the relevant side. I'm don't know what you want to do in your mod, but that might be something to consider once the Construction Kit is released.On the other hand, you could arrange a way for the player to just end up in the said backwater city and being involved in this due to its Dragonborn nature. For example make some random encounter where the messenger is killed before the player can act, then reading the message prompts the player to go there.

Interesting discussion. I am actually also considering a quest mod for Skyrim, taking place after the player becomes Archmage, focusing on a rediscovered dwemer ruin with a magical artifact within. And that will also involve some interference from another mage group, and I've been considering using the Synod for that, linking it to the events of Mzulft.


The whole Mzulft thing confuses me. College quest spoilers:


It's too bad Bethesda did not take that plot point further.

You left that guy alive? I murdered him once he had outlived his usefulness.

I also killed him out of fear he would bring fellow synod members interfering even more with that matter.

Even if you let him live, he's on his way back to the imperial city, where a political group will have to make political decisions about what to do now. Their most likely action would be to investigate the college first, and that can only happen if the civil war is undecided or goes the way of the Empire. Regardless it could be years before the Synod get's people there again, no matter how easy/hard it will be for them to walk through Skyrim.

The CoW should however, logically speaking, go there and check things out for themselves. Why they don't is beyond me.