A long as they don't make provinces destroy or dominate each other.

It makes sense that inter-provincial war will occur- at least for the provinces that had (at one point) an empire try to dominate their old holdings- mainly Summerset Isle and Possibly Skyrim vs. Morrowind. I don't see Black Marsh trying to conqur Morrowind, unless it was in retribution for the slave trade. High Rock may try to take back the Orc Kingdom, and Cyrodiil may be trying to keep what little it has before trying to rebuild.

Perfect time for the Akavari to invade IMO. Nobody's likely to create a unified force if they're at each other's throats. After all, the only reason the Akavari invasions failed was because Tamriel was (mostly) unified under one government.

None of the choices given. The Empire controls Cyrodil only but is trying to extend its influence into other provinces, by a mixture of diplomacy and intrigue and where required force to aid those local factions who favour it.

And the influence of individual dynasties shouldn't be overstated. Rome went from being a republic to the Julio-Claudian dynasty which was followed by the Flavian, Severan, Constantinian, Valentian and Theodosian dynasties before the Empire divided into East and West and the fall of the Western Empire. it also had periods of civil war and the non-dynastic rule of the "Five Good Emperors".

I kind of think its too early for a thread like this. The second book hasnt come out yet.

The book is official, I wouldnt imagine that Beth would go back on that. They did OK the book in the first place, so they're clearly ok with what goes on in them.

But, my prediction of the second book is that Umbriel will destroy the Imperial City, or at least take control of it. The Empire will fall, and you will be left picking up the pieces in TESV. Im hoping for a very political game.

I want the Empire crumbled. Then each Province can express its own political and social systems, making for an interesting game.

Actually...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire, and the area that actually did collapse was the more rural and impoverished region.


Well then forget it. Bethesda has already said that the Infernal City is within the established canon.

The Empire and Cyrodil are dissolving into the other provinces.

Hammerfell has taken Anvil and Kvatch
Skyrim has taken over Solstheim, Bruma and Chorrol
Morrowind is now a contested province for the Dunmer and the Argonians, the Dunmer have managed to group their forces under one banner and are growing in strength, they have also taken Cheddinhal.
Black Marsh has now become a Juggernaut and is fighting in Morrowind against the Dunmer and are attempting to take control of Bravil and Leyawin
Elsweyr have taken over Bravil and Leyawin and are holding back the Argonians
Depending on the what happens in the next book the last of the imperial forces are either in the heavily fortified imperial city, scattered in forts around the ruins of the Imperial city or in Skingrad.
Skingrad is now contested ground, the Imperials are holding onto it but Skyrim, Hammerfell, Elsweyr and Velenwood are all trying to take control of it.

I'm no lore buff but does that seem plausible?

Oblivion's ending set TESV up for a fascinating 'Empire in turmoil' setting which I really hope Beth take advantage of. Being a part of a changing world would offer great opportunities for quests such as political assassinations, forcefully suppressing revolution, or forging shaky alliances in an uncertain world. This is the setting I would like to see and I sincerely hope they don't throw us in after all the action has already taken place.

I'd love to see a ruined and crumbled empire, the glory forgotten would make for a rather epic setting and dynamic for TESV

If the empire crumbled then there would be a lot of chances for the developers to utilize this as a main quest to unify Skyrim. Or other more common less absolute world changing quests. So my thoughts are they are going to use the third poll option.

?

Um, "but we have to remember" Infernal City is official bethesda canon. That hasn't changed since the last eleventy-billion times someone has had to say it. So there is no Septim Empire anymore, end of discussion. Any heirs would almost certainly have met with convenient accidents when Mede took the throne.

If the rumors of the game being 200 years after the (officially canon, just reminding) book series, then that would mean the Mede empire would have had plenty of time to become a decadent, stagnant beast. If it is closer, then it could be a sort of re-unification plot, where deals must be struck and murders accomplished. Either way it sounds fun.

I don't really know what that means. If a war is written right there are no discernible "good guys" or "bad guys", just conflicting interests. There are tons of wars in the lore and I look forward to actually seeing one (or several) in the game for once.

But if they are shoving a whole book series between Oblivion and TES5, and making it 200 years after those, then it's kind of useless to speculate.

People are just upset about what happened to Morrowind(and change, in general). They'll get over it.

No predetermined preference. I just want to find out what happens!

We'll never get over it until the Dunmer are restored to thier former glory! But, from a gameplay and new lore perspective, it could be quite awesome. (I just hope they don't try to compeltely remove the Dunmer)

Actually Rome didn't fall all at once, you still had the Petty Imperium of the Byzantines, which continued on until the 1400's. You could easily have Skyrim or High Rock play the "Byzantine" role, though.

It would be fun if in TES 5 you could go to solthism (did I spell that right?) and lead a group of warriors to kill the refugees from morrowind so the nords can take full control (providing your not a dunmer) or help the Dunmer take control of Solthism

What if we could start a war between the two groups without choosing a side(Easter egg)? Mephala would be proud. :chaos:

First, the Thalmor is the only empire. Now, unto the end, mankind has no empire. The Khajiit are mostly appreciative of their alliance with the Dominion. Mede is a half-assed footnote; the glory of Shezarr has left Cyrodiil. That thread is no longer loose. Skyrim's kings are fat and ragged. The focus will be on on the witch-warriors of the Reach and lunar lorkhan cultists. Hrothgaar is Shor's hyperbaric chamber. The Greybeards have traded breath-of-life mantras, for the stasis of the spirit of mortals. However, they are not legitimate desciples of Shor. They will not peaceably allow his reckoning. They will not share his gospel, to the world of mortals. They are afraid of doomsday. So, some Reachmen and the Greybeards are the two sides, in Skyrim's war of subterfuge. The politics is funny, cuz that's where these hazbend kings and queens play games of diabolical footsie. The Thalmor is still creeping around Cyrodiil. Nobody actually knows how to enter Skyrim, because Colovia's still unconquered. Orsinium and Wayrest are siamese city-states, and they're fondeling the Dominion, seeing who's going to win in the south. Daggerfall is fallen. Highrock ceases to exist, the clandestine war's going on there. Those who hate the Thalmor and those who welcome them are killing eachother in droves. "Like Tatooine, Hammerfell's being." Out of the way, and super independent. The Yokudan strain shall survive anything. Even nuclear holocaust. Argonia's a complete unknown. "We're not going there." The A. Dominion wants an expedition, to talk to the trees, but funding's scarce, for "such is wanton frivality." The Telvanni are up to their old antics. Solstheim's glossed over, entirely. Falinesti's doing a jigg. A secret empire is spying all the angles.

The evolution of the gods is continual.

Hear me roar!

yeah, i tried to make some rhyme, so don't laugh too hard at my failure.