I couldn't find another post like this so I figured I'd go ahead and post it. I'm sure people ask this a lot but why is your character imprisoned in Oblivion and and being released from imprisonment in Morrowind? What did he (or her) do? Is it known exactly what they did or does anyone have any assumptions?

This is Nirn, the Consequence of Variable Fate.

Starting in a prison is a rather open ending. It leaves quite a lot of leeway for any kind of backstory, really... more than, say, being orphaned by a bandit attack, or growing up as a precocious farmboy with mysterious powers.

There's never any history on what the character did. That's left up to the player if he or she wants to fill it in.

Bethesda doesn't specify, because it's up to the player to give his or her character a past. It's a plot device to indicate that the player character is free, rootless and thus able to set out on the game's quests.

PS: Sorry for duplicating your post just now, AstionM.

As the other two said (and others wil probably say), it's what you make it. Plus, with class selection and other aspects of creation, you partially dictate that anyway.

If your character has to ask why s/he was imprisoned, you know your character isn't a criminal. If s/he were apprehended for murder or shoplifting, or was a political threat of some clout, your character would know why s/he was arrested. Thus, the only background you can come up with is that you were unlawfully imprisoned, at least in Oblivion anyway. In Arena you knew why you were imprisoned, and in Daggerfall you weren't really imprisoned. I don't think the Nerevarine actually asked why s/he was arrested, so Morrowind grants you the opportunity to make your own backstory. In Oblivion though, you're a victim of government abuse of power. Even if you were arrested on the suspicion of committing a crime (which you apparently didn't or you wouldn't have to ask), they'd at least have tried to get a confession or something. That you were arrested by government incompetence is furthered by the fact that they couldn't even put you in the right cell. There's one cell in the whole prison that's off limits, and the guards can't remember it? That's my take.

The starting in prison was the kickoff for three Elder Scrolls games because it allowed you to be in the Imperial City near the Emperor. In Daggerfall you were a friend of his and were there anyway, but the common element in the four games from the start is being sent from the Imperial City on your quest.

The prison thing is a time saver. They COULD think of new and interesting ways to start out in the same ambiguous way every time, but then it would appear like a formula, rather than a tradition.

Your talk about the start of Oblivion... one thing I think should be noted is that in the Septim Empire the accused is guilty until proven innocent. I can't remember exactly where I saw it but I'm going to dig around at TIL and hopefully find something.

So, asking why you were imprisoned would make some sense in certain circumstances...



EDIT: found it: http://www.imperial-library.info/dfbooks/b025_legalbasic.shtml from Daggerfall. The "guilty until proven innocent" part is from everyone's favorite monkey prophet, Marukh.

Ah, that's good to know. That does give the government the benefit of the doubt in that they might have thought they had cause to arrest you. That you had to ask what you were arrested for, and that the emperor says it's not important and noone will remember, means it wasn't a large scale crime. You couldn't have been anyone important. His response makes it sound like you were arrested on the suspicion of something trivial or at least commonplace. Odds are, you used the Z button to move aside a plum at a bar, and the plum didn't belong to you. That would explain your confusion and the Emperor saying "it's not what you'll be remembered for" because you might not have even known you touched the plum, maybe it was so close to the apple that did belong you you that you thought you were picking up the apple, but you were careless and didn't look at the label.

Heck, you could've been a hardened criminal with many murders to your name. However, when the Hand of Fate rests upon you, your previous life no longer matters.

Although, admittedly, if that were the case, you'd think the TG or the DB would know who you were when you got out, so probably not.

Prison could also explain why your skills are so low when you start out.

And why your shivmaking, rectal concealment and sodomy skills are so high.

That's more game mechanics. Back in the day you had to kill fifteen points worth of people to get in the Dark Brotherhood (peasants count for one point, ect).

Have a story to tell? :hubbahubba:

So, in the Elder Scrolls saga, http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Hammerspace has a clear explanation.

Im pretty sure the reason every starting character is in prison is that they had the temerity to take a nap anywhere but an Inn room in Illiac Bay (Most were arrested for sleeping in their own houses).

Indeed.

I know rectal concealment came in real handy when meeting Crassius Curio. If you hadn't started in prison, the Nerevarine may have come out a veeery different person in the end... :shakehead:

As people have said before, starting out in prison allows you to form your own character from really no back story. You're just a prisoner that gets lucky and gets to find his/her way in the world.