In Skyrim, the Blades are one of the only stupid things I hate about the game. Sure, their goals seem to be to protect ALL of Tamriel...but they are doing nothing but hindering it by not aiding the Dragonborn should he/she refuse to kill Paarthurnax.

Here's some points I'm trying to get to; the way they function makes absolutely NO sense:

1. Delphine is set upon hindering any ties she has with the Dragonborn just at the thought that they will not kill Paarthurnax...she seems to possess some undying hatred of dragons. Why is that? Of course I know that the majority of dragons will do nothing but prey upon mortals they come across...but it's not like the dragons killed ANYONE close to Delphine, it wasn't the dragons who murdered her comrades during the Great War. She's acted like she's hated dragons her whole entire life...when they only started reappearing in weeks to a month before the defeat of Alduin. Really it makes way more sense if she were to focus her anger purely on the Thalmor...especially true since the defeat of Alduin and the dragons not being as much of a threat due to his leadership being lost and many of them being taught the Way of the Voice by joining Paarthurnax.

2. Esbern states that both the Greybeards and the Emperors (from both the Reman and Septim Empires) protected Paarthurnax. That would tell you the Emperors ordered the Blades to leave him alone. They swore loyalty to the Emperor (who was a Dragonborn) and so they were oath-bound to obey. Now they see that the Dragonborn is here again...only this time he/she does not hold a position of authority (Emperor/King, etc.) so they take advantage of this fact to push around the Dragonborn to do their will in order to please them. Even worse...they are showing no respect for the former Emperors who ordered them to leave Paarthurnax alone. If they had any respect for the Emperors...they'd carry out their Emperor's will even long after they died. But no...Delphine and Esbern are raising their middle fingers against the Great Dragonborn Emperors they once revered and protected...and are doing according to THEIR desires.

3. As said later in point 1, the Blades continue to focus on the dragons even after they become less of a threat after the defeat of Alduin and many join Paarthurnax on the Throat of the World to learn the Way of the Voice. They've completely forgotten that the Thalmor are still around....so they have bigger fish to fry.

4. Delphine criticizes the Greybeards for not doing anything about the Civil War in Skyrim. But here's a question I'd like to ask her: "What have YOU done about the war?" She could've done something about the war as well, she could've joined one of the sides (the Empire or the Stormcloaks) in the war and become an officer on either side with her combat experience as a Blade. Or they ( in the case that Delphine rebuilds the Blades) could've taken a different approach (referring to point 3) by helping both sides by fighting the Thalmor secretly (quite possible with the Thalmor distracted by constantly trying to keep the war raging to have better hold upon Skyrim). But no, they continue to dwell upon the dragons even when they are not as mush of a threat. The only thing the Blades even do in the war is during the Peace Council in "Season Unending" where they convince the sides to negotiate...but that's when the dragons were a threat since Alduin was on the loose. Now that the Dragon Crisis is over...they should focus on actually helping Skyrim and not focus as much on the dragons (this includes leaving Paarthurnax alone).

The Blades simply anger me with their arrogance, selfishness and irresponsibility. I think the Blades in this game are nothing but a nuisance.

The Blades in Skyrim are no different than the Blades in all the other games. They have always been a nuisance. They are the Keystone Kops of Tamriel. Skyrim is simply following a pattern set in Morrowind and Oblivion.

At least in the previous games they were more open-minded. But Delphine and Esbern.....they're just ridiculous. By the way...here's a 5th point to come across: When Delphine tries to "reason" with you about the Greybeards, she says that Tiber Septim wouldn't have founded the Empire if he had listened to the Greybeards...she is lying through her teeth. The Greybeards were the ones who revealed that destiny to Tiber Septim...so it's the other way around, he wouldn't have founded the Empire if he had never met the Greybeards. Delphine is obviously a cunning and deceiving individual who wants nothing but to manipulate the Dragonborn. I'd like to smack that pretty Breton face of hers.

Delphine's been driven mad by the long years of being on the run from the Thalmor and seeing almost all of her friends and family dead for their association. No sane individual would appear at a peace summit in full Blades regalia, when that organization is often held responsible for the Great War in the first place.

Still that's no reason to take her madness out on the dragons...even after the whole crisis is over. It'd make way more sense if she focused that anger she has built up against the Thalmor.

Also, the Blades seem to believe that the Dragonborn is nothing without the Blades. When they refuse to aid him/her if they don't kill Paarthurnax, they act as though the Dragonborn desperately needs them...even after the crisis is all over. But in truth, the Dragonborn no longer even needs the service of the Blades after the Dragon Crisis...really it's THEY (Delphine and Esbern) who need the Dragonborn...but they're so arrogant and blinded by this outrageous hatred against Paarthurnax and other dragons, that they're in denial of the real truth. Delphine even tries to make it seem as though the Blades alone are the ones who put the Dragonborn on his/her path...when the Greybeards had just as much to do with that (if not, more) than the Blades. Plus, it's just as she seems to have an unnecessary grudge against the dragons...she has some personal vendetta against the Greybeards which is just.....unexplainable. What is wrong with these idiot Blades?!?

Again - Delphine has gone coo-coo for coca puffs, and as much as he's a loveable sort, Esben isn't far behind her.

The Blades got destroyed by the Thalmor. They thought they were making inroads, when the entire time the Thalmor had the Blades fully infiltrated. Delphine only escaped by the narrowest and most random of chances, and the Thalmor have made it their mission to purge Tamriel of all vestiges of the organization.

Delphine grew up in the Blades - it's literally the only life she's ever known. She started diving into the half-remembered past of the Blades as a means of escape and atonement. That she believed that it was the Blades own mission that was in the wrong, and that a purity of purpose would set things right again.

She learned of the past of the Blades, of the Akiviri Dragonguard, and proceeded to throw herself into the past as much as she could. She even hired individuals like Farengar to do research into Dragon burial sites in the vain hope that something - ANYTHING - could be found to give her life meaning again.

Then the Last Dragonborn enters the picture - working for her (all be it unknowningly through her proxy Farengar). To Delphine in her maddened state, this was fate. Chasing after the Dragons had granted her the boon of Akatosh - the gift of a Dragonborn. The Blades purpose was re-solidified as champion Dragon Hunters. And the Dragonborn? The Dragonborn was a gift from the Divines, her instrument to show Tamriel that the Blades were still relevant. Still mattered.

That's why she orders the Dragonborn to kill Paarthunax and ultimately casts the Dragonborn aside like a spiteful child with a broken toy when the Dragonborn dare defy her. He is NOTHING without her, after all. Akatosh granted the Dragonborn to HER, to the BLADES.

This is why I plan on refusing her offer and then re-activating the Blood Seal on Sky Haven Temple. She thought Sky Haven Temple was to be her refuge and rebirth...she will learn it was never anything more then a Tomb.

The Blades are correct that Paarthunax is a threat that needs to be removed, and since only the Dragonborn can kill a dragon it needs to be you that does the killing.

It is in the nature of Dragons to rule and lord over men, it is what their very essence is. Through centuries of meditation Paarthunax has supposedly changed his nature. What if he falls of the wagon so to speak? What if his whole "I am helping Man defeat dragons and learn of the Voice" was a long range plan designed to get rid of the most powerful dragon, Alduin, and leave Paarthunax as the most powerful entity left in the world? To leave him alive is to gamble with the lives and existence of all people in the future. Better to put him down and be certain that Man will never be slaves to Dragons again.

The Graybeards themselves seem similar to the Dragon Priests of old that worshipped Dragons, they seem content with the world coming to an end.

But I would think the Dragonborn would be able to say, "Trust me, I'm keeping an eye on him. The minute he starts becoming Alduin, I'm marching up to the summit and ending him." If the Dragonborn doesn't think Paarthunax is a threat, then wouldn't the Blades do well to trust him/her?

Now, granted, unless the Dragonborn became a vampire, he/she isn't immortal. Even if he/she were an Altmer, death will come. All Paarthunax has to do, if he still wanted to rule over man and mer alike, is to wait out the Dragonborn's lifetime. He already waited 2,000 years, what's a few more centuries? That said, he did have 2,000 years, so if he was a threat, what was stopping him in that giant space of time he had to take everything over again?

Since dragons are immortal Paarthunax can take the long term approach and wait out the Dragonborn.

He waited the last 2000 years for Alduin to come back, he knew he was adrift in time and would eventually come back along with the Dragonborn. Now Alduin is dead and if the Dragonborn can be talked into sparing him then all Paarthunax has to do is bide his time, train his new school of Dragons and wait for his opportunity to strike. Like they say its chess not checkers.

Oblivion was the only time being in the Blades was an honor..

for the five minutes before we started getting "I have no time to talk to you, go away now."

Morrowind it was forced if you wanted to do the main quest..

Skyrim Delphine svcks and that's it.. I hate her guts and will never join them .

Clever... -g- I'm going to do that from now on..

Wait, you can re-activate the Blood Seal? Is this via mods? What I did was spawn a lot of Thalmor soldiers, five werewolves and an Elder Dragon inside Sky Haven Temple.

I don't see why you couldn't...

Dammit, now I need to do the MQ just so I can try it at Sky Haven Temple.

You're only assuming that Paarthurnax will do that. Paarthurnax himself admitted it was wise for the Blades to mistrust dragons.....but assured that HE could be trusted.

Also, it may be the nature of dragons to dominate...but then again men are no different. ALL human beings have an inner desire to be dominant over others. Some men see this weakness and take the steps necessary to not let this weakness consume them. Many men however desire dominion so much...that they will commit heinous acts to get it (murder, other crimes). So with the situation YOU mentioned...you're saying that because Paarthurnax is CAPABLE of doing that, he doesn't deserve to live. Well you might as well say the same for ALL mortal beings and kill EVERYONE....because every human being (Good or Evil) is capable killing, stealing or whatever we as mortals are forced to deal with until God himself says it's all done. We're pretty much gambling the lives of EVERYONE by letting ANY mortal beings exist.

The Greybeards worship the Divines, and do not worship Paarthurnax in any way. And if they truly "wanted" the world to end...they'd never have helped the Dragonborn to begin with, they're just confused on whether is was the gods' will that the world be ended. Paarthurnax is trying everyday to keep his inborn nature at bay....as I do every day, as well as many others...it's like what Paarthurnax said: "What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" . The Blades however refuse to acknowledge that, they believe in no forgiveness, no redemption, and no mercy. And that is more the reason they are fools.

Well said, I believe you have me convinced.

I have never even thought of this before, but I must admit, it does seem like an idea worth exploring . . .

Well spoken.

It's been far too long since I sat down with a chat with Paarthunax, but he's in the game to serve as a counterpoint and perspective. Almost all other Dragons in the game are actively hostile to your character. I can name three Dragons (Paarthunax among them) that actually aren't seeking the death of your character.

It's so easy to vilify Dragons, because they occupy that role in the game world. Paarthunax is where he is to give balance to that view. That ultimately, these are sapient creatures no different from man or mer, and fully capable of deciding their own destiny.

Paarthunax is an example of what the Dragons can become - active partners in society. With the ever present threat of the Thalmor, plus whatever the heck is up with the moons vanishing for two years (Especially if you delve into the more metaphysical aspects of the lore and potential motives and end goals for the Thalmor)...the Dragons are worth having around as potential allies.

Delphine's ideas are as antiquated as her methodology. It's just a pity her madness drags old Esben along with her. He would have found peace at the Throat of the World, I think. Would have made a fine Greybeard.

At the end of the day, I think the hermits living at the top of the world have a better idea of the future then the shell shocked survivor cowering in a mountain fortress not used since the days of Reman Cyrodiil.

1. have you ever met someone who is brainwashed? I did, there is hatred between people from my country and people from the country with whom we were in war with. You'll hear some people from my country still saying that people from the other country should have their throats cut, and some of them weren't even born until after the war. It's the same in that other country. Now, if she was taken by the blades I can imagine them rigorously convincing her how horrible the big bad dragons are, and she probably knows no worse or better.

2. He does? They did? I'm no lore expert, but how many actual imperial emperors were there during the Dragon War?

3. As said in my own point one, brain washing. They probably think a dragon can do more harm than a whole nation of mer.

4. You have no idea what they did or didn't do. With the end of the main plot came the end of the game. By the end of the game there were still only like 3 members of the blades, if you count the player, and said player is still recruiting random people into their ranks. For all we know, by the time TES VI comes out, they might be telling us how the blades got their glory back and did a major role in cutting down the Thalmor. As of now, you're talking about a chick that can fight well and a grampa. Not much they can do.

One line that he says is brilliant, "What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort". Sure, he may be full of crap, but that sounds a bit too good for Bethesda's writers to pull off only to make him a two faced liar that will take Alduin's place, and making his goal to enslave the mankind again. Besides, he probably wouldn't be the most powerful entity in the world. Alduin was probably stronger, and our Dragonborn killed him, so what's to stop him, and everyone living in Skyrim, from kicking his ass? Besides, if there are such precautious measures requred to ensure something that's only a possibility, nations should all attack each other, just to make sure that the other one is not the first one to attack. Like, why didn't they attack the Summerset Isles before the Thalmor started the crapstorm over Tamriel? They knew the Altmer were cockey and thought themselves as more worthy than humans and other elves, and they are also powerful spell casters and thus more powerful than ordinary men. So if Paarthurnax should be dead because the dragons might enslave mankind one day, why not kill all the Altmer on sight as well, before the whole Thalmor invasion thing, to prevent them from enslaving men like Ayleids once did? Please.

Thank you.

To be fair, I'd not played the main quest before a week ago for almost a year, and I shared the same abhorrent opinion of the Blades, and still do but to a lesser extent. If you listen to Delphine's full story, you can see that her actions are somewhat justifiable.

The Blades - Delphine's friends and family - were horrifically destroyed by the Thalmor. Beheaded and thrown before the Emperor as a declaration of war. Since then the Thalmor have aimed to not kill the Blades, but the cleanse the world of them. Which is a horrific and disgusting act. Look on the news today, and look at the UN's reaction to a similar thing. Of that I'll say no more.

Delphine has been on the run for thirty years, experiencing this at an age as young as 18-21. She's grown paranoid, and the fact that her trust in anyone is in tatters seems to drive her to the brink of her mind. When the Dragonborn comes along, she's very hesitant to let her guard down because last time that happened, quote, "We were smashed in the Great War, 30 years back."

Now that the dragons and the Dragonborn have returned, she can reclaim the glory of her fellow fallen Blades, clearing their tarnished name. When she finds out that the Dragonborn is cosying up to a dragon - The second-born of Akatosh and Chief Lieutenant to Alduin, no less - she's horrified of not only his power, but the thought that the Dragonborn could be used by Paarth. Hence why she refuses to help the Dragonborn, because she believes that helping the Dragonborn would help the tyrant sitting on the Throat of the World.

With all that in mind, do I still dislike her character? Definitely. Can I sympathise and understand her? Well, almost. It still could have been written a lot better than it was.

If there was a like button, I'd like your post.

Delphine, for all the reasons we might hate her, has a legit reason behind her actions if we examine what she went through for the last 30 years. The Dragonborn was basically her last hope in redeeming and rebuilding the Blades so when he/she said, "Hey, I like Paarthunax", that just about broke her. To side with the dragons would have been tantamount, in her mind, to siding with the Thalmor, the other sworn enemy of the Blades. It's almost a miracle she didn't try to cut you down for that.

To be entirely fair to the Thalmor (and that's a weird thing to write), the Blades were causing tremendous unrest and strife within the Dominion. The Blades brought their doom upon themselves.

Has anyone pointed out, that the original purpose of the blades, way back when, was killing dragons?

Yes...but that time has passed. It's been over thousands of years since then, and there are better things to do than killing EVERY dragon (especially the ones who want nothing to do with what other dragons are doing in the name of Alduin). It makes more sense that the Blades kill only the dragons that get out of line and start killing mortals. Since many dragons chose to follow the Way of the Voice with Paarthurnax, most of the dragons will not be a threat. The ones that refused to follow the Way of the Voice and continue in their usual ways are the ones that should be hunted down.