So, after Oblivion, the last Septim sacrificed himself in order to restore the barrier between Oblivion and Tamriel, and now his bloodline is gone forever. Without a legitimate heir to the throne, High Chancellor Ocato is interim ruler of the Empire, but he won't live forever. So what happens to the Empire now? If the Tamriellic empire is based off the Roman Empire, could a new bloodline rise and preside over the Empire? Will the Elder Council seize control of the Empire and form an Oligarchical rule?

Personally, I would imagine that the Imperials will continue to rule Tamriel (the Legions are still intact, and the Blades could act like a sort of Imperial KGB/Gestapo because their role as protectors of the Emperor are now obsolete) with a new form of government... a Republic. Indeed, since nobody has a real claim to the throne, it seems only correct for the people to choose their ruler. Perhaps we will get Elder Scrolls versions of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes (wouldn't that be fun?)

What do you think?

I don't think we'll see a republic, since Tamriel has never had democratic theorists or a tradition of representation. The closest thing might be the Telvanni Mouths who represent the magelords, but they don't really count -- they're only servants and mouthpieces.

I think it's more likely that the Empire will limp along for a while with the Council attempting to look as if it's in charge. It's possible warlords and ambitious Legion officers will start to appear, and various provinces will attempt to go their own way. Another would-be Tiber Septim might show up eventually, but it's an open question whether he will have a real destiny or just be an ambitious conqueror.

(I should add that I didn't come up with most of this; I think it was Allerleirauh who once pointed out that Tamriel has no democratic traditions.)

I think it's the end of the empire. I mean most provinces don't even want to be a part of it. Summerset Isles boycots imperial goods. Elsweyr and Cyrodiil fight over land near Leyawiin. Not to mention their relations with valenwood are bad. Morrowind is attacked by nords and so on. The Empire can't keep peace anymore. The legions are propably more loyal to their generals, who would like to get more power by establishing their rule in their provinces. I think in TES 5 there should be civil war

I think the empire will dissolve as well, with Cyrodiil either becoming a monarchy or oligarchy under the rule of the Elder Council or a single ruler, or it may split into Colovia and Nibenay as kingdoms, or it could revert all the way back to many individual kingdoms. I don't, however, see the empire surviving this event intact. The best thing Ocato could do right now is cut the provinces loose in exchange for a peace treaty and pull the Legions back to Cyrodiil to consolidate power to rule Cyrodiil as a single kingdom.

Same thing as always. The empire goes through a stage of hell, with no emperor and lots of fighting. Then after some decades or a century of fighting, a human rises from the chaos, gifted by Shor, to conquer all the lands to create the 4th empire.

But does Ocatio have the power to pull back legions? I thought they answered only to emperor. I think that the generals will try to seize power in the provinces they're located and maybe establishing some small kingdoms in the process.

The empire has always been a confidence trick - there are groups in every province, some of which are quite powerful, who pay no attention to the Imperials. The Altmer and the Dunmer, with some justice, don't see any reason why they should, and large areas of Morrowind, Skyrim, Hammerfell, and Valenwood are largely independent, as is the whole of Summerset Isle and Black Marsh.

Now it cannot pretend it is capable of defending itself, as it would have fallen it if wasn't for a single person who escaped from prison. With no confidence trick, there is no empire.

It'll probably crumble. Like Rome. It's impossible not to notice the similarities.

I've noted in the past that it also might be like the Sengoku Jidai period of Japan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengoku

But yes, it reminds me of the fall of Rome too.

I'll draw a parrellel to Rome as well, with some Charlemange like warlord concuering Tamriel. However, as with Charlemange's empire I can't see its total dominance lasting (the Carolingian Empire eventually split into the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire). So what I'm trying to sau is that I think there will be fourth empire it will not achieve the total dominance of the third.

I voted dissolution of the empire. I mean none of the provinces want to be in it, and they will probably see the end of the septim bloodline as a chance to break away. After all sometimes in game you will hear a random npc say " With the imperial legion around i dont think the provinces will ever be at war", this could be a clue that something might happen to the legion. I guess we'll just have to wait for TES V.

Charlemagne's empire was plagued by it's suceesion rule, which divided the empire more ore less equally between all the ruler's sons. Built-in fragmentation

As far as the future, I think two options re likely :
- keep the elder council in charge, possibly with an elected ruler (Germanic empire style)
- breaking appart as the provinces resume independance. Which won't exclude some later reunification.

Even if the Empire as it existed at the end of the Third Era disappears, I think that a number of the provinces will choose to maintain a coalition with one another. I don't think that any of them will be eagre for a bloody war after the Oblivion Crisis, and there's also the looming threat of Tosh'Raka's Akaviri Empire, once he's finished killing off the Tsaeci. So, even if it's from a purely strategic standpoint, I think a fair number of the provinces will remain allied, with the possible exception of the Summerset Isles.

So, I think that the Empire will probably vanish, but that the different provinces will probably try to maintain some sort of alliance with one another.

But what about the Blades? They seem to have eyes and ears all around Tamriel, and because of that, could begin helping the Elder Council elimate dissenters as assassins (kind of like the Roman Praetorian Guard), beginning a more draconian Imperial rule? Of course the Blades could also fade into obscurity, and just enjoy a calm and uneventful lifestyle.

Anyhow, if the Empire dissolves, do you think that the provinces of Tamriel will stop interacting with each other. Also, is there anything that the provinces of Tamriel needs the Empire for? I mean, when the Oblivion gates opened, the Legions kept the invading daedra at bay, and I would imagine that their strong military is good for some things...

Dissolution. The emperors seem to be the only ones who have the drive and charisma (?) to hold the empire not just together, but to expand it. OB dumbed down the politics, but it seems likely that, without the emperor strong-arming everyone into submission, the various nobles and powerful individuals will continue their internal squabbling unchecked.

Besides, after the events in TES IV, there really isn't any need for an emperor and the dragonfires.

Martin was not the last Septim. Heck, he wasn't even a true Septim. He was just the bastard of the Emperor, something which would have barred him from the throne if the Elder Council had their say, being as they refused to crown Prince Adorak Septim (who was at least a legitimate child). Oblivion is simply a travesty that completly forgets that their are cadet branches of the original Septim dynasty.

If Bethesda would get their head out of their tooter, they would have realized this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtzhkhFW_Qg

http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?act=findpost&hl=none+shall+survive&pid=11000473. The world, and by association the Empire, is screwed in a pretty mythic way. Literally.

And in a world of myth and magic, real world comparisons are kinda useless and futile. I never saw a 200 ft 4 armed pseudo-Goro figure come in from another dimension in real life.

And polls are kinda silly to conduct in the lore forum. <_<

I don't think the Council will have the ambition to use the Blades as assassins, and the Blades would probably refuse that role anyway; they see themselves as personally loyal to the Emperor alone. They might kill someone on an emperor's say-so, but not a council's, I think.

The provinces will miss free trade if they end up losing it, as well as religious freedom and whatever peace the Legion forts brought. We may see the provinces squabble among themselves, fight wars, and enact trade barriers. If things get worse, they might start ethnic cleansing; driving out whichever races are minorities in their province. I hope someone takes charge before it gets that bad, but the question will remain: does he have the Mandate of Heaven?

Well, it's kind of already religious, considering Tiber Septim became the Ninth Divine. Well, there's no need for the Septim blood-line anymore with the Oblivion gates forever sealed, so anything goes really. Chancellor Ocato seemed like the power-hungry sort, so he could well establish a dictatorship

Sorry about the poll. I thought it would be good for statistical data at a glance.

Anyhow, the possibility of a Religious government came up. Is there a "Pope" of the Imperial Church in Tamriel, or some other type of Religious council like Morrowind's Tribunal? If so, perhaps an interim Religious ruler could keep the Empire together.

Also, the Legion generals (are they called Centurions? I remember an Optio in Morrowind, and I wondered if the Roman military terminology held through for the entire Empire military...) seem to be rather power-hungry, like Ocato. If keeping the Empire together is a matter of initiative, then the Empire should hold. Now, if the Emperor kept the Empire together through Charisma, then there should be no problem there, because there are plenty of Charismatic entitites throughout the Empire; how else but through persuasion and careful wordplay could men like Jagar Tharn and Mankar Cammoran secure their initial power base? My point is, there will always be somebody powerful to come along and lead people to victory, revitalizing an Empire or building a new one: Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, Salah Al-Din, there are all sorts of real-world examples, why should a fictional world (full of beings who act like humans) behave any differently?

Another thought: at the end of Oblivion, we saw what appears to be direct intervention by Akatosh into the world of Mortals. To my limited knowledge, there had not been an act by the Divines like that one for quite some time, and perhaps that signifies the expansion of the role of the Gods as time goes on in the Elder Scrolls universe?

No no no no. Oblivion's portrayal of the Nine Divines is just boring and wrong. I hear in Daggerfall, the Nine weren't all lumped together, and even had rivalries. In Morrowind, I always thought of the Imperial Cult more of a fake religion backed by the Emperor to spread the virtues of the empire and the Imperials - hard work, justice, mercantilism, etc.

You are right in all respects.

Once again, Oblivion, you have failed.

Yes I'm aware of this, I was just trying to draw a clear parallel. My point is that the fourth empire will be split just as Charlemagne's was (just not for the same reason).

The Empire of Tamriel will likely live on in Tamrielic memory for some time following the dissolution of the Empire. Would-be conquerers will, periodically, raise its banner. Statesmen seeking to form a league will allude to it. There have been Empires before, and there will be, again. But I believe the Third Empire is done.