I'm writing a thing/playing as someone living on Solstheim a bit before the events of Helgen and such, and I'm wondering whether the locals should have started the whole brainwashed drones act or not? Can't seem to find much on when Miraak actually starts that, I'm assuming it's around the same time as Alduin comes back (because otherwise it's a bloody big coincidence) but, well, maybe it IS just a bloody big coincidence and it's been going on for a while already.

In gameplay terms, I'm not playing this character as Dragonborn [Skyrim Unbound] although obviously the game can't exactly recognise that except in the pure mechanics of 'soul absorption and word walls don't work', and have gone to Solstheim at level 5 or so, i.e. I've not got to the bit in the MQ with Cultists attacking me, but the drones are already droning around, but obviously the game assumes that even if you go there straight from Helgen, you've already, well, been attacked at Helgen by Alduin.