The Empire

**Cornelius Plautus** · March 17, 2010, 01:53 PM

What do you think is going to happen to the Empire in TES V?

EDIT: Will it even still be around?

**KaRoU23** · March 17, 2010, 06:00 PM

Well i guess a new danger will come across....

Perhaps another attack from a Deadra god, or an invasion from another continent(Akavir perhaps???).Well also the prospect of a rebellion or a mysterious cult comes through my mind, but i ain't that sure....

**Henry X** · March 17, 2010, 10:03 PM

The empire was beginning to fall apart by the time Oblivion ended, so its only natural that either the empire has fallen completely apart, splintered into several factions, or has been taken over by a tyrant and is bound by steel. Or ebony.

**Kamos** · March 17, 2010, 10:43 PM

I dunno some guy released a book where a new family line claimed the throne then the Empire kind of rallied and has maintained itself in Cyrodiil among other developments.

**Henry X** · March 19, 2010, 08:34 PM

Well Black Marsh and Elsyweyr had both left the empire by that time.

**Kamos** · March 19, 2010, 10:28 PM

It changed a hell of a lot more than that, Morrowind got it's ass royally kicked by Nords, Orcs, and Argonians for instance and are holed out in either Vvardenfell or Solstheim(haven't read the book just going off online sources). Presumably the Empire only has real control in Cyrodiil. Don't really know about other places but the Mages Guild was dissolved into two factions as well.

Things are going to be pretty nutsy in the next ES game.

**Pious Agnost** · March 20, 2010, 01:37 AM

I stopped liking the Empire when they changed their uniforms from Roman-esque to that bastardized rusty Greek-Plate armour.

I hope they're joinable again though, if they're still around.

**Manco** · March 20, 2010, 08:25 AM

All I know there's real potential for a Dark Ages-esque world for the new TES.

I think it's pretty certain the Nords will be in ascendance (considering they just smashed Hammerfell's and High Rock's armies) and will eventually create a new empire. Which is pretty much a motif: they've been at the forefront of every human empire till now and both Reman and Septim's lineages are essentially Nordic.

I'd like to see Beth taking a few cues from the Frank's rise to power irl, the new barbarian invaders basing them on the old Imperial infrastructure.

**Kamos** · March 20, 2010, 12:17 PM

Well Skyrim does seem like a bit of a powerhouse at the moment, tougher than all its neighbors having beat all of them up except Cyrodiil recently.

**Cornelius Plautus** · March 21, 2010, 12:08 PM

If the legions pull back to Cyrodiil, then conceivably, the could hold that province only. I do hope that the Imperial legion is around in the next game as a playable faction. Maybe the new Imperial Rulers will make bigger armies and improve their technology (hopefully making the soldiers' armor look good again) so that they can conquer a few places again. There seems to be a lot of chaos, and maybe the average people will clamor for Imperial rule once again.

Maybe, though, we could have a game where Nord barbarians fight Imperial legionaries, and the player could take either side, climbing the ranks of either army until they became a powerful general... or, perhaps, Emperor!

**Manco** · March 21, 2010, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by Cornelius Plautus

If the legions pull back to Cyrodiil, then conceivably, the could hold that province only. I do hope that the Imperial legion is around in the next game as a playable faction. Maybe the new Imperial Rulers will make bigger armies and improve their technology (hopefully making the soldiers' armor look good again) so that they can conquer a few places again. There seems to be a lot of chaos, and maybe the average people will clamor for Imperial rule once again.

Maybe, though, we could have a game where Nord barbarians fight Imperial legionaries, and the player could take either side, climbing the ranks of either army until they became a powerful general... or, perhaps, Emperor!

Problem is that half the legions are Nords, and it's unlikely they'll fight against their own.

**Cornelius Plautus** · March 21, 2010, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by Manco

Problem is that half the legions are Nords, and it's unlikely they'll fight against their own.

I didn't think of that. Maybe the Empire could recruit from other provinces? Maybe they could have an Imperial Core Army with auxiliaries from the other provinces, who swore to defend the Empire because they're afraid of Nordic attacks?

**Inhuman One** · March 31, 2010, 05:50 PM

Most Imperial soldiers and guards I have seen where Imperials.

I also hope they will go back to having roman style armor though. Roman names and greek armor designs dont match, and the change made no sense. A shame that no mod exists for Oblivion that changes the Imperial armor to be a lot more like the old armors.

Power struggles between the races would surely be more interesting than the Empire ruling everything.

I would really like it if we would be allowed to pick a side in the main quest between two parties.

**Manco** · April 01, 2010, 10:47 AM

Lore-wise the Legions are pretty much equal measures Nords, Redguards and Imperials, other races have far smaller contributions and mostly in theri own province.
Saying half the legions are Nords was a bit of a hyperbole, but losing a quarter to a third of the legions would be very damaging.

**RVFVS** · April 01, 2010, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by Manco

Lore-wise the Legions are pretty much equal measures Nords, Redguards and Imperials, other races have far smaller contributions and mostly in theri own province.
Saying half the legions are Nords was a bit of a hyperbole, but losing a quarter to a third of the legions would be very damaging.

Which when you think about is mvery much like the Roman Empire which was overhwlmingly, during it's fall, using barbarian soldiers in the legions.

**Manco** · April 01, 2010, 08:26 PM

Not entirely, since the First empire could only be created because of the Nedic/Nordic invasions and their subsequent alliance with Alessia and her rebels.
Both the Second and Third empire were created by men from an originally Nordic family, respectively Reman and Tiber Septim/Talos.

But some parallels are definitely there.

**RVFVS** · April 01, 2010, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by Manco

Not entirely, since the First empire could only be created because of the Nedic/Nordic invasions and their subsequent alliance with Alessia and her rebels.
Both the Second and Third empire were created by men from an originally Nordic family, respectively Reman and Tiber Septim/Talos.

But some parallels are definitely there.

By the time of the last Emperor the emperors family was from Spain originally I believe...the parallels are more then there they are everywhere.

**Aonghus G. Friedhold** · April 04, 2010, 01:04 PM

Officially, Martin's sacrifice isn't enough to bring the Empire together, and it crumbles, as discussed above. I'd pray the player can take different sides of the struggle in the Main Quest, but Bethesda usually leaves taking sides to side-factions. Also, if the Empire can just beat the Nords once or twice, they could pull in Redguards, Dunmer, Orcs, and Bretons who've been beaten by the Nords, probably creating more unity among those races in the process. The Argonians would be a problem, but they aren't the fighting force the Nords are, and don't seem interested in fighting Cyrodiil unless provoked. Allowed to sit back, they probably will. Valenwood was invaded by the Altmer, which poses a problem, but the Bosmer are notoriously good guerrilla fighters, so maybe not. Going of the assumption that Skyrim was registered for it to be the next game, that would hint at most of the action taking place there, so maybe a new Empire will arise there? We don't know, but we do know that Bethesda hasn't done a multi-province game since Arena, so presumably it will still be one province. I'd hope they might include maybe 10-20 miles into the other provinces, because most action would take place around the borders anyway.