Solitude has fallen, and the civil war is over.
Some thoughts on the game, then the story.
The battles at the forts were all enjoyable, but the civil war took on too familiar a cadence near the end. Do a quest, take a fort. Repeat in a couple of different holds. Twice, take a city. The battle for Whiterun was the most interesting, as the fight had a number of sub-goals woven into it, such as breaching the city walls and then dropping the draw bridge. It lent a more strategic feel to what is an otherwise hectic killing spree.
The forts play out similarly, but sans the strategy other than just shooting all the Imperials dead (the % countdown is a nice touch). By fort #3, I was weary of them. I am fearful that the Imperial side of the war, which my next character will play, is going to play out in much the same fashion, but with the uniforms swapped.
Where the fort battles at least held up the artifice of a medium sized battle, it all fell apart on the Solitude assault. I had forged and enchanted a new bow using a blacksmith's elixir and enchanting potion I found (had'em stashed in a safe until the time was right), and used it to just blow through the initial defenses. After that, Imperial troops were spawning repeatedly around me, only to get one-shot by my new bow, Ebony Fire.
The guards to General Tullius' castle didn't move when I walked up to them, and took arrows to the chest point blank. Once inside, Ulfric and Stone-Fist talked with his first in command. Once the battle music started I shot her, landing a paralyzing blow. The three of us then beat the shit of her while she lay helpless and shrieking in frustration.
Enter Tallius. A brief fight ends when I similarly land a paralyzing shot on him, and he falls down in the most hilarious position. Feet spread apart, arms out, he's on his side tipped forward, in a partial hand stand. And there he stays through the entire (very long) conversation that follows, his bare legs sticking into the air.
After we're done talking, I decline the opportunity to finish him off. But since he's just laying there, unmoving, neither does anyone else. After a minute or so, I land a final arrow in him and the battle is over.
What's not over is the battle music, which has been blaring through the entire conversation. It plays through Ulfric's speech. It plays while I walk through town. It plays as I ride out of town. It keeps playing as I reach Dragon Bridge, enter the inn, and buy myself a bottle of mead to celebrate. It's still playing while I'm standing next to goats and chickens in town. I finally do what I haven't done all game: I use fast travel to go....no where. Fast traveling to Dragons Bridge ends the epic battle music, which has blared for 15 minutes at this point. Not exactly a polished end to the war.
When Tallius and company called us fools for dividing the Empire's attention, empowering the Thalmor, I couldn't help but agree. I'd felt from about midway through the war that Ulfric was misguided. I'm still sympathetic what drove the rebellion, but it was a strategic error. Plus, the Stormcloaks are racist motherfuckers. I don't roll that way. I'm looking forward to seeing the Imperial side of things, and am impressed with Bethesda for making the civil war story not be a tale of black/white, good/evil.
Speaking of the Thalmor, do I ever get a chance to crush those dudes? I know they're the real enemy, and I'd like to do them some grave damage.
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I completed the Siege of the Dragon Cult quest earlier tonight, which was fantastic. Huge, challenging and trap-laden dungeon, great loot (and a shout), interesting back story woven into it. At the end, the dude had a note with his orders, which included instructions to head to Labryinthian. Is that my cue to do so? Or is that dungeon - which I've read much about in the game - tied to a different quest line?