Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-26213507-20150928140042/@comment-25479664-20151005173905

Bronkiin wrote: DeletedContent wrote: Bronkiin wrote: WrathOfHircine wrote: Phantasys wrote: WrathOfHircine wrote: Skyrim does not have much sources of food unlike other provinces. Many farms around the cities produce enough food to EXPORT. They myth that Skyrim needs the empire for trade to survive is an outright LIE! The only things Cyrodil export are luxury items such as wine and higher quality clothes. Most farms produce foods only for themselves What evidence do you have for that? Nazeem's farm is profit making, Carlotta sells her surplus, the Battleborns are profit making. This is a trend through all of the Holds. If farms produce only for themselves, how does Skyrim eat? As it stands large sections of Skyrim's economy are being used to subsidise the rebuilding of Cyrodil (have you guys even read the last two threads?), and the Empire needs Skyrim too much to cease trading if Skyrim becomes independent. In Whiterun, Riften, Falkreath and perhaps even Markarth, the land may be JUST fertile enough, but waht about Dawnstar and Windhelm? They might be able to sustain themselves during peacetime just well enough, sure, but what about during wartime, when soldiers burn several thousand calories every day? Not to mention the possibility of sieges, assaults on farms, and perhaps even the Thalmor poisoning Skyrim's wells and underground springs, huh? The only food scource that Skyrim has a massive abundance of is fish, right? But fish are (A) low in calories, (B) only found in large numbers in certain holds (Haafingar, Morthal, Windhelm, and the Rift), and (C) they are in WATER. And water can be poisoned (the Thalmor have the Bosmer on their side, remember, who are very good with poisons). Wartime conditions suck up resources very quickly. The only way that Skyrim could effectively mass produce enough food to maintain its armies would either be to make sure that enough people stay back at home and farm (less soldiers), or that they enslave another race, most likely the Argonians (possible rebellion). In case you haven't noticed, Skyrim is in the middle of a war... There is no evidence of food shortages in either city. Have you been to Windhelm? The farmers on the cities outskirts all talk about the success of their farm despite the cold weather.

And "what if the Thalmor poison Skyrim's water supplies"? Wow. That doesn't deserve an answer. Ah yes, but the Empire has the rest of, well, the Empire to supply them, and the East Empire Company is still likely supplying food and resources in Windhelm. I also wouldn't be supprised if some of the Stormcloak soldiers are trading the surplus loot from their foes with the Kajiit caravans for a little extra food on the side. Besides, unlike the Thalmor, the Empire actually care about the citizens of Skyrim (for the most part), and are unlikely to use chemical warfare, or anything else that would be liable to lead to heavy civilian casualties. And before you say that the Imperials used artillery against the Stormcloaks in Windhelm, the Stormcloaks used the same type of artillery against Whiterun, and they are suppossedly "liberating" Skyrim, remember?