Blades (Skyrim)



The Blades are a joinable faction after completing the main quest.

Backround
The Blades used to be the Emperor's personal guards, as the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion illustrate. After Martin sacrificed himself during the Oblivion Crisis, the Blades were left without a purpose. Before the events of Skyrim, the Blades, still waiting for the next Dragonborn to protect, believed that the Thalmor posed a great threat to the Empire, so, they began to spy on the Aldmeri Dominion. However, the Thalmor learned of this, and executed every Blade spy in all of the Summerset Isles and Valenwood, and delivered their severed heads to the Emperor, demanding that the Blades must be disbanded and many more terms. The Empire refused, and the Great War began. For years, the Blades confidently fought an underground war against the Thalmor. As Delphine says "We thought we were more than a match for them, we were wrong." The Thalmor defeated the Blades, and decimated their ancient order, sending the few surviving Blades into hiding.

Interactions
After reaching Sky Haven Temple, talk to Delphine and she will speak about restoring the Blades. She will ask you to recruit at least three followers to join the Blades. Once you've recruited three followers into the Blades, she will tell you to speak to Esbern, who has been studying ancient dragon burial grounds. He will occasionally give you and the three Blades you recruited a quest to hunt a dragon at the burial grounds. After the first such mission, you gain the option of giving Esbern a dragon bone and dragon scale in exchange for a potion that will give you a permanent 25% resistance to damage inflicted by dragon melee attacks.

Recruits

 * Recruits will be moved to the Sky Haven Temple. You may then use them as followers at any time. This can be useful for followers like Kharjo who wander around Skyrim and do not stay in a fixed position, when not following the Dragonborn.
 * The player can invite up to three Followers to the Blades. Once the last recruit is accepted by Delphine, the Dragonborn will receive a Miscellaneous Quest from Esbern that requires him to kill a Dragon, using the help of other Blades. It should be noted that most, although not all Followers can be recruited to the Blades.
 * It is recomended for recruits to have a solid Heavy Armor skill, as well as One-handed and Block skills during fights. It might also be best to choose recruits with a high Archery or Destruction level, allowing them to effectively attack flying dragons. Potential recruits that possess such skills are listed below:
 * 1) Onmund (Male Nord Sorcerer)
 * 2) J'zargo (Male Khajiit Sorcerer)
 * 3) Uthgerd the Unbroken (Female Nord Warrior)
 * 4) Kharjo (Male Khajiit Warrior)
 * 5) Borgakh the Steel Heart (Female Orc Warrior)
 * 6) Ria (Female Imperial Warrior)
 * 7) Vorstag (Male Nord Warrior)
 * 8) Torvar (Male Nord Warrior)
 * 9) Athis (Male Dunmer Warrior)
 * 10) Golldir (Male Nord Warrior)
 * 11) Cosnach (Male Breton Warrior)
 * 12) Ogol (Male Orc Warrior)
 * 13) All Housecarls

Bugs

 * Should you kill any of your three recruits, you will not be able to replace them (PS3, XBOX 360 confirmed). Wether they can be replaced upon being killed by a dragon or not is unkown.
 * Upon recruiting Mjoll the Lioness, Aerin will also be moved to the Sky Haven Temple. While he doesn't become a Blade, he does wander around the temple. His dialogue is unchanged.

Trivia

 * Blades may be considered stubborn to their old beliefs due to their undistinguished hatred of dragons, such as Paarthurnax. It may also be viewed as a wise act, as Paarthurnax suggests should the Dragonborn talk to him about the Blades' wish to kill him.

Quests
Quests involving the Blades include:
 * Bleak Falls Barrow
 * The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller
 * A Blade in the Dark
 * Diplomatic Immunity
 * A Cornered Rat
 * Alduin's Wall
 * Season Unending
 * Paarthurnax

Members

 * Delphine
 * Esbern
 * The Dragonborn
 * Three Followers of your choosing
 * Fultheim (possibly)