Board Thread:Online Discussion/@comment-70.112.240.21-20140206142245

I'm very psyched that the option to be any race in any faction will be available. No question where my loyalties lie, I'm all for the Dominion and do favor the Altmer & Khajit, but really am a fan of the Dunmer more than anything else. So I'm very proud to say I'll be marching under the Eagle in the upcoming battle, but as a Dunmer for the Dominion!

....that being said, has anyone changed their alliance/race now that the option for complete flexibility between them is offered for nothing more than a small pre-order down payment?

Also, why do your loyalties lie to the Alliance that it does? I'm personally choosing the Aldmeri Dominion, because I truly believe they have the most "right to rule" (what I mean by that is I see the most justification in their reasoning) and are the smartest choice in terms of stability and longevity for a new empire.

1. The Dominion is the most stable of the three alliances to begin with- The three races were united due to the efforts of the Altmer, who helped in restoring the home provinces of both the Bosmer & Khajit and now that they are both again on the rise, they're gladly returning the favor by allying themselves to form the faction. They also harbor no ill will towards one another racially, and have no history of any wars, political tensions or land disputes. Internally, the only factor going against the Dominion is the small fact that the Altmer & Khajit look on certain parts of the Bosmer religion with disdain (Only one part really- The consuming of a fallen foe's flesh) which doesn't matter to them all that much in the long run, seeing as it's hardly mentioned throughout history as a known subject of discourse between them. Even so, it's more of a cultural difference than an actual problem, or event from history which could stir up bad blood between races like the other factions have;

2. The two other factions are fragile alliances at best- The Ebonheart Pact is composed of races who absolutely depise and loathe one another, and all have a history of either war or slavery with each other (Nords tried to invade and conquer the Dark Elves and greatly look down on Argonians because they're a "beast-race"/Dark Elves have fought off many Nord invasion attempts and large-scale wars and kidnap & enslave Argonians from Black Marsh at whim/Argonians have a deep hate for Dark Elves due to their slave-related history and intensely detest the Nords due to the lack of respect and the ignorance they treat them with- Case in point, in Skyrim, Argonions can't even walk past the Windhelm docks, as far as their proximity to the city), these three are solely standing together due to militaristic advantage.

Meanwhile the Daggerfall Convenant is made up of (from what history has shown) extremely independent groups and greedy land barons- Orcs & Redguards being the sooner and Bretons the latter. As mentioned, the history of these three races show their alliance would also be fragile, not as much as the Pact, but still shaky- The Orcs have been ostracized by nearly all races of Tamriel since their induction into the world, with their "province" of Orsinium having been constantly sacked by both the surrounding races (Redguards and Bretons) for land, to no one outside of their race really looking to them with honor or hope. They also prefer to rule themselves and wouldn't work well with other races in a smaller, governed faction where they might see the option that they could rule it, only the be boxed out by the more "civilized" races (Reguard & Breton). This, going against their sense of pride and independence would only go to strengthen the idea that the alliance would be short-lived at best. The Redguards are very independent and proud people as well and while they would maybe end up going along with an alliance better than the Orcs, the nature of the Bretons (their tendency to want to control theirs and surrounding land- seen in the constant sacking of Orsinium as well as land disputes and battles regarding the bordering lands with Hammerfell, not to mention High Rock's history of petty kings and greedy land barons who cared only about High Rock's, and in turn, their own immediate wealth and prosperity, not the Empire's as a whole) would ultimately clash with the Redguards' nature and would most likely end up being a somewhat stable, but in the end, doomed one.

3. The Dominion is the only faction that has a far-sighted plan with long life for the Ruby Throne- As expressed from the motives of the factions as a whole and the decrees of the faction leaders themselves, both the Pact & Convenant have no actual revamping plan for the terrible state that the Empire is in. The Daggerfall Convenant in a nutshell says they pretty much want to have the Empire to way it was before the Tharns started all this Daedra insanity so that trade and commerce (money) can flow freely again and make THEIR lands as wealthy and plentiful as they were before, which would mean they have no real changes to keep something like this from happening again, they're mainly concerned with their home province.

The Ebonheart Pact has even more short-sightedness than the Covenant, they simply want to rule for the sake of doing so in place of the two other factions, and by some misguided belief that they have the "right" to because of the fact that they drove off the Akaviri invasion through their three races alligned alone. At most, this shows that they have great militaristic prowess, but says nothing in favor of them in regards to governing anything outside of a military operation, let alone completely rule a newly forged Empire and make it last.

The Aldmeri Dominion is the only faction that has a plan for the Empire as well as isn't motivated by personal, political or militaristic gain or advantage- They simply want to establish a new Empire that won't leave a blanket of blood over the land like the current one has since its establishment under the rule of Man. The Ayleids, while they kept other races enslaved had one of the longest-standing Empires ever due to its stability and rule through the Elves, namely Altmer (who never had any kind of internal conflict like vies for power or civil wars like those of Man) ,and those archaic ways would not be pushed onto man again, lest the Elves repeat the same mistakes in history, so those thoughts shouldn't even be entertained. Also, on the note of pointing the finger at slave-using groups, the Empire knowingly allowed slavery to continue in Morrowind even after they had established rule there, with Tiber Septim himself simply looking at the situation thinking it was the easiest solution so that the flow of commerce and money could continue there (and in turn, for his Empire as a whole), so dont think that Man is innocent of slave use, because the important thing is that it happened knowingly under his rule and regardless of how widespread it was or wasn't in Tamriel under their rule, it was allowed so as to keep the Empire as a whole running smoothly....a similar ideal of the Ayleids towards slaves.

All in all, from what I've seen, the Aldmeri Dominion has the smartest and most worthwhile plans for a new Empire, and not just a new one, but one that will last and not be riddled with fighting and internal conflict, and not waged in the name of simply being the ruler of it and all. History alone has shown that Elven rule is downright more prosperous with a longer lifespan and more peace time than rule under Man has ever shown. That, especially put alongside these facts, should make it easier than ever to see why the Aldermi Dominion is the wisest choice in choosing your faction, and the one that will lead Tamriel to a new and better era of peace and prosperity than before.

So...I've presented my reasons and explanations as to why I'm fighting for the Eagle, what are other people's reasons for their choices?

P.S. I don't want to hear any "Skyrim-2nd Aldmeri Dominion-Thalmor" nonsense and how "The Dominion's just a bunch of snooty, bossy High Elves who try to kill and enslave people" because of Skyrim fanboys who can't differentiate the first from the second Aldmeri Dominion. Anyone who knows the lore and history of The Elder Scrolls series knows what I'm talking about, and how ignorant it is when people just blantantly reagard the two as the same thing when they are clearly not at all, your words fall on deaf ears here. 