Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-62.255.98.169-20130504143516/@comment-82.141.205.1-20140207141806

Zastenoy wrote:

82.141.205.1 wrote: The Falmer didn't just have their forms changed, they had their souls changed from black souls to white souls. Nobody knows how the Dwemer managed to inflict that on them so in theory nobody can reverse it. They cannot become Snow Elves again because an essential part of their souls is gone, changed, never to return, bar possible divine intervention.

They might be humanoid in shape, but their souls are no longer those of sentient creatures (I might be wrong, but I thought that was the distinction between a white and a black soul) so all of the discussions about "the Falmer could organise themselves, learn to speak, develop strategy" etc. are moot because their white souls prevent them from achieving this level of sophistication. It's as likely as Trolls (another humanoid, white-souled creature) spontaneously developing a language, social structure and organised military hierarchy.

Possibly I'm over-estimating the effect of the soul colour, but I thought it was important enough to contribute. The other white-soul creatures do not use weapons, armor, staves, chests, traps, huts, gates, breeding and herding techniques, alchemy and enchanting. Not all of them at once, at least. So being sentient does not mean having a black soul. The difference probably lies somewhere else. Religious beliefs, maybe? We can see no evidence of any religion followed by the Falmer. It's true that the Falmer exhibit many behaviours that aren't shared by other white-souled creatures (well, the Draugr, but they're undead so don't really count, and Giants, which arguably are at a slightly lower evolution level to the Falmer because they don't use magic) and your religious beliefs point is excellent - possibly that is what makes black souls black. I don't remember reading anything that really explains the difference.

I based my argument on the belief that a white soul is somehow different to a black soul in more than it's enchanting uses. For example, if you transformed a Troll's soul to a black soul, would its behaviour change? Would it get smarter? Regret eating people? Start a worship system? Organise other Trolls into hunting parties? Make clothes for itself?

Change of subject now...

I also believe that the Falmer don't not conquer Skyrim because they can't be bothered - they don't conquer Skyrim because A-they can't speak and B-they can't see. If I suddenly became blind, I could theoretically defend my office quite well against an intruder because it's familiar. But if I wanted to launch an assault on the office down the corridor? How would I plan that? How would I scout or gather intel? How would I tell where the sentries were? How would I identify the entry points so I didn't run into a wall? How would I sneak up on them if I couldn't tell where I was going? In the real world, even people who have managed perfectly well with blindness since birth still carry a white stick so they can feel out their surroundings without crashing into them or falling down stairs.

The Falmer are a very dangerous proposition inside their own caves, but how many times do you encounter Falmer on the offensive? As in, raiding? Or hunting? Or attacking a small settlement? Never. Yes, you do see the occasional victim of a Falmer ambush but you never see them doing it. Because it must be ridiculously dangerous for them to leave the safety of their cave and wander around in vast openness. They'd be easy pickings for anything that was hungry.