if the tribunal is so powerful, why couldn't they get rid of the lodos plague?

wolfbone

if the tribunal these all powerful gods, why did they need the vestige to deal with the plague? arent they meant to be 'living gods'? I'm surprised more people dont start questioning their power/ if they are truly gods, considering they couldnt do anything about this.

LadyNalcarya

I don't think they really care about well-being of their people. Vivec never destroyed Baar Dau just to make sure that people would continue worshipping him, and Almalexia is a self-absorbed moron. Even Sotha Sil is too busy with his clockwork creations to care about people who got stuck in his Clockwork City.

KaGaOri

I suspect the same reason why people have some teen mow their lawn or wash their car. It's not like they weren't able / powerful enough to do it themselves, but why would they? And if anyone asks, they can claim teaching the kid good values by letting them earn extra pocket money = good PR bonus.

Sgrug

wolfbone wrote: »

if the tribunal these all powerful gods, why did they need the vestige to deal with the plague? arent they meant to be 'living gods'? I'm surprised more people dont start questioning their power/ if they are truly gods, considering they couldnt do anything about this.

What do you expect from three oathbreaking liars? The whole premise of them becoming living gods was based on them breaking their promise and then using a tainted artifact.

Mindcr0w

Because the Tribunal were liars and posers who were always a fraction of what they claimed to be.

VaranisArano

Well, the Tribunal aren't "all powerful." They draw their power from certain rituals involving the Heart of Lorkhan and they weaken if they don't do the rituals after time. That weakness is why Dagoth Ur was able to drive the Tribunal away from the Heart Chamber and later to wrest two of the tools away from them, and also explains their decline from that point to the events of TES 3 as they devote their dwindling powers to protecting Morrowind, running the Clockwork City, and sustaining the Ghostfence.

As for why most Dunmer don't doubt them, it's crucial to remember that the Dunmer have seen mighty victories from their living gods to go with some failures. They don't expect perfection, nor the benign neglect of the Divines.

Moreover, one aspect that I think is often forgotten by fans of TES 3 is that all the lore about the origins of the Tribunal using the Tools is rankest heresy to the average faithful Dunmer. By TES 3, that's the sort of stuff that lands Dissident priest Mehra Milo in prison at Baar Dau.

Heavy spoilers for the Maulborn plot, Clockwork City, ESO Morrowind, and TES 3 follow.

Now, in regard to the Maulborn, Almalexia addresses this directly:

Player: You're a god. What can I do that you can't?/But what can I do that you can't?
Almalexia:"You shall hear, though you shall never speak of it. This enemy uses guile and subterfuge. I need time to understand the threat they pose. My divine defenses have been breached and the Temple has been invaded. I cannot be seen to fail!"
She then makes it clear that you are going to help her keep up appearances for everyone else.

In a later quest, Almalexia sheds more light on how the Maulborn way have escaped her notice: "The blasphemer Vox has sealed herself behind powerful wards. While these wards are in place, she is hidden from me."

In the context of the quest, Magistrate Vox hates Almalexia for killing her son. Since Vox is operating on her territory, it makes sense that the Maulborn took precautions against Almalexia.

Other conversations about why the Tribunal needs help that may interest you:

1. At the end of Clockwork City, Sotha Sil has a lengthy conversation about our role as The Prisoner vs his role, and why we can do a few things he can't because he is bound to his role.

2. In ESO Morrowind, Vivec starts by saying: "I have Ordinators and Armigers at my disposal, vast armies of followers and dedicated priests. What I don't have, however, is a fresh perspective.
Will you set aside your personal goals for a time and become the eyes and ears of a god?" As becomes clear, his divine powers are being siphoned off with one of Sotha Sil's tools, but it was being done subtly enough that he didn't worry about it until it became a real problem. Even with Baar Dau nearly falling, by the end of Vvardenfell, the faithful are only confirmed in their beliefs as Vivec and his faithful servant (you) apparently saves them yet again.

And the biggest example, TES 3, the Tribunal needs the Nerevarine because their powers are fading and they simply can't keep Dagoth Ur from breaking out from beyond the Ghostfence or spreading blight storms across Vvardenfell any longer since he is greatly empowered from his access to the Heart. It's this, Almalexia murdering Sotha Sil then trying to kill the Nerevarine, and Vivec's failure to remove Baar Dau that puts the nail in the coffin for the Tribunal's continued worship as living gods.

VaranisArano

KaGaOri wrote: »

I suspect the same reason why people have some teen mow their lawn or wash their car. It's not like they weren't able / powerful enough to do it themselves, but why would they? And if anyone asks, they can claim teaching the kid good values by letting them earn extra pocket money = good PR bonus.

Thanks for reminding me of this.