Borders of Summerset Open... to the Enemy

Enodoc · March 2018

"For the first time in history, the long-closed borders of Summerset are open to foreigners by decree of Queen Ayrenn." Yet Ayrenn is on the mainland dealing with the Three Banners War. Why would she open the borders of her home country to "foreigners" during a war? Isn't that just inviting an invasion from the exact same people that she is fighting against in the war? How do you stop the foreigners from taking advantage of the open borders situation and sieging the capital city?

In Wrothgar, this made sense - Alliance War soldiers weren't allowed into the kingdom at all, whether Covenant or otherwise, but Orsinium's relationship with the Covenant made that a logical option; Orsinium helped the Covenant in the war effort as long as the Covenant didn't actually garrison any soldiers in Wrothgar. Here in Summerset, you are in the home of the Aldmeri Dominion, and it wouldn't really make sense to take a similar stance and exclude all Dominion soldiers from the province. If you don't exclude the Dominion soldiers though, you're implying this is potentially a region of interest in the war, so why are the borders open to any old Covenant/Pact member?

In short, I'm looking for a good reason why a member of the Covenant can potentially waltz right up to the Proxy Queen of Alinor without anyone in authority thinking that's a bad idea.

Minalan · March 2018

Oh noes! Drunken Nords, Bretons and Orcs streaking nekkid down the Summerset streets!

What was the queen thinking?!

Edit: I’m totally doing this, just to have fun with all of the stuffy Altmers.

Jaimeh · March 2018

The way I see it, Queen Ayrenn wants to lead by example, so in order to unify the Dominion, and show that the Altmer lands/population are no different, she opens the borders. In terms of allowing non-AD travellers, the game could justify it the same way like with Cadwel’s Silver/Gold, where you are able to visit without being perceived as an enemy.

psychotrip · March 2018

Because they decided to center the game around a 3 faction war that didn't make much sense, nor fit in with the ethos of an Elder Scrolls game. Since they built the game as a themepark mmo with linear progression, as opposed to an open-ended sandbox, they need to contrive an excuse for every character to see every piece of content in a single playthrough.

You'd think Ayrenn, being a laughably young and inexperienced queen, would understand the need to satisfy her people, or at the very least ease them in to her more progressive and open ideals after decades of trust-building. Even an altmer queen isn't an infallible despot.

Barring that, if the situation is so dire that it absolutely requires opening up the isle for the first time since the dawn of time (are we really supposed to believe the Altmer have NEVER been in a dangerous situation like this before?) then we should expect there to be massive unrest that would make the veiled heritance look like a joke.

But no, we're just opening up the isle to every Tom, *** and Harry we can find, and I'm assuming the altmer people will do little more than whine and complain about human boots dirtying up their gray-stone floors.

SirAxen · March 2018

We play as the vestige. The 'hero' of this Elder Scrolls game. The border isn't being opened up to everyone, just the vestige. The game just so happens to be an MMORPG.

Sixty5 · March 2018

Invite tourists from other countries into the heart of the Dominion in order to show them how nice it is, and therefore why they should leave their own terrible alliance and enlist in the Dominion.

MissBizz · March 2018

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

MajesticHaruki · March 2018

Omg Ayrenn plans to kill all the enemies once they set foot in our homeland. She a smart gurl.

Rohamad_Ali · March 2018

MissBizz wrote: »

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closed off being better advice and Enodoc has a valid point once again .

LukosCreyden · March 2018

I am so excited to travel to the home of the Altmer so I can.... "help" them.

Eporem · March 2018

Enodoc wrote: »

"For the first time in history, the long-closed borders of Summerset are open to foreigners by decree of Queen Ayrenn." Yet Ayrenn is on the mainland dealing with the Three Banners War. Why would she open the borders of her home country to "foreigners" during a war? Isn't that just inviting an invasion from the exact same people that she is fighting against in the war?

from this trailer

https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/home - The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset – Cinematic Teaser

I imagine she has opened the borders seeking aid against the Shadows

Sinolai · March 2018

Sixty5 wrote: »

Invite tourists from other countries into the heart of the Dominion in order to show them how nice it is, and therefore why they should leave their own terrible alliance and enlist in the Dominion.

Alliance change tokens confirmed?

Enodoc · March 2018

SirAxen wrote: »

We play as the vestige. The 'hero' of this Elder Scrolls game. The border isn't being opened up to everyone, just the vestige. The game just so happens to be an MMORPG.

I think you missed the quote. You being the hero is irrelevant, "the borders of Summerset are open to foreigners". No special dispensation, no Cadwell/Meridia/hidden identity shenanigans. Literally "the borders are open".

Eporem wrote: »

from this trailer
https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/home - The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset – Cinematic Teaser
I imagine she has opened the borders seeking aid against the Shadows

Potentially yeah, a bit like Orsinium. Although the way it's worded, it appears to be more general than that, so I'm not sure.

WhiteCoatSyndrome · March 2018

Hopefully we'll get a reasonable explanation in-game.

SirAndy · March 2018

There have already been reports of foreign travelers vanishing while visiting Summerset.

Personally, i think:

WhiteCoatSyndrome · March 2018

SirAndy wrote: »

There have already been reports of foreign travelers vanishing while visiting Summerset.

'The letter from the Queen was forged by Mephala's cultists so the Daedra can prey on visitors and no one will notice' would be a reasonable explanation.

idk · March 2018

We haven’t seen the story line to judge if this make sense or not.

JD2013 · March 2018

I reckon the person who actually opened the borders is the proxy queen.

And I’m guessing that the proxy queen is under the influence of Mephala et al.

Or something similar.

Fleshreaper · March 2018

Enodoc wrote: »

"For the first time in history, the long-closed borders of Summerset are open to foreigners by decree of Queen Ayrenn." Yet Ayrenn is on the mainland dealing with the Three Banners War. Why would she open the borders of her home country to "foreigners" during a war? Isn't that just inviting an invasion from the exact same people that she is fighting against in the war? How do you stop the foreigners from taking advantage of the open borders situation and sieging the capital city?

In Wrothgar, this made sense - Alliance War soldiers weren't allowed into the kingdom at all, whether Covenant or otherwise, but Orsinium's relationship with the Covenant made that a logical option; Orsinium helped the Covenant in the war effort as long as the Covenant didn't actually garrison any soldiers in Wrothgar. Here in Summerset, you are in the home of the Aldmeri Dominion, and it wouldn't really make sense to take a similar stance and exclude all Dominion soldiers from the province. If you don't exclude the Dominion soldiers though, you're implying this is potentially a region of interest in the war, so why are the borders open to any old Covenant/Pact member?

In short, I'm looking for a good reason why a member of the Covenant can potentially waltz right up to the Proxy Queen of Alinor without anyone in authority thinking that's a bad idea.

Because no matter what faction you choose to start with you are given the option to experience the other factions story line, Caldwell's Silver and Gold. As far as Queen Ayrenn know you are AD. And with the war in Cyrodiil, as stated before the Cold Harbor invasion, none of the other alliances have the troops to spare for an invasion.

veloSylraptor · March 2018

Enodoc wrote: »

"For the first time in history, the long-closed borders of Summerset are open to foreigners by decree of Queen Ayrenn." Yet Ayrenn is on the mainland dealing with the Three Banners War. Why would she open the borders of her home country to "foreigners" during a war? Isn't that just inviting an invasion from the exact same people that she is fighting against in the war? How do you stop the foreigners from taking advantage of the open borders situation and sieging the capital city?

In Wrothgar, this made sense - Alliance War soldiers weren't allowed into the kingdom at all, whether Covenant or otherwise, but Orsinium's relationship with the Covenant made that a logical option; Orsinium helped the Covenant in the war effort as long as the Covenant didn't actually garrison any soldiers in Wrothgar. Here in Summerset, you are in the home of the Aldmeri Dominion, and it wouldn't really make sense to take a similar stance and exclude all Dominion soldiers from the province. If you don't exclude the Dominion soldiers though, you're implying this is potentially a region of interest in the war, so why are the borders open to any old Covenant/Pact member?

In short, I'm looking for a good reason why a member of the Covenant can potentially waltz right up to the Proxy Queen of Alinor without anyone in authority thinking that's a bad idea.

Open border doesn't mean no one's watching, you're not gonna sneak in an entire invasion without drawing attention long before you even get close to Summerset.

Also, why the assumption that Ayrenn doesn't know what she's doing? Razum Dar is in Summerset right now, probably with a heavy presence from the Queen's Eyes. Does anyone really think the borders are being opened without greatly increased security and surveillance? I mean, come on...

From what I've gathered during the main questline, this is actually consistent with Ayrenn's style:

Project friendship, openness, and trust.*

*While having a plan to kill them just in case they need killing

Ajaxandriel · March 2018

Do you remember that enemies of the Pact were gently invited to Vivec's siege of power the same way ?

If some "n'wah" can simply walk into Vvardenfell... then some ""civilians"" from these younger civilizations can be tolerated on the holy Isles ... I assume so.

I had an idea to let this more credible:
- Only the altmer characters should be fully allowed on Summerset from the begining of the quests
- Foreign characters would have to crouch as in a restricted area (like the gentle cockroaches they are *insert altmer trollface here*), before their merit is recognized after some quests.

Korah_Eaglecry · March 2018

My headcanon is that she isnt opening it up to everyone. If youre tied to a foreign intelligence group or a group of soldiers from a enemy faction. Youre likely not going to step foot off the boat, let alone be allowed near shore before some Altmer Marines raid your ship. I wouldnt be surprised if some make it ashore, maybe even cause a political mess for Aryenn and reinforce the locals attitudes about isolationism. But there needs to be some sort of reason to let the Vestige, aligned to the DC or EP, a reason to go to Summerset unmolested. And lets be honest here, its not as if 1T didnt already make a mess of this already.

The vast majority of NPCs that arent Altmer will likely be expats, merchants, adventure seekers and individuals seeking an escape from whatever they left behind. Dont forget that there is rather large swaths of Tamriel that arent aligned to the Three Alliances. Thousands if not millions of individuals with no part in the fighting in Cyrodiil. People that the Altmer, the Thalmor and Aldmeri Dominion would have no reason to believe were up to no good.

NyassaV · March 2018

Our Characters are not soldiers. They just happen to have the option of choosing a side to fight behind. Cyrodiil is really just a big free for all anyways

Ilsabet · March 2018

I wonder how the dialogue will be tailored for non-AD Vestiges who have done the AD storyline under Meridia's veil. I could see Ayrenn recognizing that the Vestige is not one of her own, but still having faith in them because of the way they helped her out (even if it was kind of a pretense).

Or maybe they'll just gloss over that and she and the other recurring characters will greet you as a friend with no regard to home alliance, kind of like the characters you encounter in the Gold Coast and other DLCs.

I'd prefer the former, though.

Elsonso · March 2018

veloSylraptor wrote: »

Also, why the assumption that Ayrenn doesn't know what she's doing? Razum Dar is in Summerset right now, probably with a heavy presence from the Queen's Eyes. Does anyone really think the borders are being opened without greatly increased security and surveillance? I mean, come on...

From what I've gathered during the main questline, this is actually consistent with Ayrenn's style:

Project friendship, openness, and trust.

The fact that Razum Dar has such a high profile and trusted job for the Queen, and able to be effective at it on the ground in Summerset Isle, is either a testimony to her ability to be a leader to all of Tamriel or it is a glaring problem with the game lore. One would naturally expect that these positions would be filled with High Elves, all others being lesser. This is what we learned about them in Auridon.

@Enodoc has a point, but Ayrenn has been abroad and sees the benefit of being part of Tamriel, rather than apart from it. Given her history, she probably has many perspectives that are decidedly not Altmer. It is understandable that she would lean towards open borders, even in a time of conflict.

Peering behind the curtain, though, the players have to be able to go to Summerset Isle freely, before, during, and after the Chapter main quest. This is the way of the ZOS. The easiest way for that to happen is for the leader to say it is OK.

I mean, look at Clockwork City. That place is basically a hidden prison, yet it isn't even necessary to complete the introductory quest, or to join Fyr on his quest of discovery, to get there. Any player can simply Wayshrine into the zone, or travel to a friend, party member, or guild mate.

It is just the way of the ZOS. You buy it, you can play it. Minimal jumps and hoops required. Part of me likes it. Part of me mourns the loss of discovery.

Enodoc · March 2018

Ajaxandriel wrote: »

Do you remember that enemies of the Pact were gently invited to Vivec's siege of power the same way ?

If some "n'wah" can simply walk into Vvardenfell... then some ""civilians"" from these younger civilizations can be tolerated on the holy Isles ... I assume so.

Vvardenfell isn't controlled by the Pact. Most of the Great Houses may be members of the Pact, but Vvardenfell as a whole is not considered Pact territory.

VaranisArano · March 2018

Clockwork City handled the "Outsider" approach well. We were all exodromals, but the Clockwork City allowed us to be sponsored and thus get access to the city's secrets.

Elsonso · March 2018

VaranisArano wrote: »

Clockwork City handled the "Outsider" approach well. We were all exodromals, but the Clockwork City allowed us to be sponsored and thus get access to the city's secrets.

I don't think you need to be sponsored to get access to the city's streets...

VaranisArano · March 2018

lordrichter wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Clockwork City handled the "Outsider" approach well. We were all exodromals, but the Clockwork City allowed us to be sponsored and thus get access to the city's secrets.

I don't think you need to be sponsored to get access to the city's streets...

I could travel there regardless, but from a story perspective, I thought Clockwork City handled the immersion of "hey all these officials are suddenly trusting you to handle sensitive stuff (the city's secrets)despite being an exodromal pretty well.

Morrowind just handwaved tt with "Because Vivec says so" but it runs into the same issues as Summerset will with people roleplaying that their character was born and raised there.

RebornV3x · March 2018

Well I assume only the Vestige is allowed in Summerset at this point were all just mercenaries we go around righting wrongs across the land and get rewarded along the way.

Your the hero that saved the world from Molag Bal. So it would make sence that the Queen would want your aid.

Factions only matter when your in Cyrodill where the factions are actively fighting whatever war crimes you commit in Cyrodill is just waved off outside of Cyrodill your just the hero for fun I guess