Playing as Bosmer that follows the green pact

ChRiS_the_GaMeR · March 2024

Hi, i‘m just curious how do you play your bosmer characters and how do you justify them following the green pact, since from what I read lorewise they would be forced to consume everyone they killed. Which as a player who kills tons of people per hour feels a bit like a unrealistic contradiction.

Are your bosmer just not following the green pact or how do you play them, if you care at all about this?

the1andonlyskwex · March 2024

I don't actually do this with any of my characters but I would do the following:
1) Most Bosmer don't eat their enemies any more, so I wouldn't either (generally speaking, see below)
2) When enemies drop provisioning ingredients, I would use them to make food that I will eat later (if there are plant-free recipes available that use those ingredients)
3) Never collect alchemy or clothier materials (woodworking materials are probably okay because they're already dead, but that's up to you), especially in Grahtwood, Greenshade, or Malabal Tor
4) Never drink potions
5) Never consume food or drink containing plant-based ingredients (which probably limits you to pretty low level recipes)

Ashryn · March 2024

This is how I play my WoodElf:

Her parents weren't very religious followers of the Green Pact to the point that it interfered with their ability to interact with the rest of the Dominion. They (and She) have had considerable dealings with other Races and are more worldly & rebellious, recognizing the importance that the Dominion plays in the saving of their lands. Trees and plants are hugely important to them, but they do notice that the natural cycle of plants allows use with reason if the plant is allowed to survive and thrive. They are not mired in the past with the practice of cannibalism...people & civilizations change, especially when exposed to other civilizations.

colossalvoids · March 2024

Not sure if you want to strictly roleplay or actually try to play the game to its maximum while maintaining your story integrity. If that's the later some things would need to be within the imagination spectrum, like buying non craftable potions that you'd imagine being brewed from bones marrow, for example and not actually stopping to eat an enemy, but it's just being your lore background that you do so. Or embracing that modern bosmer on a war can't maintain full integrity as it can be a nice character twist in itself.

LunaFlora · March 2024

as my bosmer are the Vestige they're not exactly mortal anymore so i think Y'ffre would be alright with them not following the Green Pact.

Plus the Alchemy and Clothing resources respawn in the exact same spots and thus you could pretend we're not really harvesting them?

And the Meat Mandate is generally not followed anymore in the Second Era so no need for that.

ghastley · March 2024

My Bosmer characters don’t chop down trees, they only use the logs that have been dropped for their use. The meat mandate requires that the fallen are eaten, but not say “you killed him, so YOU must be the one to eat him”, and you’d feed the leftovers to the trees by burying them anyway. Similarly there will be trades with plants, such as eating fruit to drop the seed somewhere else, that benefit both parties. Acting with consideration for trees as equals is the main factor.

Danikat · March 2024

My only bosmer character was exiled from Valenwood for breaking the Green Pact (although he says his sister completely over-reacted, that 'tree' was barely a sapling) and has done many more terrible things since then, so I've never had to worry about it.

But if you want to follow it I think there's a few options.

One interpretation is the Green Pact only applies to Valenwood, so any time they're outside of the forest they don't need to follow it.

But a lot of the individual rules are also up for interpretation. For example it says the bodies of the dead must be eaten, but they don't have to be eaten by the person who killed them. Even bosmer who strictly follow that rule will enlist the help of family and friends after a battle, because it would be impractical to do it all themselves. Maybe your character is leaving the bodies for wolves or other animals to eat? Or you could say they eat a token part of it.

Importantly it also says they should not kill needlessly, which will help a bit - if they don't have a reason to kill someone or something they should leave it alone, and then don't need to worry about it being eaten.

Also the rule against using or eating plants is specifically against harming them. They can eat fallen fruit, or other parts of plants which can be harvested without causing harm, and can eat fungi because they aren't plants. That still excludes most alchemy ingredients and a lot of foods, but it gives you some leeway.

I think in practical terms the important things are they'll have to avoid light armour and wooden weapons (or assume the wood came from outside Valenwood), avoid most food and potions and avoid killing anyone they don't need to. Oh and not become a werewolf of course.

the1andonlyskwex · March 2024

Danikat wrote: »

I think in practical terms the important things are they'll have to avoid light armour and wooden weapons (or assume the wood came from outside Valenwood)

Good point, I forgot about that part in my list.

LunaFlora · March 2024

you can use the Stags of Z'en style for weapons and armor, i think it's just bug parts, leather, and metal.

Y'ffre's Fallen Wood is also an awesome outfit style for bosmer

TheNuminous1 · March 2024

I love the gyrfalcon plant harvest animation. Instead of me picking flowers I instead imagine they are offerings sanctified by the green to offer yffre.