Blackwood and Fighters Guild

[Nezkeys]

Is there some conflict with these two guilds? I read in random notes in the game that they are there to do things the fighters guild won't. I'm curious tho...if I'm already a Fighter's Guild member will it affect anything if I just go ahead and join Blackwood as well?

So far I'm a member of mages, fighters, thieves, and soon to be dark brotherhood because I've murdered someone just not slept. I think blackwood and the knights one are the only ones I haven't joined?

[Profile Name]

You can't join the Blackwood company.

[CullinB]

In vanilla you cannot join Blackwood company.

One mod that gives chance to join Blackwood Company.
And if you try this mod you must be expelled from Fighter's guild.
But if you did advancve too much in Fighter's Guild you cannot join them.
So i recommend you to create new character for BWC quest line.

My assassin (lisner) joined BWC after he ruined DB.
BWC mod's questline is very good designed.

[Nezkeys]

I see

[Rithm Fluffderg]

Not every faction exists for the player to join.

[tax evader]

The above posts have depicted the situation with regards to the Blackwood Company very well. From the UESPWiki, the lore of the rivalry between the Blackwood Company and the Fighters Guild is as follows...

"Whereas Cyrodiil's Imperially-chartered Fighters Guild operated by a strict and rigid set of laws, standards and ethics, the Blackwood Company did not, letting it be known that they would accept any contract without moral obligation, and would accept any initiate into their ranks without any screening process and regardless of their past or whether they had a bounty on their heads, and so forth. Although the Fighters Guild considered the Blackwood Company "rank amateurs", this gave the Blackwood Company some obvious advantages over the Fighters Guild, as they could take jobs that the Guild refused and others at a lesser price. The Company were soon expanding by undercutting the Guild in price for contracts, even acquiring not only their work but even their members when the Fighters Guild began to find themselves short on contracts and unable to give its members work."

"The very existence of the Fighters Guild was jeopardized by the Blackwood Company, with the latter gaining upwards of a hundred operatives at its peak, and mockingly setting up their Company Hall across the plaza from the Leyawiin Fighters Guild Hall from which they were stealing most of the contracts. The Guide to Leyawiin, written when the Company first commenced operation there, describes the Company in a very positive light, although it does so for every aspect of the entire city... ...Despite the fact that there were reports of Blackwood Company mercenaries being reckless and indiscriminate in their methods, and even causing needless damage to person and property during the fulfillment of a contract, the citizenry were wholly unwilling and afraid to make any official complaints against the Company and so no immediate Imperial action was taken against them with the Imperial Legion distracted with the Oblivion Crisis."

Ultimately, the rivalry exists due to competition in business, and the Blackwood Company, with their methods, jeopardises the very existence of the Fighters Guild in Cyrodiil. It is possible to join the Blackwood Company in the vanilla version of Oblivion, however, this is solely for the purpose of infiltrating the company as a part of the Fighters Guild questline, and only one rank will ever be available to you through joining. Moreover, you only complete one contract for them as a part of the Fighters Guild questline, so technically speaking, they can't be joined in a means akin to the other factions wherein they receive their own questline.

[greenraven1]

You only can join the Blackwood Company as a plant for the Fighters Guild in one quest.

BTW the BlackWOOD Company was based on the real life BlackWATER mercenary group the US used in the Iraq War and who ran up more than a few atrocities there but because they were mercs outside the US military structure neither the US military nor the pro-US new Iraqi government at the time could prosecute them. It was a major story throughout the Iraq War. And Oblivion came out in the midst of this.

And the former -- killed by Putin -- head of the infamous Russian mercenary group -- Wagner Group -- said he was "inspired" by the Blackwater group when he came up with the idea for the Wagner group.

The Elder Scrolls has always used connections to films, books etc. And in this case to real life bringing in the most infamous American mercenary group of all time. Here it was their push back lesson about such groups.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Originally posted by greenraven1:

You only can join the Blackwood Company as a plant for the Fighters Guild in one quest.

The Elder Scrolls has always used connections to films, books etc. And in this case to real life bringing in the most infamous American mercenary group of all time. Here it was their push back lesson about such groups.

Pretty sure Oblivion is heavily inspired by Lord of the Rings; Morrowind was heavily inspired by various Dharmic religions; idk what Skyrim is inspired by aside from Scandinavian myth. Did Game of Thrones come out at the time Skyrim was being developed? That's the only connection I can see that Bethesda took inspiration from.

[arottweiler]

I'm sceptical about the Blackwood - Blackwater connection. No mention on UESP which doesn't necessarily mean it's not true but if there was evidence such as confirmation from Bethesda it would be included in a trivia section on the Blackwood UESP page. More likely a coincidence as I don't see Bethesda risking reputation and sales by referencing a controversial military unit in active operations overseas at that time. It's not in keeping with the theme of the series.

[Wai]

You are all aware, I suppose that this thread has been "dead" for eight years?

[arottweiler]

Definitely LotR influenced to the point that I wonder if licencing was involved. I'm no expert on IP law but Oblivion has more than just a coincidental likeness.

[madgamer2]

Originally posted by Nezkeys:

I see

I r strongly you not mess with ANY not mess with any MOD that allows such a thing. I would not do ANY MODs till you get some time in game