Who is the last Dragonborn?

[deuceyd]

Starting off let me just say that I know in TES6 they are probably going to just go by "The Last Dragonborn" when they refer to the previous player character or something similiar to how in Skyrim the former Oblivion player character (you) was referred to as "The Hero of Kvatch". But imagine they don't, what do you think the dragonborn would be described as? Whenever I start a new playthrough and choose a race, I try to think of how you could justify that race and that person being the dragonborn of legend. For example in my most recent playthrough I thought it was quite fitting that a High Elf would be the dragonborn, kind of funny really. That the nords would place their faith in a High Elf to defeat Alduin when at the same time they also want to defeat the High Elves. Well not exactly but you know what I mean, I hope.

So what race do you picture the dragonborn being if you had to choose, and why?
(ALSO LETS IMAGINE TES6 TAKES PLACE AFTER SKYRIM)

Sidenote: You could make a very boring but somewhat valid (I guess) argument that each of the three main games revolve mostly around one race so it would make the most sense to go with that race (Morrowind - Dark Elf, Oblivion - Imperial, Skyrim - Nords), but really I think that argument is only valid for Morrowind, and there is some flexibility in there too because being the reincarnation of Nerevar and there being basically no more chimer is kind of tricky, and also who said that his reincarnation had to be an Elf?

[Jouchebag]

We actually have no proof it's a chronological sequel.

It could take place 3000 years before Skyrim. We could go back to the First Era and meet some Ayleids.

If that were the case, I would think everyone would refer to this protagonist as "That guy who hasn't even been born yet."

[deuceyd]

You have a point, lemme update the discussion lol.

[Jouchebag]

Personally, I do think it would be interesting to explore ancient lore like the Ayleids and Snow Elves and Akaviri invasions and such. They keep adding onto the end of the story and a lot of us are more interested in expanding the lore that already exists.

[ShelLuser]

Heck, the whole dragonborn thing could even be something limited to Skyrim only. Why would other countries be fully familiar with all the customs of their neighbors?

This can be especially true if you consider that the "dragonborn" was first and foremost a legend within Skyrim. If it's a legend there then surely it's only folklore at best in neighboring countries.

[Jouchebag]

Originally posted by ShelLuser:

Heck, the whole dragonborn thing could even be something limited to Skyrim only. Why would other countries be fully familiar with all the customs of their neighbors?

This can be especially true if you consider that the "dragonborn" was first and foremost a legend within Skyrim. If it's a legend there then surely it's only folklore at best in neighboring countries.

Which would explain why no one has ever mentioned this mythical figure before Skyrim.

They tried to fill that hole by reminding us that Martin was Dragonborn, but that word was never used in Oblivion.

[fauxpas]

Although I really hope they keep the Last Dragonbirn undefined, if they don't she's going to be a Nordic Warrior because that's the vibe the story gives.

[Zsrai]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Although I really hope they keep the Last Dragonbirn undefined, if they don't she's going to be a Nordic Warrior because that's the vibe the story gives.

Yeah, if they make one for lore reasons it'll just be the dude from the trailers I'd imagine. Heavy Armor Male Nord Warrior.

[DrNewcenstein]

The in-game lore indicates Reman Cyrodiil was Dragonborn, and IIRC he came before Talos.

However, at least one in-game book seems to indicate that Talos' "Stormcrown" was the animated ashes of Ysmir, an ancient sorcerer whom the Greybeards shouted to dust (and was also similarly pulverized by others, and was at some point resurrected/bound by Dagoth Ur, and IIRC actually replaced Tiber Septim - I'd have to find the book).

As for Oblivion, "Dragonborn" was never specifially stated as I recall, but there were endless references to "the Dragon Blood" being a trait of all Emperors. Not all were Nords, and not all were directly related. It was even stated in an in-game book that Reman was not related to Alessia, the first to receive the Dragon Blood, and only those with the Dragon Blood (i.e. Dragonborn) could wear the amulet of Kings.
You put it on in the game and it slides off, so there's that.

Technically, a High Elf could not be Dragonborn, even though Akatosh is part of the Elven pantheon (as are all the other 8 Divines, and the Daedra). Alduin is the destroyer of the physical worlds, which the High Elves are determined to see destroyed so they can return to Aetherius.
So, stopping Alduin from making their biggest cultural wet dream come true just isn't possible.

It's also highly questionable for an Argonian to be Dragonborn, since their entire culture revolves around the concept of The Hist being Alpha and Omega. They return to The Hist when they die, so the End of Days thing wouldn't really bother them.

The Bosmer and Dunmer might have some issue with Alduin, but it's not really clear.
Same for Orcs and Kajhiit - they don't really go into if or why it's a problem for them, at least on the scale that the Nords and Imperials do.

Aside from Delphine, who has overly obvious biases, there's not really a sizeable Breton contingent to offer their opinion on it. Same for the Redguards. They really don't speak about it, which, if you think about it, it's incredibly stupid on Bethesda's part to not have written any dialog for the other races that went into any detail on the whole affair. The caravans mention the Dragon rumors and sightings, but aside from expressing a concern for being killed BY a dragon, they don't seem to have an opinion on the Bigger Picture.

I do hope they're putting considerably more effort into TES VI, because Skyrim just falls apart everywhere you look (like how you've just come from a podunk isolated town (Helgen) yet news of Dragons has reached from Dawnstar to Markarth, but NOT Riverwood (other than Sven's mom). Alduin did fly over Bleak Falls Banana, which would have made him visible to half of Whiterun, but not Riverwood? It's literally across the street!

And then there's the guard who ran from the Western Watchtower to alert the Jarl of a Dragon Attack. The Western Watchtower is clearly visible from the front wall, where there are several guards on lookout. They would have seen a giant flying lizard breathing fire from that distance.
But no, it takes a guy from the tower to deliver the news.

[alexander_dougherty]

Originally posted by Zsrai:

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Although I really hope they keep the Last Dragonbirn undefined, if they don't she's going to be a Nordic Warrior because that's the vibe the story gives.

Yeah, if they make one for lore reasons it'll just be the dude from the trailers I'd imagine. Heavy Armor Male Nord Warrior.

They'll probably not go that far, all we know about the Hero of Kvatch (one of the Early Titles you earn in Oblivion) is that they existed, they never tell you if the Hero of Kvatch was male/female let alone race or class. Similarly all we know about the Character from Morrowind is the events that happened (in pretty vague terms tbh), and that HE drops off a helmet at a Fighters Guild Guildhouse at some point.

They do go to great lengths to avoid any references to possible characters, even if they were in the thick of things.

[alexander_dougherty]

Originally posted by deuceyd:

Sidenote: You could make a very boring but somewhat valid (I guess) argument that each of the three main games revolve mostly around one race so it would make the most sense to go with that race (Morrowind - Dark Elf, Oblivion - Imperial, Skyrim - Nords)

Actually for Morrowind a Dark Elf makes the least sense IMHO, the Shezzarine being an outsider makes more sense as another race.

Imperials for Oblivion makes sense from a roleplaying perspective, but Imperials have one of their racials negated, so for game play every other race makes more sense.

For Skyrim the two races that make the most sense are Nord and Imperial, with Nord fitting in slightly better.

[Razzle Dazzle]

In my story, my character's name is Adramaleck. In Hebrew his name means, "King of fire". Which I think would sound appropriate enough for a Dragonborn of Dwemer origin.

In the story, he is a descendant of the Kragen clan and lived among the denizens of Blackreach as a noble. Unlike most of his kin however, he would usually enjoy himself in the presence of the surface of Skyrim.

His father, a Kragen, was a veteran of the Aetherium wars, and his mother, the Keeper of Tower Mzark, opposed the enslavement of the Falmer, which resulted in them losing their nobility. When the War of the Crag began, they fled into the Tower to safeguard the Elder Scroll from the Falmer rebellion. His father gave his life to block the doors to the chamber, and his mother, knowing the ancient prophecy, used the Scroll to send her son forward in time, causing a Dragon Break, and Adram to lose his memory.

And that's how my protagonist ends up on the cart to Helgen.

[Fear2288]

It makes the most sense that the Dragonborn is a Nord.

Ofc you can come up with all kinds of backstories and reasons why a Bosmer or a Redguard or a Khajiit could be one, but the one that fits the nicest is definitely Nord.

I will admit though that there is something that runs throughout the game that doesn’t entirely support that idea…

In dialogue, your character has no clue what anything is.

You have no idea what a Dragonborn is, who the Thalmor are, who Ulfric and the Stormcloaks are, who the Greybeards are, or even anything about the Aedra/Daedra, Tamriel, and everything else.

Granted, this is for the player - a means of delivering exposition to people who have never played a TES game or know anything about the lore, but still…it’s very strange.

And it supports the theory that your character actually didn’t exist before being caught up in the ambush that captured Ulfric.

That you just kinda blipped into existence at that point in time and place to fulfill your destiny - possibly created by Akatosh.

A similar theory exists for Oblivion as it’s mentioned by a guard that the cell you start the game in was empty and they have no recollection of who this prisoner is and where they came from…and then you just kinda happen to appear just as the Emperor comes through and gets killed by the Mythic Dawn.

Some try and apply this theory to Morrowind too but I think it doesn’t work for that one as you don’t magically appear on the ship and people recognize you as having been a prisoner on the ship the whole voyage.

[Razzle Dazzle]

What if the Dragonborn's existence is a Dragon Break? An anomaly from the timeline? Considering the nature of the Elder Scrolls, and how the scrolls themselves can be used to rewrite history, it's quite possible.

[Dallas S]

Bethesda doesn't do canon characters. They made neloth call the nerevarine a he and the fanbase had a meltdown to the point that the unofficial patch removes that part of the line

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Originally posted by Jouchebag:

Which would explain why no one has ever mentioned this mythical figure before Skyrim.

They tried to fill that hole by reminding us that Martin was Dragonborn, but that word was never used in Oblivion.

Actually it is mentioned that the Septims are Dragonborn, or at least at the very end when the Blades claim that they'll wait for the next Dragonborn to arrive.