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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim/Civil War

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This is a sub-page of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Hmmm...
To do:
  • Investigate the sabotage quest further.
  • Investigate Whiterun, Solitude and Windhelm Battles further.

Skyrim's civil war was meant to be much more advanced and dynamic than it was in the final game. Many unused scripts, scenes, NPCs, markers and more prove this to be the case.

Mission Structure

The civil war missions (those that weren't battles) were supposed to be given in a randomized order, while in the final game they follow a linear order. Also, while the final game only has three missions, there were originally twelve possible missions to be given randomly. These missions would also be given in pairs, rather than one at a time.

Mission Dialogue

Both Galmar Stone-Fist and Legate Rikke would have given the player the same missions, with their dialogue for giving these missions being largely the same, with only minor differences. Both of them have two variations for the dialogue, one for the mission that's given first, and one for the mission they follow it up with. Two missions would've been chosen randomly, so the dialogue would flow naturally this way. Despite not belonging to the numbered random missions, fort battle missions could apparently also be given to the player alongside another mission.

Galmar's Dialogue

Speaker Text File
Galmar First off, there's a couple of Imperials skulking about the hold. Need to cut their throats so they can't make their reports.
Galmar First off, there's a band of Imperials hiding in a nearby village. We're going to flush them out and put them to the sword.
Galmar First problem here is a pack of Imperial dogs drooling over resources stolen from the people. A little sabotage will sour the taste of that victory.
Galmar First, we've learnt the whereabouts of an Imperial cur fetching documents for his master in Solitude. We need to put a muzzle on that, don't we?
Galmar First of all, a son of Skyrim rots in an Imperial prison. We'll be getting him out of there soon.
Galmar First, if we can assassinate their commander, we'll be able to strike them while they're busy tucking their tails between their legs.
Galmar First off, we hear a group of Imperial legionnaires are coming around to our way of thinking. With a little encouragement they'll join our side.
Galmar First off, it seems that we might be able to blackmail the Jarl's Steward. I need to find out for sure.
Galmar The last few supply caravans have been attacked... by a giant. As if I didn't have enough to deal with. Need that damn hairy brute straightened out.
Galmar First, I need to know what the Imperials are planning. Need to slip into their headquarters, grab plans, maps, something useful like that.
Galmar First of all, there's someone in particular I'd like to win over to our cause.
Galmar First off, there's a damn Orc hanging around getting in the way. He's been yammering on about needing help with some kind of vision quest.
Galmar First, we're attacking the fort. I want that fort.
Speaker Text File
Galmar Secondly, we got a couple of Imperial spies roaming through the hold. Need to put an end to that.
Galmar Secondly, we plan on liberating a settlement from Imperial hands.
Galmar Next problem - Imperial thieves have, yet again, stolen an important resource. So we're gonna take it from them permanently - by destroying it.
Galmar And then, it seems an Imperial worm wiggles it's way back home, carrying information stolen from us. We need to steal it back.
Galmar And perhaps more importantly, we have a brother rotting in an Imperial prison. He won't languish in there long, will he now?
Galmar We also have the opportunity to slay an Imperial Legate. That'll put fear and confusion into those faithless dogs.
Galmar And we hear a handful of Imperials are realizing they are Stormcloaks at heart. We need to send them a little encouragement.
Galmar Next, I need dirt on the Jarl's Steward. Heard there's blackmail potential there.
Galmar And then there's a tiny problem with a giant attacking our supply caravans. A giant! As if I didn't have enough to deal with.
Galmar Also, I need a peek inside Imperial headquarters, ideally lifting some documents detailing their plans. I need to know what to concentrate on.
Galmar I need to send someone out to do a little recruiting. There's someone in particular I'd like to join us.
Galmar And as if that wasn't enough. I got this damn Orc hanging around, getting in the way, yapping about needing help with some kind of vision quest.
Galmar Secondly, I want to take the fort here. Having a fortified position will make it easier for us to amass men for our ultimate attack on the capital.

Rikke's Dialogue

Speaker Text File
Rikke First off, we've learned the location of some rebels scouting our positions throughout the hold. Need to take them out.
Rikke First off, they've got some rebels holed up in a nearby settlement. Need to clean them out so our boys can move in.
Rikke First, we need to limit Stormcloak capacity and send them a not so subtle message by sabotaging a resource they claim to control.
Rikke First, we have information regarding the movements of a rebel courier. We need to intercept him and confiscate his package.
Rikke First of all, one of our men was captured by rebels who refuse to surrender him. So we're going to break him out.
Rikke First of all, I need to sew confusion and doubt through the rebel troops. I want to assassinate their commanding officer.
Rikke First, our intelligence suggests one of the rebel garrisons has become disaffected. If we play our cards right, we should be able to turn them.
Rikke First off, seems the Jarl's Steward might be vulnerable to blackmail. Need to investigate that possibility.
Rikke First on my list, is a problem with our supply caravans being constantly harassed by a giant. Need to deal with that hairy brute. And soon.
Rikke First, I need to get a handle on rebel operations. Need to discretely liberate some documents from their headquarters.
Rikke First of all, I'd like to drum up some more support from the local populace. I have someone in mind.
Rikke First off, there's an Orc hanging around causing me headaches. Something about a vision quest he needs help with.
Rikke First, we're mounting an attack on the Fort. We aim to confiscate it from the rebels.
Speaker Text File
Rikke Secondly, some rebel scouts that have seen too much are moving through the hold. Need to take them out before they report back to their leaders.
Rikke Secondly, we got more of 'em hiding in a village, using the local populace as shields. Not to worry. We can dispatch them without harming the locals.
Rikke Secondly, I need to cripple rebel production capabilities with a little sabotage.
Rikke Soldiers win wars, but where to put them is the key. We have word of an enemy courier in the area. We aim to confiscate his documents.
Rikke And perhaps more importantly, I need to break one of our boys out of a rebel controlled fort.
Rikke And we have an opportunity to slay the rebel field commander. Without a clear command structure, they should fall into confusion and disarray.
Rikke And we understand a rebel garrison is close to abandoning the resistance. We need to send them a little encouragement.
Rikke Next, I need a little investigating to confirm the possibility of blackmailing the Jarl's Steward.
Rikke And then there's a tiny problem with a giant that's been raiding our supply caravans... You heard me right. A giant. Need to put a stop to that.
Rikke I also would like to get a handle on what the rebels are planning - slip into their headquarters and steal their war plans.
Rikke Then there's a little matter of some recruiting. I have someone in mind I'd like to join our campaign.
Rikke And then there's this Orc who's been hanging around causing me headaches. Something about a vision quest he needs help with.
Rikke Secondly, we're mounting an attack on the Fort. I want to gain a fortified position here before we launch our final attack on the capital.

Mission Remnants

As stated previously, the final game uses 3 of the 12 original missions: missions 03, 04 and 07. Based on the above dialogue, we can see that these are actually the 4th, 5th and 8th missions, respectively. This order, alongside numerous other leftovers inside the game's code reveals that the first mission was actually numbered 00. With the exception of the quests that remain in the final game, none of the quests' names are known.

CWMission00

This quest would've revolved around eliminating scouts from the opposite side. Two scripts related to the mission remain, but nothing that gives more insight into the quest.

CWMission01

In this quest, the player would have to eliminate opposing soldiers from a minor settlement in order to claim it for their side. Two scripts remain which reveal that the player had a squad of friendly soldiers to accompany them on this mission.

CWMission02

During this mission, the player would've been sent to a settlement in order to sabotage a local "resource". These resources could either be a wheat mill, a saw mill or a smelter. At the stage the developers left the quest in, a player could hit an object to destroy it, or interact with it to sabotage it. Almost every settlement in the final game still has these local resources assigned, but they never see any use.

CWMission03

This mission, "A False Front", is still used in the final game. It has the player intercept a courier from the opposition to get sensitive documents from them, the player would then get false documents from their commander to deliver to an opposing leader.

Despite being used in the final game, this mission still has some removed elements. The courier originally traveled by horse, but script notes left in the quest data reveal that ;HORSE IS CAUSING PROBLEMS, LEAVING DISABLED FOR NOW Despite this, there are 11 markers left in the final game, all named "CWCourierHorseMarker" followed by a location (i.e. CWCourierHorseMarkerWinterhold). The horse in question also still exists as a creature.

Both Galmar and Rikke have alternate dialogue for this mission, hailing from an older version. The dialogue they use in the final game is called "CWMission03DetailsSonsNEW " and "CWMission03DetailsImperialNEW" respectively, while the older dialogue is called "CWMission03DetailsSons" and "CWMission03DetailsImperial".

CWMission03DetailsImperial CWMission03DetailsImperialNEW
We understand the Nightgate and Roughwater inns are frequent stops for Stormcloak runners. Set an ambush along the road between, or camp by one of the inns. Bring whatever he's carrying to me, and I'll send you with convincing misinformation back to Dawnstar. The Nightgate and Candlehearth inns are frequent stops for Stormcloak runners. See if you can't "convince" one of those innkeepers to help you. One way or another, get me those documents. But don't do anything rash if you go to Windhelm.
CWMission03DetailsSons CWMission03DetailsSonsNEW
My scouts tell me the inns at Dragonbridge and Rorikstead are frequent stops for Imperial runners. Set an ambush on the road between, or camp one of the inns. Bring me whatever he's carrying, and I'll send you to Morthal with something convincing but full of lies. The inns at Dragonbridge and Solitude are frequent stops for Imperial runners. See if you can't "convince" one of those innkeepers to help you. One way or another, get me those documents.

While the dialogue was mostly just rewritten, the "Roughwater Inn" doesn't appear in the final game and is only ever mentioned in this dialogue. It's possible that this was an early name for Candlehearth Hall, but that's unconfirmed. The mission's intro speech was also re-recorded, but the older lines have been removed from the game's files.

CWMission04

The second mission that appears in-game, "Rescue from (randomized fort name)", doesn't house much removed content, or at least not as much in comparison to other missions. In the final game, only Fort Kastav and Fort Neugrad are set up to work with this mission, but it's very likely that other forts were also meant to be randomly chosen for this quest.

CWMission05

This mission would've had the player assassinating a commanding officer of one of the opposition's wilderness camps, likely stealthily. The two remaining scripts reveal nothing, except that the quest would've been set to stage 100 upon killing the officer.

CWMission06

One of the removed missions with the most remnants in the files, this mission would've had the player go and convince some turncoat soldiers to join their side. The player would meet up with three disaffected soldiers and one loyalist. A scene would play out and it's likely that the player and the three turncoats would've had to fight (up to) twelve loyalist soldiers. The surviving turncoats would then join the player and put on their side's armor. Many scripts, NPCs and outfits related to this quest still exist in the game's files.

CWMission07

The last mission that gets used in the final game, "Compelling Tribute", has the player travel to a hold capital in order to blackmail the local Steward. In the final game, only Markarth's Steward, Raerek, and Riften's Steward, Anuriel, get used for this mission, but it's possible that originally other Stewards were intended to be targets as well. There are also two unused letters, both known as "Anonymous Letter", that contain vague information about a Steward's vulnerability to blackmail from an anonymous citizen.

CWMission08

In this mission, the player would've had to stop a giant from harassing your troops' supply caravans. In order to do this, the player would've had to get a cow as an offering for the giant. An unused NPC called Cow Hand would've likely appeared either at one of the player's military camps or at a random farm with a painted cow. The player could feed the cow an apple to get it to follow them to the giant. Once the giant, who was named "Goldar", received the cow, he would become an ally to the player. All this is known due to remaining markers, messages, creatures and NPCs.

CWMission09

The player would've been sent by their commander to steal enemy war plans from their "headquarters". It seems very likely that the mentioned "war plans" would be the same documents carried by the couriers in mission 3. The headquarters part can also be interpreted very loosely, as the plans could seemingly appear at any war camp and any Jarl's residence. The documents could spawn at one of two random locations for every war camp and most Jarl's residences, with the exceptions being Castle Dour, which has three possible locations, and Dragonsreach, which has four possible locations where they could spawn. Not much else is known, except that obtaining the plans set the quest to stage 100 and stage 200 likely finished the quest.

CWMission10

This mission would have had the player seek supporters in the local populace, and while the remaining script doesn't really tell us anything. There are two factions that bear similar names to the property mentioned in the script "CWAlliesS". The two factions; "civilian allies of Sons of Skyrim faction", internally known as "CWSonsAlly", and "civilian allies of Imperial faction", internally known as "CWImperialAlly" both contain one member each. Riverwood resident Gerdur is part of the Sons allies faction while blacksmith Alvor is part of the Imperial allies faction. People recruited by the player likely ended up in this faction, with its purpose seemingly being that recruited people would help attack and defend certain cities during battles.

CWMission11

Possibly the strangest mission, this one doesn't appear to really have that much to do with the civil war itself. An unused Orcish man named Makhel Abbas would show up at a military camp in relation to a certain "vision quest". The player would've gone hunting with Makhel, with the target being an unknown creature named "Gar-shutan". Once the target was killed the quest would've been set to stage 30. If the player killed Makhel, then the quest would've been set to stage 205, Makhel's hunting AI also adds and removes him from the HunterFaction. Finally, if the player helped Makhel with his vision quest, Makhel would've become an ally to the player and their cause, showing up on the battlefield.

Mission Salary

The player originally received their payment for performing missions purely in the form of gold. Their salary would have been collected from General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak themselves and would depend on the player's military rank, with the standard rank receiving a basic amount of gold while the highest rank would receive three times as much for the same missions. Tullius would hand the player their pay without any further questions, while Ulfric would give the player the option to donate their earnings to the cause.

Speaker Text File
Player I'd like to collect my earnings.
Tullius Here's your pay. It's never enough for what we do, but war gives us warriors its own kind of benefits, doesn't it?
Speaker Text File
Player I'd like to collect my earnings.
Ulfric Are you sure? It's rightfully yours, but this money could go to getting better weapons and armor, and making repairs to the settlements we control.
Player I'll take my pay.
Ulfric Here you go. Your continued assistance to the cause is appreciated.
Player I'll donate my earnings to the cause.
Ulfric I wish more had the dedication and strength of character that you demonstrate. I'll be sure this gets put to good use.

City Sieges

Originally, city siege battles were supposed to take place in every hold capital and not only in Whiterun, Solitude, and Windhelm. The smaller hold capitals (Winterhold, Dawnstar, Falkreath, and Morthal) only had nameless troops throughout them and their siege ended once the defending force was defeated, the capital was claimed for your side, similar to fort battles in the final game. The two bigger capitals, Markarth and Riften, had a showdown with the Jarl and their men inside their keep, similar to the battle of Whiterun in the final game. In every city, barricades would be set up, these are still present in the final game, but never get enabled.

When entering a Jarl's keep, scenes would play out, one when nearing the Jarl and one after they are defeated.

Riften Scenes

This scene would play when nearing Jarl Laila Law-Giver of Riften, and is between her and her Housecarl, Unmid Snow-Shod.

Speaker Text File
Unmid Where's Anuriel?
Laila She's watching over the others. Look alive now.
Unmid Stop right there! Where I can see you.
Laila Riften denies the Emperor. You are here illegally. Stand down and you will be arrested and tried in the morning. Resist and you will die.
Unmid As you wish. Protect the Jarl!

This scene would play once Laila is defeated, and Maven Black-Briar enters the building. (Note that while Legate Rikke would be present for this scene, her dialogue is incorrectly given to Galmar Stone-Fist and it was also only recorded in his voicetype.)

Speaker Text File
Maven I think I'll like living here.
Laila So enters Maven Black-Briar, the glint of Imperial coin in her eyes. So tell me, what's the price for a woman's integrity these days?
Maven You never were able to see the forest for the trees, were you?
Laila We Nords were proud warriors once. And we still could be. Evidenced by the men and women who fought and died bravely today.
Laila You could see that if you had any faith left in that black heart of yours.
Laila But no, you're content to snatch scraps falling off the Emperor's table. Fine. Take my home. Take my city. May it burn down around you.
Maven A bit melodramatic, even for you Laila.
Maven Pack your things and go.
Laila One day when you can see past your own interests, you will come to see that we were right.
Laila And this... This is all wrong.
Rikke If you ladies are finished bickering, there's much to be done.
Rikke Jarl Black-Briar put your government together. Do it now, or there will be rioting in the streets.
Rikke We must move quickly to prevent further violence.
Maven Jarl Black-Briar. I must admit, I do like the sound of that.
Maven And don't worry about any rioting, Legate. I have it under control.
Maven We will soon begin publicly executing captured men. That should send a clear message to the people.
Laila Yes, but not likely the one you intend.
Maven Oh? I don't expect anyone to miss my meaning.
Maven Come, Legate. There's much to do.

Markarth Scenes

This scene would play out between Jarl Igmund of Markarth and his Housecarl Faleen. (Igmund's dialogue is gender-specific, so either one of these would be used.)

Speaker Text File
Faleen That's close enough.
Igmund He wants the city this badly, he can fight me for it.
Igmund She wants the city this badly, she can fight me for it.
Faleen No, Igmund. It's too dangerous.
Igmund I will not surrender Markarth without raising my own sword in her defense.
Faleen Kill them all. Protect the Jarl at all costs!

Once again, this scene would play when Igmund gets defeated and Thongvor Silver-Blood comes to claim the throne.

Speaker Text File
Thongvor Ready to listen to the Silver-Blood family now, Igmund?
Igmund Thongvor. I should have executed your whole treacherous clan when I had the chance.
Thongvor Don't worry. We'll take good care of your city when you're gone.
Thongvor When Ulfric Stormcloak becomes High King, Skyrim will finally be the way my ancestors intended. It's a new day in Markarth.
Galmar Are you two quite done?
Galmar You, go pack your things.
Galmar And you, go sit on that damn chair and start acting like a Jarl.
Thongvor Come Galmar, we have much to do.
Igmund The Empire will return. Count on it.

A third scene would play afterwards where Galmar confronts Thalmor Justiciar Ondolemar and inevitably executes him after a short exchange of words. Interestingly, although this scene doesn't take place in the final game, you can still see its results: Ondolemar and his Thalmor escorts disappear from the game, and Ondolemar's coffin will appear in the Hall of the Dead after Markarth gets taken over by the Stormcloaks.

Speaker Text File
Galmar Not so fast, Elf!
Ondolemar I presume you're talking to me?
Galmar On your knees!
Galmar I said on your knees, Elf!
Ondolemar Enjoy this while you can. Soon you will all be slaves.
Galmar Raagh!
Galmar Someone get that thing out of here and burn it.

Generic Return Scenes

For both Markarth and Riften, two scenes are present for when the city gets reclaimed and the original Jarl returns. Unlike the unique scenes above, both of these scenes are identical. The Housecarl dialogue gets said by Maul in Riften, and Yngvar the Singer in Markarth.

Speaker Text File
Maul/Yngvar Halt in the name of the Jarl!
Maven Somehow I doubt that will persuade them.
Thongvor
Maul/Yngvar Stay back, lord!
Maven If they want my city, they're going to have to take it from me personally.
Thongvor
Maul/Yngvar Protect the Jarl with your lives!
Speaker Text File
Laila Ahhh... It's good to be home.
Igmund
Maven Welcome back. I've left a few surprises for you to discover.
Thongvor
Laila How kind of you. And I've brought an army to give you a going away parade.
Igmund
Galmar If you two are finished with the touching homecoming, there's a city in chaos out there.
Rikke
Laila Indeed. Come, there is much to be done.
Igmund

City Escape Scenes

Whiterun, Riften, and Markarth's city sieges would have had a scenario where a defending player would fail and be forced to escape the city alongside the Jarl, their Steward, Housecarl, and possibly the local commanding officer (CWEscapeCity). All the Jarls' headquarters (Mistveil Keep, Understone Keep, and Dragonsreach) have escape doors inside of them that would only activate during this scenario, meaning they go unused in the final game. The player would then have to lead the Steward and Jarl through the city with the help of the Housecarl and some friendly soldiers.

While most of the scripting is intact for everything that would happen, only the dialogue for the Whiterun scenario remains in the final game. It's unknown under what circumstances, but Legate Rikke could be the one to say the first line rather than Legate Quentin Cipius. Also, because of an unused scenario where Balgruuf died in the quest "The Whispering Door", Hrongar has all of Balgruuf's dialogue for if he was the Jarl during this event. The dialogue is merely a copy of Balgruuf's and nothing unique, meaning that the line about "his" children doesn't make much sense.

Speaker Text File
Quentin We've failed. The city is lost. They're through the gates and will be here soon.
Rikke
Irileth It's time to leave.
Balgruuf Not without a fight it isn't!
Hrongar
Irileth As soon as we can muster our forces, we'll be back. That's the battle you need to fight. Not this. This will be suicide. And to what end?
Balgruuf And my children?
Hrongar
Irileth I assume everyone's gone ahead of us as planned. I just swept through the castle, no one's here. Now. We really must be going, sir.
Balgruuf Fine. Let's go.
Hrongar
Balgruuf Come. You, too. We can escape through the tunnels.
Hrongar

Allies

Internally known as "CWAllies", Allies is a quest that was once intended to function alongside the main civil war questline, but in the background. While the player recruited allies, this quest was meant to track them and make sure they showed up in siege battles. Up to ten possible allies had the ability to show up in order to help with the battle; although it's unknown who these allies would've been exactly, at least the giant, Goldar, from mission eight, and Makhel Abbas from mission eleven were meant to be possible allies that could show up.

There are nine factions with the name "Can show up at battles in this hold", which all are internally named after one of Skyrim's nine holds. It's possible that some of the recruited allies would only show up at battles in their respective hold. It also seems to be the case that certain NPCs would be tied to one faction, as there two factions known as "Only shows up if Player is Imperial" and "Only shows up if Player is Stormcloak". None of these factions start with NPCs apart of them, as those were meant to be added through interactions with the player.

The related "CWAlliesScript" sheds some more light to what exactly was the purpose of the quest, as it states: "This script handles adding new allies, and getting allies for use with sieges."

It's possible that the NPCs that were meant to join the player in sieges would've had a certain keyword attached to them. In the final game, Riverwood inhabitants Hod and Gerdur have a keyword called "TraitSympathizerSons" attached, while Alvor and Sigrid have a keyword called "TraitSympathizerImperial" attached. It's unknown what the purpose of this keyword is, as it doesn't seem to influence anything in the final game. It's not even completely clear of the keywords are related to the Allies function.

Removed Troops

Both sides were supposed to have magic users at their disposal. "Stormcloak Mage" and "Imperial Wizard" troops are set up for siege battles but never get used. The Imperials also had another class of soldier, "Imperial Officer", that never gets used in-game. It's also very likely that they once had females among their ranks as well, similar to the Stormcloaks, as Imperial soldier dialogue is recorded in the FemaleNord voicetype but never gets used. An entirely unused voicetype called "FemaleSoldier" also hints at this being the case.

There are also invulnerable versions of the Stormcloak mage (called "Apprentice Ice Mage") and the Stormcloak archers that go unused, but their purpose is unknown. Similarly, there are also unused versions of the Imperial archers and yet another version of the Stormcloak archers which just seem to be duplicates.

Possibility of Loss

It was implied that it was possible to fail and lose battles, in which you would have to then go on the defensive until your team won a battle.

Final Battle not in Solitude/Windhelm

Leftover final battle dialogue suggests the final battle taking place in any of the holds rather than just Solitude or Windhelm. This has several implications:

1. That it was possible to take over Solitude/Windhelm while the Imperials/Stormcloaks still held onto at least one other hold, implying the leader would flee to that hold instead.

2. That holds would not be captured in a linear order like they were in the final game.

Oddities

Message for Modders

A developer left a message to modders at the very beginning of the CWScript. While meant as a warning, it hints at just how much the Civil War changed during development.

NOTE
The Civil War has gone through many iterations. There's a lot of obsolete stuff in here from previous iterations where it was more dynamic and free form.
So if you're a modder looking for scripting examples, while there's some interesting things going on in here, the CW scripts are probably not the best place to start. There's a lot of obsolete and deprecated complexity in these systems

Legate Fasendil

Legate Fasendil is the commanding officer at the Rift's Imperial Military Camp. He is special in the fact that he is the only commanding officer in the entire game that has any unique dialogue (not counting Legate Quentin Cipius as his dialogue is quest-bound). It's very likely that the other commanding officers had unique dialogue at one point, before it got removed.

Removed Voicetype

There is a single unused voicetype present in the game's files known as FemaleSoldier. Seeing as how a majority of Imperial soldiers use the MaleSoldier voicetype, this was likely meant for generic female Imperial soldiers, none of which appear in the final game. The voicetype does not have a single line of remaining dialogue.