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What did your character think about being (regarded as) the Nerevarine?

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Joined: 11/25/2010

On my first play-through of Morrowind, I played an Imperial. I played him as a loyal subject of the emperor. Even though he was a prisoner. Being set free might even have made him the loyal subject he was. He immediately brought the package to Caius Cosades and diligently did whatever he asked him. When asked to do some adventuring he did what any loyal servant of the empire would do and journeyed all the way to Gnisis and joined the Legion. He was very practical minded individual and never bought into being 'the Nerevarine'. He might have wavered and almost believed for a moment, but in the end he always used the position of being regarded as the Nerevarine in his service to the Emperor. Even at the end, when he destroyed the Heart of Lorkhan he never saw it as a religous thing, he just destroyed a magical machine that could destroy the empire. He did it in service to the Emperor. He conscientiously undermined the Tribunal to improve the hold of the Empire on Morrowind. He never considered himself the Nerevarine. And the visions? You try weeks of travel on a ship with little food, who wouldn't hallucinate. And who wouldn't get weird dreams from eating all that strange dunmer food like scrib jelly".
 
My second memorable character was a Nord. When he was on the boat he did not care about the Empire or the Dunmer but when he had the vision it impacted him, but he did not know what it meant. He went about his way and found employ with the Fighters Guild, eventually he delivered the package to Caius Cosades. These asignments for the Empire were just annoying chores for him while doing the more important, and profitable, work for the Fighters Guild. He began to slightly change when he learned about the Nerevarine cult from the informants in Vivec. After months of living among Dunmer he began to appreciate the culture and the people. He truly began to believe when he visited the Urshilaku camp. He kept working with Caius Cosades because even though he didn't care for the Empire, and believed that their motives differed (Like the Empire's hidden agenda againt the Tribunal), their goal was now a common one: the threat from Red Mountain needed to be eliminated. Because of his belief in the Dunmer, he did almost believed in the lies of Dagoth Ur but he held firm. His goal wasn't to stop the power of the Tribunal, it was simply what needed to happen to save Morrowind. Destroying the Heart of Lorkhan was a religious experience for him. In the end he believed he was the Nerevarine. The help of the Emperor and Caius Cosades was simply providence brought on by Azura so he might accomplish his role as Nerevarine.
 
What I liked about Morrowind (and the Nerevarine) was that even without giving you an actual choice (as in dialog), whatever character you made could have different views on (being) 'the Nerevarine'.
 
Even if the character himself does or doesn't think of himself as the Nerevarine, it doesn't change the fact that he was regarded the Nerevarine by history.
 
To this day I still find it interesting how Morrowind made you experience a Messianic cult first from the view of an outsider and later as the messiah himself. On the one hand the political/ideological opportunist who uses the ideology of his followers to help his the ideology he follows. On the other hand the true-believer who started as stranger that became engrossed with the people and begins to believe in his sacred role.
 
Being the Nerevarine was never a fact.That many, and the lore, regarded you as Nerevar was a fact.

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Joined: 08/20/2011

I finished the game as a sneaky Argonian who used blunt weapons. His name was Thump! (exclamation point included). There's nothing more fun than sneaking around stealing stuff excpet for thumping people on the head with a hammer. And there's nothing more fun than thumping people on the head with a hammer except for sneaking around stealing stuff.

 

Thump!'s favortie magic was alteration, with alchemy as a close second. I feel these two magics give a character the best chance of survival and mobility for the longest time without having to go back to a town to buy and sell. (same idea for Oblivion)

 

As for what Thump! thought about being regarded as the Nerevarine, I don't remember. I just remember what the locals thought about him; an N'wah and a filthy swit!

Pilaf The Defiler's picture
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Joined: 11/27/2010

Most of mine considered themselves self-made heroes. It's the option that Dagoth seemed to respect the most, overall. That's not really why I picked it of course. It first my personality best.

Jeroic's picture
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Joined: 06/28/2010

 I've had a lot of characters in the past, so many I can't even remember. The one I am doing now (just named nerevarine, Redoran Hortator) is that he feels that he can finally make something of his life, but after the events of tribunal he becomes disillusioned, believing after seeing Helseths amoral power-grubbing and Almalexia's madness that perhaps Morrowind was no longer the place for heroes, he leaves his best gear behind and goes to Solstheim as a lowly adventurer again to start fresh.

Hermaeus Mikey's picture
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Joined: 03/21/2018

My Nerevarine was a Dunmer but one raised in Cyrodil (I played Oblivion first so felt using Cyrodil for backstory was easier to RP). He was a Spellsword who turned to crime to fund his magical research and that's how he ended up in prison.

At first he didn't care for the prophecy and was just following orders (he wasn't an imperial loyalist but saw the political advantages of being with the Blades). He was a loose follower of the 9 (especially Dibella because ;) ) but cared little for much beyond becoming a powerful mage and some mild hedonism.

He remained sceptical until getting the ring from Azura. After then he embraced that he was Nerevarine but still held no deep love for the historical figure of Nerevar. He saw himself as a recyled soul. Smash a bottle of wine, melt the glass and turn it into a vase. Same glass but a different thing. So he never cared that much about the Tribunal's betrayal. Indeed if the option were given he'd have used the Heart to attain Godhood (he had no plan to rule just liked the idea of being powerful and long lived).

My Nerevar would, given the right choices, have turned into a non-Telvanni version of Fyr (without the daughter-wives).

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Joined: 04/14/2018

My current iteration of the Nerevarine is the altmer Sorcerer Tildindalf. He originally delivered the package to Caius in order to relieve himself of that particular duty. He took Caius' instructions to gain experience and learn of Morrowind as an invitation to permanently part ways with the old spymaster. 

Tildindalf then joined the ranks of the mages guild with his sights set on replacing the incompetent and unpopular Trebonius and leading the guild toward a more scholarly path. His interest in history lead Tildindalf to the varied and somewhat sordid story of Nerevar, the Great Houses and the Tribunal. The history was rich, fascinating, and as yet open to debate.

This lead Tildindalf back to Caius while he was still merely a magician within the guild.

Tildindalf became all the more enthralled with the histories as he learned that he may play a part in them, spurned onward by the obsession with solving the mystery rather than by a sense of duty or morality. Even the triumph over Corprus and the reclamation of the Moon-and-Star did not stir Tildindalf from the story enough so that he personalized it. It seemed to him that he was playing out the narrative of a story that had already been told. He experienced the events as he would the reading of them.

It was not until he confronted Dagoth Ur face to face that he began to feel the personal connection to Nerevar. When Dagoth Ur asked Tildindalf, "Are you really Nerevar reborn?" he responded, almost involuntarily, "By the grace of the gods and fate, I am Nerevar reborn.".