Culture Switching

[Cannar]

OK, so I know its pretty much impossible to cross culture groups, i.e. you can not educate a yoku child and have them switch to orc culture, even if their religion is malacath and visually they are orc. I want to do an Alyeid restoration game as a merchant republic. My plan is to start as one of the Chimer islands, switch religion to Meridia, educate children with Alyeids. Is it possible for chimera children to switch to an aldmeris culture, or does the game not recognize both groups as both being mer?

 

[Miklu]

Just marry an Ayleid woman and your children will inherit her race/culture. I would suggest starting somewhere closer (Like merchants of gold coast) because you may hit the diplomacy range

 

[Cannar]

Would I be able to move the capital to the Imperial Isle? Or would I need to allow the conquest of the Direnni Tower, with the Imperial Isle as my only other holing so that it becomes capital? I have not tried that rout, because I assumed I would be stuck with the impure trait, does that disappear if the culture changes?

 

[Zsrai]

Would I be able to move the capital to the Imperial Isle? Or would I need to allow the conquest of the Direnni Tower, with the Imperial Isle as my only other holing so that it becomes capital? I have not tried that rout, because I assumed I would be stuck with the impure trait, does that disappear if the culture changes?

Like all Republics, you can only move your capital to your De Jure capital. So just make your primary title the Imperial Isle, either as a Duke, King, or Emperor, and you will be able to move it there.

You do know that the Direnni's aren't Chimer right? They are Altmer, just labelled "impure" because they aren't born on the Summerset Isles.

 

[Cannar]

Excellent, thank you. Yes, I was considering using the Chimer because they were tribal and could found a MR after conquering and settling the Imp Isle. I have little experience playing Merchant Republics in vanilla or EK, was unaware the capital could be moved at all.

 

[Cannar]

Just marry an Ayleid woman and your children will inherit her race/culture. I would suggest starting somewhere closer (Like merchants of gold coast) because you may hit the diplomacy range

Why do you say this? Children inherit both culture and religion from the father unless in a matrinal marriage.

 

[Wandering Sentinel]

You haven't played EK before have you? Culture is tied almost inseparably to race, and children are the race of their mother. As for the Merchant Republics, I believe they're allowed to move their capital to the de jure capital of the title because they can be displaced if their capital province is taken. Considering that Venice, one of the major Merchant Republics in vanilla, is a single county duchy and a single duchy kingdom with seven baronies, it can be quite problematic if they lose control of their capital and end up elsewhere.

 

[Cannar]

Maybe this is not so in SVN. Have had two sons so far, father is Colovian, mother is Ayleid, both sons are Colovian. My previous attempt at changing culture, as a Yoku who married an Orc, all their children, and lots of them, were Yoku, some were visually Orc, but all their cultures were Yoku, and attempting to switch three generations of children to Orsimer through education was a %100 failure. You can change religion through education.

 

[Wandering Sentinel]

Hmm, I'd heard they might be doing something like that in the SVN, but I tend not to update the revision I'm using so I wouldn't know. Sorry about that.

 

[Cannar]

I've also noticed, when trying to produce bastards of a diff culture, the child is always born to "an unknown father" even though the mother had no other lovers, was in my court, ect. They are really hard wiring it to prevent culture switch.

 

[Colossal_Elk]

Culture shifting can be done within the same group, but that's the limitation.

 

[Cannar]

So really the only option for doing an Ayleid Republic Restoration Ironman game, would be to start as the Bosmer in charge of Belport Run?

 

[Colossal_Elk]

So really the only option for doing an Ayleid Republic Restoration Ironman game, would be to start as the Bosmer in charge of Belport Run?

I don't really "get" the republic mechanics ever since the game changed government from to a thing associated with primary holding to a static thing that sticks with a character, so I'm not really sure. But if you want to try something crazy, you could start as an Ayleid, fabricate and conquer some territory in Solstheim, Roscrea or Cathnoquey and go from feudal to tribal (you'd have to be a count to do this) to republic (go back to a duchy). And thus you'd have an Ayleid merchant republic!

 

[Cannar]

Go from Feudal to Tribal? I did not know this was possible. I assume the decision is available when your capital is a tribal holding?

 

[Colossal_Elk]

Go from Feudal to Tribal? I did not know this was possible. I assume the decision is available when your capital is a tribal holding?

A while ago, I added a decision where barons and counts will convert from any Feudal-archetype government (Feudal, Confederacy, Matriarchy, and Code of Malacath) to Theocracy, Tribal or Republic if their primary holding isn't a castle. It was mostly an AI thing so that way if you hired a courtier and landed them, they wouldn't be stuck with a wrong holding type penalty forever. However, if you're a count, you can use the decision, too.

 

[Cannar]

Kudos, I like sandbox elements like this.

 

[Cannar]

SUCCESS! I now have an Ayleid Merchant Republic based out of the Imperial City in Ironman mode. I also own the Templum due to the fact the Magi had conquered the isle by the time I launched my invasion. I want to give it to Meridia, If I do, will she be a war monger and seek to take the whole island and beyond, or will she be content with one temple?

 

[Wandering Sentinel]

Meridia is a Daedra with the Zealous trait. This means that she won't be able to use the county conquest CB to take the isle from you since you aren't also a Daedra, even if you follow the same religion, and she can't use the holy war CB even though she has access to it as, again, you have the same religion as her. The only way she can take the Isle is if she fabricates a claim, you change religion, or a religious enemy manages to take the Isle from you.

 

[Cannar]

Another issue, I had initially conquered the Imp Isle in the wrong order, so I placed an Ayleid as an independent mayor while I waited for the Bosmer to take my last Valenwood county. (I did this so my capital would revert to the coastal/tribal county in Blackmarsh without using my 'one free capital move', since I was not sure if it counted against moving to the dejure capital once I created the Imp Isle Dutchy)

While I waited for this to unfold, the mayor founded the dutchy, became a Merchant Republic, and started conquering cities left and right. Eventually the Magi launched an inquisition and all of Cyridil joined in. I jumped in too late to try and save them. By the time my fleet got there the war was over, so I said F it and just declared war on the Magi, quickly took the now Bishopry of Imp Isle, (I love how the name changes to White Gold when ever and Ayleid/Mer? rules in the isle btw, nice touch). I swallowed the infamy and evicted the mayor of the Imp City, made it the county capital, then my new capital, and usurped the Dutchy from the previous Ayleid Doge. Problem is it demoted him and made his family one of the five families while creating 4 new merchant families. He was not my vassal before I usurped the title, I did not forsee this happening.

Now, with his 2k+ prestiege, I need at least 3K in campaign funds to get my Heir elected, and with hiring mercs to fight off the incessant Heartlander revolts, funds are in short supply. I have resolved to killing the bastard. I made him Marshal and based him in the isle for easy access, but the max plot power, even with befriending everyone (befriending is BS btw, please nurf or remove) is only at 80ish%

While I was operating out of the county in Blackmarsh, I quickly realized why Elk suggested a Skyrim tribal holding, apparently non-Argonians constantly fall ill in Blackmarsh. I am wondering, If I make him a diplomat, send him deep into the swamps, would that be an effective way to get rid of unwanted opposition? I don't want to try for my self first as this is an Ironman game.

 

[Cannar]

Disregard, he is dead via poisoned wine, still curious about blackmarsh though.