In Skyrim, there are nine holds, each with their own jarl. In a typical playthrough, the Civil War questline will cause some of these jarls to be deposed and exiled. Generally, if the Dragonborn sides with the Stormcloaks, then the western jarls who supported the Empire lose their positions and live in exile in the Blue Palace in the city of Solitude. If the Dragonborn sides with the Empire, then the Stormcloak-aligned jarls can be found living in exile in the Palace of Kings in Windhelm. I usually side with the Stormcloaks, but I've taken both routes multiple times.
In my most recent playthrough, I did something I normally don't do: I rushed through the main questline and finished it without starting the Civil War at all. Players who reach a certain point in the main questline before resolving the Civil War get a specific quest called "Season Unending." In this quest, the Dragonborn needs to convince the jarl of Whiterun to help capture a dragon in a trap. But the jarl of Whiterun only agrees to this if both sides in the Civil War can negotiate a temporary truce, ostensibly because it would be too dangerous for this large city, situated awkwardly in the middle of Skyrim and wedged between the two warring factions, to devote its resources to this dragon capture project.
One of the mechanics of Season Unending involves negotiation over control of territory between the Empire and the Stormcloaks. When one side gains control of a hold that the other side previously held, the old jarl goes into exile and the other side's appointed jarl takes over. Because the Civil War can later be completed at any time, this has the consequence that for most starting jarls in the game, it is possible for them to lose their throne in the Season Unending negotiations and go into exile, to learn the identity of their usurper, and then to retake their throne once their side seizes control of it again during the Civil War. The game does not really put much thought into these cases, but some of them are written such that they actually make sense. Some of them are too awkward, though, and I'd argue constitute plot holes. One of them is ridiculous and ruins what could have been a good story with blatant, inexplicable amnesia. I'll go through the nine holds in a rough west-to-east fashion, breaking this down...
Haafingar
Elisif is the one jarl who never gets deposed in the game no matter what, so no worries there. That comes with the caveat that she's a puppet for the Empire and can, if the Stormcloaks win the war, switch to being a puppet for Ulfric at the end of the Civil War. But hey, she stays jarl either way, so no issues for our purposes.
The Reach
So this one is easy on the surface, but actually quite weird. Igmund is the starting jarl and supports the Empire. However, he's between a rock and a hard place. The Silver-Blood family are the wealthiest people in his hold, owning much of the property and with agents of their openly controlling infrastructure that should theoretically be in the purview of Understone Keep. Their eldest family member and ostensible leader, Thongvor, hangs out in the jarl's lobby openly praising Ulfric and Talos and basically calling Igmund an elf-loving, milk-drinking, little bitch for refusing to listen to him about that stuff. Meanwhile, Thalmor actively patrol Markarth and the hold, hunting for secret Talos-worshippers because the White-Gold Concordat empowers them to do so and the Empire isn't allowed to interfere, all while Thongvor flips the bird at them from like 90 feet away. On top of all that, there's an ongoing rebellion in the hold by the native Breton daedra-worshippers, the "Forsworn."
Oh, but the plot thickens! Thongvor's younger brother, Thonar, has the Forsworn's leader held in a prison cell and is secretly using the Forsworn as political destabilizers in order to strengthen his family's position and act covertly against his enemies. To put it bluntly, the political situation presented in Markarth. This doesn't really make sense and leads to an especially awkward questline in which the Dragonborn investigates a "conspiracy" involving the Forsworn, only to eventually realize it's just Thonar ordering their imprisoned leader to write letters ordering his followers to do stuff, which the guy does for no real reason. The writing here needed some revisions, to say the least. Really the entire Forsworn aspect of the game is severely underdeveloped. However, for this specific issue, it isn't really a problem: Ingmund would not be in the least shocked that Thongvor would take over as jarl if the Stormcloaks gained control of the Reach because the Silver-Bloods are so influential anyway and Thongvor has been on a soap box about this constantly. If he was too cowed by the Silver-Bloods to act against Thongvor before the takeover, he'd be unlikely to act against the former jarl after the Empire reclaimed the Reach. If anything, he'd rather deal with a blustering Thongvor than a devious Thonar, assuming the younger brother wasn't already killed by the Forsworn and the Dragonborn.
Is Ingmund's apparent willingness to leave the Silver-Bloods alone even after he returns to power and the Civil War is viable as a plot point? Well, it's a bit shaky, but it's sort of defensible. And considering the far worse story issues with Markarth, I'll give this one a begrudging pass.
Falkreath
Siddgeir already deposed the previous jarl, his uncle Dengeir, in a soft coup. The hold was under Imperial control and there was concern that Dengeir was too much of a Stormcloak sympathizer, so they orchestrated the change with the excuse that Dengeir was old and frail and needed to step down for his health. It comes as a shock to absolutely no one that Dengeir is plotting a Stormcloak takeover and reascends to his former position once the Empire are driven out of the hold. And if it's handed over during the Season Unending negotiations and then won back by the Empire, it's no shock that Siddgeir would claim the throne again either. No problems there.
Falkreath's family feud aspect totally justifies the way the in-game mechanics present this. No issues. Easy pass.
Hjaalmarch
This hold is kind of a backwater region with nothing going for it. The initial jarl, Idgrod Ravencrone, nominally supports the Empire, probably more because of the proximity of Solitude and the legion than because she actually cares about the war. She's a weird old mystic who actually makes a show of not being invested in the war. The Stormcloaks can't even find a suitable replacement jarl in the hold capital because it's such a shithole. So they recruit a competent middle-manager in the mining industry from one of the outlying villages in the hold and install her as jarl. Sorli the Builder initially lives in Stonehills and runs Rockwallow Mine. She's not a vocal or notable Stormcloak supporter, and mostly just seems to work for the owner of the mine: Bryling, a thane in Solitude.
Now, I'd think that if jarl Idgrod was ousted in the negotiations and then returned from exile, that she'd banish Sorli the Builder from Hjaalmarch entirely. That wouldn't even really be a spiteful act. It would just be necessary to make sure there was no confusion about who's in charge. Sorli just goes back to Stonehills instead of into exile. However, this could be explained away as either Idgrod being too much of a navel-gazing weirdo to banish Sorli or Bryling, wanting Sorli reinstalled in in her old job running Rockwallow Mine.
I don't think I'd quite give this one a pass, but the problem is pretty minor, and there are potential explanations. Idgrod's aloof nature makes it easy to rationalize what was probably just underdevelopment.
Whiterun
Uniquely, this hold starts out in a neutral position. Whiterun hold is bordered by six other holds, three of them controlled by the Empire and three of them controlled by the Stormcloaks. The jarl of Whiterun initially refuses to take either side, and even if the Dragonborn does take a side in the Civil War, the game uses Balgruuf's hesitation to force the player to advance the main questline to the point that dragon attacks are triggered. Ultimately, he always sides with the Empire, and can never lose control of his hold during Season Unending. If the Dragonborn sides with the Stormcloaks, then Vignar Greymane replaces him as jarl. If Vignar is jarl during Season Unending, he is never made to give up his throne either.
Because of the unique position of Whiterun, it's impossible for the initial jarl to be deposed and then returned to power. He either never loses his throne at all, or loses it to Vignar Greymane permanently. And that means Balgruuf never has a chance to use his power as jarl to retaliate against Vignar's perceived treachery. No problem here because the only way Balgruuf loses his throne is if the Dragonborn sides with the Stormcloaks and takes the city during the Civil War, which goes past the point of no return. Balgruuf is wroth with Vignar as a usurper, but never gets the chance to take his throne back. And the Dragonborn sides with the Empire, Balgruuf never loses his throne and Vignar is just an old guy who hangs out in Jorvasker and talks shit about the White Gold Concordat.
This one gets a clean pass. Technically, there is a wrinkle in the Stormcloak victory scenario involving Balgruuf's children. He has three of them, and they don't move to the Blue Palace with him. If asked, Balgruuf mentions that his children are in hiding from Vignar, but they're actually easy to find within Dragonsreach. This seems to be because Mephala's daedric arifact quest, The Whispering Door, was originally planned to be more involved and to make specific use of these children. In the final version of the game, only one child is involved, and it's pretty cursory. The quest doesn't really make sense if completed following the Stormcloak takeover, but it's a shitty quest anyway.
The Pale
Skald is a staunch Stormcloak supporter, but he's super old and politically volatile and unpopular. Brina Merilis wears her Imperial allegiance on her sleeve, but also has a somewhat popular local following and shows political savvy. She's the obvious choice for the Empire to install as a new jarl. If Skald is deposed in negotiations and then restored in a Stormcloak takeover, it is a bit surprising that Brina basically goes back to her old ways as though nothing ever happened.
Maybe Skald is too much of a self-centered old coot to notice her? Or maybe Ulfric's network finds her presence in Dawnstar useful. She's a public figure with known Imperial loyalty and no actual political power. She's safely contained in Dawnstar and it's not like they don't know whom to spy on.
I give this one a narrow pass, but it's definitely underdeveloped. If the Dragonborn never visits Dawnstar until after Skald is deposed, then Brina Merilis is officially jarl, but the game never acts like it because Skald is exiled to the Palace of Kings and is unable to be in position for the introductory dialogue. So it's kinda possible to just glitch this woman out of ever becoming jarl. They should have at least made her dialogue different if she becomes a former jarl!
Eastmarch
Another non-issue, as Windhelm is the seat of power for the Stormcloak rebellion. Ulfric only loses his throne if he is killed in the Civil War. Then the Empire installs Brunwulf Free-Winter as the new jarl, but Ulfric is never in a position to know that, having lost his life before it happened. If the player sides with the Stormcloaks or never finishes the Civil War questline at all, then Ulfric keeps his throne. If he suspects that Brunwulf is an Imperial supporter living in his city walls, he never acts on it. My impression is that Brunwulf wasn't even really an Imperial agent in the first place, but simply the best figurehead the Empire could prop up in Windhelm on short notice to serve as their figurehead for the hold.
Winterhold
This is another hold with glaring unrelated issues. In this case, the core problem is simpler than for Markarth, but arguably worse. The city of Winterhold was destroyed during the Great Collapse, so in true Bethesda fashion, it looks like shambled ruins except for the College. That was almost 80 years ago! So it should be the case that the city hasn't regained its former glory, but that ruins are nonexistent outside of dedicated memorial sites, the city having been rebuilt into something that looks like an undamaged city, not a husk. Because Skyrim renders Winterhold as though the Great Collapse destroyed the city just a year or so ago instead of 80 years ago, there are almost no buildings to speak of and the population of the capital city is small even compared to Morthal! The developers went all-in on making this city a convenient on-ramp to the unaffiliated (despite its name) College of Winterhold, Skyrim's analog to the Mage's Guild.
Korir is an odd jarl. He's a Stormcloak supporter, but mostly he's a College detractor. He's apparently so unpopular with the other Stormcloak jarls that if he is exiled, he moves in with Brunwulf Free-Winter of all people, and isn't welcome in the palace with the other deposed jarls. There is no explanation for this, ever. The Imperial replacement jarl, Kraldar, is one of the least active jarls in the game, but apparently is friend with Savos Aren, archmage of the College of Winterhold. If Korir regains his throne, Kraldar actually does get banished from Winterhold, shrinking is population just a little bit more, but for some reason he moves into thane Erikur's house in Solitude instead of into the Blue Palace. Again, there's no explanation for this, ever.
Despite how these jarls are boring and somewhat buggy, this one gets a pass. Actually, it's better than that. We have a true case of a usurper jarl being banished from the hold once the original jarl is returned to power.
The Rift
I didn't save this one for last just because it's the easternmost hold. This one represent by far the biggest problem for Season Unending. Laila Law-Giver, the starting jarl, is aristocratic, but politically aware. She supports the Stormcloaks over the Empire, but openly expresses concern about Ulfric himself. She seems to take an active role in managing her hold and in trying to ensure that the war isn't hard on her own people. She is aware of the crime problem in Riften, but is regularly fed false reports by her steward Anuriel, who was planted by the Thieves Guild and Maven Black-Briar. Despite evidently not being stupid, she is constantly coaxed by Anuriel and Maven herself and manipulated into allowing the crime syndicate to continue its operations unimpeded. Laila remains worried, but trusts that Anuriel, Maven, and her guards have things in Riften under control, and that the rumors are worse than the reality. If the Dragonborn joins the Thieves Guild, it becomes possible to see just how wrong Laila is about all that.
If the Empire gains control of the Rift in Season Unending, Laila and Anuriel are both banished from the hold. Either the developers forgot that Anuriel was a spy or they wanted her cover to really be that deep. Maven stops scheming in the shadows and actively takes over the city, having used her connections to position herself as the Empire's chosen replacement jarl. Laila expresses regret at how she was played for a fool. She owns her own role in this, lamenting that her complacency and misplaced trust will make things worse for Riften. And then if the Stormcloaks retake the Rift, Maven and her family move back into her old mansion like nothing ever happened and Laila retakes her throne. She does not retaliate against Anuriel or Maven in any way and seems to have forgotten their betrayal.
Some of the others are awkward, but the Rift? That one just breaks immersion. Based on the character development presented her, a reascendant Laila should be a real threat to the Black-Briars. Sure, we could rationalize that the family are too entrenched and powerful like their Silver-Blood counterparts in Markarth, but this case is different. Maven has Imperial connections and even Thalmor connections. The Stormcloaks aren't going to just shrug and say, "Oh, I guess she's too rich for us to do anything about her. Guess we just pretend nothing happened."
No, in a scenario where the mask is pulled off, Laila has to change. The Black-Briars should definitely be banished at the very least, and Laila should show an entirely different approach to how the city tackles the Thieves Guild problem. Instead, it's like she has amnesia.
The reason that the Rift was handled in this hamfisted way is obvious enough. Maven Black-Briar is involved in multiple quests, especially Thieves Guild quests, and those quests are written to work whether Maven is either a local tycoon and mobster or the jarl herself. But they never bothered to figure out how to make all of those quests work if Maven is a deposed usurper, so they just, well, didn't. They gave Laila video game amnesia.
However, this sucks for storytelling and does Riften dirty. In Solitude, we get a young widow as a figurehead. In Markarth, the conflict is a tense situation with multiple factions making their own power grabs. In Falkreath, we see the war play out between members of one family, uncle against nephew. In Morthal, the conflict is mysticism and portents against pragmatic administration. In Whiterun, we see political neutrality tested under fire. In Dawnstar, we see a military organization choose one of its own veterans to replace a geriatric local ruler. In Windhelm, we can see Ulfric's rebellion either fall and die or graduate to full stewardship of the nation. In Winterhold, we see two old heirs to two old family lineages struggling for power over a husk of a once-great city. But story of the two jarls of the Rift is a story of betrayal and of revelation. When Maven stops lurking in the shadows and actually takes the throne, Laila sees that her trust was tragically misplaced, and that it's now too late to stop it. So if the Stormcloaks retake Riften and Laila gets a second chance? Things would be different. They'd have to be different. And implementing changes for that specific scenario was apparently too much. So instead we just break immersion.
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