The Elder Scrolls has many guilds and organizations, but one of the most prominent is the Blades. This organization has been present since the beginning of The Elder Scrolls, but has significantly evolved as the series progressed. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is one of the series’ most popular installments and features regular appearances by the Blades, and they also appear in both sequels, Oblivion and Skyrim. Though their ranks undergo extreme changes during those years, players familiar with earlier version of the Blades will likely find that the modern version seen in Skyrim feels radically different.
Originally, the Blades were formed to serve The Elder Scrolls' Dragonborn Emperors in all matters. The Blades were also known as the Imperial Intelligence Service and acted as spies in domestic and foreign affairs. Agents could obtain three primary ranks, including Knight Brother/Sister depending on their gender, Chronicler, and Grandmaster. Knight Brothers and Sisters were new members of the Blades, while the Chronicler ensured the secrecy of the organization’s operations. Grandmasters of the Blades recruited new members to the secret organization. These ranks evolved and changed as the games progressed, though the duties remained the same. The Blades worship Talos as their patron deity, as Talos is a deity formerly known as Tiber Septim, the first Emperor of the Tamrielic Empire.
The Elder Scrolls has had a habit of placing the Blades in pivotal roles in the series’ campaigns. Often, members of the organization will secure and guide the player character throughout their quests. Like other guilds, they occasionally provide access to vital services like vendors or trainers, however, the guilds undergo extreme changes depending on each Elder Scrolls title’s era. The Blades’ role in the Empire’s government and military has often been vital to national security, as its members are formidable warriors and effective spies.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind's Blades
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind takes place on the island of Vvardenfell, part of the titular homeland of the Dunmer, or Dark Elves. Players control a character known as the Nerevarine, a reincarnation of the Dunmer hero Indoril Nerevar. Like Skyrim’s Introduction, players begin on a prison boat after securing a pardon due to interference from the Emperor. Shortly after, the protagonist encounters Morrowind’s Blades and receives orders from the Emperor himself. The Blades act as the primary guides for the Nerevarine, assisting them in their journey to fulfill their destiny and training them in many skills. This is not done out of the goodness of their hearts, however, but under orders, as they serve the Emperor above all else.
The Blade NPCs in Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind have eight known members. The first and perhaps most memorable Blade players meet is Caius Cosades, the Grandmaster of the Morrowind Blades. Caius is responsible for recruiting new members and establishing a Blades Temple in foreign territory, but he's also demonstrative of the difficulty agents may have working across Tamriel, as he's a rough man addicted to skooma. Players will spend a significant chunk of time taking orders from Caius during the main quest, and the general feeling of the Blades as a group is one of secrecy and professional zealousness. Nine-Toes is the only non-humanoid agent and is falsely accused of murder before the Nerevarine proves his innocence, though the loyalty of the Blades is shown by the Nerevarine likely being expelled if they choose to accuse Nine-Toes of the murder and kill him. Morrowind's branch of the Blades has the largest number of named agents outside of Oblivion.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion's Blades
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion takes place throughout the heart of the Tamrielic Empire, making the appearance and inclusion of the Blades a guarantee. One of the first NPCs encountered by the player character is the leader of the Blades, who meets a gruesome end in the sewers. Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s protagonist is eventually known as the Hero of Kvatch and the Seventh Champion of Cyrodiil. However, the Hero could not have completed their journey without the assistance of the Blades. Both the protagonist and the Blades share the same goal of securing Martin Septim’s place on the Imperial Throne and halting the Oblivion Crisis before it can destroy the Empire. This makes Oblivion’s Blades not only mentors but allies as well.
The Blades in Oblivion are the largest branch in recent Elder Scrolls titles. Oblivion’s Blades faction contains sixteen members, though its notable officers are Jauffre, Renault, and Steffan. Jauffre is the Blades’ Grandmaster, responsible for recruiting new Blades and taking over a leadership role after the unfortunate demise of the Blades Guards, and Renault is a Captain, focusing on the day-to-day operations of the agents. The Blades' quests in Oblivion are geared towards self-sacrifice in the name of a greater good, a value that that the organization seems to have lost after its decline in Skyrim. These agents assist the Hero of Kvatch in a more direct manner, participating in the Oblivion Crisis as soldiers and warriors, rather than just as spies and bodyguards.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Blades
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim featured the Blades at their most radical. During Skyrim’s campaign, players control the Dragonborn and must fulfill their ancient destiny. As Dragonborn, players possess the unique ability to absorb the souls of Dragons and kill them forever. The Blades are bound by sacred duty to assist the Dragonborn in their quest and guide them to locate the Elder Scroll that holds the secret of Alduin’s weakness. Unfortunately, the Blades abandon their oaths in favor of control, giving the Dragonborn an ultimatum between slaying a dragon or losing the Blades’ support.
Delphine and Esbern are the last of the Blades in Skyrim and likely some of the last across Tamriel. Both were forced into hiding after the Empire’s defeat during the Great War, as the White-Gold Concordat disbanded the organization and outlawed Talos worship. Delphine hid as an innkeeper in Riverrun, evading Aldmeri Dominion agents by keeping herself out of the battlefield and hiding her armor and weapons. Esbern adopted a more literal meaning to going underground and arranged to be hidden by the Thieves Guild in the Ratways beneath Riften. Neither Esbern nor Delphin assists the Dragonborn if they refuse to kill Paarthurnax in Skyrim, robbing players of a questline should they decide not to kill the dragon. Both Esbern and Delphine are essential NPCs and survive the events of Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s Esbern and Delphine are the only Blades known to have survived the fallout of the Great War, leading to uncertainty for the organization’s future. The Blades seem to have fallen to their deeper aspirations for control and power, working in Skyrim to separate the Dragonborn from the Greybeards in order to control them. While the agents of Morrowind and Oblivion work to fulfill the Emperor’s will and secure the future of the Empire, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s Blades only conditionally save the world. It’s unknown whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will feature the Blades or turn to another faction to guide its protagonist to their destiny.