EbonyWarrior
New Member
Replaying the Forsworn Conspiracy quest and it just hit me how intentionally claustrophobic that whole hold feels. The architecture, the tight corridors, the way the Forsworn are literally everywhere in the surrounding area, how the guards treat you like garbage even after you save them multiple times. Compare that to Whiterun where you roll in and immediately feel welcomed, or Solitude where you're just another face in the crowd.
Markarth wants you to feel like an outsider. Like you're walking through a place that doesn't want you there. The Reach itself is hostile. The Nords running the city are hostile. Even the quest design - No One Escapes Cidhna Mine, the conspiracy, all of it - it's specifically designed to make you question whether you're doing the right thing or just perpetuating a cycle of oppression.
I think that's way more interesting than what most other holds do, tbh. They're just... cities. Markarth is actively working against your comfort as a player and I think that's intentional. It's the only hold that really does that.
Markarth wants you to feel like an outsider. Like you're walking through a place that doesn't want you there. The Reach itself is hostile. The Nords running the city are hostile. Even the quest design - No One Escapes Cidhna Mine, the conspiracy, all of it - it's specifically designed to make you question whether you're doing the right thing or just perpetuating a cycle of oppression.
I think that's way more interesting than what most other holds do, tbh. They're just... cities. Markarth is actively working against your comfort as a player and I think that's intentional. It's the only hold that really does that.