Late to the Elder Scrolls party...
…but I brought a present in the form of a scandalous confession.
MAGLIR IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS!
It feels good to get that off my chest.
And now that I have, I’ve brought my soapbox, inexplicably stuffed with yarn and calipers, so I could say a few things about this abrasive-yet-oddly-huggable Bosmer, who I am beginning to think is blanket-loathed by everybody but me. Warning: The following fangirl raving contains major spoilers for the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Fighter’s Guild quest, and lots of compliments thrown in Maglir's general direction.
In a Skingrad tavern, your character meets a boisterous and rather sauced wood elf who tries to recruit you into the Fighter’s Guild. If he (or another member) succeeds, you’ll get to know him as Maglir, one of the main characters of the Fighters’ Guild storyline, your occasional partner and eventual rival. So what are the alleged problems with Maglir, and why do they not bother me?
1. He’s a coward!
This is the most common insult lobbed at Maglir, but until it’s confirmed in an official source, I’m also going to consider it the most inaccurate. It’s true, Maglir defaults on his first big contract, but he says, repeatedly, that’s because he feels he isn’t being paid enough or given adequate help, not because he’s afraid. It’s also true Maglir’s sincerity is questionable, but I haven’t seen a single shred of evidence he’s lying about this. He doesn’t show any hesitation or incompetence when he fights the bandits raiding Anvil, the members of the Mythic Dawn who start crawling out of the woodwork, or your champion, who’s just wiped out the rest of his better-armed, more experienced troop… and who he could have easily hidden from and saved himself.
I also refuse to translate it as cowardice that Maglir actually has feelings. He may constantly be thrown into situations where they do him more harm than good, but that’s tragic; it doesn’t mean he’d have been a better person without them.
2. He betrayed the Fighter’s Guild and joined the Blackwood Company!
Maglir- and the other Fighters’ Guild members who defected with him and who don’t get constantly ragged on for it- probably did not know the extent of the Blackwood Company's 'side activities.' All Maglir saw was that the Fighter’s Guild was breaking up, and that the Blackwood Company was a more secure shop that generally did the same thing. His decision doesn’t end well for anyone involved… to put it mildly… but I can’t see how he could have predicted that, and I can’t hate him for it.
3. He doesn’t like Modryn Oreyn!
I loved the interaction- such as it was, with them being in different towns and sending your champ back and forth as the middleman in their arguments- between Maglir and Modryn. It was a realistic conflict of personalities: Modryn, who’s used to saying exactly what he thinks and being around people who know how to take it, has to deal with Maglir, who’s socially inept to begin with and can’t tell well-intentioned criticism from malicious insult. There was no way these two were ever going to get along, but neither of them intentionally does anything to the other, and hence, neither one has to be “wrong.”
4. But he attacks you for no reason when he could have just walked away!
…even though he’s a licorice-spined coward, right? Ignoring that, I wouldn’t say he attacks you “for no reason” - you’ve killed his co-workers and set fire to his guild hall, and I repeat, he does not have all the information you do. The Blackwood Company is a medieval fantasy version of an organized crime syndicate operating behind a legitimate front, and all Maglir knows about is the latter. It’s also a strong possibility he was drugged at the time.
5. He’s annoying!
That’s subjective. I can only say he never annoyed me.
So, then, why did I take to the guy so much?
1. In an odd but fun reversal, while Maglir is one of the wimpier ‘villains,’ he kicks ass while he’s on your side (at least, he always has in my experience). No need to run ahead of him to clean out the strongest enemies or walk right behind him with a Convalescence spell ready. He’s got it covered.
2. I think he’s an intriguing mess of contradictions. Even though a few of his scenarios involve him skipping out on contracts, he does have some weird, misplaced concept of loyalty - he’s willing to get into a fight he knows he can’t win for people he’s too late to save because of it, and depending on how you treat him when he’s your ally, he might help you even after you become enemies. Further, he spends a lot of time at the beginning of the quest name-dropping a family that later dialogue reveals may not exist (when he charges you screaming, “I had a home!” that rather implies he did not previously). I love characters like this.
3. He doesn’t lack energy or enthusiasm, that’s for sure.
There you have it; my big secret.
MAGLIR IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS!
It feels good to get that off my chest.
And now that I have, I’ve brought my soapbox, inexplicably stuffed with yarn and calipers, so I could say a few things about this abrasive-yet-oddly-huggable Bosmer, who I am beginning to think is blanket-loathed by everybody but me. Warning: The following fangirl raving contains major spoilers for the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Fighter’s Guild quest, and lots of compliments thrown in Maglir's general direction.
In a Skingrad tavern, your character meets a boisterous and rather sauced wood elf who tries to recruit you into the Fighter’s Guild. If he (or another member) succeeds, you’ll get to know him as Maglir, one of the main characters of the Fighters’ Guild storyline, your occasional partner and eventual rival. So what are the alleged problems with Maglir, and why do they not bother me?
1. He’s a coward!
This is the most common insult lobbed at Maglir, but until it’s confirmed in an official source, I’m also going to consider it the most inaccurate. It’s true, Maglir defaults on his first big contract, but he says, repeatedly, that’s because he feels he isn’t being paid enough or given adequate help, not because he’s afraid. It’s also true Maglir’s sincerity is questionable, but I haven’t seen a single shred of evidence he’s lying about this. He doesn’t show any hesitation or incompetence when he fights the bandits raiding Anvil, the members of the Mythic Dawn who start crawling out of the woodwork, or your champion, who’s just wiped out the rest of his better-armed, more experienced troop… and who he could have easily hidden from and saved himself.
I also refuse to translate it as cowardice that Maglir actually has feelings. He may constantly be thrown into situations where they do him more harm than good, but that’s tragic; it doesn’t mean he’d have been a better person without them.
2. He betrayed the Fighter’s Guild and joined the Blackwood Company!
Maglir- and the other Fighters’ Guild members who defected with him and who don’t get constantly ragged on for it- probably did not know the extent of the Blackwood Company's 'side activities.' All Maglir saw was that the Fighter’s Guild was breaking up, and that the Blackwood Company was a more secure shop that generally did the same thing. His decision doesn’t end well for anyone involved… to put it mildly… but I can’t see how he could have predicted that, and I can’t hate him for it.
3. He doesn’t like Modryn Oreyn!
I loved the interaction- such as it was, with them being in different towns and sending your champ back and forth as the middleman in their arguments- between Maglir and Modryn. It was a realistic conflict of personalities: Modryn, who’s used to saying exactly what he thinks and being around people who know how to take it, has to deal with Maglir, who’s socially inept to begin with and can’t tell well-intentioned criticism from malicious insult. There was no way these two were ever going to get along, but neither of them intentionally does anything to the other, and hence, neither one has to be “wrong.”
4. But he attacks you for no reason when he could have just walked away!
…even though he’s a licorice-spined coward, right? Ignoring that, I wouldn’t say he attacks you “for no reason” - you’ve killed his co-workers and set fire to his guild hall, and I repeat, he does not have all the information you do. The Blackwood Company is a medieval fantasy version of an organized crime syndicate operating behind a legitimate front, and all Maglir knows about is the latter. It’s also a strong possibility he was drugged at the time.
5. He’s annoying!
That’s subjective. I can only say he never annoyed me.
So, then, why did I take to the guy so much?
1. In an odd but fun reversal, while Maglir is one of the wimpier ‘villains,’ he kicks ass while he’s on your side (at least, he always has in my experience). No need to run ahead of him to clean out the strongest enemies or walk right behind him with a Convalescence spell ready. He’s got it covered.
2. I think he’s an intriguing mess of contradictions. Even though a few of his scenarios involve him skipping out on contracts, he does have some weird, misplaced concept of loyalty - he’s willing to get into a fight he knows he can’t win for people he’s too late to save because of it, and depending on how you treat him when he’s your ally, he might help you even after you become enemies. Further, he spends a lot of time at the beginning of the quest name-dropping a family that later dialogue reveals may not exist (when he charges you screaming, “I had a home!” that rather implies he did not previously). I love characters like this.
3. He doesn’t lack energy or enthusiasm, that’s for sure.
There you have it; my big secret.