Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Guide / Proof-of-Concept showing how to start the Season Unending negotiation where one side in the Civil War only has their base Hold left. This should work on all versions of the game, including the original vanilla. Starting the Season Unending negotiation when one side only has their base Hold left (Solitude/Haafingar for the Imperials, Windhelm/Eastmarch for the Stormcloaks) opens up new options and dialog in the Season Unending negotiation.
To do this, the Main questline and the Civil War questline have to be progressed in a certain way. The first step is reaching the right point in the Main questline; proceed to and start the Season Unending quest, and reach the point where you’re given the objective to speak to Ulfric and Tullius to invite them to truce talks. Once at this point, switch to the Civil War questline, and proceed up to the point where you’re given the quest to take the final Hold before the opposition’s base Hold. When on the Imperials’ side, the final Hold before taking Windhelm/Eastmarch is Winterhold, and the quest to proceed up to is “Rescue from Fort Kastav”. When on the Stormcloaks’ side, the final Hold before taking Solitude/Haafingar is Morthal/Hjaalmarch, and the quest to proceed up to is “Battle for Fort Snowhawk”. Once that quest has started, switch back to the Main questline; you should be able to invite both leaders up to High Hrothgar.
What makes this work is what now happens when both agree to attend — the Civil War quest will automatically complete, and the Dragonborn’s side will get possession of the final Hold. You can verify this by going to Winterhold/Morthal and seeing who the Jarl is, as well as looking around there for the presence of Imperial/Stormcloak soldiers.
Guide / Proof-of-Concept showing how to start the Season Unending negotiation where one side in the Civil War only has their base Hold left. This should work on all versions of the game, including the original vanilla. Starting the Season Unending negotiation when one side only has their base Hold left (Solitude/Haafingar for the Imperials, Windhelm/Eastmarch for the Stormcloaks) opens up new options and dialog in the Season Unending negotiation.
To do this, the Main questline and the Civil War questline have to be progressed in a certain way. The first step is reaching the right point in the Main questline; proceed to and start the Season Unending quest, and reach the point where you’re given the objective to speak to Ulfric and Tullius to invite them to truce talks. Once at this point, switch to the Civil War questline, and proceed up to the point where you’re given the quest to take the final Hold before the opposition’s base Hold. When on the Imperials’ side, the final Hold before taking Windhelm/Eastmarch is Winterhold, and the quest to proceed up to is “Rescue from Fort Kastav”. When on the Stormcloaks’ side, the final Hold before taking Solitude/Haafingar is Morthal/Hjaalmarch, and the quest to proceed up to is “Battle for Fort Snowhawk”. Once that quest has started, switch back to the Main questline; you should be able to invite both leaders up to High Hrothgar.
What makes this work is what now happens when both agree to attend — the Civil War quest will automatically complete, and the Dragonborn’s side will get possession of the final Hold. You can verify this by going to Winterhold/Morthal and seeing who the Jarl is, as well as looking around there for the presence of Imperial/Stormcloak soldiers.
