"The only exit out of the castle is, conveniently enough, found in your cell ('All of our games seem to start in prison, I'm not sure why,' Howard joked), so the guards order you to stand back, and you can follow them out of the prison. You get the opportunity to chat with the Emperor, voiced by Patrick Stewart, and learn that his sons have already been killed. He doesn't seem to think you're such a bad sort, which only adds to the mystery of why you're imprisoned—and why these guards don't seem to mind letting you out."

Xbox.com: "In Morrowind, we saw the homeland of the Dark Elves. Is Cyrodiil (the setting of Oblivion) considered the humans' home territory?"

Carter: It is, basically. "It's a lot more courtly type intrigue. Each town has its own 'count,' and with the Emperor gone, there's a whole lot of warring politics—what's going to happen to the land, what's going to happen to the throne, what to do about the invasion."