Anyway, going back to the OP's original point, I agree, there was very little relationship development between your character and anyone in the game. Zandalor's character in particular seemed to be the most poorly written. It seemed somewhat generic, and I feel he could have had much more interaction in the story line as opposed to being a glorified cheerleader until FoV where he actually seemed to have a useful role. (At least for Aleroth.) Sure, he "gets" (quite anti-climatically) you the shield, but why not add the obtaining as the shield as another section of content or quest?
They probably didn't have time to add in you fetching the shield yourself. I actually liked the idea that you didn't have to do everything yourself.
Lastly, if Talana was actually Ygerna, when did the takeover occur? It would have been nice to have some history on Talana and her relation to Maxos, Lovis, and Zandalor other than being the last Dragon Knight who you happen to stumble upon as she is dying and passes her mission on to you. Perhaps with enough clues that the most prescient gamer could pick-up before the final cutscene of E.D. that it was actually Ygerna all along.
The takeover happened after you saw the cutscene of the Dragon fighting Damian's dragon and getting shot down, and before you woke up with Zandalor greeting you.
If Talana was a Dragon Knight, surely Ygerna could have used her just as well as the main character to do her bidding? So I am assuming Ygerna didn't expect Rhode to deliver a deathblow to "Talana" and was forced to make due with a Slayer.
No, because Talana had a strong mind. Remember the warnings of Organa and Rhode - The dragon memory ritual left the slayer's mind weak and vulnerable, that's why s/he had to stay behind and not particpiate in the hunt for Talana in the first place.
