User blog comment:Tholanar/If you were the High Queen or King of Skyrim..../@comment-3496379-20121227231509

Warning: TL;DR ahead.

I have about a dozen characters all told, but the only one I can see actually worrying about being High King is my male Nord warrior, Varulf Blackmane.

Now, sons of Skyrim being what they are, he'll have driven out the Empire in short order. But patriot though he may be, Varulf also believes in the traditions of old (even going so far as to use the weapons and armor of the ancient Nords). And before long, he'll challenge Ulfric the same way he challenged Torygg: an old-school fight to the death, Thu'um and all - in the presence of his own Moot, no less, to prevent any potential disputes like another civil war.

After all is said and done, and Ulfric lies dead, Varulf begins his reign as High King, where he:

1.  Moves the capital of Skyrim to Windhelm. The Thalmor are enraged, as their embassy is suddenly much too far away from Windhelm for reliable communication (read: regular updates to Alinor).

2.  Convinces Hammerfell and Cyrodiil to ally with Skyrim. Cyrodiil is initially reluctant, with the weakened Empire having not forgotten the events of the Stormcloak rebellion. They are eventually persuaded after rumors of a Dominion assault on the Colovian West are confirmed, and the city of Anvil is attacked.

The Alik'r, on the other hand, are impressed by the Thalmor's anger, and are almost eager to join Varulf's cause, though some remain uneasy about the idea of working alongside Cyrodiil. This has the unintended - though no less appreciated - side-effect of a significant reduction of Forsworn in the Reach as they withdraw into the Druadach Mountains, where rumors say that they are biding their time, waiting to strike ...

3.  Orchestrates what is later hailed as a tactical masterstroke. Varulf begins by spreading word about a massive offensive against Valenwood, one that will split the Dominion down the middle and weakening it severely. To sweeten eager ears, he plans to lead the offensive himself, along with most of the Circle of the Companions, whose numbers have swelled well beyond their original five hundred by now. The Dominion divert half of their entire fighting forces to Valenwood in response, spreading them throughout the region.

Varulf and the Circle invade Valenwood at no less than nine different points along its northern border. The Bosmer of Falinesti and Arenthia, under the impression that a far larger force than anticipated is attacking, are caught off guard, and invoke the Wild Hunt in an act of desperation. Unbeknownst to them, however, this is exactly what Varulf had intended. For three days and nights, he and the Circle (in their werewolf forms) sprint southwest for the Eltheric Ocean, sweeping throughout the province, Dominion soldiers in their wake. Unfortunately for the Dominion, the horrifically mutated, animalistic Bosmer are in their wake - and gaining fast. Caught between a proverbial rock and hard place, the Dominion presence in Valenwood is completely crushed, and the Wild Hunt turns its primal ferocity on itself shortly afterward. And though a wearied Varulf barely manages to escape the carnage, most of the Circle is not so lucky; upon returning to Skyrim, their first order of business is to cleanse the souls of the Circle's fallen, allowing them passage to Sovngarde.

4.  Conquers the now-devastated Valenwood with relative ease, establishing a launching point into Alinor. Elsweyr, without the support of the Dominion, falls into disarray.

5.  Masses a final offensive against Alinor. For six years, the combined fleets of Skyrim, Hammerfell, and Cyrodiil besiege the Summerset Isle. Freak storms are a large factor in the slowness of the war, though heavy losses on both sides make it unclear if the weather was a result of intervention by the Psijic Order, the Thalmor, or if it was truly just a freak storm.

The siege culminates in the sacking of Alinor, and many Altmer are killed before the broken Dominion finally surrenders, the shadow of the Thalmor finally dispelled.

(Popular opinion willing, we'll see how Varulf feels after that, shall we?)