Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-27007772-20140611204941/@comment-9601450-20150409222249

187.67.34.210 wrote: CatapractofOrder wrote: 187.67.34.210 wrote: The Empire is the best choice because like it or not, the Empire is the only force in Tamriel that can resist the Thalmor.

Now I know what the Stormcloaks supporters might say: "Once we free Skyrim, we are going to be the real Anti-Thalmor. We are Nords, we are warriors, etc etc". Galmar even says that to the player if you are Stormcloak.

But history shows us that separatism is not a solution to a common threat. Those who think the Stormcloaks are "liberating" Skyrim just don't see the bigger picture. The Thalmor do, however.

The Thalmor simply play a individual lute on each province controlled by the Empire to make them break off. This is called "Salami Tactics", a.k.a "Divide and Conquer". Wanna examples? Alright! Alinor? Take credits for what Martin Septim did. Valenwood? Organize a coup and take the Imperials supporters by surprise. Elsweyr? Use "dawn magic" to "restore" the moons and impress the Khajiits in the process (we all know the moons are gripped to their religion). Hammerfell? Demands the Empire to cede sections of southern Hammerfell to the Thalmor as a condition of the peace treaty, so the Emperor will have to betray the Redguards - they'll never trust the Empire again. Skyrim? Use the Nords' religion (reverence to Talos in particular) to make them distrust the Empire and rise up against it.

So instead of "fighting the damn elves" Ulfric and Co. are simply dancing to their tune. ...But the Redguards defeated the Dominion. And the Thalmor specifically say that a Stormcloak victory is not what they want.

The Redguards defeated the Dominion but the elves weren't utterly annihilated, just like on the Battle of the Red Ring. The great houses of Hammerfell joined forces to fight against a fraction of the Dominion army deployed to fight the Great War and after 5 years of war, the Dominion completely withdraws from Hammerfell. As the Thalmor not desiring a Stormcloak victory I believe Elenwen doesn't want hundreds of Stormcloaks soldiers knocking on her door because she said to Thalmor agent Sanyon (through a letter found on his corpse) that she doesn't have enough agents to take care of "Official Thalmor Business".

I never said they were "utterly annihilated." But the wiki says bluntly "-Hammerfell the only nation to defeat the Third Aldmeri Dominion" No White-gold repeat, no Justicars getting free reign of the province,  the Thalmor just left completely. That is MUCH better off then the Empire did.

...So, the Stormcloaks are playing into the Thalmor's hands even though the Thalmor said that a stormcloak victory would be bad, because Elenwen fears for her life?

That doesn't exactly make any sense.