Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-120.28.157.86-20140406014559/@comment-1600847-20170215124155

One thing I find telling about the Empire's view on the Talos worship ban is what happens when they take control of Whiterun during the Civil War.

They lock up Heimskr, and most seem to assume it was because of his Talos preaching. But both the shrine and statue of Talos he's ranting in front of remain untouched. Most likely Heimskr is locked up because of his "rise up, Stormcloaks!" line, which is inciting rebellion against the Empire and Balgruuf.

The fact that the statue and shrine of Talos aren't touched shows that the Empire is very lax in enforcing the treaty. This, the Markarth incident, and Imperial-aligned NPCs who still worship Talos, makes me think the Empire is just biding its time before they can fight back againt the Dominion.