Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-13417807-20130726204600/@comment-98.28.88.47-20130829113136

The Empire doesn't protect Skyrim from the AD at all, in fact they're the reason the Thalmor are allowed to operate in Skyrim and the other provinces in the first place. If it weren't for their White Gold Concordant the Thalmor wouldn't have been able to gain free reign in terrorizing the provinces, in short, the empire lost any respect or authority it had over/from Skyrim when it threw them to the Aldmeri wolves.