Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-1600847-20161103125247/@comment-26893431-20161204141210

Sports72Xtrm wrote: The Empire has self destructed by the time of the civil war. High Rock lost Wayrest to corsairs and will probably be too preoccupied to send their armies anywhere. The Empreror is assassinated by the Dark Brotherhood. It's canon that Cyrodiil lost Bravil and Cheydinhal, and many other cities according to Cicero and his journals and is implied that there is some sort of civil war going on in Cyrodiil too. The Imperial Legion in Skyrim is a fringe legion trying to occupy and tax a country that resents them, and will be denied reinforcements to maintain their rule. In all likelyhood, the Stormcloaks ending is either canon or the Imperial Legion stationed in Skyrim will have to depart to be conscripted to stabilize Cyrodiil, leaving the Stormcloak remnants, Forsworn, Thalmor agents if they are still around in the the Imperial Legion victory ending, or the Thieves' Guild to take the vulnerable holds hostage in the Legions' absence (just like the Forsworn Uprising). Every fact tells the Stormcloaks are better suited to defend Skyrim, and player agency can at least give the player opportunity to show they are stronger than the Empire. While every fact of an Imperial Legion victory is a Pyrrhic victory.

The Emperor being assassinated isn't canon. Cyrodiil didn't lost Bravil and they reclaimed Cheydinhal, and we don't know wether Cicero means cities in Cyrodiil.

There's an army assembling at Pale Pass, so no, they will be reinforced.

-Whiterun joins the Legion -Tullius was able to capture Ulfric -An Imperial army is assembling at Pale Pass -The Stormcloaks are getting massacred All the evidence points to an Imperial victory.