Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-13842697-20140513020142

So on a recent playthrough I've decided to have a secret Thalmor agent (Altmer) join the civil war. But I'm a bit confused on which side would better support the Thalmor & Dominion. In the book Thalmor Dossier: Ulfric Stormcloak, it states "A Stormcloak victory is also to be avoided, howerver, so even indirect aid to the Stormcloaks must be carefully managed." This tells me the Thalmor want the Empire to win but suffer as much as possible from the war, but then I think to myself "Hey, if Skyrim is separated from the Empire, then that means High Rock, the last country apart of the Empire, will be separated from all ties from trade routes etc. with the Empire as well." This also takes away a large recruitment option from the Empire, both Orcs and Nords, making the Empire a very more easier target to take down, than having Nords and Orcs still apart of them. I'm not sure why the Thalmor want an Empire victory when I look at it this way.

So my question is, should my Altmer join the Stormcloaks or the Empire? 