Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-26213507-20150928140042/@comment-26896471-20151006232115

Draevan13 wrote: Bronkiin wrote: Even then, established could mean anything. It could mean, contact was established but then he tried to have us killed. The "he became uncooperative.." line implies that this isn't what happened. But even then, contact established could mean the opposite, we established contact, he didn't try to have us killed, but unfortunately nothing came from it. Most likely, it's somewhere in the middle. A deal, likely very informal, was made to both parties mutual interests. Possibly, the Thalmor quite liked the idea of the Markarth incident, so they told Ulfric that, should he choose to go ahead with it, they wouldn't intervene. This is now a long way away from even being an agent. He is a passive asset, with whom there has been dialogue. Hardly something to be condemned for, or worthy of undermining his rule. But it probabaly would nevertheless. You see how Galmar reacts to Elenwen's mere presence in the room, finding out that Ulfric worked with them or even talked to them secretly would sew doubt. Probably not overthrow him, as he could easily deny the allegations, but even a small crack in a foundation can start a collpse over time. Ok, yes there may be small cracks in Galmar and Ulfric's personal relationship. But whether Ulfric can or cannot explain it away would be down to speculation. There are already cracks in the foundations of both the Empire and the Stormcloaks, the mere existence of a Civil War in Skyrim is an enormous one for the Empire. I therefore, while acknowledging that possibly even a hint of discussion with the Thalmor may ruffle a few Stormcloak feathers, it is not enough to be a factor in deciding between Stormcloak or Imperial.