Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-120.28.157.86-20140406014559/@comment-26893431-20170215122515

BadWolf1677 wrote: Blademaster Jauffre - if I could get a little clarification on a couple of your arguments as I work on building my own knowledge of the lore...

1) Above you state that the Empire didn't betray the Nords because they didn't enforce the ban on the worship of Talos.  However, wouldn't allowing the Thalmor the freedom to travel throughout Skyrim and allowing them to enforce the ban also be seen as a betrayal?

2) IMO, the Thalmor believe that the Blades are still connected to the Empire by the fact that they executed all the agents in Summerset and Valenwood and dumped their heads on the floor in front of the Emperor on the eve of the Great War.  I also find the wording of the WGC odd...that the Empire would "disband the Blades."  I would think that if the Empire really had no control over the Blades, they would agree to stop harboring the Blades and/or agree to extradition treaties.  But, to agree to "disband the Blades" makes the Empire sound complicit in their dealings.  Yes, I have read that the Blades stopped beholding to the throne after the Septim Dynasty ended, but something still doesn't connect for me.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

1) This "freedom", was only allowed after the Markarth Incident, an event during which Ulfric was conspiring with the Thalmor. Everyone still had their shrines of Talos prior to Ulfric retaking Markarth -- because when Ulfric demanded free Talos worship and the Thalmor "found out", they send their agents, the Justicars, as treaty enforcers to make sure the Emperor wasn't lying.

Long story short, the Stormcloaks betrayed the Nords, which is quite ironic since they claim to be pro-Talos and pro-Nord.

2) The Blades are sworn to guide and protect the Dragonborn, that's why they once were affiliated with the Empire, due to the Septims being Dragonborn. They are not an arm of the Imperial Government and are not bound to Imperial Policy, hence why they were replaced by the Penitus Oculatus early in the Fourth Era. The Blades continued their existance, but as protectors of Tamriel.

Why the Thalmor put a connection between the Empire and the Blades seems rather logical to me, we must not forget that the Thalmor cut off all kinds of contact with the Empire for 70 years after 4E 23, which means that only in 4E 93 they started getting in contact again. They did not know that much about the Empire (hence why they thought the Empire would be stronger during the GW than it was) so they probably thought that the Blades were never replaced.