Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-25343239-20150319182007/@comment-47.220.166.10-20171025095324

The stormcloaks can't survive. It's just not possible. They have no allies, only half a province and little supplies. Even if the stormcloaks retook skyrim, it isn't actually as defensible as you would think (namely all of its keeps and castles) the only defenses skyrim has going for it are the mountain passes. Which, are great defenses, however once those are lost, skyrim is practically lost. If you want to know what I am talking about with the defenses of castles and forts, go to the YouTube channel Shadiversity and look at his evaluations of the castles. If you actually know anything about proper defenses, you would see, skyrim's are garbage. The reason this is important, is because for probably 100+ years, skyrim would have to be on the defensive, they just have no strength to attack the dominion, and wars are not won defensivly. Battles can be, wars cannot be.

Also, there is the matter of Ulfric hating the empire. It may not be stated anywhere but it is just logical. I don't agree with Ulfric's rebellion, but I do think any hatred of his IS justified. Let's look back to the Markarth incident. Ulfric had been a loyal imperial soldier fighting during the Great War, yet when the thalmor got onto the empire about Talos worship in Markarth, the empire through Ulfric under the bus and handed him over to the thalmor saying it was his fault, where the thalmor then proceeded to torture him.

And finnaly, a smaller note, this is more of an opinion based note. The nords fight with honor, the dominion does not. That gives he dominion a significant advantage. While honor may stop the nords from killing thalmor while they sleep, the thalmor would see this as a great opportunity and take it. Also, with Nordic honor and traditions, come great/final battles, even if it is a sure loss. This would be a downfall. There is a book series that I love that really underlines the downside to this soldiers mind-set called the Sword of Truth (Also fantasy) where a military commander realizes that a final battle that they have no hope of winning, just means the destruction of his people. Instead, he turns his army to raiding and pillaging anything that keeps an enemy army able to pursue war. I highly doubt that the nords would do something like this, sending small troops to "murder" the enemy and not engage in actual combat. (Note: This point is more of an opinion/personal view on nords as a race and how they act, this may no be true so a simple reference to an example where the nords did win a war in this less "honorable" way would be perfectly fine. However, still would not change my view on stormcloak doom.)

I just want to make it clear, I am not a lore expert, if I got any lore wrong, please correct me.