Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-85.74.137.231-20130605091958/@comment-3573184-20130818181346

80.216.214.210 wrote: Yes, that is what you're saying means. That Dominon would have assuredly won if the war had continued and that they knew it. If that were the case then the AD WOULD have continued the war, it is that simple. But they didn't which means they're lying about their strengths and about everything else. Do understand that they want humanity dead now, Mundus destroyed right now. Not so and so many years down the line, RIGHT NOW. If they could have taken the Tower and got to work on their goals they would have done so.

And what you fail to understand is that goals can change more then once, yes middway in the war their primary goal wasn't Hammerfell anymore. Here's the kicker though, when they found out that they were too weak to take Cyrodiil they clearly wanted something for their trouble and Hammerfell started too look good again. And as they sadly for them found out, they were too weak to take it too. Knowing that they could win the war =/= "that the AD could have easily and effortlessly taken Cyrodiil right then and there". False equivalence.

Furthermore, NOTHING has been stated, in-canon, as to what The Thalmor''s true goal is. All we have is some Kirkbridian texts, whose canonisity is doubtful. For all we know they simply want to rule the world, not to destroy it, and your notions that the AD want it all destroyed "RIGHT NOW", and can't take the proper time to plan ahead, are not only absurd, but totally unfounded. The Thalmor had been planning over over 400 years, since Tiber Septim kicked their ass, and possibly longer before that. To believe, or even attempt to imply, that they are incapable of spending a few decades more, to ensure their victory, is ludicrous.

Also, The Thalmor want nothing to do with the towers that we know of, their only known plans, which are from Kirkbride, show they are going after Talos, not the towers.

Except A. They weren't too weak to take Cyrodiil.

B. Nothing says their goal switched back to Hammerfell, after it switched to Cyrodiil, only that they switched from their original goal of Hammerfell, to Cyrodiil. Them holding onto Hammerfell was nothing more then a result of them taking it during the opening part of war, not because of some goal switching.

C. Them "wanting" Hammerfell because they "lost" Cyrodiil, and wanted something for their trouble, is, by itself, a nonsensical notion. The Thalmor had won near complete control over The Empire's government. They already owned Cyrodiil via treaty, and got everything they could have wanted anyway. they didn't need something when they already got it all.