Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-10993011-20130618024431/@comment-6336669-20130824235850

Legate Alexandros wrote: Pickleseller wrote: VAULTEER wrote: What is up for debate here is if they could take Tamriel. Skyrim WOULD FALL easily, with it being in shambles after the civil war. What's left? High Rock and half of Hammerfall. And maybe Orsinium. Black Marsh is on no-ones side apparently. Would they be able to capture HR and HF? Yes. Immediately? No. Eventually? Yes. I agree with you, but High Rock is part of the Empire. My point here is not to underestimated Nords, Aldmeri Dominion might think that they have a chance after Skyrim is ravaged with Civil War, but they might as well underestimate Nordic strenth of spirit and their unveavering believe in Talos. In the way that Germans underestimated how strong of the opponent Russians would be, in both World Wars actually. Unless ofcourse Ulfric is a secret Thalmor agent and they had him start that rebelion on purpose. He was imprisoned by Thalmor and he did break under torture. No one knows if that's enough to make him work for the Dominion or not. He might honestly be fighting for free Skyrim because he's done bleeding for the Empire that won't bleed for them, who knows? The Thalmor have a dossier on him, thinking him as a potential ally, apparently he was resistant to their requests.

The proof in the pudding here is that the A.D. was able to defeat 3 Imperial Legions, out of their current max of 3 (Imperials, Nords, Bretons). They may have had 4 at the time, with the Redguards. But they left. The A.D. killed 3 entire Legions, almost the entirety of the current Empire's power. Had they attacked after they reclaimed the Imperial City, they would have taken it back. Proven by all the evidence I have thrown at that Anon. There was hardly anything left of the Imperial Army, not to mention they were holding on to a crumbling ruin of a city. Some deserted as well, you see one in the Ratway Vaults.

It is possible that the Nords could hold their own, but really, there would only be 4 Territories not under their control. And only 2 1/2 are enemies. But none of them would side with the Nords. I could see the Redguards and Bretons making an alliance, but the Bretons wouldn't go in to a deal with the Nords. Not after the Markarth Incident. Ulfric really screwed over Skyrim in...well everything, but especially that. The AD has strongholds in Skyrim too. I can see them waiting for Solitude to fall to Ulfric, and then attacking from Northwatch Keep and the Embassy, taking Solitude, the Capital. And hopefully killing Ulfric, the madman, but also the last shred of organizational power left.

Then they would follow a backwards pattern of what the rebels do to capture Skyrim. Leaving Markarth to it's own though, which probably fell to the Bretons. You saw how much damage they did when escaping from Cidhna. the Nords may have a religious zealousy among them, but so do the A.D. They started the war, believing in their "Supremecy". Not to mention they have Magic. And from my experiences in Skyrim, mages are some of the most annoying opponents when using Melee. Backing up, backing up, backing up.