Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-25343239-20150319182007/@comment-25340654-20150916192823

TiberCaesarAndRepublicOfTamriel wrote: -AR- wrote: Heroes disappear after their events: by the time a Second Great War can rear its head, the Last Dragonborn will be long gone. This has been the case with every Hero, and for good out-of-setting reasons: Heroes are easily powerful... Interesting post. I find ignoring the dragonborn and his power to be a bit of a cheap cop-out, but I can't argue with what you've said. Bethesda can't do much with the character in lore, users each have their own version of the Dragonborn. Fair enough.

Ignoring the Dragonborn - the Aldmeri still want to destroy the The Snow Tower, as you mentioned, and as quickly as possible. They can't unmake Mundus while the Snow Tower stands/while Talos is still venerated and given strength/direction through worship. According to the UESP Wiki, the "snow-tower" is just a metaphor for the Nords themselves. Whether it's a physical structure or a metaphor, the point remains the same. The Thalmor need a presence in Skyrim in order to remove the Snow Tower, and the Stormcloaks will not allow that presence under any circumstances. There are also Elder Scrolls in Skyrim, Keening is there, so is the staff of Magnus, etc etc.

With all that in mind, one should expect factions within the Aldmeri Dominion to be pushing for an invasion. We can't forget that the Aldmeri Dominion is lead by delusional fanatics; they aren't vulcans. The Thalmor would have conquered Hammerfell if they could have, and they will do everything in their power to bring Skyrim to ruin as soon as they possibly can.

I also find your Imperial sympathies to be more than a little misguided. The Empire has been co-opted by the Aldmeri Dominion. The claim that "the Empire would have been destroyed if not for the white gold-concodat" was flatly disporven in the subsequent Hammerfell/Domnion war. Mede was a coward who deserved to die. The Thlamor in Skyrim torture and murder people with impunity and the Empire made a deal with them to legalize that sort of behavior. There is absolutely no moral reason to support the Empire. What's the point of keeping the Empire strong to fight the Dominion, if they aren't fighting the Dominion? If they're letting Thalmor soliders round up decent, every day people, to be tortured and murdered? An imperial victory means more oppression, more violence, more plundering and disrespect. The Stormcloak rebellion (especially if it's backed by the dragonborn) is a popular rebellion. Ulfric did not simply take the throne and become high king, he is still waiting for the moot to convene and make it offical. He has displayed patience and tact in his approach. The Stormcloaks have a large network of supporters. We have no reason to assume Imperial loyalists will be able to spring up and sow chaos. Look at the American Revolution, The Cuban Revolution, the Spanish Revolution - there were decades of peaceful reconstruction afterwards, and in the cae of the United States, the Civil War did very little to damage to Americas long-term plans of settling the west, becoming a global economic and imperial power, etc.

With the Empire in charge and no force to oppose them, the Thalmor will and would continue to infest Skyrim and pursue their objective of destroying the Snow-Tower. The Empire using their experience in counterinsurgency against Stormcloak supporters is a complete waste of Imperial resources. Your expectation that Imperial loyalists will continue to harass the Stormcloaks and interfere with Skyrim's reconstruction is based on your own personal bias towards the Empire, and little else. If the Empire didn't sign the concordrat they would be overflown. Hammerfell is located on the other side of the sea and the Empire is lying between it. I don't think the Aldmeri Dominion is a navy power. Many Redguards are sailors. And comparing the Empire with America is horrible. The Empire overrules every concept of Tamriel's live. They created the fourth era and brought peace and prosperity. And the Aldmeri Dominion is one of the best organizated nations in Tamriel. In fact Ulfric Stormcloacks helps the Dominion by scattering the nations. Skyrim will soon end as Morrowind, abandoned by the Empiren and raided by outsiders. Skyrim's economy is horrible, they only export gold and other raw materials but they doesn't produce any clothing or civil wares on their own, most of it is importated from other regions. Skyrim is political, social,millitary and economic bankrupt.