Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-50.72.53.15-20131217031236/@comment-67.191.141.133-20140209192055

74.186.125.13 wrote: A lot of people here are saying that the Thalmor are too strong to conquer, but the empire they attacked in the Great War was weakened, divided, and taken by surprise. Even if Skyrim and High Rock broke off, a military alliance could still happen, and the Thalmor would be up against the following: -The Imperials, dying for payback after the last war, once again fighting for survival, and in possession of some of the best military organization and strategists Tamriel has ever known. -The Nords, hating the Thalmor with a passion, wanting to see Talos restored, and willing and able to fight to the last drop of blood (theirs and their enemies') in a battle for no other reason than that it is a battle. -The Redguards, who love the Thalmor little more than Nords do and who are considered by many to be the most naturally talented warriors in all of Tamriel. -The Dunmer, who consider the Altmer to be their biggest rivals in the everlasting game of "who is the superior species of mer", and whose understanding of magic is in much the same circumstance. -The Orcs, who would probably see the Nords and Imperials as more honorable warriors (as opposed to the magic-using elves), and would thus be more likely to ally with them, and who are literally the most terrifying thing one can go up against on the battlefield. -The Dragons, who swore allegiance to the Dragonborn after the death of Alduin, who the Thalmor have no way to kill without a Dragonborn of their own, and each one of whom is worth an army by itself. -The Bretons, who would likely find it politically favorable to align politically with the Empire (trade benefits and such), and who pretty much own the concept of a battlemage. -The Argonians, who came out of the Oblivion Crisis with a military that let them sweep through Morrowind, and who would probably join the fight against the Thalmor if the elves even tried to invade Black Marsh (and let's be real here, the Thalmor are guaranteed to take a shot at it, if only to be able to say they did something Tiber Septim couldn't).

Against all of this, the Aldmeri dominion has: -The Altmer, who, while undeniably great mages, are not quite so good at actual combat, due to their delicate builds. -The Bosmer, who are awesome archers, but hate war, and are likely to resent the fact that the Altmer often treat them as second class. -The Khajit, who are as changeable and variable as the moons they worship (not a great indicator of loyalty to the elves), and who have an unfortunate habit of taking skooma on the night before a battle (far from ideal for a race that forms the front line of a military alliance).

Who is stronger? You decide. The Battle for Solitude in the Civil War quest line is much easier to win than attacking Northwatch Keep. Thalmor Agents are MUCH harder to kill than Imperial soldiers on the road. It takes about 1-2 slices with an Elven Dagger to kill an Imperial Soldier; unlike the Thalmor which takes 2-3 slices with an Ebony Battleaxe to kill. So the Altmer alone could match up nearly equally against everyone you just listed. Same applies with Alik'r Warriors, Forsworn-which are Bretons-, Stormcloak Soldiers. Dunmer mages are Inferior to Altmer mages, The Bosmer, and Kajiit will stay out of the conflict. Argonians and Orsimer are the only people that will pose a threat. Plus just about every military force in Tamriel ,following the Civil War, is weakened; except the Thalmor.