"Wage slavery" isn't slavery. Not by a long shot. It's "Gee, I wish I made more money, but I don't have the werewithal to pick up and find a different job."

There's at least one Argonian on the Windhelm docks who doesn't mind the Nords' attitude.

Perhaps. But the bad guys in videogame-worlds rarely think about the consequences of taking on the player-demigod's wrath. Do they now?

Besides that, your strength in this game is relative. Both the Nerevarine and the Hero of Kvatch ultimately weren't undefeated.

And who's to say the Thalmor high leadership doesn't think itself supreme to whatever the dragonborn has to offer? The Thalmor are no stranger to over-estimation, megalomania and supremism. Their grand scheme, off course, is after all to re-take what they believe is their rightful place amongst gods by undoing Lorkhan's trickery.

And last: your loved ones would still have suffered dearly no matter how effectively you could exact revenge. Which was my whole point to begin with.

And the lore says so much

http://www.imperial-library.info/content/fourth-era

Like all the good the empire did for everyone else during the 200 years after oblivion.

I'm sorry, did I say something to offend you? I thought we were all playing a game. Besides, in my post I also said I hadn't made up my mind with what side to join. I don't happen to like Ulfric, but I also despise the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion. I'm still struggling with what makes the best sense for my character. I'm really not trying to start an argument.

I hate the empire VERY MUCH, but after hearing the storm cloaks talking .... not so much anymore

Is fighting a war with the thalmor so bad?

Still that long-term weakness of theirs is I would argue no arguement against my arguement that they only gain whoever wins in Skyrim's Civil War. Too many arguements

Nope

But when you let 1 small province cut chunks out of you for 120 years. It's quite bad.

Oh, you're fine, but that is something I hear often in Skyrim discussions- that the clear alternative is to side with the empire if you're not playing a Nord. And I don't think it is so clear.

We can't exactly get a metric on the military power of the thalmor

Keep in mind this was just the legion stationed in Valenwood. Not even a quarter of the empire's forces. The empire never even attempted a counter against it. They let it go. A great deal of bosmer that didn't bow down to the thalmor were "purged"

I certainly don't think it comes down to race (although that sidekick of Ulfrics can't do much for non-Nord recruitment).
Its about tactics and timing, and also about a united Empire (although how much such a thing ever existed is debateable)

About the Nerevarine and CoC we do not know if they ever where defeated, they simply dissappeared. I get your meaning though.
However, if the Dragoborn hero of Skyrim declared war on the Thalmor I do not believe the Empire, the Redguards and a possibly independant Skyrim would remain neutral. Both the Empire and Skyrim rever the Dragonborn because of the whole Dragonborn Emperors thingy, and I believe the Redguards would take any chance at getting revenge at the Dominion for invading their home. The Dovahkiin could be the Yol to start the Shol. Also his Thu'um would give him an edge.

But would the "canon" Dovahkiin have loved ones? We know nothing of his(assuming the trailer-guy would be the "canon". Which won't be entirely correct since the gender and race will be lost to history) past. No known family, friends, spouse or any other relations. My best bet is that his loved ones died in the Great War or simetime later. That said, yes the loved ones would sadly have suffered dearly.

Wonder if they're building a Numidium afterall

Well it does battle the aldmeri dominion into the 5th era. Perhaps it'll suddenly pop back into existance and break everything again.

Yes, the Skyrim Civil war serve their purpose and they are the only ones who gains by it. I love civil discussions about TES

Now the high elves could have took over Valenwood though. They could have fought a similar type war with the Thalmor as well.

They did take Valenwood. Quite a while before the Great War infact.

Edit: They took control in 4E29, over 150 years before Skyrim takes place.

I think Ulfric is power hungry. Kind of reminds me of Hitler. And the Empire didn't want me killed in the beginning, the Imperial lady did, Hadvar wanted me to live. I also really liked how Hadvar tried to reason with the Stormcloaks if you follow him. I'm not sure who I'm going to side with, but I just feel like Ulfric wants only nords to inhabit Skyrim and will do whatever it takes to gain power and eventually high king. That is why he killed the high king, wasn't it?

What I disagree with is the ban of Talos worship. Why can't anyone worship any god they like? That's just stupid to me.

It makes little sense to me to speculate about future canon lore. Traditionally there's no definitive mention whats however about friends and family of the player-hero in TES iirc, that doesn't mean they never existed. I think it's really just up to the imagination to fill that in. Canon lore doesn't exactly cover every detail.

It does, in fact, only cover the essentials. Like how the main quest ended

Maybe Dovahkiin does maybe he doesn't. You get a chance at some point to tell someone you have family or don't. Doesn't matter which you choose. It won't really matter in future lore either.

unfounded. The WGC is in every shape and form a temporary truce. No one, certainly not Mede II, nor the Elder Council, nor the Nords, nor the people of Cyrodill, are happy with the WGC. This has been discussed on many threads.

I feel it is generally accepted by most that

1) Mede II had no choice but to sign the concordat. He did so only after the legions were decimated, cyrodill was ravaged, and the imperial city was in ruins.

2) The Empire has no intention of maintaining the WGC permanently. Seriously. Find me one Non-Thalmor character who says "The WGC is here to stay", "Talos worship is now banned forever", "we love the Thalmor and believe we have a permanent peace". Furthermore, notice the timeframe. it's been 30 years since the Great War ended. That's enough time for an entire new generation to mature into advlthood, perhaps even two. An entire new generation of men and women of enlistment age. The Second Great War is coming, and soon.

Well... There's a lot of filler data and stuff to spice the story up that's hardly essential to canon lore imho.

Okay, MW, faction quest-lines and misc from books and stuff Most of which has nothing to do with the character