In the first place, it doesn't really matter. Regardless of whether their belief about Talos' place in the mythic is correct, they don't have the right of dictating to other peoples whom they worship.

Ahh, but they truly believe themselves the master race.

Closest descendants to the Gods.

Which is why any compromise with them is so dangerous.

Hmm...

I bet the Thalmor have the Sloads in thier pockets too.

The irony is that the empire is built on a brutal subjugation of Tamriel's races, and an imposition of Nord-Cyrodiilic culture on them. You can see this in the novel The Infernal City, where it's obvious the Argonians are of two minds about having been "civilized" by the empire. Obviously Elsweyr and Valenwood had second thoughts, as well. Then you have the fact that the ethnic imperials do look down on the other races and give preference to their own for places of power, with some exceptions.

IMO Oblivion was a little too twee in its presentation of the empire, and that colors people's outlook. They're thinking about a "golden age" that never really existed and certainly doesn't anymore.

For the unlucky ones after Ulfric's uprising? Yes.

Before? Apparently people were worshiping in private and the Empire wasn't popping out of chests and wardrobes to nab them.

And in the rest of the Empire outside of Skyrim? I don't know. Unless Ulfric's uprising has led to the Empire letting the Thalmor wander around every province I imagine people are still privately worshiping him elsewhere as well.

Not the Empire, the Thalmor... they have been killing Talos worshippers before and after the WGC.

Which, either through complacency or ignorance...

The Empire signed off on as well.

*EDIT*

The Thalmor are hardly confined to thier outpost.

There are literally dozens of Talos worshipper corpses lying a few feet from Thalmor corpses at the shrines littered across Skryim's landscape.

Funny thing is, you never find a single Imperial corpse.

I think the beginning was stretched a little bit just to add excitement and drama. Judging from imperial lore, past es games, and the fact that imperials are based on ancient rome, the idea of randomly killing an innocent person isnt likely. There probably would be a judge of some sort, even in Skyrim. Imperial way of life is progressive. Roads, trading, organization, etc. I assume Tamriel would fall into dark times just as the real world once did if the empire crumbled.

Yet if I murder a Thalmor agent in an Imperial controlled city(say Markarth) my bounty is only 40gold instead of the usual 1,000. So clearly The Empire turns a blind eye to murder if its Thalmor. If the people of Skyrim simply worshipped Talos in private instead of going to public shrines into a probable ambush. The Empire signed off on the treaty but there is no evidence they are actively helping the ban being enforced aside from taking the shrines out of the temples to the Nine Eight Divines.

Actually, thats the Thalmor lol. They want to wipe out everything that isnt an Altmer, the Nords are more like Russia. Basically stay the hell out of nordic lands and your fine. They dont hate other races just hate that the empire pretty much said nords were crap by selling their lands to the thalmor and outlawing their gods. Also every race is racist, dont believe me? I bet morrowind had plenty, I promise every province has its stereotypes. Its how things are its not so much race but nationality that the nords dont like. Bretons Nords Imperials and Redguards are all technically 1 race, that is Man, but they are different nationalities. While Orcs Altmer, Dunmer, Bosmer are Mer, and then there are beast folk. I side with the Stormcloaks because how you say they are all biggots I say all imperials are thalmor dogs. When that lady just decided to decapitate me in the begining I didnt see any imperial hate the decision, especially since it was a nord who just wanted to come home to skyrim and was not on the execution list. lokir did not deserve to die, he was a horse thief he should have been imprisoned. She said forget the list, i didnt see tulius stick his neck out for me... I didnt see any imperial say it was wrong I wasnt removed from the stormcloaks they treated me the same so I say death to a corrupt puppet empire.

The Empire is corrupt - the law only applies to who they feel like helping and everyone else look out.

Examples:

They are going to execute you for no reason

General Tullius if you show up in Solitude immediately threatens you with prison if you don't join

Legate Adventus is disdainful, smug and arrogant about the Jarls and Nord traditions

Falk Firebeard claims they respect the traditions of our 'father's fathers' but only when convenient because Sybille the court advisor/wizard admits that it is Nord custom for Ulfric to be allowed to challenge the High King - the High King could have refused but that would have allowed Ulfric to call a High Moot

So they let him kill the king and then execute an innocent guard

The Empire is horrible.

Down with the Empire! Long live Free Skyrim - home of the TRUE Nords (not the spineless boot lickers!)

Tulius wasn't overseeing you as your brought off the wagon. The fact he doesn't seem to mind you escaped execution when you meet him later could indicate he'd have taken you aside had be been standing there to see you weren't on the list. Havdar does object to your execution but he's following orders. When the dragon attacks he doesn't try and cut you down but helps you get to safety.

You don't see Ulfric stick his neck out and say "He's not with me" either. Perhaps he wanted as many heads as possilbe between the headblock and himself to give the Stormcloaks more time to mount a rescue.

actually now that i think about it they are like nazis, the german are the nords, the jews are everybody else, and once they get a strong military they will try to take over the world

I haven`t read all these threads, but I like to think further out of the box.

Perhaps it depends a lot on our culture? People of Britain for instance are somewhat `romanised` and I`m sure a lot of us would subconscously choose Imperial just because of that. To be honest we Britons should really be choosing the Stormcloaks to reflect out true ancient Briton heritage.

And perhaps Americans are more likely to choose Stormcloaks as they are not so `romanised` from the past.

I`m trying to condense a very complicated answer in a few sentences which probably won`t get my point across...

the nords are not racists. their love of country and desire to rule themselves is just. the nords SHOULD have the biggest power system in THEIR country. the imperials should be second and be their to give assistance.

Cause ulfric is a bad man.

Cheers

You mean what the Thalmor are doing? To me the nords are more like Sweden. They just want to be left alone to their own.

@Osheao, what you said. Its like when i go home to puerto rico to visit family and see that the majority of my people are unemployed starving and dying but someone from another place who doesnt share our heritage can simply walk in and take and own what we should have first dibs on. Basically in a sense Americans should always get first dibs on american jobs and educational opportunities and then foreigners should come second. Something along those lines. Have your own interests at heart and then cater to the rest.

actually i like to think as a person not a race, would never let that influence me,

Given that the Thalmor have unrestricted roaming access and are not held under normal Imperial law, I'd say yeah, the higher ups know about. Tullius even knows about, and does nothing. While most likely don't know about the 'kill man and unmake the world' its not something they really hide and is a key factor in their religion.


Did i ever say they drove them out effortlessly? Not at all. However the fact that they won an extended battle that left Hammerfell free of Thalmor is heavy proof to me that a united Empire could have won a prolonged war with the Thalmor. Certianly it would have been costly, but the combined manpower of the Empire exceded that of the Dominion by far and it would have saved the Empire civil wars and dissidents.


They may be divided in opinion, but there is no argument to the fact that he won the contest, and by right it is his. There are no laws that we're aware of regarding how the combatants must fight, and the Thuum is a nordic gift by the gods or so the Nords believe. If anything, the fact that he could use the Thuum only strengthens his position in my opinion. He proved himself strong and willing to do what he though had to be done, even if it meant the death of a well respected friend. The Thuum had been used for war since Tibers day, actually, and he established a college of the voice just for the purpose of war. It goes against the Greybeards way, but not everyones way. Especially Talos who used it for war and conquest. That holds no water, and for a people who revear Talos and to deny the Thuum as personal weapon is uncharacteristically nord.


Right, they're doing it because the elves, a forign oppressor told them they had to. You might wanna read up just a bit more on your history, because the Thalmor were in opperation willing their influence even in Titus Mede I day and activally slew people in purges. No one argued that they are doing it because they like the Thalmor, were saying that their doing it because their scared of the Thalmor and the Thalmor have eyes, ears and hidden daggers everywhere. See the issue, the Empire, instead of standing up for their beliefs are giving in to the Thalmor. Thats what pisses people off.

As for the possibility for war, Skyrim has a MASSIVE buffer against the Thalmor and the Dominion. An ocean and the entire continent of Tamriel lay between them and Skyrim. Assuming it does come to war, it would mean that Aldmeri troops, still recovering from the Great War, would have to maintain a massive supply line through Cyrodiil all the way to Skyrim where the defenders have every single advantage to them. If it came to war, it would break the Dominion. No question about it. Skyrim may suffer greatly for it, but there would be no Dominion left to speak of after it was all said and done.

They initially thought they were on the way to the Imperial City for trial. Tullius decided to take the shorter, more direct route to ending the rebellion.

I thought Ulfric's mouth was bound so he couldn't shout anyone else

Tell that to the Dark Elves forced to live in the Slums or the Argonians forced to live outside the City.

now that you mention it, the thalmor and the nords would make a great pair, they shall be the axis power.

Umm...

Thats a different issue.

I AM SAYING THE EMPIRE TURNS A BLIND EYE TO THALMOR KILLING TALOS WORSHIPPERS.

Undeniable, and I think my caps got stuck or I needed to emphasize that.

the empire may not be totally perfect but it is the only chance skyrim and tamriel has of staying independent of the thalmor (and plus ulfric is a dike)

If the elves were the source of many of your problems, including the reason you can't worship freely then you might have an issue with their general kind to. Not to mention Dunmer are just as racist if not more than the Nords. Racism works on both sides, you condem one when the other is just as bad.

Ulfric may be what you said, but at least he had the balls to go along with it.

He didn't just :