i think this is most prob my sixth character. have just hit lvl 10 and killed my first dragon. not gone up to see the greybeards yet. i wanted to do a couple of bounty's first to make some money and stock up on a few potions. i was on me way to clear out a bandit camp when I was attacked (unprovoked) by 3 thalmor. one of them had a note stating i should be killed, as i had done something that was against thalmor interests. like i said i think this is me 6th play through, previously the thalmore were obnoxious but never attacked me. i dont know of anything i could of done to upset them. perhaps a dragon born is not in there interest, but then why now and not with any of my previous characters? any ideas?

This happened to me once as well. And my character is an Imperial, and has actually helped the Thalmor in some situations. If anything, they should appreciate me.

happened to me once, i'm pretty sure it's random

i don't really mind ive always wanted an excuse to give snobby pricks a good kicking!! just wondered why this time round, and if anybody new why?

I'm sure it was bugs.
I've encounter some kind of this. But for me it was a Vigilant Stendarr attacked me out of nowhere and without warning.

It's a random event. I was attacked by them once on my way to Whiterun for the first time, while I was level 2. I didn't survive the encounter.
Other times, they have attacked the same character several times, and had the same note each time. I dropped one of the notes in Elenwen's chair at the Peace Council at High Hrothgar, just to be an annoyance. Nobody noticed or cared, of course, but it made me happy.

yeh thats what i thought it was most prob a bug but the note was intreging... were they always meant to come after you? (because they dont want a dragon born)

This is just one of those random scripted attacks in the wilderness. Remember, Thalmor can be thugs and assassins too.

HA HA yeh i dropped a bounty note on (cant remember his name that orc librarian) after i stole a book out of the library when i was arch mage
how could i steal it if i am archmage of the colledge!!

Wait.. can someone tell me what note is it??
Is it somekind of assassin's note or hired thug's?

I used to be relentlessly hunted by Thalmor hit squads in my original playthrough. I thought it was due to me rescuing a Gray-Mane from Northwatch Keep. That's certainly when they seemed to start. They just stopped all of a sudden after a while though, which was pretty disappointing as they were an easy source of quick cash without encumbering me much.

You're a Talos worshiper.

Is that really why they attack ? I've got to admit they seemed to occur around the time I used to recieve the Blessing of Talos in Whiterun, then after that I started recieving the Blessing of Kynareth and I never encountered another single hit squad.

I bet they wonder the exact same thing when my Altmer attacks and brutally kills off their patrols.

Same thing happened to me. I don't know why either as I haven't done anything to piss them off.

It's not happened to any of my characters at all. My Nord Dragonborn hasn't had thalmor attack him and neither has my Bosmer. My Nord has done the quest were you have to rescue someone from the thalmor and he's had the blessing of talos too, he's never been attacked. I feel like I'm missing out. =(

I did read someone saying perhaps Thalmor attacking is triggered by the Redguard woman in Whiterun quest. I was suggested that she is really a Thalmor spy reporting back on Talos worship etc