There's no way he couldn't know that causing a civil war was the last step in the prophecy to summon Alduin. And there is good argument that he knew dragons/the prophecy existed because he studied with the Grey Beards.

I mean I guess to Thalmor could have instigated all of this for whatever reason. But I doubt they believed in dragons or would want to conquer a nation filled with dragons, or destroyed.

Ulfric definitely seems like the kind of guy who would do ANYTHING for power; I don't put this past him.

You couldn't get everyone to agree that the game was released on 11/11/11.

lol. Well do the sensible ones here realize this? I don't like at all how to "right" side to pick is strongly hinted to be Stormcloaks.. I see very little reason that their victory would be more advantageous.

Technicaly, Alduin Has yet To return to Mundus. To a dragon to fully die a transference in required.

They don't want the country, They want what's in the Country of Skyrim: The Snow Tower.

No I'm not going to agree with that.

Sure the game is pretty much all about Ulfric and his "I want to be as great or greater than Tiber Septim" aura, but geez, Alduin just happen to fly out from the rip in time, and poor old Helgen, you and Captain Fus Ro Da himself are there to be Kentucy Fried Chicken with honey mustard.

I thought the elder scroll caused his return. You know time and all that.

"The prophecy of Alduin is foretold on http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Alduin%27s_Wall, located at http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Sky_Haven_Temple, the last refuge of the http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Blades. The wall prophesies http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Civil_War after the murder of the http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Torygg as well as the http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Great_War http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Tamriel."

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Alduin#Prophecy

I think that pretty much sums up everything Ulfric did after being captured by the Thalmor...

yep but that wall no one had seen for thousands of years. Also this civil war is not the first civil war, there have literally been a [censored]load of them almost to the point at every succession. And its not the nords first either murdering the emporer and going to civil war, look at the wolfqueen books.

Or it could just be the fact that during the civil war is the point in time where the scrolls knew he would come out making the fact that the civil war is in the prophecy only a a marker of where we are in the time line not the cause of alduin coming.

Alduin had no choice in where he re-arrived in Tamriel, in either time or space. The finagling the ancients did with the scroll caused the entire thing. Sorry, I don't believe Ulfric HAS any out for causing brother against brother death and destruction. It's on his soul, and his chosen deity can sort him.

So we caused this event to happen, but then broke what the wall said...

The wall is a pretty set in stone thing.... from a LONG time ago. (Hmmm. No pun really intended....) Obviously, the ancients who carved the wall didn't get the memo about the scroll and forward-time-phasing.

WHY NOT GO BACK IN TIME AND PREVENT THE CIVIL WAR???

As far as I'm aware, Beth hasn't put into the game a mechanism for doing so. Besides, screwing with time is ALWAYS a bad idea. Look at what's already happened....

Yeah, we got Colonel Campbell SOMEHOW mixed into things already. No need to go any deeper, despite what potential rapists and/or Leonardo DiCaprio say.

but thats at least better than most DLC ideas. a good time to experiment with SCIENCE!

The civil war didn't cause alduin's return. The prophecy is a guide to knowing when alduin's return is. Getting sent forward in time isn't something that you affect when you're past the point it happened.

We can definetly agree that it was all the doing of the Nords. Thalmor, although all the haters would love to see them blamed for it, are just oppotunist at best. Who knows? If the events lead to conquering of Skyrim, Thalmors will probably take credit for it.

Yup. The one thing one CAN say about the Thalmor is they they don't miss a trick.

When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world ~ Arena. Jagnar Tharn takes the throne.
When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped ~ Daggerfall. The Numidon is used.
When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles ~ Morrowind. Death Dagoth Ur and lost of the 3 Dunmer Gods.
When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls ~ Oblivion. The End of the Empire and Oblivion Crisis.
When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding ~ This one is explaining the Civil War in Skyrim.
The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn. ~ Alduin Return, ofc.

Also, in the trailer. That One guy said, "After the opening of the Oblivion Gates and when the sons of Skyrim spills their own blood."

Basicly, Alduin returns when Skyrim has a Civil war AFTER the Oblivion Crisis. Which is the Civil War we know in the Game: Skyrim.. Now, I think Ulfric wasn't thinking about this when it happened. He just hated the Empire and wanted to fight.. So.. I think Ulfric didnt help Alduin return..

Now as far as Stormcloaks. I think the Stormcloaks ARE the good guys but Ulfric isn't a Good Guy.. Kill Ulfric after defeating the Empire is what I would do, if you ask me.

Being that time is the 4th dimension causality is not necessarily linear. It is entirely possible that Alduins return caused Ulfric to kill the high king even though the death seems to have preceded the return.

I was going to suggest something along these lines. Alduin was flung into the future, and certain events needed to take place before his return, according to the prophecy. Alduin being flung through time might have been the catalyst for all those events, meaning the use of the Elder Scroll caused Torygg's death.

It's more correct to say that the civil war and everything happening are omens to the impending return of Alduin. His coming back was prophetized and the signs to look for to know when the time's right are the civil war, the assassination of the high king, etc...

But if those things are prophetized why on earth would someone engage the necessary steps?! Also why would that invaluable information be lost in time so easily; why didn't Esbern and Delphine know this and try to prevent this?

You can delay the inevitable but you cannot avert fate. Even if, say, Delphine kills Ulfric before he embarks on his quest to become the new High King and sole ruler of Skyrim, someone else will later rise and be destined to fulfill the prophecy. One year later or one century later doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

And then you kill the one risen in his place to prevent the destruction of the world. This is the entire bases for the Dragon Born killing Alduin. You delay it because you have the power to do so.