Ulfric Stormcloak is a two-faced liar. : V - Skyrim

» Sun Jun 03, 2012 6:46 am

Versidue Shaie was also an Akaviri Tsaesci, a Vampiric Serpentman likely centuries old. The Tsaesci are pretty legendary for their tactics, magic, and brutality. The Tsaesci are the reason why Black Dragons went extinct in Akavir, and they're the ones that crushed the Empire when it tried to invade Akavir. They are well known in lore as military genuises. The "current" Emperor, Titus Mede II, is a damn fop. An entire boat of Penitus Oculatus soldiers couldn't even protect him from a single Dark Brotherhood Assassin. Do you think they could've kept his ass alive against all the Thalmor Spies/Assassins that are in the Imperial Court?

Titus Nede II pulled off the Battle of the Red Ring, supposedly wielding Goldbrand. His namesake took the Imperial City with fewer than a thousand men. And General Tullius' forces ambushed and captured Ulfric Stormcloak, who only escaped as a result of something neither they nor the Thalmor could foresee.

Edit: And I don't recall the Blades and Imperial Guard being able to stop the Mythic Dawn from almost wiping out the Septim bloodline.

Like i said before in other topics, the Empire is doomed. The very moment the Emperor issues the order to attack the Aldmeri Dominion, the Thalmor will know about it before the order even reaches the Empire's troops. They will know when/where/how the attack will happen, and can just completely [censored] block the Empire with a ambush. Hell, they could even intercept and alter the orders, so the Empire ends up sending it's troops to the middle of nowhere while the Thalmor sack the Imperial City again. It'd be the Empire's fault too, for signing that damn White Gold Concordant and letting the Thalmor in so completely.
The Thalmor would likely have a much harder time planting spies in a Stormcloak unified Skyrim, because of Ulfric's supposed "racism". If Skyrim and Hammerfall unified against the Thalmor, it'd be much more of a threat to the Thalmor than the Empire is.

And is it so implausible that if the Empire makes a move, they wouldn't first kill or imprison the Thalmor already in their lands the Empire? And is it so implausible that perhaps they've planted their own spies in Dominion lands, now that they know that the Dominion is the enemy? True there are probably undercover Thalmor, but a Stormcloak controlled Skyrim wouldn't succeed at getting rid of them either. I recall no fewer than two undercover Thalmor agents in Stormcloak lands alone.

To be fair though, I feel that it's more likely that the Thalmor will be the ones to re-open hostilities.

If you think enabling a tool of the Thalmor to help aid in the destruction of the world is good then yes, the Imperials are the right side to go with. If you believe in the continued existance of mankind and the world as a whole, well then I don't see how you could bring yourself to play a knowing tool in a grand game to unmake creation.

I think you forget that the Thalmor don't want the Imperials or Stormcloaks to win any time soon, either way will set them back. Their Talos ban will never weaken Talos enough for them to unmake the world and they know it. If it did they wouldn't have orchestrated the Stormcloak rebellion (which likely increased Talos worship) to weaken Skyrim and the Empire.

» Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:58 pm

And is it so implausible that if the Empire makes a move, they wouldn't first kill or imprison the Thalmor already in their lands the Empire? And is it so implausible that perhaps they've planted their own spies in Dominion lands, now that they know that the Dominion is the enemy? True there are probably undercover Thalmor, but a Stormcloak controlled Skyrim wouldn't succeed at getting rid of them either. I recall no fewer than two undercover Thalmor agents in Stormcloak lands alone.

If the spies are reporting in regularly, that won't help much. The thalmor will already have most of the info they need.

» Sun Jun 03, 2012 1:58 am

Ulfric is a politician. Politicians are lying two-faced skunks. QED.

You betcha and I prefer the skunk in the room wearing his colors to the one hiding behind the skirts of someone else's colors pretending to be a cat.

Woot Ulfric for backbone, drive and determination, ambition and personal power and for understanding the why's and how's of his own people so well that he's going to have exactly what he promised for us.

» Sun Jun 03, 2012 8:45 am

If the spies are reporting in regularly, that won't help much. The thalmor will already have most of the info they need.

And perhaps so will the Empire, if they're doing the same.

» Sun Jun 03, 2012 8:27 am

And perhaps so will the Empire, if they're doing the same.

How exactly is the empire getting a good spy network built when Thalmor refuse outsiders into their ranks? They might have scouts in Thalmor territory, but the Thalmor are much more misgiving of others than the empire.

» Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:34 am

How exactly is the empire getting a good spy network built when Thalmor refuse outsiders into their ranks? They might have scouts in Thalmor territory, but the Thalmor are much more misgiving of others than the empire.

The Thalmor have made a lot of enemies, and there are probably a lot of elves in both Cyrodiil and Valenwood that have plenty of reason to hate them. Delphine was able to get an inside source in the Skyrim Thalmor Embassy. It's not certain, but I imagine the Empire would be watching the Dominion much more closely now. Granted, of course, this is speculation. We know next to nothing of either Imperial actions or Thalmor actions outside of Skyrim.

» Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:58 am

Eh, Stormcloak sounds cool. It sounds better than "The Rebel Alliance" or whatever people were calling it before they knew what it was about.

I thought it sounded cool at first too. I deleted that game though, once I got further in and saw the details.

» Sun Jun 03, 2012 6:49 am

To each their own.

In any case, the whole, "Thalmor will be able to stop any Imperial attack" thing sort of fails because it's not like the Thalmor and Imperials don't KNOW the other is the enemy. Tullius says the Empire has 90% (exaggeration? Perhaps not) of its Legions on the Atmer Dominion and the Thalmor are actively doing wetworks (see the attempted assassination on you and Delphine) against the Empire's champions.

So, it'll be a nasty slugging match rather than a surprise attack.