Cool story, sis time: my level 9 character and I had just cleared out a dungeon near Riverwood and saved the town from a roving dragon. I had some spare time left in the day, so I decided to take a walk on up closer to Helgen, see the sights, pick some alchemy ingredients.

Just up into the mountains, out of nowhere spring not one but three Thalmor Justiciars who attempt to kill me with fire. Lots and lots of fire. Many many health potions and close calls later, I finally managed to put down the last Justiciar probably seconds before he would have killed me. Definitely a tough fight--I have a feeling these guys were several levels above me. On searching the bodies, I found that one was carrying http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/631857853201396591/64D7DFA267B8C2AF0E2CE759CA4E1AA94E3B1E29/ for my character.

I'm quite perplexed by this. First, she's only level 9! "Extremely dangerous" she is not, unless you happen to be a wolf. Second: I can't figure out what I could have possibly done to tick the Thalmor off enough to put a hit out on my character.

I really haven't been doing that many quests. I'm 20 hours in and really into the RP aspect, so it's mostly been miscellaneous / side quests and just exploring. I've barely gone beyond Whiterun. I have the quest to go to High Hrothgar but haven't been yet. I haven't decided whether to go Imperial vs. Stormcloaks yet. (Although given that one side is now actively trying to murder me, it seems like that decision's been made for me. )

The only things I can think of are that I have/had two vaguely Thalmor related quests. One is "In My Time of Need"--with the Redguard noblewoman being hunted by assassins in Whiterun. Finished that one and chose to turn her in (after finding out she was a Thalmor turncoat). I also have that quest from the Gray-Manes (forget the name of it now) to rescue their missing son from a Thalmor prison. I opted for the quest path of having my character going to the prison alone to try and resolve things without bloodshed, but haven't gone to actually attempt the rescue yet.

But I can't quite see how either one of those two quests could tick the Thalmor off so much that they had to send three Justiciars after my character's scalp.

Anyone know why these guys would be after me? And can I expect more of them?

Never came accross this, i hate the thalmor

Didn't you deal with a certain Redguard woman some Redguard men were looking for? You got the quest just after killing your first dragon and getting back to Whiterun.

Yes, that's the "In My Time of Need" quest I mentioned.
Is that quest and the outcome I picked the reason why they're after me? Sheesh...Thalmor sure are touchy.

Yep. They will try to kill you just for choosing the option something like, "Are all Thalmor so full of themselves?"

I have exactly the same problem - funny bit is, my character is (at least thus far) a thalmor sympthiser and dominion loyalist, even going so far to to dress in Aldmeri dominion armour. why do the thalmor care if a run-away-and-now-powerless-aide got taken away to be tried and executed. She has no power in hammerfell anymore, she's a spent tool hiding in Skyrim.

Exactly. I really like that my character's actions have an impact, but...this seems like a really disproportionate response. I mean, from the tone of that letter, you'd think my character was running around knifing Thalmor sympathizers/agents left and right or something. The woman I turned in was most likely not an active agent, had no power, and if the Thalmor had any sense they would've cut their losses on her and washed their hands of it when she went on the run.

Well, at least now I know why they're after me. Guess I'd better go stock up on more health potions.

Two hours after being given roses and hugs by the Thalmor Justicar in Markarth for helping with bringing in a Talos worshipper into custody, I got a Thalmor death squad on my ass.


The Thalmor sure got moods swings...

I have a burning hatred for the thalmor, my homeland, valenwood, is occupied by them for talos sake! Id much rather have the empire ruling over us then having the thalmor rule us, and exterminate the humans. Thats why when ever I see a prisoner who worships talos being led by those thalmor dogs, I allways free him/her, and wipe them out. They want to come after me, good, I want to send a msg to them.

and yet despite my efforts i havent had a single death squad after me!

i handed in the redguard woman ive slain every single thalmor ive come across hell i killed 2 in Markarth and got thrown in jail when i realised i couldnt kill the 3rd
freed every prisoner and yet i get nothing

i found it funny that, as a high elf, they still wanted to kill me on-sight. i met the traveling thalmor embassy guys fairly early on (before i even did the main quest, civil war, or redguard chick's quests) and they still wanted to kill me.

skyrim is not a game meant to be played by elves apparently...

I recieved the quest, but haven't yet done anything. I never talked to the Thalmor (altho I would likely have been rude), so I don't get why they were sent after me.


More bodies to kill, and money to spend.

because somehow through your actions you must be threatening the thalmor's strangle hold on the empire keep pressing and maybe in the future there grip will be released.

Perhaps the Thalmor learned their justice system from the Oblivion guards?

Hmmmm...so true. I can even have my high elf run around in Thalmor garb and yet they can still somehow tell he is different.

The game got 2 times better when this started happening for me. I got to kill a dragon and a thalmor death squad in a giant 3 way death dance.

Similar thing happened to me. I was going out to kill a giant on contract and was attacked by a Thalmor death squad. I started back peddling from the lightning staffed justicar right into the giant's turf. Turned into a fight with a second giant too, somehow. When all was said and done I killed two giants, 4 mammoths, and three justicars and Farkas' brother. Ouch. It took all my health potions. The fight was so epic I couldn't bring myself to reload to save my dead follower. In fact I couldn't even find his body. Maybe he got booted by one of the giants.

I lol at them.

Get my pimp slappin glove out and sting some Thalmor cheeks.
They're weaker then babies.

I leave the stormcloak and imperials alone for now, but always egg on the thalmor.. it doesn't take much to get them to aggro. I have no 'murders' on my record and plan to keep it that way. Not a single theft either. Just a couple assaults and trespassing.

Because you must have hurt their fragile, infantile feelings.

A similar thing happened to me, I was near Helgen, and I was attacked by Thalmor. The only interactions I have had with them at this point are asking one of their wandering patrols about the Thalmor, and trying to not answer Ancano's questions about what I found in Saarthal.

I reloaded to a point shortly before that, progressed a few hours, and met a patrol on the road to Solitude from Dragon Bridge, and there was no attack. I'm confused. Do they want to kill me or not?

If you stand too close to them around the time they were in combat, they'll freak out and eventually attack you. I bet you walked into a group of them right after they killed a mudcrab or some bandits or something.

Earlier today, I saw three Thalmor fighting (by fighting I mean slaughtering) a half dozen bandits. I ran over to help kill the bandits, since the character is a Thalmor sympathizer, and the moment the bandits were down the Thalmor pulled their swords back out and started yelling for me to leave the area.

Soooooo she fled.

Yes it is. Apparently this agent was important to them and maybe in turning her in you interrupted something? We'll never know...

Funny thing, I still had the "Need" quest in my journal (hadn't even gotten around to go to the cave). Was up above Riverwood hunting for leather when I saw a couple of elf-gear wearing npc's walking my way. Thought to myself "Cool, random elf meeting. Maybe they'll be Bosmer." Started to stroll up to them when they charged and the third starting tossing magic. Put them all down and found the note. This being fairly early in the game. Even funnier was the old orc wanting an honorable death that stood there and watched it all go down without doing a thing.

Starting to look like to be a random encounter

i had both thalmor and the dark brotherhood trying to kill me
never figured out why