Thats not really 100% accurate. We never got an actual battle with summerset during Tiber's time. Tiber never had plans to attack Alinor. Nor did he ever try until he got numidium.

All Thalmor are Altmer, but not all Altmer are Thalmor. Something to remember.

You've misunderstood the point I was trying to make. IMO the term "victory" indicates the faction that ultimately gets to write--or rather re-write--history. I also define "victory" as the length of time the "victorious" faction retains its power and control.

So the fact the Chimer/Dwemer alliance was able to exploit the Nord's weakness in 1E, made them "victorious" until 4E. By that point, the Dwemer civilization had opted to live outside all known reality, and the Chimer/Dunmer eventually lost the Morrowind province to the Black Marsh. So by that definition, the ultimate "victors" of that age old conflict in present day Skyrim are really the Argonians, and--to an indirect extent--the Thalmor Dominion.

The Ayeids were the "victorious" faction until they were usurped by an unremarkeable slave girl. And yes, the human "victory" wouldn't have been possible if Alessia hadn't "cheated", by exploiting the huge advantage Akatosh gave her and becoming the 1st Dovahkin. So IMO the "victory" part of that particular conflict came from the fact humans emerged as the dominant controlling race in Tamriel (via means of the Imperial Empire) since 1E. Until now that is---only time will tell if the Elves regain the upper hand in Tamriel. We won't know for sure until either it's cleared up in DLC or more likely TES VI.

None of us know what the empire is like these days. We do know what it was like in Oblivion. And we know what kind of place the Thalmor want. They want a world where the elves are in control and the rest are slaves or dead. The empire, despite its faults, is fairly inclusive (more so than Skyrim). To me (and American in the 21st century) the Empire appeals to me more than the Thalmor. The Thalmor are arrogant, sneaky, power mad, racist, and permanently hostile to every other race in Tamriel. You might have criticisms of the empire, but the Thalmor are worst, probably even if you are an Elf.

And let's be fair, the Elves were there first. They're effectively the natives and they didn't like being conquered. But they kind of started it with their original attack on Ysgramor's people and they're not prepared to coexist. Even so, all kinds of elves lead normal lives within the empire. How many Humans do that in Thalmor lands? The Elves now want revenge and the only way to end that threat for all the rest of the races is to defeat the Thalmor in a decisive way.

This^.

You know when you fight the Thalmor that it's going to be a good one. And they always have gear that's worth decent $. Plus Thalmor robes, gloves, and boots look cool on a mannequin.

I enchanted one pair with Fortify Alchemy. I feel that the fact that they extend up the forearm provide protection for splashes and splatters if there's a mistake.

the thalmor are elves, they are naturally more cunning than everybody else, and that's how they win, the forces of skyrim (be they empire or stormcloak) have no chance of winning against the thalmor in anything but a straight up fight, and the only way to acheive that would be to strike first and strike hard, which the empire doesn't seem intent on doing, yet the stormcloaks aren't very tactically minded AT ALL and would probably fall foul to the dominions cunning.

really they are a threat because they are smarter than everybody else and at the moment skyrim is playing on their terms.

Hear Hear Zoridium...on my playthrough I encountered the Legate in the Rift, he pretty much told me that the only reason he was posted in Skyrim was to keep an eye on the Thalmor. I think his name is Fasendil.

I don't dread the Thalmor. As a matter of fact, it seems to be the other way around, considering how many of their hit squads are littering the landscape all over Skyrim.

You do of course understand what the numidium IS right? - It is one of the "towers" that hold up reality, a war machine forged from the souls of a dead race by the greatest scientific minds Tamriel has seen, modelled after a god and powered by his literal still beatting heart, it breaks time and space merely by being switched on.

...the empire doesn't have a spare one lying around to dispatch the thalmor right now

Well then I think we just view TES history in different ways. I personally don't really see how an argonian invasion hundreds of years after a war against Nords invalidates the Chimer/Dwemer victory that was won in the past. And I think we view the Empire differently too- I no longer view it as a human empire. While it is based in a human region and has tended to have Imperial Emperors, the Empire and its legion consists of many different races, has been controlled by an Akaviri potentate and has even had a dunmer ruler and another potentate controlled by an altmer. The culture of the Empire is even thought to largely be derived from High elven culture. I see it more as a multi-racial Tamriel-wide empire rather than being a human empire.

Ulfric Stormcloak and the thalmor are more inclined to view things in a human vs elf fashion which is in my opinion an oversimplified way of looking at things, considering that humans and elves have often fought amongst themselves for control of Tamriel and elves and humans have often fought side by side in many conflicts.


The elves were not the first race to colonise Tamriel- it was full of various aboriginal races prior to the Aldmeri arrival. I would also disagree with the Falmer attack on Sarthaal being due to the inability for coexistance. We know too little really to point fingers at who started it, but based on the College of Winterhold questline, it does seem implied that the elves who attacked Sarthaal didn't do it out of hatred for the Nords but rather to get hold of the Eye of Magnus.