Forums » Elder Scrolls

Tamriel Conquest: Geography and Strategy

    • 966 posts
    March 20, 2014 5:18 AM EDT

    That used to be true, but even by the time of ESO they realised they could never truly enslave or destroy mankind. They still consider them unfit to rule and wish to take control to prevent further war (against Elves, that is).

    • 1483 posts
    March 20, 2014 7:55 AM EDT

    Something similar to krogan genophage in Mass Effect would work better 

    • 1217 posts
    March 20, 2014 9:13 AM EDT

    Wait, "by the time of ESO"? I was also under the impression that this plot was specifically relevant to the time of Skyrim, and that previous Thalmor/Dominion incarnations were just more "elf-centric".

    • 966 posts
    March 20, 2014 9:16 AM EDT

    It is more relevant to the time of Skyrim, but even by the the time of ESO, roughly 700 years earlier, the Elves didn't want to try and kill or enslave all Humans. Same goes for current AD, they're actually more racist than the AD in ESO, but they still only wish to overthrow Human rule, not destroy the Human races.

    • 1217 posts
    March 20, 2014 9:25 AM EDT

    So just to be clear, which Dominion is the latest/current one? My understanding is that it's the Skyrim one. So by ESO, the Elves know man isn't going anywhere, so they just continue their human/Talos hating bent the next 700 years (barely two generations for them, right?) and that's the Thalmor we see in Skyrim.

    • 966 posts
    March 20, 2014 9:44 AM EDT

    The hate the Elves have for mankind is probably worse after ESO, as ESO is before Talos comes along and really pisses off the Elves.

  • March 20, 2014 10:29 AM EDT

    Getting land and expanding their Dominion would be the point. They don't want genocide, yet they massecre anyone who doesn't believe like they do, even if they're not a threat. They are EXACTLY like Tiber Septim except without the robot. 

    • 1483 posts
    March 20, 2014 10:39 AM EDT

    Correction, they kill people who oppose the Imperial law of not worshiping one god. They have no problems with different beliefs of Bosmer and Khajiit

  • March 20, 2014 10:41 AM EDT

    Now it sounds even MORE tyrannical. 

    If it's imperial law, the Dominion doesn't need to enforce it. 

    The White-Gold Concordat sanctions crimes against humanity and needs to be torn up physically and legally. 

    • 8 posts
    March 20, 2014 10:45 AM EDT

    Entirely convinced the ban on Talos worship has more to do with the Thalmor trying to stir up internal strife in Skyrim(possibly Cyrodil as well) to weaken the empire. 

  • March 20, 2014 10:48 AM EDT

    That may be, but it still is none of their business, regardless of what the Concordat says.  

    • 8 posts
    March 20, 2014 10:54 AM EDT

    I'm not saying it's a good thing but it's a good way to keep the empire busy while the Thalmor rebuild their forces and makes it easier to conduct acts of espionage throughout the empire because they can move around freely.

    • 1483 posts
    March 20, 2014 11:01 AM EDT

    Do you know the exact terms of White Gold Concordat? I find it likely that the Empire allows justicars to enforce the terms

    • 74 posts
    March 20, 2014 3:30 PM EDT

    Talos hasn't lived, let alone ascended to godhood, yet at the time of ESO.

    ESO is set 1000 years before Skyrim - after the fall of the Akaviri Potentates and before the Rise of Tiber Septim.

    • 1217 posts
    March 20, 2014 3:33 PM EDT

    Right, right. So did the Thalmor "destroy the towers" plot exist back then, and they gave up on it before Talos ever showed?

    • 74 posts
    March 20, 2014 4:28 PM EDT

    No, that wasn't their purpose. The Thalmor of that era wasn't an ideological group. It was simply the name of the combined Altmer-Bosmer government, which came into being to prevent a Colovian take-over of Valenwood.

    As as I understand it, the Thalmor as a political party didn't come into being until after the fall of the first Aldmeri Dominion, and then it was composed of Altmer and Bosmer who wanted to restore the Dominion. Over the intervening 1000 years they also took on the ideology we all know and love.

    • 1483 posts
    March 20, 2014 4:41 PM EDT

    The whole tower theory has Kirkbride's works as basis. There are a few very obscure in-game references to it (like the Book of Dragonborn), but not enough to convince me about it being "canon". I won't dismiss the theory entirely though, just don't think it's the case

    • 1217 posts
    March 20, 2014 4:44 PM EDT

    Really? That's interesting. I gravitated towards it because it was the only way (in my mind) that the Thalmor's total hatred didn't feel forced, but it seemed far fetched. The wiki painted it all in a very "canon" light.

    • 74 posts
    March 20, 2014 4:53 PM EDT

    The Thalmor don't represent all Altmer or all Bosmer. They do represent the mer that really wanted the Aldmeri Dominion restored... the political entity utterly crushed by Tiber Septim. So you can say they are naturally biased to hate Talos by their geo-political goals.

    You must also remember that the Altmer felt isolated and betrayed after the Oblivion Crisis - which did irreparable damage to their culture - because the human-led Empire was unable or unwilling to help them and they had to bear the devastation and loss of their Tower alone.

    It wouldn't surprise me at all if there was a general sense among the Altmer, and especially among the Thalmor, that the Oblivion Crisis wouldn't have happened at all if they had been in charge and a strong desire to blame humanity for it.

    In short, I don't see any need to force the supremacist attitude, it feels pretty reasonable and organic to me given recent (to the mer) events.