They almost certainly would've moved faster. They may have ignored more of Western Hammerfell and wouldn't have bothered crossing the Alik'r. If they had prepared from the start to take the Imperial City instead of halfway through when the legion was starting to get their act together that also would've tipped the scale.
Except that would leave them exposed, a Legion General was regrouping inside Hammerfell. Even if they moved faster, they were not expecting Titus to abandon the city. He would simply retreat north, and the Thalmor would believe the war to be just about over and try get him to surrender, which they thought he was doing prior to Red Ring. Just he'd return with an even larger army, since they've ignored the Crowns/Forebears and the Legions of Hammerfell/High Rock.
Types of soldiers has nothing to do with combat experience. That has more to do with their small numbers than success as an army.
It does when they're veterans too. The Stormcloaks do not have battlemages, which is an important tool against the Aldmeri Dominion. The Redguards aren't fond of magic much either, and if you're relying on the Bretons it is a mistake.
I doubt Ulfric was on familiar terms with the steward. Even so, if the WGC's not in place, most Nords will worship Talos, there's no way of knowing if someone will give up worship of him if pressed on it.
They hired him, he spent some time in Markarth before the Thalmor arrived demanding his arrest. Devout followers of Talos would not simply stop worshipping.
Diplomatic? C'mon, these are angry Nords we're talking about. I doubt it would get much better than Ulfric.
Nords aren't above peaceful solutions.
I'd still think the Empire has a hand in the moot, and they'll definatly back someone who would aid their interests. Anyways as for Torygg being a puppet king, Sayma, the operator of Bits and Pieces in Solitude: "And between you and me? He wasn't even that good a king. All those rambling speeches about the Empire this, and the Empire that." From someone who lived under him. You asked for no Stormcloak biased opinions on the matter but it's not like any Imperials will admit to it. And if you wanna talk puppets, one word: Elisif.
Empire doesn't have any hand in the Moot. It hasn't changed since the First Era, and they don't decide who becomes High King. The bloodline hasn't been broken for a long time. The Empire may try to back a Jarl, and try influence supporters. But, so do the Stormcloaks who back Ulfric. Probably why the Imperials backed a republic in Hammerfell, they have no influence in a hereditary governance.
Giving speeches about the Empire doesn't make you a puppet, that was his public image, Sayma is a shopkeeper. Torygg greatly respected Ulfric, and admired him. He was impressed and wanted to hear more about independence, and apparently if Ulfric directly asked him to stand up, he may have.
Elisif didn't cause the "Kingless" prophecy. She also isn't decided to become High Queen, only that she has claim, same as the other Jarls. Ulfric also uses her as a puppet.
I would say there's a few wise Stormcloak Jarls, the only strike against most of them is that they're old. Some of them probably have children though. Ulfric is probably getting busy on making an heir, and he does seem like he'd be popular with the ladies, lol.
Like two. Don't rely just on Ulfric Stormcloak, he does die 50% of the time. So chances are he might not live.
I still don't think fourth era Skyrim clans hold enough power to divide the nation.
Why not? Their time in the Empire has increased their wealth and political status within the various Holds.
Yet all those nations are still standing.
Many due to the Empire.
Hammerfell is weakened, but now the fate of the world essentially hangs on how effective they'll be.
Yet how would the Great War have turned if they were united?
High Rock is still important enough for Ulfric to be hoping for help from them.
He'll be hoping for awhile. Bretons do not care for Nords, besides they're busy bickering and have problems with corsairs. High Rock didn't even send their province army during the Great War, only the Legions stationed there. I doubt they'll care for Ulfric's rebellion, or the Nord focused cause.
We don't know if the Thalmor have been a bad thing for the Khajiit, putting a new government in place can't always go smoothly but it doesn't seem like things have gone too poorly for them under the Dominion.
They did assassinate the Mane, the Thalmor haven't been a good thing for much of own race and the Bosmer. I'm sure the Khajiit face some issues, one of the Caravan's mention "Thalmor filth".
Morrowind's current state has nothing to do with politics, they would be a world power right now if not for Red Mountain which could've happened to anyone. Cyrodiil is still divided occasionly under an Empire as well, the Alessians had plenty of problems and the Septim's had a few civil wars.
Morrowind had problems before Red Mountain. Cyrodiil isn't that divided, the various counties are fine together while the Empire is running smoothly, except maybe one city during under Mede. But, mainly restless than violent.
The Alessians had problems, yes and fell. The Civil Wars the Septim's had nearly destroyed the entire Empire.
Nowhere does it say that Empire has to be based in Cyrodiil. Things went well for Ysgramor's dynasty and the Camoran's dynasty, for example.
No, but it is the best location for it. Especially due to White-Gold Tower, which you do want to keep under your control.
Ysgramor's Dynasty controlled Skyrim, Morrowind, parts of Cyrodiil and High Rock. Just because it went well back in the Merethic and First Era, doesn't mean it will repeat. Camoran Dynasty wasn't an Empire, and that is the Bosmer. What works for the Bosmer =/= What works for Nords.
Besides, they had to rely on the First and Second Aldmeri Dominion's to effectively control Valenwood after the Second Empire had broken their influence by granting independence to the lesser nobles.
For starters they gain an ally that will soon be an effective force. Stop dancing around it, Nord's have good generals, soldiers and overall motivation. Secondly, a trade partner with many resources an arid nation wouldn't have.
I'm not dancing around that Nords can have good Generals, soldiers and motivation. But, they won't soon have all that. Their goals require time, a lot of time, since they're rebuilding their province and training an invasion force. What will you do if the Great War breaks out within a year?
The Stormcloaks are stretched out until they increase their numbers. Ulfric is controlling Skyrim with soldiers from the Old Holds.
Hammerfell trades with the Empire still, and they would have close trading ties with High Rock. Skyrim is rebuilding their entire economy under the Stormcloaks, to make them "self reliant".
By your logic, what does the Empire gain from trying to keep Skyrim as a province?
By my logic?
1) Preservation of the Empire.
2) Passage from Cyrodiil to High Rock on foot.
3) Resources to mass produce weapons and armor.
4) A staging ground into Morrowind.
5) Access to the Orc Kingdom.
6) Taxes and other income.
7) Population to draw recruits for the Legions
8) Upholding their oath to Imperial citizens resisting Ulfric Stormcloak.
The Legion will not be marching into Stormcloak Skyrim, Pale Pass is still blocked and it'd be unwise to waste anymore resources on a province who'll no longer submit to Imperial rule.
Dragons were only legend, and elves once ruled Skyrim. Just because something is, doesn't mean it will always be. In this case, it is called a shovel.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Stormcloak_Missive_(Fort_Neugrad)
Except not everyone supports Ulfric or the Stormcloaks. I'm sure the Altmer, Bosmer, Bretons, Argonians etc. all said the same thing, about not submitting the first two times.
I don't blame the other provinces for not helping the Stormcloaks. Outside of Skyrim the rebellion is probably not taken seriously if anyone's even familiar with the situation. The other problem with another province intervening would be they'd be effectively declaring war on the Empire if they're leaving their borders. Trying to declare independence for your own nation is one thing, helping to declare it for another is another. They either don't expect the Stormcloaks to win, or they're waiting to see how it plays out before picking a side.
It isn't taken seriously inside Skyrim for some people.
The Cyrodillic part of that army, the other legions went home. High Rock, Hammerfell and Skyrim's military together would easily outnumber the remaining Cyrodillic one.
No. They did return to the provinces after the Great War, until they were recalled south. When Tullius says "Majority of the Legion is tied down on the border" he isn't talking about "Cyrodilic quarter".
Besides Legions, the Empire does employ huge numbers of mercenaries.
Skyrim's navy will not be last second, depending on when the Great War starts. There are probably Legion ships that will be abandoned, and there are probably warships already belonging to Skyrim. Still, Nords are good craftsmen and have the resources and sailors to make a formidable navy.
"Nords are also natural seamen, and have benefitted from nautical trade since their first migrations from Atmora." -UESP
Skyrim sailing to the Aldmeri Dominion would be beyond stupidity. Between the time it will take, storms and what not. They will be facing the Aldmeri Navy, who as masters of naval warfare. Besides the standard naval battles, Battlemages once again come into play. Nords might be good craftsmen, but they're also very superstitious, and it is considered very bad luck to have a Mage on your ship. Given the current feeling about magic, I doubt they will get over that.
I don't know, I've never really seen an example of the Empire being able to tell the Dominion what to do but plenty of times the other way around. In Helgen it's different because it sounds like Elenwen (according to the Concordat) actually did have the right to take custody of Ulfric, and Tullius went against it. She was still part of "the Imperial Delegation" at High Hrothgar when Tullius clearly didn't want her to be.
You're supposed to have an option to be able to get Imperial orders to release that Gray-Mane fellow from the Thalmor.
Oh and for what the Empire was doing with Valenwood under Titus Mede.
“Thalmor agents continue to harass the refugee communities in Sentinel and Balfiera—there has been a series of murders in the latter we can pretty confidently assign to them. The pattern is typical—the victims were all of mixed blood or had associations considered by the Aldmeri Dominion to be unclean. It’s much worse in Valenwood—our supplies are no longer reliably getting to the rebels there. Sixty were caught and executed last week, along with four of our own men. There’s a leak we [the Penitus Oculatus] don’t know about, someplace. They know too much about our movements. ... [there are] no Thalmor connections to the east at all.”
Orc raiders have harassed North-West Tamriel humans for centuries. I'm not talking about the orc's inability to defend Orsinium, I'm talking about it was Orcs who angered the Bretons and Redguards into doing it.
Actually, humans attacked the Orcs when they first arrived. It has nothing to do with Orcs angering them, they simply don't like Orcs. Many consider them beasts or creatures. Nord raiders have harassed provinces for thousands of years, maybe the Empire should oppress them on the scale Orcs endure/d. Slaughtering them for simply being, destroying their cities and treating them as pests.
It is fine to do that, cause they "angered" you for existing.