"Lady Arranelya's main succeeded in crossing the Alik'r Desert". The use of the word succeeded makes it seem to me like it was a big deal. And if they hadn't done that, they wouldn't have had to deal with Skaven. Maybe they could've entered Hammerfell from Cyrodiil North of the Alik'r.
In early 4E 173, a Forebear army from Sentinel broke the siege of Hegathe (a Crown city), leading to the reconciliation of the two factions. Despite this, Lady Arannelya's main army succeeded in crossing the Alik'r Desert.
Helps if you include the context. They dealt with Skaven because they were chasing General Decianus. So your new strategy is for them to ignore Southern Hammerfell, and instead enter the northern region from Chorrol? Great, exposed Alinor to counter attack and the rear of the entire Aldmeri army to Decianus.
One of those Battlemages would be one in a million. There's probably a Nordic shock trooper could be just as devastating.
Not really. Power attracts the Thalmor, one of their ways to recruit you is to be powerful. There would be plenty of Altmer Battlemages who are very powerful. There probably is a Nordic "shock trooper" that is quite deadly, but hopefully he can dodge fireballs.
A massively influential deity was outlawed, and a Jarl of a very important hold was making all sorts of noise. The Markarth incident was another indicator. Do show the dialogue that suggests no one saw it coming.
Well you're right on this part, people did see tensions rising. But, not many people were picking sides. Ulfric had little support until he killed High King Torygg.
No, individual Nords began to join in large numbers after Sancre Tor. He did conquer Skyrim, to a degree. "The Jarls of Skyrim and petty Kings of High Rock were the first to fall." This also points to Tiber placing people he preferred in charge of conquered lands. Like Richton in Stros M'kai or splitting up Valenwood into individual kingdoms.
No. The large Nordic Army sided with Tiber, as their Generals flocked over. Then for the next ten years, large numbers of individual Nords would head off to join him. That doesn't point to him placing people he preferred, that just means they submitted to his rule.
If it said "The Jarls of Skyrim were the first to be removed" then okay.
When Tiber Septim absorbed Valenwood into the Third Empire during the Tiber Wars, he allowed the Bosmer to keep their city-state governments and a Camoran king.
For day-to-day affairs of holds yes. For rebuilding an entire province, and bringing the losers of the civil war back on your side, you'll need more than a steward.
Rebuilding an entire province just means funding and placing orders on the various worker guilds. That falls on all of the Jarls and their Stewards. The "losers" of the Civil War will either be hunted town by the soldiers and their Commanders or will return home.
They weren't a part of any government, probably like the Vikings who discovered Greenland and Newfoundland. Is that last line sarcasm? If people were willing to sail for the other side of the world to get away, enough to form all the cities they did, I'd imagine it was more than just "one civil war".
People migrate. This was also over thousands of years, they only formed two cities during Ysgramor's time. One which was destroyed. All the other cities didn't suddenly appear, but over long periods of time.
1E 143 - Harald, the 13th descendent of the legendary Ysgramor's line, relinquishes his ancestral holdings in Atmora, and consolidates Skyrim as an independent kingdom with Windhelm as its capital. He is later recognized as the first historical ruler of the Nords.
Chances are not all of Skyrim was even united under one rule, until Harald.
He's talking about individual Legionaires.
"The tenacity of the Imperial Legion is legendary. We need to be ready for them."
Doesn't seem like it.
Obviously not, but look at real life examples of countries who lost wars on their own soil. The Empire's economy will be wrecked, so will their infrastructure. Plus they've got Justiciars watching their every move.
Skyrim is weak, guarded by poorly trained militia. Empire's economy is quite strong, if the Great War didn't wreck it. Retaking parts of Skyrim won't ruin it, they're bound to try for it anyway.
Thalmor watching isn't a problem, they've been watching for the last hundred and fifty years. Thalmor think in the long term, doubt they would want war so soon.
But they lost their biggest city to corsairs, and they'd be cut off from the Empire, so any trade with them would involve sending ships out which is probably riskier than using roads and will take longer.
I'm not sure Wayrest is their biggest city. Think Daggerfall holds that title. Skyrim had lost Markarth for a time. Ships go to Skyrim which is riskier than any province, due to the Sea of Ghosts. If Mede can sail to Skyrim, I'm sure trade ships can make it to High Rock. Besides, Hammerfell's border isn't mentioned as being closed.
"Shortly after the Aldmeri Dominion severed all contact with the Empire."
Which is after they took Valenwood. Hence "Aldmeri Dominion", so how does that even make sense to you saying Alinor couldn't trade with anyone, yet they formed the Aldmeri Dominion. They severed all contact for seventy years with the Empire. Still leaves Elsweyr, which are big on trade.
Alinor & Valenwood are not a desert nation or frozen tundra.
As a complimentary sort of thing, but mercanaries wouldn't be motivated or disciplined enough to conquer a miserable, cold, mountainous region.
High pay and the ability to loot and pillage. There are mercenaries fighting against the Stormcloaks, so why wouldn't they be motivated if they're taking sides already. Put them alongside a Legion and everything is good. Mercenaries are good to conquer locations, especially when your enemy is poor and refuses to use them.
And so the Legion is NOW suddenly ready to conquer Skyrim like its nothing?
Tullius wasn't requesting imaginary reinforcements. Titus II was refusing Tullius the soldiers needed to conquer and crush the rebellion.
I have word of a new Imperial force assembling in the south, ready to advance on our position as Pale Pass is clear. Send reinforcements, or all our gains will be for naught. - Stormcloak Missive
Why would you want to let Alinor fortify their coasts and get the navy mobilized?
Taking Valenwood and Elsweyr will be hard enough. Taking Summerset Isle straight after, would be suicide. You will need to reform your forces, regain strength, secure your holdings, build up your fleet some more. And which race are great sailors? Them lovely Nords who are ruled by very anti-Imperial leaders, I doubt they will want to take orders from Cyrodilic Officers.
They hate Lorkhan, who essentially represents men. The fact Talos was Shezzarine makes the Empire particularly bad, but if a new alliance of man arose, that would be just as bad. Talos/Shor worship would probably be pretty prevalent in said alliance.
That is one theory, much like the theory of Thalmor seeking to destroy the world.
"They're the high elves that rule the Aldmeri Dominion. Sworn enemies of the Empire and everything it stands for. Thirty years ago, they invaded the Empire and came close to destroying it. They smashed the Blades in the process. Since then, they've been working to weaken the Empire any way they can."
Winterhold's up on a massive cliff, Windhelm is just a little ways down the mouth of a pretty shallow river. What I'm saying is why these tidal waves (caused a century later the eruption of a deactivated tower) only affected the one area. Why wasn't Raven Rock, Windhelm or Blacklight sunk? Their much closer than Winterhold.
Who knows? You can't think logically about it, the only reason the College is blamed is because it is mostly intact and they don't like Mages.
If we're talking about the possibility that the college was involved in the Great Collapse, or at least, knew of its coming, then I'd say there's a decent chance they were or did. The fact of the matter is the collapse made no contact with the college when the whole structure should have been brought down. And you can take the college's word with a grain of salt. They've claimed not to mess with necromancy, hell, they've claimed they're abhorred by the very idea, when they clearly do. Doesn't really matter to me, I just wish they would have been honest about it.
The problem is we're trying to explain it. We can't, reason being the Great Collapse was Bethesda's lazy way of getting out of doing Winterhold. Keep in mind that Winterhold lorewise was very big and that it rivaled Solitude in terms of size and beauty for a lack of a better word.
The College was effected, they mention a great loss of their history.
As for your Necromancy... The College isn't opposed to Necromancy? Are you confusing with the Mages Guild?
Summoning Undead isn't frowned upon? "By Sheor, no. Those archaic policies died out with the Mages Guild, and were never enforced here. Necromancy, as any other type of magic, is a tool to be used. Of course, non-mages may not see it that way, so we don't go around flaunting it."
