Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Lorkhan was a Daedra.

I'm still uncertain about the whole business with Wulfharth, Zurin Arctus, Tiber Septim, and the Mantella, but I gather that understanding that is considered key to understanding the nature of Talos. And the general assumption has been, Wulfharth was a Shezarrine, and possibly all three were Shezarrines. Which, by itself, suggests an issue.

That is, I think it's a mistake to assume that an incarnation of a god has the same identity as the god; the connection seems to be more subtle than that. Even if Talos was originally a Shezarrine, or some sort of merging of more than one Shezarrine, Talos is not simply the same entity as Lorkhan; nor is he some lesser version of Lorkhan who has the same personality.

I do not think we can blithely assume that Lorkhan is a benevolent deity, or even that Lorkhan has a consistent purpose over time. Adventurous Willie has a theory that Lorkhan's battle to recover his heart from Red Mountain was a sermon on love. Haute Quêteure posited in a thread recently that it was Lorkhan who tore his own heart from his chest, in a fit of madness. I think that latter theory makes sense, and what Lorkhan's efforts at Red Mountain shows is that he cannot commit to a purpose. Pelinal Whitestrake, a Shezarrine, has something of this aspect of Lorkhan: Pelinal was a champion of oppressed humanity, a psychotic killer, and a terrifying monster who would unmake parts of the world.

Whatever else Talos is, I think he just is enough of Lorkhan to be able to occupy Lorkhan's throne, preventing Lorkhan himself from ever reclaiming it; but Talos himself emulates the Aedra, and acts as something of an Earthbone, empowering the Empire and stabilizing Nirn enough for the survival of the fragile concept of progress.

Perhaps in banning the worship of Talos, the Thalmor unintentionally set the stage for his return to mortality.

If you define Aedra as a being that helped in the construction of Mundus, he is one.

That sir, is pure win. Pay my respects to grace and virtue.

See, didn't I tell you you were awesome a few threads ago.

I more view the battle between the Dovahkiin and Alduin as competing relfections of the same diety, rather than two gods battling it out. Time both creates and destroys, and the Alduin/Dovahkiin duality represents both the destructive and constructive nature of the Dragon of Time.

As for the Heart, there is still some contention on exactly who designed the Mantella. We don't know if Vivec gave Talos the information about it, if Zurin did it himself, or if Talos was involved in any way. To clairify, however, Talos did not 'design' the Numidium. He either recovered the pieces while fighting in Morrowind (Unlikely, since theres no indication the Tribunal ever destroyed it) or was given it by Vivec. Dagoth Ur recreated it as the Akulakhan, but he also had access to the heart...

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that all creatures of Mundus are of Lorkhan. We know Men are, but Mer are very adamant that they come directly from other Et'ada and that they are decended, not created. To the best of my knowlege, there is nothing to dispute this. It also seems that Lorkhan, while involved in the planning, was not involved in the creation of Mundus, so all mortals would be closer related to the Divines through Mundis than Lorkhan.

It's a slightly odd usage: it's 'doom' in the sense of 'destiny'.

At that point in the storyline, this is no surprise: you've just completed a long series of heroic feats in order to demonstrate that you're the Nerevarine, the incarnation of Nerevar, Azura's chosen instrument to redress the crime of the murder of Nerevar, break the enchantments upon the Heart of Lorkhan, and defeat Dagoth Ur. Shortly before the end, Talos wishes you luck -- in a practical manner.

And announce that he's given up on the Empire.

Besides, which gods other than Lorkhan and Talos really give two s**ts about Mundus?

He doesn't actually say that. He just says that change is coming, and change is usually nasty. That could be interpreted six ways from Loredas. He could've been talking about another Tower being destroyed and the Dragon Break to come. He could've been referring to the Oblivion crisis or Alduin's return or anything.

"The Emperor is getting old. Don't know how much longer he'll hang on. So is the whole Empire, for that matter. Getting old, that is. The Emperor and the legions have held the Empire together for hundreds of years. It's been a good thing, by and large. But maybe it's time for a change. Time for something young and new. What? No idea. Because I'm old. Old dog doesn't get new ideas. But maybe young folks like you should try some new ideas. I don't know. Could be messy. But change is never pretty."

No, he doesn't actually say it, but he gets within hair-splitting distance:

Another thing that strikes me: many of us have been assuming that the Dragonborn will become the new emperor, given how much the Dragonborn seems to mirror Talos. But that's hardly a "new idea". What would be?

Democracy?

Nah, I vaguely recall some groupt redguards or yokudans being republican.
And if the "change" that Talos mentioned turns out to be democratization, I'll puke. There's no way that wouldn't be trite and cheesy as [censored]. ugh, now I have a masochistic urge to make a "Change" poster, Obama style, featuring Tiber Septim's vaunted visage instead.

Just give him a mono brow or a big wart because change is ugly.