I've gotten over it by now, since I went off-game to UESP.net to read some historical time lines and what not, (which, incidentally, if I were truly dedicated, I could have researched all sorts of books in-game) but who else was thrown off by seeing a Thalmor emissary walking around? For some reason, these guys just seemed completely alien to me, and when they finally started showing up early in the MQ line, I had to go and research what this was all about, mainly because I wasn't even sure how my character was supposed to react.

It was helpful for RP purposes to understand how the Empire has changed since Oblivion, but I was surprised it wasn't spelled out a little more clearly from the get go. Maybe Bethesda just figured more casual gamers just wouldn't be concerned with that kind of thing, but I don't really consider myself all that hardcoe.

[edit] I should add, I was mainly surprised it wasn't more clearly spelled out because it actually has significant impact on the main quest plot.

Hearing random comments from NPCs made me wonder if Cyrodil had been completely ransacked and overrun or something, until I was able to clarify what actually went down with research. What gives with the vagueness? Anyone else bothered by it, or am I just a freak?

I was initially curious and confused, but I found a book entitle The Great War that really spells it all out for you. I think I found it in one of the Living Quarters in Jorrvaskr.

This is the first elder scrolls game i played, there's lots of stuff wich i don't know ( like the oblivion crisis, the role of the daedric princes, the old empire).

Yup find this book, you will learn all about Thalmors. I think I found (stole ) my copy in the Riverwood Inn.

I had to, to catch up on what happened to Vvardenfell and the Thalnor.

I went onto UESP as well, I'm ashamed to say. I say ashamed because I just found two books (one of them being The Great War) that answered all of the questions I had initially had. If I'd only stuck to it a bit longer I could've read about it in-game, I guess.

What threw me off the most was all the talk about the Ban on Talos, however.

The Thalmor turned the Empire into their Slaves. We Stormcloaks will drive the Empire from our homeland and next prepare for an attack form the Thalmor. Death or Sovngarde!!

The game lets people dive right in. Including new players
But the funny thing about Bethesda is that most of the lore is in in-game books. Not actual NPC convos
From what I hear, it's better to let the players do their homework
Rather than hear a monologue speech.

http://mplayer.pastemagazine.com/issues/week-19/articles#article=/issues/week-19/articles/reading-a-videogame-the-books-of-skyrim

Yeah, the between game history explains the Ban on Talos, and not to mention your character is caught in Skyrim crossing the border from Cyrodil, so you would think your character should know more about what was happening there.

good article, thx.

All you have to do is talk to most temple nova to find out why talOs worship was banned and how the empire had to sign that treaty with the thalmor. Not to mention there's a side quest in white run which has you rescuing a storm cloak from the thalmor stronghold

Some is a mystery to me, but I think they want you to find out certain things and certain times, so I don't look anything up. I play and fill in the blanks as I go.

No, not really. I did a quest that had to do with Oblivion and it was pretty awesome. I know the lore pretty well.

I was a bit confused too, but that's what the in-game books are for. I stumbled across most of the books covering Nerevarine and the Oblivion Crisis, even some content from Daggerfall, before I even left Whiterun. Not that I needed it, having played the previous games, but for those who didn't, it's there.
I had the same feeling in other TES games, though. Reading is necessary to know what's going on.