Now, there has been some talk about Alessia's Pact somehow binding Akatosh (and the dragons) to the service of the empire, and that upon that pact's dissolution, Akatosh/Alduin/Auri-el was free to go about his destructive business. This is okay, I suppose, but it brings up a fundamental question: Why did Akatosh bother to make the pact in the first place?

Now, there could be many reasons. But I want to focus on one particular idea that has presented itself to me in the days following the Game Informer release. There are a few things we know now that we didn't know before about the Septim line and about the dragons who have been conspicuously absent from lore. We've also learned a bit about the Dragonborn themselves. And the key to all of this is the new Dragon language that Bethesda notes will be of incredible importance. So, what am I talking about?

Well, the idea is that dragons such as Nafaalilargus, the dragon from Battlespire, and even Akatosh himself may not have been entirely willing servants of the Empire. Now, the only evidence I have atm isn't really worth much. Just a vague female relief image (that some have speculated is Alessia herself) and a game feature that is present in Skyrim. Yeah, not much.

So, I'm wildly assuming that 1) Alessia was a Dragonborn and 2) the Dragonborn, through the Draconic language, can, by calling out a Dragon's true name, enlist a Dragon to fight for them.

Do you think that it is possible that, via a powerful use of the Dragon Language, the Empire seduced a God to be their patron, along with the dragons themselves? Or is a willing union easier to explain?

EDIT: Before anyone says it, I know Akatosh is not a literal dragon.

Alessia lifted her chains and placed them on the heads of Auri-El. The Covenant is more or less foisted on the god, as ypu posit. There's the Song, where Alessia receives Chim-el Adabal from Shezarr, the deposed king. Her, taking his seed, like Nirn would accept his creative spark "in the beginning," shows calculation on the part of Akatosh. It's as if the Slave-Queen was ever in bondage, like the Empire artificed for the Dragon to feed on whatever Aetherial matter it could.

Interesting. I'm going to have to do some real research in this regard sometime to see what else I can find.

But what about Martin? You can't simply ignore the fact that he is now a manifestation of Akatosh now. While his tenure was brief, his actions now have an indelible impact on Time.

I didn't ignore that. His apotheosis broke the Covenant.

^ You're saying that Martin changed the God of Time by what he did? I was under the impression that either

1) Martin became the Avatar of Akatosh to banish Lord Dagon. After this was accomplished, there was no more need for the Avatar, so it was transformed into stone by Aka to forever commemorate Martin's sacrifice.

Or

2) Martin released Akatosh from the covenant, and as repayment, Akatosh banished Dagon from the realm. The release broke the amulet and Martin, with Akatosh consuming Martin as part of the deal (I'm released from the covenant, I take your life to ensure our bargain and to prevent me from being imprisoned again, and I'll banish Mehrunes Dagon forever and save Tamriel from destruction).

At least, that's how I saw it. Not sure how much lore there is on the subject...

Martin changed Akatosh, in mantling him. The mantler can change the god they've taken. The change was in freeing him from the Covenant.

Then why is there a big Mythic statue of him where the engine of White-Gold Tower used to be? Does that then mean that Akatosh controls White-Gold? Or does it mean that whoever controls White-Gold, at the very least has some understanding with Akatosh?

It's a husk. The Amulet was broken, and the statue remaining is empty. The Oversoul is free-roaming, so White-Gold is as dry as Sancre Tor.
Or, in combination of the above, Martin took the mantle of Akatosh, died, and sealed the devastation, within his body. The statue has an explosive impetus, similar to Lie Rock's.

Not pretty, but it works, and it's my explanation. Among the reason I like it, it's more appealing than the statue being some stone or a "tower." The stone was broken, and Talos is dead. We saw this happen. The statue simply receives too much loving. More importantly, the Oversoul was released from the Covenant.

Eh. It's still a little too messy in my opinion. You've got a ton of symbols in auspicious positions just lying dead or inert all over the place. But I don't have the desire to argue with you over it, I just wanted to see if you could defend your idea.

The intent of the Oblivion Crisis was removal of Talos and the unbinding of the Alinor Dragon.

Auri-El is a mantle; Alduin is a mantle. That mantle now passes to another Ruling King.

All this Aka-speak is giving me a Godheadache,

The pact is mannish propaganda only. The CHIM-EL ADABAL was a cyromerish artifice that became instrumental to the lunar lattice only after the Nerevarine affair. That liminal barriers are regarded as favorable to the nedic empire is incidental (and perverse).

"Understood laws of the arcanature will fall away like heat. 'First Tower Dictate: render the mutant bound where he may do no more harm. As God of the Mundus, alike shall be his progeny, split from their divine sparks. We are Eight time eight Exarchs. Let the home of Padomay see us as sole exit.'"