Alright so first off I've only been a part of the elder scrolls since Oblivion so I have only experienced Oblivion and Skyrim. I just have a question. I was playing who knows what number play-through for Skyrim and finally decided to be a High Elf. While I was going through the beginning sequence I asked myself this question. Why on earth would it even be an option to join Ralof in Helgen Keep and continue on to join the Stormcloak Rebellion? Shoot, Why would Ralof even attempt to help me in the beginning sequence at all? I know that after visiting Windhelm a few times the people there can't even stand Dark Elves. I wouldn't even want to imagine how they would treat a High Elf, let alone whether they would even let one enter the city. I mean I kept trying to tell myself that "oh maybe my character is different and actually sympathizes with the Nordic race and the other inhabitants of Skyrim so I'm willing to help them out. But I just couldn't do it, so I quit this playthrough of my High Elf until I can find some rationale that would make me even attempting to play as this race ever again because I felt that out of all the races that are in Skyrim the High Elf race is hated the most. Shoot whenever I play as any other race I can barely stand interacting with any of the High Elf characters because they treat everyone they run into as if they were some lesser being, none exemplifying this more than the clothing store in Solitude. So if someone could help me out with a back story as to why a high elf character would even be trying to cross the Skyrim border and maybe if you can why I should join the Stormcloak rebellion I would greatly appreciate it just because I am so tired of playing as the same race over and over again. Thank You

a high elf who has been betrayed by its own kind and seeks revenge

The empire has been multicultural for a lot longer than the Stormcloaks have been around...there's any number of people from different races saying they are as much a Nord as the next person.

Alternatively, you could look at it as either 'everyone has their price, and will do anything for money', or as a practical joke by the gods - "Hey, look, the world eater is back...let's have some fun and give the Nords a hero who is an arrogant elf! Bwahhaahaaa..."

Your character comes from a line that includes many members of the Psijic Order. You fled to Skyrim with the small Hope of trying to bring the teachings of Shalidor back to His Race, because You fear the current Empire is not capable of actually surviving Your Lifetime. You know the true Goals of the powers backing the Dominion, and You can not rest until the Heretics have been driven from Alinor. The Nords have the greatest potential to destroy the Dominion, and You know The Nords Militaristic tendancies can be guided towards the Dominion and channeled away frome Valenwood, Elsweyr, and the majority of the Altmer Race.

Your character won't be the only Altmer in the game. See Runil; he killed a lot of people during the Great War on the side of the Thalmor and now he peacefully lives in Falkreath among Nords.

A High Elf being taken to the chopping block by the Empire while his/her very own people stand by and watch speaks for itself. Ralof would realise that your High Elf wasn't like all the other High Elves roaming Skyrim and dragging Talos worshippers away to torture, that he/she had done something to be ostracised by the other High Elves. Whatever that act was doesn't entirely matter, it's the fact that your High Elf may be seen as an icon of the struggle by the Skyrim - and especially rebel Altmer - against the members of the Thalmor (Altmer and Thalmor are two different things - all Thalmor are Altmer, but not all Altmer are Thalmor).

Bethesda set off the Main Story and Factions and Lore so that it would work into play, but you could only go so far. That's why the Default and Best choice for Dovahkiin and such is a Nord. A variety of reasons, and I'm not gonna list. But it helps to make your own Backstory for each character, and if you're a PC gamer, there are plenty of mods that can help you and add on to the experience.

The default and best for you. I can't stand playing as any race of Man or Mer, and I'm perfectly comfortable with Khajiit Dragonborn. It's all well and good making polls, and you can tell me that a Nord is the best choice all you want, but if I and others hate that choice, it doesn't make it the best choice at all.

The developers never specify a canon MC, it's the standard of Bethesda's in these games - in the next game, they'll gloss over who the Dragonborn was, resorting to obscure and vague references. Forget the picture behind all the forum elements, it's just a marketing ploy. As far as I'm concerned, until Bethesda say the Dragonborn in TES V was a Nord, everyone's own Dragonborn - be it Nord or otherwise - is head-canon, it isn't the official line. Bethesda's poor dialogue choices when NPCs talk with the player aren't an argument that the Dragonborn was intended to be a Nord, it's simply evidence that Bethesda didn't invest enough effort into different dialogue depending on race because of whatever reason (a reason we can only guess).

Maybe that lack of effort in that area makes a Nord Dragonborn seem like the most logical choice, a choice consistent with what Bethesda has given us, but it doesn't make it the best choice. It doesn't actually impact the game whether or not you choose a Nord character, so it can't really be any better than any other race.

Also, one final point - just because the Nords expected a Nord Dragonborn doesn't mean they'd get one. Their culture will work on the whole unmarked state approach (a real-world phenomenon) - if you don't describe a character, he/she surely has to be the 'norm' (a Nord in this instance); you only describe races different to your own.

What a Novel. I meant it fits because it's their Homeland, the lore and culture surrounding the province is Nordic. If they meant the MC to be a Nord, you wouldn't get the choice to choose your character. Just speculating. I'm sure everyone has their own race preference, I was more pointing to what Bethesda mainly focused on. Not Best Choice of personal opinion, but because of the Main Questline, etc.

Well, the player got caught crossing the border into Skyrim, so that it's their homeland doesn't figure into it for me. It could be anyone who got caught crossing the border for whatever reason.

Though that's true, it's beside the point. The province is still Skyrim, refugee or not.

It's not beside the point - any of the races can be found living in Skyrim for any reason, it just requires an individual of one of those races to be in the right place at the right time and Akatosh chooses them as the one he believes has it in them to stop Alduin. Just because it's Skyrim doesn't mean a Nord is best anymore than a Dunmer in Morrowind or an Imperial in Oblivion. My point is these provinces aren't monocultures with few to no members of non-native races living there (in fact one might consider many non-Nords to be native to Skyrim because it's where they were born and grew up), so that it's province X isn't the best argument.*

*Although it can get messy if we get a game focusing on Hammerfell. White character rescuing a province that is the homeland of the main people of colour race (Redguards) in Tamriel? Yeah...that wouldn't really look too good.

It's a valid argument and one I choose to back. Like I said: Speculation. I never said anything about Skyrim not containing a variety of any other races, just that Nords are the current main natives of Skyrim, and that a Nord would be fitting. Note that I said CURRENT, so don't throw any history about the Snow Elves to prove off-topic points.

Because "do you hate the dark elves too?"

I never mentioned anything about Snow Elves or past natives, nor did I intend to. Their descendants' enhanced hearing might be a little too sensitive to Shouting...

It isn't really off-topic either because the whole thread is about what fits, and the OP wanted a discussion as to how an Altmer might fit. However, because my OCD is tripping up on this conversation I'll be dialling it down.

I do of course realise the in-game cultural appropriation aspects to your argument, that someone not of the main native race isn't the best fit because in each game, we're talking about the hero of the province, the hero central to that province's culture, and that the province's culture cannot be divorced from the majority race. While it's fun to turn things on their head and have an Argonian or Khajiit Nerevarine, or an Orc CoC, or an Altmer Dragonborn, it can get a bit silly. I did mention it might become a problem in Hammerfell...

I'll leave it there.

Spy

An Altmer joining the Stormcloaks would be shooting himself in the foot. There is simply no reason any sensible Altmer would ever join the Stormcloaks. That does not stop you from respecting them though. Ondolemar, of all people, http://static.skyrim.nexusmods.com/images/1079527-1369457984.jpg for the Stormcloaks. My Altmer warrior respects the Stormcloaks, but since she disagrees with their goals she simply stays out of the conflict, supporting neither Empire or Ulfric.

Also, I disagree with your misconception that Altmer of Skyrim are invariably condescending towards others. There is only one that actively harasses you (Endarie), while the other ones are generally good people. Did Faralda ever insult you? Niranye, Ulundil, Runil? When did Calcelmo tell you that you are inferior? Even named Thalmor characters hold their noise in their stomachs when dealing with you, no matter how much they oppose your quest.

All but one of my Altmer characters came to Skyrim being pursued by the Thalmor. My mage, Ocemar, was betrayed by his lieutenant, framed for crimes he did not do and he went to hiding until he could clean his record (he eventually just defected and joined the Empire). Marinn is the daughter of my Daggerfall character, also named Marinn, and as daughter of a Blade and acquintance of Uriel Septim VII she ended up on Thalmor hit list and made her way to Skyrim due to the extreme anti-Thalmor attitude there, while at the same time keeping in touch with the civilized world. Cyra, my thief, simply came to Skyrim to exploit the power vacuum. That is all the motivation she needed.

Haha dang so many choices. Thanks this really helped.