So as can be seen the view across all of Tamriel is pretty bleak. Morrowind is in pieces, Skyrim is engaged in a bloody civil war, Cyrodiil has been beaten and bruised, Hammerfell has been abandoned, Black Marsh is controlled by extreme xenophobes and the Aldmeri Dominion has carved its way from Alinor to Southern Tamriel. A war is brewing, and it's going to be a big one.

How is a next Great War going to go down? We'll assume that the Civil War is currently on hold (Season Unending) so that means the Empire has one-and-a-half provinces, temporary peace with Eastern Skyrim meaning an alliance and the Thalmor are still gripping Cyrodiil's nuts. Hammerfell is still under immense pressure and the Dominion is growing stronger.

How can the Dominion be defeated? How would the Empire and the other provinces go about doing this?

The Empire is made up of Cyrodiil, High Rock, and West Skyrim.

The Stormcloaks is made up of East Skyrim.

The Alik'r is made up of Hammerfell.

The Argonians are made up of Black Marsh and Morrowind.

The Aldmeri Dominion are made up of Summerset Isle, Valenwood, and Elsweyr.

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M'aiq thinks that the Empire will need to ally with the Alik'r, Argonians, and Stormcloaks to defeat the Dominion.

High Rock is currently refusing to aid the Empire at all with the Civil War going on. Even during the Season Unending truce there's dialogue between Tullius and Rikke that High Rock remains uninvolved.

They're going to require some extraordinary asset to do that. Tiber Septim needed a giant stompy brass robot powered by the soul-echo of a god to bring Alinor to heel.

My bet is on somehow rallying the dragons to the cause. I imagine that if the Thalmor's ultimate end goal to "uncoil the dragon" were uncovered, the Dragons may not take kindly to pahlokfaliille tampering with their Bormah. Imagine... the entire Alinor Navy's sails set ablaze by angry flying lizards that can shout massive gouts of fire. There goes the Dominion's best defense...

Also, Tiber Septim was Dragonborn: he's kin So was Wulfharth. They might not take kindly to the refutation that some of their own found out how to become a peer to their Bormah.

Dovahkiin Shepard speak to the leaders of each province that are enemies of the Dominion and the rebels of Dominion controlled provinces. They all need Dovahkiin Shepard to help them with things. While Dovahkiin Shepard is doing things, the mages are researching Dwemer Tech to make a super weapon greater than Numidium. When Dovahkiin Shepard gets the needed allies they finish building the super weapon. Dovahkiin Shepard uses it against the Dominion and wins the war.

Which M'aiq knows that High Rock has made the right choice not to involve in any other province's affairs.

These debates always overlook two things:

1) The Dominion army was also annihilated.
2) Elves take a lot longer to reproduce than humans.

While you can replace a human with four or five more in twenty years, you can raise two elves a century, max. That's a bad situation as-is for the Thalmor, but they make it a lot worse for themselves with their eugenics programme, restricting who can breed with whom and executing offspring not racially 'pure.' It'll take them multiple human generations to recover from a big defeat, and in that time the humans can go from equal to outnumbering them six-to-one.

Morrowind is actually still governed by the Dunmer, the Argonians were beaten back. It's also not ruined, with the exception of Vvardenfell and the southern marches.

Durnheviir and a Sword Singer, over Alinor.

A new Empire, born of the survivors of the chaotic aftermath of mindless and uncontrollable bloodshed due to confusion and lack of order is founded. nisi fortes vivabunt

Fantasy nukes FTW!

In any case, I always did suspect that the dragons would be needed for any serious attempt on Summerset, but never could figure out cause for them to do so until my earlier post in this topic.

A LOT depends on the eventual fate of the Dragonborn. Personally, I believe that regardless of which side of the Civil War he takes, he is going to Cyrodil next to claim the Dragon Throne.

First off, I am assuming the Dark Brotherhood has assassinated the sitting emperor. Under the circumstances, the Elder Council will have to choose a new emperor (the Emperor's son, if he has one, has a decent claim, but if a true Dragonborn, flush with military victory, shows up, the Council will have to consider his suit.

Secondly, I imagine a situation in which the Dragonborn doesn't kill Parthunax... not at first. But over time, Parthunax comes to be regarded as the strongest of the Dovah, and many come to learn his Way of the Voice. As his power grows, so does his arrogance (it's really easy to maintain humility alone on a mountaintop). In the end, the Dragonborn is left with little choice but to do that which the Blades had asked of him in the first place. The Dovah acknowledge his primacy, and at least a few are willing to go into battle with him (as one served Tiber Septim all those years ago).

With a Dragonborn Emperor on the throne once again, High Rock becomes more motivated, Morrowind allies more closely for protection, and Alinor quakes in its boots.

I love TES politics. Image how long we're gonna have to wait until we have our answers though.

The Dominion will be infiltrated and destroyed from the inside.

• Ceasefire at HH is canon thanks to a neutral LDB.
• Following the assassination of the Emperor, the Imperial Legion withdraws from Skyrim at the behest of the Elder Council in order to ensure a smooth transition.
• The Stormcloaks march onto Solitude. Jarl Elisif surrenders in order to evade bloodshed. Skyrim is now united under Ulfric's banner and out of the picture.
• The interregnum is not as smooth as expected, since counts, generals, and nobles and Councilmen naturally shred each other to pieces.
• A powerful and influential Bosmeri noble, with aid from opportunistic Cyrodiilic noblemen and various other interested parties from the Aldmeri Dominion, becomes the new occupier of the Ruby Throne, thus ending the interregnum. Cyrodiil is now a client state of the AD.
• Several noblemen, along with General Tullius and some other generals, have a wounded pride because of their new ruler. A civil war erupts and results in the Northern regions seceding and forming a new government led by the heirs of the Old Empire.

tl;dr There is no Great War II. Skyrim is independent and united. An interregnum and CW in the heartland occur, leaving Cyrodiil divided.

I am not sorry.

We don't really know if the reproducing is the same for all the races, all we know is that the Dunmer and Altmer can only have 1-5 children but most of the time it's usually 1 or 2. For instance reproducing for the Orsimer and the Bosmer could be shorter or longer, we also have no clue about the khajiit who are under their control.


This is probably the most likely scenario, well except the Bosmer noble taking the ruby throne, I still find that incredibly unlikely as well as Cyrodiil becoming a client-state of the Dominion since the Cyrods are probably pissed at the Thalmor and Dominion for 1. Ruining their homeland and 2. forcing a ban on Talos worship. If anything Cyrodiil becomes a large collection of independent kingdoms, duchies and counties.

And seriously, why would they put a Bosmer on the throne? Why not, you know, put a high ranking agent or their leader on the most prized throne in Tamriel?