Hey everyone

Sorry if these seem like stupid questions with painfully obvious answers, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the more mystical/metaphysical/religious aspects of TES lore.

I know the Thalmor are trying to ban the worship of Talos because he and the other Divines are "dead gods," and thus need worship to be kept active and have power, and that their ultimate endgame in all of this is unmaking the world (and man) to regain their former status free of the mortal coil. I know that they need to eliminate Talos to do this because now that most of the Towers of Mundus have either been destroyed or deactivated, most of creation sits upon Talos' shoulders.

My question is this: If Talos wasn't even one of the Divines that originally helped create the world (basically taking Lorkhan's place), why does unmaking the world hinge on unmaking him? Could this goal not be met by weakening/eliminating worship of the other Divines as well?

Thanks in advance

Actually, Talos differs with other divine beings in that he did not participate nor sacrifice himself in any way, shape, or form. Hes at full strength keeping the world running, which is a big plus for any Pro-Lorkhanic race. Also, the Altmer still do adore their own ancestors, and trying to go after them is probably a little more abstract then the others.

It's not enough to just break the Wheel, the Thalmor need to ensure the Wheel and even the idea of the Wheel can never possibly exist ever again. To do this, the Thalmor need to destroy Man. The fact that Talos is a Man who became Divine is an affront to everything the Thalmor stand for. The Thalmor need to destroy Talos as part of their plan to destroy Man, and to destroy the possibility of Man. Without Man and the possibility of Man, the Thalmor will not have to worry about ever becoming mortal again.