Given that there could of been no issues for quite a bit of time, since there is a two hundred and more year gap between issues mentioned. The Interregnum didn't occur when Uriel VII and the heirs/Martin all died. Ocato held them together for seven years. So given the two examples, it might depend on the Potentate ruling the Empire until an Emperor is crowned. Before Cyrodiil supposedly erupts into Civil War and split between Colovia and Niben.

So there is the chance Cyrodiil will be fine. Given that they've never actually fallen into complete rebellion right after the loss of an Dynasty, at least to my knowledge. So the Empire could be fine for several years, fall into civil war. Or it could be fine for hundreds of years, before falling into civil war. Or it will be fine, then an new Dynasty is crowned (If Mede line has truly ended). Or it gets destroyed in the Second Great War.

Somehow, I think the Dunmer being given free homes and an island is a far cry from slavery, as is argonians not being allowed inside one city, that remains that way btw under Brunwulf as well.

It was suggested in the novels the island was given to save face. Not exactly out of kindness and mercy.

Save face from what? I'm actually curious, since I haven't read the novels yet.

However, that doesn't really matter does it? A free island is a free island.

The Nords were raiding Redoran with Orcimer mercenaries around the time of Oblivion.

Not unlikely at all - this is a pretty typical result of the end of a Failure Cascade. Wars are lost by the loser. As far as the empire's concerned, it lost the war when the people decided that internal squabbles were more important than defeating the Thalmor, lost their faith in their leadership, and started identifying as individuals/provinces first instead of as the Empire first.
There are two resources that really matter in a war, and a resounding victory by either side would replenish those resources - Strong Leadership and renewed faction identity.



Racial discrimination is a Good thing in TES, as it forms a powerful source of Identity. Skyrim is for the Nords, and the Nords will fight like hell to keep it that way - it's harder to have the same motivation and drive to fight when Skyrim is for the Nords, and the Khajiit, and The Altmer, and the Bosmer, and the Bretons, and The Argonians, and the Orcs, and the Imperials, and the Dunmer... That dilutes faction identity, and reduces the will to fight. Who cares if Skyrim is ruled by imperial governors, Nord Jarls, or as a Dominion Client State?

Oh from that. Well giving them their own island is a good way to say I'm sorry, if you ask me. And very surprising for Nords to me. Surely we could at least agree on those points?

I'm not sure if this is true but I remember hearing that there was a lot of strife between skyrim and morrowind over who would get to rule solstheim before the empire gave it to the Nords.

I haven't heard that, not that I'm saying you're wrong. Not a secret they have bad history, but if true, them giving Solstheim away would be even more of a good thing. Again, can we not agree at least that this would help their relations?

Maybe. We don't know. We don't know if there'll even be a Cyrodiil civil war, but it seems far from out of the question.

However, the Potentates and Ocato were already major political figures, without another empire trying to tear down what they were doing, ending up with a succession crisis in a time when the Empire was still a strong, united force. The circumstances we have now appear to be more along the lines of what happened at the end of the Potentate rule of the Reman Empire; a declining Empire that is unable or unwilling to do a great deal to keep order, then given a (potential)succession crisis.

Actually Ocato was doing a good job, he didn't get kicked out of office or anything he was assassinated iirc.

I like this man, he gets it. And shows the point that believe it or not, discrimination can actually have positive benefits in certain situations. People today are too sensitive about such topics to acknowledge that. If you look at Tamriel's history, people have gotten more powerful when they split apart and become their own identity. Talos only succeeded by using a metal god, and getting those identities to be deluded themselves by siding with him.

I can't remember now, I'd have to read up the part. Think it might of been in the second novel.

Well if that can supply food, weapons and armor, I'm all for it. As it stands, no matter who wins in the Civil War, Skyrim will be hard pressed to rebuild and recover.

people who say there are only two resources that matter in a war are blind idealists who don't understand that without proper gear and food even the most devoted follower will begin to question why they fight because it shows the leader can barely maintain a army.

I didn't say anything about Ocato not doing a good job, I was pointing out that I think there are substantial differences between the circumstances of the Septim and Reman succession problems, and what appear to be the picture now.

Ocato doing a good job doesn't change that he didn't have to deal with things like another empire who is working to destroy his, or the long decline of the Empire, that the ones who take over now has to deal with. Ocato was lucky enough to take over after a period of rebuilding within the Empire, which is the exact opposite of where the Empire stands now.

All depends though, threat of total annihilation through invasion tends to unify political rivals. Forebears and Crowns are a good example, first time they've made good with each other in a long time. With war just around the corner, it may keep Cyrodiil stable. The Interregnum started when the Elder Council fractured if I remember right, and they lost the Potentate.

The Empire declines and rises all the time, it all depends on who is ruling at the time. Great War gave the Empire a kick up the ass, fresh blood into leadership might do the trick to get Cyrodiil and the Empire onto the right path.

But with leadership and identity, Skyrim WILL endure, rebuild, and recover because they still have the infrastructure and will to replenish their supplies. Completely and meaningfully depleting a faction of resources before leadership and identity break down is much easier said than done, and underestimates how much people can get done with very little when dealing with fanaticism and desperation (Unless, of course, that fanaticism/desperation is directed to just charging to one's death instead of channeled toward rebuilding and replenishing the resources actually needed to win)
Again, you're pointing out a failure of leadership and identity, not resources.

Both fail WITHOUT RESOURCES, that's the point you're missing. Resources are needed for an army to fight, a army who only focuses on those two will fail horribly because they lack resources.

Ocato was reluctant if I remember correctly. It was Titus Mede who Skyrim endorsed as Emperor after the Interregnum. I won't say Ocato was a bad ruler, but he was mentioned to have been reluctant.

Leadership brings and accesses resources. There is no lack of resources in Skyrim, only a lack of will to exploit and acquire them.

It depends on how the Elder Council feel, and I wouldn't say we have much good to say about them. We already know some nobles are positioned against war with the Dominion, like Erikur is because trade with them makes him rich. And Tullius has a comment ( http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x0006a7ad ) that doesn't make me very hopeful regarding the state of the Elder Council. The Carvains, a pair of nobles from Cyrodiil, doesn't paint a pleasant picture either, though they are unlikely to be member of the EC.

Of course, I would say that there is a limit to where the Empire can rise from. The Septim Dynasty was a 434 year long period of ups and downs going hand-in-hand with who was on the throne. The Mede Dynasty has been over 150 years of decline without enough rebuilding being done to warrant mention anywhere, from the looks of it.*

*Edit: Which, coming back to the "descend into darkness" thing, might very well be connected to the loss of a mythic backing for the Empire with the loss of the Amulet of Kings.

Not always, sometimes sure but leadership doesn't give farms, blacksmiths and mines money, you can't pay for supplies with leadership. A farm isn't going to give up it's entire harvest to a leader unless the farmer gets something in return and if a farmer does give away their crops for free then they are fools.

Money is a valuable thing and a leader won't get far if they are broke.

That's where Identity comes in. The farmer isn't trading crops/etc for money - they trade it for security from becoming a Thalmor/Dominion Stooge. Money is worthless. Value is derived from life, and a worthless life means worthless money.

Money pays for taxes, money pays for animal feed, money pays for medicine, money pays for many things. Security doesn't mean anything when the side you support loses, it means you wasted resources and got nothing in return. A farmer, mine owner, blacksmith etc, etc who chooses "faction identity" over money is a fool because faction identity doesn't pay for many things a human needs to survive. A mine owner can't pay his workers with faction identity, a Blacksmith can't buy food with faction identity.

Again, the whole "faction identity" stuff is all idealism and not reality.

"Faction identity" and getting people to help solve the problem of war is how several countries got over the great depression.