I have not gotten very far in the game, and never had any dealings with them. All I've done so far is the Dawnguard and Mage College missions. But for some reason, I have Thalmor now sending out kill squads with orders to eliminate me. I can't think what I would've done to trigger this. I've always avoided them. Is this something that happens no matter what?

I think that comes from the Main Quest. I just got the note from Ustengrav and on my way to meet this "mysterious stranger", was accosted by a Thalmor Hit Squad. One of them did have a note that mentioned me by name and signed by Elenwen. Did one of yours have a similar note?

I looked it up once because I was also curious. It is simply a result of you achieving level 8 -

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:World_Interactions#Hostile_Encounters%C2%A0%C2%A0- scroll down to 'Thalmor vs Player' under hostile encounters.

Yup, just random. Although if you're looking for an in game reason, it probably has something to do with the fact that Elenwen was there at Helgen overseeing the executions. She escapes, and it probably takes her a while to gather more info on you before issuing the kill order to her justiciars. So by level 8, she's gotten what she needs that way, and sees you as a threat, or at the very least an escaped prisoner. She acts suspiciously happy to see you at the Thalmor Embassy, probably because she was planning on capturing you if you hadn't already made plans of your own.

Really? That is weird. You may not have done anything with the Thalmor, and they still come after you?

I was kind of surprised when it happened to my current character considering he hadn't continued the main quest far enough to start the dragon attacks and hadn't yet been targeting Thalmor patrols or a certain keep they seem to enjoy guarding for various reasons. However, it fit in perfectly with this character's background and so I enjoyed that it did happen for whatever the gameplay reason. This character is a Bosmer who came in Skyrim because he had "issues" with the Aldmeri Dominion in his homeland and needed to make himself scarce for a while. Apparently, they figured out where he went.

You may not have even got NEAR the DB, and assassins suddenly start springing up along the roads.... It's one of those "you have to shoehorn it to make it fit" things.... But that's pretty cool, bekkilyn, that it does fit your game so well!

I know. But it is similar with the Dark Brotherhood. You can never have even heard of them, but when you reach level 5, Astrid starts sending assassins after you. In that case, at least, the contract writ implies you have pissed someone off (but does not specify who). In this case, I guess the game figures that surely by the time you reach level 5 you have pissed someone off.

In the Thalmor goon situation, my character normally helps Elisef so we just pretend that is the genisis for Elenwen's goon squads.

Edit: Oops, partially ninja'd by Serethil.

I just assume that after I've cleared a bandit camp, a bandit that had been out hunting, fishing, or grocery shopping comes back to the camp as is all, "By the 8! I swear I'll find out who did this, and when I do I'll...I'll... ...I'll hire the Dark Brotherhood to avenge you all!"

Since the Thalmor are trying to get Skyrim to destroy itself with a Civil War, anything that disrupts their plans needs to be eliminated. So if you've done enough to reach level 8 you've been noticed as a random element they don't want, at the least. Much the same as Acadian's reasoning for the DB.

I haven't tried playing as a complete pacifist, but I know it's been attempted. Maybe some who has can comment on whether you can reach levels 5 or 8 without anyone dying, or the Thalmor noticing your existence.

That won't matter. The Radiant Story mode event conditions are, quite simply, "player is at least level 8". There's the wilderness encounter randomizer too, of course, and naturally you also need to enter a wilderness encounter trigger area. But beyond that... Just Player.GetLevel >= 8.

IT's too bad Bethesda did not do a better job with these. I use Timing is Everything to put some more reasonable conditions on triggering these types of encounters. In my game, Thalmor won't randomly attack you until after you infiltrate their embassy.

I'd also include doing nasty things to them at Northwatch Keep. The guards even now periodically talk to my character, praising him for having brought those Thalmor down a notch.

I'd be happy enough to have an 'MCM' style manner of tweaking these things for those who want to delay/eliminate them - but I would never tweak down or eliminate any of the random attacks while traveling. I love them whether they make perfect sense or not. Assassins, cultists, Thalmor, Blood Horkers, vampires. . . bring 'em on!

You have built up enough reputation that everyone now knows that without a doubt, you are dragonborn. It's also obvious that you will more than likely take sides in the civil war, and thereby most likely draw it to a close MUCH faster. For the AD/Thalmor, a civil war in Skyrim that drags on and on for a decade or more is highly advantageous. You pose a threat to having that happen. Therefore you pose a threat to the AD/Thalmor. (Not to mention that in the inevitability that in a future war between AD and the Empire, you would undoubtedly side with the Empire against the AD.) As such, it would be highly advantageous if you were removed from the equation. As in, dead and buried. (Burial is optional.)

How would anyone "know" he's Dragonborn if he hasn't advanced the main quest?



Heh, more encounters can be fun, but I find encounters that don't make sense immersion breaking. The Thalmor aren't as bad as some of the others, like dead bandits sending thugs after you, or thugs sent by a friendly NPC when you accidentally touched a 2 Septim piece of junk, seems really out of place.

It doesn't really matter, they're all insufferable pricks anyway. Just kill em all, and let the gods sort em out!

Unless of course you have plenty of black soul gems, in which case the gods can just continue their games of solitaire undisturbed!

*laughing OUT LOUD* Oh, I LIKE you!

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/images/572917/?

What I always found strange is that some Thalmor patrols attack me on sight, while others simply ignore me (unless of course I pick a fight by standing in their way). It also doesn't seem to matter whether or not they're currently holding a prisoner.

I always assumed my characters had visited a shrine to Talos at least once (I tend to click the one near the Guardian stones, out of curiosity) or worn an amulet of Talos at least once, thus causing a sudden disturbance in the Thalmor Force. For it to be random and for only a few Thalmor patrols is just strange.

I've encountered three different types of repeating Thalmor patrols -

- The subject of this thread one which is a group of three with an execution warrant for you who will attack you on sight.

- Three Thalmor simply on patrol. They will not attack you on sight. You can talk to them and end the discussion peacefully or by taunting them into attacking.

- Three Thalmor escorting a prisoner. You can talk to them with the same results as above or you can free the prisoner (instant attack by the patrol).

(I'm not counting the 'single use' encounters like the poor dead Thalmor north of Falkreath looking for Talos worshippers (who obviously found some who killed him). Nor the ambush encounter near the Talos shrine east of Whiterun where you deliver Torygg's horn.)

I *knew* there was supposed to be an ambush there! I recently did that horn quest with my current character and nothing happened, no attacks or anything, before or after replacing the horn. He had been sneaking as is his usual method for approaching any site of interest, so went out of sneak and completely revealed himself and still nothing. Even wandered around the shrine for a bit and still no Thalmor. I'm beginning to wonder if they're just scared of him after what happened at Northwatch Keep.

Hahaa, I didn't get ambushed last time I was there either. I hadn't been to Northwatch yet.

A valid point. But I find it hard to believe that someone capable of doing Shouts hasn't. Especially in Forgotten Vale where TWO dragons pop up at the same time. But still, if a character has completed Dawnguard, he/she WILL have garnered a substantial reputation. In which case, the Thalmor's reasons for wanting to get rid of a known dragonborn would still apply to even a Shout-less character.