The Thalmor weren't even committed to conquering Cyrodiil, it was just to pin down the Legions while they took over Southern Hammerfell. That's how bad it was. The Dominion basically took the Imperial City by accident.
At first they weren't. It wasn't until the first two cities were besieged. The Dominion didn't take the Imperial City by accident, it became their primary objective.
The capture of the Imperial City itself and the complete overthrow of the Empire thus became their primary objective of the next two years.
In 4E 174, the Thalmor leadership committed all available forces to the campaign in Cyrodiil, gambling on a decisive victory to end the war once and for all. During the spring, Aldmeri reinforcements gathered in southern Cyrodiil, and on 12th of Second Seed, they launched a massive assault on the Imperial City itself.
Side note: according to book "The Great War" when the Aldmeri were already at the walls of the Imperial City, it was Legions from Skyrim that helped to hold the city for as long as they did. A lot of those Legionaires are Stormcloaks now. Just sayin'.
So? Legions from Skyrim are no different than Legions from High Rock or Cyrodiil. They reinforced the Emperor, who was fighting an entire main army + secondary forces. Stormcloaks get reinforcements from Dawnstar, does that mean anything?
How do you know
those Legionaries are mostly Stormcloaks? Only Ulfric, Galmar and two Stormcloak jarls are mentioned as Legion veterans of the Great War. For all you know the Legionaries that joined the Stormcloaks were Post-Great War. Those in their twenties and early thirties.
Whose fault is that they didn't believe the Thalmor were a threat?
Whoever was around right after the Oblivion Crisis.
Because the person warning everyone was half mad. Blamed the Thalmor for everything, from Red Mountain to the Argonians.
As far as I can tell Morrowind was not a part of the Empire during the Red Year, so that was not a distraction.
Yes it was. Morrowind was still part of the Empire, wasn't until the Stormcrown Interregnum that they lost their grasp on Summerset Isle and Morrowind. Red Year had reaching effects, cutting off entire Legions.
You also had a large amount of Altmer refugees waving their arms in the air and even Ocato was worried about them. When he was assassinated (imperials have figured it was Thalmor who assassinated him), and the Medes took over, that should have been a priority.
No you didn't. Majority of the Altmer were praising the Thalmor, completely bought into their propaganda. You had one refugee who escaped assassination. No one knew who had assassinated Ocato until a long time after. When Titus Mede took over, his priority was to get the Empire stable. He was very good at that too, Skyrim itself endorsed him as their Emperor. The Thalmor did become a concern, hence why Mede very cautious about them. Tasked his agents to deal with the threats.
And evidently the Penitus Oculatus efforts were a complete failure.
pl*** happens. They did their best, and not all of their efforts were a failure. They managed to uncover plots, plant spies inside Thalmor nests, plug leaks or keep them in place to feed false information. Assassinate Thalmor agents.
What do the Stormcloaks have? Nothing. Say what you will about the Penitus Oculatus, but at least the Empire has something to combat espionage. Even Ulfric says the Imperials have spies everywhere.
Not only don't you have a trained army, you can't reach the Dominion and you can't even deal with Thalmor espionage in the slighest. Ulfric fears the Thalmor will give greater attention to his shores, he should, cause he has absolutely nothing to stop it.
Well what else should the Legion have been doing during that time? That's like saying the United States should have ignored the Soviets after a few decades because nothing was happening. Or like South Korea should just walk away from the border because nothing's happening. You have to be ready.
Not keep their entire army there for a hundred and fifty years. The Empire had border defenses, which were overrun by two massive armies. The United States and South Korea can warn their forces and call for reinforcements within thirty seconds with a phone. It takes days to warn the capital riding fast, and it takes weeks to rouse your entire Military. Legion Commanders aren't Jedi, they don't feel a disturbance in the force and know there is a problem.
Thules the Gibbering was probably equivalent to an ESO Emporer, if Mede hadn't overthrown him someone else probably would've. Umbriel was over a century before the Great War so that's not a valid reason for why they weren't ready. It sounds like the Medes have been in an eternal rebuild for 200 years.
No. He had Council backing. Mede was a very skilled commander, and also at politics. He was also loved by his soldiers. It is valid, hundred years would not restore hundreds of thousands of population losses in a medieval realm. Throw in the losses from the Oblivion Crisis and the Stormcrown Interregnum.
The Emperor doesn't control everything, the Elder Council controls most in Imperial politics. You can't force people to make babies.
And the Thalmor were untouched during Umbriel. So while the Empire had to rebuild for the second time in forty years, cities and villages, and wait while your population grows again. Then you have to replace several Legions.
You want to talk about valid reasons? Demonic invasion, massive civil war with countless factions and then a god damn zombie invasion. I think that ticks all boxes for "How the fluff are they still standing?"
I don't think it was the Warp in the West that caused Talos to become a popular deity.
It is the only event that would explain it.
And evidently the main army in Hammerfell was held off.
After the thrashing they got by the Legion. And after they devastated southern Hammerfell. Holding off the Dominion isn't victory, it is a delay. It doesn't matter how many armies you push back. Only way to defeat the Thalmor is to cut off their head in Summerset Isle and even then, they will endure for a long time.
And that was thousands of years ago, and probably stemmed from the insane Alessian Reform. What the Imperials did at Helgen was a nice and subtle way to put down the Stormcloak's religion.
What the Cult did. That Priestess gave rites which are written by the Order of Arkay. The Legion didn't tell her to say Eight Divines, you say she should have said "Divines", but since she doesn't you blame the Legion as cruel. She isn't even part of the Legion, just someone they probably got who ran a shrine in Helgan or was from Falkreath. Hell on about Priests of Arkay, the Altmer in Falkreath is an ex Thalmor Battlemage who killed untold numbers of Nord soldiers, women and children civilians in Cyrodiil.
When Priests of a religion do something you don't like. How is the Military to blame?
You have completely misunderstood what I meant. It took that long to arrest someone because back then the Thalmor were just beginning their Skyrim mission, they were still wrapping up the Great War in Cyrodiil, fortifying their borders and recovering themselves. The Justiciars would have it 10x easier without the rebellion. They'd be free to move throughout the Eastern Holds, and it be easier to move throughout the province.
You're not understanding that the Thalmor only have an increased presence due to the Civil War. They're doing a large inquisition to send supporters towards Ulfric. The Dominion =/= Thalmor. They can multitask. They would not have it 10x easier, they benefit due to the lack of eyes on them cause of the war. They can't kick down your door without cause, and if Ulfric was the Jarl of Windhelm (Without his rebellion) he isn't going to rat in his subjects. They need evidence to make an arrest, and the Legion can release prisoners with cause.
They would have it hard moving about the whole province with their limited presence. The Empire is "enforcing" the ban, and while there are no large scale open violations they can't prove the Empire isn't upholding their deal.
Bandits would benefit from all that trade.
Not while they're in armed convoys, and not while the Legion and Hold Guards are focusing on them since they're not killing each other or holed up in war camps/behind city walls.
We can't be sure if Alduin would have returned or not, it's possible the other end of the time wound was already set to be 4E 201.
His return required Skyrim to be Kingless and the Nords fighting each other in Civil War. Torygg had no heir, and the Moot won't meet. Take away the Stormclaok rebellion, and even if Torygg died randomly the Moot would meet and elect a new ruler.
Still have zero faith the Medes would win, especially without Hammerfell and presumably a large amount of bitter Nords.
Redguards believe they can defeat the Aldmeri Dominion with the combined might of the Empire. As for bitter Nords... When aren't Nords bitter? I doubt they'd refuse to go kill some elves, it is what makes them happy.
I have zero faith in the Stormcloaks. It will take more than an army of a single race to defeat the Dominion. Their plan to take the entire army to the Dominion lacks any strategy, they lack any counter intelligence ability and they have to train new armies. Not to mention giving each Jarl their own army is stupid. Nords are famous for their conflicting nature, and a single ruler doesn't unite them for long. Ulfric was captured by the Thalmor once, and then he was captured not too long after Tullius arrived. His motives are questioned by his own political supporters, and he's willing to sacrifice many of his own people, though he likens their deaths to getting wheat. Food for thought, intended pun.