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Comments
That's just the Imperials though.
Until you make him kill a chicken.
There's a significant difference between trading routes and supply lines. As far as I know, the Stormcloaks control the eastern parts of Skyrim, along with the ports situated there, allowing them to receive imports without compromising land routes. So the Thalmor have to contend with not only enemies with local supplies, but foreign support that can't be cut off without taking the ports or significant naval action. Closing off Skyrim's ports would also have political ramifications elsewhere, deteriorating support for the Thalmor.
As for the number of supply lines, that depends on deployment. Since the Thalmor don't have an actual army in Skyrim during the game, it's safe to assume they don't actually have military supply lines. Especially given that military supply lines would be a dead giveaway, and those supplies would be wasted by not actually going to a standing army. In any case, multiple supply lines are required only if there are multiple forces in different areas to support, which depends on the Thalmor deployment. Given the closed terrain of Skyrim, the Thalmor are unlikely to use every possible land route to supply because such a large forced would be hemmed in. Added to that, supply lines require some kind of guard, and larger and more widespread supply lines require more resources to protect.
So the Thalmor could possibly deploy a very large amount of troops with three separate supply lines, but the result would be clumsy, difficult to manage and severely hampered by the terrain. Furthermore, that would strain the Thalmor's resources in such a way that any military loss would hurt them more than they could hurt the inhabitants of Skyrim for a similar loss. It makes more logistical sense to deploy a smaller amount of more mobile troops with less supply lines that are more well-defended -- but again, that has the weakness of being able to be cut off, especially in the dense forests and narrow mountain passes.
Added to that, the Thalmor would be weighed down by having to capture every fortress along their supply path, ensuring that they'd be spending a lengthy amount of time laying siege. If they try to continue without taking a fortress, that fortress becomes a break in their supply lines (since a reasonable supply guard can't hope to defend against a garrison making an attack). Whoever is defending Skyrim is never going to meet the Thalmor in an open field; they'll just wait until they get slowed down by one of the many, many chokepoints the terrain and fortresses provide and capitalise on that.
A military capture of Skyrim is in no way feasible for anyone except the Empire or the Stormcloaks, and for the former, it's only because they're firmly established already.
If you mean by that the scenario Nova and I discussed, then that is only true if Skyrim is openly, militarily resisting. In which case the Empire would get involved due to Thalmor threats and we'd get a civil war pretty much like in canon.
If you mean in terms of open conquest of a Stormcloak-won Skyrim... perhaps. Especially as then all supply routes of the Thalmor will have to be by sea. Though I suspect with the Empire then cut off from High Rock after Skyrim's independence, I'd think the Thalmor would concentrate their efforts there for the time being. Sure, their main goal is to wipe out Talos worship, but they can be patient.
Not by North standards. If he wins the war, Ulfric will call a puppet Moot to confirm him as High King, thus legally and validly starting a new line of succession. Of course, that''s just the legal theory. In practice the problem will be that now some people might begin to think "Hm, if it's that easy, maybe I should duel the High King and then call in a Moot, too". Legally nothing is muddy, but in terms of attitudes it admittedly sets a bad precedent.
The thing about the Thalmor is: they're really damn powerful militarily. We're talking about the force that accidentally conquered Cyrodiil with the (to them) small number of troops they sent to cut off a supply line.
So I just found Karstaag.
Holy shit.
That has to have been the most unfair fight I've seen in a game that wasn't a supposed-to-lose one.
You'd love to fight the Ebony Warrior then.
Looked him up. Does look difficult, but is he faster than you, encountered in a very small room with no exploitable terrain, and pretty much guaranteed to one-shot you?
He is faster than you, but you fight him on a mountaintop (he's immune to fall damage, before you get any ideas). He has the Reflect Blows perk, and Unrelenting Force, so he CAN one-shot you if you're unlucky. Though the biggest pain in the ass is his absurd health regen sword.
Okay, I'm trying to do an assassination quest but, unlike all the other radiant assassination quests, the target is actually making it hard for me to kill him without incuring a bounty. Honestly, it's almost as if this guy has a brain! Nevermind, turns out I just had to be more patient that I usually am.