It’s funny to me that for all their massive egos, the Altmer are horrible empire builders whereas Cyrodiilics, people they look down and want to impose their rule on, are literally named imperials for a reason. They can barely keep an alliance with the Bosmer and Khajiit (who are more or less forced to be with them for protection) because their populace is largely too stuck up their own asses to pretend to give a shit about the Dominion’s own stated goals. How the fuck are they going to manage a continent-spanning empire centered on a province of Men whose entire culture is built on resisting Elvish oppression? Even just numerically speaking, it’s impossible.
The Elder Scrolls series has been pretty good at highlighting this as well playing with general tropes involving fantasy Elves; namely how unwarranted the idea that Elves having longer lifespans (by like a few centuries) and “sophisticated culture” grants superiority (see: Ayleids and Dunmer especially). ESO takes this up a notch even if it does give out mixed messaging by at some points unironically YAS KWEENing Ayrenn and giving said ESO guilds their unwarranted admiration for her. She is a massive hypocrite who still holds on to her prejudices when, after everything in the AD questline, she should know better.
It’s funny to me that for all their massive egos, the Altmer are horrible empire builders whereas Cyrodiilics, people they look down and want to impose their rule on, are literally named imperials for a reason. They can barely keep an alliance with the Bosmer and Khajiit (who are more or less forced to be with them for protection) because their populace is largely too stuck up their own asses to pretend to give a shit about the Dominion’s own stated goals. How the fuck are they going to manage a continent-spanning empire centered on a province of Men whose entire culture is built on resisting Elvish oppression? Even just numerically speaking, it’s impossible.
The Elder Scrolls series has been pretty good at highlighting this as well playing with general tropes involving fantasy Elves; namely how unwarranted the idea that Elves having longer lifespans (by like a few centuries) and “sophisticated culture” grants superiority (see: Ayleids and Dunmer especially). ESO takes this up a notch even if it does give out mixed messaging by at some points unironically YAS KWEENing Ayrenn and giving said ESO guilds their unwarranted admiration for her. She is a massive hypocrite who still holds on to her prejudices when, after everything in the AD questline, she should know better.