Can Skyrim Defend Itself? Assessing Skyrim's Position

I’m aware many of these arguments have been made in the past, and I may be preaching to the choir. I still find the subject interesting, and wanted to present my judgements on the topic. I aim to expand on the subject with some new points as well. I’d really like to take the time to hammer home this argument for those in doubt.

Firstly, it’s worth looking at the logistics behind sustaining an invasion or trade embargo on Skyrim. Skyrim and Morrowind are on the opposite ends of Tamriel to Dominion territory, there’s a reason the Dominion opted to invade Hammerfell instead of High Rock. Aldmeri troops are not allowed full flow through Imperial land at the moment, and Hammerfell certainly would not risk foreign enemy troops within their lands, provided they even consider helping the Dominion, being hostile to them. If the Dominion are given access to Pale Pass, it still is a naturally treacherous place, you can hardly rely on a supply chain going through there. Not to mention Aldmeri troops having to emerge from it, facing a fortified defense on the other side. In fact, during the civil war, it’s already having problems with avalanches, and is a thorn in Tullius' side. So, an invasion by land is very unlikely. Even so, a land invasion would also face many problems, admittedly not as much, but I’ll address that later.

The Glenumbra Peninsula of High Rock would be a significant obstacle to the Dominion’s fleet, I was once told “Oh, they could just annex/befriend the Direnni, Altmer, to launch their invasion of Skyrim”, to paraphrase. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make much sense, the Glenumbra Peninsula still would be a hindrance to the Dominion’s fleet, if they’re launching from Balfiera to Solitude, the trip is still roughly the same length as going straight from the Summerset Isles to Haafingar. This is because Balfiera is so deeply tucked into the Iliac Bay, illustrated here, it only narrowly shortens the voyage, and that’s just to western Haafingar, where they’d have the low ground. (Iliac Bay seems to have a pirate problem, too.)

The Dominion’s first option would be to commit to a voyage from the Summerset Isles to Haafingar (or Balfiera to Haafingar), either way taking the route around High Rock. Their other option would be to go through Balfiera and attempt to travel up the Bjoulsae and through the Reach, provided they’d even be allowed to pass through the High Rock territory.

It’s possible the Bretons will deny the Dominion their second option if the Empire tries to grant it, opting to join the resistance with Skyrim and Hammerfell.

Let’s review their first option. Through the Abecean Sea, passing Hammerfell, who might be incentivized to harass the fleet, this is unlikely, though. Then, through the Azurian Sea, navigating around High Rock, past the Iliac Bay, which waters seem to be plagued by an organized pirate faction, that was capable of sacking Wayrest. If the pirate threat is still present, the pirates would avoid a larger fleet, but if they came across a conservative invasion force, or supply ships especially, they’d target them. Finally, through the freezing Sea of Ghosts, these dangerous waters, spotted with icebergs, storms, and shipwrecks would not discriminate based on the size of a fleet.

Their second option is easily the wiser, because of the Sea of Ghosts alone, yet still harbors some difficulties for the Dominion. They’d have pass through the Greater Reach, where they’d likely deal with insurgency from the rebellious locals. This is especially pertinent in the eastern Reach, where the Nords might even take advantage of a tactical retreat, leaving the Forsworn to without a doubt harass supply lines and weaken the army of the Dominion. Again, sustaining an invasion through the Druadach Mountains, like any mountain range, isn’t ideal, regardless of insurgency. Mountains put a strain on supplies and troop movement, because of the long treks on rough terrain through narrow passes.

So those were my reasons why I believe it would be unwise for the Dominion to invade, and don’t really believe they will, just on the subject of supplies and travelling to Skyrim. Next, I’d like to speculate on how they would fare in Skyrim, actually invading the land, establishing themselves.

Skyrim’s climate is harsh, something that would be especially hard on invaders in the north shore, and troops raised on the Summerset Isles, no less. This factor wouldn’t apply to the defenders, who would have access to more supplies, already occupy fortresses and be set up to resist the cold. A sizeable majority of the defenders would be Nords, of course, giving them that advantage in the field, whatever position they’re in.

The terrain of Skyrim also gives a defensive bonus to its defenders. Most of the holds have natural dividers, providing narrow passes that encroaching armies would have to funnel through, especially between holds. It’s also worth noting the general knowledge an actual native of Skyrim would have of the land, people who argue that the Dominion will be the guerrilla insurgents in this situation forget how the Stormcloaks operated in their emergence. You can be damn sure that the local Nords, now backed by their government, will react the same way to Aldmeri violation of their territory.

Onto the people of Skyrim. I think some people have had Nords on a pedestal pre-Skyrim, and project their disenfranchisement too much. They are correct in saying Nords have been a bit bastardized, but all countries have commoners, including the wealthiest ones. As for the declined state of the cities, Skyrim is no different from all the other provinces of man in that it has been in recession for a while. Skyrim’s people, however, seem to actually be handling the recession better than its neighbors. Wayrest fell to pirates, an overt indication of their poor defensive or economic state. In Cyrodiil, the guards seem to be doing a poor job of peacekeeping, relative to their state in the Third Era. A bandit was either capable of raiding or sneaking into Cheydinhal, but they could’ve been in disguise, I concede. Bravil's criminals have waged destructive war in the streets, demolishing a statue. The Dark Brotherhood is in Skyrim for its stability, they’re actually not doing that bad. These are the Jarl’s men holding this country together, proudly guarding the roads and cities, as if they don’t need the gates to hide behind. Not the Empire, at all. My point being; there’s evidence to suggest Skyrim is a bastion of strength in a dying Empire, which has “sunk it’s claws into it”.

Not that they need it to defend their homeland, but a Stormcloak victory is the best chance for an eventual revival of Tongues in their ranks, and the “Old Ways” at the expense of wizardry remaining stigmatized in some places.

The threat of a Dominion army approaching Skyrim would only serve to unite and strengthen the Nords in these divided times. If Ulfric is as machiavellian as some claim, it’d be the ideal lie to motivate any remaining dissenters to fall in line. Well, any who weren’t already appeased by his decision to spare Elisif and keep her as Jarl, a rather wise diplomatic decision, that I think often goes unnoticed.

So, let’s imagine the Dominion made it up the Bjoulsae, were allowed through High Rock territory by the Bretons or the Empire, and across the Druadachs, and are installed in the Eastern Reach. The Reach being warmer than other holds, they don’t face that particular disadvantage. They face just as much opposition from the Forsworn as the Nords. The Nords, while not as much as the Reachmen, still have defensive bonuses in the Reach. If the Aldmeri do seize the Reach they’re still trapped in it, as the eastern bluffs provide a massive disadvantage to troops attempting to emerge from the gorge. In desperate situations, it wouldn’t be out of character for the Nords to impose ruthless scorched-earth tactics, should they need to retreat. That, coupled with Forsworn and Stormcloak sabotage of their supply lines, leaves the Dominion stranded, in a nightmare, dying far from their warm islands.

Stormcloak “Barbarian” fighting style is one of the better counters to no/low armor mages, which is one of the Aldmeri Dominion’s main combatant archetypes. The light armor allows them to close distance between foes quickly, and the poorly defended mage is within reach of the warrior, one has the obvious advantage when there’s that little distance between them. I mean, Nords are historically regarded as elf killers(after Dragonslaying), and during the great war, were noted for overcoming odds against the Dominion. Of course, downright effectiveness of the standard troop is much more important than a theoretical rock-paper-scissors relationship between fighting styles.

Yes, after all of that, the Dominion is still strong enough to overcome all of these things in the short-term, but why? It’s a tremendous waste of their resources, and dislocates, if not disposes of, a large amount of troops. They likely recognized a similar situation in Hammerfell and withdrew. It also leaves their core territories significantly weakened, providing the Empire an opportunity to strike. “But the Empire isn’t ready yet.” Are you sure about that? It’s been twenty-five years since the Great War ended, the Empire’s baby boom is about to reach its prime, the ideal age of the human fighters will be at its peak, and then decline. If you ask me, not engaging in second Great War within the next five-ten years, is missing their best chance, and results in the Dominion growing even stronger. If the Empire isn’t ready then, they never will be.

And yes, in the long-term, if the Dominion continues growing, and surrounds Skyrim, the situation would change. But I’m arguing for relatively short-term consequences, against the Dominion in its current state. Skyrim should not allow the Dominion to continue growing, and Ulfric is fully aware of this, he’s not advocating Skyrim just isolate itself from the rest of Tamriel.

Also, on trade, it’s important to note that the economy has been in gradual decline, the events leading up to the end of the Third Era did their damage. Some would say, an even greater economic depression has been in effect since the Great War. International trade is already low.

Yes, Skyrim does benefit from trade with the Empire, this doesn’t mean they’re greatly dependent on them, by any stretch.

Skyrim is not rich, no; it never has been, (and they don’t really need to be). This is mostly because they aren’t as involved with trade, and full of merchants as some other nations. However, they might actually be wealthier in the future, regardless of the civil war outcome, just from their newest resource; dragon parts.

Self-reliance is another thing, they have always been relatively isolated from other provinces. Even before the economic downturns they weren’t as involved with trade as High Rock, for example. While the economy might be temporarily hurt from a Stormcloak victory, it will likely normalize again. Also, the East Empire Trading Company does not intend to cut off trade with an independent Skyrim, and the Empire likely won’t object to that, as there is some mutual benefit to it. The Empire is also unlikely to permit the Dominion to block EETC ships, which are by far the more significant ones.

As a bonus, let’s directly address some common sentiments

>Nords are just country bumpkins now

What you’re describing is a commoner, they’re in every province, this is what many mortals are like. I touched on this earlier.

It’s notable that some things, regarding the state of Skyrim’s people and the abundance of bandits, simply, are due to game mechanics. If you use the flawed method disregarding this, then it’s also acceptable to say that a handful of guards can slay a Dragon, therefore Skyrim is very strong. Just because the Nords in Skyrim weren’t the barbarian culture they were made out to be by foreigners doesn’t mean they’re horribly weak.

Some people really strike me as disenfranchised lovers of pre-Skyrim Nords, but the Nords of Oblivion weren’t as one-dimensional as some remember. Many were still common folk, some imperialized, some not, and the Nords of Skyrim are still rather headstrong. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never found their “bastardization” that bad. Either way, their culture shouldn’t be equated to their strength.

>Skyrim isn’t nearly as strong as Hammerfell

Well, Hammerfell didn’t resist the Dominion with legions of Sword-Singers or a hidden stockpile of cannons and all that, that’s a bit ridiculous. It’s more likely it because of the defensive bonuses in their lands, the reconciliation between Crowns and Forebears, utilizing skirmishing tactics, and making good use of militias. Just like the Skyrim would.

(It's fair to not put much stock in this argument, as there is little information, and it is possible that Hammerfell had unknown aid. But I see this claim too much for it to go uncorrected.)

I really have trouble understanding how people come to this conclusion rationally, and I’ll explain why. Based on what we know, for whatever it’s worth; comparisons to Hammerfell only suggest Skyrim would have an easier time against the Dominion. Every weakness Skyrim has now was also present in Hammerfell when they resisted the Dominion. Skyrim, too, has almost all of the same advantages, a cold climate instead of a dry one, and even greater defensive interior topography. Furthermore, they have more advantages; their natural mountainous borders, their distance from Dominion territory, and the many things we’ve already covered.

Last time Skyrim fought with Hammerfell and High Rock, it showed military superiority over them. Now, it’s worth noting that Skyrim only fought the Crowns of Hammerfell. Regardless, they also fought with High Rock, and won a two-front war as a united nation, or individual Holds triumphed over other individual kingdoms/counties, which is also suggested. From what we know, the land those invaders conquered is still held, though seemingly separate from Skyrim as well, are shining examples of their strength.

So, what’s happened to these two nations since this precedent was set? Well, we’re explicitly told Hammerfell was weakened by infighting since then)), in the fourth era, unlike with Skyrim, which was “peaceful and prosperous” over the years, maintaining their relative strength. They've had infighting since then, of course, at the most, this only weakens them as much as it did Hammerfell.

The only thing Hammerfell did have, that Skyrim wouldn’t, was the “invalids” discharged by the Empire, even so, this is trumped by the numerous advantages Skyrim has to compensate for that.

If I neglected any other factors, let’s discuss, I can’t really concede or confute every point in one post without appearing more pedantic.

If the Dominion sends in a force similar to Hammerfell, Skyrim can endure it. If the Dominion does fully commit to invading, dismantling, or inflicting substantial harm to Skyrim, it would be a wasteful misuse of resources, and leave their homeland defenseless. This would ultimately lead to their collapse or defeat at the hands of their enemies, which is why they likely won’t attempt that kind of invasion, being the prudent strategists they are.

In closing, obviously the Dominion shouldn’t be underestimated. I’m under no illusion; they’re an Empire, but I’ve seen a lot of fear-mongering about them lately. It's not unrealistic to say Skyrim has a decent fighting chance.