Findings of the Penitus Oculatus: On the Origin of the Thalmor.

The Thalmor first came to the Empire's attention in the Late 3rd Era with rumours circulating of syndicates of Altmeri wizards leading an embargo on Imperial goods. At the time, this matter was not taken seriously by the Elder Council or the Imperial Legion, and it was never investigated. Unfortunately, this boycott on Imperial goods was only the first sign of growing Altmeri Nationalism and the members of the Empire who did nothing to address this event only allowed the anti-Imperial sentiment to grow. We did not know it then, but these syndicates of wizards were the first generation of the Thalmor, who were leading a coup against Imperial rule after our failure to save their Tower, Lawful Crystal, and were succeeding in destroying any links to the Empire. Again, so concerned were we about the survival of the Heartland that we allowed provinces like the Summerset Isles to fall to ruin at the hands of the Daedra. The Empire failed the Altmer, and the Thalmor rose up as a result.

Through our spies and agents working in and around Alinor, the Penitus Oculatus has determined that the Thalmor elite rose from a cadre of rogue Psijics who hated the fact that the Psijics were counselling the 'lesser races' instead of using their vast power to make the Altmer great again. Moreover, our spymasters tell us that the reason for the mages' flight from Artaeum was down to the obscure beliefs of the Order. Unlike the traditional Altmeri beliefs about Anu's role as the start of all things, the Psijics revere Padomay in the form of change (which they call PSJJJJ), the first action which stirred Anu to incarnate as Anuiel and thus bring all things into existence. The idea that change could be revered in such a way was deemed offensive by the proto-Thalmor apostates and they are thought to have left the Isle of Artaeum after a great battle, gathering a third of the Psijics to their cause, they made their way to the mainland and began their plot to restore Aldmeri purity to Summerset- which is now called Alinor.

Ten years after the Oblivion Crisis, (4E 10) Potentate Ocato is assassinated by Thalmor agents, destabilising the Empire and giving the Thalmor time to build up their strength at home. Twenty-two years on from the Oblivion Crisis (4E 22), these rogue mages now calling themselves the Thalmor officially, overthrew the Altmeri Monarchy and seven years later (4E 29) annexed Valenwood to form the 3rd Aldmeri Dominion. The next time the Thalmor's presence is felt is during the Night of Green Fire in which assassin-mages hunted Altmeri dissidents who had fled to Sentinel. The assassins caused great damage to the city and killed many Altmer. The Thalmor would cut off contact with the Empire for 70 years after reforming the Aldmeri Dominion, and it is thought that this time was used to lead purges on those in Alinor who would speak out against the Thalmor's policies. One such pogrom saw the families of those Altmer who fled to Sentinel interrogated and executed for 'sedition' and fraternisation with the enemy, despite many families having no means of communicating with those who fled to Sentinel. The Thalmor at this time enforce intensive breeding programs to produce justiciars and battlemages who are loyal not to family but to the state and they are indoctrinated with anti-mannish propaganda.

Fifty six years on from the Night of Green Fire (4E 98), the moons Masser and Secunda vanish during a time known as the Void Nights, and 2 years later in 4E 100, the Thalmor's best mages claim to have returned the moons to the sky, and in so doing gain Elsweyr as an ally. This is due to the fact that the Khajiit had been unable to give birth during the Void Nights and some tales say that those Khajiit who were born resembled Dro-m'Athra (dark spirits who are known as 'Bent Cats') and were left by their mothers to wander the deserts. The Khajiit having been traumatised by the Void Nights are overjoyed when the Moons return and this weakens faith in the Empire, allowing the right conditions for an alliance between the Dominion and the Khajiit to be formed 15 years later. Interestingly, it can be no coincidence that during the same year the Thalmor 'return' the Moons and gain the Khajiit as an ally, the Isle of Artaeum disappears, perhaps as a sign that the Psijic Order fears a possible invasion by the Dominion. This shows the true deep machinations of the Thalmor, they have been slowly building their power and weakening our influence.

Strangely, the Thalmor then wait for 15 years after the Void Night's end to finally secure Elsweyr as a client state, breaking the Khajiit's power by splitting the province into Anequina and Pelletine. With the Khajiit and Bosmer under their sway, the Dominion at the behest of their Thalmor masters wait 56 years to make open war with Cyrodiil. Why the Thalmor make the Dominion wait so long is unknown, but it is speculated that it is so they can breed enough mages, warriors, and justiciars to finally take the Imperial City. Our legions manage to defeat Lord Naarifin and his army at the Battle of the Red Ring and Emperor Titus Mede II proves the strength of our forces, ending the war. After the Great War, the Emperor shrewdly sues for peace with the Dominion and he signs the White-Gold Concordat. Sadly, we lost the right to worship Talos and continue to be under threat from another invasion should the Empire not enforce the terms of the Concordat in each of its provinces.

This brings us to the present day (4E 201) in which our forces are engaged in putting down Nord dissidents who call themselves 'Stormcloaks' and the masterful General Tullius is currently helping to stabilise the region. With the threat of a 2nd war with the Dominion, it is this legate's hope that the Stormcloaks are crushed quickly so that we can gather our strength to take the fight to the Altmer as Tiber Septim himself once did. Thus you can see how the Thalmor arose and their insidious plot to destroy the Empire. May Akatosh preserve us! The War is not yet lost.

-Legate Maestius Quaestio-