This is a short description I wrote on the 25th August, 2012 on my thoughts about the motives of the Aldmeti Dominion in Elder Scrolls. Let me know your thoughts on the subject. (Note: For some reason, no matter how many times I alter it, the editor seems to want to mash all the pasted stuff together so please bear with it.) "So, to start. The Aldmeri Dominion are reformed and attack the Empire with the aims of destroying it. This starts the Great War which both sides take heavy losses. Eventually, the Dominion sign a peace treaty with the Empire called the White-Gold Concordant. One must ask themselves, why would a nation bent on destroying another sign a peace treaty when the Empire looks to be losing? Simple, the Dominion couldn't maintain the fighting themselves. But, because they are still the stronger of the two sides they can negotiate terms in the peace treaty that are in their favour so they decide to remove the status of God from Talus on grounds that as a human, he can't be powerful enough to be a God. While this is also crapping on the humans they were warring with (the Dominion are Elves) they are also demoralising the Imperial citizens and causing unrest in the provinces. I think that the Aldmeri Dominion made that peace treaty with the Empire because they couldn't maintain their attack the way they had before and while they had the strength to defeat the Empire, they would destroy themselves in the process. This treaty would grant the Dominion a break in which to rebuild their forces and prepare for another attack. To make sure that the Empire struggles to do the same they outlaw Talus worship and this demoralises the Citizens and the troops and with it causing the unrest it distracts the Legion and limits their rebuilding capabilities. Furthermore, the War in Skyrim would be further detrimental to the strength of the Legion because of the fighting between the Legion and the Stormcloaks and that Civil War can only aid the Dominion so they are content to let it stew over and, if possible, poke the two sides in the right places to keep them fighting (which is what I think the Dominion agents pottering about Skyrim are doing). I think in the next Elder Scrolls game the War with the Aldmeri Dominion will have restarted and the player will be able to choose which of the two sides and fight for whoever they wish. I'm looking forward to what the studio will do with it."