Aldmeri Dominion ( Skyrim ) The Third Aldmeri Dominion , colloquially known as simply the Aldmeri Dominion , is a powerful union established in 4E 29 by the Thalmor , a group of radical , nationalist Altmer in the Summerset Isles who advocated for the supremacy of the various races of Mer over Men . Seeking to recreate the First Aldmeri Dominion , the Thalmor expanded their empire into the provinces of Valenwood , Elsweyr , and briefly into Cyrodiil and Hammerfell during the Great War . Following the consolidation of Valenwood and the Summerset Isles into the Third Aldmeri Dominion , the Dominion began a policy of expanding Aldmeri influence and power across Tamriel at the expense of the Third Empire of Cyrodiil . The Aldmeri Dominion first expanded into Elsweyr , adding the Khajiit i kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine as its client states , and reformed The Elsweyr Confederacy . However , this expansion caught the attention of the Third Empire , which began a rivalry between the Dominion and the Empire that would ultimately lead up to the Great War , a devastating war fought between the Dominion and the Empire . Following the White - Gold Concordat , the Third Aldmeri Dominion experienced increased prestige and power that the Mer had not possessed since the First Aldmeri Dominion . Confident of its ability to defeat the Third Empire , the Dominion further expanded its influence into the other provinces of Tamriel . It also reestablished diplomatic relations with the Third Empire , even though each were still engaged in a cold war . History . Formation and expansion . In the final year of the Third Era , 3E 433 , the Emperor of the Septim Empire , Uriel VII , as well as his heirs - Crown Prince Geldall Septim , Prince Ebel Septim , and Prince Enman Septim - were assassinated by the agents of the Mythic Dawn , a Daedric cult that worshipped the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon . Following the assassination of the last remnants of the Septim Dynasty , excluding Emperor Martin Septim who would end the Oblivion Crisis , the Mythic Dawn opened Oblivion Gates across all of Tamriel , including in the Summerset Isles . Due to their knowledge of the realms of Oblivion and superior magical skills , the Altmer encountered more success in closing the Oblivion Gates than the Imperial s did . However , the limitless hordes of Dremora , Daedroth , and other Daedra eventually overran the Altmer defenses . Reeling from the combined might of the Mythic Dawn and their Daedric allies , the Altmer leadership at the Crystal Tower , the seat of the Altmer government , in the city of Alinor , gave power to the Thalmor , a group of radical Altmer who espoused secession from the Septim Empire , due to the fact that they had the most success in fighting the Daedric hordes of Mehrunes Dagon . Under the leadership of the Thalmor , the Altmer closed many Oblivion gates and held off the Daedra until the Champion of Cyrodiil and Martin Septim defeated Mehrunes Dagon in the Battle of the Imperial City . In 4E 22 , the Thalmor capitalized on their successes during the Oblivion Crisis , claiming to have single - handedly ended the Crisis , while quickly overthrowing the Imperial administration of the Summerset Isles while the Empire was still reeling from its own losses during the Crisis . This act effectively established the independent nation of Alinor , the nucleus for the Third Aldmeri Dominion . The Elder Council , the legislative body of the Septim Empire , was unable to select a successor for Martin Septim , and ; thus , the new ruler of the Empire became Potentate Ocato . However , this indecision , and the weak leadership of Ocato , allowed the Thalmor to easily drive the Imperial Legion from the Summerset Isles . The Thalmor set to work on securing their power and independence from those , like Potentate Ocato , In 4E 10 , Thalmor agents assassinated Potentate Ocato , which caused the Elder Council , and , thus , the Septim Empire , to descend into a civil war known as the Stormcrown Interregnum . Further seeking to expand their control over the Summerset Isles , the Thalmor persecuted the Altmer elite and purged the Summerset Isles of the members of all those of non - Mer descent . Meanwhile , the Dominion ' s biggest rival was growing in power in Cyrodiil . Titus Mede , a Colovian Imperial warlord , conquered the Imperial City and was crowned Emperor Titus Mede I . The Third Empire still owned Valenwood , Hammerfell , High Rock , Skyrim , Cyrodiil and Elsweyr , coming into direct conflict with the ambitions of the Thalmor . In 4E 29 , sympathizers of the Thalmor in Valenwood , the homeland of the Bosmer , overthrew the Imperial administration of Valenwood , and joined Valenwood with the Summerset Isles to form the Third Aldmeri Dominion . However , the Empire and its allies in Valenwood would not bow down easily . The Imperial Legion , aided by the Empire ' s Bosmer allies , fought back against the coup by the Thalmor sympathizers . It was at this time that the Empire first tasted the true might of the Third Aldmeri Dominion . The Altmer armies invaded Valenwood , driving out the Imperial Legion and its Bosmer allies , and securing Valenwood for the Dominion . Following the defeat by the Empire in Valenwood , the Dominion severed all contact with the rest of Tamriel due to its collapse into factional strife and a minor civil war . The Thalmor crushed the uprisings and consolidated its power over the Summerset Isles and Valenwood . In 4E 98 , the year that would become known as one of the two years that were part of the period known as the Void Nights , the twin moons of Nirn , Masser and Secunda , disappeared from the sky , throwing Elsweyr into chaos . Using previously unknown Dawn Magicks , the Thalmor restored the twin moons to the sky , gaining the favor of the Khajiit whose entire civilization depended upon interpreting the waxing and waning of the moons . With the help of the Thalmor , the Khajiiti kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine broke away from the Third Empire , and became client states , or protectorates , of the Third Aldmeri Dominion . Some say the Thalmor did not really use magic to bring back the moons , but only claimed they were responsible to gain the favor of the Khajiit . Finally , the Dominion felt confident enough of its own power to challenge the Third Empire , which was still the dominant force in Tamriel at the time . The Dominion ' s military was prepared and a plan was put into motion to bring war to Cyrodiil , which had been untouched by foreign invaders since before the conquests of Tiber Septim . Great War . Prior to the beginning of the Great War , the Blades , an order of warriors that had previously served as the bodyguards of the Septim Dynasty but who now served as an independent organization which seeks to protect Tamriel , investigated Dominion activity . However , the Dominion hunted down and eliminated the agents of the Blades who were stationed in Valenwood , Elsweyr and Alinor . An unknown period of time after these events , the Dominion dispatched an ambassador to the Imperial City , the capital of the Empire , with an ultimatum and a " gift . " The Dominion demanded that Emperor Titus Mede II pay immense tributes to the Dominion , disband the Blades , outlaw the worship of Talos , and cede large portions of Hammerfell , the homeland of the Redguard s , to the Dominion . The Emperor rejected the ultimatum , and the ambassador presented the Dominion ' s gift : hundreds of heads that had come from the executed Blades who were stationed in the Dominion lands . Following the Imperial rejection of the Dominion ' s ultimatum , Dominion military forces , led by Lord Naarifin , invaded Cyrodiil through its border with Elsweyr . Naarifin and his Aldmeri army invaded southeastern Cyrodiil , striking first at the city of Leyawiin . The Dominion caught the Imperial defenders by surprise , and Leyawiin was rapidly captured by Naarifin . Naarifin and his forces then rapidly headed north , cut off Bravil from the rest of Cyrodiil , and besieged it . Bravil fell soon after and all of southern Cyrodiil was in the hands of the Third Aldmeri Dominion . Meanwhile , Lady Arannelya led the Altmer army in the invasion of Hammerfell . Arannelya and her forces crossed through southern Cyrodiil from Valenwood , by - passed the Imperial cities of Anvil and Kvatch , and invaded the coastline of Hammerfell . Reinforced by Aldmeri forces from the Summerset Isles who landed on the coastline of Hammerfell as well , Arannelya ' s forces defeated the weak Redguard resistance and forced the Imperial Legion to retreat across the Alik ' r Desert in the infamous March of Thirst . With the Empire ' s forces reeling , the Dominion turned its attention to the Imperial City . Knowing he could not win the battle outright , Titus II instead ordered a full retreat north before the city could be completely surrounded . The entire 8th Legion was forced to be sacrificed in order to cover this retreat . With no one defending the city , the populace of the capital was then subjected to the infamous Sack of the Imperial City , in which Dominion forces wreaked incredible atrocities on the citizens and began their process of completing a prophecy known as The Culling . Believing themselves victorious , the Thalmor contacted Mede , offering terms of surrender , which Mede used as a diversion while he marshaled his reinforcements for a counterattack . Using the Dominion ' s tactics against them , Mede ' s forces attacked and drove back the occupying Aldmeri forces in Cyrodiil , surrounding the Imperial City within five days in the Battle of the Red Ring . When the city was besieged , Dominion forces attempted to withdraw , but were rebuffed by the Legions surrounding the city led by General Jonna . The entire Dominion force within Cyrodiil was then destroyed . War with Hammerfell . 4E 175 — The Great War ends with the White - Gold Concordat . The Concordat is a peace treaty between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion . The terms of treaty gave the Thalmor free reign to stamp out the worship of Talos throughout the Empire , and ceded a large section of southern Hammerfell . Critics note that these terms are almost identical to the ultimatum that Titus Mede II rejected at the start of the war . It can be noted however that if the Emperor had not agreed to the terms of the treaty , the Dominion would have destroyed the Empire . 4E 175 — Hammerfell leaves the Empire after rejecting the White - Gold Concordat . Titus II renounces Hammerfell as a province of the Empire to preserve the treaty after the Redguard s oppose ceding their lands . The Redguards see this as a betrayal , and a lasting bitterness between Hammerfell and the Empire is sown to the delight of the Thalmor . Hammerfell continues to war with the Aldmeri Dominion for the next five years . 4E 176 — The Aldmeri Dominion hears word of the Markarth Incident and pressures the Empire to enforce the ban on Talos worship stipulated by the White - Gold Concordat by punishing Ulfric Stormcloak and his followers . 4E 180 — The Second Treaty of Stros M ' kai is signed . Having been fought to a standstill by the Redguards , the Aldmeri Dominion completely withdraws from Hammerfell . Skyrim Civil War . 4E 201 — Agents of the high elven Aldmeri Dominion are known as Thalmor . They maintain an embassy in Skyrim , and have been known to secretly capture and imprison any Nords who question their doctrines or beliefs . Their Justiciars were sent to Skyrim to enforce the White - Gold Concordat . Secretly , they have been instigating conflict between the Empire and the rebel Stormcloaks , directly interfering only in certain instances to keep the Skyrim Civil War going . Government and politics . The Thalmor , as of the Fourth Era , is the governing council of the Third Aldmeri Dominion . As explained by Delphine , the Thalmor are Altmer supremacists who seek to end the Empire and the dominance of man . They also believe that they were the ones who ended the Oblivion Crisis . ' Thalmor ' was the name of the provisional government set up by the Bosmer and the Altmer during the Aldmeri Dominion . They are agents of the Aldmeri Dominion who investigate and stop any worship of Talos in the Empire . It is commonly believed that the Thalmor would have destroyed the Empire of Tamriel if not for the White - Gold Concordat , which included the removal of Talos from the Pantheon of Gods . However , the Thalmor may too have been as exhausted as the Empire , as they withdrew from Hammerfell five years after the White - Gold Concordat . However , no sources from Thalmor military officials are available to support or deny this claim . The Thalmor claim to be the saviors of Mer , during the Oblivion Crisis . The Thalmor claim they closed the Gates of Oblivion in the Elven lands much like the Champion of Cyrodiil did at Kvatch and Bruma . It was ultimately the sacrifice of Martin Septim that ended the Oblivion Crisis , saving all of Tamriel , including the Elves . Their supremacist ideals likely caused them to consider themselves the Mer saviors , refusing to believe that it was the Champion of Cyrodiil who saved them . Religion . The Altmeri Religion forms the basis for most of the other religious practices on the continent , primarily due to its widespread acceptance prior to the advent of human civilization . It is generally assumed that the Altmer pantheon derives directly from the original gods of the Aldmer , and was nearly identical to that of the Ayleid that ruled central Tamriel before the Alessian revolt . The Altmer pantheon consists of eight of the Aedra that originally cooperated to form Nirn , the mortal plane . They primarily worship those Aedra which removed themselves from the creation process in time to save their divinity , with a few notable exceptions . As with nearly all Tamrielic religions , they revere Akatosh , whom they call Auri - El , as their chief deity , at least in principle . However , Akatosh , along with the Altmer deities Stendarr and Mara , were part of the creation process until its end , and so were severely weakened from their original form . In practice , the Altmer followed the teachings of Trinimac , the champion deity of the elves , who was still able to physically walk the face of Tamriel during the Mythic Era . Other key divines in their pantheon include Magnus , the source of magic on Tamriel , and Phynaster , the patron god of the Summerset Isle , whom the Altmer claim taught them to live much longer lives ( by taking shorter strides ) . Although they do not revere him as a god , in fact quite the opposite , the Altmer do acknowledge the divinity of Lorkhan , the patron god of man . Much of the early Altmer history involves conflicts between Trinimac and his elves , and Lorkhan and his humans . The Altmer cast Lorkhan as a treacherous , shifty character who tricked the other Aedra into carrying out his plan for creation . As the elves believe themselves to be direct descendants from Akatosh , they blame Lorkhan for the loss of their divinity . ( This is the key difference between human and mer theology : humans consider themselves " creations " of the gods , not " descendants " of the gods . ) Unfortunately for the Altmer , Trinimac disappeared near the end of the Mythic Era ; according to legend , he was eaten by the Daedric Prince Boethiah and reformed into Malacath . The start of the First Era marked the beginning of a sharp decline in Altmer cultural and religious dominance across Tamriel . The Dominion consider the worship of Talos a heresy and as a part of the White - Gold Concordat , they gained power to stamp out and persecute those who worship Talos . Their hatred of Talos is most likely rooted in the fact that the ascent of a man to godhood is in conflict with their notions of the supremacy of mer over man . Also , Talos is integral to the culture and religion of the Nord s . He was a man , born Hjalti Early - Beard , a Dragonborn who was predicted by the Greybeards to defeat the elves and unite Tamriel under the rule of men . The Thalmor thus knew that if the Empire was forced to ban the worship of Talos , many Nords would turn on the Empire . This caused the Stormcloak Rebellion , which served as a distraction from the Thalmor plans to re - ignite the hostilities of the Great War . Society and culture . The Altmer are one of the oldest races on Tamriel , one of the earliest descendants of the original mer race of Aldmer , and from there , through the Ehlnofey to the divine et ' Ada themselves . As a race , they are extremely proud of their Aldmeri heritage , and make a concerted effort to maintain their genetic lineage . Their name translates from the Aldmeri language as High Ones or Cultured Ones , a name which is often interpreted to mean " tall , " or more often , " snobbish . " For their part , the Altmer argue that they are the first true culture on Tamriel , and still the most civilized race , an argument that even human scholars find difficult to refute . The Altmer primarily live in the province of Summerset Isle , a large island off the southwest coast of Tamriel , which shares a border with Valenwood . According to their histories , their Aldmeri ancestors arrived on Summerset Isle after fleeing the catastrophic sinking of their original home continent , Aldmeris . From here , splinter groups of Aldmer spread throughout Tamriel , but the Altmer remained on the Isles , acting as the nominal head of the empire of meri nations on Tamriel . For most of the Mythic Era , the other races of elves on Tamriel acknowledged the Altmeri king as their own ruler , a practice which persisted until the founding of the Camoran Dynasty in Valenwood , which marked the start of the First Era , and the beginning of the decline of Altmer - dominated Tamriel . Their influence is still felt across the continent , however , as their culture forms the basis for the religion , language , and even architecture of the Cyrodiil ic Empire . Any opposition to Thalmor rule is harshly punished . In 4E 42 , Thalmor agents attacked Altmer dissidents who had fled to Sentinel in an event known as the Night of Green Fire , due to the magical attacks employed . By the time Imperial legion forces arrived , the refugee district of the city had been destroyed , and the dissidents were all killed . Interactions . The Thalmor agents are active throughout Skyrim and can be encountered in several ways . Initially , the Thalmor are not hostile to the Dragonborn and will only attack when provoked . However , provocation includes the persistent questioning of the Aldmeri policy outlawing Talos worship or outright admission of the worship of Talos . Thalmor patrols can be encountered along the major roadways and usually consist of one Thalmor Justiciar and three bodyguards . The Thalmor are still in operation and in charge of Northwatch Keep . An advisor named Ancano was sent to the College of Winterhold to oversee its studies . During his stay , Ancano attempts to absorb the power of the Eye of Magnus , killing the Arch - Mage and the Master Wizard , as well as attacking Winterhold with Magic Anomalies in the process . The Dragonborn , armed with the Staff of Magnus , must end the endeavor . In the quest " Diplomatic Immunity , " the Dragonborn must break into the Thalmor Embassy during a party and retrieve information on the Dragons , and indirectly , Esbern . With the help of Delphine and a Wood Elf named Malborn , the Dragonborn obtains dossiers on the remaining Blades and Ulfric Stormcloak , in which is implied a deeper , sinister motive for their presence in Skyrim . While the Thalmor don ' t know about the reasons of the Dragons ' return , they do know about Esbern , who does . After freeing a tortured prisoner and saving Malborn from the Thalmor , the Dragonborn can escape and search for Esbern in Riften . There is a quest given to the Dragonborn by Ondolemar in Understone Keep in Markarth , where he asks them to find evidence of Talos worship in Ogmund ' s House .