"Operational Notes: Direct contact remains a possibility (under extreme circumstances), but in general the asset should be considered dormant. As long as the civil war proceeds in its current indecisive fashion, we should remain hands-off. The incident at Helgen is an example where an exception had to be made - obviously Ulfric's death would have dramatically increased the chance of an Imperial victory and thus harmed our overall position in Skyrim." -Operational Notes, Thalmor Dossier on Ulfric Stormcloak He was a "hands-off" asset who was used by the Thalmor to cause problems for the Empire. The Thalmor knew that an all out war with the Empire would result in countless amounts of deaths and therefore needed a third party to intervene to whittle down Imperial forces without causing a decisive victory on either side. At this point the thread is venturing heavily into the 'spoilers' territory, but it's an interesting topic to say the least. Frankly, I feel that the Stormcloaks never make a case for why they should control Skyrim. They're a couple of whiny brats, in my honest opinion, who forget that the Empire needs their help to stop the Thalmor.
