Yes, I know what you're thinking. They put their puppet Queen Nasuada on the throne, and lost at most the upper end of a hundred elves. Meanwhile thousands upon thousands of humans, dwarves and urgals died in battle.
However there is one thing to consider. The elves have two children in Ellesmera and bear new ones at a massively slow rate. Considering how long it takes them to grow up, there probably aren't many more than a few hundred elves to begin with. Maybe a thousand.
The thousands of humans who die will be replaced in a few generations. Humans are nothing if not good at multiplying. The a little less than a hundred elves who died, on the other hand, will take thousands upon thousands of years to even partially be replaced. And in that time the other races will have more than made up the difference.
This is why Elvish dominance over the dragonriders was absolutely essential. As long as they controlled the dragonriders they could keep the rest of Alaegasia stagnant and beaten down. Once they stopped being the dominant race simple math dictates that they will soon be overwhelmed.
Yes they have nominally established a new dragon rider order under Eragon, but Eragon isn't in Alaegasia and is dumb as a box of hammers. Nasuada is supremely incompetent and has offended most of her allies in the process of taking power. I give Nasuada a few years before the fallout from her destructive rampage causes her to fall from power. In all likelihood Orrin would then take power, and would probably negotiate peace with the other nations since nobody except the elves wants a war. From there all he has to do is invite Murtagh to come back and help him keep order and then accidentally on purpose arrange for Murtagh to start training any human dragon riders who the eggs hatch for and just like that Eragon is cut out of the picture.
In essence the victories attained by the elves is entirely temporary. The best case scenario for them is to cause enough mass death among the mortal races to stave off their inevitable destruction at the hands of the superior, non stagnant species of Alagaesia.
Just for the record, I always play Imperial Guard.
FOR THE EMPEROR!!
However there is one thing to consider. The elves have two children in Ellesmera and bear new ones at a massively slow rate. Considering how long it takes them to grow up, there probably aren't many more than a few hundred elves to begin with. Maybe a thousand.
The thousands of humans who die will be replaced in a few generations. Humans are nothing if not good at multiplying. The a little less than a hundred elves who died, on the other hand, will take thousands upon thousands of years to even partially be replaced. And in that time the other races will have more than made up the difference.
This is why Elvish dominance over the dragonriders was absolutely essential. As long as they controlled the dragonriders they could keep the rest of Alaegasia stagnant and beaten down. Once they stopped being the dominant race simple math dictates that they will soon be overwhelmed.
Yes they have nominally established a new dragon rider order under Eragon, but Eragon isn't in Alaegasia and is dumb as a box of hammers. Nasuada is supremely incompetent and has offended most of her allies in the process of taking power. I give Nasuada a few years before the fallout from her destructive rampage causes her to fall from power. In all likelihood Orrin would then take power, and would probably negotiate peace with the other nations since nobody except the elves wants a war. From there all he has to do is invite Murtagh to come back and help him keep order and then accidentally on purpose arrange for Murtagh to start training any human dragon riders who the eggs hatch for and just like that Eragon is cut out of the picture.
In essence the victories attained by the elves is entirely temporary. The best case scenario for them is to cause enough mass death among the mortal races to stave off their inevitable destruction at the hands of the superior, non stagnant species of Alagaesia.
Just for the record, I always play Imperial Guard.
FOR THE EMPEROR!!