Quote Originally Posted by Resileaf View Post
Yeah, exactly this. The Thalmor have to keep up appearances and at least appear normal to their enemies lest their appearance be seen as a threat right away. There are so few of them in Skyrim anyway that it would be mighty suspicious if elite troops showed up to protect what seems to just be a tiny embassy.
I would also not be surprised if Skyrim is not a prestigious posting by Thalmor standards, so what we're seeing is probably a mix of people who have to be there for their long term goals (like Elenwen) and people who are too low-ranking or otherwise in disgrace to get out of going (like the average foot-soldier).