Why you should join the Stormcloaks.

[Lachdonin]

The Empire was the reason they couldn't openly worship Talos, because it was the Empire that negotiated that right away from the people. Hammerfell chose to keep fighting, the Empire chose to basically surrender.

 

People seem to forget that the heirarchy of the Stormcloak leadership were legion soldiers in the Great War - doing the grunt work. Their rebellious roots were sewn by the Empire quitting and making all their sacrifices basically for nothing.

 

Technicly, Hammerfell did not choose to keep fighting. The choice was forced upon them by the Thalmor, because the Empire relinquished all rights to the province. The issue was that the Empire was willing to hand over territories in southren Hammerfell, and the Redguard didn't want to. So the Empire kicked them out, and the Thalmor, knowing the Empire wouldn't intervene, re-invaded Hammerfell. The irony, of course, being that the territories the Redguard did not want to relinquish are not basically uninhabitable.

 

Second, we don't know that the Embare sacrificed something for nothing. The only terms of the White Gold Concordant that we hvae been told were the ban on Talos worship (which the Empire didn't inforce for at least a decade) and the transfer of Hammerfell land. You cannot assume that those two terms constitute the entiety of the treaty, just like you cannot assume that the 3-4 pages of text in each book constitutes the entire volume.

[fraquar]

Empire relinquished all rights to the province because Hammerfell refused to accept the terms of the White Gold Concordat. Hammerfell kept fighting for 5 more years after that before a treaty between them and the Thalmor - which was nowhere near as bad as what they would have had to accept to be a willing Empire participant.

 

Empire sold it's two most important allies in terms of fielding a strong Imperial army down the river.

[Lachdonin]

A discussion for another place, sufficed to say, i dissagree. Still, the point is that Hammerfell did not object to the surrender (which would imply they wanted to keep fighting) but rather the terms of it.

[jhncanson]

Here's why you should join the imperials!..

 

 

I am a dark brotherhood assassin. The quest line of the dark brotherhood suits well after the conclusion of the civil war quest line if you joined the imperials. You would get the quest entitled "To kill an empire". now that is the best conspiracy an assassin could ever conceive. Helping the empire to get the position of a legate, gaining their trust then turning the tables and destroying the empire by striking at their hearts. Now, these 2 quest line may not be connected in game but it does a pretty good sense to me and it keeps my blood pumping. I am the dragonborn, tamriel's most important person and tamriel's most wanted man. Knight in shining armor by day, Shadow-stalker by night.

[bjeet]

Been doing some research (Skyrim is my first experience with Elder Scrolls) and here is what I've found -

 

"In Oblivion, the blood needed to open the portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise was a blood of a divine. The blood used was from Tiber Septim's armor, the only known exisiting Divine artifact, which implies that Tiber Septim indeed became a god.

The fact that Talos isn't present in Sovngarde and that Shrines of Talos and Amulets of Talos have legitimate effects implies that Talos is in fact a god." - The Elder Scrolls Wiki

 

Now the Thalmor deny that he is a God but the evidence is clearly against they position. The Thalmors aren't idiots and there position on this point leaves only one conclusion - it is a plot to weaken the Empire so that they can rule over it and the Nords have fallen for it. Banning the worship of Talos isn't the end towards which the Thalmor have been working, it is simply a means to weaken the Empire from within. While the Empire is busy with internal conflict the Thalmor have been (probably) preparing for another invasion.

Its just a game but if you do want to pick sides based on something more that personal whim consider the following -

Ulfric's vision of Skyrim (same as Hitler's vision of Germany) doesn't necessarily mean they will be able to match the Thalmor army. Without trade with the Empie and given their lack of magic skills they will prove to be easy targets. Ulfric is a charismatic leader, a true Nord warrior but he is not

'Ysmir, Dragon of the North', he is too biased and short-sighted to go all the way. A unified Empire is the best hope against the Thalmor as things stand now.

[alsoran]

if the Stormcloaks defeated the Imperials, could they hold off the Thalmor?

[fraquar]

Dude, lay off the Hitler comparison. Seriously, the only genocide you see in Skyrim is the result of the Thalmor, at the Empire's invitation.

 

Seriously, you really think Ulfric signed the treaty and invited the Thalmor to butcher the worshippers at the Talos shrine in Falkreath? You think that was a Stormcloak massacre?

 

Seriously, you really think Ulfric has Nords dressed up in Imperial garb capturing his own troops to take them to get tortured?

 

Lol,

[AnimeOtaku102]

There's a limit to how much can be discussed about this subject in the no-spoilers section, but Ulfric is not the paragon of freedom and the Empire is not the oppressive tyranny you're making it out to be.

 

The Empire isn't perfect, but neither is Ulfric, and neither are innocent of being used by the Thalmor.

[Lachdonin]

Dude, lay off the Hitler comparison. Seriously, the only genocide you see in Skyrim is the result of the Thalmor, at the Empire's invitation.

 

Seriously, you really think Ulfric signed the treaty and invited the Thalmor to butcher the worshippers at the Talos shrine in Falkreath? You think that was a Stormcloak massacre?

 

Seriously, you really think Ulfric has Nords dressed up in Imperial garb capturing his own troops to take them to get tortured?

 

Lol,

 

*sigh* Again, thats not correct. There is no genocide being commited by the Thalmor. Rounding up and executing religious dissidants does not constitute genocide. It's religious prosecution, yes, but not genocide. Neither is anything the Stormcloaks are doing, but the point remains. Genocide was the All Flags Navy trying to annihilate the Sload.

 

Second, it was Ulfric's boisterous rejection of the Concordant's Talos Ban which brought the Thalmor inquisition to Skyrim. It's made very clear that before the rebellion, there was no enforcement of the ban. That makes the rebels causally responsible for the inquisition. There are also indications that Ulfric's fuss over the whole thing was caused by his suceptability to Thalmor influance, meaning he would be ethically responsible as well.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Lachdonin

[jhncanson]

Is it safe to assume that ulfric stormcloak made a pact with the thalmors for power? I mean, it was only the empire the stormcloaks are up against, although it was the thalmor who demanded ban of talos worshipping but i have never seen the thalmor personally deal with the matter. It maybe a plot to destroy the empire from within by sabotaging its states. Not that i have solid proofs, but im just laying out the possibilities.