Thread by @KaiserLoengramm

Skyrim was released as one of the definitive RPGs 14 years to this day. Who you decided to back in the Skyrim civil war shows where your political instincts lie. Here is why the Stormcloaks were in the right, and how Ulfric would Make Skyrim Great Again. A 🧵

To layout the background, the White Gold Concordant of the Great War is integral to understand. The Empire and the High Elves fought a war in which the Empire lost, and in the concordant banned the worship of Talos. Talos was the first Emperor of Tamriel, who ascended to godhood, and whom the elves hated.

In their victory they banned all worship of him as a god. The Empire, in their weakness, capitulated and agreed 26 years prior to the start of Skyrim. It is in this war that Ulfric Stormcloak was forged to be the ruler of Skyrim.

Ulfric had trained to be a monk with the grey beards, learning their magic of the Thuum, but when the Great War broke out he felt compelled to fight to preserve the Empire. During the course of this he lost friends, lost battles, till eventually he was captured by the Elves, and the Empire defeated. He was tortured and broken by them, but eventually released.

The most controversial aspect is that the Thalmor created a dossier on him which claims that Ulfric is a Thalmor asset. However, the context is not that he is controlled by them. Rather, it lays out specifically that Ulfric in so far as he causes disruption to Skyrim is beneficial, but that a Stormcloak victory would not be in Thalmor interests. From there, Ulfric leaves and goes to Markarth, a province under siege in Skyrim.

Markarth was captured by the Reachmen, nature worshipping Bretons who took over the city in the midst of the Great War. Ulfric raised a militia and made a deal with both the Empire and the local Nord rulers of Markarth that should he be successful, that Talos worship would once more be legal.

Ulfric won, freed the city, at the cost of blood. However, the Empire rescinded on their agreement, and arrested Ulfric. One of the most common arguments against the Stormcloaks is that the Empire is necessary to ultimately defeat the Thalmor.

However, they showed time and time again, most particularly here that they are cowards who would sign away piety to hold a weakened throne, would allow the Thalmor to march through the land on witch hunts against Thalmor worship, and while they would hold strongly to a deal with elves, would betray the Nordic people in a heartbeat under the slightest pressure.

While once more imprisoned, this time at the hands of the Empire he fought and bled for twice over, Ulfrics father Hoag would die. Ulfric was only able to deliver his eulogy via a smuggled letter from prison. Upon his return to Windhelm, Ulfric was elected Jarl.

Some years after holding this position, Ulfric would challenge Torygg to a duel for the status of High King of Skyrim, in accordance with Skyrims traditions. The only consequence to Torygg would be the trigger of an election to high king upon declining, which Ulfric would likely win, just as he would the duel. Torygg accepts the duel, and is swiftly killed by Ulfric using his Thuum, the power of the shout.

Legally, Ulfric did absolutely nothing wrong and nothing says that he could not use what power he had in fighting to the death. However, the officials of Solitude ignore all tradition and law and attempt to arrest Ulfric for murder. He is forced to flee back to Windhelm, where the civil war then truly begins.

Those who take issue with Ulfric wielding what power he has as “unfair” show here most plainly how they fail to understand what is at hand. Why, in a fight to the death, does it not make sense to use all tools at your disposal for victory?

In defending this idea, they then throw out all validity of the legal tradition itself, and attempt to completely invalidate it by executing Ulfric for a legally justified act, all to keep Skyrim weak and curtailed under the heel of the Empire which itself is under the heel of the Thalmor.

The Stormcloak rebellion rages for several years, until we get to the start of the game. You, the character, have been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time alongside Ulfric and several Stormcloaks, and are about to be summarily executed without a trial.

The Stormcloaks attempt to comfort you, even though they know the truth of the matter which is that you are not one of them. The imperials are ready to simply chop your head off, when the arrival of a dragon interrupts everything and allows an escape, where you are assisted primarily by a Stormcloak who tries to keep you alive even though you are not one of them.

On a personal level, how can you possibly take the side whom with your only interaction is that they will kill you for absolutely nothing?

You as the player get to choose a side in the civil war, and whoever you pick will ultimately be the winner. The Stormcloaks are Nordic Nationalists who believe Skyrim is for the Nords. One of their beliefs is they are sick of seeing dark elf and Khajiit immigration.

This is often objected to as being racist, but the people that are coming in are not their best. They are sending people that have lots of problems, and they bring those problems to Skyrim. They bring drugs. They bring crime. They’re rapists. Some, I assume, are good people. But a handful of good ones is no excuse to allow the Nords to be demographically replaced in their own nation.

Once more, the Stormcloaks are also religiously pious. They seek to worship the god Talos, the first emperor who became ascendant. The Empire would rather ban and enforce that ban against worship to appease the Thalmor. It might be said that rebelling against the Empire that Talos created is a betrayal of Talos, but the empire that betrayed him first is unworthy of that man. Thus, the Stormcloaks are in the right here as well.

Another objection raised is that Skyrim cannot stand alone against the Thalmor. Anyone who says this fails utterly at basic geo politics. The elves are based out of the Summerset Isles. The most damning is that Hammerfell already fought and won a war against them for independence, thus cutting off that route.

High Rock is an imperial province, but an independent Skyrim would allow it to become independent or subjugated by Skyrim. The only way the Thalmor could invade in the first place is with Imperial assistance in Cyrodil, which if they were willing to do that, shows these people would simply never oppose the Aldmeri to begin with. Skyrim can hold alone.

With all of this in mind, even as a child playing this game I intrinsically knew the Stormcloaks were right. They fight for a free Skyrim. They fight for a hero of their people, Ulfric, who proved himself with his willingness to put himself on the front line time and time again. Skyrim is for the Nords. Make Skyrim Great Again.

@threadreaderapp unroll