Hey! Listen!

In the civil war quest line, you get to choose who you want to join with, the Imperials or the Stormcloaks.

The Stormcloaks believe that Skyrim belongs to the Nords, and Nords should rule it. They are pretty racist and distrust anyone who isn’t a Nord. Most of all, they want the freedom to Worship Talos, and the Empire forbids it under plenty of death.

The Imperials are from Empire just South of Skyrim. They are beholden to a Pact with the High Elves to forbid the worship of Talos. While the High Elves are also pretty racist, the Empire has a stronger sense of equality among the races.

In short:

Empire- Racial Equality, Continental Unity, and Strict Religious Persecution

Stormcloaks- Nord Supremacy, Anti-colonization, and Religious Freedom

When you first played, what side to you ally with? Was it based on any personal convictions?

As a religious person, I sympathized with the Stormcloaks desire for Religious freedom, but ultimately sided with the Empire for my run (and just killed all the Thalmor agents I could find) because of the attitude of the Stormcloaks.

Idk, just thinking if non-religious people ever sided with the Stormcloaks right away, or if it was ever done out of wanting to see the other side.

When I first played Skyrim, I was VERY much a Stormcloak sympathiser, I put it down to the fact I was young & saw the Empire as the enemy bc they tried to kill me lmao.

But as ive gotten older im very much down the middle. The banning of Talos worship echoes the persecution of Catholics in Scotland; their whole fight also reminds me a lot of the fight for Scottish independence.

And as someone who's Scottish & from a catholic background, a lot of their talking points hit home. Well, at least until they start spouting racist rhetoric about Dark Elves and Argonians & the like.

the third prince 🌞

— (keli)

.