The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Stormcloaks or Imperials?

Anyone who has played the popular video game Skyrim is familiar with the controversial debate of which side of the war to fight for. For reference, Skyrim is a country in the Elder Scrolls universe inspired by medieval northern Europe. During the time the game is set in, Skyrim is at the very beginning of a brutal civil war. Here’s the breakdown of what happened:

During the Great War between the Empire, the center of which was the country Cyrodiil and the Thalmor, a supremacist regime of High Elves from the Summerset Isle, the Empire lost after a crippling attack on the Imperial City. In an act of desperation to prevent total annihilation, the Empire reluctantly signed a treaty with the Aldmeri Dominion called the “White Gold Concordat.” The concordat forced the Empire to give up a significant portion of Hammerfell, another country, to ban the worship of Talos on the nine divines of the predominant religion. 

Now, not only does this weaken the power of the Empire more than it already had from the “Oblivion Crisis” and subsequent conflicts (which deserves its own book, let alone another article), but it also significantly oppresses the basic human rights of the inhabitants of Skyrim. Particularly their religious freedom to worship the god Talos, a hero who rose to godhood after conquering all the countries that created the Empire. One leader in Skyrim, Ulfric Stormcloak, rebelled against the Empire to gain independence and take the fight to the Thalmor. 

In actual gameplay, the player must choose which army to fight with—the “Stormcloaks” or the “Imperials.” Within the first five minutes of the game, players are forced to take shelter from a dragon attacking the town of Helgen with either an Imperial soldier, who had just reluctantly sent you to be executed, or a Stormcloak soldier, about to go to the chopping block alongside you. 

The choice of which side of the war to fight for is, shall we say, a bit controversial. 

Many players support the Stormcloaks, and for good reason—first of all, the basic human rights of the citizens have been violated, specifically the right to worship the hero-god Talos, an important figure in Skyrim’s history; however, the worship of Talos is completely forbidden in Skyrim by the Thalmor. The “Temple of the Divines,” the heart of worship, and religious exercise in Skyrim, was forced to remove shrines to their god within the sanctuary. Worshipers of Talos are forced to hide their worship, keeping amulets of Talos in their homes or rooms, offering sacrifices to him outside of the cities to shrines hidden in the wilderness. Thalmor representatives scour Skyrim looking for “Talos-worshippers” in order to arrest them; it is religious persecution at its most extreme. 

However, there is a far more sinister backdrop to the Stormcloak’s cause—a deep-seated hatred and racism towards Elves, especially the High-Elves that conquered The Empire. In the city of Windhelm, the heart of The Stormcloak rebellion, the Elves that live there experience constant racism. Nords (natives of Skyrim) argue and gang up on Elven citizens in the marketplace; drunkards wander the streets of the Gray-Quarter, the slums that the elves are forced to live in, shouting obscenities and insults. When the player stumbles upon Stormcloak soldiers throughout Skyrim, it is not uncommon to hear slurs and racial insults directed toward the Imperial Army. While the Stormcloaks make a strong case for their own independence, their racist ideology makes any arguments or points they have moot.

Now, no one likes supporting the Imperials, not even those who do support the Imperial Army (unless they do for financial reasons). However, those who support the Imperials have some good reasons for it. 

The main reasons that the Stormcloaks oppose the Imperials are not laws, policies, or actions that the Imperials made willingly, but instead were forced to by an oppressive regime that conquered them. It’s the Thalmor that everyone hates, even the Empire. 

However, the Empire lost to the Thalmor, a massive collection of several countries, not just the ones mentioned above. How can the Stormcloaks expect to conquer the Thalmor when even the Empire could not accomplish that? If the Stormcloaks want to defeat the Thalmor, they will need the help of the Empire; they won’t be able to do it on their own. Not to mention, supporting the Stormcloaks also means supporting their extremely harmful racism. 

Now, I personally support the Empire, as it’s the only way that anyone is going todefeat the Thalmor, it is better financially for Skyrim, and they aren’t racist. However, those who support the Stormcloaks represent a more idealist view of the war, which is not something to scoff at. Regardless of which side of the war you choose, don’t let your Skyrim politics get in the way of friendship. That being said, I wish you luck in the civil war, regardless of who you are taking up arms against.