Addai67 wrote...
greengoron89 wrote...
I just don't feel right about cutting the Empire out of the loop right now - it makes my Spidey senses tingle big time. I certainly don't approve of everything the Empire has done, but the Stormcloaks don't feel like the right pick anymore - they're too hot-headed and Nord-centric. I mean, just as soon as the Civil War is over, they're gearing up for a war with the Dominion, and it's just too soon for that - and without inspiring a little loyalty from the other races of Skyrim, that army they're training won't last long even if an alliance with Hammerfell is formed.
Sorry, but when the Great War, part deux comes around, the different nations must stand together - and even with all that's been allowed to happen, the Empire is still the best bet for that. Even Hammerfell and Skyrim will have to see that when the house of cards that is the White-Gold Concordat falls apart and the war reignites.
They should be gearing up- Skyrim needs to be on martial footing. However Ulfric says that his biggest worry is that the Dominion will strike before they're ready, so he knows they aren't there yet.
The empire is gone, and good riddance. Cyrodiil being so weak has done nothing but lead humanity further down the path of Dominion control as they flail around, using their provinces as bartering chips to save themselves. I agree that the non-aligned nations need to work together, but they can do that best when they're free of a dying, corrupt imperial government.
Both the Empire and Stormcloaks despise the Thalmor - they're both just approaching the situation in different ways, and I can understand and sympathize with both sides.
But in the end, this is a case of better the devil you know than the devil you don't - my instincts are telling me that siding with Ulfric is a mistake. Defeating the Aldmeri Dominion requires a high level of patience and temperance that the Stormcloaks lack, and also an ability to play nice with other races (which the Stormcloaks also lack).
I don't like the Empire's arrangement with the Thalmor or going turncoat on my former comrades, but it's a necessary evil - the Empire must live, no what condition it might be in at the moment. It has to rebuild and prepare itself accordingly for the inevitable failure of the White-Gold Concordat, and it can only do that if Skyrim remains an Imperial province.
This is a sudden and surprising change of heart for me, but I can no longer in good conscience support the Stormcloaks, knowing the huge risks involved with doing so. I'll be heading to Solitude to join the Legion - a united Empire is better for everyone (LOL).