On one hand the Imperials are fighting to keep intact, the empire he built and the empire his family, have ruled for for hundreds of years. While on the other hand the Stormcloaks, are fighting because the worship of Talos is banned, due to the white gold concordat after the great war. However, you can say and its even suggested, that Ulfric just wants to be high king and only wants power.

Everybody wants power; it's what you do with that power what truly defines you.

I don't think Talos cares much either way, to be honest. If Mark Kirkbridge's list over the most powerful entities in TES is correct he is the most powerful one and he have supposedly achieved CHIM. I have seen speculation that with CHIM the banning of the worship of him won't make much of a difference on him in terms of power or ability to sustain the world. Of course, an avatar of Talos said the Empire was getting old, so there is that.

He's too busy being... you know... Talos

That means he's probably Stormcloak.

You did meet an avatar of Talos in Morrowind and he let you know quite clearly that he thinks the empire's time is up. This was 200 years before the events of Skyrim.

It could also be said that Ulfric has already been captured by his enemies three times, even with the ability to use Thu'um.

Talos might consider him a weakling.

What he meant was the Septim line, the empire he was an actual part of, is almost gone. He likely didn't mean empires in general. I'm sure there were probably people in the past in that world that thought once the other empires were gone there would be no others too but that was wrong.

It could also be said Ulfric survived three times being captured by his enemies.


No, he meant the Empire as a whole, and there aren't second thoughts about that. He also says it's time to try "something new", and just a change of families can be hardly considered "something new".

It could also be said I killed Ulfric with a sweetroll. Try to figure that one out

No, he meant the septim empire. Unless you have definitive proof he meant every Imperial empire from here on out? Sure he might have said it's time for something new but that didn't happen. There was a time after witnessing Martin die in Oblivion that I thought that some new form of government might spring fourth for Tamriel too, but I was wrong with the Mede empire.There may not always be empires (though to be honest for this world/game series I hope there will be) but my guess is there will be for at least a few more centuries.

On the other hand though, maybe your point is why there was barely any new lore for the Mede line so far but we will have to see.

Well the Empire isn't the same which was built by Tiber Septim. It is just a part of it just like are Aldmeri Dominion, independent Hammerfell and independent Black Marsh or independent Skyrim. The Empire carries the same name as does the previous one before Mede claimed the throne. But same name doesn't make it to be the same. It's just like in real world was The Holy Roman Empire which carried the name of previous Rome but was only a medieval kingdom which contained German and Italy.

Maybe, but I would hardly call independent Skyrim something new. The only change that comes with the defeat of the Legionnaires in Skyrim would be the re-establishment of the old kingdom. The problem I see with Wulf is that he doesn't seem to take height for the changes in the political situation in Tamriel.