Let us imagine that whatever nation you live in is divided into 7 very distinct states with unique culture. They may have joined voluntarily or may have been conquered under the universal rule of Might Makes Right. This country's name is called The Federation.

Lets imagine that you are very religious and have an uncompromising love for your God.

Your nation has an unfriendly neighbor that your government has underestimated, and that neighbor is named The Republic.


Through diplomacy, the Republic turned one of the Federation's states against them, and that state went back to it's old political structure and cultural ways. The populous the ex-state is pretty happy. The Federation does not attempt to retain or retake that state.


Later, the Republic invades the Federation and catches them by surprise, despite having the most extensive and powerful intelligence network in the world. The Republic performs far better than expected and actually captures the Federation's capital city. Though later the Federation eventually drives back and destroys the main Republic force, they surrender one of their states to the Federation, agree to legalize religious persecution of its people, release the secret identities of all of its agents, allowing for their wholesale slaughter.

The state surrendered to the Republic subsequently declares independence fights on alone to eventually drive out the Republic forces.


The state that you live in, which is primarily victimized by religious persecution, are having its religious followers hunted down and murdered. The Federation is doing nothing to stop it.


There is a growing movement in your state, a strong resistance force they promise religious freedom and independence from the "crumbling Federation". They lawfully acquire the authority to lead the state. This legal acquisition just happens to require the death of one man, which is a consensual agreement. This may seem archaic to you but this honestly isn't any less "fair" than a father handing his son the keys to an empire.


The Federation declares the acquisition of power illegal and declares the new leader a murderer, even though the Federation does not have legal right to decide who is the leader of a member state.


It ultimately results in a civil war between the Federation regular army, and the state's resistance movement. The state's resistance movement turns out to be more powerful than anyone would have expected and gives as good as it gets.


Both the resistance and the Federation require YOU in order to achieve victory.

What do you do?

Considering that the resistance and its leader forces my people into ghettos and bans them from living within the city walls, the choice is clear.

Also considering that the "federation" has only formally banned the worship and had done nothing to follow the persecution through or at least until the "resistance" decided to throw a tantrum which then brought the attention of the "republic", I also see a clear answer

Its terribly hypocritical, holier-than-thou, and most importantly, degenerative, for the Republic, seeing as how the Republic treat their own people and other races, attempting to condone and judge how the Federation are governing their people, then to make matters worse, invading and starting a bitter and spiteful fueled revolution.

Drink milk?

This unholy run-on sentence is incomprehensible.

You act as though the Thalmor are enemies. They are not. They wish only to promote peace through any means. Pragmatic, yes, but highly effective.

Tiber Septim was not a Divine, merely just a skilled individual who was very successful.

A mortal cannot be an Aedra.

So killing all non-Mer races and anyone who worships Talos and just because they don't like you is considered promoting peace?

None of the sides are really bad, they both have there reasons.
I really only went for the stormcloaks because:

1. The thalmor pissed me off
2. I played oblivion and morrowind, which really got me to know a lot about the Septim family (Uriel and Martin). And just by playing that game I felt very close with the septim family, so when i heard the imperials banned Talos worship (Talos is Tiber septim to those who dont know, you can also call him Akatosh). The choice was very clear for me.

About half way through the civil war quest line, I was starting to regret my decisions, and then I was getting mixed feelings about both factions, then I realized they were all good people with different reason