Sybille Stentor... the court wizard in Solitude.
She has some interesting points to make about the whole civil war situation and the events that started it. While for the most part, the various NPCs of Skyrim seem either to have pointless biases one way or another, or don't express any opinion at all, she seems to at least be able to make valid points without even outright expressing bias.
I won't go spoiling what she says, but it is probably worth having a talk to her about it. She makes a few points in particular which aren't immediately intuitive.

While I still side with the Stormcloaks much as I ever did, I can understand the trepidation guiding the hands of the imperialists a bit better now.

She is interesting. I've talked to her before but I'm still on the Stormcloaks side.

Those Imperials are murderous brutes, have you notice that? Talk to this one guy in Riften. He'll explain what happened to his daughter. Makes me sad...

Things have taken a few unfortunate turns, and people have made some rather iffy decisions... but going forwards, it really is best for the Stormcloaks to win the civil war. The way of the empire will only lead to stagnation. Ultimately, the greater the proportion of countries that gain their independence and can later stand united against the Aldmeri Dominion, the better. The imperials already lost that battle, but it needn't mean that everyone else should as well.

Long Live The Empire.
Look maybe there are some sacrifices but for a stable empire to form it's needed.
And now from the TES novel I'm reading:
"It's not that" she said "i just-there was justice under the empire. there was honor."

So yes , I'm going for every action and decision of the empire blindly.

But the Empire has lost any sort of honour when it signed the White-Gold Concordat, now it's nothing but a puppet of the Altmeri Dominion. At least the Stormcloaks stick to their cause, which is a Skyrim free of the Dominion, where honour will reign again.

Yet I believe the Empire will regain the power and the honor with time, it must to.

Maybe there was. Once.
There definitely isn't any more.
The empire has been around too long, and if it has served any purpose, it was to deplete the Aldmeri forces before finally losing.
It is all but dead now though. And so, it falls to other, independent forces to slough off the corpse of the old rule, then fight off the Dominion while it is still recovering.

The Stormcloaks would be steamrolled easy by any Aldmeri Dominion attack on Skyrim.

The Empire, though? Who knows?

Well , I guess the continent won't agree that a bunch of animal wearing barbarians will take care of it.

Nay, the Impire is as strong as any other faction, in fact still stronger than most, which is why it's wise to side with the empire. You can't blame the empire as a whole because of a few rotten apples. The stormcloaks have their fair share of ignorant individuals. The true enemy is the Aldmeri Dominian, and they are strong. They love the fact that there is a civil war among the humans. Ulfric picked a rather bad time to wage his self righteous war against the empire when the Aldmeri are ready for a second strike against HUMANS. The empire has the most resources and ability to fight off the high elves, and that's why these stormcloaks must be crushed quickly if they can't come to their senses.

I agree with every word you say.

This.
you sir, deserve a cookie.

Nope, a bunch of sissies wearing skirts "armor" will. Hurray, we're delivered!

The Stormcloaks may be steamrolled by the elves if by themselves, but if they stand with Hammerfell and the growing number of other seceding provinces, they'll be more powerful than the obsolete old Empire could ever hope to be. That is the only means by which humanity will have a hope of survival.

if the empire had an emporer rather than some spinless fool then i would be inclined to agree, but mede gave up when he knew full well there was no chance they could be ready for the next attack. the thalmor have people watching every move the empire and slaves (which is jsut skyrim at this point? everyone else left, rgiht?) makes and they kill off anyone who could be a threat, there is no possible way the empire could hope to prepare for the next attack from the dominion, the emprie out-right doomed nirn. if the natural order of things went unchanged (and it wont, some god or hero will step in and change the entire war-effort on his/her own, thats how it works in TES) then there would be no way humanity could even survive because of the empire and it's weak leader.

My skirt is stronger than your rucksack stormcloak cuirass...

Unfortunate. A light of truth.

Even a different Empire?

Just because a different dynasty is there does not mean failure. It only is change. Are you against change?

And how exactly would this happen? The same Dominion who lost most of its invasion force? The same one who's biggest army wasn't able to defeat the Redguards? What will make their chance with Skyrim, another barren wasteland, any higher with further depleted resources? The only province the Dominion has a chance of steamrolling is Cyrodiil.

Haven't made my way to Solitude yet, but I'll definitely check her out! Love talking to mages anyways =p

Now that's what I call jumping-accusations. You support the Thalmor, are you an anti-social misanthrope in real life?

Sybille Stentor... vile woman...

Hammerfell did just fine, and they're quite similar to the Nords. I think Stormcloaks are better than the Empire, though, I'm not very fond of the Empire. =/

Long live the Dominion.


There's no way that the Stormcloaks could ever defeat the Dominion, not with as many allies as it has.