Who are the good guys in Skyrim?

[Lawllerskater]

The Imperials tried to kill me, and the Stormcloaks are fascists.

Though honestly, when it boils down to it, I think I prefer the Imperials. They're more of a misguided and corrupt group, rather than full on racist asshole fascists.

 

[Battedjack]

it depends on your view of the situaton. at a glance it appears as if the stormcloaks are the correct choice, because it seems as if the imperials are trying to suppress the worship of talos, just so they can avoid the cost of another war with the aldameri dominion, but upon a closer look, you realize that the imperials are actually trying protect skyrim from the aldemeri dominion, and the stormcloaks are actually discriminating against innocent argonians, khajjits, and, worst of all, dark elves, by arranging them into slums, or not even letting them int the city. so, its freedom, at a large cost.

 

[Kimarous]

A simular quest comes to mind, finding the missiing woman in whiterun, she claims to be on the run from assassins, they claim she's a traitor, there isnt any definable proof either way, i guess if you have enough time you could create two diametricly opposed characters and join both factions?

I felt the people coming after Sadiaa were the lairs because they are paying bandits for a hideout in order to find her if she was really a theft bad person as they say wouldn't they want to try going through proper channels with the town guard?

Um, they DID try going through "proper channels" and they were told that they weren't welcome in Whiterun. One tried to get in regardless and was tossed in jail for it, and even after you pay his fine, they still don't let him out. Maybe it was the guards being jerks, maybe it's some Imperial/Skyrim policy to oppose Hammerfell for going independent, or perhaps it's their supposed Thalmor association that is keeping them out. We don't know for sure, but we do know they did indeed approach the town guard and got rejected.

 

[TheTim]

I Compare it to the American Revolution basically. Both have an equally justified reason for their motives. So its either or. But im a patriot so i say Stormcloaks.

 

[brodie21]

both sides have their good traits and their flaws. i chose to wander and ask people and collect info and i chose the empire because fuck the aldmeri dominion. they are tools. the empire is stronger with skyrim than separated

 

[A Marcotte]

Stormcloaks, though bigoted, are only guilty of letting the guy who can do the best Bill O'Reilly impression (TALK LOUD OVER YOU) take the talking stick. Racism is everywhere in Skyrim, and frankly, the Nords have every right to feel threatened, insulted, and angry at anybody that isn't a Nord, who isn't trying to help oust homeland invaders. Nords have long memories and hold grudges very well, which might be their downfall.

The Empire, on the other hand, had a broader vision at one point. They've been shaven down to a worthless and sad caricature of their former selves by an oppressive, looming regime, spread thin and ragged. They are allowed to simply exist by the whim of their cruel masters, and nothing else. They are puppets who lack the strength and have naught but broken convictions and numbers, to call them Evil as a whole is only partly correct. What the Empire used to stand for was to some degree, a touch villainous, and yet, so childish to think that all they saw was theirs to own. (Yes, the Empire is strong, but the weakness I speak of is their spirit and loss of integrity.)

The citizens of Skyrim, as mentioned earlier in the thread, the strugglers and those making ends barely meet, the Jarls who concern themselves not with women and mead, but the smaller rural areas adjoining their lands being easy targets to dragons - these are the good guys.

And, of course, Parthunaxx. If there is any true good in this game, it's him. None of us can truly know what it's like to be born fully sentient -and- with an inborn desire for power and to do wrong, nor the sense of elation coming from overcoming that kind of mountainous internal opposition, so that others might follow in his example, and search within to find their own greater good and responsibility with great power. He understands that his power is terrible and dangerous, he truly feels sorrow for the wrath of his Shout and attempts to instill that responsibility unto the Dovahkiin.

That essentially makes him like a 20 ton, scaly, Yol-breathing Uncle Benjamin Parker.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

The Greybeards.

Imperials are trying to retain a forceful and bloody hold over a country that clearly doesn't want or need them anymore, yet can't even contain their own.

The Stormcloaks are generally racists who have lent their power to a powerhungry idiot who has traitorous schemes.

So the Greybeards. Basically the elder council of Skyrim. They were as good as you're gonna find.

 

[triggrhappy94]

You would think so, but...

The forsworn

Sorry, couldn't resist.

EDIT:
Actually the argonians (they're always right, by the way)
They used the hist to call their brothers back to the homeland during the Oblivion crisis, and successfully fought off the deadric on their own. Then in the few years following the crisis they succesfully invaded southern Morrowind and secessed from the Empire way before it was cool--I'm looking at you elves.

 

[Havzad]

MAJOR SPOILERS
After long and extensive conversations with my friend we both decided the question "which faction was good" wasn't the question anymore, the question was "which faction would hold up a bigger middle finger to the Thalmor".
The way i (and my friend) see it is: war happens, people die, stones are thrown, and wrong is done, you cant do anything about that. but you can do something about the dragons, and you can try to do something about the elves who think everyone who isn't them should probably die and are reviving dragons! they are the problems! the civil war between the storms and the imperials will just be another blip in the TES timeline in another hundred years. But i don't think anyone is forgetting the time the dragons descended and tried to kill everyone.

In the end i chose the Stormcloaks, the Thalmor state a "storm" victory is the worst thing that could happen so i'm riding this storm to the gates of Whiterun and back! Also in this one regard the stormcloaks hatred for the elves can be a good thing, the more people that feel hatred to words the high elves, the more people will be willing to get up and do something about it. Still i feel bad for the dark elves, they have it hard.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Interesting. It's almost as if there was a mildly realistic portrayal of factional morality, where both sides to an argument have both great and awful practices, and both honorable and shady reasons for doing things. Whoa!

Though, really, any group that cares to abandon it's gods in submission of some puny elves can't have much support. While my Argonian has no particular love of either of them (often found to be muttering phrases like "stupid mammals and their petty squabbles"), he thinks the empire to be cowards for bowing to the Thalmor, and finds the Stormcloaks to be ignorant savages who don't understand that things beyond tradition are useful. And let's not get into how he finds the xenophobia and arrogance of the various living mer clans to be pointlessly broken ideas of victory. Call him Machiavellian if you like, but being able to stand face to face with a dragon, decked out in heavy armor, swinging a mace in one hand and freezing the pest solid from the other until it's dead without needing to heal is a much greater end than swinging around a greatsword with ineffectual gusto whilst wearing flamable fur. So what if he made a deal with some dark gods, or mercilessly robs and kills anyone attacking him?

Though, he has taken quite a liking to the Dwemer, and fancies himself a fan of their lost traditions. I like to think that when Skyrim is safe from Alduin, he'll help the scholars find and explore more of their ruins. It just goes to show--the best kind of elf, is a missing elf.

 

[TheVioletBandit]

Out of the two waring factions who do you see as the good guys; the Stormcloaks or the Imperials?

The Mankind. The elves are eeeeeeeeevil ones, much worse than dragons and that's the fact !

Imperial and Stormcloaks ? Former are trying to preserve rotting corpse of useleess union, even at cost of losing independence and becoming slaves to Mer. Latter are manipulated xenophobic rebels without a clue.

I can't fully relate to any side of this conflict, still because of my own history i always was and will be supporter of rebellion instead of perseverance.

P.S.

<youtube=d9Q2wO1zJaA>

I would agree that some of the high elves and dark elves seem a bit evil (mostly the high elves), but there are a lot of different Mer races and those like the wood elves for example don't seem evil at all. Maybe the Stormcloaks and Imperials would be better off working together and fighting the Altmeri dominion, but fighting each other is just stupid.

 

[JesterRaiin]

(snip)
I think that makes logical sence, right? Please reply if you see a flaw. I'm genuinly interested.

There are no flaws only possibilities.

My overall impression with Skyrim is that it depicts dying world close to its version of Ragnarok. No faction holds real power anymore. Even High Elves are clueless about what is really going on. They succeeded not only because of their superiority, but also thanks to global chaos and instability.

So, at the end there are only two real things in Skyrim. Alduin, the Herald of new Dawn and Dragon's Bane - the Player. Everything else is meaningless. Empires born and die, wars are waged, one races conquers another, eons pass. Nothing really changes. Life flows...

I guess that DragonsBane should stay neutral. His choise lies beyond mundane things.

(snip) fighting each other is just stupid.

Exactly my thoughts, kind sir. I was heartbroken when Queen of Solitude expressed that her late husband really admired Ulfric and wasn't beyond joining his cause if he only asked. It reminds me of our own reality. :|

 

[masticina]

Both sides are jerks

How human really... there is no prince on the white horse versus the black knight riding a demonic red eyed horse. No.. really both sides are jerks!

Very like in real life with you have a war brewing between two groups. Yes how indeed.. jerks Jerks everywhere!

Now how to play this out? Hehehe I leave that up to you but I will be a worse jerk then both sides. Oh and the thalmor... don't expect them to life long. I will cut the heart out of their little bodies.

 

[BlackStar42]

The Stormcloaks are the last good guys in Skyrim. That they're somewhat racist and Ulric is an arrogant asshole speaks more of just how ridiculously bad the rest of the factions are if the Stormcloaks are the good guys.

Basically, the Imperials are disgustingly weak and naive, holding on to something dead and decaying just because they are too cowardly and weak to create something new. The Aldmeri Dominion killed the Empire, it's just not bled out yet. The only chance Skyrim and the Nords have is to quickly destroy every stronghold and support mechanism the Empire has in Skyrim, ruthlessly and mercilessly eradicate all Imperial taint in the lands, then close the mountain passes before the Dominion comes along.

Once those passes are shut down, just a few men can keep armies at bay. A few men with a Dragonborn and his Dragon ally on their side? Skyrim will be impregnable.

When the Empire surrendered and even gave up Talos worship, it lost all right to exist. It most certainly lost all rights to Skyrim, where weakness like that would mean certain death in the grim northern lands. No... in Skyrim, you get to choose between different evils... and the lesser evil would be the Stormcloaks and Ulfric.

Oh, and Ulfric needs to quickly and quietly ally himself with the Dark Brotherhood. Give safe passage, safehouses and resources to the Brotherhood across Skyrim and in return gain the ability to ensure the quick and silent death of any Thalmor supporter, Imperial supporter or other weaklings that could sprout in Skyrim.

You have a point, but you're forgetting Skyrim has a coastline. All the Thalmor have to do is sail round High Rock and attack Solitude, they then have a powerful base to build up their strength. As for me, I went with Imperial, mostly because I figured that together they'd have the best chance of stopping the Thalmor (the enemy of my enemy etc.) but also because Ulfric just creeps me the fuck out.

 

[Joccaren]

Clearly the Aldmeri Dominion, as the vanguard of the chosen race.

Heute, Tamriel!
Morgens die Nirn!

Joccaren, I suggest we put our differences aside and beat this guy senseless.

I was going to write a response to the main paragraph list, but its New Years (2am ATM) and I'm taking the night off. Might get to it sometime later.

This issue, however, must be addressed. For Skyrim, Cyrodiil and all of Tamriel, in the name of Talos/Tiber Septim, Ysgrammor, and the other greats of history, we ride against the Thalmor!

 

[JesterRaiin]

(snip)
we ride against the Thalmor!

Don't forget about suitable battle hymn guys !
<youtube=1Vnf0McFrgg>

(BTW : that's how i imagine Dwemer music.

 

[Elfgore]

The problem with the two factions in skyrim are that they are not in black in white they are a grey, somewhere in the middle. (Stole that from Mass Effect). So you have decide there is no real good or evil in Skyrims factions. Just my opinion though.