[Skyrim Double Feature] The Imperial Argument

This article was written by my good friend Pierre Roderique.  I hope you guys enjoy it!

*Spoiler Alert* This article contains spoilers about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is one of two articles arguing opposing sides of the Skyrim's Civil War. The Stormcloak Argument can be found here.

The Imperial, the champion of the Empire.

On Wednesday, Sean wrote an article in support of the Stormcloaks, explaining away their faults and trying to undermine the position of the Empire. At the end of that article, he promised that I would write a follow-up explaining just what makes the Empire so great; well, here it is. 

Anyone who has played Skyrim knows about the Stormcloaks and the Imperials; their struggle forms the backdrop of the game, creating context and breathing life into a game world that would otherwise consist of the Dovahkiin solving minor grievances and occasionally fighting dragons. Indeed, I could hardly be arsed to keep playing the game once I had finished the Imperial quest line, as by then I had already had my fill of killing dragons. 

The Imperials fight to prevent the separation of Skyrim from the Empire; they recognize the need for unity now more than ever, with the Thalmor breathing down their necks and war threatening to break out at any moment. It cannot be stressed enough just how important Skyrim is to them, for both its cultural and military significance. If the Stormcloaks represent America during the American Revolution, the Imperials represent America during the Civil War. 

Can... can we ALL be America?

Skyrim is a land run by barbarism and chaos; the Jarls, rulers of their respective lands, can never come to agreement on anything, and do not do nearly enough to support their people. These people are their direct charge, faces they see every day, and yet they are perfectly willing to pay random strangers who happen to amble into town to deal with problems they should really be training their own soldiers to handle. The reason, they will tell you, is that their soldiers are all off fighting for either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials; yet, there would be no war if Ulfric Stormcloak had not decided that his desire for the throne of High King was more important than the stability of his country. 

Ulfric’s desires are one of the reasons he is difficult to trust. Torygg, the previous High King, was a good friend and ally of Ulfric’s; yet, before the game starts, Ulfric uses the power taught to him by the Greybeards to kill Torygg in a duel. Had he simply asked Torygg to aid him in his struggle, things might have been different; for one thing, he would have had the full force of Skyrim to back him up. He chose, however, to murder his old friend in the hopes of securing his path to the throne. 

Another problem arises in the form of racism between the Nords and every other race. Many Nords want nothing to do with “outsiders,” of which there are many. Most Nords treat members of other races coldly, and this is reflected in the Stormcloaks as well. If you attempt to join their ranks as a member of another race, they will grill you about your choice. They are fully aware of their intentions from the beginning: to push all non-Nords out of Skyrim, and make it their own. I’m not about to make any unfavorable comparisons here, but that kind of racial discrimination is incredibly shortsighted and is apt to put Stormcloaks in a position of severe weakness once the war is done. 

The greatest problem with the Stormcloaks’ Rebellion, however, is what it means for Tamriel as a whole. For every day the war drags on, the Thalmor gain a greater advantage. They admit in one of their reports that they had a role in influencing Ulfric to start his rebellion, supplying him with weapons and supplies he only recently ceased accepting. They know that the war works in their favor; anything that can be done to weaken their enemies without losing their own soldiers works in their benefit. And should Ulfric succeed in his war and gain independence for Skyrim? While his forces work to rid the country of non-Nords, the Thalmor will waltz in and steamroll the entire nation. They simply have too much working in their favor to be reasonably dealt with during the time the game takes place; the Imperials are tacticians, and recognized this fact immediately. 

The Empire has chosen to bide its time and wait until they have a reasonable shot at beating the Thalmor before striking at them again. They know that even if they could unite the countries of Tamriel, their combined power would not be enough to stop the Thalmor. Thus, they bide their time and try to build up their forces; the Stormcloak rebellion does little more than slow this process down. By fighting the Empire, the Stormcloaks are unwittingly playing directly into the Thalmor’s hands. 

Now, it’s true that the Empire signed the White-Gold Concordat and banned the worship of Talos as part of their peace treaty with the Thalmor. However, it must be noted that they did this to save lives; while it is true that some Nords still die as the Thalmor “uncover” them as Talos worshippers, this is nothing compared to the number of deaths which would have resulted from continuing the war. Moreover, these deaths could be forgotten completely if the Nords would simply accept the abolition of Talos; it is their own stubborn pride that allows the Thalmor to abuse their power to arrest and execute Talos worshippers. 

Many Nords feel that those who serve the Empire are traitors, but in the end it is just the opposite: the Nordic Imperials care about the well-being of their people, but are willing to look beyond the immediate future to see the repercussions their actions will have in the grand scheme. They work to preserve unity in order to prevent the country they love from meeting a disastrous fate. 

The Empire may not be taking the most heroic course of action, but they are taking the smartest. They fight to ensure a future for themselves and all of Tamriel. The Stormcloaks fight to satisfy their own selfish and racist ideals, and are steering themselves towards an early, ignoble death. 

The banner of the Imperial Legion, because fuck bears, dragons are cool!