Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-26213507-20150715194939/@comment-26693897-20150719203012

I said this several times and I will say it again. Being almost executed by the Empire is one of many reasons people join the Stormcloaks. But let's be honest, Stormcloaks supporters. Do you REALLY think the Stormcloaks would have done it any differently? True that captain was cruel and downright deserved to die, however if you spent all of this time, effort and resources, sacrificing good men and women to a pointless conflict and you FINALLY capture the leader, wouldn’t you:

1) Want to kill him as quickly as possible before any rescue attempt could be made?

2) Capture anyone who supports him, INCLUDING a somewhat shady person who happened to suspiciously be within the same area as him?

3) Just execute all of them instead of having to file weeks of paperwork just to have that person likely run off to support the enemy anyway?

True the third option sounds cruel, but placing yourself in that position what would you do? Don’t deny, you would do ALL of the above.

Now back to the topic. Here is another reason of why the Empire is the best choice. Just pay attention to what each individual say before you say "the Empire died when Matin Septim died", "the Empire are Thalmor's puppet, etc etc:

Battle of Windhelm, when you ask Tullius and Rikke if there will be peace now that Ulfric is dead Tullius: The fiercest of the remaining rebels will continue to harass us, but by and large, the people here desire peace. What I'm not so sure about is the peace we've made with the Thalmor. But we'll keep that between the two of us, alright?

Rikke: There are those who still call themselves Stormcloaks, who continue to fight us, and bring misery to the people... but they are few in number. The ordinary citizen will be happy to get back to life as normal, to have their families return home. And they should enjoy it while they can... I suspect all of Tamriel will again be called to arms in the not too distant future.

Season Unending, when you ask Tullius why the Emperor doesn't send more reinforcements (only heard if you go to Tullius first, are not allied with the Stormcloaks, and do not try to persuade him) Tullius: Most of the Legion is tied down on the border with the Aldmeri Dominion. The Emperor can't afford to risk weakening Cyrodiil's defenses. From the Imperial City, our war here is just a sideshow. An interlude before the main event against the Thalmor resumes.

Diplomatic Immunity, when you ask Ondolemar if there will ever be peace between the Thalmor and the Empire Ondolemar: There is peace now, and that peace will continue for as long as it suits our needs. But make no mistake, this is not a peace forged out of necessity between rival nations of equal strength. It is more like the calm between storms. And the next storm, I think, will be far deadlier than the last.

Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone, when you ask her where she stands on the war. Idgrod Ravencrone: I stand where I have always stood. Here in Morthal. Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. I fear dark days approach and all of Skyrim's strength will be needed.

So, is the Empire really dead? Is the Empire really a Thalmor's puppet? Think about it.