Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-27007772-20140611204941/@comment-75.75.80.173-20140616030156

I might say that Ulfric is misunderstood in a lot of ways. He may seem greedy, but he shows care for the people of Skyrim. Torrygg might have been on the fence to the proposals by Ulfric, and lasted to the point that called for a duel.

While Windhelm does have its issues, it is not just Ulfric to blame. The Imperials replace him with a Jarl who seems to be even more biggoted.

That aside, the Empire is full of corruption, abuse, and decadence. People such as Maven Blackbriar, the Silverbloods (they prosper either way), and even others like Jarl Igmund (if I am correct) have benefitted off the system. They tend to show a lack of responsibility, greed, and arrogance.

I will say though, the Empire still does have the redeeming people like Tullius and Jarl Baalgruf (who really just wanted neutrality). I tried both sides of the war.