Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-26213507-20150715194939/@comment-26356342-20150922234733

S&#039;Dalaar the Snowcat wrote: Thats an understatement. The more I keep sparring with Ferris, the longer these posts get. Soon it will be too difficult to read our replies. I just hope it won't force us to stop. This has been really fun so far. :D Yeah, Sorry to AzuraKnight, I have been trying to cut things down. haha.

It is true that Ulfric has put too much effort on the war rather than his own Hold. But then again, the exact same can be said about General Tullius. Well, except for Gen. Tullius doesnt have to run the hold, just the Imperial forces. Elisif still runs the hold with her council, and has little to do with the actual war itself. Which, is really how it should be. She runs the hold, and a general commands the army. Solitude doesnt seem to have ANY problems similar to Windhelm's. And before anyone can say "it's because he's doing both" well he's dropping the ball on both. Run your hold, or run your rebellion, pick one, because both are suffering from the lack of attention.

Balgruuf was only able to do all that thanks to the Dragonborn, by killing the dragon, arrange the peace council, capture Odahviing, and arranging the alliance between Whiterun and the Empire. Balgruuf did very little himself, except enlist the Dragonborn. Which any Jarl can do easily…

Well, I only use him as an example because his first and primary concern is to his people. He shut and locked the gates when a dragon was about, and is shown to be the only such Jarl who actually sent out men to kill a Dragon. (on top of being the only Jarl to capture one) And while yes the Dragonborn assisted, he didnt do anything dragonborn specific. By that I mean he didnt use his Thu'um to force the leaders to agree to a temporary ceasefire, and for capturing a Dragon he just taunted one out of the Sky, Dragonreach was designed to capture dragons. Bottom line here is just that Balgruuf was able to multi-task, staying neutral for as long as possible, maintaining peace, keeping trade running, allowing his court wizard to study Dragons while actively helping him wherever he can, etc etc. He's got a lot on his shoulders but he still keeps the hold together.

Ulfric just wishes to be a good Jarl and please his people. He is only acting the way his people want him to act. If the people dont want Argonains in their city, then it is their right to wish so. I'm not saying its a good thing though.

By ignoring the plights of his own city, he isnt doing a good job of being a good Jarl. And just because his people act racist, doesnt give him a pass, inaction is just as bad. If anything, his people had so much respect for him, he could have lead by example, and they would have followed.

The Dunmer wants the Nords to reach out to them, while the Nords want the Dunmer to reach out to them. Because of that, we have the division we see today.

The Dunmer do reach out tho. The first time you go to the Gray Quarter who hear Malthyr speaking with Brunwulf;

Malthyr: "You're a war hero, Brunwulf. Ulfric will listen to you." Brunwulf: "It's not that simple. Ulfric wants a Skyrim for the Nords. He doesn't trust what he calls outsiders." Malthyr: "You've seen how we live -- cramped alleys, run-down buildings, few guard patrols. Even the name 'Gray Quarter' is an insult." Brunwulf: "I'll speak to Ulfric soon, but I make no promises that I can change his mind." Malthyr: "That's all I ask. With your help, we have a chance to make a better life for ourselves here. For that, I thank you."

This is them reaching out, and trying to have a Nord represent their concerns in hopes that the Jarl may finally hear them.

All his anti-Empire arguments came from AFTER the Markarth Incident. That much I do not question. But have you ever heard Ulfric spread anti-Empire propaganda during the time between the end of the Great War and the Markarth Incident? No, we don't. That is what I am trying to say. Just because Ulfric hates the Empire now doesnt mean he has always done it. Even Rikke mentions that Ulfric was a supporter for the Empire during the Great War. And the reason why he assembled a militia? It’s pretty obvious: the Forsworn. Do you think Ulfric could have retaken the Reach all by himself? No, he needed troops. He assembled his militia after he was contracted by the Jarl to retake the Reach. I don't see any "suspicion" with that.

I understand we have no record of anti-empire speeches before the incident, however, everywhere I go when concerning the markarth incident makes mention of militia being established BEFORE the incident. If it specifically said Ulfric was contacted, and then he assembled a warband together to fight the reach, I could agree that maybe he didnt hate the empire. But what I've seen and read all state things like this: Ulfric agreed and marched his militia to the gates of Markarth and ruthlessly retook the city using the power of his Thu'um. (Does not say he assembled it, it states he just marched, which would indicate it was previously established)

"Desperate to regain control of the Reach, Skyrim accepted the aid of a Nord militia led by Ulfric to reclaim the hold from the native Reachmen, in exchange for permitting the free worship of Talos in Markarth." (Again, it makes no mention that the indicent cause him to form the militia, it makes it sound as if he had it already)

Nothing I've personally seen suggests he made the militia with the specific intent to stop the reachmen, it suggests he just happened to be the one Jarl with an armed force. The fact it doesnt state that it was his own hold guards also tells me it wasnt just his hold's forced, he was building an army. and THAT is suspicious.

But isn't that what "sorting itself out" means though? When you don't take action due to lack of time, resources or interest and lets the matter get resolved by an outside force?

To me, "sorting itself out" would imply they had a lack of interest in the problem, where as having a lack of resources to help merely places them in the same boat as the other Jarls. It wasnt as if they were unwilling to help. Since the Empire owns the land, it does largly leave the day-to-day running of the province to the respective Jarls and High-King, their alliance is mostly for peace and trade, and on the off chance another province declares open War. They wouldnt be obligated to send soldiers EVERY time a hold needed help. (Jarl disputes over land would be chaotic)

Just to clarify, that piece of dialogue is not cut. The option to convince Tullius(once you become Legate in the Legion) to give the Dragonborn orders for Thoralds release, is cut from the game. However the option to ask Tullius for help and get refused is still in the game. Also, you are a bit wrong; it is exactly "come to our party or we invade". You are correct there, I was looking at the release part that was cut. I'd argue it isnt as straight forward as "or else we invade" its the risk, of a threat, of invasion. The Thalmor just want to stir up trouble, Elenwen doesnt have the power or authority to jumpstart an invasion. It's not as if Elenwen can send a missive to Summerset "Tullius didnt attend my party, time to invade" and the Dominion responds in full force. The WGC itself is just a mask of "peace" each side wears, they both know they'll be going at it again real soon, but the Dominion is just in the better position at present to keep trying to put the Empire in Check, it didnt afford the Empire anything, except the ceasefire. But the Thalmor gained authority within the territory. It's all basically political warfare at this point.

I never said that the Thalmor would demand the Empire to fight ALL their enemies. Only the ones who object with the WGC. That is what we see in the civil war. If the argument you're making here is that "had the Empire not fought the Stormcloaks over the WGC, there would be no civil war" I could say the same of the Stormcloaks, had they not fought the Empire on the terms, we wouldnt be in the civil war. The Empire isn't fighting the Stormcloaks for the Dominion, or even for the WGC at this point, it's to restore order, and because the Stormcloaks have done TOO MUCH to ignore... like killing a high king for example. Ultimately, yes, it's because of the terms of the WGC, but the rebellion is too far gone now for it to just be about free Talos worship.

So you mean to tell its ok to have people, who once believed and even fought for the Empire, getting dragged off, tortured and killed just because it is a temporary thing? Does that justify the Imperial’s betrayal? The WGC saved the skin of Cyrodiil mainly, not necessarily all of the Empire. And in return, Skyrim must still pay off the debts that the Empire racked up during the Great War?

If you weigh the lives of those who were too stubborn to secretly worship Talos, against the lives of literally the entire province, then yes it is ok in my opinion. The entirety of Cyordiil was covered in war, major towns sacked, the imperial city sacked, countless lives lost. Theres no mention in the history books the dominion ruled in peace or prosperity during the short time they were in charge. The Empire traded their pride for the lives of its people, and in exchange all they had to do was not openly worship a specific god. For every 1 person dragged off an tortured, there's at least another dozen who are alive and well because of those terms. So I say again, yes, it's horrible that it happens, but countless innocents were saved. As for the debts, you're not the first I've seen make claims the Empire has some huge debts, but where is the proof of this information? I've not ever seen anything that said any other province had to pay some huge debts, or that the Empire HAS a debt at all.

The Imperials has leeched off so many things from Skyrim, and they don’t seem to show any remorse about it. People are rightfully complaining, and instead of coming to solution that works for everyone, they suppress their voices because it conflicts with their own plans and agendas.

The Imperials have never leeched anything, they did trade with Skyrim, but there wasnt any leeching. leeching would imply that the Empire takes all the silver ore from every mine in Skyrim, and then sends nothing in return. There is no compromise any longer, Ulfric threw out that idea when he murdered the high king. He turned what could have been a discussion, into outright violence. You can't blame the Empire entirely for that. it is stated Torygg could have been reasoned with, and within this very discussion we have come up with several non-violent (towards allies) ways everything could have been settled. Ulfric took things too far.

All nations will most likely be engaged with the Dominion when the war breaks out. But I just don't see why Skyrim must follow under Imperial banners for that.

Because Skyrim IS the Empire, because they're not in any better shape than Cyrodiil is currently and would need help, because they dont have the man-power or the supplies necessary, because the Empire is an organized Military force and not just a bunch of people banded together with the strongest up front, so they can peacefully secede, instead of violently, so that when the time comes to fight the Dominion they wont need to ruin any more of Skyrim, take your pick of the reasons.

It is a bit more than just a few. Many of Ulfrics soldiers mention that they join because their relatives were dragged of by the Thalmor. But the thing is that the Stormcloaks aren’t going to fight unprepared. Otherwise they would have waged war right after they conquered Skyrim and not wait to rebuild their armies. Also, if you consider the Stormcloaks unprepared, then I would say the Empire isn’t prepared either. They are obviously still rebuilding, otherwise they would not need to drain the wealth of the other provinces.

I would blame the mechanics for the soldiers repeating themselves, but I'll entertain the idea, even if it was "many" of their family, that number still pales in comparison to the number of innocnet lives that would be lost, blindly continuing to fight the dominion. The Stormcloaks are "unprepared" because even if the stormcloaks win the civil war, they've taken HUGE losses between the Civil war, dragon crisis and vampire crisis, plus, as we discussed before, their economy is about to crumble they are in no shape to go mounting an invasion, and barely prepared for defending their own lands. The Empire on the other hand, only has a single legion in Skyrim, its other forces are on the borders, and have had no real major events happen since the great war, so the past 27 years since the great war has all been preparation.

How so? I don’t see that as a problem. In order to get that far, they will need to cleave through Cyrodiil first. Like I said before, it will soften up the Dominions army enough for the other provinces to strike back. First; I dont believe Hammerfell would ever leave its home in order to fight the enemy in cyrodiil. But if they did, you're assuming that Skyrim and Hammerfell would cleave through a huge portion of the Dominion's forces unimpeded. But What I was saying is they'd be lead inward and flanked, even with 2 to 1 odds in their favor, if they get flanked they're done for. This is all assuming the Imperials are not around to properly help, because THATS the only way an independent Skyrim, allied with Hammerfell is going to march into Cyrodiil. If what you're suggesting is all 3 of them work together, or that Skyrim and Hammerfell simply march through Cyrodiil without the consent of the Empire, the war is going to be far worse, and far more bloody then you or I could imagine. Hammerfell is bitter towards the Empire, why would they save them? They proved they can defend their own lands, why would they need to help anyone? Skyrim just fought for its independence, why would THEY save the Empire? so it can rise up and try and take Skyrim back again? Skyrim has repeatedly tried to invade Hammerfell, why would they suddenly work together? The Thalmor threat would have to be so immediate, and on their doorsteps for them to work together, and as i said before, by then it's too late.

However, Skyrim already has several farms to serve as a base. They don’t really start from scratch. Also, I would disagree. The climate in Whiterun, Solitude and the Rift are perfect for setting up farms. Hell, even in Eastmarch there are farms with crops growing from the snow, contrary to belief.

By "start from scratch" I meant the ingredients, not the farm. From seed to sandwich. Cold weather, particularly frost, causes the water in plant cells to freeze, damaging the cell wall. This is why its much harder to grow plants and vegetables during the winter months, and Skyrim is nearly Winter all year round. Everyone comments on how the land is harsh and breeds hardened people. Severio Pelagia in whiterun (a place with several farms) can be heard repeatedly saying "There's a nip in the air. Cold won't be good for my crops. Never is." and even Faryl Atheron gives us an idea on growing food in the cold: Bolfrida: "Now, I've been reading about the best ways to grow corn in permafrost..." Faryl: "I keep telling you, without a warming enchantment, it will never grow past your ankles." Bolfrida: "Right, but if you plow the soil with fire salts..." Faryl: "Then you've salted it and nothing will grow at all. Genius." Bolfrida: "Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that."'' potatos wouldnt be effected much, and POSSIBLY lettuce, but things like wheat couldn't grow during winter, and unless everyone has been setting food aside for themselves AND the war, theres not going to be much. ''

I believe Skyrim is a pretty ripe land for starting a farm. Only reason they haven’t done so is because they didn’t have need for it. And I don’t see why hunting would be a problem? Yes, poaching is illegal, but what if Ulfric hires these hunters(and trains a few more) to legally hunt for them in exchange for a payment.

Do you mean to tell me they've all just been holding back on farming? Food is scarce enough as it is, and a commodity, anything you grew that you didnt need could be easily sold, why would ANYONE not farm as much as possible? As for hunting, if you hunt too much, animals leave, die off, or worse, other animals like predators (bears, wild cats and such) lose THEIR food source and then have to find NEW sources, roads become more dangerous, and the places like farms become targets. Good hunters will know just how much they can hunt before it causes problems, and that typically isnt enough to suddenly start feeding a war torn province. Ulfric paying the hunters, (or any Jarl really) would mean the money has to come from somewhere, and for Jarls their income is mostly in taxes, so you'd have to add that on top of whatever other taxes that get raised from losing their economy.

Also, you are a little mistaken. Its not just “food for warriors”. The Empire takes plenty of other things from Skyrim, like silver from the Reach. And maybe even ore and lumber for the rebuilding of Cyrodiil. Instead of giving it to the Empire, they can use it for themselves. Skyrim has prospered from trade with the south, but they only really DEPEND on the Empire for food, as we hear from Sybille. Food is going to be the biggest problem. Everything else is likely more doable. I never said "food for warriors" I said "Trade" which means not just food, but ore, furs, equipment, tools, clothes, commerce, and its give-and-take, not just take and give to the empire. Also, your argument starts by suggesting Skyrim has been holding back on farming and such, and that theres plenty of food but now at the end here you've come around to seeing food would be the biggest issue. If food really is their biggest issue, then it'll be worth more then any gold or silver, which means places like High Rock can charge nearly whatever they want to ship them food supplies.

Yes, I will agree with your point that the Empire will probably demand from the EETC to raise prices on their wares. However, they can’t raise them that much either. The Empire still needs help in form of trade, even if Skyrim leaves the Empire. The EETC can help the Empire in that matter. But if they raise the price to the point where the Nords don’t want to trade with them, that means the Empire will lose that little glimmer of aid from Skyrim. So the EETC will still be forced to adapt their prices to the situation.

The EETC is practially owned by the Emperor, and it's stated on their own page they control the prices due to the monopoly they have over trading. They not only can, but have proven they WILL charge whatever they want, and during hard times, demand rises, when demand rises and supplies are limited, businessmen make ALL their money from times like this. They love it. the Empire could even use it to its advantage and starve out Skyrim into submission, that IS a common war tactic.

As for it being the bad time for a change in the economy, I am a little torn over it myself. I would agree with you on all points, but don’t forget that the Empire’s current economy isn’t all that great either. Once again, don’t confuse the Mede Empire with the prosperity of the Septim Empire. Cyrodiil and the Imperial Legion took a very heavy toll from the Great War, while Skyrim was untouched. The economy of Skyrim will undoubtedly get a bit worse, but I don’t think it will be that much worse than if they stayed.

While the current state of the Empire isn't all that great it's still had more time to recover (again, it's been nearly 30 years since the great war) even with the strife going on, and rebuilding, they havnt had anything major like dragons attack that have impeded them, they also KNOW they're going to be fighting again, and thus have been spending all this time preparing for that. Skyrim's problems are more recent, and fresh. And with so much commerce depending on the Empire to lose it all NOW is abig mistake. As you and I have agreed, yes Cyrodiil should be their main focus but as I've said numerous times, NOW is not that time for Skyrim to break away.

Also, the exact same thing with Skald can be said with Siddgeir. If the Empire would demand, as an example, free lumber from Falkreath, Siddgeir would give it to them for some gold in his own pocket. Both sides have an equal setup of Jarl with similar pros/cons

While I agree there's parallels to be had on both sides, the major difference with Skald and Siddgeir would be Skald would blindly force his people, at least Siddgeir has business sense, he wouldn't just give away precious resources, and hell he wouldn't even do it for personal profit, He's super lazy and dependent on his lands and people to continue to cushy life style he's accustomed to. He wouldn't just hand all that away, he'd make deals that benefit him and keep his position not only intact, but relevant in case he were to need or want more. He's condescending and annoying but he is not just a yes man or a sycophant like most who follow Ulfric, Skald especially.

That’s because Ulfric has been paying for the whole rebellion across Skyrim all by himself. Thus why the resources of Windhelm are low. And yet he has come pretty damn far on it. Of course, he won’t be able to bankroll the rebuilding of Skyrim all on his own. So all other Holds will have to contribute instead. For instance, The Reach will send silver to Ulfric in aid.

Not entirely true, the Jarls who support ulfric send men, gold, and supplies, it isnt JUST Ulfric who is funding this war, which is what makes it so difficult to handle. I'd argue resources are low in Windhelm because Ulfric has been paying too much attention reaching for High King, then he does running his Hold. I agree tho, if he were to get ahold of the Silver mines, he would be in a better position, but for how long? Any businesses aligned with the Empire in Skyrim (there are several with large amounts of influence and money) could launder that money back to the Empire, Ulfric himself will mention he knows the Empire wont just let them go, and thus the Empire may come back for those mines, and even if they didn't once the economy changes, food will be worth more than any silver. And the Empire will be looking to get back lost resources through taxing.

They will know from all the Thalmor spies in the country. Because the Empire has allowed the Justiciars to walk all over Skyrim without impunity, they can watch and observe anything.

You don't think the Empire is using that to their advantage? They can't very well work on plotting an invasion with the Thalmor roaming free. It'd be SUPER easy to hide their numbers. They know they're going to attack the dominion eventually, the dominion knows it, everyone knows, letting them think they're seeing the full force as a bare bones operation is just the basics of espionage. The Empire has tons of its own spies as well. The Empire knows the Thalmor are reporting back everything they see, why wouldnt they try to control exactly what it is they see? intelligence can make or break a war they wouldnt let them openly see EVERYTHING.

I see you mentioning the drunk Nord, named Rolff Stone-Fist, like he is some kind of threat. I thought most people got the impression that he was pretty much just like a dog with a big mouth and no teeth. He never does anything he says and just drinks all day and yell at the Dunmer at night

Rolff is much more then a dog, and you ignore what his attacks do, and what it all represents. Firstly, he is not alone, Angrenor Once-Honored is with him, and active within the conversation or harassing the dumer woman. So we know its not JUST 1 drunk roaming around. He is later seen several times roaming the gray quarter at night actively yelling things. This is open harassment that is going on unchecked. I'd be willing to bet, if any dunmer were to stand up to him and tell him to leave just so they could get some sleep, a fight would break out and the dumer would be the one arrested. There are plenty of guards around, no one stops him. I dont have access to a list of Windhelm Laws, but I'm pretty sure disturbing the peace especially at night would be on there. Listen to what he says: Rolff: "Maybe we'll pay you a visit tonight, little spy. We got ways of finding out what you really are." That's a blatant threat of violence. "Don't like it? Too bad. This is our city. Ours!" No where else do you see this kind of attitude. He even mentions "Maybe I should round up some men and take us a few prisoners to interrogate." The guards just let him do whatever he pleases, and according to Ulfric, the Guards should know their duties, so either their duties include not caring about the dumer, or every guard in windhelm is not fit to guard anything.

Also, do you really expect Ulfric to stop all his plans for his rebellion just to deal with one rowdy citizen? Especially if it’s not an illegal act? I don’t think any Jarl would do that. There are more important aspects of ruling a Hold.

If this was the only problem windhelm had, sure, i'd agree, but it has way more problems then that, and if this is what we can expect from the new high king, Skyrim is doomed, he can't run a hold while at war, yet he expects to become high king and rule the country and fight a different war at the same time? Disturbing the peace would be illegal in any other hold, as in windhelm a redguard is arrested for it. so what he is doing IS illegal, and no one is stopping it.

However, I find people who attempt to speak for great masses of people(like a whole country) to be the most ignorant, no matter if what they speak is for good or ill. How can Brunwulf really be so sure of that? He's speaking about his own race, and he's trying to help so you (the new comer) don't end up becoming racist. It's the same as hearing an american police officer have to say "not all of us are like that" because of all the racist cops. Within the first 30 seconds of entering Windhelm you're exposed to 2 drunks yelling at a dumer over the color of her skin and threatening violence, of course Bunwulf is going to try and stick up for nords by saying not all of them are like those guys. He can't outright deny there are racist/nationalistic nords, that'd be super ignorant, so instead he's opted to try and be as nice as possible so everyone else doesnt start to hate ALL nords.

Ulfric can sit there and spout all the bigotry in the world(which I don’t think he does), it is ultimately up to the individual to decided whether or not he agrees with his arguments. Once again, people blame Ulfric for far too many things He mantles that responsibility when he chose to become jarl, and when he chose to start this rebellion. I agree there are those who blame him for WAY too much, but that kind-of comes with the territory, like how people blame the Empire for tons of things IT had no control over. Being in that position of power has that side effect. It is ultimately up to the individual how they act, which is why its all the more important as a leader he lead by example, and his example is reflected in Windhelm.

Yes, the Nords(particularly in Windhelm) holds a bias against the non-Nords. But that doesn’t mean it cannot be overcome. Otherwise most would have packed up and left. Even in the Stormcloaks there is definitively a bias against outlanders(even outlander Nords). But Brunwulf is the only one in that city who is trying to overcome it, and he can only achieve that goal if he's Jarl.

I learned from the Stormcloak initiation, where Galmar has doubts about your motivations because of your origin but is willing to let you prove him wrong by doing a test. Once it’s completed, Galmar will admit he was wrong and begins to respect you. I believe the very same thing can be applied to the any elf or even Argonian, even outside the Stormcloaks. Nords are not as welcoming as the other races, their friendship being hard earned, but once befriended, they will remain strongly loyal. The Dunmer don’t seem to realize it and wants to be treated equally right off the bat. So all the dumer have to do is just join Ulfric's cause in order to gain some respect and maybe get more rights? I understand it's typical Nord custom, that you perform some act for someone before they respect you, but it's a lot to ask someone they pledge their life to your cause. All the dumer and argonians are asking for is the same rights given to the Nords. The argonians in particular ARE doing hard work and enduring terrible living conditions, AND being paid way less then any nord would be paid and havnt been given ANY respect.

I will agree with you on the part where that fact that almost all recruits in the Stormcloaks are Nords, which can be seen as racism. But then again, from what we see in the game, most non-Nords show no interest in Ulfrics cause. But did you ever wonder why *specifically non-nords* show no interest? What is it either Ulfric or his recruiters are saying that would make nearly all non-nords not want to fight for *his* cause? If it was just free Talos worship and Independence it should be easy to drum up support, those are noble goals, but there's something else going on. Which is why I feel Windhelm answers that, his Nationalistic ideals are being viewed as being only Pro-Nord (not saying he's racist or anti-nord) but he seems to specifically be doing things that would cause ONLY nords to join in under his banner.

He has gotten the image that the Dunmer and Argonians suffer immensely because of Ulfric, due his ignorance of the Dunmers plights and the old decree of the Argonian living outside their wall. But thing there is that they don’t really suffer that badly.

I have to really disagree here. For the dumer, it's the worst part of town, and named after their skin color. it's like telling someone they HAVE to live in "Black Ally". this is on top of the constant harassment thats ignored by all law officials. The argonians don't even get a quarter to live in, they're all stuck living in one single room! Animals are literally treated better. If you believe it's really "not that bad" you really need to take a second look.

To me, it seems like the Dunmer looks upon the homes outside the Gray Quarter and tells themselves: “Those houses over there looks so much better than mine. It's not that simple tho. No dunmer is standing around complaining their house isnt as pretty as the nords, speak with Aval Atheron, a business owner, and a home owner, and he will say: "I'm a Dark Elf and I live in Windhelm, so yes, I live in the Gray Quarter. You must be new around here, or you'd know they don't let my kind live anywhere outside that slum." So it sound slike its not "I wish my house was pretty" it sounds like all they're asking for is the same basic rights the other citizens have. Aval is the shining example of a hard working Dunmer, not getitng any respect simply because he is a dunmer. His siblings BOTH work for Nord families, still they're FORCED to live in the Gray Quarter.

So why should the people of Windhelm pay for the renovations with their tax money to the Dunmer? it gets a bit tricky here, as it may depend on specific Laws within the hold. Yes you as the drgonborn pay to have your house look nice but what you're paying for is to furnish it. which yeah, obviously you pay for your own chairs and such. But the Walls and structures of the buildings could be up to the Jarl, after you attack Windhelm several structures including the stone pillars around the blacksmith remain damaged, it strikes me as ironic and odd the blacksmith hasnt repaired it. I know its more likely just the game mechanics getting in the way again, still without any direct evidence in like cut content that would suggest you were supposed to rebuild it could ultimately be up to the Jarl to maintain the buildings within his capitol city, thats part of what Taxes is supposed to pay for. Also Brunwulf does mention needing to get the supplies necessary to fix the buildings, which either means he's being generous or it is the Jarls job. make what you will of that. I could argue that a Jarls job is ultimately to serve his people, and his people should at least be able to live in structures that somewhat protects them from the harsh cold especially in a place like Windhelm covered in ice all the time.

And I strongly disagree with with your last statement that “ whatever Ulfric is saying is coming off as ‘Skyrim is for the Nords and Nords only’ ”. If that was true, I would probably join the Empire instead, because I don’t approve of extreme mistreatment of the other races. But I don’t see it. From who do you hear anything like “all non-Nords must be driven out” or anything similar? Please inform me, if thats the case. And please, don’t use the argument of the Nord battlecry: “Skyrim belongs to the Nords!”. Well to start with... your own words: ''"Yes, the Nords(particularly in Windhelm) holds a bias against the non-Nords." / " I will agree with you on the part where that fact that almost all recruits in the Stormcloaks are Nords, which can be seen as racism. But then again, from what we see in the game, most non-Nords show no interest in Ulfrics cause."'' So we agree, theres obviously a bias in his own Capitol. Brunwulf will tell you its the speeches he gives, Ulfric's own Wiki page has stated "With several of his policies being nationalistic in tone, many non-Nord and some Nords consider Ulfric to be prejudicial." This Dialog between Scouts-Many-Marshes and Ambarys: Scouts: "Why do the Nords bother you so much, Ambarys?" Ambarys: "Why do you even need to ask? They treat your people as bad as they do mine." Scouts: "I think that's just their way. The Nords don't like anybody who's not a Nord, but they're not bad people, deep down." Ambarys: "Look around you. Don't you know what their little war is about? They want all non-Nords out of Skyrim. That means you and me." Scouts: "Oh, I doubt that very much. Who would load their ships, then?" Ambarys: "Just you wait and see." Theres Ulfric's Speech before you fight in Solitude: "We now fight our way to Castle Dour to cut the head off the legion itself! And in that moment, the gods will look down and see Skyrim as she was meant to be. Full of Nords who are mighty, powerful, and free!" This speech when you take the city: "Will she acknowledge that it is we Nord's who will determine Skyrim's future? Will she swear fealty to me, so all may know that we are at peace, and a new day has dawned?"

Like I said I dont see him specifically as racist, because I believe racism comes from intent, and he doesnt intend to harm non-nords, but all this stuff adds up. He's *Very* Nationalistic, and thats is dangerously too close to racism...