User blog comment:Harold Burned-Mane/The Truth about Ulfric Stormcloak/@comment-209.121.225.160-20140622212235/@comment-98.184.77.53-20150729035816

Ulfric dueled (NOT MURDERED!!!) Torryg a few weeks before a certain unfortunate soul found himself/herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. (This is why Roggvir is being executed only just as you first enter Solitude.) The war started shortly after he returned to Windhelm. After you join them the Stormcloaks win in like four months. Don't just say that it only happened that way because the Empire only had a tenth of their troops in Skyrim, if that were the case then whoever the Imperial commander-in-chief is is a complete idiot for not sending more troops to quell the HUGE REBELLION going on in the Empire's backyard. The entire plot of the Thalmor is to have a war that is extremely bloody and goes on for like twelve years or something. The whole point is that even after being weakened so much Men still have the Dominion very outnumbered, due to Elves both reproducing and growing slowly. By joining either side you ensure the Thalmor lose.