Stormcloaks/Bio & Battles

"Fear neither pain, nor darkness. For Sovngarde awaits those who die with weapons in their hands, and courage in their hearts."

- Ulfric Stormcloak

The Stormcloaks are a group of Nord nationalist rebels who fight for the independence of Skyrim from the Septim Empire.

Centralized in the city of Windhelm, the Stormcloaks turned their swords against the Empire due to the results of the Great War against the Aldmeri Dominion - The Gold Concordat. The treaty that ended the war many Nords fought in banned the worship of their deity, Talos, which caused the leader of the rebellion, Ulfric Stormcloak, to hold bitterness towards the Empire.

This brewing resentment of Empire control peaked during the Markarth Incident and the death of High King Torgg, both of which fracturing relations between the primarily nordic Stormcloaks and the Empire. The latter incident caused the entirety of Skyrim to break out into war due to the lack of a High King of Skyrim, leaving the land seemingly at a stalemate with both sides controlling approximately half of Skyrim.

Should the Stormcloacks win the civil war with the aid of the Last Dragonborn, Ulfric becomes high-king and Empire is pushed out of Skyrim, leading the rebels to prepare and plan for a war against the Aldmeri Dominion. However, should the Dragonborn side with the Empire, Ulfric would be slain and the Stormcloacks redused to small fringe groups hiding in the mountains.

Stormcloak ideology is centered around Nordic control of Skyrim and independence, including the freedom of religion that was formerly denied by the Empire. They have an exceptionally nationalistic mantra that Skryim is only for the Nords, although many in the Empire considers this a form of prejudice and racism.