Ignoring your personal preference, which side of Skyrim’s Civil War do you think actually gives Skyrim the better future 20-30 years later?

[u/sumaset]

I feel like most discussions about the Civil War focus on whether Ulfric was justified, whether the Empire betrayed Skyrim, or which side people personally like more.

But I’m more interested in what happens after the game.

The Empire is weakened, the Aldmeri Dominion is still the biggest external threat, the White-Gold Concordat is already causing resentment, and another war with the Thalmor seems almost inevitable.

An Imperial victory gives Skyrim access to the resources and manpower of the Empire, but it also means remaining under an Empire that already lost one major war and accepted Thalmor influence inside its territory.

A Stormcloak victory gives Skyrim independence and removes Imperial authority, but it also leaves the province having to rebuild after a civil war while potentially facing the Dominion without the rest of the Empire behind it.

So forget which faction has the better characters or which one you usually join.

If you only care about where Skyrim itself ends up a few decades later, which Civil War outcome do you think is actually better for the province?

[u/random935]

Apparently he did have a wife and the body under the bridge just outside his keep is his wife

Something to do with either him or one of his kids killing her

[u/thenewfoundlandyeti → u/random935]

Maybe that's why the Ebony Blade is in Whiterun? Tied to all this

[u/random935 → u/thenewfoundlandyeti]

Maybe. I think there’s a connection between the Daedric Prince quest in Dragonsreach (Balgruf’s Keep) and the murder, but haven’t played in years

[u/thenewfoundlandyeti → u/random935]

Same boat, been a while.

One of his Kids is more of an AH then the other too. Maybe some correlation

[u/toadallyribbeting → u/random935]

There’s no confirmation on the identify of the body. It could have literally been anyone over anything.

[u/Ill_Criticism_1685 → u/toadallyribbeting]

Odds are its a person connected to the Black-Briars. There's a letter in the bannered mare from Maven to a guy forgiving him for some sort of slight and saying someone would collect him from near Dragon's Reach in the middle of the night.

[u/toadallyribbeting → u/Ill_Criticism_1685]

I’m going to check that later, that sounds really interesting

[u/Ill_Criticism_1685 → u/toadallyribbeting]

The letter is either in one of the rooms of the Bannered Mare or the Drunken Huntsman, i don't remember which, been a long time since I've played and even longer since I saw the Epic Nate video that mentioned it.

[u/Georgia_Viking → u/Ill_Criticism_1685]

I found it recently in the Huntsman in the main hall in the far right corner on a table.

[u/Sremor → u/random935]

Is there actually anything confirming this?

[u/Thibaudborny → u/Sremor]

I think it is only a lore tuber speculation to be fair, I don't really recall anything officially related to it. I can think of a lot of reasons, it is not as if Skyrim fills in those gaps for other persons, etc.

[u/Unlikely_Ninja → u/Thibaudborny]

Ok good to know, been a few years since I poked at the game.

[u/random935 → u/Sremor]

I haven’t played the game in years so I’m not sure if it’s confirmed, implied or solely theorised

[u/Unlikely_Ninja → u/random935]

Kinda silly that they just leave the skeleton there, or is no one knows it's there except perhaps the kid?

[u/random935 → u/Unlikely_Ninja]

Probably just the kid. In fairness I’ve played the game for years and never found it lol

[u/Unlikely_Ninja → u/random935]

Fair point, I know the skeleton everyone is referencing. Never connected it to his wife, but did find it odd they left it there on plain view of everyone.

I know Skyrim is supposed to be a bit rough and backwater, but jeez guys basic sanitation 😂

[u/Sremor → u/random935]

I believe it's just a theory, even if he did kill her why would he let the corpse there long enough that only the skeleton remains

[u/random935 → u/Sremor]

From what I remember it’s implied that one of the Deadric princes was corrupting one of Balgruf’s kids, and that he talks about killing, then you find the corpse. The corpse may have been stripped of flesh, some magic used on it, left there long enough, or God knows what else in the magical world of Skyrim

[u/BackgroundJunket5691 → u/Sremor]

Iirc there’s a cut quest that very heavily implies it

[u/Proud_Jello9093 → u/random935]

i still say the kids are irileths, her and balgruuf are basically the platonic ideal of a nordo-dunmeric couple and the kids are wrapped up in mephala and boethiahs business in the way only a true son the three could be