Finally, someone who actually answered my question. Thank you!

Dude, we've all been answering your question with lore.

All evidence suggests that the Stormcloaks really are more Thalmor-friendly than the empire, even though they might not realize it. But I guess your character won't know that.

Please don't start with this bs. What evidence? Was this before or after Galmar executes Ondolemar in Markarth, and the Stormcloaks kick the Thalmor out if they win? (Galmar was supposed to have that scene but it was cut. Instead Ondolemar is just gone after you take the hold.)

There is not much to add that hasn't already been said.

I'm pretty sure you even have lore justify a unarmed Stormcloak going around punching Imperials to death if you wanted to. That is the route I took!

I only wish there was an unarmed headbutting kill cam in Skyrim I have an obsession with headbutting people... in video games of course.

What do you mean by this? I haven't heard of any soldiers who don't like battlemages, on either side.

There are some legion battlemages in Helgen. Magic in general seems to have been in decline in the 4th Era, due to the Mages Guild being disbanded after the Oblivion Crisis. The game novels mention that you have to pay to join a College of Whispers or Synod guild, and dialogue in TESV notes that these two are more known for their political brown-nosing and infighting than their research. I imagine the legion would still train its own battlemages but they wouldn't have the recruiting pool they used to have.

As for the OP's question, my main LDB is a Stormcloak battlemage. Her back story is that she grew up in the Imperial City and eventually became disillusioned with the empire and came north to fight with the Stormcloaks. A diaspora Nord, in other words. I imagine many of them would feel conflicted by the Skyrim civil war, one way or another. In my headcanon she becomes Archmage of the College and opens a battlemage training program as well as a school of thu'um, the true native Nord magic.

As for Nords and mages, the distrust of magic is mostly recent and gets exaggerated around the forums. The ancient Nords had their wizards and even as late as the Third Era, Morihatha Septim had a Nord as her Imperial Battlemage.

Don't forget about those Fryse Hags that trolled the Nerevarine in the late 3rd Era.

Wasn't Skyrim ruled by a witch-queen(besides Potema) at some point, too? Like during the Third Era? Or am I remembering things wrong again?

Whiterun Hold was- by Jsashe, "Witch Queen of Whiterun" and self-proclaimed priestess of Lorkhan.

Actually, he's not just gone, there's a coffin in the Markarth Hall of the Dead with an amulet of Talos (only if you've done Ondolemar's quest to find a Talos worshipper) and hooded Thalmor robes.

I'm looking for the kind of answer that smedley67 gave me!

Well isn't smedley special.

If you don't want to rp an imperialized Nord, you could rp being the son of a fryse hag who grew up with magic in the family for ages and you're joining to drive out the elven invaders and their imperial lackeys. Maybe your character has an encounter with feral Falmer and ties that to the Thalmor prowling. My battlemage believes you have to fight magic with magic. And she doesn't care if other Nords disagree. The PC is always an exceptional individual anyway.

Your character could be the apprentice to Ulfric's Court Wizard, who's goal it is to return Skyrim to the days of the Ancients, when magic was revered.

Next time don't make it out like no one was answering your question, then

My battle mage got inspiration from the draugr Wights and their frost magic. So he wears Stalhrim ice light armor, uses a stalhrim great sword, ice destruction magic and walks around with two frost atronachs. I had Karstaag and flew on a frost dragon on that character when I retook whiterun, then got off and let him attack in the sky while I fought on the ground. I just used Gol Hah dov again when the shout wore off. Primarily uses frost breath augmented with the perk to freeze people from Hermaeus Mora's realm. I am the dragon of the north, so what better way to show that than falling on my enemies like an ice demon with the cold of Skyrim? He's like the Nordic version of the Snow Prince.

If it's good enough for the draugr Wights, why not for him? That's his answer.

I meant because raising the undead is one of the less tolerable arcane magics to non-magic users, not because I find all Necromancers evil. But frankly, the vast majority is.

Indeed. I think the only remotely amiable necromancers are Phinis Gestor and Serana.

Agreed