Was Ulfric chosen at random to be a Greybeard? How does someone be chosen?

Do you think they saw something in him? Do you think the intended for him to stay forever, or do you think they had other plans?

Clearly they thought highly of this man, right?

That leads me to rethink Ulfric. He seems rather important. A man chosen by the Greybeards, can shout, fight in the Great War, take Markarth back, become Jarl, and rebel against the Empire.

I don't see someone like him dying in the Civil War, he seems to have to many things about him for him to simply "die off". Tullius on the other hand... Not much about him.

The greybeards chose him to become a greybeard because... don't know.

It may have been to flesh him out more.

As for why he was chosen, no clue. All I know is that he says its a great honor to be chosen.

Also, I agree with Colonel that the Stormcloaks have been fleshed out further than the Legion. Maybe time restraints?

I actually liked Ulfric, he was quite charming. This again makes me point out how much the CW was lacking, I mean, the Beth devs are very talented when it comes to backstories... I doubt making Tullius have a deeper personallity would have been difficult.

Before people start saying stuff about oathbreaking, let me remind all that Greybeards are supposed to use their voice in times of true need:

Contrary to popular misconceptions, the Greybeards are not, strictly speaking, pacifists; the Way of the Voice teaches only that violence is the least of the Voice's uses, and it should be used for that purpose only in times of "True Need".^{http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Greybeards#cite_note-Hrothgar-6}

He used it originally to fight in the great war, then again to free Markarth, then the controversial one with Torygg. That to me is true need, because he used it to rally men to his cause, which in my opinion is for true need. To make Skyrim independent and free of the WGC. You can argue against it, but there's no official rule for what true need is, so its up for interpretation. More Nords would join his cause if the leader of a rebellion used the power of the heroes of old to accomplish a goal to be like the old honored Nords. There lies the true need, more men for what he considers a good cause. Arngeir obviously forgot about the true need part:

http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x0003f884

Ulfric to me seems to be the one who is following the original purpose of the Greybeards. He still seems to follow it now, as he says he knows its not to be used lightly:

http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x000bfc41

http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x000bfc43

http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x000bfc46

He may not realize it, but really, using the voice for troubles like this is what the greybeards were supposed to do.

I really like Stormcloaks and Ulfic but I always choose against cause I like Jarl Balgruuf and I hate fighting in the Reach.

Why though, Balgruuf's nice enough I suppose, and I don't hate him, I just don't see why he gets all this love just for pointing us to the greybeards and being nice to the player. At the end of the day I do what I feel is necessary. I couldn't decide the fate of all of Skyrim because of feelings for a Jarl. He made his decision. Friends aren't always on your side of the war, which is why you need conviction.

I just like his character. Balgruuf's one of the dry first people you meet. I guess that's why I like Alvor, Irileth, Adrianne and Balgruuf the most, they made a huge first impression on me.

And I can't think of outing him as Jarl... Someone find the dialogue of his surrender for me (I am on iPod), it was kind of heart wrenching, for a game anyways.

They chose Ulfric because they heard about a boy named Stormcloak and in their excitement to find a Dragonborn they confused it for Stormcrown

He's better than the bunch of old men with bad attitudes. Exept lovely Laila Law-Giver of course.

http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x000283a4

It didn't phase me, really. It's a civil war, and good people die. Friends are killing friends on both sides. Its the price you pay for a cause in your own home. One that is worth it in my opinion. And I owe the man no loyalty. I did him a favor, he did me a favor. My duty is to Skyrim first.

Reminds me of my Stormcloak player, when Balgruuf said "I expected better of you" I threw myself off a bridge. Then I created a new player.

Thats what I don't get. Why? Why are you so loyal to him? Because he's nice ish? He hasn't done anything to deserve such loyalty.

Balgruuf is the only person in Skyrim with sense. "If you're talking about the war, I'm on the side of Whiterun."

The thing he says, how he says it, and why he says it jut makes me feel like a [censored] on the inside. I can't stand to see him hobbling on the ground saying that stuff.

Edit: I feel guilty. It's like invading a neutral country who has a nice, honest, pure and reasonable leader and beating him down. It's... Wrong to me.

All he does is send you to get a stone and kill a dragon because you survive helgen. why?
He's probably loved because Jarl Ballin.

Are you sure? What sense does it make to try and stay neutral in a civil war when your town is smack in the middle of the trade route of Skyrim, and is vital to winning the war for both sides? He practically has the power to give the win away. And the longer he stays neutral, the longer the war continues. If he signed with the legion earlier, they would have a stronger foothold in the region, and Ulfric taking it wouldn't have been likely. The same is vice versa. If he made his decision quicker, there would have been less chaos for his people.

I think Kyne had a hand. Restoring the thu'um to its intended uses. He has a pretty fiery temperament, doesn't seem like a candidate for monastery school.

It's war. For as brutal as civil wars usually are, you didn't expect to get your hands dirty at all? Anyway he's not that great. People are being kidnapped out of his hold and he waffles around doing nothing about it. Nice guy doesn't necessarily equal good leader.

I can't explain it... He's a troubled man, has difficulties trying to see what is right and what is wrong, and he just wants to do what is right for his people.

Instead of heeding Proventus' warning, he sends guards to Riverwood. Instead of choosing a side, he wants to fight he dragon.

I just don't like knowing that I had a hand in his ousting, and his imprisonement.

I don't know... you might be... a milk drinker.

The Greybeards do worship Kyne/Kynareth, and may have likely recieved a vision. They may have been Politically motivated, the Jarl of Windhelm is more likely to be related to Ysgramor and Ysmir than Olaf One-Eye.

Celan ninja'd Me.

He was a good enough Jarl but I don't feel sorry for him. With my last character I was a Stormcloak before I met him, first thing I talked about was having a message from Ulfric, he made me talk about the dragon first. This gave me a chance to say the Empire was trying to execute me. After arranging with the court wizard to get the dragon stone I spoke to him again about the war, a reminder that I am a Stormcloak. He took the axe and kept it until the threat was over. So I returned with the stone and he sent me to kill the dragon, if I tried to talk he just said, "Help Iraleth kill the dragon." More like, "Kill the dragon to save Whiterun hold while Iraleth watches."

Remembering he was supposed to be neutral, he knew I was a Stormcloak(and even if I wanted to change sides for him it was too late to do that) before I had completed three tasks for him, told him about the dragon, retrieved the stone then killed a dragon. A Stormcloak does all that for him and he sides with the Empire. Then he said he expected better of me, I'd made it clear who I was, he on the other hand posed as neutral, if your neutral and a Stormcloak risks their life twice to save your hold, yet you still choose the Empire. Hardly the action of a neutral Jarl.

I dont think that was intended how you think.

Balgruuf just served a big purpose for that part of the story that it'd have been hard to program it differently if you, say, had Vignar as the Jarl

So you'd forsake what you believe is right for hurting his feelings? I bet if you asked Tullius, he'd probably say he respects Ulfric over Balgruuf more for at least taking a stand.

In real life? I'd do what's right.

In a game? I prefer to keep the guys I like around.

I think he just feared for the safety of his people and his hold, it's one of his traits I respect (the trait being his lack of selfishness). I think him siding with the Imperials was a sign of him getting desperate and eventually giving in to the pressure from Tullius.