I wonder why the assertion that the Empire is a good influence can be stated with little to no opposition, unless it is from one of the more aggressive Stormcloak debaters. It almost seem like people just accept that the Empire is the good guys as a default and that you have disprove it, instead of starting from neither being the good guys and working it out.

Also, I like this, since it is very relevant to what I just wrote. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6qpq3FrJbxjV3MtQVZFTGhBb0k/edit

Says who? Wasn't so for the Snow elves apparently.

Looking at the poll results there seems to be more Empire supporters but louder stormcloaks.

Here you go: http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1407386-the-great-civil-war-debate-thing-future-not-past/page-3?hl=%2Bmer+%2Bbirthrates+%2Blower+%2Bthan+%2Bhumans#entry21590705.

So, a look at the demographics, which is a gameplay representation, over the word of an Altmer healer in the bookseries about Barenziah? I'm going with the text here, since it seems less affected by gameplay limitations.

You know who that is...right? Not the best reputation, and she gives no supporting evidence.

Just go with the empire. The Thalmor want to literally destroy all life on the planet in some sort of religious cleansing-by-fire ritual thing and the only entity capable of stopping them is the empire. It's already reduced to a shadow of its former self with only (iirc) Cyrodiil and Skyrim remaining after a war that has drained it of manpower, resources and land. The Thalmor are also spreading discontent by way of intrigue, trying to make sure each race hate each other and won't work together.

The empire is multicultural, it's not dominated by imperials, even many emperors were non-Imperials. The Elder Council is (or was) made up of all the races so everybody is represented properly.

Supporting the Stormcloaks is doing nothing but helping the Thalmor closer to their goal of destroying all life. Plus what do you think Skyrim is going to be without the empire? It's going to revert back to the old ways of endless petty warfare. It's going to resemble dark-age France where petty kings and dukes are fighting CONSTANTLY over a throne, a duchy, a county, a title, a claim to a title and so on. The country is going to rip itself apart with warfare until someone else comes along and forcibly makes it a part of yet another empire, at which point the ENDLESS petty warfare will cease because someone else is in charge.

Judging by what you describe of your character he doesn't have much reason to take a side since he doesn't seem to have a real problem with either. though if you really want to chose your character has more reasons to side with the Empire than the Stormclaoks.

The only real reason to join the Stormclaoks that I see is because he is pissed about the WGC.

The point I'm trying to make is that, Mer birthrates is more of a self-imposed design, rather than a biological one. Plus, you have to remember that Altmer kill 9/10 of their offspring due to any number of imperfections. That would be another explanation of why there aren't that many Altmer compared to humans. Plus you have to take into account the Bosmer, Dunmer, and Orsimer.

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1467752-which-side/?p=22875254

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1467752-which-side/?p=22875285

And until the war is won, fighting for the empire is doing the same thing.

I believe that 9/10 thing was said to be imperial propaganda, actually. And orcs are another race of mer who have poor birthrates, and I doubt they'd be doing this. They aren't said to. Neither are Dunmer. Or woodelves. But we don't know that dunmer and woodelves have poor birthrates or not, but they are mer.

edit: Or rather, I assume Orcs do from how small Orsinium always is.

You must be the only Imperial soldier who do that I'm afraid. ^^

And what is your source for that? We have a source that is on the side of mer fertility being lower than human fertility that is actually in the games. Someone's opinion on a forum is trumped by that, unless you have a source to back it up.

Do you have an exact quote by any chance? I have yet to read the books on Barenzia regrettably.

This. I would love to see that quote. I read all of the Berenziah books and don't remember anything about what you guys are describing.

Nope. I kill them any chance i get as well and i am also a member of the Legion. What are they gonna do? Incriminate an Imperial Officer with inconclusive evidence and no witnesses? They aren't ready to start the war again so they'll just have to buck up and take it.. or fight fire with fire under the table.. in which case Ill just whip out their hunting party also.

Well you would be labeled as a traitor to the Empire then.

What I typed wasn't player-wise, but NPC-wise. So yea, anyone who kill Thalmor Altmeri is the only one man or woman who does that amongst their other soldiers, because they simply can't, because of the concordat. The player, on the other hand, has a special freedom which lets them bypass the concordat completely which would make the game not enjoyable otherwise, at least for casuals *hides in anti atomic bunker*

Here is the scene in question in its entirety.

Label the Dragonborn who is responsible for crushing the Stormcloak rebellion and strengthening the Empires position? Ha. No one in the Legion supports the Thalmor anywhere close enough to drop such slanderous labels over inconclusive evidence. The Thalmor can label me whatever they choose, i couldn't give two [censored]...

Well, the Legion probably would lorewise. http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x000bc186

He sounds smart and proud so ask yourself why would he kneel and serve the General who was there watching as he was about to be unjustly executed? That says it all in a simple nutshell, especially since your guy despises the Emperor and part of joining the Legion requires you to swear service to the Emperor.

Source, please.

Gray-Mane or Battle-Born?

That was Tiber Septim era propaganda. The mer do not euthanize 9/10th of their populace.

Orcs themselves probably have higher birthrates actually, due to having a shorter lifespan than even most humans.