First play-through I picked the Stormcloak's, every other play-through Ive gone Imperial.
Lets look at the Stormcloak's for one minute. Named after Ulfric who only cares about being High King, to the point where he killed the High King he served in a unbalanced match he knew the king had zero chance of living through just to prove a point. A king by the way, that looked up to Ulfric and would have fought against the outlawing of Talos worship given time.
First point, the Stormcloaks were actually given that name by the Imperials who wanted to belittle their cause. But they kept the name because they believed in Ulfric. Also, Ulfric killed Torygg to prove a point, yes, but also, because according to Sybille stentor, Torygg in the end never would have listened, and Ulfric already tried talking with him and all the jarls at the moot, and Torygg said nothing. Ulfric had no choice but to be rid of him. Also, there's no dialogue suggesting all he cares about is the throne. In fact, he mentions to Galmar several times that he doesn't speed things up
because he cares for his people. This is propaganda stated against Ulfric.
Ulfric uses Talos to pull Skyrim families apart, where as you travel from city to city no matter who supports whom, everyone all over the map seems to support the idea of getting Talos worship legal again. Starting a war in your own lands, pitting families that have been friends for generations against each other because everyone agrees with your idea...
This is kind of an unfair statement. He is fighting for religious freedom. What do you expect him to do, not mention it? It's a civil war. Death is inevitable. And you can easily put the blame on the Empire for allowing the torture of Talos worshipers in the first place.
Now lets look at how 'Skyrim is for the Nord's' has so far worked out, Snow Elves are all but gone, turned into the Falmar out of desperation not to be exterminated in their own lands by the invading Nord's. The Foreswarn have their homes taken from them and their religion outlawed by the same Nord's. Look at the Silverbloods loyal to Ulfric, slave masters that kill or imprison anyone they want for any reason at all. Look in Ulfrics own city, Argonians and Dunmer live in poverty and get paid next to nothing and Ulfric wont even walk over to the district as a favor to a war hero in his own city because the people his war hero is trying to help aren't Nord. Current popular thought among the Nord's is 'magic is bad' Doesn't seem like the College will do well in the long run under Ulfric.
The Snow elves started it by attacking the nords and sacking their city, and even then, the Dwarves were the ones that lead to their downfall by purposefully blinding them. The Forsworn again, attacked the Nords first while they were busy fighting for the empire against the Thalmor, and their religion consists of turning women into hagravens, sacrificing people and kidnapping little girls... of course it's outlawed.
The silverbloods are doing nothing out of the ordinary. They're putting enemies to the kingdom in prison and forcing them to work. That's punishment for crimes committed, not slave labor.
Dunmer live in poverty because they are refugees and new to the land. Ulfric can't do anything about what they and the argonians are paid. Jarls don't interfere with that. They aren't presidents, and in Tamriel, the market is independent of king and emperor influence, minus what they're taxed. So that is the fault of the shatter shield clan that they work for, not Ulfric. Also, as I previously stated, the Dunmer were given those slums for free, along with Solstheim, and the Argonians are kept out because of their tension with Nords, and Dunmer. Ulfric is trying to run a civil war. I haven't seen him walking out anywhere, let alone the Grey Quarter. Why should he go out to see what he already knows? Why is Brunwulf so special? Priorities. Let him win the war first before he tries fixing a problem that started hundreds of years ago.
The Empire was forced to let the Thalmor come to Skyrim, they didn't have a choice if they wanted a break in the war. A war every Thalmor agent you find in the game says is still active no matter what a piece of paper says, they are just waiting to strike. A war that the entire Empire (Skyrim included) couldn't win, only hold out for a draw but somehow Ulfric will just kick out the entire Aldmeri Dominion after ransacking half of Skyrim's cities and turning their walls to rubble as well as severely diminishing Skyrim's fighting force, not only through getting rid of the Empires troops but killing off many Nord's through his Civil War.
Ulfric is power hungry to the point where he doesn't see/care that starting a war and dividing the Empire is only beneficial to the Aaldmeri Dominion, he is too stupid to be capable of leading a country.
**boy I went on a lot longer than I thought when I started writing, haha**
First, the Empire didn't have to sign that treaty. There's evidence in the game to suggest that the Thalmor were just as hurt as they were:
"Much of what is written in this book is pieced together from documents captured from the enemy during the war, interrogation of prisoners, and eyewitness accounts from surviving soldiers and Imperial officers."
K, now read this.
"In 4E 174, the Thalmor leadership committed all available forces to the campaign in Cyrodiil, gambling on a decisive victory to end the war once and for all. During the spring, Aldmeri reinforcements gathered in southern Cyrodiil, and on 12th of Second Seed, they launched a massive assault on the Imperial City itself.”
Now, there’s no way survivors or eye witnesses could know the info in the second quote, so that means they HAD to have gotten the info DURING the war, as the book said they did, because that is the only time they’d have access to prisoners, and that’s when they would have discovered their documents. This means the Empire KNEW how weak the Dominion was and they still caved.
And besides that, we see the Redguards fought them to a standstill by themselves. If they can't take Hammerfell after the war, they can't take the Empire. They should have refused the treaty. If they did, the Thalmor would have been forced to go home and the war would be unofficially ended, like the situation in Korea. The Empire didn't have to let the Thalmor in. They were scared and felt for the bluff.
Ulfric is doing what he thinks is necessary. The Empire is letting the Thalmor sabotage them for over 26 years now in the name of "peace" while his people suffer oppression while the Empire waits. There's no evidence to his power hunger at all, as far as wanting the crown for its sake alone.
And Ulfric I doubt wants to fight the Thalmor alone. Alliances can be formed.
So he gives them the dirty, rundown part of the "city". Okay. Yes, anyone who has played TES should know the Argonian hatred of Dunmer but there is no evidence to support that he keeps the two segregated for their own good. And the High King at the time would have been under imperial influence which is probably why the Dunmer were given Solstheim. And Khajiit, the caravans are basically the only ones of their kind there, by not letting them in it's basically saying stay out to the race. So there's one in Riften, home to the thieves and Maven Briar, that says it all.
As for the Altmer(going off long ago memory here):
Old Man alchemist is a well respected man in the field, and he's been there some time. Regardless of my racism I would want to keep an attraction like that in my city. The Altmer merchant, being a part of the thief guild she could have connections.
First, Ulfric didn't give him the rundown part of the city. They were there for hundreds of years. And considering they'd be homeless otherwise, I don't think a whole island and a whole city district is something to sneer at. And there's more evidence suggesting they are kept out for their own safety compared to the opposite, considering again, that Brunwulf, the Imperial supporting Jarl says as much.
As for why they were given Solstheim, no, the Nords did that of their own accord. Being under imperial influence had nothing to do with it. If it did, the decree would have stated the Empire's involvement, but it did not:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Decree_of_Monument
Even if they did, the point is, the Dunmer were still given homes and land for FREE while they complain.
The example of the caravans is pointless, because as I said, we see a khajiit in the Stormcloak occupied city of riften who tries to kill us. They got in, and that proves it's just the caravans. It isn't racist, because the caravans are drug dealers and abusers. Them being khajiit is irrelevant.
And you saying that the alchemist is useful only helps the idea that the Nords and Ulfric aren't racist, because the Nords, as well as the hlaalu farmer say Nords respect hard work. Niranye says the same thing. Another Altmer that is successful in the Nord city. The Dunmer haven't yet proven their worth. And again, they've already been given free homes. Why should the Nords give them more when there's homeless Nords, including a little girl, who has nothing? Why do they deserve special treatment? Don't forget the Altmer that sells horses outside the city for 1000 a pop. They worked hard and were useful, therefore they do well under Nord culture.
If Ulfric is so busy with the Civil War that he can't even spare men to adequately deal with a murderer killing Nords in the middle of his city, what makes anyone think that he can deal with Nords, Dunmer and Argonians living amongst the same space? Like I said, priorities. Even Brunwulf, Ulfric's biggest critic, states that the issue is something that takes time and concentration to deal with. What's more important? Catering to Dunmer who were given free homes and an Island, or making sure you win the war that will decide the fate of your entire people, and that will end religious hunting and intolerance?