One of the two sides of Civil War in Skyrim, the Stormcloaks are a group of self-proclaimed freedom fighters who want nothing more than for their homeland to be rid of the elves once and for all. With some questionable ethics and a thirst for blood the likes of which would make a Daedra's blood turn cold, it's easy to see how the rest of the world might see them as the villains.
Although their moral stance isn't so cut and dry to label them either heroic or villainous, this isn't the only complexity surrounding the group. Much of their backstory and world views are only given to the player who dives deep into the history of Skyrim, meaning many players will likely miss aspects of their past.
10 The Name Was Originally Used To Mock The Cause
When the Stormcloaks were first formed by Ulfric Stormcloak, the name was originally given to them by the Imperial Legion, who used it to mock them for blindly following a leader they viewed as severely flawed and saw them as nothing but pawns in his war. Unfortunately for them, the Stormcloaks took it as a sign of pride and continued to use the name even after the Imperials realized that it wasn't as insulting as they would have liked it to be.
9 Their Goal Is To Secede From The Empire And Gain Independence For Skyrim
Although the main conflict between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials is to attempt to drive out the Thalmor influence from Skyrim, this isn't where the Stormcloaks' goals end. While Skyrim was happy to be a part of the Empire while it was ruled by the Septims, the take over by the Medes, the instigation of the Great War, and, most prominently, the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, made many Nords believe that Skyrim would be better off if it seceded from the Empire and became an independent state once again, something that players can make happen if they side with the Stormcloaks during the Civil War storyline.
8 The Stormcloak Rebellion Began With The Markarth Incident
One of the main historical events surrounding the formation of the Stormcloaks was the infamous Markarth Incident, in which the Reachmen, who later went on to be known as the Forsworn, took control over Markarth and tried to create their own sovereign state. With the help of Ulfric and his group of fighters, who would later become the Stormcloaks, the Forsworn would be forced out of Markarth in exchange for free worship of Talos within its walls.
Naturally, the Thalmor didn't follow through on this promise, leading Ulfric to officially begin his rebellion against the Empire and the Thalmor for their role in banning the worship of Talos and using him for their own goals.
7 They May Have Used Assassins In The Past
The Stormcloaks, for the most part, rely on sheer tenacity and brute strength in order to win their battles, but according to a certain Dark Elf named Irileth, this may not always be the case. When talking to her, she will tell the player that she believes that the Stormcloaks have utilized assassins in the past in order to try and kill high-profile targets, most notably Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun, who she is tasked with protecting. This isn't entirely outside the realm of possibility for the Stormcloaks, though it is a tactic that Ulfric would definitely deny if he was confronted with the information.
6 They Use Rumor And Hearsay To Disrupt The Imperials
Aside from potentially using assassins to get their way, the Stormcloaks have also planted false information in the ranks of the Imperials and spread rumors about their leadership throughout their battles. While this goes a long way in ensuring that the Imperials don't always know how to deal with the Stormcloaks, its main purpose is to bring more of Skyrim's citizens over to their cause, something which has had mixed results in the past and has created a strong divide between certain groups of people.
5 Their Symbol Comes From Ulfric's Nickname
One of the more recognizable aspects about the Stormcloaks, aside from their bright blue uniforms and the fact that they are made up almost exclusively of Nords, is the symbol on their banner, the bear. This comes from Ulfric's time in the Markarth Incident, where many of the surviving warriors described Ulfric as fighting like a wild animal, later calling him The Bear of Markarth once the battle was over.
4 Siding With The Stormcloaks Will Cause Former Jarls To Be Held In The Blue Palace's Basement
After taking Solitude and killing General Tullius alongside Ulfric, the Jarls who are loyal to the Empire are replaced with those who side with the Stormcloaks and can later be found in the basement of the Blue Palace, along with their families and stewards.
This fact seems to mainly serve the purpose of ensuring that certain questlines can stay open and not lock out players from certain rewards should they complete the Civil War questline early in the game. A notable quest is granted by Jarl Balgruuf's son, Nelkir, who tells the player about the Ebony Blade in the basement of Dragonsreach.
3 Their Army Doesn't Have A Traditional Ranking System
Despite the fact that Ulfric was once an Imperial Legionnaire and many of the Stormcloaks are former Imperial soldiers themselves, there isn't a traditional ranking system in place among the Stormcloaks, something that makes it a lot more difficult for the Imperials to track down and remove those in charge. Although there are clearly people in charge of certain battles, few of them appear to be any higher ranking than the foot soldiers they command.
2 They Make Up In Offense What They Lack In Defense
If the player is able to work on both sides of the Civil War at one point or another, it becomes clear that each side has their own battle strategies that they prefer to employ. The Imperials tend to favor defensive strategies to wear down the enemy and make the battle easier on its troops. But the Stormcloaks are much more aggressive and use siege weapons much more frequently, not to mention the bulk of the army having a greater range of tactics and weapons than the Imperials to make up for their lack of defensive strength.
1 It's Implied That They Are Playing Right Into The Thalmor's Hands
At the conclusion of the Civil War storyline, General Tullius will concede defeat before either Ulfric or the player delivers the final blow, but not before he says a few choice words to Ulfric before he dies. In his final words, he implies that he doesn't necessarily agree with the position the Imperials took, but that it was the lesser of two evils as the Stormcloak rebellion is exactly what the Thalmor needed to thin the numbers of both sides so they could win the inevitable follow up to the Great War.