InsaneJournal

Imperials vs. Stormcloaks

It is true that the Imperial Legion was almost responsible for his death after his entry into Skyrim. However, it was also an Imperial officer that ensured he escaped Helgen with his life. While the Dragonborn has connected and become friends with those whom support Ulfric Stormcloak and his cause, he can't ignore the mistreatment of the Argonians working the freezing docks of Windhelm, or the disenfranchised Dunmer refugees forced to live in the slum of the city, and Ulfric's blatant disregard for their harassment.

He knows some of the soldiers from the Legion quietly oppose the White-Gold Concordat and continue to worship Talos, but they know they must put their personal beliefs aside for the sake of the province's safety. He believes Ulfric wants to become High King and secede Skyrim from the Empire's rule, but knows that if that were to happen, Skyrim would be politically decimated in another war in which it would be greatly outmatched by the rest of Tamriel's provinces controlled by the Aldmeri Dominion. Skyrim is already a sullied nation as it is, and dividing from the Empire would only weaken it. Thus, he has pledged his life to the Empire and protecting Skyrim's integrity as a province. He hopes to someday help restore its strength.

Blades vs. Greybeards

The Blades and the Greybeards have been rivals for many a year. The Blades see the Greybeards as 'boring cultists' that seek to brainwash and prevent the Dragonborn from achieving glory through their "Way of the Voice" nonsense, while the Greybeards see the Blades as stubborn, barbaric, and ruthless, wishing to use the Dragonborn as their own personal weapon and force him astray the path of wisdom. The Blades were once a renowned group, responsible for both serving the Dragonborn rulers and being professional dragon slayers, but with Delphine and Esbern being the only two members left, they are naught but a shadow of their former glory. Though Delphine has named herself the new "Grandmaster", she does not hold nearly as much influence as she thinks she does, and only angers the Dragonborn when she insists "by her authority" that the Dragonborn slay Paarthurnax.

Delphine has always been a rather staunch and bossy woman, and the Dragonborn already had several qualms with her. However, nothing got under his skin more than when she ordered him to kill Paarthurnax. He knew Paarthurnax had done terrible things during the Dragon War, but Paarthurnax had also mentored him in the Voice and willfully guided him in his quest to defeat Alduin. The Greybeards have never presented the Dragonborn with a harsh ultimatum, and though they are pacifists themselves, Master Arngeir regularly encourages the Dragonborn to utilize his extraordinary gift of the Dragon Blood.