Salvation for the Innocent?

Once Surtr was done dealing with the thieves, he cuts their heads off and stuffs them into a large sack he had on hand, along with looting the items and gold they'd stolen from travellers... Indeed, he was sickened to find the fresh corpses of a husband and wife in their camp, along with more blood stains on the floor, bedsheets, and other places, implying far worse things from those fiends.

With all that said and done, Surtr gets back on his horse and begins moving anew, solemn in the knowledge that while he'd avenged the bandit's victims, he hadn't saved anyone, apart from future travellers.

People called him a soft-hearted fool but, he wanted to stop people from suffering. He thought that if you had the strength to do so, you should protect those you can. Peace and safety were the goal, along with salvation for the innocent.

He'd actually started truly believing this when he'd been saved those years ago. And so he'd aspired to that ever since... Even if at his own detriment some, or most of the time.

Surtr travelled through some villages in the Province of Falkreath, occasionally stopping to survey some damaged and steadily rebuilding villages that'd apparently been attacked by some Forsworn, cultists who believed themselves the true owners of the Reach, from what he remembered.

He was going well until he spotted black plumes of spoke in the distance, prompting him to move his horse faster. Not long after, he made it to a village that was being attacked... Except, it was not like any attack he'd ever seen before... A small group of people waited just outside the village watching all of this happen.

"What is happening!? Why are you just standing around!?" Surtr asks as he approaches the group.

One man shrugs, "Stormcloak sympathisers decided to try and stop the Imperial forces from reaching the city of Falkreath where Ulfric is hiding... I'm personally stayin' out of it so I can pick up the pieces afterwards, hopefully they don't burn the whole place down."

"Uncle, why aren't you fighting with father?" a child beside the man asks, almost pleading.

"Because your pa, is a fool who decided to fight against an army of Imperial with a god-damned hoe! If death is what he seeks then death is what he'll get!"

Surtr shakes his head in disbelief, these people were sitting back and watching as their friends and family fought against Imperial forces in the name of the Stormcloaks. "Why didn't the army just go around the village!? Why are they burning the place!?" he frantically questions, wishing to understand the method in this madness.

"How'm I supposed to know? I'm just a farmer!"

...

Surtr kicks his horse forward and rides to the village, quickly spotting the small inn where the surviving villagers were holding out as armoured Imperial forces attempt to break their way inside.

"Stop! Stop! What're you doing!? These are innocent people you are butchering!" Surtr exclaims as his eyes skim along the many corpses littering the street.

An imperial soldier turns his gaze to Surtr and scowls, "Stay out of this if you know what's good for you, or you'll face the might of the rest of the Legion!"

"GET BACK YOU FOUL TRAITORS! I'LL STICK YOUR HEAD ON A PIKE FOR YOUR COWARDICE!" a man inside the inn roars as a spear suddenly pokes from a chopped gap in the wall, almost stabbing an Imperial soldier in the neck.

"That's it!" an Imperial growls as he looks to the others, "Burn this one down too, we can't waste men with these fools any longer!"

Surtr's eyes widen at this, burn them? They wanted to burn these people alive for resisting them!? "You will leave those people alone, or I'll make you!" he exclaims as he jumps from his horse, weapons ready.

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"General! A warrior has disarmed six of our men and is preventing us from apprehending the remaining rebels!" an Imperial soldier says as he reaches Tullius.

"A known warrior?" he asks, wanting to know if they were facing someone famous, or just a no-name thinking he was doing the right thing.

The soldier shakes his head, "No, he bears no identifying markers."

Tullius nods, "Good, then I'll go speak to him personally." he says before leaving with his men at his side.

He soon arrives at the point of interest, spotting several of his men either knocked out or wounded enough to stop them from fighting for a while. A single man in heavy steel armour stood in front of the inn, ready to defend it by the looks of things.

"Hail warrior, I am General Tullius, leader of this campaign... Why are you obstructing my men from their duties!?"

Surtr looks to the decorated General, "Your men are butchering innocents 'General', they even wanted to set the place ablaze with the people still inside!"

Tullius folds his arms and gives the warrior a dismissive look, "What would you have us do then? These people attempted to block my men, and attacked us when they learned our purpose of capturing Ulfric Stormcloak. Would you have us lay down and die? Allow a war criminal to go free unpunished!?"

Surtr growls under his breath, "Why did you not just go around the village?! Surely you knew you would find resistance here!"

Tullius scowls, "Of course I knew that, but I cannot risk an attack on Falkreath while these rebels join hands and mount an attack on our flank. You Nords are stubborn, even with the worst matters, I must first serve the Empire, only after that can mercy be given!... Will you continue to stand with these people!?"

Surtr nods, "I will if you persist in trying to murder them!"

Tullius frowns, "If they lay down their arms then they will be captured and let free once Ulfric is captured. I don't have the means to secure belligerent savages during this campaign!"

"I'LL NEVER GIVE UP YOU THALMOR LAP-DOGS! YOU SPIT ON EVERYTHING MY ANCESTORS STRIVED FOR! AND NOW YOU HUNT THE VERY MAN FIGHTING AGAINST THEIR TYRANNY! DAMN YOU, DAMN YOUR FAMILY, AND DAMN THE EMPEROR!" a man shouts from within the inn, and Tullius just continues to stare at Surtr, awaiting his answer.