 Skyrim is set 200 years after the events of Oblivion , though it is not a direct sequel . The game takes place in Skyrim , a province of the Empire on the continent of Tamriel , amid a civil war between two factions . The Stormcloaks , led by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak , are made up of Skyrim 's native Nord race . Their goal is an independent Skyrim free from Imperial interference . The Imperial Legion , led by General Tullius , is the military of the Empire that opposes the Stormcloaks and seeks to reunite and pacify the province . 
