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* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Every time Morokei speaks, a wave of chilling air blows through his lair, draining your stamina.
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* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Every time Morokei speaks, a wave of chilling air blows through his lair, draining your stamina.magicka bar.
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* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Every time Morokei speaks, a wave of chilling air blows through his lair, draining your stamina.
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* ColdBloodedTorture: Hevnoraak was ''very'' fond of this, especially due to the fact that his CompellingVoice ensured his victims wouldn't resist.
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* MeaningfulName: With the exception of Otar, each Priest's name has a meaning in the Dragon language. In Hevnoraak's case, his name's translation ("Brutal") is [[TheCaligula very]] [[CompleteMonster fitting]].
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Oh wait...
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During the Dragons' reign over Mundus in the Merethic Era, they had mortal followers known as the Dragon Cult, lead by powerful mages known as Dragon Priests. Although the Cult itself is long dead, Alduin's return has caused nine of these Dragon Priests to rise from their graves and terrorize Skyrim. Each Priest possesses a mask imbued with powerful magics.
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During the Dragons' reign over Mundus in the Merethic Era, they had mortal followers known as the Dragon Cult, lead by powerful mages known as Dragon Priests. Although the Cult itself is long dead, Alduin's return has caused nine eight of these Dragon Priests to rise from their graves and terrorize Skyrim. Each Priest possesses a mask imbued with powerful magics.
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* TheUnseen: [[spoiler:Collecting all nine masks and placing them on a shrine deep in Labrinthian unlocks a tenth mask, Konahrik. Konahrik himself doesn't actually appear.]]
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* TheUnseen: [[spoiler:Collecting all nine eight masks and placing them on a shrine deep in Labrinthian unlocks a tenth ninth mask, Konahrik. Konahrik himself doesn't actually appear.]]
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* TheUnseen: [[spoiler:Collecting all nine masks and placing them on a shrine deep in Labrinthian unlocks a tenth mask, Konahrik. Konahrik himself doesn't actually appear.]]
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* DualBoss: Krosis' lair just happens to be a Dragon Lair, so if you're not careful, the fight can quickly turn into this.
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* TheRemnant: According to the ''Atlas of Dragons'' book, he is one of a very small number of dragons under Alduin's command that survived the Dragon War.
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* TheRemnant: According to the ''Atlas of Dragons'' book, he is one of a very small number of dragons under Alduin's command that survived both the Dragon War.War and the Akaviri Dragonguard reavings.
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Hrrrm, no. You don\'t become overlord of the dragons. Beside Odahviing and Durnehviir, no other dragon really follows you. No one leads them anymore.
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** BadassInCharge: By the end of the game, you have the potential to be [[spoiler: Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Lord of Clan Volkihar, and ''Overlord of the Dragons''.]]
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** BadassInCharge: By the end of the game, you have the potential to be [[spoiler: Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Brotherhood and Lord of Clan Volkihar, and ''Overlord of the Dragons''.Volkihar.]]
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** BadassInCharge: By the end of the game, you have the potential to be [[spoiler: Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, and ''Overlord of the Dragons''.]]
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** BadassInCharge: By the end of the game, you have the potential to be [[spoiler: Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Lord of Clan Volkihar, and ''Overlord of the Dragons''.]]
** [[RedBaron Badass Nickname]]: ''The One They Fear.''
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* RedBaron: ''The One They Fear.''
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* ArchEnemy: Morokei to [[spoiler: Savos Aren]].
* BerserkButton Morokei when he has to speak Tamrielic: "Must I speak your guttural tongue?!"
* CompellingVoice: Hevnoraak could make anyone do anything he wanted with his voice.
* BerserkButton Morokei when he has to speak Tamrielic: "Must I speak your guttural tongue?!"
* CompellingVoice: Hevnoraak could make anyone do anything he wanted with his voice.
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* MagicStaff: Frequently seen wielding staffs.
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* SealedEvilInADuel: [[spoiler: Morokei, who was sealed by Savos Aren in a duel with the ghosts of two of his colleagues who he enthralled to keep Morokei from wreaking havoc on Skyrim.]]
* SinisterMinister: Their cruelty soon rivaled that of the dragons.
* SinisterMinister: Their cruelty soon rivaled that of the dragons.
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!!The Dragon Priests
During the Dragons' reign over Mundus in the Merethic Era, they had mortal followers known as the Dragon Cult, lead by powerful mages known as Dragon Priests. Although the Cult itself is long dead, Alduin's return has caused nine of these Dragon Priests to rise from their graves and terrorize Skyrim. Each Priest possesses a mask imbued with powerful magics.
* AndIMustScream: Otar the Mad has been sealed in a coffin since his death.
* AntiClimaxBoss: Nahkriin is widely considered to be the weakest of the Dragon Priests. He's also the only one you ''have'' to fight in the main quest.
* TheCaligula: They all count to some degree, but Hevnoraak and Rahgot are the most clear examples
* DirtyCoward: Rahgot
* TheDragon: One could argue that Nahkriin is this, as he is the lord of Skuldafin and guards [[spoiler:Alduin's portal to Sovengarde]].
* EliteMooks
* MaskOfPower
* OurLichesAreDifferent
* SealedEvilInACan: Otar the Mad and Morokei.
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:When Rahgot forced his followers to commit mass suicide, not even the children were spared.]]
During the Dragons' reign over Mundus in the Merethic Era, they had mortal followers known as the Dragon Cult, lead by powerful mages known as Dragon Priests. Although the Cult itself is long dead, Alduin's return has caused nine of these Dragon Priests to rise from their graves and terrorize Skyrim. Each Priest possesses a mask imbued with powerful magics.
* AndIMustScream: Otar the Mad has been sealed in a coffin since his death.
* AntiClimaxBoss: Nahkriin is widely considered to be the weakest of the Dragon Priests. He's also the only one you ''have'' to fight in the main quest.
* TheCaligula: They all count to some degree, but Hevnoraak and Rahgot are the most clear examples
* DirtyCoward: Rahgot
* TheDragon: One could argue that Nahkriin is this, as he is the lord of Skuldafin and guards [[spoiler:Alduin's portal to Sovengarde]].
* EliteMooks
* MaskOfPower
* OurLichesAreDifferent
* SealedEvilInACan: Otar the Mad and Morokei.
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:When Rahgot forced his followers to commit mass suicide, not even the children were spared.]]
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* Hypocrite: Calls the Dovahkiin "arrogant" for assuming the title, but he himself is essentially the personification of draconic arrogance.
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* Hypocrite: {{Hypocrite}}: Calls the Dovahkiin "arrogant" for assuming the title, but he himself is essentially the personification of draconic arrogance.
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* Hypocrite: Calls the Dovahkiin "arrogant" for assuming the title, but he himself is essentially the personification of draconic arrogance.
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* NamesToRunAwayFromVeryFast: The Dragonborn. But the Stormblade, Harbinger of the Companions, and Listener of the Dark Brotherhood can also count.
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* NamesToRunAwayFromVeryFast: The Dragonborn. But the Stormblade, Harbinger of the Companions, and Listener of the Dark Brotherhood can also count. count.
* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe. All the guards will give you shit over [[spoiler:releasing Odahviing, even if you had a perfectly good reason to. Even if you used Odahviing to win the Civil War, or just used him then and there to kill a hostile dragon, they'll ''still'' call you out on it]].
--> '''Guard:''' ''[[spoiler:Releasing a captured dragon.]] I don't think I'll ever understand that one...''
* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe. All the guards will give you shit over [[spoiler:releasing Odahviing, even if you had a perfectly good reason to. Even if you used Odahviing to win the Civil War, or just used him then and there to kill a hostile dragon, they'll ''still'' call you out on it]].
--> '''Guard:''' ''[[spoiler:Releasing a captured dragon.]] I don't think I'll ever understand that one...''
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** And, if you're a vampire, people start commenting on your pale skin and hungry eyes.
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*** Joining the Legion will require you to clear out an entire fortress by yourself. One can assume that regular legionaires don't have to pass the same kind of initiation.
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* IAmYourOpponent: The Dragonborn towards Dragonkind.
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Not really a spoiler, since Soul Tear was revealed by the developers before Dawnguard was released.
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** [[spoiler: The ''Dawnguard'' DLC introduces a Dragon-Shout that rips souls from enemies, turning them into undead thralls.]]
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** [[spoiler: The ''Dawnguard'' DLC introduces a Dragon-Shout that rips souls from enemies, turning them into undead thralls.]]
thralls.
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* {{Irony}}: He points it out during the negotiations for a peace treaty. On how men of war and violence (Tullius and Ulfric) are now being called to High Hrothgar; a sacred place whose very stones are dedicated to peace and tranquility.
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** If you side with the Stormcloaks in the Civil War questline, you're given several names as you progress; Ice-Veins, Bone-Breaker, Snow-Hammer, and finally, Stormblade.
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* ImpossibleThief: With enough lockpicks, any lock the game lets you try to pick will be picked, and you can steal baskets, kettles and plates without disturbing the items on or in them, leaving those items to suddenly fall to the ground.
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* ImpossibleThief: With enough lockpicks, any lock the game lets you try to pick will be picked, and you can steal baskets, kettles and plates without disturbing the items on or in them, leaving those items to suddenly fall to the ground. With enough skill points and the right perks, eventually you can pickpocket the clothes and weapons off of people, run by right in front of their eyes without being seen, and vanish from sight instantly by entering Sneak.
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* [[AscendedDemon Ascended Dragon:]] Provides the current page quote.
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!!The Blades
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* PraetorianGuard: This was one of their purposes after Tiber Septim enlisted them.
* TheRemnant: They've been utterly smashed by the Thalmor before and during the Great War. The declaration of war by the Thalmor involved presenting Emperor Mede with the severed heads of all Blades operatives within the Aldmeri Dominion's territory, and their numbers went downhill from there. Cloud Ruler Temple got sacked (but not after the Blades destroying as much as they could to deny the Thalmor intel), and the Blades are now outlawed by the White Gold Concordat. Nevertheless, a few Blades keep on fighting.
* TheRemnant: They've been utterly smashed by the Thalmor before and during the Great War. The declaration of war by the Thalmor involved presenting Emperor Mede with the severed heads of all Blades operatives within the Aldmeri Dominion's territory, and their numbers went downhill from there. Cloud Ruler Temple got sacked (but not after the Blades destroying as much as they could to deny the Thalmor intel), and the Blades are now outlawed by the White Gold Concordat. Nevertheless, a few Blades keep on fighting.
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Not sure if Kryptonite Factor. If different trope, feel free to fix.
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* KryptoniteFactor: [[spoiler:Dragonrend. Unless under its effects, he is literally invincible.]]
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* ImpossibleThief: With enough lockpicks, any lock the game lets you try to pick will be picked, and you can steal baskets, kettles and plates without disturbing the items on or in them, leaving those items to suddenly fall to the ground.
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* SympathyForTheDevil: Durnehviir in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion would like to return to Tamriel and fly her skies once more, but has spent too long in the Soul Cairn and cannot survive outside it now. Meanwhile Paarthurnax will tell you of Numinex, the original dragon caught in Dragonsreach in Whiterun, who eventually was so lost in despair in his captivity that when Paarthurnax visited him, Numinex couldn't remember his own name anymore.
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* SympathyForTheDevil: Durnehviir in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion would like to return to Tamriel and fly her skies once more, but has spent too long in the Soul Cairn and cannot survive outside it now. Meanwhile Paarthurnax will tell you of Numinex, the original dragon caught in Dragonsreach in Whiterun, who eventually was so lost in despair in his captivity that when Paarthurnax visited him, Numinex couldn't remember his own name anymore.
anymore. Keeping in mind that it's likely a lot of them served Alduin out of fear more than loyalty, and it becomes clear that the dragons are living, intelligent creatures who just happened to be demonized due to the actions of a few.
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* SympathyForTheDevil: Durnehviir in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion would like to return to Tamriel and fly her skies once more, but has spent too long in the Soul Cairn and cannot survive outside it now. Meanwhile Paarthurnax will tell you of Numinex, the original dragon caught in Dragonsreach in Whiterun, who eventually was so lost in despair in his captivity that when Paarthurnax visited him, Numinex couldn't remember his own name anymore.
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Durnehviir should go on the Dawnguard page.
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!!Durnehviir
A dragon encountered in the Soul Cairn in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion. Durnehviir was tricked by the Ideal Masters into guarding their realm.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name translates into "Curse Never Dying".
* {{Badass}}: Lore says he has never been defeated in battle, and is in fact unkillable.
* CursedWithAwesome: Let's just say that he has a MeaningfulName.
* {{Dracolich}}: Though not technically undead, he looks the part, down to the exposed, hollowed out ribcage.
* GracefulLoser: He takes his very first defeat in battle remarkably well.
* {{Necromancer}}: He sought to raise undead armies to combat his rivals in Tamriel, and made a deal with the Ideal Masters to serve as a Keeper in the Soul Cairn until [[spoiler:Valerica]] died in exchange for their knowledge. Unfortunately for him, they failed to let him know that [[spoiler:Valerica]] is immortal.
* PoirotSpeak: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] He actually speaks the mortal tongue very fluently, and other than his bestowing the title of "Qahnaarin" on the Dragonborn, he almost never speaks in the dragon language.
* SignatureMove: [[YourSoulIsMine Soul Tear]], although he never actually uses it on you (for gameplay-breaking reasons).
* SummonBiggerFish: He can be summoned back in Tamriel by shouting his name, [[spoiler:like Odahviing]], but the mechanics of his summoning are different. Durnehviir is treated as a summon in the same vein as an atronach or zombie, including the requirement that there be enough empty space on the ground for him to materialize. Which, incidentally, means he can be summoned indoors.
* WorthyOpponent: The Dragonborn is the first one to ever best him in battle, so he grants him/her the title of "Qahnaarin", which means "Vanquisher".
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: He would love to return to Tamriel and fly free in the skies again, but knows that he has spent too long in the Soul Cairn and would die if he stayed in the mortal realm.
* YourSoulIsMine: The first three times he is called into Tamriel, he teaches you the words to the Soul Tear shout, which is useless without all three words, but then becomes a powerful magic bolt that ''instantly kills, Soul Traps, and resurrects any enemy with low enough health.''
A dragon encountered in the Soul Cairn in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion. Durnehviir was tricked by the Ideal Masters into guarding their realm.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name translates into "Curse Never Dying".
* {{Badass}}: Lore says he has never been defeated in battle, and is in fact unkillable.
* CursedWithAwesome: Let's just say that he has a MeaningfulName.
* {{Dracolich}}: Though not technically undead, he looks the part, down to the exposed, hollowed out ribcage.
* GracefulLoser: He takes his very first defeat in battle remarkably well.
* {{Necromancer}}: He sought to raise undead armies to combat his rivals in Tamriel, and made a deal with the Ideal Masters to serve as a Keeper in the Soul Cairn until [[spoiler:Valerica]] died in exchange for their knowledge. Unfortunately for him, they failed to let him know that [[spoiler:Valerica]] is immortal.
* PoirotSpeak: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] He actually speaks the mortal tongue very fluently, and other than his bestowing the title of "Qahnaarin" on the Dragonborn, he almost never speaks in the dragon language.
* SignatureMove: [[YourSoulIsMine Soul Tear]], although he never actually uses it on you (for gameplay-breaking reasons).
* SummonBiggerFish: He can be summoned back in Tamriel by shouting his name, [[spoiler:like Odahviing]], but the mechanics of his summoning are different. Durnehviir is treated as a summon in the same vein as an atronach or zombie, including the requirement that there be enough empty space on the ground for him to materialize. Which, incidentally, means he can be summoned indoors.
* WorthyOpponent: The Dragonborn is the first one to ever best him in battle, so he grants him/her the title of "Qahnaarin", which means "Vanquisher".
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: He would love to return to Tamriel and fly free in the skies again, but knows that he has spent too long in the Soul Cairn and would die if he stayed in the mortal realm.
* YourSoulIsMine: The first three times he is called into Tamriel, he teaches you the words to the Soul Tear shout, which is useless without all three words, but then becomes a powerful magic bolt that ''instantly kills, Soul Traps, and resurrects any enemy with low enough health.''
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* BerserkButton: He is much more hostile towards you if you introduce yourself as either a Nightingale or the Listener.
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* ThresholdGuardian
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The main characters of VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim. For the full list of characters, click [[Characters/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim here.]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: Dovahkiin / The Dragonborn]]
-->'''''"FUS RO DAH!"'''''
[[quoteright:348:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dovakhiin_7544.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:348:The last thing that the Dragons will see.]]
[[IAmWho The Dovahkiin]] is TheChosenOne of prophecy, foretold to be the one to defeat Alduin, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt who is poised to destroy all of Nirn]]. He or she turns out to be a [[YouAllMeetInACell penniless prisoner waking up in the back of a cart and about to be executed]].
* AxCrazy: You can act like this occasionally.
-->''Is Markarth bloody enough for you, stranger?''
-->''More blood is always good.''
* AlwaysABiggerFish: According to lore, Akatosh used his own blood to create the first Dragonborns, who would serve as guardians for mankind and natural predators for Dragons.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: The game doesn't end when you complete the main storyline, and random Radiant Quests ensure you have something to do afterwards.
** [[spoiler:Tsun and Paarthurnax both say that they doubt your purpose has been completely fulfilled, and Tullius/Ulfric say that they expect to be at loggerheads with the Thalmor again in the not too distant future at the end of the Civil War quests, providing a [[SequelHook DLC Hook]].]]
** Not to mention heightmaps for all the provinces of Tamriel are included in the game, leading some to speculate future DLC will add entire regions to the game. Several of the other provinces have potential enemies as well, mostly Thalmor, but also the Argonians who conquered Morrowind.
* AntiHero: There is no karma meter, but the GreyAndGrayMorality of the two main questlines, and possible membership in factions like the Companions, Thieves Guild, or Dark Brotherhood can put you anywhere on the [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes scale]].
* TheAtoner: You can invoke this by completing the Dark Brotherhood main quest which ends with you killing [[spoiler:the Emperor]]. Afterwards, join the Imperial Legion and help them win the civil war as way of making amends for the crimes you committed against the Empire. See FaceHeelTurn if you do the opposite.
** The game itself will invoke this trope with you. If you steal from your fellows in the Thieves Guild or kill a colleague in the Dark Brotherhood, you must make restitution (though the latter is a subversion as a fine of 500 gold is all that is assessed for murder.) You can also pay off your bounties for crimes committed in various communities. If your skill in illusion is high enough to pacify a guard long enough to accept bounty, you can make restitution for any and all crimes.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Ignoring how you can name your character whatever you want, most characters refer to you as Dovahkiin or Dragonborn, the former sounding very similiar along the lines of names like Alduin, Paarthurnax and Odahviing.
* {{Badass}}: Possibly the most badass out of all the Elder Scrolls protagonists. Only ''one'' other one has met a hostile dragon. For the Dovahkiin, [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight killing dragons is the job description]], and as they're random encounters you'll be mowing them down regularly.
** ActionSurvivor: After surviving almost being executed by beheading and burnt alive by a dragon, you proceed to become TheChosenOne to prevent the end of the world.
** AsskickingEqualsAuthority: If you're scouted out to join a group like the Thieves Guild, Companions, or the College of Winterhold, by the time their questline is over [[spoiler: you'll have been made their leader in recognition of your skill]].
** BadassAbnormal: The Dragonborn possesses the body of a mortal but the soul of a Dragon.
** BadassBeard: Todd Howard really wasn't kidding when he said that Skyrim would have truly epic beards...
** BadassBookworm: Via reading skill books or specialising in magic.
** BadassBystander: During dragon attacks on towns, you can step in, kill it, then go right back to what you were doing.
** BadassInCharge: By the end of the game, you have the potential to be [[spoiler: Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, and ''Overlord of the Dragons''.]]
** BadassLonghair: Potentially.
** BadassPreacher: If you join a temple to the Divines.
** HandicappedBadass: Your Dragonborn can be missing an eye or be completely blind if you wish
** BewareTheNiceOnes: You can play as a polite, kind and an all around NiceGuy, who is literally capable of bending reality itself to shout their enemies apart.
** OneManArmy: A highly trained Dragonborn is able to win battles in which he is heavily outnumbered. This is seen most prominently in the Civil War quests, in which the Dragonborn can liberate entire forts occupied by the enemy army, without needing any help. One quest during the civil war even has the option to barge in alone instead of a more conventional ambush tactic.
-->'''Dragonborn''': ''I have a better plan. You wait here, and I'll take care of it.''
** Routinely defeating Dragons who could obliterate entire towns also counts.
** UnderestimatingBadassery: Most missions/sidequests/quest lines are completely separate and don't overlap. That means that even if you've become Harbinger of the Companions, single-handedly stopped the resurrection of Potema, become the Thane of multiple Holds, and revealed yourself as the Dragonborn and ''absorbed the souls of dragons'', you still need to undergo a petty quest to "prove yourself" worthy enough to join other factions. Somewhat justified in that being an adventurer alone (even the Dragonborn) isn't enough to indicate that you're willing to follow orders or maintain confidentiality, however, this justification does not help the cases where you merely have to prove that you're strong enough to fight.
** That said, there ''are'' a few notable aversions. For example, if you've completed the Wolf Queen questline and started the "Mind Of Madness" questline, you may speak with Falk Firebeard and though reluctant to allow you passage into the haunted and abandoned wing of the Blue Palace, he will make an exception just for ''you''.
** It especially get ridiculous when you get challenged by some random thief or an overconfident enemy like [[spoiler: Ancano's aide whom you encounter after getting the Staff of Magnus]], and you clearly [[CurbStompBattle demonstrate]] that they prove to be mere cannon fodder.
* BarbarianHero: Although you can play your Dragonborn as whatever kind of character you like, the "official" Dragonborn seen in the promotional art and trailers is one. It comes naturally to Nords.
* BloodKnight: You can choose to be one. Given that you're in the land of {{Blood Knight}}s, it comes naturally. Paarthurnax also mentions that as you have the soul of a Dragon, you have an innate desire for destruction.
* BountyHunter: One way to make money is to ask around for bounty decrees (the target is usually a dragon, a group of bandits, or a troublesome giant), then collect your bounty from the local Jarl.
* {{Catchphrase}}: One of the first Dragon-Shouts you learn, nonetheless, can prove itself [[AwesomeYetPractical useful]] in almost ''any'' situation.
--> '''Dragonborn''': FUS-RO-DAH!
* TheChosenOne: A slightly unusual case that there's sometimes more than one Chosen One running around; the PlayerCharacter just might the only known Dovahkiin.[[spoiler:The Dragonborn is also arguably the chosen one of ''every'' other circumstance and guild they run across.]]
** This is [[UpToEleven Taken up to Eleven]] when you [[spoiler: reach Sovngarde and are challenged by the guardian of Shor's Hall, Tsun. He wants to know by what right you should be allowed to enter, and you can say that you're the Dovahkiin... But if you've completed all the other Faction Quests, you can also say that you're Harbinger of the Companions, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Nightingale of the Thieves Guild, ''or'' Listener for the Dark Brotherhood. It's a shame you can't bring up all of these, he'd probably crap his pants.]]
** It's heavily implied in ''The Book of the Dragonborn'' as well as a very accurate ancient prophecy, that you are [[LastOfHisKind the last Dragonborn]].
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Being a TES game, you can backstab basically everyone. Notable example: [[spoiler:You kill the Emperor at the end of the Dark Brotherhood questline. Bonus points if you've previously joined the Legion and sworn allegiance to the Emperor. Then you can accept the Emperor's last request to murder the man who ordered his assassination.]] Less notable example: Help Madanach and the Forsworn escape Cidhna Mine, accept his reward and thanks, then stick a knife in his back when he turns to leave.
* CombatPragmatist: The kill animations sometimes reach ''AssassinsCreed''-tier brutality and ruthlessness. One of the new ones in the 1.5 update for warhammers and battle axes involves putting the haft of the hammer or axe around the back of the enemy's neck and then simply twisting until the neck breaks. Another new animation, also for warhammers and battle axes, involves placing the hammer or axe sideways behind the opponents head, locking them in place while you ''headbutt them to death''.
** Dragon-Shouts. Because why bother to even battle someone when you can freeze them, roast them alive or rip out their ''soul''?!
* CoDragons: By the final mission in the Civil War questline, you've become the Co Dragon to either Tullius or Ulfric, alongside Rikke or Galmar, respectively.
* CoolHelmet: Always depicted as wearing a horned helmet with a face mask in promotional art (the readily available Iron helmet, for those interested). In the game, you can wear a variety, including that one, or none at all.
* CrazyPrepared: Potentially. A Dovahkiin focused on smithing, enchanting, speech, and alchemy (at the expense of perk-placement in other skills directly-related to combat or magic) can have custom-made weapons, potions, and enchanted gear for ''any'' eventuality. You essentially sacrifice the ability to be the perfect warrior to instead be ''Batman''.
* CrystalDragonJesus: The Dragonborn is essentially TheElderScrolls' version of Christ, a god in a mortal's body destined to save the world. [[spoiler: You even go to the afterlife and then return to the mortal realm.]] And it's implied that you're destined to lead a new empire.
* CursedWithAwesome: [[spoiler:You can become a werewolf.]]
** Not to mention the fact that you are/can be the number one enemy of the most feared and powerful creatures, organizations, and even ''Daedric Princes'' of Tamriel because of your powers.
* DeadpanSnarker: There are plenty of sarcastic dialogue options.
* DefectorFromDecadence: If the Dragonborn is an Altmer and loyal to the Empire, one of the possibilities for why they arrived in Skyrim is that they are one of the many Altmer fleeing the expanding influence of the Aldmeri Dominion. Due to the White-Gold Condordiat being signed between the Thalmor and the Empire, the Thalmor were effectively granted free-reign to come and go throughout the Empire and the jurisdiction to arrest anyone they wish. One suspects that Altmer ''not'' loyal to the Dominion are on the top of their list...
* [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex Designated Heroes Have Good Sex]]: If you get married, and go to sleep with your spouse (either because you're at the house or you're traveling with them), you get the ''Lover's Comfort'' buff, where the Dragonborn is in such a good mood that skill-building becomes a lot easier for a while.
* {{Determinator}}: Slaying Dragons, ending Civil Wars and saving the World? Numerous characters comment on the Dragonborn's tenacity.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Can join the Stormcloaks, overthrow the Empire and [[spoiler: murder the Emperor]]... all because you were accidentally arrested and when the mistake was discovered, you were sentenced to execution ''anyway'', because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat one Imperial clerk]] ''didn't'' want to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero bother with the paperwork.]]
* TheDreaded: Dragonborn, being the only mortals capable of truly killing a dragon, are actually mentioned as being something the Dragons fear above all else. Case-in-point, the music that plays during your fights with Dragons is titled on the soundtrack as "''The One They Fear''"
** Literally invoked the first Dragon you face, Mirmulnir, when he realizes far too late just ''who you are.''
--> '''Mirmulnir''': [[OhCrap Dovahkiin?!]] [[BigNo NO!]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Playing any race other than Nord tends to this, but especially Khajiit, Argonian, and Dunmer Dragonborn will still get talked down to by guards and some [=NPCs=], even after defeating Alduin.
** The Blades, who despite supposedly being sworn to ''serve'' the Dragonborn, often treat them as an indentured servant and ''demand'' they perform tasks for them.
** There are some instances where you can simply tell someone that you're Dragonborn and they'll treat you with the respect your status deserves. For example, when entering the College of Winterhold, you're normally expected to make a show of magical aptitude, but if you simply tell Faralda that you're the Dragonborn and fire off a Shout, she'll enthusiastically let you through.
** Becoming the Arch-Mage of the College at Winterhold. Did you ''really'' think you'd get any respect from [[DoesNotLikeMagic the Nords]]?
--> '''Guard''': So you're the leader of those mages in Winterhold, am I supposed to be impressed?
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: You eventually end up defeating Alduin, firstborn of Akatosh, god of Time itself, whose purpose is to bring about the end of the world.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: The Dragonborn always has the option of telling the Daedric Princes, in no uncertain terms, to go to hell.
* FantasticRacism: If you meet up with Brunwulf Free-Winter you have the option of saying that Skyrim is for Nords alone. [[BoomerangBigot Strangely enough, you get this option even if you're not a Nord.]]
* FeaturelessProtagonist: As in every TES game.
* FemmeFatale: Very possible for a female Dragonborn of any non-beast race.
* FolkHero: InUniverse. The bards even composed a song called "The Dragonborn Comes", foretelling your arrival.
* GeniusDitz: Can invoke this with the Greybeards, saying you have no idea how you can [[InstantExpert learn new Thu'um quickly]], you just ''do'' it.
** If you join the Mage College but haven't specialized in magic thus far, you essentially are acknowledged as being the least skilled with magic, but potentially one of the most powerful.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: If you wish, the Dragonborn can have a plethora of manly scars.
* GlamourFailure: After becoming a werewolf, city guards will comment that the Dragonborn appears to have fur growing out of their ears and [[PsychoticSmirk a wolfish grin.]] Even if you are an Argonian, who's ears and facial expressions shouldn't be readily apparent in the first place, or if you're a Khajiit, and have furry ears anyway.
* HelloInsertNameHere: Played with; regardless of the name you pick you're usually referred to as "The Dragonborn", but your name will frequently appear written in notes and journals. [[NoPronunciationGuide The reason for this is obvious]].
** EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: In the Legion campaign, you're referred to primarily by your rank, starting at Auxiliary and working your way up to Legate.
** KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: In the Stormcloak campaign, you're given a series of nicknames by the men. Stormcloak troops will refer to you by these nicknames.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: Even if you're the nicest, most heroic guy imaginable you'll still get a bounty on par with murder if you're exposed as a werewolf.
* HornyVikings: A Nordic Dragonborn will find himself embracing many beloved Viking cliches.
* HumanoidAbomination: Is viewed as one by the Dragons, being a mortal who somehow possesses the soul of a Dragon and is able to permanently kill them, then proceed to use their souls as ''fuel''.
* TheHunter: Is considered by the Blades to be the ''ultimate'' Dragon-slayer.
** For good reason: only a Dragonborn (or a dragon) can keep dragons from being resurrected by Alduin. The Blades might be able to kill a dragon, but without your help it isn't going to ''stay'' killed.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: Most vampires you encounter are hostile, so being one yourself invokes this trope. Being a werewolf can do too (mostly in the Sinding/Hircine quest).
** Given how the Dragonborn is of the same kith as Dragons, this is to be expected.
** Thalmor can invoke this in both directions if you're an Altmer. Once you hit the Thalmor Embassy, they'll start sending execution squads after you, which will only happen to a Dragonborn who has the patience to ''not'' brutally murder Thalmor s/he encounters beforehand.
* IHateYouVampireDad: [[spoiler: If the Dovahkiin accepts Lord Harkon's offer of Vampire Lordship and ends up killing him]]
* IHaveManyNames: Aside from the name you give your character in CharGen, you have the title "Dragonborn" (obviously), "Dovahkiin" (Dragonborn in dragon language), the title "Stormcrown" given by the Greybeards, "Ysmir, the Dragon of The North", also given by the Greybeards, and "Qahnaarin" ("Vanquisher"), given by [[spoiler:Durnehviir]].
* ImAHumanitarian: One of the quests allows you to become a cannibal.
** "Human Flesh" is also an alchemical ingredient, and the most obvious method of discovering an ingredient's first trait is to eat it.
** Furthermore, the most effective method of healing one's self in werewolf form is to take a bite out of some dead human enemies.
* InformedAttractiveness: People won't be gushing over you, but you'll occasionally hear some [=NPC=] banter that paints you as good-looking regardless of your appearance, even if you're non-human, covered in dirt, brutally scarred, partially blind, and clad in dragon bones. Given that Skyrim is a land of {{Blood Knight}}s, however, these might be sexy traits as far as locals are concerned.
** Some very complimenting examples from Narri of Falkreath:
---> ''To a male Dragonborn: Shor's bones, a handsome man in Falkreath!''
---> ''To a female Dragonborn: You're going to have the men around here wrapped around your finger in no time.''
* InstantExpert: Happens in two ways:
** The first way is what effectively makes the Dragonborn so special. Instead of having to spend years on mastering the Thu'um, you can simply absorb a dragon's soul and use those to master a known word of power. This does have its limits however as the Dragonborn does not absorb a full understanding of the Dragon Language itself, something Alduin mocks you about at one point. Similarly, Arngeir only realizes when you ask, that you had no clue what any of the Greybeards actually were saying during your initiation ceremony.
** The second way is with the skills itself: If you read enough skill books and possess enough money to buy training sessions, you can easily go from being a complete novice in a skill to being fairly passable in it in the course of an in-game afternoon. Its also funny when one considers the perk system; if the Dragonborn decides to take the Dragon Smithing perk, he instantly knows how to forge armors from Dragonscales and bones, despite not having done this before.
*** The perk tree is so that you can save all of your perks and use them when you deem the skill necessary. This can result in a novice who barely knows how to aim with a bow at a deer to a master huntsman who can land a killshot on a elite Thalmor Justicar from several miles away.
* {{Irony}}: The Dovahkiin can invoke this if they go with Ralof during the intro. Prior, an Imperial Captain (over Hadvar's objection) commanded you be beheaded despite being innocent of any crime except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That said, guess who one of the very first Imperials you can kill is as soon as you enter Helgen Keep? And, for bonus points, the first weapon you can get your hands on is [[AnAxeToGrind an axe.]]
* KleptomaniacHero: Entirely possible to do, and even probable if you are playing a thief archetype. Interestingly, while hot property is limited to designated fences for proper sale, there's nothing stopping you from ''gifting'' hot property for miscellaneous "I'd love it if you could find me one of those" quests.
* LastOfHisKind: The Book of the Dragonborn heavily implies you are the ''Last'' Dragonborn.
* LightningBruiser: In werewolf form, you can do a sprint slash; you sprint towards your foe, then do a power attack while still sprinting. Massive damage + probable knockdown of your foe.
** It kind of degrades into GlassCannon status later on, though. You have no armor bonus in beast form, and at higher levels the health bonus you get is more or less meaningless, meaning you can be shredded pretty easily. But you still move at ridiculous speeds and deal ''a lot'' of damage.
** One combination that absolutely qualifies for this trope, however, is the Elemental Fury shout combined with the orc racial power, [[UnstoppableRage berserker rage]]. Elemental fury increases your attack speed, doubling it at max power, while berserker rage doubles your attack damage while cutting the damage you take in half. This combination renders any and all melee engagements moot; your enemies may as well be fighting an avalanche.
* LivingLegend
* MagicKnight: No matter what race the Dragonborn is, s/he can use at least some form of basic magic. The Thu'um shouts further solidify this; a Dragonborn who never expends any magicka will still be blasting enemies with their voice.
** Should the Dragonborn decide to focus solely on Magic, Smithing and Enchanting, the Dragonborn becomes the Tamrielic equivalent of ''IronMan''.
* MagneticHero: Although you can only have one follower with you at a time, there are 49 available and you can potentially recruit them all.
* MakeMeWannaShout: The ''Thu'um'' is literally called a Shout and can give you several different abilities:
** AnIcePerson
** AnimateDead
** AuraVision
** TheBeastmaster
** BlowYouAway
** {{Curse}}
** DefogOfWar
** EmotionControl
** KillItWithFire
** LifeDrain
** PowerOfTheStorm
** SummonMagic
** TimeMaster
** YourSoulIsMine
* MasterPoisoner: The Alchemy skill revolves around this.
* TheMessiah: The salvation of the world is up to you.
** DarkMessiah: You can be a right bastard about it, though.
* MatchMakerQuest: You get to help out a few couples get together in the quest [[spoiler: The Book of Love]].
* MemeticBadass: In-universe, the Dragonborn is a legendary figure among the Nords.
** Should you have joined one of the factions, guards can comment that they've heard of you.
* MemeticOutfit: The Iron Helmet from the publicity photos.
** To the point where fan-art, even of non-Nordic Dragonborns, frequently has them depicted wearing that helmet.
* MuggingTheMonster: Its remarkable how many people think attacking you is a ''good'' idea.
** You can actually get ambushed by a thief in a random instance and have the option to dismiss them entirely;
--> '''Dragonborn''': I don't have time for this...
* MultipleChoicePast: In conversation with Serana, the player has a choice of multiple answers regarding his relationship with his parents. From being close to them to never having known them.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: By no means required, but entirely possible. Listing the ways to invoke it for each race would be a page unto itself.
** The Altmer and Bosmer are the most extreme cases, as for them it ''is'' effectively required - the main storyline involves direct action against the Thalmor.
* MysteriousPast: Although its left blank for the player to make up you can make a couple of in game suggestions about it. In Cidnah Mine you can claim your family is still alive but in another part of Tamriel, and tell Eola you've already indulged in cannibalism. However, since this optional dialogue and can be refuted in said conversations its not definite canon.
* NamesToRunAwayFromVeryFast: The Dragonborn. But the Stormblade, Harbinger of the Companions, and Listener of the Dark Brotherhood can also count.
* NiceGuy: You can be one by helping every helpless civilian you find on your travels, giving mercy to enemies who ask for it, and playing games with children.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: As the game progresses and you complete guild questlines, main quests, civil war, and sidequests, the player will rapidly become an exemplar of this trope. You already start off as part-dragon, which is coupled with your race of choice. Once the guild questlines are finished, you can add Viking champion/Legate, archmage, mentor of ''another'' Viking guild, thief, assassin, priest, bard, champion of multiple deities and Daedric princes, ally of the Forsworn, Thane of all nine holds, and werewolf/vampire[[hottip:*:Vampirism and Lycanthropy are both diseases and both bestow immunity to disease once contracted which normally makes them mutually exclusive]] to the list.
* NotSoDifferent: Paarthurnax notes that the Dragonborn has the same innate urge to kill, destroy and conquer as all Dragons do.
** With Alduin. How does Alduin grow stronger? By devouring the souls of dead mortals. How does the Dragonborn's Thu'um become stronger? By consuming the souls of dead dragons.
* OccultDetective: Various quests have the Dragonborn having to deal with Witches, Werewolves, Vampires, Ghosts, Necromancers, Daedric Princes and all manner of arcane creatures.
* OddFriendship: The ''Dawnguard'' DLC allows you to befriend Serana, a friendly vampire, even if you are a member of the Dawnguard faction.
* OhCrap: The reaction of various Dragons when they realize ''[[TheDreaded who you are]]''.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Quite possible with any Dragonborn, but comes out most when playing a Thief archetype combined with the right dialogue options. Especially if you join the Thieves Guild.
* OpenSecret: [[spoiler: Guards will occasionally mention they know that you're in the Thieves Guild, or a member of the Dark Brotherhood (including suspecting that you killed the Emperor himself) but never confront you about it because of a lack of direct evidence and also being ''terrified'' of you.]]
* [[PalsWithJesus Pals with Daedric Princes]]: The Dragonborn can undertake quests from various Daedric Princes and eventually becomes recognised as their respective Champion. Given the Daedric Princes rather indifferent attitude towards most mortals in Nirn, being considered not ''completely'' useless is a pretty big accomplishment.
* PaperThinDisguise: Averted if playing as an Altmer, which turns the infiltration of the Thalmor Embassy into a doddle. Instead of keeping a low-profile, the Dragonborn can casually walk up to people, barking orders. Since everyone is so afraid of the Thalmor, they don't dare ask any questions.
* PetTheDog: A literal example. Over the course of your travels, you ''can'' rescue stray dogs from enemies.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Comes through most when playing a Nord.
-->'''Jarl of Whiterun:''' Alduin... The World Eater? But if he has come, then surely it is the end?
-->'''Dragonborn:''' Maybe, but I intend to die fighting!
-->'''Jarl of Whiterun:''' Spoken like a true Nord! I stand with you, Dragonborn!
* ProfessionalKiller: Very possible with a Dragonborn that joins the Dark Brotherhood. Can be most prevalent during your first meeting with [[spoiler:Amaund Motierre]].
-->'''[[spoiler:Motierre]]:''' The real reason I'm speaking with a cutthroat in the bowls of this detestable crypt. For I seek the assassination of... [[spoiler:The Emperor]].
--> '''Dragonborn''': Leaders rise and fall. Business is business.
* PsychoticSmirk: After becoming a Werewolf, guards claim that the Dragonborn has a disturbing wolfish grin.
* [[RealMenLoveJesus Real Men Love The Nine Divines]]: You can wear an amulet of any god, pray at their shrines regularly and serve any temple, should you wish.
** You're not limited to the divines only. Completing the Sacred Trials of Kyne and selecting the 'I don't believe in the Nine' can make you a Real man who loves the ''Old Nordic Gods''.
*** Joining the Stormcloaks ostensibly makes you a Real Man who loves Talos exclusively.
* RagsToRiches: Can become a Thane to multiple Jarls of Skyrim, and unless you're actually trying ''not'' to, you'll probably end up with gold coming out of your ears, especially if you earn the [[spoiler: Prowler's Profit perk]], which lets you discover tons of gold and precious stones in every chest and urn out there in Skyrim, which are all yours for the taking.
* RealityWarper: As with all those capable of the Thu'um.
* RedBaron: ''The One They Fear.''
* ReluctantWarrior: Can be played as one.
* ScienceHero: If you specialize in Alchemy, Enchanting, and Smithing. You can, with some work, become the Tamrielic equivalent of [[IronMan Tony Stark]].
* SilentProtagonist: Actually averted; the Dragonborn doesn't talk normally, but he[=/=]she ''is'' actually voiced; besides performing dragon Shouts, the Throw Voice power has you actually throw out a variety of insults at you enemies. Oddly, when using Throw Voice, the male voice of the Dragonborn is snarky and high-pitched, sounding more like Church from ''RedVsBlue'' than a mighty Norse warrior.
* SmarterThanYouLook: Farengar Secret-Fire says this if you ask about him about his work with the Dragon Stone.
* TheStarscream[=/=]EtTuBrute: [[spoiler:To Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, if you support the Stormcloaks. After being the one guy to support you wholeheartedly and keep his people out of the war, Ulfric tasks you with laying siege to the city he commands and forcing him out. This is possibly after he made you Thane and welcomed you into his city. GreyAndGrayMorality aside, you ''will'' feel like a dick for betraying him.]]
* TheStoic: The Dark Brotherhood quest line once again gives the option of staying completely silent during most conversations.
* TookALevelInBadass: You start off as a unlucky prisoner who crossed the border at a bad time then almost got beheaded. The rest of the game sees you becoming the Dragonborn to save the world.
* TribalFacepaint: Should you choose.
* TheUndead: You can become a vampire, should you choose.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: For most people, the sight of a Dragon attacking the town would be the stuff of nightmares. For the Dragonborn, it's more of a ''nuisance'' than anything else... [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive time to go back to work.]]
* WarriorPoet: Joining the Bard's College can qualify you.
* [[WeatherControlMachine Weather Controller]]: The Dragonborn after obtaining the "''Clear Skies''" and "''Storm Call''" Shouts.
* WildCard: You can tip the balance of power in the Skyrim Civil War, whether for the Legion or Stormcloaks.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Unarmed kill animations include choke slams, suplexes, chokeholds, and in one case an overhead body slam that drops the enemy on their head as of the 1.5 update.
* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: "In their tongue, he's Dovahkiin - Dragonborn!"
* YourSoulIsMine: A rare heroic variation, absorbing the souls of fallen dragons.
** Can also be done by filling [[SoulJar soul gems]], which are used to enchant or replenish already enchanted items.
** [[spoiler: The ''Dawnguard'' DLC introduces a Dragon-Shout that rips souls from enemies, turning them into undead thralls.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dragons]]
!! Tropes relating to all Dragons
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Within each Dragon is the desire to dominate and destroy.
* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: [[spoiler: All in all, the Dragons seem pretty happy Alduin is dead.]]
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Their power comes from speaking Words of Power.
* PoirotSpeak: Language is very intrinsic to the Dragons, and as such they tend to switch between English and Draconic regularly.
* ProudWarriorRace: A lot of them have this attitude.
* [[spoiler: RiseFromYourGrave: The Dragons aren't just coming back. They're coming back to life.]]
* TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: Whenever a Dragon has the misfortune of encountering the Dragonborn.
!!Alduin
--> '''Voiced by:''' Daniel Riordan
-->''"You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah!"''
Nordic interpretation of Akatosh and therefore is Time or an aspect thereof, God of Destruction, the World-Eater, devourer of souls, harbinger of the apocalypse and [[BigBad general big bad nasty]]. [[spoiler:He is revealed to be the "Firstborn" of Akatosh. [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/fight-four-tenpenny-winteragain%E2%80%9D The Fourth Aldudagga fight]] [[hottip:*:Nordic legends that exist in a grey area of canon. They get several references in ''Skyrim'']], suggests "heaven" separated the two.]]
* AllThereInTheManual: His nature, and how it relates to Akatosh, is a bit loopy but it has been talked about in previous games and texts.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: [[spoiler:He interrupts your execution at Helgen, accidentally saving you in his efforts to kill you.]]
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe: Alduin may be the BigBad, but it is debatable whether he can truly be called "evil" as humans would understand the word. Various characters tell you that the destruction of the world brings about a new one, rather than the obliteration of all Creation, so it is debatable whether stopping Alduin is even a good thing (see BlueAndOrangeMorality below). Even if you take it as read that such destruction is a bad thing, can Alduin be described in the words of human morality any more than an earthquake or any other force of nature can be? Paarthunax states that Alduin was created for the purpose of destroying/rejuvenating the world, and in any case all dragons have the instinct to dominate, so is Alduin "evil" for performing his divinely-appointed role and acting in accordance with his own nature? Can such a powerful and eternal entity be judged by transient mortal ethics any more than Cthulhu can?
** Though it's hard to justify his actions under this when he's doing something utterly different and alien to his appointed purpose; such as enslaving the Nords in the Merethic Era.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He is the leader of the dragons for a very good reason.
** AsskickingEqualsAuthority: [[spoiler:Until ''you'' kick his ass, and make the other dragons question whether he truly ''deserves'' to lead.]]
* [[spoiler:TheBattleDidntCount: All the battles against him until the final one.]]
* BigBad
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone[=/=]EvilSoundsDeep: Alduin has a very cool voice.
** BadassBoast: He gives a few.
-->'''I am AL-DU-IN! First born son of Akatosh! Mulagi zuk lat! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else!'''
** [[RedBaron Badass Nickname]]: The World Eater.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: [[spoiler:Paarthurnax argues this. Alduin ''is'' doing what he was created to do.]] The problem is that he is doing this before he is supposed to. Or possibly four full Eras after, it's confusing.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: It is repeatedly stated that Alduin is destined to destroy the world so that it can be reborn, and so there are some (like the Greybeards) who don't automatically accept that stopping him is a good thing. In fact one of the replies you can give to such a question can be summed up as "I like the world the way it is", rather than a more impartial argument on whether it is right to avert the apocalypse.
** That said, for a mortal, Paarthurnax admits that 'I like this world' is as good a reason as any for wanting to stop him.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to Paarthurnax's Abel.
* CombatCompliment: [[spoiler:After you beat him at the Throat of the World, he admits that you have become extremely powerful.]]
* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler: The moment he runs away from you like a bitch is the moment the other dragons realize he doesn't deserve to lead. [[NoTrueScotsman A true dovah would fight to the end.]]]]
* DarkIsEvil: He's the only Dragon in the game who's completely black; aside from the newly introduced Legendary Dragons in the DLC.
* EldritchAbomination: Not in appearance, but in terms of being an inconceivably ancient and eternal entity who is arguably beyond human rationality and ethics (see BlueAndOrangeMorality above) Alduin fits the criteria quite neatly.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: A very literal case of this trope, because it is repeatedly stated that Alduin the World-Eater is not going to erase all of Creation from existence, he is "merely" going to destroy the current incarnation so that a new one can take its place. Consequently, some characters (like the Greybeards) question whether stopping him is actually the right thing to do. (see BlueAndOrangeMorality above)
* EternalRecurrence: Alduin was created to destroy the world, so the next can come. Then destroy ''that'' one for the next.
* EvilOverlord: Of dragons.
* GetBackHereBoss: [[spoiler:This is a plot point! And in more than one sense; he also retreats to Sovngarde to feast upon the souls there and thus regain his strength.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: See "Pride" below. It seems to be shared by all dragons.
* IAmXSonOfY: '''I AM ALDUIN! FIRST BORN SON OF AKATOSH!'''
* LargeHam: Even for a [[MakeMeWannaShout dragon]], Alduin sure loves the sound of his own voice.
--> '''"My belly is full of the souls of your fellow mortals, Dovahkiin!"'''
* MeaningfulName[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: His name means "Destroyer Devour Master." He is also known as the "[[PlanetEater World Eater]]."
* [[NoTrueScotsman No True Dovah]]: Berates the Dragonborn for having the sheer audacity to take for themselves the name of "Dovah".
* {{Pride}}: His dominant flaw is his arrogant security in his own power. For his first defeat, the ancient Nord heroes spoke his name with the Thu'um, which in dragon language is basically a challenge, and upon his arrival they hit him with Dragonrend. Mere ''days'' afters this occurs from Alduin's perspective he falls for ''exactly the same trick'' and the Dovahkiin hits him with Dragonrend ''again''. After this confrontation [[spoiler:Alduin retreats to Sovngarde to recover strength - which makes the rest of the dragons question his leadership and leads directly to his second, and far more comprehensive, defeat.]]
* PhysicalGod
* [[spoiler:SealedEvilInACan: He wasn't actually defeated in the past, merely banished to another time... namely, the time that you live in. It's implied that this may be all that you accomplished in slaying his body, as you did not absorb his soul and spiritual beings can reform over time. Albeit a very long time.]]
** This makes sense actually, as if he is destined to destroy the world to let it be reborn (see EternalRecurrence above) but is simply doing it too soon or too late (see BecauseDestinySaysSo above) it would make sense that he could not be destroyed, only delayed until the time is right. This also calls into question whether he can truly be called "evil" (see BlueAndOrangeMorality).
* RedEyesTakeWarning
* SpannerInTheWorks: For General Tullius, who managed to capture Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the Nordic rebellion that had almost managed to rout the Empire completely from Skyrim before Tullius arrived to head the Legion forces there. Had Alduin not shown up when he had, it's likely the Empire would have won the Civil War before the game really started in earnest.
* SpikesOfVillainy: All the dragons are pretty spiky, but Alduin is especially so.
* AStormIsComing: Invoked by Alduin himself. Amongst the many, many powers that Dragon Shouts have is the ability to summon storms, ominous clouds, and fog. Alduin does so several times throughout the story.
* VillainousBreakdown[=/=]ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:When you defeat him in Sovngarde.]] In fact his exact words (which he screams in his highest ever pitched voice) are:
--->[[spoiler:''Zu'u unslaad! Zu'u nis oblaan!'']]
** Which translates into
--->[[spoiler:''I am immortal! I cannot die!'']]
* VillainousRescue: Unintentionally saves the Dragonborn from being beheaded at the start of the game.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Sort of. In [[spoiler: Sovngarde]], he compliments your persistence and mentions that you would have been an excellent slave. For someone whose fundamental nature is to dominate, that is probably as close as he can come to this trope.
* WorthyOpponent: When he realises he ''can't'' make the Dragonborn a slave, he basically concedes that he sees the Dragonborn as the only real threat he's encountered so far.
* YourSoulIsMine: As firstborn of Akatosh, Alduin has the "right" to [[spoiler: consume the souls of the fallen warriors in Sovngarde to replenish his strength.]] When he is [[spoiler: defeated the first time by Paarthurnax and the Dragonborn, he retreats to Sovngarde to feed on the fallen and regain strength.]] Of course, [[spoiler: Shor is displeased with this, and while he won't directly intervene, he does dispatch the old heroes of Skyrim to assist the Dragonborn in putting a stop to it.]]
!!Paarthurnax
--> '''Voiced by:''' CharlesMartinet, aka It's-a-me-Mario!
-->''"What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"''
An ancient dragon who turned against Alduin and aids the Dovahkiin.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: His question on morality. When confronted by a Dovahkiin who is undecided about killing him, Paarthurnax does nothing to argue for his own life and in fact says that killing him is probably the best pragmatic option...but then he just asks the quote above.
* [[spoiler:TheAtoner: He admits dragons seek power. And that his punishment for his past evil deeds is to spend every waking moment fighting his own nature boiling inside of him. He's been doing that for several thousand years already]].
* AwesomeMcCoolname[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: His name means "Ambition Overlord Cruelty."
** DeathbringerTheAdorable: ...Yet he sits on a mountain for ages passively serving humans and helping out.
* [[spoiler: AwesomeMomentOfCrowning]]: The epilogue after [[spoiler:defeating Alduin in Sovngarde]] set on the Throat of the World is essentially the dragon equivalent of [[spoiler:acknowledging that ''he'' is now the effective ruler of the dragons.]]
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
* BigGood: In the main quest line.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to Alduin's Cain.
* [[CoolOldGuy Cool Old Dragon]]
* DefectorFromDecadence
* FaceDeathWithDignity: If confronted with the fact that you've been ordered to kill him, he outright admits that [[spoiler:The Blades]] are right not to trust him, and that killing would be the "safer" path for everyone. He then presses the player with the SadisticChoice below.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: Used to be Alduin's Dragon, but defected before Alduin's first defeat.]]
* [[spoiler:MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Domination and ego are in a dragon's inherent nature. Apparently, you can't even ''be'' a dragon without those traits in your blood (the Dragonborn counts, too). But he's tried to find another way, and says he will try to teach other dragons to do it, too.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Points this out to the Dovahkiin; being born with the soul of a dragon, the Dovahkiin has the same innate urge to [[VideogameCrueltyPotential kill, destroy, and conquer]] as any other dragon.
* PoirotSpeak: In the ancient tongue of the dragons, no less!
* ProperlyParanoid: He believed that [[spoiler:Alduin wasn't defeated in the past, knowing that the Elder Scroll would send him 'adrift' in time, but that it would not be permanent. As such, he waited ''where'' he knew Alduin would emerge, but aware he had no clue ''when''. It took ''thousands of years'']].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For the Greybeards and [[spoiler: promises to be this for the rest of the dragons after Alduin dies.]]
* ReformedButRejected: He's been hiding on the Throat Of the World for thousands of years because [[spoiler:he's a dragon, and he did horrible things during the reign of the dragons over man - things that humans will possibly never forgive. Driven home by the Blades, who demand that you kill Paarthunax for what he did millennia ago, even though he's the reason mankind is still breathing.]]
* SadisticChoice: Should the Dragonborn confront him with [[spoiler:the Blades']] desire to kill him, he states outright that you should never trust a dragon because the urge to dominate is in their blood. He's only become "good" because he took time, every day for thousand years, meditating and suppressing his nature. It doesn't fade, either: he's gotten better at keeping it in check, but it hasn't ''weakened''.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: Invoked, when [[spoiler:The Blades]] ask the player to kill him in spite of the fact he's reformed and has helped the player, Paathurnax says [[spoiler:the Blades]] are absolutely right not to trust him, as he has certainly done a lot of evil things, and even if he is reformed the urge to dominate and destroy is in the blood of a dragon, and he fights the pull to give into those urges every day. He pretty much says if he were in their situation, he wouldn't trust himself either.
* TrueCompanions: Paarthurnax named the old Nord heroes whom he taught the Thu'um to as his "friends." Considering the timeless nature of the dovah and their desire for conquest and domination, merely naming a mortal a "friend" tells you how much they meant to him, and likewise.
* VerbalTic: Paarthurnax frequently slips into the dragon language while talking to mortals. He usually catches himself while doing so and offers a quick translation of what he meant to say. Words that he knows you understand, like "dovah" remain untranslated, and sometimes he'll spout an entire phrase in his tongue (while apparently talking to himself) that he doesn't bother translating.
!!Odahviing
--> '''Voiced by:''' Charles Dennis
-->''"As for myself, you've proven your mastery twice over. Thuri, Dovahkiin. I gladly acknowledge the power of your Thu'um."''
Alduin's right-hand dragon. [[spoiler:He ultimately changes sides and helps the Dovahkiin.]]
* AfraidOfNeedles: Isn't afraid of taking on the Dragonborn, who fireballs, shoots arrows into, and repeatedly stabs him, but he freaks out and spews fire in a panic when Farengar attempts to retrieve some samples of scale and skin tissue.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name means "Snow Hunter Wing."
* [[BigNo Big "NIID!"]]: [[spoiler:Once the Dragonsreach trap's yoke slams down on him and entraps him by the neck, he expresses his despair by exclaiming "No!" in draconic.]]
* TheDragon: To Alduin.
* [[spoiler:IFightForTheStrongestSide: After you shout Alduin about the head and wings the first time atop High Hrothgar, Odahviing and other dragons engender doubts about the supremacy of Alduin amongst themselves. Odahviing only helps the player because he wants to know who is more worthy as leader.]]
* PoirotSpeak: Like Paarthurnax. It seems that Paarthurnax has a better command of the mortals' tongue, because Odie's speech sounds kinda stilted. Of course, Paarthurnax has been interacting with the various Greybeards over the millennia, while Odahviing has been a pile of bones entombed in a dragon burial mound and probably didn't interact with mortals much beyond domination before the Dragon War.
* [[spoiler:SummonBiggerFish: Once you gain his allegiance, you can summon him to fight alongside by shouting his name.]]
!!Mirmulnir
-->''"Dovahkiin, niid!"''
The first dragon the Dovahkiin officially takes on in the main storyline.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name means "Allegiance Strong Hunt."
** RecursiveTranslation: The Collector's Edition guide refers to him as the "Loyal Mortal Hunter." Going by the translation guide at the back of the book, that should make his name "(something)-Joor-Ah"... never mind that [[spoiler:"Joor" is the first word of the [[BrownNote Dragonrend]] shout]].
*** The name translation in the Collector's Edition guide is nothing but a typo. "Allegiance Strong Hunt" is the correct translation.
* [[BigNo Big "NIID!"]]: Right before you finish him off.
* KillItWithFire: Naturally.
* OhCrap: What prompts his BigNo as you kill him, realizing too late that he's facing a Dragonborn.
* TheRemnant: According to the ''Atlas of Dragons'' book, he is one of a very small number of dragons under Alduin's command that survived the Dragon War.
* WarmupBoss
* WorthyOpponent: Calls out that you and the Whiterun guards are such and make for good sport.
!!Sahloknir
->''"I am Sahloknir! Hear my Voice and despair!" ''
Another named dragon, encountered at the end of "A Blade In The Dark."
* [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Pahlok Thu'um Dovah]]: Arrogantly declares that the Dragonborn's Voice is no match for his own.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name translates into "Phantom Sky Hunt."
* {{Badass}}: Other dragons at least admit that the Dragonborn scares them. Sahloknir ''isn't'' scared of you in the slightest.
** BadassGrandpa: Old, even for a dragon.
* [[spoiler:RiseFromYourGrave]]: He is the first indication that this is what is happening to the rest of the dragons.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Alduin.
* WakeUpCallBoss: If you put off the "Blade In The Dark" quest for long enough, he'll spawn as an Ancient Dragon, with absurdly high stats. Note that he'll spawn at this level even when the player is low enough that the Dragonborn will still be fighting regular or blood dragons.
* WorthyOpponent: Considers the Dragonborn one.
!!Durnehviir
A dragon encountered in the Soul Cairn in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion. Durnehviir was tricked by the Ideal Masters into guarding their realm.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name translates into "Curse Never Dying".
* {{Badass}}: Lore says he has never been defeated in battle, and is in fact unkillable.
* CursedWithAwesome: Let's just say that he has a MeaningfulName.
* {{Dracolich}}: Though not technically undead, he looks the part, down to the exposed, hollowed out ribcage.
* GracefulLoser: He takes his very first defeat in battle remarkably well.
* {{Necromancer}}: He sought to raise undead armies to combat his rivals in Tamriel, and made a deal with the Ideal Masters to serve as a Keeper in the Soul Cairn until [[spoiler:Valerica]] died in exchange for their knowledge. Unfortunately for him, they failed to let him know that [[spoiler:Valerica]] is immortal.
* PoirotSpeak: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] He actually speaks the mortal tongue very fluently, and other than his bestowing the title of "Qahnaarin" on the Dragonborn, he almost never speaks in the dragon language.
* SignatureMove: [[YourSoulIsMine Soul Tear]], although he never actually uses it on you (for gameplay-breaking reasons).
* SummonBiggerFish: He can be summoned back in Tamriel by shouting his name, [[spoiler:like Odahviing]], but the mechanics of his summoning are different. Durnehviir is treated as a summon in the same vein as an atronach or zombie, including the requirement that there be enough empty space on the ground for him to materialize. Which, incidentally, means he can be summoned indoors.
* WorthyOpponent: The Dragonborn is the first one to ever best him in battle, so he grants him/her the title of "Qahnaarin", which means "Vanquisher".
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: He would love to return to Tamriel and fly free in the skies again, but knows that he has spent too long in the Soul Cairn and would die if he stayed in the mortal realm.
* YourSoulIsMine: The first three times he is called into Tamriel, he teaches you the words to the Soul Tear shout, which is useless without all three words, but then becomes a powerful magic bolt that ''instantly kills, Soul Traps, and resurrects any enemy with low enough health.''
!!Named Dragons
The other named dragons that aren't major players in the storyline.
* AwesomeMcCoolname[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
** Nahagliiv: "Fury Burn Wither"
** Vuljotnaak: "Dark Maw Eat"
** Vulthuryol: "Dark Overlord Fire"
** Viinturuth: "(something) Hammer (something)"
* MiniBoss
* [[spoiler:RiseFromYourGrave]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Housecarls]]
-->''"Long life to you, my Thane."''
Housecarls are knights assigned by the Jarls of a hold to protect the Dragonborn and his/her property. In order to earn a housecarl, you must become a thane (in other words, an acknowledged hero of the hold) which generally involves directly assisting the Jarl in question, helping the citizenry of the hold, and in the case of the major holds (Windhelm, Riften, Markarth, and Solitude) purchasing property. [[hottip:*: Falkreath, Morthal, Dawnstar, and Winterhold do not require property for you to become thane, and Whiterun grants thane status automatically after completing "Dragon Rising".]]
* {{Badass}}: All of the housecarls are amongst the most powerful of your followers (at a similar level, a Housecarl has around 150 to 200 more hit points compared to a regular Warrior-class follower). They are all equal in stats.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Jordis, Lydia, and Iona respectively. But you can only marry one of them.
* BodyguardingABadass: That badass being ''you'', of course.
** BodyguardCrush: If you wear an Amulet of Mara while speaking to them...
* {{Catchphrase}}:
-->"Honor to you, my Thane."
-->"Long life to you, my Thane."
-->"I am sworn to carry your burdens."
-->"As you will, my Thane. I will protect you with my life."
* TheDragon / NumberTwo: They are "your sword and your shield".
* HypercompetentSidekick: They can generally scout traps and be aware of an enemy's presence before you are. They can absorb more punishment than you (technically, since they're difficult to kill) and at early levels, they might be stronger than you.
* MadeOfIron: All housecarls are nigh-invincible. They collapse to the ground rather than dying if their health gets below a certain point, but there are certain circumstances (such as health draining poisons or burning damage) where their life can totally deplete and they die.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong / UndyingLoyalty: They will put up with almost anything you do and agree to almost any order. In fact, it's easier to list the things they ''won't'' let you get away with:
** Attacking them repeatedly.
** Becoming a Stage Four vampire.
** Transforming into a werewolf (if they are not a follower).
** [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking ...And making them sleep in someone else's bed.]]
-->"Not for you. Not for ''anybody''."
** Particularly notable is that Housecarls will fight by your side even if you're fighting against the very Jarls who assigned them to you. [[spoiler: Lydia]], [[spoiler: Calder]] and [[spoiler: Jordis the Sword-Maiden]] will stay right by your side while [[spoiler: invading Whiterun, Windhelm, or Solitude]], with [[spoiler: Lydia and Calder]] actively participating in [[spoiler: directly fighting the very Jarl who assigned them to you, personally]].
* OnlySixFaces: The female Housecarls seem to have the exact same faces, to the point where Lydia and Jordis the Sword-Maiden look like palette-swaps of one another. Iona at least has a different hairstyle.
* TrashTalk: All of them use it when facing down enemies...
** DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: ...And have ''special'' trash talk reserved for ''dragons!''
!!Lydia
--> '''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delany
-->''"I am sworn to carry your burdens...."''
Housecarl to the Dragonborn upon being named Thane of Whiterun.
* ActionGirl
* {{BFS}}: She prefers these unless she has a stronger weapon.
** AnAxeToGrind: While she does prefer large weapons, she'll generally favor greataxes over greatswords and warhammers.
* DiscOneNuke: Despite being one of the most powerful followers, she's also an extremely easy one to obtain and the only one automatically acquired during the main quest.
* SarcasticDevotee: She is sworn to carry your burdens. Doesn't mean she's happy about it, though.
!!Calder
--> '''Voiced by:''' Michael Gough
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of Eastmarch in the capital of Windhelm.
* HeroesWantRedheads: If you marry him.
* HotBloodedSideburns: He sports an impressive pair of muttonchops.
!!Iona
--> '''Voiced by:''' Claudia Christian
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of The Rift in the capital of Riften and helping clear out a den of skooma dealers.
* ActionGirl
* ChewingTheScenery: Her dialog sounds surprisingly hammy.
* GenreSavvy: Upon entering suspicious or hostile areas, she remarks "Trouble ahead. Be careful." She also sometimes exclaims "A good place for bandits to hide" when approaching caves.
* HeroesWantRedheads: If you marry her, of course.
* PrinciplesZealot: While otherwise a typically loyal housecarl, if she catches you stealing (even handling a previously stolen item stored in your house), she'll not only put a bounty on you, but ''personally scold you''.
!!Argis the Bulwark
--> '''Voiced by:''' Popeye Vogelsang
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of The Reach in the capital of Markarth after taking care of several Forsworn camps.
* BadassBaritone: Has the gruffest voice of the housecarls.
* BadassBeard: The only housecarl with a full, manly mane.
* FacialMarkings: The only housecarl with war paint.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Of the good variety. He's also blind in one eye.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: As his sobriquet implies, he prefers a shield and one-handed weapon combination, and utilizes blocking and shield bashing in combat.
* TheyCallHimSword: His sobriquet.
!!Jordis the Sword-Maiden
--> '''Voiced by:''' Corri English
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of Haafingar in the capital of Solitude and helping save Solitude from a crisis.
* ActionGirl: Her name says it all.
* AwesomeButImpractical: As stated before, all housecarls are equal in stats, which is unfortunate considering how much cost and effort one must undertake to get Jordis.
* BadassAdorable: She has the default "young lady" voice, and tends to express glee when brought along into exotic and impressive locales.
* TheFettered: She takes her oath to serve you ''very'' seriously. Unlike Lydia, she says "I am sworn to carry your burdens" without a hint of sarcasm.
* GenreSavvy: She'll exclaim "I don't like where this is going" when entering a suspicious area.
* TheyCallHimSword: Her sobriquet.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Heroes of Skyrim]]
!!Gormlaith Golden-Hilt
--> '''Voiced by:''' Lynda Carter
* ActionGirl
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBoast: She plays this off against a dragon she takes down.
--> ''Know that it was Gormlaith Golden-Hilt who sent you down to your death.''
* BloodKnight:
--> '''Hakon:''' Have you no thought beyond the blooding of your blade?
--> '''Gormlaith:''' What else is there?
* BrotherSisterTeam: Hakon One-Eye's sibling.
* MakeMeWannaShout
* TribalFacePaint
!!Hakon One-Eye
--> '''Voiced by:''' Paul Ganus
* AnAxeToGrind: "'''Feel the bite of my axe!'''"
* BrotherSisterTeam: Gormlaith Golden-Hilt's sibling.
* {{Badass}}
** HandicappedBadass
* MakeMeWannaShout
* TribalFacepaint
!!Felldir the Old
--> '''Voiced by:''' Paul Eiding
* CoolOldGuy
* MakeMeWannaShout
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: "May the spirits have mercy on our souls."]]
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: [[spoiler:"YOU! ARE! BANISHED!"]]
!!Tsun
--> '''Voiced by:''' Thor Edgell
Shield-thane of Shor, and guardian of Sovngarde.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
* CombatCompliment: If you do well in fighting him, he'll give you several as the fight goes on.
-->''"I have long awaited such a worthy adversary!"''
* ContractualBossImmunity: [[NoSell Completely shrugs off]] any stagger or knockdown attacks. May be because the devs wanted to [[GameBreakingBug avoid having him fall off the cliff into the endless chasm.]]
* DuelBoss
* DeathIsCheap: He died defending Shor/Lorkhan from angry Aedra, and yet serves as what is essentially a bouncer for a club, by guarding the Whalebone bridge that may well be his own physical corpse (see PhysicalGod).
* LastStand: Defending Shor from angry Aedra as is mentioned above.
* MakeMeWannaShout
* [[KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect Nord Mages Get No Respect]]: Laments that the children of Skyrim have fallen into this. Should you declare yourself Arch-mage of the College of Winterhold, he refers to magic by the term the ancient nords referred to it as: the "Clever Craft".
* PhysicalGod: Lore info points to Tsun being the ancient nordic aspect to the divine Zenithar from the more modern Cyrodiilic pantheon. In Nordic barrows, he is surmised to be represented by the Whale totems.
* WalkingShirtlessScene
* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:The Dovahkiin must prove that he/she is this to Tsun.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Greybeards]]
!!The Greybeards
A small group of hermits who live in High Hrothgar high atop the Throat of the World. They are human practitioners of the Thu'um, and call the Dragonborn to test their abilities and teach them to hone their skills. To the Greybeards, practicing the Thu'um is a form of worship to honor the gods (particularly Kynareth and Akatosh, who gave the gift of dragon blood to humans), but they also consider it a responsibility and honor to train the Dragonborn.
* AllPowerfulBystander: Despite being very powerful with the Voice, they refuse to take part in the conflicts of Skyrim, and while they eventually help the Dragonborn hold peace negotiations for a temporary truce to the war, they do it with gritted teeth.
** If questioned about their neutrality, Arngeir will explain that Jurgen Windcaller, original founder of their order, suffered a terrible defeat in battle despite his mastery of the Thu'um. Upon meditating on why this happened, he came to the conclusion that he had misused the power of the Thu'um, which should only be used to glorify and honor the Nine Divines. The Greybeards follow his "Way of the Voice" philosophy to distance themselves from the rest of the world in meditative seclusion.
* {{Badass}}: They can and will utterly ''flatten'' anything that directly attacks them. One effective technique to bypass the [[BeefGate ice troll on the way up the mountain]] is to simply run past it and go straight into High Hrothgar, and let the Greybeards splatter it. In the unlikely event that a hostile dragon appears over High Hrothgar, they can kill it in seconds.
** BadassBeard
** BadassGrandpa
** BadassLongrobe
** BadassBoast: Their voices alone can cripple dragons, and that's without the use of Dragonrend (a shout made specifically for crippling dragons). This also leads to...
** HandicappedBadass: Their voices are so powerful each greybeard must take a vow of silence so not as to destroy half their temple by uttering the wrong word by accident. While they're not physically handicapped, they're all essentially mutes until they need to fight. Among the four only one ever speaks, seemingly implying either he has less knowledge than the other three or chooses his words very, very carefully.
* BarefistedMonk: The Greybeards don't carry physical weaponry (their Shouts are usually ''more'' than enough to wipe out anything that threatens them) but in the unlikely event that something survives their voices, they will pummel it to death in short order with bare hands.
* CoolOldGuy
* ElementalPowers: If you try to take them on in battle they're fond of Frost Breath, Fire Breath, Ice Form and Elemental Fury.
* {{Foil}}: To the Blades, and the reason the two groups don't get along. The Greybeards prefer to study and meditate on the dragons and consider the Blades meddlers in things they don't understand, while the Blades dislike the Greybeards for having vast stores of power and knowledge and not using them to make a difference in the world.
* MakeMeWannaShout
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: They don't approve of everything the Dragonborn does, but they inevitably support them because Paathurnax has seen fit to do so and they follow his wisdom.
* WizardBeard
* YouAreNotReady: They could teach you a lot more Words of Power than they do, along with a lot of other knowledge about dragons, but feel the Dragonborn needs to learn such things on their own in their own time. Arngeir makes it clear that the Greybeards feel that the process of seeking out and acquiring Words of Power will present the Dragonborn with the training and experience to use the Thu'um with respect and responsibility.
!!Arngeir
--> '''Voiced by:''' Christopher Plummer
The only member of the Greybeards who communicates normally, the Voices of his fellows being too powerful; a word out of place from them could rip you apart.
* BadassGrandpa: Console commands show him to be level ''150''. The cap for the player is ''81''.
* BerserkButton:
** When the player mentions that he has been in contact with the Blades, Arngeir refuses to help any more "until you have returned to the path of wisdom". Even though he relents and apologises when one of the other Greybeards reminds him that they are not meant to make judgements of that sort, it is clear that he ''really'' dislikes the Blades. Turns out he has good reason for that...
** He has a second, but less overt one: Dragonrend. When you ask him about it, he immediately responds with a flat, disapproving demand to know who told you about that shout, and refuses to tell you anything about the shout at first because Dragonrend is based entirely around hatred for all of dragonkind.
* TheMentor: To you, the Dragonborn.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: He speaks for the rest of the Greybeards because he's the only one of them strong enough to speak without killing a normal person.
!!Paarthurnax
[[spoiler: See above in the "Dragons" section for the full list for Paarthurnax.]]
!!Einarth, Borri, and Wulfgar
The other 3 members of the Greybeards, they usually don't speak because of their otherwise destructive voices.
* HeWhoMustNotBeHeard: They try to speak as little as possible. For example, the initiation ceremony with all four Greybeards speaking at once is implied to be incredibly dangerous, taxing the Dovahkiin. And every time they greet you with a simple "Dovahkiin" the temple can be heard shaking.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Blades]]
An order of warriors who can trace their origins to the Akaviri invaders in the latter part of the First Era. Originally an order of dragon hunters, the Blades are sworn to find, and then protect and serve any Dragonborn on the mundus. The dragonborn eventually known as Tiber Septim repurposed them into a combination of a spy agency and a royal bodyguard cadre when he became emperor of the first truly pan-Tamrielic empire. After the passing of the Septim dynasty, they returned to seeking the next Dragonborn, but still rendered spy services to the Empire. They deemed the Thalmor to be the biggest threat, but still vastly underestimated how dire a threat the Thalmor are. As a result, they were decimated by Thalmor hit squads preceding and during the Great War, and one of the terms of the White Gold Concordact is the disbanding of the organization. Despite these hardships, a few Blades remain faithful to the cause.
!!Esbern
--> '''Voiced by:''' Max von Sydow
* BadassBookworm, bordering on WarriorPoet: His room is filled with books, he admires ancient art and architecture so much he almost has to be dragged away from it (and can identify the technique and period), and he's completely dismayed when he discovers neither you nor anyone else knows much about dragon lore.
* CoolOldGuy
* ConspiracyTheorist: [[spoiler:Believes Paarthurnax is evil and refuses to listen to anything contradictory.]]
* CrazyPrepared: As the Blades' archivist, he used to be obsessed with studying the original Dragonslaying campaigns the Blades were created for. Since the dragons were all dead (or believed to be myth in the first place), everybody though he was just some eccentric old fool. Then guess what happens...
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Delphine mentions this trope concerning Esbern in dialog you have with her.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: "I used to ''dream'' of it. In the dream I was standing someplace high up, a tower, or a mountain. It was always just before dawn. The whole world was in darkness. Then came the flash of light just on the horizon within the clouds that marked the border between worlds. It could have been lightning but there was no thunder. In the dream, the sense of forboding grew. But, I could never wake up. Then, it came again, this time more distinct, closer, definitely not lightning now it was orange, brilliant orange, the color of hearth and dawn. And a sound too, distinct and indistinct, not thunder but something else, something uh, I should recognize but in the dream I cannot place it. I want to ''leave'' my high place to seek shelter. From what, uh, I don't yet know. In the manner of dreams I cannot escape. I'm forced to wait and watch. Then, finally, realization and horror arrive together. The orange is flame, heat. The sound, a roar, a challenge in their ancient tongue. And now it's too late for escape. The dragon's upon me, fire and '''darkness''' descending like a thunderbolt. And not just any dragon, but ''the'' dragon, '''Alduin''', the World-Eater! The dragon who devours both the living and the dead! And then, I would wake up and hope that it was just a dream but know that it was not."
* EccentricMentor: He's just a ''little'' off-kilter...
* GenreSavvy
-->'''Esbern''': [[ProphecyTwist There's no guarantee with prophecy... merely hope.]]
* LastOfHisKind: One of the last members of the Blades.
* TheOtherDarrin: Some of his lines are spoken by another voice actor doing a Max von Sydow impression. It's not quite seamless.
* ProperlyParanoid: First met [[spoiler:in Riften's Ratway]], hiding among beggars and madmen behind a heavy iron door with roughly half a dozen locks (and he'll open a sliding panel and shout at you in his best "crazy old man" voice if you try to speak to him before the quest demands it). Not two minutes after the Dovahkiin confirms his identity, the Thalmor arrive to have him killed.
* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Delphine's Red. While Esbern is presented at first as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} conspiracy theorist, once things get going he's far more calm and intellectual, not to mention respectful of the Greybeards, while Delphie is more of an outright {{Jerkass}} to both the Dragonborn and the Greybeards, and is less interested in the knowledge of the dragons than she is killing them.
* SwordAndSorcerer: The Sorcerer to Delphine's Sword.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Tullius and Ulfric during the peace treaty negotiations, telling them that while they're busy arguing over the terms of a temporary truce, Alduin is [[spoiler:in Sovngarde devouring the souls of the people they've slain to grow stronger]].
!!Delphine
--> '''Voiced by:''' Joan Allen
* ActionGirl: She has [[spoiler:killed entire teams of Thalmor assassins]] by herself.
* BadassNormal: [[spoiler:She retrieved the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller from Ustengrav without the power of the Voice - that means she got past the burning floors and the time-sensitive gates using nothing but her own wits.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: She'll likely be one of the first [=NPCs=] you'll meet in the game since she lives in Riverwood, the first town you visit. Only later do you realize that she's more than the local innskeeper.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Believes the Thalmor are behind everything, including the dragons' return. [[spoiler:A mission to their embassy indicates they know nothing.]]
** She also follows Esbern's lead in [[spoiler: thinking Paarthurnax is evil and absolutely must die. She is a bit more a jerkass about it, to the point of threatening to violate her oaths to the Blades if the Dovahkiin doesn't kill Paarthurnax]].
** Note that according to the ''Atlas of Dragons'', [[spoiler: the Blades have known Paarthurnax was on the Throat of the World, "under the protection of the Greybeards" for centuries. The Blades as a whole have been waiting for an opportunity to "exact justice" on him for a ''long'' time.]]
* CoolOldLady: [[OlderThanTheyLook It's not apparent at first]], but she's in her late fifties. And still kicks plenty of ass.
* DualWielding: [[KatanasAreJustBetter Blades Swords]]
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: You can tell her that you were after meeting her in the basement of The Sleeping Giant Inn.
* {{Jerkass}}: She's rather rude and demanding, especially on your first meeting. She tricks you into a meeting and demands a demonstration to verify the Dragonborn's identity, but without giving you a reason why she should be indulged. If you decide to simply ignore her and leave, she'll mention she should kill you, but decided she won't. Justified, as she doesn't trust you and has the Thalmor after her head every sleeping and waking moment. Granted, she comes across as more friendly and humble if you talk to her about her background after proving your status as the Dragonborn, and isn't nearly as bad as, say, [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Colonel Moore]].
* ProperlyParanoid: The Thalmor have free rein over pretty much all of Tamriel, meaning the Blades are all hunted. [[spoiler:Her dossier pretty much indicates that the only chance the Thalmor have in killing her is [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill overwhelming force]], she's just that good.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: The Red to Esbern's Blue. While Esbern is presented at first as a CloudCuckooLander conspiracy theorist, once things get going he's far more calm and intellectual, not to mention respectful of the Greybeards, while Delphie is more of an outright {{Jerkass}} to both the Dragonborn and the Greybeards, and is less interested in the knowledge of the dragons than she is killing them.
* SwordAndSorcerer: The Sword to Esbern's Sorcerer.
* [[UngratefulBastard Ungrateful Bitch]]: Even after everything you do for her, which includes helping her slay a dragon, spying on the Thalmor, rescuing her associate, opening up the Blades' old base of operations, and bringing her new recruits to the order, she'll refuse to have any more dealings with you should you [[spoiler:not kill Paarthurnax]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: More or less says this is the case for [[spoiler:Paarthurnax]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dovahkiin / The Dragonborn]]
-->'''''"FUS RO DAH!"'''''
[[quoteright:348:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dovakhiin_7544.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:348:The last thing that the Dragons will see.]]
[[IAmWho The Dovahkiin]] is TheChosenOne of prophecy, foretold to be the one to defeat Alduin, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt who is poised to destroy all of Nirn]]. He or she turns out to be a [[YouAllMeetInACell penniless prisoner waking up in the back of a cart and about to be executed]].
* AxCrazy: You can act like this occasionally.
-->''Is Markarth bloody enough for you, stranger?''
-->''More blood is always good.''
* AlwaysABiggerFish: According to lore, Akatosh used his own blood to create the first Dragonborns, who would serve as guardians for mankind and natural predators for Dragons.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: The game doesn't end when you complete the main storyline, and random Radiant Quests ensure you have something to do afterwards.
** [[spoiler:Tsun and Paarthurnax both say that they doubt your purpose has been completely fulfilled, and Tullius/Ulfric say that they expect to be at loggerheads with the Thalmor again in the not too distant future at the end of the Civil War quests, providing a [[SequelHook DLC Hook]].]]
** Not to mention heightmaps for all the provinces of Tamriel are included in the game, leading some to speculate future DLC will add entire regions to the game. Several of the other provinces have potential enemies as well, mostly Thalmor, but also the Argonians who conquered Morrowind.
* AntiHero: There is no karma meter, but the GreyAndGrayMorality of the two main questlines, and possible membership in factions like the Companions, Thieves Guild, or Dark Brotherhood can put you anywhere on the [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes scale]].
* TheAtoner: You can invoke this by completing the Dark Brotherhood main quest which ends with you killing [[spoiler:the Emperor]]. Afterwards, join the Imperial Legion and help them win the civil war as way of making amends for the crimes you committed against the Empire. See FaceHeelTurn if you do the opposite.
** The game itself will invoke this trope with you. If you steal from your fellows in the Thieves Guild or kill a colleague in the Dark Brotherhood, you must make restitution (though the latter is a subversion as a fine of 500 gold is all that is assessed for murder.) You can also pay off your bounties for crimes committed in various communities. If your skill in illusion is high enough to pacify a guard long enough to accept bounty, you can make restitution for any and all crimes.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Ignoring how you can name your character whatever you want, most characters refer to you as Dovahkiin or Dragonborn, the former sounding very similiar along the lines of names like Alduin, Paarthurnax and Odahviing.
* {{Badass}}: Possibly the most badass out of all the Elder Scrolls protagonists. Only ''one'' other one has met a hostile dragon. For the Dovahkiin, [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight killing dragons is the job description]], and as they're random encounters you'll be mowing them down regularly.
** ActionSurvivor: After surviving almost being executed by beheading and burnt alive by a dragon, you proceed to become TheChosenOne to prevent the end of the world.
** AsskickingEqualsAuthority: If you're scouted out to join a group like the Thieves Guild, Companions, or the College of Winterhold, by the time their questline is over [[spoiler: you'll have been made their leader in recognition of your skill]].
** BadassAbnormal: The Dragonborn possesses the body of a mortal but the soul of a Dragon.
** BadassBeard: Todd Howard really wasn't kidding when he said that Skyrim would have truly epic beards...
** BadassBookworm: Via reading skill books or specialising in magic.
** BadassBystander: During dragon attacks on towns, you can step in, kill it, then go right back to what you were doing.
** BadassInCharge: By the end of the game, you have the potential to be [[spoiler: Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, and ''Overlord of the Dragons''.]]
** BadassLonghair: Potentially.
** BadassPreacher: If you join a temple to the Divines.
** HandicappedBadass: Your Dragonborn can be missing an eye or be completely blind if you wish
** BewareTheNiceOnes: You can play as a polite, kind and an all around NiceGuy, who is literally capable of bending reality itself to shout their enemies apart.
** OneManArmy: A highly trained Dragonborn is able to win battles in which he is heavily outnumbered. This is seen most prominently in the Civil War quests, in which the Dragonborn can liberate entire forts occupied by the enemy army, without needing any help. One quest during the civil war even has the option to barge in alone instead of a more conventional ambush tactic.
-->'''Dragonborn''': ''I have a better plan. You wait here, and I'll take care of it.''
** Routinely defeating Dragons who could obliterate entire towns also counts.
** UnderestimatingBadassery: Most missions/sidequests/quest lines are completely separate and don't overlap. That means that even if you've become Harbinger of the Companions, single-handedly stopped the resurrection of Potema, become the Thane of multiple Holds, and revealed yourself as the Dragonborn and ''absorbed the souls of dragons'', you still need to undergo a petty quest to "prove yourself" worthy enough to join other factions. Somewhat justified in that being an adventurer alone (even the Dragonborn) isn't enough to indicate that you're willing to follow orders or maintain confidentiality, however, this justification does not help the cases where you merely have to prove that you're strong enough to fight.
** That said, there ''are'' a few notable aversions. For example, if you've completed the Wolf Queen questline and started the "Mind Of Madness" questline, you may speak with Falk Firebeard and though reluctant to allow you passage into the haunted and abandoned wing of the Blue Palace, he will make an exception just for ''you''.
** It especially get ridiculous when you get challenged by some random thief or an overconfident enemy like [[spoiler: Ancano's aide whom you encounter after getting the Staff of Magnus]], and you clearly [[CurbStompBattle demonstrate]] that they prove to be mere cannon fodder.
* BarbarianHero: Although you can play your Dragonborn as whatever kind of character you like, the "official" Dragonborn seen in the promotional art and trailers is one. It comes naturally to Nords.
* BloodKnight: You can choose to be one. Given that you're in the land of {{Blood Knight}}s, it comes naturally. Paarthurnax also mentions that as you have the soul of a Dragon, you have an innate desire for destruction.
* BountyHunter: One way to make money is to ask around for bounty decrees (the target is usually a dragon, a group of bandits, or a troublesome giant), then collect your bounty from the local Jarl.
* {{Catchphrase}}: One of the first Dragon-Shouts you learn, nonetheless, can prove itself [[AwesomeYetPractical useful]] in almost ''any'' situation.
--> '''Dragonborn''': FUS-RO-DAH!
* TheChosenOne: A slightly unusual case that there's sometimes more than one Chosen One running around; the PlayerCharacter just might the only known Dovahkiin.[[spoiler:The Dragonborn is also arguably the chosen one of ''every'' other circumstance and guild they run across.]]
** This is [[UpToEleven Taken up to Eleven]] when you [[spoiler: reach Sovngarde and are challenged by the guardian of Shor's Hall, Tsun. He wants to know by what right you should be allowed to enter, and you can say that you're the Dovahkiin... But if you've completed all the other Faction Quests, you can also say that you're Harbinger of the Companions, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Nightingale of the Thieves Guild, ''or'' Listener for the Dark Brotherhood. It's a shame you can't bring up all of these, he'd probably crap his pants.]]
** It's heavily implied in ''The Book of the Dragonborn'' as well as a very accurate ancient prophecy, that you are [[LastOfHisKind the last Dragonborn]].
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Being a TES game, you can backstab basically everyone. Notable example: [[spoiler:You kill the Emperor at the end of the Dark Brotherhood questline. Bonus points if you've previously joined the Legion and sworn allegiance to the Emperor. Then you can accept the Emperor's last request to murder the man who ordered his assassination.]] Less notable example: Help Madanach and the Forsworn escape Cidhna Mine, accept his reward and thanks, then stick a knife in his back when he turns to leave.
* CombatPragmatist: The kill animations sometimes reach ''AssassinsCreed''-tier brutality and ruthlessness. One of the new ones in the 1.5 update for warhammers and battle axes involves putting the haft of the hammer or axe around the back of the enemy's neck and then simply twisting until the neck breaks. Another new animation, also for warhammers and battle axes, involves placing the hammer or axe sideways behind the opponents head, locking them in place while you ''headbutt them to death''.
** Dragon-Shouts. Because why bother to even battle someone when you can freeze them, roast them alive or rip out their ''soul''?!
* CoDragons: By the final mission in the Civil War questline, you've become the Co Dragon to either Tullius or Ulfric, alongside Rikke or Galmar, respectively.
* CoolHelmet: Always depicted as wearing a horned helmet with a face mask in promotional art (the readily available Iron helmet, for those interested). In the game, you can wear a variety, including that one, or none at all.
* CrazyPrepared: Potentially. A Dovahkiin focused on smithing, enchanting, speech, and alchemy (at the expense of perk-placement in other skills directly-related to combat or magic) can have custom-made weapons, potions, and enchanted gear for ''any'' eventuality. You essentially sacrifice the ability to be the perfect warrior to instead be ''Batman''.
* CrystalDragonJesus: The Dragonborn is essentially TheElderScrolls' version of Christ, a god in a mortal's body destined to save the world. [[spoiler: You even go to the afterlife and then return to the mortal realm.]] And it's implied that you're destined to lead a new empire.
* CursedWithAwesome: [[spoiler:You can become a werewolf.]]
** Not to mention the fact that you are/can be the number one enemy of the most feared and powerful creatures, organizations, and even ''Daedric Princes'' of Tamriel because of your powers.
* DeadpanSnarker: There are plenty of sarcastic dialogue options.
* DefectorFromDecadence: If the Dragonborn is an Altmer and loyal to the Empire, one of the possibilities for why they arrived in Skyrim is that they are one of the many Altmer fleeing the expanding influence of the Aldmeri Dominion. Due to the White-Gold Condordiat being signed between the Thalmor and the Empire, the Thalmor were effectively granted free-reign to come and go throughout the Empire and the jurisdiction to arrest anyone they wish. One suspects that Altmer ''not'' loyal to the Dominion are on the top of their list...
* [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex Designated Heroes Have Good Sex]]: If you get married, and go to sleep with your spouse (either because you're at the house or you're traveling with them), you get the ''Lover's Comfort'' buff, where the Dragonborn is in such a good mood that skill-building becomes a lot easier for a while.
* {{Determinator}}: Slaying Dragons, ending Civil Wars and saving the World? Numerous characters comment on the Dragonborn's tenacity.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Can join the Stormcloaks, overthrow the Empire and [[spoiler: murder the Emperor]]... all because you were accidentally arrested and when the mistake was discovered, you were sentenced to execution ''anyway'', because [[ObstructiveBureaucrat one Imperial clerk]] ''didn't'' want to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero bother with the paperwork.]]
* TheDreaded: Dragonborn, being the only mortals capable of truly killing a dragon, are actually mentioned as being something the Dragons fear above all else. Case-in-point, the music that plays during your fights with Dragons is titled on the soundtrack as "''The One They Fear''"
** Literally invoked the first Dragon you face, Mirmulnir, when he realizes far too late just ''who you are.''
--> '''Mirmulnir''': [[OhCrap Dovahkiin?!]] [[BigNo NO!]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Playing any race other than Nord tends to this, but especially Khajiit, Argonian, and Dunmer Dragonborn will still get talked down to by guards and some [=NPCs=], even after defeating Alduin.
** The Blades, who despite supposedly being sworn to ''serve'' the Dragonborn, often treat them as an indentured servant and ''demand'' they perform tasks for them.
** There are some instances where you can simply tell someone that you're Dragonborn and they'll treat you with the respect your status deserves. For example, when entering the College of Winterhold, you're normally expected to make a show of magical aptitude, but if you simply tell Faralda that you're the Dragonborn and fire off a Shout, she'll enthusiastically let you through.
** Becoming the Arch-Mage of the College at Winterhold. Did you ''really'' think you'd get any respect from [[DoesNotLikeMagic the Nords]]?
--> '''Guard''': So you're the leader of those mages in Winterhold, am I supposed to be impressed?
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: You eventually end up defeating Alduin, firstborn of Akatosh, god of Time itself, whose purpose is to bring about the end of the world.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: The Dragonborn always has the option of telling the Daedric Princes, in no uncertain terms, to go to hell.
* FantasticRacism: If you meet up with Brunwulf Free-Winter you have the option of saying that Skyrim is for Nords alone. [[BoomerangBigot Strangely enough, you get this option even if you're not a Nord.]]
* FeaturelessProtagonist: As in every TES game.
* FemmeFatale: Very possible for a female Dragonborn of any non-beast race.
* FolkHero: InUniverse. The bards even composed a song called "The Dragonborn Comes", foretelling your arrival.
* GeniusDitz: Can invoke this with the Greybeards, saying you have no idea how you can [[InstantExpert learn new Thu'um quickly]], you just ''do'' it.
** If you join the Mage College but haven't specialized in magic thus far, you essentially are acknowledged as being the least skilled with magic, but potentially one of the most powerful.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: If you wish, the Dragonborn can have a plethora of manly scars.
* GlamourFailure: After becoming a werewolf, city guards will comment that the Dragonborn appears to have fur growing out of their ears and [[PsychoticSmirk a wolfish grin.]] Even if you are an Argonian, who's ears and facial expressions shouldn't be readily apparent in the first place, or if you're a Khajiit, and have furry ears anyway.
* HelloInsertNameHere: Played with; regardless of the name you pick you're usually referred to as "The Dragonborn", but your name will frequently appear written in notes and journals. [[NoPronunciationGuide The reason for this is obvious]].
** EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: In the Legion campaign, you're referred to primarily by your rank, starting at Auxiliary and working your way up to Legate.
** KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: In the Stormcloak campaign, you're given a series of nicknames by the men. Stormcloak troops will refer to you by these nicknames.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: Even if you're the nicest, most heroic guy imaginable you'll still get a bounty on par with murder if you're exposed as a werewolf.
* HornyVikings: A Nordic Dragonborn will find himself embracing many beloved Viking cliches.
* HumanoidAbomination: Is viewed as one by the Dragons, being a mortal who somehow possesses the soul of a Dragon and is able to permanently kill them, then proceed to use their souls as ''fuel''.
* TheHunter: Is considered by the Blades to be the ''ultimate'' Dragon-slayer.
** For good reason: only a Dragonborn (or a dragon) can keep dragons from being resurrected by Alduin. The Blades might be able to kill a dragon, but without your help it isn't going to ''stay'' killed.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: Most vampires you encounter are hostile, so being one yourself invokes this trope. Being a werewolf can do too (mostly in the Sinding/Hircine quest).
** Given how the Dragonborn is of the same kith as Dragons, this is to be expected.
** Thalmor can invoke this in both directions if you're an Altmer. Once you hit the Thalmor Embassy, they'll start sending execution squads after you, which will only happen to a Dragonborn who has the patience to ''not'' brutally murder Thalmor s/he encounters beforehand.
* IHateYouVampireDad: [[spoiler: If the Dovahkiin accepts Lord Harkon's offer of Vampire Lordship and ends up killing him]]
* IHaveManyNames: Aside from the name you give your character in CharGen, you have the title "Dragonborn" (obviously), "Dovahkiin" (Dragonborn in dragon language), the title "Stormcrown" given by the Greybeards, "Ysmir, the Dragon of The North", also given by the Greybeards, and "Qahnaarin" ("Vanquisher"), given by [[spoiler:Durnehviir]].
* ImAHumanitarian: One of the quests allows you to become a cannibal.
** "Human Flesh" is also an alchemical ingredient, and the most obvious method of discovering an ingredient's first trait is to eat it.
** Furthermore, the most effective method of healing one's self in werewolf form is to take a bite out of some dead human enemies.
* InformedAttractiveness: People won't be gushing over you, but you'll occasionally hear some [=NPC=] banter that paints you as good-looking regardless of your appearance, even if you're non-human, covered in dirt, brutally scarred, partially blind, and clad in dragon bones. Given that Skyrim is a land of {{Blood Knight}}s, however, these might be sexy traits as far as locals are concerned.
** Some very complimenting examples from Narri of Falkreath:
---> ''To a male Dragonborn: Shor's bones, a handsome man in Falkreath!''
---> ''To a female Dragonborn: You're going to have the men around here wrapped around your finger in no time.''
* InstantExpert: Happens in two ways:
** The first way is what effectively makes the Dragonborn so special. Instead of having to spend years on mastering the Thu'um, you can simply absorb a dragon's soul and use those to master a known word of power. This does have its limits however as the Dragonborn does not absorb a full understanding of the Dragon Language itself, something Alduin mocks you about at one point. Similarly, Arngeir only realizes when you ask, that you had no clue what any of the Greybeards actually were saying during your initiation ceremony.
** The second way is with the skills itself: If you read enough skill books and possess enough money to buy training sessions, you can easily go from being a complete novice in a skill to being fairly passable in it in the course of an in-game afternoon. Its also funny when one considers the perk system; if the Dragonborn decides to take the Dragon Smithing perk, he instantly knows how to forge armors from Dragonscales and bones, despite not having done this before.
*** The perk tree is so that you can save all of your perks and use them when you deem the skill necessary. This can result in a novice who barely knows how to aim with a bow at a deer to a master huntsman who can land a killshot on a elite Thalmor Justicar from several miles away.
* {{Irony}}: The Dovahkiin can invoke this if they go with Ralof during the intro. Prior, an Imperial Captain (over Hadvar's objection) commanded you be beheaded despite being innocent of any crime except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That said, guess who one of the very first Imperials you can kill is as soon as you enter Helgen Keep? And, for bonus points, the first weapon you can get your hands on is [[AnAxeToGrind an axe.]]
* KleptomaniacHero: Entirely possible to do, and even probable if you are playing a thief archetype. Interestingly, while hot property is limited to designated fences for proper sale, there's nothing stopping you from ''gifting'' hot property for miscellaneous "I'd love it if you could find me one of those" quests.
* LastOfHisKind: The Book of the Dragonborn heavily implies you are the ''Last'' Dragonborn.
* LightningBruiser: In werewolf form, you can do a sprint slash; you sprint towards your foe, then do a power attack while still sprinting. Massive damage + probable knockdown of your foe.
** It kind of degrades into GlassCannon status later on, though. You have no armor bonus in beast form, and at higher levels the health bonus you get is more or less meaningless, meaning you can be shredded pretty easily. But you still move at ridiculous speeds and deal ''a lot'' of damage.
** One combination that absolutely qualifies for this trope, however, is the Elemental Fury shout combined with the orc racial power, [[UnstoppableRage berserker rage]]. Elemental fury increases your attack speed, doubling it at max power, while berserker rage doubles your attack damage while cutting the damage you take in half. This combination renders any and all melee engagements moot; your enemies may as well be fighting an avalanche.
* LivingLegend
* MagicKnight: No matter what race the Dragonborn is, s/he can use at least some form of basic magic. The Thu'um shouts further solidify this; a Dragonborn who never expends any magicka will still be blasting enemies with their voice.
** Should the Dragonborn decide to focus solely on Magic, Smithing and Enchanting, the Dragonborn becomes the Tamrielic equivalent of ''IronMan''.
* MagneticHero: Although you can only have one follower with you at a time, there are 49 available and you can potentially recruit them all.
* MakeMeWannaShout: The ''Thu'um'' is literally called a Shout and can give you several different abilities:
** AnIcePerson
** AnimateDead
** AuraVision
** TheBeastmaster
** BlowYouAway
** {{Curse}}
** DefogOfWar
** EmotionControl
** KillItWithFire
** LifeDrain
** PowerOfTheStorm
** SummonMagic
** TimeMaster
** YourSoulIsMine
* MasterPoisoner: The Alchemy skill revolves around this.
* TheMessiah: The salvation of the world is up to you.
** DarkMessiah: You can be a right bastard about it, though.
* MatchMakerQuest: You get to help out a few couples get together in the quest [[spoiler: The Book of Love]].
* MemeticBadass: In-universe, the Dragonborn is a legendary figure among the Nords.
** Should you have joined one of the factions, guards can comment that they've heard of you.
* MemeticOutfit: The Iron Helmet from the publicity photos.
** To the point where fan-art, even of non-Nordic Dragonborns, frequently has them depicted wearing that helmet.
* MuggingTheMonster: Its remarkable how many people think attacking you is a ''good'' idea.
** You can actually get ambushed by a thief in a random instance and have the option to dismiss them entirely;
--> '''Dragonborn''': I don't have time for this...
* MultipleChoicePast: In conversation with Serana, the player has a choice of multiple answers regarding his relationship with his parents. From being close to them to never having known them.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: By no means required, but entirely possible. Listing the ways to invoke it for each race would be a page unto itself.
** The Altmer and Bosmer are the most extreme cases, as for them it ''is'' effectively required - the main storyline involves direct action against the Thalmor.
* MysteriousPast: Although its left blank for the player to make up you can make a couple of in game suggestions about it. In Cidnah Mine you can claim your family is still alive but in another part of Tamriel, and tell Eola you've already indulged in cannibalism. However, since this optional dialogue and can be refuted in said conversations its not definite canon.
* NamesToRunAwayFromVeryFast: The Dragonborn. But the Stormblade, Harbinger of the Companions, and Listener of the Dark Brotherhood can also count.
* NiceGuy: You can be one by helping every helpless civilian you find on your travels, giving mercy to enemies who ask for it, and playing games with children.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: As the game progresses and you complete guild questlines, main quests, civil war, and sidequests, the player will rapidly become an exemplar of this trope. You already start off as part-dragon, which is coupled with your race of choice. Once the guild questlines are finished, you can add Viking champion/Legate, archmage, mentor of ''another'' Viking guild, thief, assassin, priest, bard, champion of multiple deities and Daedric princes, ally of the Forsworn, Thane of all nine holds, and werewolf/vampire[[hottip:*:Vampirism and Lycanthropy are both diseases and both bestow immunity to disease once contracted which normally makes them mutually exclusive]] to the list.
* NotSoDifferent: Paarthurnax notes that the Dragonborn has the same innate urge to kill, destroy and conquer as all Dragons do.
** With Alduin. How does Alduin grow stronger? By devouring the souls of dead mortals. How does the Dragonborn's Thu'um become stronger? By consuming the souls of dead dragons.
* OccultDetective: Various quests have the Dragonborn having to deal with Witches, Werewolves, Vampires, Ghosts, Necromancers, Daedric Princes and all manner of arcane creatures.
* OddFriendship: The ''Dawnguard'' DLC allows you to befriend Serana, a friendly vampire, even if you are a member of the Dawnguard faction.
* OhCrap: The reaction of various Dragons when they realize ''[[TheDreaded who you are]]''.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Quite possible with any Dragonborn, but comes out most when playing a Thief archetype combined with the right dialogue options. Especially if you join the Thieves Guild.
* OpenSecret: [[spoiler: Guards will occasionally mention they know that you're in the Thieves Guild, or a member of the Dark Brotherhood (including suspecting that you killed the Emperor himself) but never confront you about it because of a lack of direct evidence and also being ''terrified'' of you.]]
* [[PalsWithJesus Pals with Daedric Princes]]: The Dragonborn can undertake quests from various Daedric Princes and eventually becomes recognised as their respective Champion. Given the Daedric Princes rather indifferent attitude towards most mortals in Nirn, being considered not ''completely'' useless is a pretty big accomplishment.
* PaperThinDisguise: Averted if playing as an Altmer, which turns the infiltration of the Thalmor Embassy into a doddle. Instead of keeping a low-profile, the Dragonborn can casually walk up to people, barking orders. Since everyone is so afraid of the Thalmor, they don't dare ask any questions.
* PetTheDog: A literal example. Over the course of your travels, you ''can'' rescue stray dogs from enemies.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Comes through most when playing a Nord.
-->'''Jarl of Whiterun:''' Alduin... The World Eater? But if he has come, then surely it is the end?
-->'''Dragonborn:''' Maybe, but I intend to die fighting!
-->'''Jarl of Whiterun:''' Spoken like a true Nord! I stand with you, Dragonborn!
* ProfessionalKiller: Very possible with a Dragonborn that joins the Dark Brotherhood. Can be most prevalent during your first meeting with [[spoiler:Amaund Motierre]].
-->'''[[spoiler:Motierre]]:''' The real reason I'm speaking with a cutthroat in the bowls of this detestable crypt. For I seek the assassination of... [[spoiler:The Emperor]].
--> '''Dragonborn''': Leaders rise and fall. Business is business.
* PsychoticSmirk: After becoming a Werewolf, guards claim that the Dragonborn has a disturbing wolfish grin.
* [[RealMenLoveJesus Real Men Love The Nine Divines]]: You can wear an amulet of any god, pray at their shrines regularly and serve any temple, should you wish.
** You're not limited to the divines only. Completing the Sacred Trials of Kyne and selecting the 'I don't believe in the Nine' can make you a Real man who loves the ''Old Nordic Gods''.
*** Joining the Stormcloaks ostensibly makes you a Real Man who loves Talos exclusively.
* RagsToRiches: Can become a Thane to multiple Jarls of Skyrim, and unless you're actually trying ''not'' to, you'll probably end up with gold coming out of your ears, especially if you earn the [[spoiler: Prowler's Profit perk]], which lets you discover tons of gold and precious stones in every chest and urn out there in Skyrim, which are all yours for the taking.
* RealityWarper: As with all those capable of the Thu'um.
* RedBaron: ''The One They Fear.''
* ReluctantWarrior: Can be played as one.
* ScienceHero: If you specialize in Alchemy, Enchanting, and Smithing. You can, with some work, become the Tamrielic equivalent of [[IronMan Tony Stark]].
* SilentProtagonist: Actually averted; the Dragonborn doesn't talk normally, but he[=/=]she ''is'' actually voiced; besides performing dragon Shouts, the Throw Voice power has you actually throw out a variety of insults at you enemies. Oddly, when using Throw Voice, the male voice of the Dragonborn is snarky and high-pitched, sounding more like Church from ''RedVsBlue'' than a mighty Norse warrior.
* SmarterThanYouLook: Farengar Secret-Fire says this if you ask about him about his work with the Dragon Stone.
* TheStarscream[=/=]EtTuBrute: [[spoiler:To Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, if you support the Stormcloaks. After being the one guy to support you wholeheartedly and keep his people out of the war, Ulfric tasks you with laying siege to the city he commands and forcing him out. This is possibly after he made you Thane and welcomed you into his city. GreyAndGrayMorality aside, you ''will'' feel like a dick for betraying him.]]
* TheStoic: The Dark Brotherhood quest line once again gives the option of staying completely silent during most conversations.
* TookALevelInBadass: You start off as a unlucky prisoner who crossed the border at a bad time then almost got beheaded. The rest of the game sees you becoming the Dragonborn to save the world.
* TribalFacepaint: Should you choose.
* TheUndead: You can become a vampire, should you choose.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: For most people, the sight of a Dragon attacking the town would be the stuff of nightmares. For the Dragonborn, it's more of a ''nuisance'' than anything else... [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive time to go back to work.]]
* WarriorPoet: Joining the Bard's College can qualify you.
* [[WeatherControlMachine Weather Controller]]: The Dragonborn after obtaining the "''Clear Skies''" and "''Storm Call''" Shouts.
* WildCard: You can tip the balance of power in the Skyrim Civil War, whether for the Legion or Stormcloaks.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Unarmed kill animations include choke slams, suplexes, chokeholds, and in one case an overhead body slam that drops the enemy on their head as of the 1.5 update.
* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: "In their tongue, he's Dovahkiin - Dragonborn!"
* YourSoulIsMine: A rare heroic variation, absorbing the souls of fallen dragons.
** Can also be done by filling [[SoulJar soul gems]], which are used to enchant or replenish already enchanted items.
** [[spoiler: The ''Dawnguard'' DLC introduces a Dragon-Shout that rips souls from enemies, turning them into undead thralls.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dragons]]
!! Tropes relating to all Dragons
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Within each Dragon is the desire to dominate and destroy.
* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: [[spoiler: All in all, the Dragons seem pretty happy Alduin is dead.]]
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Their power comes from speaking Words of Power.
* PoirotSpeak: Language is very intrinsic to the Dragons, and as such they tend to switch between English and Draconic regularly.
* ProudWarriorRace: A lot of them have this attitude.
* [[spoiler: RiseFromYourGrave: The Dragons aren't just coming back. They're coming back to life.]]
* TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: Whenever a Dragon has the misfortune of encountering the Dragonborn.
!!Alduin
--> '''Voiced by:''' Daniel Riordan
-->''"You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah!"''
Nordic interpretation of Akatosh and therefore is Time or an aspect thereof, God of Destruction, the World-Eater, devourer of souls, harbinger of the apocalypse and [[BigBad general big bad nasty]]. [[spoiler:He is revealed to be the "Firstborn" of Akatosh. [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/fight-four-tenpenny-winteragain%E2%80%9D The Fourth Aldudagga fight]] [[hottip:*:Nordic legends that exist in a grey area of canon. They get several references in ''Skyrim'']], suggests "heaven" separated the two.]]
* AllThereInTheManual: His nature, and how it relates to Akatosh, is a bit loopy but it has been talked about in previous games and texts.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: [[spoiler:He interrupts your execution at Helgen, accidentally saving you in his efforts to kill you.]]
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe: Alduin may be the BigBad, but it is debatable whether he can truly be called "evil" as humans would understand the word. Various characters tell you that the destruction of the world brings about a new one, rather than the obliteration of all Creation, so it is debatable whether stopping Alduin is even a good thing (see BlueAndOrangeMorality below). Even if you take it as read that such destruction is a bad thing, can Alduin be described in the words of human morality any more than an earthquake or any other force of nature can be? Paarthunax states that Alduin was created for the purpose of destroying/rejuvenating the world, and in any case all dragons have the instinct to dominate, so is Alduin "evil" for performing his divinely-appointed role and acting in accordance with his own nature? Can such a powerful and eternal entity be judged by transient mortal ethics any more than Cthulhu can?
** Though it's hard to justify his actions under this when he's doing something utterly different and alien to his appointed purpose; such as enslaving the Nords in the Merethic Era.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He is the leader of the dragons for a very good reason.
** AsskickingEqualsAuthority: [[spoiler:Until ''you'' kick his ass, and make the other dragons question whether he truly ''deserves'' to lead.]]
* [[spoiler:TheBattleDidntCount: All the battles against him until the final one.]]
* BigBad
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone[=/=]EvilSoundsDeep: Alduin has a very cool voice.
** BadassBoast: He gives a few.
-->'''I am AL-DU-IN! First born son of Akatosh! Mulagi zuk lat! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else!'''
** [[RedBaron Badass Nickname]]: The World Eater.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: [[spoiler:Paarthurnax argues this. Alduin ''is'' doing what he was created to do.]] The problem is that he is doing this before he is supposed to. Or possibly four full Eras after, it's confusing.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: It is repeatedly stated that Alduin is destined to destroy the world so that it can be reborn, and so there are some (like the Greybeards) who don't automatically accept that stopping him is a good thing. In fact one of the replies you can give to such a question can be summed up as "I like the world the way it is", rather than a more impartial argument on whether it is right to avert the apocalypse.
** That said, for a mortal, Paarthurnax admits that 'I like this world' is as good a reason as any for wanting to stop him.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to Paarthurnax's Abel.
* CombatCompliment: [[spoiler:After you beat him at the Throat of the World, he admits that you have become extremely powerful.]]
* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler: The moment he runs away from you like a bitch is the moment the other dragons realize he doesn't deserve to lead. [[NoTrueScotsman A true dovah would fight to the end.]]]]
* DarkIsEvil: He's the only Dragon in the game who's completely black; aside from the newly introduced Legendary Dragons in the DLC.
* EldritchAbomination: Not in appearance, but in terms of being an inconceivably ancient and eternal entity who is arguably beyond human rationality and ethics (see BlueAndOrangeMorality above) Alduin fits the criteria quite neatly.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: A very literal case of this trope, because it is repeatedly stated that Alduin the World-Eater is not going to erase all of Creation from existence, he is "merely" going to destroy the current incarnation so that a new one can take its place. Consequently, some characters (like the Greybeards) question whether stopping him is actually the right thing to do. (see BlueAndOrangeMorality above)
* EternalRecurrence: Alduin was created to destroy the world, so the next can come. Then destroy ''that'' one for the next.
* EvilOverlord: Of dragons.
* GetBackHereBoss: [[spoiler:This is a plot point! And in more than one sense; he also retreats to Sovngarde to feast upon the souls there and thus regain his strength.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: See "Pride" below. It seems to be shared by all dragons.
* IAmXSonOfY: '''I AM ALDUIN! FIRST BORN SON OF AKATOSH!'''
* LargeHam: Even for a [[MakeMeWannaShout dragon]], Alduin sure loves the sound of his own voice.
--> '''"My belly is full of the souls of your fellow mortals, Dovahkiin!"'''
* MeaningfulName[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: His name means "Destroyer Devour Master." He is also known as the "[[PlanetEater World Eater]]."
* [[NoTrueScotsman No True Dovah]]: Berates the Dragonborn for having the sheer audacity to take for themselves the name of "Dovah".
* {{Pride}}: His dominant flaw is his arrogant security in his own power. For his first defeat, the ancient Nord heroes spoke his name with the Thu'um, which in dragon language is basically a challenge, and upon his arrival they hit him with Dragonrend. Mere ''days'' afters this occurs from Alduin's perspective he falls for ''exactly the same trick'' and the Dovahkiin hits him with Dragonrend ''again''. After this confrontation [[spoiler:Alduin retreats to Sovngarde to recover strength - which makes the rest of the dragons question his leadership and leads directly to his second, and far more comprehensive, defeat.]]
* PhysicalGod
* [[spoiler:SealedEvilInACan: He wasn't actually defeated in the past, merely banished to another time... namely, the time that you live in. It's implied that this may be all that you accomplished in slaying his body, as you did not absorb his soul and spiritual beings can reform over time. Albeit a very long time.]]
** This makes sense actually, as if he is destined to destroy the world to let it be reborn (see EternalRecurrence above) but is simply doing it too soon or too late (see BecauseDestinySaysSo above) it would make sense that he could not be destroyed, only delayed until the time is right. This also calls into question whether he can truly be called "evil" (see BlueAndOrangeMorality).
* RedEyesTakeWarning
* SpannerInTheWorks: For General Tullius, who managed to capture Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the Nordic rebellion that had almost managed to rout the Empire completely from Skyrim before Tullius arrived to head the Legion forces there. Had Alduin not shown up when he had, it's likely the Empire would have won the Civil War before the game really started in earnest.
* SpikesOfVillainy: All the dragons are pretty spiky, but Alduin is especially so.
* AStormIsComing: Invoked by Alduin himself. Amongst the many, many powers that Dragon Shouts have is the ability to summon storms, ominous clouds, and fog. Alduin does so several times throughout the story.
* VillainousBreakdown[=/=]ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:When you defeat him in Sovngarde.]] In fact his exact words (which he screams in his highest ever pitched voice) are:
--->[[spoiler:''Zu'u unslaad! Zu'u nis oblaan!'']]
** Which translates into
--->[[spoiler:''I am immortal! I cannot die!'']]
* VillainousRescue: Unintentionally saves the Dragonborn from being beheaded at the start of the game.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Sort of. In [[spoiler: Sovngarde]], he compliments your persistence and mentions that you would have been an excellent slave. For someone whose fundamental nature is to dominate, that is probably as close as he can come to this trope.
* WorthyOpponent: When he realises he ''can't'' make the Dragonborn a slave, he basically concedes that he sees the Dragonborn as the only real threat he's encountered so far.
* YourSoulIsMine: As firstborn of Akatosh, Alduin has the "right" to [[spoiler: consume the souls of the fallen warriors in Sovngarde to replenish his strength.]] When he is [[spoiler: defeated the first time by Paarthurnax and the Dragonborn, he retreats to Sovngarde to feed on the fallen and regain strength.]] Of course, [[spoiler: Shor is displeased with this, and while he won't directly intervene, he does dispatch the old heroes of Skyrim to assist the Dragonborn in putting a stop to it.]]
!!Paarthurnax
--> '''Voiced by:''' CharlesMartinet, aka It's-a-me-Mario!
-->''"What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"''
An ancient dragon who turned against Alduin and aids the Dovahkiin.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: His question on morality. When confronted by a Dovahkiin who is undecided about killing him, Paarthurnax does nothing to argue for his own life and in fact says that killing him is probably the best pragmatic option...but then he just asks the quote above.
* [[spoiler:TheAtoner: He admits dragons seek power. And that his punishment for his past evil deeds is to spend every waking moment fighting his own nature boiling inside of him. He's been doing that for several thousand years already]].
* AwesomeMcCoolname[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: His name means "Ambition Overlord Cruelty."
** DeathbringerTheAdorable: ...Yet he sits on a mountain for ages passively serving humans and helping out.
* [[spoiler: AwesomeMomentOfCrowning]]: The epilogue after [[spoiler:defeating Alduin in Sovngarde]] set on the Throat of the World is essentially the dragon equivalent of [[spoiler:acknowledging that ''he'' is now the effective ruler of the dragons.]]
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
* BigGood: In the main quest line.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to Alduin's Cain.
* [[CoolOldGuy Cool Old Dragon]]
* DefectorFromDecadence
* FaceDeathWithDignity: If confronted with the fact that you've been ordered to kill him, he outright admits that [[spoiler:The Blades]] are right not to trust him, and that killing would be the "safer" path for everyone. He then presses the player with the SadisticChoice below.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: Used to be Alduin's Dragon, but defected before Alduin's first defeat.]]
* [[spoiler:MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Domination and ego are in a dragon's inherent nature. Apparently, you can't even ''be'' a dragon without those traits in your blood (the Dragonborn counts, too). But he's tried to find another way, and says he will try to teach other dragons to do it, too.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Points this out to the Dovahkiin; being born with the soul of a dragon, the Dovahkiin has the same innate urge to [[VideogameCrueltyPotential kill, destroy, and conquer]] as any other dragon.
* PoirotSpeak: In the ancient tongue of the dragons, no less!
* ProperlyParanoid: He believed that [[spoiler:Alduin wasn't defeated in the past, knowing that the Elder Scroll would send him 'adrift' in time, but that it would not be permanent. As such, he waited ''where'' he knew Alduin would emerge, but aware he had no clue ''when''. It took ''thousands of years'']].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For the Greybeards and [[spoiler: promises to be this for the rest of the dragons after Alduin dies.]]
* ReformedButRejected: He's been hiding on the Throat Of the World for thousands of years because [[spoiler:he's a dragon, and he did horrible things during the reign of the dragons over man - things that humans will possibly never forgive. Driven home by the Blades, who demand that you kill Paarthunax for what he did millennia ago, even though he's the reason mankind is still breathing.]]
* SadisticChoice: Should the Dragonborn confront him with [[spoiler:the Blades']] desire to kill him, he states outright that you should never trust a dragon because the urge to dominate is in their blood. He's only become "good" because he took time, every day for thousand years, meditating and suppressing his nature. It doesn't fade, either: he's gotten better at keeping it in check, but it hasn't ''weakened''.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: Invoked, when [[spoiler:The Blades]] ask the player to kill him in spite of the fact he's reformed and has helped the player, Paathurnax says [[spoiler:the Blades]] are absolutely right not to trust him, as he has certainly done a lot of evil things, and even if he is reformed the urge to dominate and destroy is in the blood of a dragon, and he fights the pull to give into those urges every day. He pretty much says if he were in their situation, he wouldn't trust himself either.
* TrueCompanions: Paarthurnax named the old Nord heroes whom he taught the Thu'um to as his "friends." Considering the timeless nature of the dovah and their desire for conquest and domination, merely naming a mortal a "friend" tells you how much they meant to him, and likewise.
* VerbalTic: Paarthurnax frequently slips into the dragon language while talking to mortals. He usually catches himself while doing so and offers a quick translation of what he meant to say. Words that he knows you understand, like "dovah" remain untranslated, and sometimes he'll spout an entire phrase in his tongue (while apparently talking to himself) that he doesn't bother translating.
!!Odahviing
--> '''Voiced by:''' Charles Dennis
-->''"As for myself, you've proven your mastery twice over. Thuri, Dovahkiin. I gladly acknowledge the power of your Thu'um."''
Alduin's right-hand dragon. [[spoiler:He ultimately changes sides and helps the Dovahkiin.]]
* AfraidOfNeedles: Isn't afraid of taking on the Dragonborn, who fireballs, shoots arrows into, and repeatedly stabs him, but he freaks out and spews fire in a panic when Farengar attempts to retrieve some samples of scale and skin tissue.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name means "Snow Hunter Wing."
* [[BigNo Big "NIID!"]]: [[spoiler:Once the Dragonsreach trap's yoke slams down on him and entraps him by the neck, he expresses his despair by exclaiming "No!" in draconic.]]
* TheDragon: To Alduin.
* [[spoiler:IFightForTheStrongestSide: After you shout Alduin about the head and wings the first time atop High Hrothgar, Odahviing and other dragons engender doubts about the supremacy of Alduin amongst themselves. Odahviing only helps the player because he wants to know who is more worthy as leader.]]
* PoirotSpeak: Like Paarthurnax. It seems that Paarthurnax has a better command of the mortals' tongue, because Odie's speech sounds kinda stilted. Of course, Paarthurnax has been interacting with the various Greybeards over the millennia, while Odahviing has been a pile of bones entombed in a dragon burial mound and probably didn't interact with mortals much beyond domination before the Dragon War.
* [[spoiler:SummonBiggerFish: Once you gain his allegiance, you can summon him to fight alongside by shouting his name.]]
!!Mirmulnir
-->''"Dovahkiin, niid!"''
The first dragon the Dovahkiin officially takes on in the main storyline.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name means "Allegiance Strong Hunt."
** RecursiveTranslation: The Collector's Edition guide refers to him as the "Loyal Mortal Hunter." Going by the translation guide at the back of the book, that should make his name "(something)-Joor-Ah"... never mind that [[spoiler:"Joor" is the first word of the [[BrownNote Dragonrend]] shout]].
*** The name translation in the Collector's Edition guide is nothing but a typo. "Allegiance Strong Hunt" is the correct translation.
* [[BigNo Big "NIID!"]]: Right before you finish him off.
* KillItWithFire: Naturally.
* OhCrap: What prompts his BigNo as you kill him, realizing too late that he's facing a Dragonborn.
* TheRemnant: According to the ''Atlas of Dragons'' book, he is one of a very small number of dragons under Alduin's command that survived the Dragon War.
* WarmupBoss
* WorthyOpponent: Calls out that you and the Whiterun guards are such and make for good sport.
!!Sahloknir
->''"I am Sahloknir! Hear my Voice and despair!" ''
Another named dragon, encountered at the end of "A Blade In The Dark."
* [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Pahlok Thu'um Dovah]]: Arrogantly declares that the Dragonborn's Voice is no match for his own.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name translates into "Phantom Sky Hunt."
* {{Badass}}: Other dragons at least admit that the Dragonborn scares them. Sahloknir ''isn't'' scared of you in the slightest.
** BadassGrandpa: Old, even for a dragon.
* [[spoiler:RiseFromYourGrave]]: He is the first indication that this is what is happening to the rest of the dragons.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Alduin.
* WakeUpCallBoss: If you put off the "Blade In The Dark" quest for long enough, he'll spawn as an Ancient Dragon, with absurdly high stats. Note that he'll spawn at this level even when the player is low enough that the Dragonborn will still be fighting regular or blood dragons.
* WorthyOpponent: Considers the Dragonborn one.
!!Durnehviir
A dragon encountered in the Soul Cairn in the ''Dawnguard'' expansion. Durnehviir was tricked by the Ideal Masters into guarding their realm.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: His name translates into "Curse Never Dying".
* {{Badass}}: Lore says he has never been defeated in battle, and is in fact unkillable.
* CursedWithAwesome: Let's just say that he has a MeaningfulName.
* {{Dracolich}}: Though not technically undead, he looks the part, down to the exposed, hollowed out ribcage.
* GracefulLoser: He takes his very first defeat in battle remarkably well.
* {{Necromancer}}: He sought to raise undead armies to combat his rivals in Tamriel, and made a deal with the Ideal Masters to serve as a Keeper in the Soul Cairn until [[spoiler:Valerica]] died in exchange for their knowledge. Unfortunately for him, they failed to let him know that [[spoiler:Valerica]] is immortal.
* PoirotSpeak: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] He actually speaks the mortal tongue very fluently, and other than his bestowing the title of "Qahnaarin" on the Dragonborn, he almost never speaks in the dragon language.
* SignatureMove: [[YourSoulIsMine Soul Tear]], although he never actually uses it on you (for gameplay-breaking reasons).
* SummonBiggerFish: He can be summoned back in Tamriel by shouting his name, [[spoiler:like Odahviing]], but the mechanics of his summoning are different. Durnehviir is treated as a summon in the same vein as an atronach or zombie, including the requirement that there be enough empty space on the ground for him to materialize. Which, incidentally, means he can be summoned indoors.
* WorthyOpponent: The Dragonborn is the first one to ever best him in battle, so he grants him/her the title of "Qahnaarin", which means "Vanquisher".
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: He would love to return to Tamriel and fly free in the skies again, but knows that he has spent too long in the Soul Cairn and would die if he stayed in the mortal realm.
* YourSoulIsMine: The first three times he is called into Tamriel, he teaches you the words to the Soul Tear shout, which is useless without all three words, but then becomes a powerful magic bolt that ''instantly kills, Soul Traps, and resurrects any enemy with low enough health.''
!!Named Dragons
The other named dragons that aren't major players in the storyline.
* AwesomeMcCoolname[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
** Nahagliiv: "Fury Burn Wither"
** Vuljotnaak: "Dark Maw Eat"
** Vulthuryol: "Dark Overlord Fire"
** Viinturuth: "(something) Hammer (something)"
* MiniBoss
* [[spoiler:RiseFromYourGrave]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Housecarls]]
-->''"Long life to you, my Thane."''
Housecarls are knights assigned by the Jarls of a hold to protect the Dragonborn and his/her property. In order to earn a housecarl, you must become a thane (in other words, an acknowledged hero of the hold) which generally involves directly assisting the Jarl in question, helping the citizenry of the hold, and in the case of the major holds (Windhelm, Riften, Markarth, and Solitude) purchasing property. [[hottip:*: Falkreath, Morthal, Dawnstar, and Winterhold do not require property for you to become thane, and Whiterun grants thane status automatically after completing "Dragon Rising".]]
* {{Badass}}: All of the housecarls are amongst the most powerful of your followers (at a similar level, a Housecarl has around 150 to 200 more hit points compared to a regular Warrior-class follower). They are all equal in stats.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Jordis, Lydia, and Iona respectively. But you can only marry one of them.
* BodyguardingABadass: That badass being ''you'', of course.
** BodyguardCrush: If you wear an Amulet of Mara while speaking to them...
* {{Catchphrase}}:
-->"Honor to you, my Thane."
-->"Long life to you, my Thane."
-->"I am sworn to carry your burdens."
-->"As you will, my Thane. I will protect you with my life."
* TheDragon / NumberTwo: They are "your sword and your shield".
* HypercompetentSidekick: They can generally scout traps and be aware of an enemy's presence before you are. They can absorb more punishment than you (technically, since they're difficult to kill) and at early levels, they might be stronger than you.
* MadeOfIron: All housecarls are nigh-invincible. They collapse to the ground rather than dying if their health gets below a certain point, but there are certain circumstances (such as health draining poisons or burning damage) where their life can totally deplete and they die.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong / UndyingLoyalty: They will put up with almost anything you do and agree to almost any order. In fact, it's easier to list the things they ''won't'' let you get away with:
** Attacking them repeatedly.
** Becoming a Stage Four vampire.
** Transforming into a werewolf (if they are not a follower).
** [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking ...And making them sleep in someone else's bed.]]
-->"Not for you. Not for ''anybody''."
** Particularly notable is that Housecarls will fight by your side even if you're fighting against the very Jarls who assigned them to you. [[spoiler: Lydia]], [[spoiler: Calder]] and [[spoiler: Jordis the Sword-Maiden]] will stay right by your side while [[spoiler: invading Whiterun, Windhelm, or Solitude]], with [[spoiler: Lydia and Calder]] actively participating in [[spoiler: directly fighting the very Jarl who assigned them to you, personally]].
* OnlySixFaces: The female Housecarls seem to have the exact same faces, to the point where Lydia and Jordis the Sword-Maiden look like palette-swaps of one another. Iona at least has a different hairstyle.
* TrashTalk: All of them use it when facing down enemies...
** DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: ...And have ''special'' trash talk reserved for ''dragons!''
!!Lydia
--> '''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delany
-->''"I am sworn to carry your burdens...."''
Housecarl to the Dragonborn upon being named Thane of Whiterun.
* ActionGirl
* {{BFS}}: She prefers these unless she has a stronger weapon.
** AnAxeToGrind: While she does prefer large weapons, she'll generally favor greataxes over greatswords and warhammers.
* DiscOneNuke: Despite being one of the most powerful followers, she's also an extremely easy one to obtain and the only one automatically acquired during the main quest.
* SarcasticDevotee: She is sworn to carry your burdens. Doesn't mean she's happy about it, though.
!!Calder
--> '''Voiced by:''' Michael Gough
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of Eastmarch in the capital of Windhelm.
* HeroesWantRedheads: If you marry him.
* HotBloodedSideburns: He sports an impressive pair of muttonchops.
!!Iona
--> '''Voiced by:''' Claudia Christian
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of The Rift in the capital of Riften and helping clear out a den of skooma dealers.
* ActionGirl
* ChewingTheScenery: Her dialog sounds surprisingly hammy.
* GenreSavvy: Upon entering suspicious or hostile areas, she remarks "Trouble ahead. Be careful." She also sometimes exclaims "A good place for bandits to hide" when approaching caves.
* HeroesWantRedheads: If you marry her, of course.
* PrinciplesZealot: While otherwise a typically loyal housecarl, if she catches you stealing (even handling a previously stolen item stored in your house), she'll not only put a bounty on you, but ''personally scold you''.
!!Argis the Bulwark
--> '''Voiced by:''' Popeye Vogelsang
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of The Reach in the capital of Markarth after taking care of several Forsworn camps.
* BadassBaritone: Has the gruffest voice of the housecarls.
* BadassBeard: The only housecarl with a full, manly mane.
* FacialMarkings: The only housecarl with war paint.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Of the good variety. He's also blind in one eye.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: As his sobriquet implies, he prefers a shield and one-handed weapon combination, and utilizes blocking and shield bashing in combat.
* TheyCallHimSword: His sobriquet.
!!Jordis the Sword-Maiden
--> '''Voiced by:''' Corri English
Housecarl to the Dragonborn after being named Thane of Haafingar in the capital of Solitude and helping save Solitude from a crisis.
* ActionGirl: Her name says it all.
* AwesomeButImpractical: As stated before, all housecarls are equal in stats, which is unfortunate considering how much cost and effort one must undertake to get Jordis.
* BadassAdorable: She has the default "young lady" voice, and tends to express glee when brought along into exotic and impressive locales.
* TheFettered: She takes her oath to serve you ''very'' seriously. Unlike Lydia, she says "I am sworn to carry your burdens" without a hint of sarcasm.
* GenreSavvy: She'll exclaim "I don't like where this is going" when entering a suspicious area.
* TheyCallHimSword: Her sobriquet.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Heroes of Skyrim]]
!!Gormlaith Golden-Hilt
--> '''Voiced by:''' Lynda Carter
* ActionGirl
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBoast: She plays this off against a dragon she takes down.
--> ''Know that it was Gormlaith Golden-Hilt who sent you down to your death.''
* BloodKnight:
--> '''Hakon:''' Have you no thought beyond the blooding of your blade?
--> '''Gormlaith:''' What else is there?
* BrotherSisterTeam: Hakon One-Eye's sibling.
* MakeMeWannaShout
* TribalFacePaint
!!Hakon One-Eye
--> '''Voiced by:''' Paul Ganus
* AnAxeToGrind: "'''Feel the bite of my axe!'''"
* BrotherSisterTeam: Gormlaith Golden-Hilt's sibling.
* {{Badass}}
** HandicappedBadass
* MakeMeWannaShout
* TribalFacepaint
!!Felldir the Old
--> '''Voiced by:''' Paul Eiding
* CoolOldGuy
* MakeMeWannaShout
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: "May the spirits have mercy on our souls."]]
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: [[spoiler:"YOU! ARE! BANISHED!"]]
!!Tsun
--> '''Voiced by:''' Thor Edgell
Shield-thane of Shor, and guardian of Sovngarde.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
* CombatCompliment: If you do well in fighting him, he'll give you several as the fight goes on.
-->''"I have long awaited such a worthy adversary!"''
* ContractualBossImmunity: [[NoSell Completely shrugs off]] any stagger or knockdown attacks. May be because the devs wanted to [[GameBreakingBug avoid having him fall off the cliff into the endless chasm.]]
* DuelBoss
* DeathIsCheap: He died defending Shor/Lorkhan from angry Aedra, and yet serves as what is essentially a bouncer for a club, by guarding the Whalebone bridge that may well be his own physical corpse (see PhysicalGod).
* LastStand: Defending Shor from angry Aedra as is mentioned above.
* MakeMeWannaShout
* [[KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect Nord Mages Get No Respect]]: Laments that the children of Skyrim have fallen into this. Should you declare yourself Arch-mage of the College of Winterhold, he refers to magic by the term the ancient nords referred to it as: the "Clever Craft".
* PhysicalGod: Lore info points to Tsun being the ancient nordic aspect to the divine Zenithar from the more modern Cyrodiilic pantheon. In Nordic barrows, he is surmised to be represented by the Whale totems.
* WalkingShirtlessScene
* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:The Dovahkiin must prove that he/she is this to Tsun.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Greybeards]]
!!The Greybeards
A small group of hermits who live in High Hrothgar high atop the Throat of the World. They are human practitioners of the Thu'um, and call the Dragonborn to test their abilities and teach them to hone their skills. To the Greybeards, practicing the Thu'um is a form of worship to honor the gods (particularly Kynareth and Akatosh, who gave the gift of dragon blood to humans), but they also consider it a responsibility and honor to train the Dragonborn.
* AllPowerfulBystander: Despite being very powerful with the Voice, they refuse to take part in the conflicts of Skyrim, and while they eventually help the Dragonborn hold peace negotiations for a temporary truce to the war, they do it with gritted teeth.
** If questioned about their neutrality, Arngeir will explain that Jurgen Windcaller, original founder of their order, suffered a terrible defeat in battle despite his mastery of the Thu'um. Upon meditating on why this happened, he came to the conclusion that he had misused the power of the Thu'um, which should only be used to glorify and honor the Nine Divines. The Greybeards follow his "Way of the Voice" philosophy to distance themselves from the rest of the world in meditative seclusion.
* {{Badass}}: They can and will utterly ''flatten'' anything that directly attacks them. One effective technique to bypass the [[BeefGate ice troll on the way up the mountain]] is to simply run past it and go straight into High Hrothgar, and let the Greybeards splatter it. In the unlikely event that a hostile dragon appears over High Hrothgar, they can kill it in seconds.
** BadassBeard
** BadassGrandpa
** BadassLongrobe
** BadassBoast: Their voices alone can cripple dragons, and that's without the use of Dragonrend (a shout made specifically for crippling dragons). This also leads to...
** HandicappedBadass: Their voices are so powerful each greybeard must take a vow of silence so not as to destroy half their temple by uttering the wrong word by accident. While they're not physically handicapped, they're all essentially mutes until they need to fight. Among the four only one ever speaks, seemingly implying either he has less knowledge than the other three or chooses his words very, very carefully.
* BarefistedMonk: The Greybeards don't carry physical weaponry (their Shouts are usually ''more'' than enough to wipe out anything that threatens them) but in the unlikely event that something survives their voices, they will pummel it to death in short order with bare hands.
* CoolOldGuy
* ElementalPowers: If you try to take them on in battle they're fond of Frost Breath, Fire Breath, Ice Form and Elemental Fury.
* {{Foil}}: To the Blades, and the reason the two groups don't get along. The Greybeards prefer to study and meditate on the dragons and consider the Blades meddlers in things they don't understand, while the Blades dislike the Greybeards for having vast stores of power and knowledge and not using them to make a difference in the world.
* MakeMeWannaShout
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: They don't approve of everything the Dragonborn does, but they inevitably support them because Paathurnax has seen fit to do so and they follow his wisdom.
* WizardBeard
* YouAreNotReady: They could teach you a lot more Words of Power than they do, along with a lot of other knowledge about dragons, but feel the Dragonborn needs to learn such things on their own in their own time. Arngeir makes it clear that the Greybeards feel that the process of seeking out and acquiring Words of Power will present the Dragonborn with the training and experience to use the Thu'um with respect and responsibility.
!!Arngeir
--> '''Voiced by:''' Christopher Plummer
The only member of the Greybeards who communicates normally, the Voices of his fellows being too powerful; a word out of place from them could rip you apart.
* BadassGrandpa: Console commands show him to be level ''150''. The cap for the player is ''81''.
* BerserkButton:
** When the player mentions that he has been in contact with the Blades, Arngeir refuses to help any more "until you have returned to the path of wisdom". Even though he relents and apologises when one of the other Greybeards reminds him that they are not meant to make judgements of that sort, it is clear that he ''really'' dislikes the Blades. Turns out he has good reason for that...
** He has a second, but less overt one: Dragonrend. When you ask him about it, he immediately responds with a flat, disapproving demand to know who told you about that shout, and refuses to tell you anything about the shout at first because Dragonrend is based entirely around hatred for all of dragonkind.
* TheMentor: To you, the Dragonborn.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: He speaks for the rest of the Greybeards because he's the only one of them strong enough to speak without killing a normal person.
!!Paarthurnax
[[spoiler: See above in the "Dragons" section for the full list for Paarthurnax.]]
!!Einarth, Borri, and Wulfgar
The other 3 members of the Greybeards, they usually don't speak because of their otherwise destructive voices.
* HeWhoMustNotBeHeard: They try to speak as little as possible. For example, the initiation ceremony with all four Greybeards speaking at once is implied to be incredibly dangerous, taxing the Dovahkiin. And every time they greet you with a simple "Dovahkiin" the temple can be heard shaking.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Blades]]
An order of warriors who can trace their origins to the Akaviri invaders in the latter part of the First Era. Originally an order of dragon hunters, the Blades are sworn to find, and then protect and serve any Dragonborn on the mundus. The dragonborn eventually known as Tiber Septim repurposed them into a combination of a spy agency and a royal bodyguard cadre when he became emperor of the first truly pan-Tamrielic empire. After the passing of the Septim dynasty, they returned to seeking the next Dragonborn, but still rendered spy services to the Empire. They deemed the Thalmor to be the biggest threat, but still vastly underestimated how dire a threat the Thalmor are. As a result, they were decimated by Thalmor hit squads preceding and during the Great War, and one of the terms of the White Gold Concordact is the disbanding of the organization. Despite these hardships, a few Blades remain faithful to the cause.
!!Esbern
--> '''Voiced by:''' Max von Sydow
* BadassBookworm, bordering on WarriorPoet: His room is filled with books, he admires ancient art and architecture so much he almost has to be dragged away from it (and can identify the technique and period), and he's completely dismayed when he discovers neither you nor anyone else knows much about dragon lore.
* CoolOldGuy
* ConspiracyTheorist: [[spoiler:Believes Paarthurnax is evil and refuses to listen to anything contradictory.]]
* CrazyPrepared: As the Blades' archivist, he used to be obsessed with studying the original Dragonslaying campaigns the Blades were created for. Since the dragons were all dead (or believed to be myth in the first place), everybody though he was just some eccentric old fool. Then guess what happens...
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Delphine mentions this trope concerning Esbern in dialog you have with her.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: "I used to ''dream'' of it. In the dream I was standing someplace high up, a tower, or a mountain. It was always just before dawn. The whole world was in darkness. Then came the flash of light just on the horizon within the clouds that marked the border between worlds. It could have been lightning but there was no thunder. In the dream, the sense of forboding grew. But, I could never wake up. Then, it came again, this time more distinct, closer, definitely not lightning now it was orange, brilliant orange, the color of hearth and dawn. And a sound too, distinct and indistinct, not thunder but something else, something uh, I should recognize but in the dream I cannot place it. I want to ''leave'' my high place to seek shelter. From what, uh, I don't yet know. In the manner of dreams I cannot escape. I'm forced to wait and watch. Then, finally, realization and horror arrive together. The orange is flame, heat. The sound, a roar, a challenge in their ancient tongue. And now it's too late for escape. The dragon's upon me, fire and '''darkness''' descending like a thunderbolt. And not just any dragon, but ''the'' dragon, '''Alduin''', the World-Eater! The dragon who devours both the living and the dead! And then, I would wake up and hope that it was just a dream but know that it was not."
* EccentricMentor: He's just a ''little'' off-kilter...
* GenreSavvy
-->'''Esbern''': [[ProphecyTwist There's no guarantee with prophecy... merely hope.]]
* LastOfHisKind: One of the last members of the Blades.
* TheOtherDarrin: Some of his lines are spoken by another voice actor doing a Max von Sydow impression. It's not quite seamless.
* ProperlyParanoid: First met [[spoiler:in Riften's Ratway]], hiding among beggars and madmen behind a heavy iron door with roughly half a dozen locks (and he'll open a sliding panel and shout at you in his best "crazy old man" voice if you try to speak to him before the quest demands it). Not two minutes after the Dovahkiin confirms his identity, the Thalmor arrive to have him killed.
* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Delphine's Red. While Esbern is presented at first as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} conspiracy theorist, once things get going he's far more calm and intellectual, not to mention respectful of the Greybeards, while Delphie is more of an outright {{Jerkass}} to both the Dragonborn and the Greybeards, and is less interested in the knowledge of the dragons than she is killing them.
* SwordAndSorcerer: The Sorcerer to Delphine's Sword.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Tullius and Ulfric during the peace treaty negotiations, telling them that while they're busy arguing over the terms of a temporary truce, Alduin is [[spoiler:in Sovngarde devouring the souls of the people they've slain to grow stronger]].
!!Delphine
--> '''Voiced by:''' Joan Allen
* ActionGirl: She has [[spoiler:killed entire teams of Thalmor assassins]] by herself.
* BadassNormal: [[spoiler:She retrieved the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller from Ustengrav without the power of the Voice - that means she got past the burning floors and the time-sensitive gates using nothing but her own wits.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: She'll likely be one of the first [=NPCs=] you'll meet in the game since she lives in Riverwood, the first town you visit. Only later do you realize that she's more than the local innskeeper.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Believes the Thalmor are behind everything, including the dragons' return. [[spoiler:A mission to their embassy indicates they know nothing.]]
** She also follows Esbern's lead in [[spoiler: thinking Paarthurnax is evil and absolutely must die. She is a bit more a jerkass about it, to the point of threatening to violate her oaths to the Blades if the Dovahkiin doesn't kill Paarthurnax]].
** Note that according to the ''Atlas of Dragons'', [[spoiler: the Blades have known Paarthurnax was on the Throat of the World, "under the protection of the Greybeards" for centuries. The Blades as a whole have been waiting for an opportunity to "exact justice" on him for a ''long'' time.]]
* CoolOldLady: [[OlderThanTheyLook It's not apparent at first]], but she's in her late fifties. And still kicks plenty of ass.
* DualWielding: [[KatanasAreJustBetter Blades Swords]]
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: You can tell her that you were after meeting her in the basement of The Sleeping Giant Inn.
* {{Jerkass}}: She's rather rude and demanding, especially on your first meeting. She tricks you into a meeting and demands a demonstration to verify the Dragonborn's identity, but without giving you a reason why she should be indulged. If you decide to simply ignore her and leave, she'll mention she should kill you, but decided she won't. Justified, as she doesn't trust you and has the Thalmor after her head every sleeping and waking moment. Granted, she comes across as more friendly and humble if you talk to her about her background after proving your status as the Dragonborn, and isn't nearly as bad as, say, [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Colonel Moore]].
* ProperlyParanoid: The Thalmor have free rein over pretty much all of Tamriel, meaning the Blades are all hunted. [[spoiler:Her dossier pretty much indicates that the only chance the Thalmor have in killing her is [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill overwhelming force]], she's just that good.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: The Red to Esbern's Blue. While Esbern is presented at first as a CloudCuckooLander conspiracy theorist, once things get going he's far more calm and intellectual, not to mention respectful of the Greybeards, while Delphie is more of an outright {{Jerkass}} to both the Dragonborn and the Greybeards, and is less interested in the knowledge of the dragons than she is killing them.
* SwordAndSorcerer: The Sword to Esbern's Sorcerer.
* [[UngratefulBastard Ungrateful Bitch]]: Even after everything you do for her, which includes helping her slay a dragon, spying on the Thalmor, rescuing her associate, opening up the Blades' old base of operations, and bringing her new recruits to the order, she'll refuse to have any more dealings with you should you [[spoiler:not kill Paarthurnax]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: More or less says this is the case for [[spoiler:Paarthurnax]].
[[/folder]]
