History Characters / SkyrimOtherCharacters

* ArcherArchetype: An aloof hermit who lives in the wilderness, honing her archery skills on any foolish bandits that come close.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: From his point of view, his death at the hands of the player counts. Especially if the latter's Dragonborn identity has been revealed. And ''especially'' especially if you have already completed Malacath's Daedric Quest: that way, not only does the Old Orc die in battle as he wanted, but ''he also dies at the hands of a legendary dragonslayer who was acknowledged by Malacath himself as his Champion''. Bonus points if you use [[DropTheHammer Volendrung]], Malacath's own artifact weapon, during the battle.

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Her sister is Moira, the Hagraven [[spoiler:to whom the Dragonborn gets drunkenly engaged]] during "A Night to Remember".

* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Her sister is Moira, the Hagraven [[spoiler:to whom the Dragonborn gets drunkenly engaged]] during "A Night to Remember".

* GenreBlind: Frighteningly oblivious to the fact that EvilIsNotAToy. He seems to think that he's in a setting where simply collecting pieces of an infamous doomsday cult's weapon is both easy and not that dangerous, despite the fact that the being who gave said weapon still is around and would have followers still.

* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:You can either betray and kill Silus to get Mehrunes' Razor, or spare his life and forfeit the chance to reforge the weapon, leaving you with only the disassembled fragments.]]

A Nord imprisoned in Falkreath jail for murdering a child. [[spoiler:He's actually a werewolf who got cursed by Hircine for stealing his Ring.]]

* TheAtoner: He admits that he probably deserves to die for what he's done, and [[spoiler:if you choose to spare him,]] he promises to never return to society.
* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler:Hircine's Ring was supposed to allow him to control his transformations, but thanks to Hircine cursing it as revenge for his theft, it ended up causing him to transform randomly and lose even more control over his transformations.]]
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Attempted this by stealing [[spoiler:Hircine's ring.]] It didn't work out well for him.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Sinding's description of his [[spoiler: werewolf instincts taking over]] at the sight of little girl sounds a lot like a child predator recalling an assault. As repentant as he is, he almost sounds excited during the telling.

* WalkingShirtlessScene: Justified, due to him [[spoiler:being a werewolf.]]

* SadisticChoice: Either kill him under Hircine's orders and get new armor, or help him kill the other hunters and gain the uncursed Ring of Hircine. [[TakeAThirdOption Or do both]], to exploit a bug to get you both rewards.

-->'''Malur:''' I'm trying to do as little as possible. You're getting in the way of that.

* BrickJoke: After completing "Bound Until Death", they can still be found wandering Skyrim, but after having fallen upon quite a bit of bad luck.

* MacGuffinGuardian: Each holds a piece of Gauldur's amulet. Jyrik pulls double duty by also guarding the Eye of Magnus in the College of Winterhold questline, making him the one you're most likely to encounter first.

* MutualKill: The fate of the living Sigdis Gauldurson, in battle with King Harald's personal battlemage Geirmund. There's a reason why the tomb where Sigdis is found is named Geirmund's Hall.

* UnPerson: To ensure that the lure of the Gauldur Amulet would never lead to more bloodshed, High King Harald had Gauldur and his sons' names erased from all records. His efforts did not stand up to the passage of time.

While Madanach may be the leader of the Forsworn in Skyrim, documents littered around the land mention a being known as "Our Matriarch", who guides the Forsworn as a whole beyond Skyrim. While she does not appear in the game, she is responsible for guiding the Forsworn as far as they have gotten.

* TheGhost: Does not make a direct appearance in the game that we know of. It's been theorized that she's either Drascua in Hag Rock Redoubt/Dead Crone Rock or the unnamed Hagraven in Hag's End/Deepwood Redoubt. Both are Hagravens that are surrounded by large Forsworn Camps. The latter of the two is unique in she's also surrounded by a coven of Hags and Witches and she will teleport to a different room after she's taken enough damage. In Deepwood Redoubt there's also a missive that details that the Matriach had the Forsworn head there.

* Characters/SkyrimEastmarch
* Characters/SkyrimHaafingar
* Characters/SkyrimHjaalmarch
* Characters/SkyrimTheReach
* Characters/SkyrimTheRift
* Characters/SkyrimWhiterunHold

!People of The Reach
The Reach is the westernmost province, and is dominated by craggy canyons of the Karth River and its tributaries, and by the soaring peaks of the Druadach Mountains. The rugged wilderness of the hold is home to the Forsworn, hostile Breton natives who seek to gain independence from both Skyrim and the Empire and thus attack all outsiders on sight. Its capital is Markarth, built into the ruins of an old Dwarven city. Markarth is one of the most fortified cities in all Skyrim and it is home to a lucrative silver mining and smithing industry. Its banner is a rack of ram horns. Its Jarl is the Imperial-aligned Igmund, a young man who inherited the position from his father Hrolfdir after he was murdered by the Forsworn.

[[folder:Anton Virane]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSilverstein (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Kovrizhnykh (Russian)[[/note]]

The Breton chef in Understone Keep, he plays a small but significant role during the Dark Brotherhood storyline.

* AssholeVictim: Considering his xenophobic attitude against the Reachmen and his abuse of his assistants, he is one of the targets late in the questline that the player won't feel so bad about offing.
* BadBoss: Mistreats his assistants; during a idle chat, he may threaten to cut off the fingers from one of them to teach her a lesson.
* FantasticRacism: Virane really dislikes the Reachmen, even the ones that are not Forsworn. He takes offense at being called one and insists that he is a Breton from High Rock.
* FrenchJerk: The fantasy counterpart, at any rate, since he is a chef, a jerk, and a Breton.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: The Dragonborn will interrogate him about the Gourmet's location and he will quickly spill the beans. However, they are instructed to silence Virane so that their mission to [[spoiler:assassinate the Emperor]] won't be tracked up to him.
* SupremeChef: The reason why he is tolerated, according to his assistant Rondach.
-->"Only reason the Jarl keeps Anton on is because he cooks up a storm."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Borkul the Beast]]
[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/borkul_the_beast_9106.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]

An Orc bandit who serves as Madanach's bodyguard in Cidhna Mine.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In his own words, he was sentenced to life in prison for "Murder. Banditry. Assault. Theft. And ''lollygagging''".
* BloodKnight: If you decide to challenge him to a brawl in order to get the right to see Madanach, he won't hide his delight. It's also implied to be the reason he joined the Forsworn in the first place.
* BrickJoke: Guards all over Skyrim tersely inform the player that there is to be no lollygagging. Borkul actually got arrested for it.
* TheDragon: To Madanach.
* GrievousHarmWithABody: One of the inmates claims that he once ripped off another prisoner's arm and beat him to death with it.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: It's implied the reason he joined the Forsworn was because he admires their violence and cruelty. He will also appreciate if you tell him you found your first murder exciting.
* TokenMinority: If you help Madanach and the Forsworn escape Cidhna Mine, Borkul goes with them to Druadach Redoubt, dons Forsworn gear, and proclaims that "The Reach will be ours again!" -- despite not being a Reachman. It's mentioned in the ''[[AllThereInTheManual Pocket Guide to the Empire]]'' that the Reachmen historically had strong ties with the Orcs, and learned hedge-magic from them, so it's possible the Forsworn consider Orcs fellow aboriginals.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: In Cidhna Mine, he goes around wearing nothing but ragged trousers. If [[spoiler:you help the Forsworn escape]], he will then go for Forsworn armor, which leaves him shirtless as well.

[[folder:Calcelmo]]
[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/calcelmo_801.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' George Coe (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Mikhailov (Russian)[[/note]]

A somewhat eccentric Altmer scholar and archaeologist who serves as the court mage and also runs the Markarth Museum. Obsessed with the Dwemer, he invites anyone (via letter) to come to his museum and will pay handsomely for any Dwarven items they're willing to give him. He is also currently overseeing an excavation of one of the many Dwemer ruins dotting the Reach.

* AbsentMindedProfessor: Most frequently exhibited by his parting phrase.
-->'''Calcelmo:''' What? Oh, goodbye.
%%* AdventurerArchaeologist
* AmazonChaser: For Faleen.
* CannotSpitItOut: Has the hots for Faleen, Jarl Igmund's housecarl, but can't bring himself to make a move. You help things along during a quest in praise of Mara, the goddess of love and marriage.
* CoolUncle: He's assisted in his researches by his nephew Aicantar, who seems very fond of him.
* CourtMage: For the Reach.
* InterspeciesRomance: With Faleen, a Redguard.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Faleen can't possibly be more than 40, while Calcelmo has centuries behind him and centuries left to go.
* ShopliftAndDie: He takes the security of his museum ''very'' seriously, and has an entire unit of Markarth guardsmen [[spoiler:and an entire, heavily armed bandit clan]] guarding its halls at all times. They'll let you explore the museum to your heart's content if Calcelmo gives you the key, provided you don't touch anything, but [[spoiler:will attack on sight if you use the key to unlock his private laboratory]].
* StalkerWithoutACrush: He somehow knows ''exactly'' when you've purchased a Dwarven item, even if you purchased it from your spouse in the privacy of your own home. Possibly {{hand wave}}d by the fact that he's a mage.
* TwiceShy: It appears Faleen has felt the same for him all along, because when you approach her with the [[spoiler:poem]], it turns out she has a [[spoiler:love letter]] for him on her person, and she finally musters the courage to have it sent to him by that point.
* UngratefulBastard: Even after you kill Nimhe for him, collect the journals of the missing archaeological team, and help him with his love problems, he still refuses to [[spoiler:let you use his Falmer translator to translate an important document in the Thieves' Guild questline, so you have no choice but to do it in an illegal way. However, this is justified, as his Falmer translator is his life's work (and being an elf, that is a ''very'' long time), and he can't risk somebody else stealing his research. Why there's no option for you to ''ask him to do it for you'', however, remains a mystery.]]

[[folder:Aicantar]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Jon Curry (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Matrosov (Russian)[[/note]]

Calcelmo's nephew and assistant, and an obstacle to you translating Gallus' journal for the Thieves' Guild.

* GadgeteerGenius: Manages to reassemble and control a broken Dwarven spider, which you can sic on some guards in one quest.
* NiceGuy: Outside of the Thieves' Guild questline, he's always polite and friendly to the Dragonborn whenever they stop in to see his uncle.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: He'll confront you in Calcelmo's lab while you're [[spoiler:using the Falmer translator, and will be hostile on sight. Some players, however, find him so sweet that they choose to skip fighting by going immediately into the next room. After you finish the quest, he'll go back to his usual duties and won't remember you breaking in.]]

[[folder:Degaine]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/WilliamSalyers (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Dmitry Tarnover (Russian)[[/note]]

A Breton beggar and former smelter worker.

* CareerEndingInjury: Suffered ''some'' sort of injury that left him unfit to work at the smelter. As for the details, Degaine seems to make up new stories on a regular basis.
* DirtyOldMan: He was reportedly kicked out of the Temple of Dibella, with his tone when asked about the event suggesting that he wasn't there for the worship. He also gives you a miscellaneous quest to steal a statue of Dibella for the temple, again with the implications that he's going to be using it for less-than-savory purposes.
* EntitledBastard: Unlike every other beggar, who at least attempts to garner your pity, he basically tells you to throw money at him because he's a beggar that needs it more than you.
* {{Jerkass}}: While most beggars thank you for your kindness if you give them money, Degaine basically takes your coin and tells you to piss off. He's also a habitual liar and a sleazebag to boot.
* PetTheDog: Stealing the statue of Dibella for him makes him a little bit nicer to you. Incidentally, this also makes him [[KickTheSonOfABitch a prime candidate for feeding the Ebony Blade]], especially since completing "No One Escapes Cidhna Mine" also erases your bounty in the Reach.

[[folder:Eltrys]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JasonMarsden (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Anton Kolesnikov (Russian)[[/note]]

A Breton living in Markath who recruits the Dragonborn's help to investigate a conspiracy involving the Forsworn.

* FacialMarkings: Not immediately apparent, due to him mostly staying in a dark area, but he has [[http://images.uesp.net//c/cc/SR-npc-Eltrys.jpg tattoos all over his face]].
* DisappearedDad: He was only a boy when his father died. [[spoiler:Tragically, Eltrys himself becomes this trope when he is killed by the city's guards; earlier in the quest chain, he off-handedly mentions that his wife is pregnant, meaning that his child will become SomeoneToRememberHimBy.]]
* FreudianExcuse: A discussion with him will reveal his father was killed in the conspiracy when he was a child. He has been haunted by this ever since, leading to his obsession with figuring out why his father died.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Thonar's corrupt guards eventually find out about his investigation and kill him to cover up the conspiracy.]]
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Not that it helps him, sadly, but some players exhibit this toward his wife, Rhiada. She is in the same room as Betrid Silver-Blood when Betrid is attacked. Due to her pregnancy, quite a few players reverse-pickpocket a stronger weapon on her, to help her so she doesn't die.

[[folder:Faleen]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ClaudiaChristian (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Ramilya Iskander (Russian)[[/note]]

Jarl Igmund's Redguard Housecarl, who previously served his father.

%%zce* AmazonianBeauty: Calcelmo certainly thinks so.
* CulturedBadass: She's a skilled warrior who has a weak spot for poetry.
* HypercompetentSidekick: To Igmund. She's probably half the reason why he is still in power by the time the game starts. The other half is probably his uncle and steward, Raerek.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Calcelmo's hundreds of years older than she is and - being an elf - will almost certainly outlive her.
%%zce* UndyingLoyalty: To Igmund, and his father before him.

[[folder:Coven of Namira]]
A coven of Namira worshippers who are all cannibals. Several are residents of Markarth, keeping their eating habits and worship a secret.

* DarkSecret: They tend to want to keep their habits secret from the general populace, shushing the Dragonborn should they bring it up.
* ImAHumanitarian: They are all cannibals, eating human flesh willingly.
* TheyLookJustLikeAnyoneElse: despite being cannibals, it would be hard to tell without seeing it in action. Members include [[spoiler:Banning, a male Breton dog breeder outside the local stables; Lisbet, a female Nord food vendor; and Hogni Red-Arm, a male Nord food merchant]], all found around Markarth.

[[folder:The Forsworn]]
->''"The Reach will be ours again!"''

A group that operate primarily in the Reach. They are mostly composed of Reachmen, the original inhabitants of the Reach descended from Nords and Bretons living on the border between Skyrim and High Rock. This has given rise to the claim the territory is theirs by right and they have a long history of bloody conflict with the local Nords over control of the Hold. Several years before the events of ''Skyrim'', they actually managed to take control of Markarth, only to be brutally overthrown by Nord militia led by Ulfric Stormcloak in what became known as the infamous Markarth Incident. Despite this brutal loss, the Forsworn are still determined to take back what they believe is rightfully theirs, and have begun consorting with Hagravens to become powerful mage-warriors known as Briarhearts.

* AttackAttackRetreatRetreat: It's not uncommon to see Forsworn running at you yelling battle cries only to immediately turn tail and run when you loose an atronach or a zombie on them.
* AxeCrazy: They are perceived as this by most people due to their aggressive behaviour and RapePillageAndBurn actions. One of the in-game books mentions that they sometimes attack people and slaughter them, without bothering to steal any goods from them.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: It's not clear if they're doing it out of bloodlust or for some foul occult purpose, but their lairs are absolutely ''littered'' with butchered animals and tortured Spriggans.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: Can be either this or GrayAndGreyMorality depending on which of them you take in account. The Forsworn as a whole definitely are brutal, vicious, and cruel bandits and implied Daedra-worshipers who cause violence in the Reach, but it's mentioned that several of their members started out as innocents and ended up joining them in the first place because of the brutal and unfair Nord retribution after Ulfric took back Markarth. And that's excluding the corruption of the Silver-Blood family.
* BoomerangBigot: Their hatred of the Nords, as they are historically descended from both Bretons ''and'' Nords.
* DealWithTheDevil: The ritual used to turn a Forsworn into a Briarheart gives them greater combat skill, but robs them of their free will.
* DualWielding: Most of them favour this.
* EliteMooks: The Briarhearts.
* FailedASpotCheck: Many of their hideouts are in ancient Nordic ruins that have been around for thousands of years, yet they think that they have the stronger claim of being native.
* FantasticRacism: Particularly toward Nords, whom they see as oppressive invaders, though they really don't care for anyone who isn't pledged to their cause.
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Several [=NPCs=] (as well as, potentially, '''the Dragonborn''') admonish them for using what the Nords did to them as their excuse to slaughter people indiscriminately.
* GenuineHumanHide: The dialogues heavily imply their armors are at least partially made from the tanned skins of the people they have killed.
* GlassCannon: Their light armors made of skin, fur and bones offer very little resistance, since they favor DualWielding, most of them can't block, and their most powerful warriors have a LogicalWeakness that makes them very easy to kill in certain circumstances. However, they move very fast, and that same DualWielding means that even their weaker units can inflict insane amount of damage. Many of them are powerful spellcasters besides.
** Speaking in terms of magic damage however this isn't always the case, as higher level types of Forsworn have innate magic resistance.
* HatesEveryoneEqually: If you're not Forsworn, then the Forsworn hate you.
* {{Hypocrite}}: The Nords of the Reach in the past committed atrocities against them, and the Stormcloaks were apparently ruthless and indiscriminate in their reprisals when they finally took back the Reach from Forsworn control. But the Forsworn of the present attack and slaughter basically anybody unlucky enough to be caught on the roads by them, whether these people themselves are innocent or not.
* IAmAHumanitarian: Although never outright stated, it is heavily implied that at least some of them are cannibals.
* LiteralChangeOfHeart: The Briarhearts, Forsworn chieftains who have had their hearts magically replaced with Briarheart seeds by Hagravens.
* LogicalWeakness: Since Briarhearts gain their enhanced powers through replacement of their heart by enchanted Briarheart, ripping the Briarheart from their chest ([[DevelopersForesight with Pickpocket]]) instantly kills them.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Directed at them. Many non-Forsworn Reachmen are as fed up with their antics as the Nords are.
* OmnicidalNeutral: They are hostile to the empire, the Stormcloaks, the Blades, the Thalmor, the Orc strongholds, other Reachmen who don't support their cause, and random bystanders not affiliated with any of those factions.
* RapePillageAndBurn: It doesn't matter if a person is a Nord or not. To the Forsworn, if a person is not a "Reachman", they are trespassers who deserve utter destruction.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Their armors leave most males shirtless, and females with... a lot of skin visible.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: In their eyes, they are fighting to take back their homeland. The fact that they have slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent men, women, and children doesn't matter to them.
* WrittenByTheVictors: Played with. One of the books you can find dotted about Skyrim, ''The Bear Of Markarth'', invokes this trope; it is a serious defense of the Forsworn, and attempts to justify their rightful historical claim to the Reach while presenting the Nords involved as brutal oppressors. The author in question, however, has a vested interested in demonizing the Stormcloaks, given his position as an Imperial scholar. This leaves most of the book's contents questionable at best; none of the claims it makes align with the Forsworn's behavior, nor with the cultural history outlined in books like ''The Legend Of Red Eagle''.

[[folder:Ghost of Old Hroldan]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Craig Sechler (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Burunov (Russian)[[/note]]

The ghost of a warrior that haunts the Old Hroldan Inn, and seems to have been a companion to Tiber Septim in his early days.

* GhostlyGoals: His ghost is restless due to "Hjalti" (aka Tiber Septim) apparently promising to grant him his sword after a battle as a sign that they were sworn brothers. For some unstated reason - though it's strongly implied that the warrior died before or during the battle in question - this never happened. After mistaking the Dragonborn for Hjalti (due to both being Dragonborn), he begs them to find the sword and fulfill this oath.
-->'''Ghost:''' Even after the enemies' arrows dug into my chest and their hammers crushed my bones. I've waited.
* GoIntoTheLight: After thousands of years of waiting, receiving Hjalti's sword finally releases his soul to do this.
* HauntedHouse: His presence technically makes the Old Hroldan Inn this. However, the way the inn's owner reacts to seeing him seems to indicate that it's the presence of the Dragonborn which causes him to appear.
* MistakenIdentity: Perhaps because the Player Character and "Hjalti" were both Dragonborn, the Ghost believes the Last Dragonborn is Hjalti.

[[folder:Lash gra-Dushnikh]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/DianeSalinger (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Elena Morozova (Russian)[[/note]]

An Orc miner from the Dushnikh-Yal stronghold that works in Sanuarach Mine in Karthwasten.

* AnArmAndALeg: She threatens Belchimac with this when he complains about Orc cleanliness in her presence.
-->'''Belchimac:''' I don't like bunking with Orcs. It's not... clean.\\
'''Lash:''' If you want me to leave, you could challenge me to a fight. I promise to stop once you've lost an arm.\\
'''Belchimac:''' [[VerbalBackpedaling What I meant to say was]]... I love having an Orc here in the barracks. They're so... pleasant.
* CulturalRebel: She left her stronghold for unspecified reasons, and this causes her mother to disown her.
* IHaveNoSon: Her mother Gharol sends her a sword, to show Lash that she's no longer welcome back at Dushnikh-Yal.
* InterspeciesRomance: She seems to have a crush on fellow miner Ragnar, a Nord, and he seemingly returns it, judging by their conversations.
* YouAreACreditToYourRace: Amusingly, she and Ragnar both compliment each other in this fashion.

[[folder:Madanach]]
[[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/madanach_forsworn_9626.png]]
-> '''Voiced by:''' Stephen Russell (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Eugene Waltz (Russian)[[/note]]

The King in Rags, leader of the Forsworn.
----
* AffablyEvil: The Forsworn aren't exactly paragons of virtue, but Madanach is personable enough.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The leader of the Forsworn proves himself quite the powerful mage if you help him escape the mine (or try to off him inside it).
* BoxedCrook: Thonar keeps him alive in prison instead of executing him so he can use Madanach's Forsworn as his personal assassins. Thonar doesn't have nearly as much control over Madanach as he believes, though.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Even if [[spoiler:you help him escape]], Forsworn will still attack you, with a few exceptions. Could be a bit of RealityIsUnrealistic; Forsworn are under orders to attack everyone on the roads on sight. Even if Madanach were to make an exception for you, he likely wouldn't have a way to communicate it quickly to his scattered people or provide them with an effective means of determining your identity. The one camp where they don't attack you after his release is the one where he is personally staying.
* FightingForAHomeland: High Rock and Skyrim have fought over the Reach in the past, but Madanach wants to see it independent.
* GoodOldWays: From his point of view, anyway. Like all Forsworn, he worships the unidentified "old gods" (which are implied in various NPC dialogue to be the Daedric Princes) rather than the Nine Divines.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: There's a reason he's called "the King in Rags".
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:One way to resolve the quest. Instead of killing the prisoner he wants killed and helping everyone escape, you can kill ''him'' - you have no weapons, but you have your Shouts and magic spells as well as fists - and then loot the key from his body and escape on your own.]]
* KnightTemplar: Madanach talks a lot about the "injustice" of The Reach, but he's hardly a saint himself.
%% * LargeHam
* LuxuryPrisonSuite: By the standards of Cidhna Mine, at least. He not only has his own private cave with a personal bodyguard, it includes a bed and desk, drawers filled with books and paper and ink; he also apparently does not have to do any labor in the mine. By contrast, everyone else has to sleep on the ground and mine silver all day long.
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: Despite being a prisoner of Cidhna Mine, Madanach is still capable of coordinating the Forsworn, a fact which Thonar exploits for his own ends.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Argues this when you've been [[spoiler:unjustly arrested in Markarth]]. It's more poignant when you're a Nord.
* RebelLeader: For the Forsworn.
* RedBaron: The King in Rags.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: While he claims that his ultimate goal is peace once the Reach gains independence, he's not overly concerned about who has to die to accomplish that, and he ''hates'' the Nords. He does make an exception for a Nord Dragonborn, though, if only because he [[spoiler:needs help getting out of Cidhna Mine]]. [[DudeWheresMyRespect Granted, that won't protect you from all future attacks]], but that's true regardless of race.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness:
** Says this about Grisvar the Unlucky, whom he tells the player to kill as a test of loyalty.
** He also essentially says this to ''you'', if you [[spoiler:help him and his men escape]]. He and the Forsworn stationed at his camp won't be hostile to you, but Madanach does pretty much tell you before he runs off that his allegiance with you is basically done.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The Dragonborn can hear the Forsworn's side of the story of the Reach from him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Margret]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delany (English)

A Nord woman who claims she is visiting Markarth to buy jewelry for her sister. She plays a role in “The Forsworn Conspiracy” quest.
----
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: If you rescue her, she will thank you by giving you a necklace.
* InTheBack: If successful, Weylin kills her by stabbing her in the back.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: Potentially. When the Dragonborn first enters Markarth, Weylin attempts to kill Margret. Her death can trigger “The Forsworn Conspiracy” quest, but you can save her and the quest will still start.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: If you rescue her, after you talk to her in the Silver-Blood Inn and [[spoiler:discover she is a spy]], she talks about leaving Markarth [[spoiler:even though she did not successfully complete her assignment]]. She does disappear from the inn after a while, apparently making good on this.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: The ability to save her from Weylin’s attack certainly qualifies as this.
* WalkingSpoiler: She is actually [[spoiler:a spy sent by General Tullius to investigate the treasury house and the Silver-Blood family.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Melka]]
One of two Hagravens residing in Blind Cliff Cave, she was betrayed by the other one, named Petra, and locked away. She recruits the Dragonborn to free her and help reclaim her tower, and rewards them with her unique staff afterward.
----
* AffablyEvil: Granted, she ''is'' a Hagraven and likely has done some nasty things, but she at least tries to be friendly and make small talk while you help her out and actually keeps her word to reward you instead of betraying you like you might expect.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel (for a certain definition of "good") to Petra's Cain, as she calls Petra her sister after she's killed.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: Mentions that she collects ''eyeballs'' in post-quest dialogue.
* FailedASpotCheck: She does ''not'' have a great track record when it comes to discerning the player's race: if the Dragonborn is a Khajiit or Argonian, she thinks they're an Orc; any other race, and she thinks they're a Breton.
* TechnicolorToxin: {{Discussed|Trope}}. She describes poisons as "pretty".
* TrapMaster: {{Justified|Trope}}. It's her tower, so of course she knows exactly how all the traps function and are overcome, which she will share with the Dragonborn as they traverse it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Muiri]]
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muiri_5757.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Corri English (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Daria Frolova (Russian)[[/note]]

A young Breton girl working for the Markarth apothecary. Despite her innocent demeanor, she experienced a tragic past, causing her to become obsessed with revenge. She's obsessed to the point of summoning the Dark Brotherhood to carry it out.
----
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: If the Dragonborn kills both Alain and Nilsine, her dialogue indicates she falls for them, and she becomes a marriage option.
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:She lived in Windhelm and was good friends with the well-known Clan Shatter-Shield. When one of said family's daughters was killed by The Butcher, Muiri was comforted by a man called Alain Dufont. It turns out that Alain only used Muiri to get to the Shatter-Shields and rob them. The Shatter-Shields blamed Muiri for this robbery and effectively banished her from Windhelm, taking away the life she built there.]]
* BrokenBird: She presumably used to be a nicer person, until [[spoiler:Alain Dufont happened and Clan Shatter-Shield wanted nothing more to do with her]]. Now she's broken enough to [[spoiler:put out a hit on one of the people in the family she was once friends with]].
* DudeMagnet: She notes the men in the city won’t leave her alone.
* MiscarriageOfJustice: [[spoiler:The victim of a {{frameup}} that ruined her relationship with Clan Shatter-Shield.]]
* SheWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:Also puts the innocent Nilsine Shatter-Shield on the murder contract, just to make the family matron Tova feel rotten. This results in Tova's suicide, and the Shatter-Shield patriarch to fall into a deep depression.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nepos the Nose]]
->'''Voiced by:''' George Coe (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Mikhailov (Russian)[[/note]]

An old and rich Reachman living in Markath. Secretly a Forsworn escapee from the Nord purge and an agent of Madanach while he is in Cidhna Mine.
----
* AffablyEvil: When you track back to him, he congratulates you for your success, answers every question you ask, then politely informs you he can't let you get out alive.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Tries to pull this on you, and is implied to have done it many times before.
* IgnoredEpiphany: His journal reveals that he genuinely feels guilt for sending so many young men to their deaths in the terrorist acts he accomplishes under Madanach's orders, but he apparently thinks he has gone too far to stop now.
* JustFollowingOrders: His reasoning for handing out Madanach's orders and sending people to their deaths.
--> '''Nepos:''' I don't know how, but he lives. I get his messages, and I hand out his orders without question.
* SunkCostFallacy: He knows he's wasted time, money, and lives on Madanach's rebellion, but he says that that isn't a reason to stop. He tries to explain that to stop now would be a bigger waste; see the above IgnoredEpiphany. The Dragonborn will almost certainly kill him for it.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He clearly underestimates the Dragonborn.
* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:He hasn't seen Madanach in decades, but he still calls him his king and carries out all his orders without question. It is rather disconcerting hearing him talk about his master and gives you an idea just how fanatical the Forsworn are. He even lampshades it himself.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Raerek]]
->'''Voiced by:''' George Coe (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Mikhailov (Russian)[[/note]]

Jarl Igmund's steward is also his uncle.
----
* {{Blackmail}}: He is secretly a Talos worshiper. If you join the Stormcloak war effort, you will be sent to blackmail him with this information and obtain some valuable intel.
* CoolOldGuy
* HypercompetentSidekick: Far more competent than Igmund himself. His concerns regarding the Silver-Blood family in particular are completely justified.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Thonar Silver-Blood]]
[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thonar_silver-blood_6597.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Christian Svensson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Taragin (Russian)[[/note]]

A member of the corrupt Silver-Blood family who runs Markarth's Treasury House.
----
* ArcVillain: Of the short Forsworn questline consisting of the "Forsworn Conspiracy" and [[spoiler:"No One Escapes Cidhna Mine"]] quests.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: He mentions that he used Madanach to get rid of "competitors, agents, idiots".
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:If you side with the Forsworn during "No One Escapes Cidhna Mine," he'll show up personally with a contingent of guards to confront the escapees. Given that the Forsworn and the guards at his back are all much more durable than he is and that [[TooDumbToLive he stands right at the front]], he'll almost certainly be the first to die, with no sympathy spared.]]
* BigBadDuumvirate: With his brother, Thongvor. Thonar runs the family business and Thongvar concentrates on politics.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: As far as he's concerned, hiring mercenaries to hound his competitors and forcing criminals to mine for him for the rest of their lives is perfectly fine if he gets more silver out of it.
* {{Jerkass}}: He doesn't try to put on any pretense of being likable or caring about anything other than money.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:A possible outcome of the Forsworn questline. The player can kill Madanach, after which Thonar will thank and pardon you, but still continue with his corrupt activities.]] Still, not a complete Houdini with the KickTheSonOfABitch aspect taken into account. That being said, [[spoiler:he immediately loses his essential status at the end of the mission and he greets you in a place with no guards. You can immediately go into sneak mode and kill him with a handful of arrows before the guards notice.]]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:A possible outcome of the Forsworn questline. The player can ally with Madanach and help him escape, after which they and the other prisoners attack and (probably) kill Thonar. He gets slain by the people he tried to seal away.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He loses his wife in a Forsworn attack on his own treasury. Even if you choose the sympathetic "I'm sorry" response, he's savvy enough to know he's an asshole and doesn't believe you. You can also basically invoke the trope by telling him "You deserved this."
* LaserGuidedKarma: Of course, there's nothing stopping you from [[PayEvilUntoEvil murdering him]] after the quest is done, since he's no longer tagged as essential. A particularly delicious way is to enter stealth and shoot him in the back with a [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Forsworn arrow]], making it appear as if he was yet another victim in the string of assassinations carried out by the "Forsworn".
** You can also cast Frenzy on him, having the [[DirtyCop corrupt guards that do his bidding]] kill him, instead.
** If you take his route out of Cidhna Mine (killing the Forsworn present and escaping), then he conveniently becomes a connection to you. A connection you can sacrifice to empower the Ebony Blade. Possibly one of the few times a player will feel glee at hearing "Excellent work, my child~".
* MealTicket: To his wife, Betrid, who proudly boasts of being a GoldDigger.
* SmugSnake: Much like Maven Black-Briar, and admittedly it's not entirely unreasonable as he's been keeping up a rather impressive operation with only a ''very'' few key players knowing (unlike Maven, who is rather open and direct about who's really in charge of Riften) for twenty years now. It's entirely probable that even his brother doesn't know what he's been doing. Thonar believes he has fully cowed Madanach and has the Forsworn completely under his thumb: even Madanach admits it wasn't until around the time of "The Forsworn Conspiracy" that the Forsworn had finally built up the resources to finally make their move against him. Thonar is later brutally proven wrong when Forsworn agents in his own house murder his wife and try to kill him too.
* TrophyWife: Probably Betrid; she looks to be younger than him by a fair bit. Despite this, he seems genuinely grief-stricken by her death.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Red Eagle]]
A famous Reachman hero from back when the Reach wasn't controlled by the Nords. He led the Reachmen's resistance against the Empire when they invaded Tamriel, and was the first Briarheart.
----
* TheChosenOne: A weird subversion; he was supposed to become this according to a prophecy, which stated he would unite the ten kings ruling the Reach. However, [[OutsideContextProblem the Empire]] arrived and invaded the Reach, killing or bribing the ten kings and ruining all his chances to fulfill the prophecy.
* CoolSword: Red Eagle's Fury (or Red Eagle's Bane in its true form), his weapon, also serves as the key to his tomb.
* DealWithTheDevil: He made one with a Hagraven; in exchange for sacrificing his heart, his will, and his humanity, he gained incredible powers and became a pitiless spirit of vengeance. It was this deal that inspired the Briarheart.
* FlamingSword: Regardless of which version of the sword you have on you, it has a fire damage enchantment on it. [[spoiler:When you fight him, he's packing a fire-enchanted {{BFS}}.]]
* FullFrontalAssault: It was said that he made his LastStand "robed in nothing but his righteous fury".
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: [[spoiler:He appears as a regular Draugr boss in-game - complete with [[MakeMeWannaShout dragon Shouts]] - despite his backstory having nothing to do with the Dragon Cult. At high levels, he may even spawn as a Dragon Priest, which is even worse]].
* MeaningfulName: His birth name, Faolan, is a mix of this and LineOfSightName. It translates as 'red eagle,' and according to ''The Legend of Red Eagle,'' he was named for the cry of an eagle that was heard when he was born and the fact that it was autumn and the trees were covered in red leaves.
* LastStand: As mentioned above, he confronted the Imperial Legion on his own with nothing but his sword in the final battle, and managed to slaughter a thousand of them before dying.
* OneManArmy: While alive, he managed to kick the Imperial Legion out of the Reach, and even though they came back and eventually defeated him, he managed to slaughter a thousand enemies before dying.
* TheParagon: Seen as this by the Forsworn.
[[/folder]]

!People of The Rift
The Rift is in the southeastern corner of the province, and features a massive plateau with a perpetually autumnal aspen forest. Steep cliffs and mountains seperate it from the rest of the world and the rich soil and temperate climate allow good farming and fishing which sustains the hold's strong economy. Its capital is the crime-ridden Riften, home of the provincial chapter of the Thieves' Guild; notable features of the city include the central market square, the Black-Briar Meadery, and a labyrinth of sewers used as a refuge by the impoverished and outlawed known as the Ratway. Its banner is a pair of crossed swords on a purple background. Its Jarl is the Stormcloak-aligned Laila Law-Giver... supposedly, as in truth the amount of influence she actually has over the goings-on of her hold is debatable.

[[folder:Brand-Shei (Brandyl Telvanni)]]
[[quoteright:259:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brend-shei_4027.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSzarabajka (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Vladislav Kopp (Russian)[[/note]]

One of the merchants in Riften marketplace. Seemingly the first target of the Thieves' Guild (though you can [[GuideDangIt fail it on purpose]]).
----
* AerithAndBob: You can comment on him having weird name for a Dark Elf, though there is a very good reason for it.
%%* DeadpanSnarker
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: A walking example if the ''Dragonborn'' DLC has been installed. [[spoiler:He's one of the last surviving members of House Telvanni. If the Dragonborn completes Master Neloth's quests, they are made an honorary member of the same house. Unfortunately, there's no option at any point to tell Brand-Shei about this, or make any sort of offer to introduce him to Neloth.]] Even without the ''Dragonborn'' DLC, [[spoiler:Brelyna Maryon of the College of Winterhold is also a member of House Telvanni, and given that she's a potential spouse, it's possible for the Dragonborn themselves to be a member of House Telvanni by marriage.]]
** In the first quest for the ThievesGuild questline, you are told that framing him would only put him in jail for a few days - but Bethesda never programmed a time frame for him to be released so he'll stay in prison indefinitely. However, you can subvert sending him to jail in the first place by simply dropping the ring you are asked to plant on him. You can then tell your guild contact that you "lost it;" naturally, he assumes you were pickpocketed like a chump.
* GoodParents: He was raised by a kindly Argonian couple. Just so we're clear, this is the Dunmer and Argonians we're talking about -- two races known for [[FantasticRacism their animosity toward each other]].[[labelnote:Context]]In the backstory, the Dunmer enslaved the Argonians; following the events of ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'', the Argonians revolted and took over much of the Dunmer's homeland.[[/labelnote]] This makes Brand-Shei's adoptive parents one of the best examples of this trope ''ever''.
* HappilyAdopted: His backstory.
* NiceGuy: Snarks aside, he easily is one of the nicest merchants in Riften, especially compared to [[JerkAss Grelka]]. He politely salutes you whenever you pass close to his shop, gladly explains his origins to you, and is very grateful when you help him recover a clue about said origins.
-->'''Brand-Shei:''' I really appreciate what you've done for me. I'll never forget it.
* OrphansPlotTrinket: The journal you can find for him.
* RaisedByNatives: Raised by Argonians.
* SecretLegacy: He's actually one of last surviving members of House Telvanni.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: With Brynjolf in the starting Thieves' Guild quest.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: The first Thieves' Guild mission has you frame him for stealing, which leaves him in jail for the rest of the game. But if you prefer, you can drop the ring that you were supposed to place on him; he never gets arrested, and you still get into the guild.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chief Yamarz]]
[[quoteright:263:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chiefyamarz_8011.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]

Chieftain of the Orcs at Largashbur. His tribe has recently been besieged by giants sensing weakness in them, and they worry that Malacath has turned his sight from them.
----
* AssholeVictim: He either dies when he foolishly tries to fight the giant leader himself or does so when he tries to kill the Dragonborn to cover up the truth. Either way, he certainly had it coming.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: As per usual with orcs, the chieftain proves he's worthy of his position by being a great warrior. The problem for this particular tribe is that Yamarz very, very much isn't.
* BoisterousWeakling: He talks a big game and if you make him fight the giant leader himself, he claims that it'll only take a second. [[MegatonPunch He's not wrong about that last part.]]
* CurbStompBattle: If you talk him into fighting the leader of the giants himself, he's summarily crushed.
* DirtyCoward: In very sharp contrast to most Orcs. When challenged to defeat the leader of the giants by Malacath, he immediately demands your help in the task; since he was only told to kill the leader, he wants you to kill the rest. On the trip through the cave to said leader, he pointedly flees from the giants, and once you actually get to the leader, he tries to bribe you to kill it and let him take the credit.
* JerkAss: Even ''before'' you learn he is a DirtyCoward and an UngratefulBastard, you will most likely already find him unsympathetic due to him being rude and xenophobic toward you.
* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: The player has the option of telling his tribe that he faced his death with honor and courage. However, even if they do this, Malacath will speak up and tell them the truth: that Yamarz was "a coward and a weakling."
* NoTrueScotsman: He will express this opinion toward an Orc Dragonborn, whom he will call a "filthy city Orc". Ironically enough, this trope is what Malacath thinks of ''him''.
-->'''Malacath:''' You don't deserve to call yourself an Orc! You're weak, you're small, and you're an embarrassment!
* TooDumbToLive: Besides the fact that he tries to off you after you just killed the giant he was too cowardly to face himself, does he really think he can put one over on a ''Daedric Prince'' who cursed his tribe in the first place because he knew Yamarz was a wimp?
* UngratefulBastard: Even though you make efforts to help him and his tribe to get rid of their curse, not only does he keep acting rude toward you all along, but he also tries to pull a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on you.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: If you agree to kill the Giant for him, he will try to kill you immediately after you are done to ensure you won't tell the truth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Froki Whetted-Blade]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/{{Jim Cummings|1952}} (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Kuznetsov (Russian)[[/note]]

An elderly hunter who worships the old Nordic goddess Kyne. Notable for being the grandfather of Haming, the child Hadvar rescues during Alduin's attack on Helgen, who lives with him now.
----
* GreatWhiteHunter: For religious reasons, out of respect for Kyne's animals.
* GrumpyOldMan: Stemming from how city Nords now worship the Nine Divines, which he believes are "stolen idols" and watered down versions of the Nordic pantheon.
* TheMissionary: Judging by his reaction when he first sees you, he really does not like these.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: His son, Haming's father, is killed during the dragon attack in the prologue.
* ScrewPolitenessIAmASenior: Upon seeing you, he insults you, believing you have come to tell him about the Nine Divines. He warms up if you tell him you don't believe in the Divines.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Grelka]]
[[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grelka2.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AprilStewart (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Inna Koroleva (Russian)[[/note]]

A rather unlikable Nord armor merchant working in the Riften marketplace.
----
* FantasticRacism: If you visit Haelga's Bunkhouse while she is there, you can hear a conversation in which she insults Madesi and clearly expresses her dislike of Argonians.
** GameplayAndStorySegregation: Nothing is stopping you from marrying her as an Argonian in the Special Edition, though.
* JerkAss: Basically tells you to just buy something or leave whenever you try to engage conversation with her. Also, see FantasticRacism above.
* MissingSecret: Looking in the game's code reveals that Grelka was intended to be a potential spouse; but because she doesn't offer any quests, it's impossible to raise her disposition towards you and she never becomes available for marriage, barring mods or using console commands to make her like you.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: This is her motivation; she wants to get as much money as possible so she can leave Skyrim. Considering the country is in the middle of a Civil War, dragons are coming, and she lives in a WretchedHive to boot, you can hardly blame her. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation However, no matter how much gold you personally spend at her stall, she never actually leaves, nor does fixing any of those things lessen her desire to go.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Grelod the Kind]]
[[quoteright:209:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20120123125459grelod_the_kind_7436.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Diane Michelle (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Marina Bakina (Russian)[[/note]]

Manager of Honorhall Orphanage and the target of Aventus Arentino's Black Sacrament.
----
* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: The reaction to her death.
** With one notable exception: Constance Michel, who never endorsed Grelod's cruelty but defended Grelod, saying she's old and has no other life. Constance's reaction to Grelod's death is to panic at the thought of someone being murdered in cold blood, but everyone ''else'' engages in much rejoicing.
** Played with via the Hold Guards. Those outside of Riften, who didn't know Grelod personally, consider the news to be that of the tragic murder of an elderly woman. Hold Guards ''inside'' Riften, however, consider her such an AssholeVictim that they don't bother to arrest you, even if they see you leave the orphanage on the day she was killed.
* AssholeVictim: When she's killed, the children ''cheer'', and her more kind-hearted assistant is more shocked by how blatant and abrupt the murder was than by the fact that it happened at all. You don't even get a bounty for killing her and everybody in town just rolls with it, because everyone agrees that she was a horrible person. Considering [[WretchedHive what Riften is like]], this says a ''lot'' about her.
** This even extends into Astrid's opinion of her, since she outright says that the "old crone had it coming".
* ChildHater: To put it mildly. When you visit the orphanage for the first time, she's in the middle of telling the children that she'll never let them be adopted and if they don't work hard enough, they'll get an ''extra'' beating. Then she demands that they tell her they love her. She even has a cell in the orphanage with shackles on the wall.
* DefiantToTheEnd: To give her credit, she can face her death apathetically and fearlessly if the Dragonborn tells her that they are part of the ''Dark Brotherhood'' or saying they are here on [[GiveMyRegardsInTheNextWorld Arentino's behest]].
* EvilOldFolks: Her treatment of the children at her orphanage should be proof enough. Even the Riften guards think so, and will let you off the hook for killing her simply because they agree that she had it coming.
* EvilOrphanageLady: To an extreme: starving and beating children, locking them in shackles, constantly telling them how worthless they are, refusing to let anyone adopt them, [[InsaneTrollLogic complaining that nobody's adopting them...]]
* {{Expy}}: Shows similarities to Miss Hannigan from ''Theatre/{{Annie}}''.
* FantasticRacism: She carries a book titled ''The Pig Children,'' which is all about how horrible Orcs are.
* HateSink: The first thing you hear when you enter the orphanage is her warning the kids that if they shirk their chores, they'll get an ''extra'' beating. She is obviously designed to be a cruel, hateful, awful creature, so you can kill her without feeling a shred of remorse.
* IllPretendIDidntHearThat: Some of the guards in Riften are happy to tell you that they saw you walk out of the orphanage on the day she was murdered, but won't arrest you for it. Yes, even if you walk up to her in full view of the children and breath fire in her face using a Shout! (One of the guards will even call you a Greybeard for it.)
* IronicNickname: She's called "the Kind", but is anything but. Even adults know that it's a complete lie.
* {{Jerkass}}: If spending your days verbally and physically abusing children doesn't make you this, then what does?
* KarmicDeath: One of the ways to kill her is to use a fear spell to chase her out of the orphanage. There, Edda the beggar will, suddenly, kill her instead. The only explanation for this is the possibility that Edda grew up in Grelod's [[SarcasmMode "care"]] before being thrown out into the streets of Riften.
** Although this is likely just a coincidence caused by the game mechanics: befriended [=NPCs=] tend to assist the Dragonborn in combat and beggars such as Edda were the easiest to befriend (you just need to give them a septim once).
* OneHitPointWonder: Since she's an old lady, she's not exactly tough. Grelod is so weak that the first word of the Unrelenting Force shout, which doesn't do any damage and just pushes your enemy back a bit, kills her outright.
* PaperTiger: She's shamelessly abrasive to anyone who has the misfortune of speaking to her, and she physically abuses the children in her care. She also has the lowest amount of health and will die in one strike.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Haelga]]
[[quoteright:216:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haelga_6109.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Susan Eisenburg (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Olga Kuznetsova (Russian)[[/note]]

The owner of the bunkhouse in Riften, which houses many of the city's residents.
----
* {{Expy}}: Of Mirabelle Monet, a rude innkeeper from Anvil in ''Oblivion'' who also [[ReallyGetsAround really got around]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Even if you haven't done anything to make her dislike you, she will frequently tell you that you are ''not'' welcome in her Bunkhouse, since she only allows workers and not travelers or adventurers to be there. She is also mentioned to be abrasive toward her niece, Svana.
* JerkassHasAPoint: If you stick long enough in the Bunkhouse, you might hear a dialogue between her and Svana revealing that Svana is in a flirting relationship with Sibbi Black-Briar. Haelga tells her niece rather cynically that Sibbi just wants to sleep with her. While it's mean to say such a thing, considering [[TheCasanova what we know]] of [[TheSociopath Sibbi]], she is almost certainly right.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: One of the missions required to join the Thieves' Guild includes collecting money for protection from various persons in Riften, her included. You will most likely not feel sorry when coming for her.
* {{Noodle Implement}}s: Poking around her bed shows that she has shackles attached to the wall, which is kinky but not this trope. However, ''under'' the bed you'll find some leather straps and a ''horker tusk''. A letter from one of her lovers also mentions her [[SexGoddess prowess in bed]] while wearing Daedric boots, which begs the question not only of what their purpose is but also where she acquired them in the first place.
* PetTheDog: If you give her one of the brochures from the Temple of Mara while doing that small sidequest for the priestess, Haelga acknowledges that she's more into the teachings of Dibella (and boy is she ever); but she'll accept the brochure nonetheless and even promises to read it with some slight interest. It's pretty much the closest thing to a pleasant conversation you can have with her.
* ReallyGetsAround: Much to her niece's disgust. A sidequest even involves collecting "Marks of Dibella" from the various men she slept with recently. Mentions from said men include her doing it in the stables and an implication that she might have [[SlippingAMickey drugged one of them]] so she could sleep with him (though it's left ambiguous if he is telling the truth or not). According to overworld conversations, she's even interested in ''[[LizardFolk Madesi.]]''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hofgrir Horse-Crusher]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Popeye Vogelsang (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Viktor Bakin (Russian)[[/note]]

Owner of the Riften Stables.
----
* DefeatMeansFriendship: You can brawl him, and after you defeat him, he becomes much friendlier and you can ride any of his horses for free.
* EmbarrassingNickname: It comes from a time when he was drunk and tried to ride a colt instead of a full-grown horse; he accidentally broke the colt's back. He has decided to no longer ride horses thanks to that.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ingun Black-Briar]]
[[quoteright:262:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ingun_8600.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Corri English (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Daria Frolova (Russian)[[/note]]

Daughter to [[TheDon Maven Black-Briar]] and part of the infamous family. She's easily the most personable of the bunch, but she still has her... issues.
----
* AffablyEvil: Aside from being a Black-Briar and an aspiring MasterPoisoner, Ingun is one of the most genuinely friendly people in Riften.
* TheApprentice: To Elgrim.
* DeathByIrony: The entire reason she likes alchemy - that the same ingredients that can be used to create, save or restore life can be used to kill or maim.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Double-subverted. While she bemoans her family's greed and decadence, it's because she feels that it's pointless, not because it's wrong. She feels that she was meant for more than they can offer. Considering her particular focus in alchemy, she could potentially be the ''most'' dangerous of them all.
* FetchQuest: She has one of the most long-spanning and exhausting fetch quests in the game, asking you to find 20 of each of three relatively rare alchemy ingredients - Nightshade, Deathbell, and Nirnroot. It's not so bad if you know where to look (Nightshade and Deathbell are plentiful in Morthal, and you can even raise them in your own gardens if you have ''Hearthfire'' installed), but still a lot harder than finding 20 Salt Piles would be. It's also worth noting that all three ingredients are used in deadly poisons...
* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: Ingun may share her appearance with Maven, but while Ingun is rather up-front about her more questionable quirks but is a decent person otherwise, Maven is just an asshole through and through.
* MadScientist: In the making.
* NiceGirl: Her creepier predilections aside, she is always very polite to you, pays well for your hard work, and even provides a renewable source of alchemy goods if you complete the quest, simply because of a sense of ''noblesse oblige''.
* NightmareFetishist: Her reasons for being interested in alchemy are... disturbing to say the least. She seems to have a thing for the morbid and macabre.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: She looks exactly like a young Maven. They even wear the same outfit, for Mara's sake.
* ToBeAMaster: Of alchemy.
* WellDoneDaughterGirl: Her other motivation. She wants to make her mother proud.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lu'ah Al-Skaven]]

A Redguard necromancer who has taken refuge in Ansilvund, the tomb of the legendary warriors Holgier and Fjori. She now plans to revive them and raise an army of Draugr to destroy both sides of the civil war.
----
* FlunkyBoss: She fights with Holgier and Fjori helping her. To win, you must defeat all three of them.
* FreudianExcuse: She's sworn vengeance against the Empire because her husband Saeel, an Imperial Legionaire, was killed during the Battle of the Red Ring.
* ILoveTheDead: Her biggest grief with the Empire is that they cremated her husband's remains instead of turning them over to her, so she couldn't reanimate him like she wanted. She's settled for channeling his spirit into Holgeir's decayed corpse instead.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Misses her dead husband and wants him back... and, being a necromancer, is entirely capable of doing just that, and then some.
* VillainHasAPoint: The reason why Lu'ah wants to cause this much death? Her husband died during the Thalmor siege on the Imperial City, and the Legion had his body cremated without her permission. She also sneers at the Stormcloaks since, while they talk big about overhrowing the Empire and its injustices, they did nothing to help Hammerfell in its own push for independence because it wasn't Skyrim's problem then. And while it is correct that the Civil War will lead to more death, it would be even worse if Lu'ah achieved her goal and caused both sides to be killed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Madesi]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Tim Blaney (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Stanislav Strelkov (Russian)[[/note]]

An Argonian merchant who sells jewelry in Riften. The first quest to join the Thieves' Guild involves stealing one of his rings and framing Brand-Shei for it. He can also give the Dragonborn a quest to collect materials for his jewelry.
----
* NiceGuy: He's always polite and rewards you well for his quest. Really, he rivals Brand-Shei as one of the nicest people in Riften.
* UnwittingPawn: The very first Thieves Guild quest has you steal one of his rings and plant it on Brand-Shei in order to frame the latter and "teach him a lesson."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Maramal]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Jon Curry (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Matrosov (Russian)[[/note]]

A Redguard Priest in charge of the Temple of Mara in Riften. He is the one selling Amulets of Mara and arranging weddings, including, potentially, the Dragonborn's.
----
* BabiesEverAfter: According to dialogue you can overhear, his wife is pregnant with their first child.
* HappilyMarried: To Dinya Balu, one of the priestesses in the Temple.
* InterspeciesRomance: His wife is a Dark Elf.
* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: This usually is how most people in Riften react to his preaching. Obviously, it's not easy being the priest for a Divinity of Love in a WretchedHive.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Maul]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Popeye Vogelsang (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Viktor Bakin (Russian)[[/note]]

Right-hand man of Maven Black-Briar and her primary enforcer on the street. His brother, Dirge, is the bouncer for the Ragged Flagon. Should Maven be named Jarl, Maul becomes her housecarl.
----
* ArmsAndArmorThemeNaming: "Maul" is more likely a nickname, or maybe a self-selected appellation, but he's still named after a weapon.
* TheDragon: To Maven Black-Briar.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: To maul is to wound by scratching and tearing. ''A'' maul is basically [[DropTheHammer a big ass hammer]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Romlyn Dreth]]
[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/romlyndreth.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSzarabajka (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Vladislav Kopp (Russian)[[/note]]

A Dark Elf working at the Black-Briar Meadery, who secretly steals mead to sell illegally in his own business.
----
* BlatantLies: "The Dreth family doesn't steal, Indaryn." Not only was his ancestor most likely a criminal, but he himself is smuggling Black-Briar mead to sell it cheaper and make profit for himself.
* ContinuityNod: He is a descendant of Valen Dreth, the JerkAss Dark Elf from the beginning of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. One of his conversations with innkeeper Keerava involves him narrating an exaggerated tale of his ancestor during the Oblivion Crisis.
* DenyingTheDeadParentsSins: Possibly; ''Oblivion'' clearly shows his ancestor Valen was a jerk and most likely a criminal, but Romlyn still insists that "The Dreth family doesn't steal" and delivers ridiculous stories portraying Valen as a hero. Either he really is oblivious to his ancestor’s real past, or he is in denial about it.
* LovableRogue: Especially compared to his ancestor. He ''is'' stealing mead and selling it on the black market, yes, but [[KickTheSonOfABitch the people he is stealing it from are far from sympathetic]], and if you help him in his business without denouncing him, he will prove pretty grateful, to the point he becomes available for marriage.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Shadr]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JasonMarsden (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Anton Kolesnikov (Russian)[[/note]]

A stable worker in Riften and an apprentice of Hofgrir Horse-Crusher. He gets scammed by Sapphire and fears for his life because of it.
----
* EntertaininglyWrong: He assumes his life is in danger because he owes money to the Thieves' Guild and has no way to make that payment. This would be logical, except he doesn't know that the guild has strict rules against its members killing people except as a last resort.
* InterspeciesRomance: Listening in on his marketplace interactions reveals that he has an attraction to Marise Aravel the Dunmer food merchant, as he will invite her for a drink at the Bee and Barb and is saving up for a trinket from Madesi. Whether or not she's aware is unknown, although another dialogue implies she reciprocates it and she's certainly not opposed to the idea of getting that drink. She has a conversation with Dinya Balu about whether Mara would approve of her marrying someone who isn't a Dunmer. Dinya replies that Mara approves of any love.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Given that he's a young Redguard, probably in his 20s, and Marise is a white-haired Dunmer, she's likely at least a couple hundred years his senior.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sibbi Black-Briar]]
[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sibbi_black-briar_9390.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/StephenRussell (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Eugene Waltz (Russian)[[/note]]

One of Maven Black-Briar's sons. Considered by Mjoll the Lioness to be the worst member of the family. Currently incarcerated in Riften Jail because even his mother got sick of his out-of-control nature.
----
* TheCasanova: Makes it clear to the Dragonborn, when the latter visits, that he's out to get all the women he can get his hands on - this is effectively what landed him in jail. He even flirts with a female Dragonborn.
* ConMan: Sold Louis Letrush a horse that actually belongs to the whole Black-Briar family.
* HairTriggerTemper: Maven had him jailed for eight months just so she wouldn't have to deal with this for a while. Apparently, murdering a guy in public was the final straw for her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: His dialogue consists entirely of him whining about his predicament. He honestly believes his fiancee was wrong to be offended by his infidelity. He also blames her for his current incarceration (she confided in her brother about Sibbi's infidelity, angry brother confronted Sibbi, Sibbi ''stabbed her brother to death'' and got jail time for it, and he blames ''her'') and wants her dead for it.
* {{Jerkass}}: Mjoll will tell you that he's the worst Black-Briar. Considering what the Black-Briar family is like, that is saying something.
* KarmaHoudini: Averted; where the rest of his family is tagged essential, you only need to wait until you're through with the quest to steal Frost before you can kill him.
* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Sibbi gets all of the comforts of home in his cell during his eight month incarceration for ''murder''. And the only reason he was imprisoned at all was because Maven thought he needed to cool off. [[UngratefulBastard Sibbi still complains.]]
* TheSociopath: Sibbi has a hugely inflated opinion of himself and no regard for the thoughts and feelings of anyone else. He's not as superficially affable as most examples, but otherwise fits the description like a glove.
* UngratefulBastard: Thinks his mother's being too harsh with him by giving him a long overdue time-out when he ought to be grateful he's not getting a worse punishment for murdering someone.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Clan Snow-Shod]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/{{Jim Cummings|1952}} (Vulwulf); Martina Lotun (Nura); Paul Ganus (Unmid); Christian Svensson (Asgeir) (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Denis Shvedov (Vulwulf); Tatyana Shitova (Nura); Artyom Kretov (Unmid); Alexander Taragin (Asgeir) (Russian)[[/note]]

A Nord upper-class family living in Riften. Notable for being outspoken Stormcloak supporters. The family consists of Patriarch Vulwulf, his wife Nura, a priestess of Talos, and their sons Unmid and Asgeir, the former of which serves as Jarl Laila's housecarl. They also had a daughter named Lilja, who joined the Stormcloak forces and was killed in action.
----
* TheDutifulSon: Asgeir ''wants'' to be one; unfortunately, Vulwulf disapproves immensely of his Imperial contacts, what with the ongoing civil war..
* FatherIDontWantToFight: Asgeir aspires to become a businessman, has made some influential Imperial contacts, and is due to marry the Emperor's first cousin. Vulwulf is immensely disappointed in him.
* GrumpyOldMan: Vulwulf is constantly grouchy, especially in affairs related to the Empire.
* HonestCorporateExecutive: Both Vulwulf and Asgeir, who apparently have [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter no idea]] about their partner [[DevilInPlainSight Maven Black-Briar's]] business practices.
* IWantGrandkids: Nura, as seen at her son's wedding:
-->'''Nura Snow-Shod:''' Vittoria may be pretty, but does she have the right hips for the job? I want grandchildren, and lots of them.
* InterspeciesRomance: Unmid, who is apparently sleeping with Jarl Laila's Bosmeri steward Anuriel. You can occasionally overhear them talking about their "special weapon training."
* LetHerGrowUpDear: Nura occasionally tries to mediate this way between her husband and her son Asgeir.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: Vulwulf, whom you can find bickering about politics even at his son's wedding with his daughter-in-law's (equally obnoxious) mother. Nura, by contrast, tries her best to invert this.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: And they're bitter about it.
* RainbowPimpGear: Unmid may be a powerful warrior, but his fashion sense is certainly rather odd. That elven armor would look garish even without the red mohawk or the purple face paint.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Right after [[spoiler:assassinating Vittoria Vici for the Dark Brotherhood]], Vulwulf will cry foul that the whole thing has to be an Imperial plot to discredit the Stormcloaks. Obviously he's only saying this because he reflexively blames the "damned Imperials" for everything and wants to exonerate his own side, but he's not far off the mark: [[spoiler:The assassination was schemed by an Imperial Elder Council member (well, technically a Breton, but one with deep roots in Cyrodiil) as the first step of a larger, more sinister plan, and part of it hinges on Vittoria's death being blamed on the Stormcloaks]].
* ShootTheMedicFirst: What apparently happened to Lilja. She wasn't a combatant, but a healer, seeing as she was trained as a priestess of Talos by her mother.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: During the Dark Brotherhood questline, most of the family will show up for Asgeir's wedding to Vittoria Vici - the same one where you're supposed to assassinate the bride. Assassinating the groom as well is, of course, completely up to the player, and will likely result in a brawl that gets all of them killed.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Asgeir again.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wylandriah]]
[[quoteright:207:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wylandriah_3728.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delaney (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Maria Ovchinnikova (Russian)[[/note]]

Court mage for The Rift, and perennially scatter-brained.
----
* AbsentMindedProfessor: If her rambling at you for two minutes in MagiBabble wasn't indication enough, she'll send you out to find some experiment materials she misplaced. In three different cities. When you return them, of course, she's completely forgotten she sent you out to find them or that she lost them in the first place, but she's grateful and rewards you all the same.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: The College of Winterhold treasures her correspondence letters, which are apparently complete and utter nonsense; she once requested a sample of ''the Heart of Lorkhan''. She blithely asked them to give her the heart of the dead creator-god which may or may not be responsible for the vanishing of the Dwemer, and who definitely disappeared himself centuries ago. However, in the letter that mentions the Heart of Lorkhan sample, another mention is made of her requesting "[[RightForTheWrongReasons greenmote]]," a mind-altering and potentially lethal drug found only in the Shivering Isles, but which the senders take to refer to "[[YouDontWantToCatchThis greenspore]]", a dementia-inducing disease found only in fish.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Turns out that there actually is a working model of the Heart of Lorkhan in the College - namely, Arniel's warped soul gem. However, since no one else in the College is aware of this fact, it's presumably some sort of lucky guess on her part.
* CourtMage: For Riften.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Implied. The guide says she acts this way so people will leave her alone. In-game, she's awfully clear and concise when telling [[AbhorrentAdmirer Hemming Black-Briar]] to stop harassing her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wyndelius Gatharian]]
[[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wyndelius_gatharian.png]]

A Dunmer who came to Ivarstead with the intention to find the treasure in Shroud Hearth Barrow, and disappeared soon before the place was found out to be haunted. Or so it seems; in truth, he is himself posing as a ghost to scare away the villagers so he can keep searching in peace.
----
* AccidentalTruth: While Shroud Hearth Barrow doesn't have ghosts (or at least [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane doesn't appear to]]), it ''does'' have restless dead guarding it in the form of the usual Draugr; they just happen to be in areas Wyndelius couldn't reach.
* BecomingTheMask: Thanks to his SanitySlippage, he ended up believing he really ''was'' a ghost guarding the Barrow.
* GraveRobbing: Originally came to steal treasures inside the Barrow. By the time you meet him, he's switched to keeping other potential grave-robbers out.
* {{Irony}}: The Sapphire Claw, the search for which apparently drove him mad because he couldn't find it, actually was owned by ''the very innkeeper he was trying to scare away''. To add insult to injury, when you do get to the Barrow's treasure room, you find out it has a secret entrance which opens... the back wall of Wyndelius' lab. There was no way for him to access it, but he was practically sleeping ''right next to the treasure'' all along without realizing it.
* MythologyGag: Wyndelius' name is only one letter away from '''S'''yndelius Gatharian, a Dunmer mage and part of a hapless adventuring party that ventured into The Shivering Isles in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion's]]'' eponymous expansion. Like his apparent descendant, Syndelius can (depending on the players' choice) be driven into a maniacal, obsessive search for a key that will unlock untold riches. Likewise, Syndelius' partner Grommok can (again depending on your choices) be made to believe that he has become a living ghost, also not unlike Wyndelius.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It isn't clear if his SanitySlippage was caused by a side effect of his potion, a combination of despair from failing and isolation, or actual ghosts tormenting him. Or maybe two or all three.
* SanitySlippage: As revealed by his journal, he started out merely as a ConMan posing as a ghost to scare away villagers. As he kept searching in vain for the Sapphire Claw needed to access the lower chambers of the Barrow, however, he gradually lost his sanity, until he started ''really'' believing he was a ghost guarding the place. This arguably makes fighting him to the death a MercyKill.
* ScoobyDooHoax: He is using an alchemical potion of his invention to make himself glow like a ghost, allowing him to scare away villagers so he can keep searching for a treasure.
[[/folder]]



!People of Winterhold
Winterhold is the northeastern-most province, and primarily an Arctic wasteland of snowy coasts and snowier mountains. There is very little industry and only the hardiest of animals and people can survive here. Its capital is also called Winterhold, and in its prime it was an ancient rival to Solitude, but a cataclysm in the not-too-distant past has left it a faint shadow of its former self. Winterhold is however home to the College of Winterhold, a fortified mages' school which attracts students from far and wide. There are very few residents in the town who are not affliated with the College, and most of them are poor and spend most of their days drinking their sorrows away in the Frozen Hearth Inn. Its banner is a three-pronged crown, with braided strands comprising the lengths of the three prongs. Its Jarl is the Stormcloak-aligned Korir, a young man who bemoans the decline of his hold and has ambitions to restore it to past glory.

[[folder:Malur Seloth]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malur_seloth.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSzarabajka (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Vladislav Kopp (Russian)[[/note]]

The Jarl's Steward (regardless of which side of the Civil War is controlling the town). Due to being a Dunmer, Korir assumes he has ties to the College of Winterhold, and as such recruited him. In truth, Malur is a slouch with no marketable skills, but goes along with it to benefit from the position.
----
* LazyBum: Malur is perfectly content to just sit on his ass and do nothing all day, and bristles at the idea of actually doing any sort of work.
-->'''Malur:''' I'm trying to do as little as possible. You're getting in the way of that.
* MeaningfulName: His surname is uncannily close to "Sloth", which is something he proudly is.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: His answer if you ask him what he does as a Steward:
-->'''Malur:''' Me? Nothing. And I hope to keep it that way.
* ProfessionalButtKisser: After doing his Favor Quest, he will teach a level of Speech along with dropping this line:
-->'''Malur:''' This should come in handy. Here. Let me show you a few tricks I've learned about buttering up royalty.
* SureLetsGoWithThat: He is just a regular Dark Elf, with no particular experience or knowledge of magic; but because he is an elf, Korir assumed he ''must'' have ties with the College of Winterhold, and recruited him as a steward. Malur reacted with this trope so he could benefit from the position.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nelacar]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nelacar_6736.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Neil Dickson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Andrey Finyagin (Russian)[[/note]]

Expelled from the College of Winterhold, this Altmer mage lives at the Frozen Hearth Inn, staying within the city of Winterhold.
----
* AffablyEvil: The 'evil' part is a bit of a stretch, since Nelacar is personable, helpful, endearing, and very possibly the ''nicest'' Altmer in the game next to Viarmo. However, he's also probably a necromancer who has done some vile, vile things. Should the Dragonborn have completed the College questline, he respectfully addresses them as "Archmage". Of course, it's [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation entirely possible]] he might simply be trying to get on their good side to be allowed back into the College.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Seems to believe this, as he seems to believe that [[spoiler:corrupting Azura's Star into the Black Star]] is preferable than turning it over to its "evil" Daedric master.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** He's probably done some vile things during his time, but he personally thinks his former teacher went far too far.
** On the other side of the coin, he got himself kicked out of the College of Winterhold somehow, even though the College itself is more tolerant of necromancers than most.
* EvilSmellsBad: Or more specifically, according to Dagur, [[ShoutOut like a beast that's]] "[[Film/GalaxyQuest been turned inside-out and exploded]]."
* {{Necromancer}}: Probably, given his involvement with Malyn Varen's experiments into immortality and his general comfort with the concept of black soul gems. Conversely, he ''did'' express being appalled at the lengths to which his former teacher was willing to go when studying Azura's Star.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Septimus Signus]]
[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/600px-sr-npc-septimus_signus_9624.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/PaulEiding (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Gruzdev (Russian)[[/note]]

An ingenious but insane wizard living in a remote island in the Sea of Ghosts.
----
* AffablyEvil: He's nice enough for a madman, but he openly admits that he's done some very nasty things in service to Hermaeus Mora.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's a bit eccentric due to having his brain scrambled by Elder Scrolls.
* DealWithTheDevil: He's dealt with Hermaeus Mora due to his thirst for knowledge.
* EerieArcticResearchStation: Septimus’s residence is an ice cave far North of Winterhold where he researches a Dwemer box.
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Probably a contributing factor to his insanity, but the main cause of it is that...
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: He went insane when he looked upon an Elder Scroll. It's implied that four or more dimensions got crammed into his poor little three-dimensional brain, too.
* TheHermit: He lives all by himself in a outpost north to Winterhold, which is already far from civilization as it is.
* JunkieProphet: Judging by the empty Skooma bottles at his outpost, it's likely.
%%* MadOracle:
* MindScrew: His book, ''Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls,'' shows up in ''Online'', which takes place more than a thousand years before the events of ''Skyrim''. The Moth Priest who found it in the library stacks noted that the postscript says it came from "[=4E 195=]", making him suspect it is a transcription error... but he's not 100% sure on that, considering what he deals with.
** There's some theories that suggest that he didn't die to [[spoiler:Mora]] but that he came to the same conclusions about the nature of the universe that Talos did because he [[spoiler:read Mora's book]]. Unlike Talos, though, he wasn't ready for the truth and thus ''ceased to exist completely'' instead of gaining godlike powers. This is based on the idea that the daedric gods can't just kill people from beyond their own dimension, because otherwise they wouldn't need Champions and cultists to do the killings for them.
* MathematiciansAnswer: When asked where one can find an Elder Scroll, he says it is very close... in the sense of being in the same three-dimensional plane as them. Of course, this is actually one of the longer quests in the game, because you can't travel in four dimensions!
* RhymesOnADime: He tends to speak like this.
* UnwittingPawn: Hermaeus Mora's. He ''thinks'' that Mora's helping him retrieve the Heart of Lorkhan. He's actually being used by Mora to unleash the ''[[TomeOfEldritchLore Oghma Infinium]]'' on the world.
* ThirdPersonPerson: He sporadically refers to himself with his own name, likely due to his insanity.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Due to his insanity, Hermaeus Mora no longer considers him useful and he turns into a pile of ash upon finding the ''Oghma Infinium''.]]
[[/folder]]

!Wanderers
[[folder:M'aiq the Liar]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aiqtheliarcc_8934.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AndreSogliuzzo (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Dzyuba (Russian)[[/note]]

A Khajiit monk who wanders the land. He is named after his ancestors and carries on the family tradition of delivering cryptic {{Take That}}s to the player as well as toward the creators themselves.

For more information on M'aiq outside of the context of ''Skyrim'' itself, see his entry on the [[Characters/TheElderScrollsRecurringCharacters Elder Scrolls Recurring Characters]] page.
----
* ArtifactTitle: In-universe example. M'aiq the Liar served as an AuthorAvatar giving cryptic {{Take That}}s right from his introduction in ''Morrowind'', but the ''in-universe'' untruthfulness of (most of) his comments were toned down for ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim''.
-->'''M'aiq:''' Some say Alduin is Akatosh. Some say M'aiq is a liar. Don't you believe either of those things.
* AuthorAvatar: The only reason he has a role in the game is to voice the creators' opinion about the UnpleasableFanbase.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: One possible variant of his encounter can consist of finding him standing next to a burned cart, several dead human bodies, and the corpse of ''a dragon''.
* CatchPhrase: Averted. He sometimes does utter the catchphrase of his ancestor ("M'aiq knows much, tells some. M'aiq knows many things others do not."), but does not use enough to make it his own catchphrase.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He comes across as very detached from the setting. Logical, since he is something of a literal AuthorAvatar.
* DeadpanSnarker: Some of his speeches are very sarcastic.
* EasterEgg: As a MetaGuy FourthWallObserver who runs randomly around Skyrim. It's entirely possible to play for hours without running into him, and his dialogue is mostly just for fun.
* LegacyCharacter: There was also a Khajiit with his name 206 years earlier in Morrowind and 200 years earlier in Cyrodiil. This is explained by the fact that the name is passed down to newer generations.
--> '''M'aiq:''' M'aiq's father was also called M'aiq. As was M'aiq's father's father. At least, that's what his father said.
* MushroomSamba: He always has Skooma on his person, which might explain his bizarre, if fairly accurate, view of the world.
* NoodleIncident: He was [[YourSoulIsMine soul-trapped once]] and didn't appreciate the experience. Come the ''Dawnguard'' expansion and the reveal of the Soul Cairn, a not-very-nice place where trapped souls end up, it's not hard to see why.
* TakeThat: Just about every speech he makes is a reaction the makers have about an aspect of the game fans aren't pleased about.
* TakeThatUs: He also starts snarking at some minor gripes concerning ''Oblivion''. A noteworthy snark is when he repeats a much ridiculed line about mudcrabs from the previous game. He also mocks several bits about Skyrim's lack of immersion in spots, such as the supposed 7,000 steps.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Like most Khajiit, M'aiq talks about M'aiq in this fashion almost every time M'aiq speaks.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: For whatever reason, he won't attack the player if they're in Vampire Lord, or Beast Form, nor will he attack the player if they're a stage four vampire.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: M'aiq is marked as essential and isn't affiliated with anyone, meaning that he can be assaulted to grind your combat skills with no repercussions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Old Orc]]
[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/old_orc_7914.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]

An aging Orc found in the wilderness. He has been [[DeathSeeker looking for a good death]], and the Dragonborn can give it to him.
----
* DeathSeeker: He has seen a vision from Malacath telling him to seek a glorious death. By the time the Dragonborn gets to him, he's surrounded by saber cat corpses. Apparently, they weren't glorious enough.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: From his point of view, his death at the hands of the player counts. Especially if the latter's Dragonborn identity has been revealed. And ''especially'' especially if you have already completed Malacath's Daedric Quest: that way, not only does the Old Orc die in battle as he wanted, but ''he also dies at the hands of a legendary dragonslayer who was acknowledged by Malacath himself as his Champion''. Bonus points if you use [[DropTheHammer Volendrung]], Malacath's own artifact weapon, during the battle.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: His character name is just "Old Orc." And that's exactly what he is!
* FaceDeathWithDignity: He explains that he wishes to die while he can "still call himself a proper man", elaborating that he doesn't want to linger on to the point where he's frail and feeble. He further explains that it's "unseemly" to cling to something after it becomes useless, even more so when that thing is yourself.
* HonorBeforeReason: He's honestly not ''that'' old, but he's past his prime in traditional Orc culture. Even though you can tell him this, and point out his potential usefulness to others outside the strongholds, he still insists on dying because Malacath wills it.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: If asked, he'll clarify that he can't kill himself because "it would displease Malacath."
* OldSoldier: Fittingly. He's also fairly tough as [=NPCs=] go; if you encounter him at a low level, it's probably in your best interest to just ignore him.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: There's nothing that stops the Dragonborn from using Soul Trap on him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ri'saad]]
[[quoteright:217:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saad_5002.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AndreSogliuzzo (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Dzyuba (Russian)[[/note]]

Head of the Khajiit caravans. Ri'saad leads one of them and is behind forming the other two, who work for him.
----
* {{Hypocrite}}: The Khajiit caravans are not allowed inside any of the cities, because the Nords think them to be thieves and smugglers. Ri'saad laments this "racist" attitude... except he openly sells illegal Moon Sugar and Skooma. [[spoiler:Join the Thieves' Guild, and one mission shows that Ri'saad and his caravans willingly smuggle goods and act as fences for little more than a few bribes.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Though the Khajiit Kingdoms of Elsweyr joined the Aldmeri Dominion willingly, he regards Khajiit working with the Thalmor poorly, calling them "Thalmor Filth" and noting that they give all Khajiit a bad name.
* NiceGuy: He (if you talk to the other Khajiit merchants) was the guy who helped them all carve out a lucrative trading niche in the economy of Skyrim, and he even took a few with troubled backgrounds and made them respectable. Ysolda of Whiterun, who wishes to be a shopkeeper, also states that despite their reputation, the Khajiit are fairly honest businessmen by her account.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: A possible way to look at him being a fence for the guild and selling moon sugar. If he's going to be shunned anyway, he might as well make a profit from it...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Talsgar the Wanderer]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/talsgar_the_wanderer.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MichaelJGough (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Denis Shvedov (Russian)[[/note]]

A Nord bard occasionally found wandering the main roads.
----
* CulturedBadass: One version of his appearance code brings a pair of bandits along with him, both of whom he beats quite handily. Of course, since he's marked an essential NPC, it's basically impossible for him to lose. At higher levels, he can be found going one on one against Frost Trolls and even ''dragons''.
* NoodleIncident: One where it's pretty easy to fill in the blanks. You can ask him to train you in Speech, but he'll politely refuse, saying, "Ah. Well. After a little incident with a roguish lad and the daughter of a prominent thane... Well, let's just say, best not."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Plautis and Salonia Carvain]]
An Imperial husband and wife trying (and failing miserably) to get to Solitude in time for Vittoria Vici's wedding.
----
* BrickJoke: After completing "Bound Until Death", they can still be found wandering Skyrim, but after having fallen upon quite a bit of bad luck.
* {{Jerkass}}: If you try to engage them in dialogue, you'll quickly find them to be anything but friendly. Salonia takes the cake post-wedding, referring to the Dragonborn as "[[ItIsDehumanizing it]]" and swearing to hire an army of battlemages to burn Skyrim to ashes once they get back to Cyrodiil for their misfortunes.
* NoSenseOfDirection: If you follow them for long enough, they arrive not at Solitude, but Windhelm. And since they can be encountered multiple times, it can be assumed that this has been going on for a while.
* ProfessionalButtKisser: The whole point of their visit is to ingratiate themselves with Vittoria, establish a business deal with the East Empire Trading Company, and eventually land an audience with Emporer Titus Mede II for some unspecified reason.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Minus the "protagonist" part. They're not that likable, and everything about their encounters is in service of comic relief.
* UpperClassTwit: They're rich snobs from Cyrodiil that look down on the Dragonborn.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Pre-"Bound Until Death", they carry several valuable gems and necklaces meant for Vittoria, and dialogue provides the Dragonborn the opportunity to attempt to rob them, turning the bodyguard hostile.
[[/folder]]

!Other Characters

[[folder:The Sons of Gauldur]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gauldursonbrothers.JPG]]

The covetous, patricidal sons of Archmage Gauldur from an age long past, who conspired to murder their father and claim his magical amulet. Their deeds led to them being hunted down, slain, and sealed away with the amulet's fragments, and their names struck from the annals of history alongside Gauldur's own... But the past never seems to stay buried.
----
* ArcVillain: All three of them, for the quest "Forbidden Legend."
* BarrierChangeBoss: Jyrik surrounds himself in an elemental cloak that gives him heavy resistance to either fire, frost, or shock. You'll have to use one of the other elements to beat him ([[TakeAThirdOption or just bash his face in with a weapon]]).
* BossRush: At the end of their quest, all three brothers reappear to fight you in succession. [[spoiler:Once beaten again, they prepare to all attack you at once, but [[BigDamnHeroes Gauldur's spirit puts an end to that]].]]
* DoppelgangerSpin: Throughout his fight, Sigdis will periodically create clones of himself that can attack with both arrows and Shouts.
* FighterMageThief: Mikrul is the Fighter, as he attacks you up close with a gaggle of Draugr flunkies, and carries the health-boosting piece of the amulet. Sigdis peppers you with arrows from long range, and his piece of the amulet gives a stamina boost, making him the Thief. Jyrik wields magic to protect himself and attack you, and his amulet piece boosts the magic stat, so he's the Mage.
* FinalBossPreview: When encountered, Jyrik will draw power from the Eye of Magnus to make himself invulnerable until Tolfdir starts draining that power away. At the end of the College questline, [[spoiler:Ancano]] uses the same strategy and must be defeated the same way.
* FlunkyBoss: Mikrul fights accompanied by a number of Draugr Thralls. They're exceedingly weak, unarmed, and die when Mikrul himself goes down, so they're not much of a problem, and an archer Dragonborn can actually take Mikrul out before he has the chance to summon most or even all of them from their tombs.
* KinslayingIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Between their reign of terror, and their murder of their father to obtain his Amulet, the Sons of Gauldur were [[UnPerson damned from history]] by King Harald.
* MacGuffinGuardian: Each holds a piece of Gauldur's amulet. Jyrik pulls double duty by also guarding the Eye of Magnus in the College of Winterhold questline, making him the one you're most likely to encounter first.
* MagicStaff: Jyrik's staff possesses a unique shock spell that burns magicka equal to ''double'' its damage; most other shock spells burn a lesser or equal amount to the damage dealt. However, he doesn't actually use it; it's instead lying on a table in front of him.
* MassOhCrap: [[spoiler:When Archmage Gauldur's spirit rises from his grave behind them, the brothers can only [[SayMyName exclaim his name]] before he banishes their souls for good.]]
* MutualKill: The fate of the living Sigdis Gauldurson, in battle with King Harald's personal battlemage Geirmund. There's a reason why the tomb where Sigdis is found is named Geirmund's Hall.
* SelfMadeOrphan: They conspired together to murder their father in order to claim the power of an enchanted amulet he created for themselves.
* UnPerson: To ensure that the lure of the Gauldur Amulet would never lead to more bloodshed, High King Harald had Gauldur and his sons' names erased from all records. His efforts did not stand up to the passage of time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Matriarch]]
While Madanach may be the leader of the Forsworn in Skyrim, documents littered around the land mention a being known as "Our Matriarch", who guides the Forsworn as a whole beyond Skyrim. While she does not appear in the game, she is responsible for guiding the Forsworn as far as they have gotten.
----
* TheGhost: Does not make a direct appearance in the game that we know of. It's been theorized that she's either Drascua in Hag Rock Redoubt/Dead Crone Rock or the unnamed Hagraven in Hag's End/Deepwood Redoubt. Both are Hagravens that are surrounded by large Forsworn Camps. The latter of the two is unique in she's also surrounded by a coven of Hags and Witches and she will teleport to a different room after she's taken enough damage. In Deepwood Redoubt there's also a missive that details that the Matriach had the Forsworn head there.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Madanach puts a face to the organization, but she's the one in real power behind the scenes.
* OneBadMother: She goes by "The Matriarch", and she's the leader of the Forsworn as a whole.
* TheWomanBehindTheMan: She's issuing orders to the Forsworn behind the scenes (or at least to some of the Forsworn cells around the Reach).
[[/folder]]

!People of Hjaalmarch
Hjaalmarch is directly southeast of Haafingar, and features a large frozen salt marsh. Its capital is the quiet town of Morthal. Hjaalmarch is remote and isolated and of little strategic importance; Morthal's small lumbermill and the iron mining settlement of Stonehills are the primary supports of the hold's weak economy. Hjaalmarch has a reputation as a foreboding and haunted hold, as a heavy fog rests over it most of the time, the locals are reclusive and the swamp is home to all manner of monstrous fauna as well as the ancient and haunted ruined city of Labyrinthian. There is little reason to go to Hjaalmarch and many reasons to steer clear. Its banner is a simple triskelion on a green background. Its Jarl is the Imperial-aligned Igmond Ravencrone, an elderly mystic who supposedly receives visions but is criticised for her "hands-off" approach to leadership.

[[folder:Alva]]
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alva_3335.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Susan Eisenberg (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Olga Kuznetsova (Russian)[[/note]]

A local woman who recently started a relationship with Hroggar after his wife and daughter died in a tragic fire.

* FalseSoulmate: To poor Hroggar.
* HoneyTrap: For Hroggar, and apparently, Movarth had planned for her to seduce ''all'' of the guards, one at a time.
* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: Wears the infamous and exceedingly rare female version of "Tavern Clothes".
* InformedSpecies: In a way. She's not actually flagged as a vampire in the game data, and consequently does not get the associated GlowingEyesOfDoom if ''Dawnguard'' is installed, though she ''does'' use Vampiric Drain in battle.
* KarmaHoudini: If she survives the quest which involves her, she remains in Morthal and nobody seems to care. This is apparently a programming oversight; if Hroggar survives as well, he'll thank the player for saving him from Alva ''while she's sleeping in his basement.''
%%zce* ManipulativeBitch: And it backfired in her face, completely.
* TheMole: For her sire, Movarth.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: She sleeps in a coffin, unlike most vampires in the Elder Scrolls universe. There's no real reason stated to do so. Further, her ruse is helped by the fact that she's a DaywalkingVampire, and she doesn't even hide out in caves or dress in dark robes like the more conspicuous ones of her kind (like Movarth himself).
* {{Romancing the Widow}}er: The locals don't approve, believing it's too soon for Hroggar to move on after his family died in such suspicious circumstances. [[spoiler:Not that there's any real love involved - Hroggar is just Alva's thrall.]]
* TragicMonster: Read the first passage in Alva's journal and you'll see that she was once a doe-eyed, innocent girl who dreamed of being loved and romanced by a handsome Nord. Then she met Movarth...
* TheUndead: She's actually a vampire.
* TheVamp: Literally and figuratively - her master Movarth sent her to Morthal to seduce and enslave the people there.
* VampiresSleepInCoffins: If you sneak into the basement of her and Hroggar's house during the daytime, she can be found sleeping in a coffin in the basement, along with her diary.
* WouldHurtAChild: She had instructed a turned Laelette to kill Hroggar's wife and daughter. Her plans backfired because Laelette didn't want to hurt Helgi, and in fact tried to turn her.

[[folder:Falion]]
[[quoteright:218:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falion_skyrim_1802.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/StephenRussell (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Eugene Waltz (Russian)[[/note]]


A Redguard mage who left the College in protest of its restrictive policies on certain studies. If the Dragonborn ever contracts vampirism, he will be willing to provide them with a cure... for a price.

* BadPowersGoodPeople: He secretly practices Necromancy and studied vampirism, and even almost became a vampire himself. However, despite his jerky attitude, he really is protecting Morthal from mystical threats, provides cures for vampirism, and is guided by his desire to protect his ward. When you ask for training in Conjuration, he says, "You deal with powerful forces. Take care they do not overwhelm you."
* BerserkButton: The College of Winterhold and Arch-Mage Savos Aren in particular. When Agni brings up the possibility of studying there, he immediately dissuades her. Phinis Gestor will tell you that Falion could never get along with Savos and disliked the way he ran the College, so he decided to leave altogether.
* CourtMage: Serves as a ''de facto'' court mage to the Jarl of Hjaalmarch.
* CulturalRebel: Redguards generally dislike Illusion and Conjuration magics, and have strong cultural and religious taboos against necromancy. Falion is a Conjuration specialist, and probably a necromancer to boot. What's more, he's open about it; he's probably the only person in normal Skyrim society who would admit to practicing Conjuration - besides his former student, Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold.
* DarkIsNotEvil: He practices necromancy, generally believed to be an evil art both in Skyrim and Hammerfell, but he uses his knowledge to protect Morthal.
* DimensionalTraveler: He's extensively explored Oblivion realms and even claims to have encountered the ''Dwemer'' somehow, wherever they are after their disappearance.
* FailedASpotCheck: He claims to protect Morthal from otherworldly dangers and is one of the continent's foremost scholars on vampirism... but fails to notice [[spoiler:that his next-door neighbor is one.]] This is especially odd, since nearly half the town is involved in said quest. Even his sister is involved in it, yet he is not.
* ImmortalitySeeker: But not for himself so much as for his ward, Agni - he knows that he'll die one day and leave her alone, and he's worried that this could happen before Agni can take care of herself. He made a study of vampirism as a way to extend his life, but abandoned it because it might have put her in danger.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a good man at heart, if a bit bitter. Of course, just about anyone would be somewhat bitter if they were holed up in a swamp where everyone else hates them.
* KnightInSourArmor: The whole of Morthal thinks he's a creepy jerk. He protects them from mystical threats anyway, though he's pretty grudging about it.
* MoralityPet: Has one in the form of Agni, his ward, who adores him.
* {{Necromancer}}: Likely. He's a Conjuration specialist, he's looking for ways to manipulate life, he left Winterhold College due to irreconcilable differences, and the other residents of Morthal don't like his studies (though that's probably the Nord prejudice against almost all magic). If nothing else, the ritual required to restore a vampiric Dovahkiin to true life requires a filled black soul gem.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He actually trained Phinis Gestor, the College of Winterhold's resident Conjuration expert.
* OverratedAndUnderleveled: He is presented as one of the most powerful mages in the game, but he is only at level 15 and, more glaringly, doesn't know any spells. The same applies to most court wizards who also don't know any spells, but it is especially noticeable with him, because he leaves his house every night to visit a stone circle outside of town and is very likely to stumble onto random wildlife on the way there. It is rather embarrassing to see one of Skyrim's most powerful mages running in terror from a mudcrab.
* ScaryBlackMan: A Redguard necromancer feared by most inhabitants of Morthal.
* SecretKeeper: If the player is a vampire and comes looking for a cure, he tells you outright that he knows you're one.
* SummonMagic: He's the master-level Conjuration trainer.

[[folder:Gorm]]
[[quoteright:154:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gorm_7703.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MichaelJGough (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Denis Shvedov (Russian)[[/note]]

Nord warrior and housecarl for Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone.

* BodyguardBetrayal: Despite his loyalty to Idgrod, he wishes to see her removed from her position because he thinks her powers are taking their toll on her and she isn't fit for duty anymore. It's as much for her own safety as it is for Morthal. Nothing really comes of it, since his confidant Captain Aldis isn't wholly convinced.
* UndyingLoyalty: Despite questioning her ability to rule, he still respects Idgrod, and warns the Dragonborn to do the same.

[[folder:Helgi]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/helgi1_6958.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Harley Graham (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Eliza Martirosova (Russian)[[/note]]

Hroggar's daughter. She and her mother recently died in a mysterious fire, and she now exists as a ghost. She is the one who allows the Dragonborn to find out about Alva's scheme.

* CheerfulChild: Being dead hasn't gotten her down. When you meet her, she invites you to play hide-and-seek with her just like other children in Skyrim. [[spoiler:Her "hiding" place is her ''grave.'']]
* GoIntoTheLight: Once Movarth has been destroyed, Helgi's spirit appears for a final time, thanking the Dragonborn and noting that "Mother says it's time to rest now." By resolving her murder, you set her spirit free.
* KillTheCutie: Her backstory.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Completely unravels the schemes of Alva and her master Movarth by winning over Alva's pawn Laelette with her adorableness. It doesn't save her from dying, but Laelette's attempt to turn Helgi rather than make her death look like an accident is what causes suspicions among the townspeople, and leads to the Jarl permitting the Dragonborn to investigate. Then, by appearing to play with the Dragonborn, she indirectly leads them to the true culprits behind Morthal's troubles.
* UndeadChild: Not that she minds much.

[[folder:Hroggar]]
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hroggar_9569.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Christian Svensson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Taragin (Russian)[[/note]]

A lumberjack whose wife and daughter died in a tragic and mysterious fire. His neighbors believe he had something to do with it, since he immediately moved in with Alva the very next day.

* AcquittedTooLate: If you try to enter Alva's house at night and your stealth skill isn't high enough to let you go undetected, you'll be forced to kill him, unless you use a Calm or Fear spell.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Comes with being a vampire's thrall.
* IncriminatingIndifference: Him shacking up with another woman one day after his family died while showing little in the way of grief makes him ''very'' suspicious in the eyes of his neighbors.
* MistakenForMurderer: Understandably, considering the conditions, everyone assumes he caused the fire that killed his wife and daughter. He didn't; Laelette did, following Alva's orders.
* SurvivorGuilt: If he survives the quest involving his family, he's crushed and no longer feels any joy in life, even though he's thankful that you saved him (and astonished that you'd even want to speak to him after all he's done).
* UngratefulBastard: Due to a programming quirk. If you finish "Laid to Rest" without killing him, he does occasionally thank you for releasing him from "Alva's evil spell", but killing Alva actually ''lowers'' his disposition towards you. This will result in him [[MoodSwinger sincerely thanking you one moment and rudely brushing you off the next.]]

[[folder:Idgrod the Younger]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/idgrod_the_younger_2725.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Corri English (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Daria Frolova (Russian)[[/note]]

The daughter, elder child, and heir to Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone.

* AllThereInTheManual: According to the official strategy guide, Idgrod is, like her mother, actually a sort of mage. She isn't aware of it herself, but her visions are caused by her subconscious manipulation of Magicka.
* BlessedWithSuck: There's no "off switch" to the abilities of premonition she inherited from her mother.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Not as severe as her little brother, but she still has "[[BlessedWithSuck The Gift]]" from her mother to some degree, as indicated with several random conversations with Lami, the town's alchemist.
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: She is this for her little brother, who has "[[BlessedWithSuck The Gift]]" from their mother even more than she herself does.
-->'''Idgrod The Younger''': Please don't mind Joric. He's not mad. Really, he's not.
* NiceGirl: She comes across this way, especially regarding her attempts to help her little brother.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: If you use the console commands on the PC to de-age the elder Idgrod, you'll find that Idgrod the Younger is her spitting image.

[[folder:Aslfur]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aslfur_5102.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Brandon Ellison (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Barinov (Russian)[[/note]]

Jarl Idgrod's steward is also her husband and the father of her two children.

* AllThereInTheManual: It's really only in the strategy guide that there's any clear mention of the relationship between Idgrod and Aslfur, although if you enter the Jarl's longhouse during the night, you'll find them sharing a double bed.
* BodyguardCrush: How their romance began, apparently. In her youth, Idgrod roamed the breadth of Skyrim in quest of wisdom, and Aslfur traveled with her as her protector. They got married prior to returning home to Morthal.
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: He's this for his wife, who often gives cryptic advice that the rather simple folks of Morthal don't understand.
* HappilyMarried: They seem to be this, and Aslfur is rather protective of his wife; he initially asks that the Dragonborn come to him with concerns rather than approaching Idgrod directly.
* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: Should the Dragonborn kill Gorm, Aslfur will send a thank-you note about it. If questioned about the matter, he will acknowledge sending the note, and then add that their conversation never took place.

[[folder:Lurbuk]]
[[quoteright:253:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/600px-sr-npc-lurbuk_7953.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]

An Orc bard "working" at the Moorside Inn, famous for being the worst bard in all of Skyrim, and a potential target in the Dark Brotherhood storyline.

* DreadfulMusician: He is such a terrible bard that not only have people recruited [[MurderInc the Dark Brotherhood]] to kill him off, but there were so many that Astrid actually had to draw a ''lottery'' to determine exactly whose contract to honor.
* EpicFail: Being a terrible bard is one thing. Being such a terrible bard that people want to kill you is something else. Failing so badly at being a bard that the ''Listener-deprived'' (read: only getting contracts via scouring for word of mouth) Dark Brotherhood can't keep up with all the people that want you dead? That's this trope.
* {{Expy}}: A [[DreadfulMusician Dreadful Bard]] with a major case of SmallNameBigEgo? Sounds a lot like [[ComicBook/{{Asterix}} Cacofonix]].
* GiftedlyBad: Lurbuk believes himself the greatest bard in Skyrim. If the Dark Brotherhood is to be believed, at least half of Skyrim's population disagrees.
* HollywoodToneDeaf: You can ask him for a song before killing him. While the "song" is tuneless and rambling, Lurbuk's actual singing voice isn't all that terrible. One gets the impression that if he wised up and took a few classes at the Bard's College, he'd be okay.
* LiteralMinded: In the Dark Brotherhood contract to kill him, it's possible to threaten him before you kill him by telling him to sing "A song of fear, and death." He apparently doesn't get the hint and starts actually singing a (really, ''really'' bad) song about fear and death.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Seriously, how often have you ever seen an ''[[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Orc]]'' Bard?
* SmallNameBigEgo: Despite obviously being a terrible bard, he is convinced that he's talented and destined to become famous, and oblivious to the hatred people have for him. If you tell him the Dark Brotherhood has been hired to kill him, he will just laugh and call such a thing ludicrous, stating that no one would want to "deprive the world" of his unique talent.

[[folder:Movarth Piquine]]
[[quoteright:303:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movarth_4076.jpg]]

The master vampire behind Morthal's recent troubles. He originally appeared in ''Oblivion'' as a significant character in an in-game book called ''Immortal Blood'', which can also be found in ''Skyrim''.

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: Movarth used to be a devoted vampire hunter; it was an obsession that consumed his life. Then he met the author of ''Immortal Blood''. Now he's everything he once fought against and worse.
* ArcVillain: Of the Morthal questline.
* AscendedExtra: Was initially introduced in ''Oblivion'' as a character from one of the many books available over the course of the game. ''Skyrim'' gives him his first (and presumably last) actual appearance in-game.
* BaldOfEvil: Not necessarily in the vanilla game, where his appearance was randomly generated; but by ''Dawnguard'', he has a definite appearance and plays this trope straight.
* BareFistedMonk: Used to be one back when he was alive (in the present day, as typical of vampires, he prefers magic), claiming that you never know when a weapon can fail you, but you always know both the capacities and the limitations of your body. By his own account, he could "[[{{Combos}} land a thousand blows without losing [his] balance, provided [he got] the first strike]]."
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Started out fighting vampires, only to end up as one himself.
* LooksLikeOrlok: With ''Dawnguard.'' Doesn't have the ears, but plays this much straighter than any other Elder Scrolls vampire, barring the Vampire Lords.
* TheManBehindTheMan: To Alva.
* OhCrap: Upon TheReveal that the anonymous author of ''Immortal Blood'' was a vampire themself. As the author states: "He was surprised, even stunned by the pallor of my flesh, the dark hunger in my ageless eyes, and the teeth. Oh, yes, I think the teeth definitely surprised the man who could not afford to be surprised."
* {{Retcon}}: The ending of ''Immortal Blood'' heavily implies that Movarth was killed when the author attacked him; but as ''Skyrim'' reveals, he suffered not mere death but undeath.
* TheyKilledKennyAgain: A bug causes Movarth to respawn if his lair is targeted for a Radiant quest, making it possible to kill him multiple times.
* TragicMonster: Like Alva, he wasn't bad at all before being turned into a vampire. He was a well-meaning hunter who failed to guess the very simple reason that his teacher in vampire-hunting knew so much about them...
* TheUndead: He's a vampire.

[[folder:Olaf One-Eye]]
[[quoteright:264:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wikiolaf_710.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Paul Ganus (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Artyom Kretov (Russian)[[/note]]

A former Jarl of Whiterun who became High King. It was he who captured the dragon Numinex, whose head is displayed in Dragonsreach, where he imprisoned the beast. In present times, he's known as a tyrant and an annual festival in Solitude burns an effigy of him.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Not only does Solitude have an annual festival denouncing him and celebrating his death, but when it gets cancelled (Elisif feels it's in poor taste with Torygg's recent passing), people protest.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: He's certainly seen as evil in Skyrim these days, and his corpse is fought as the boss of a tomb. [[spoiler:But when you get to Sovngarde, he's living it up in the Hall of Valor and is shown to be a personable, friendly man. He's AffablyEvil at worst.]]
* AmericansHateTingle: In-universe example; Olaf One-Eye is hailed as a hero and a legend in Whiterun (with Jarl Balgruuf descending from him), to the point that most historians don't know that High King Olaf and Olaf One-Eye are the same person, finding his popularity in Whiterun to be irreconcilable with the hatred Solitude has for him.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: He became High King because his defeat of Numinex made him such an inspirational figure to all of Skyrim. Some versions also claim he became Jarl of Whiterun as a reward for the defeat.
* DropTheHammer: Wields a warhammer [[spoiler:in Sovngarde]]. In ''Olaf and the Dragon'', he instead has an axe, but the book itself notes this isn't known for sure.
* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:He doesn't seem to mind that Svaknir's tales of him have defamed him so much over the centuries, and hopes to welcome the bard into the Hall once Alduin is slain.]]
* FutureImperfect: Viarmo, one of the more learned historians in the game, is completely shocked to discover that High King Olaf and Olaf One-eye are the same person. As mentioned above, it's likely due to the difficulty reconciling Solitude's historical hatred of King Olaf and Whiterun's hero worship of Olaf One-eye.
* GuileHero: According to King Olaf's Verse, he came to power in Skyrim through deals and promises of power to get the holds to fall in line.
* HandicappedBadass: The name should be a hint.
* AHeroToHisHometown: Though reviled elsewhere in Skyrim, Olaf is still remembered as a hero to the people of Whiterun for defeating and imprisoning the dragon Numinex. He may or may not have originally been from Whiterun, but the people of the town apparently took him up as one of their own just the same, in some tales even naming him their Jarl.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Can be exaggerated when filling in the blanks of King Olaf's Verse. Whatever he did in real life, he most certainly was ''not'' Numinex in human form.
* MakeMeWannaShout: He had the Thu'um.
* NoodleIncident: He certainly did ''something'' to make Solitude hate him so much, although what it was is never made entirely clear.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He performed one of the only known dragon captures in history, and is revered as a hero by the people of Whiterun.
* ATrueStoryInMyUniverse: The legend of Olaf's battle with Numinex is obscured, and it's theorized by one author that this is on purpose - that Olaf's defeat of Numinex was for whatever reason anticlimactic, so they made up a more heroic tale. As well, the bard Svaknir's account of Olaf's rise to power is heavily biased against him, and is further muddied by you the player randomly filling in missing parts of the last remaining copy of the tale, with the option to declare that Olaf ''was'' Numinex in human form. Your improvisations, which may or may not have any truth to them, are likely to be further passed down through history as truth now.
* WorthyOpponent: Apparently considers Svaknir one. [[spoiler:Olaf comments in Sovngarde that Svaknir is a "fool of a poet", but nevertheless an honest enemy he respects, and he hopes to see him make it into the Hall when the threat of Alduin is passed.]]

[[folder:Svaknir]]
A bard who opposed Olaf One-Eye and the writer of King Olaf's Verse. His ghost haunts the tomb where Olaf is buried. You later find his spirit wandering the mists of Sovngarde, if you finished the questline in the tomb and put him to rest.

* ArchEnemy: Of Olaf.
* ATrueStoryInMyUniverse: There's no telling if anything Svaknir says of him is true or not.
* UnfinishedBusiness: "Olaf! Let us finish this!"
* WorthyOpponent: One-sided for Olaf.

!People of The Pale
The Pale is centrally north in the province, and has a predominantly winter forest landscape. The hold is very sparsely populated and the frozen ground is poorly suited to farming, but the southern edge is slightly more hospitable; the cold gives way to grassy plains where the wind chills to the bone and giants lay down their camps. Its capital is Dawnstar, a small town that serves as a port stop with its small dock and has mines that supply Skyrim with iron and quicksilver. Its banner is a four-pointed star. Its Jarl is the Stormcloak-aligned Skald, who has ruled the hold for thirty-five years and is regarded as an arrogant fool with an unpleasant personality.

[[folder:Arondil]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arondil.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Neil Dickson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Andrey Finyagin (Russian)[[/note]]

A necromancer obsessed with women that was exiled from Dawnstar because of his disturbing experiments, he now lives in the ruins of Yngvild. The bartender of the Ragged Flagon tasks the Dragonborn with finding and bringing back the journals describing his (very disturbing) experiments.

* AmazonBrigade: A particularly horrifying example; his undead minions, be it draugr or ghosts, are all female, and it's heavily implied that he [[ILoveTheDead sleeps with them]].
* EvilSorcerer: A very perverted {{necromancer}} who kills women and turns them into his undead slaves.
* KarmicDeath: A stealthy Dragonborn can sneak behind his throne and remove the soul gem that controls his guards or shoot it off the pedestal with an arrow, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turning them against Arondil and killing him]].
* ILoveTheDead: While it's never outright said out loud, his diaries heavily imply it, and there is also the fact you can find a ghost sleeping in his bed...
* PowerPerversionPotential: He's a necrophiliac who practices necromancy. The rest should fall into place from there.
* StalkerWithACrush: A very creepy example towards Dawnstar's milkmaids. His journals mention that after being exiled from Dawnstar, he misses them and has wet dreams about them. Then one of them accidentally makes it to Yngvild later and is captured by his minions, leading him to kill her so he can LeaveNoWitnesses. ''Then'' he finds out he can reanimate her as a ghost, and starts actively sending his minions to abduct more of them from Dawnstar for him to kill and raise...

[[folder:Keeper Carcette]]
[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keeper_carcette_5731.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delaney (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Maria Ovchinnikova (Russian)[[/note]]

Leader of the Vigilant of Stendarr, she leads the militantly anti-Daedra sect from the Hall of the Vigilant, south of Red Road Pass.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Despite leading an extreme, militant order of monster and Daedra-hunters, even Carcette felt that Isran took things a bit too far with his hatred of vampires.
* FantasticRacism: The sect is not very polite to Orcs, presumably because of their connection to Malacath.
* HealingHands: She's the Expert-level Restoration trainer, not that it means much with ''Dawnguard'' installed, as there's no realistic way to train Restoration up to its cap with her before the Hall of the Vigilant is destroyed. At least Colette Marence will still be around, and Dawnguard-aligned players get Florentius to compensate.
* KilledOffScreen: Everyone in the Hall of the Vigilant, Carcette included, is slain by Volkihar vampires once ''Dawnguard'' is installed (if the player is level 10 or higher - lower level players and new characters can still visit the hall before it's destroyed).
* LastStand: If you go to Hall of the Vigilant after it's destroyed, there are several dead vampires and death hounds in the hall, meaning they didn't die easily.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: Carcette wasn't too remarkable in the vanilla game, isn't attached to any quests, and there was no indication that the Hall of the Vigilants was under any threat. Then you install ''Dawnguard'', and she becomes one of its first casualties.
* TooDumbToLive: ''Dawnguard'' reveals that not only did she not accept that the Volkihar vampires were out of the Vigilants' league, but when warned about it by the leader of the Dawnguard, Carcette ignored him.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: She and her Vigilant fail to realize the threat represented by the Volkihar vampires, leading to their demise.

[[folder:Horik Half-Hand]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/horik_halfhand_3200.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Paul Ganus (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Artyom Kretov (Russian)[[/note]]

Fellow veteran to Brina Merelis, who becomes her housecarl should she be anointed Jarl of the Pale.

* PlatonicLifePartners: With his former commander, Brina Merelis.
* RetiredBadass: One who comes out of retirement. It takes guts to dust off the old Legion armor in a Stormcloak city when the Jarl wants him executed.
* UndyingLoyalty: To the Legion, and to Brina for shared service time in the Legion. His loyalty is so deep that he openly antagonizes the initial Stormcloak-allied Jarl by dusting off his old Legion armor and wearing it about town.

[[folder:Madena]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AprilStewart (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Inna Koroleva (Russian)[[/note]]

Court mage for Dawnstar. A retired Legion battlemage, she's seen more than she cares for of war.

* CourtMage: For Dawnstar.
* MrExposition: You can see her (futilely) trying to convince Silus Vesuius to close his museum, and if you ask her on this afterwards, she can give you a brief introduction to the Mythic Dawn.
* PutOnABus: Subverted. The player can listen to her asking the very Stormcloak-allied Jarl to basically do this, and grant her some time away from court, and he very crossly denies the request.
* ShellShockedVeteran: After taking part in the defense of the Imperial City during the Great War, she's seared, frozen, and electrified far too many young elves for her peace of mind, and is thus pretty much a pacifist. Unfortunately, she's so high-strung from serving under Skald that if the Imperials take Dawnstar and Brina Merelis takes the throne, she tends to assume the worst when Brina asks something of her. The fact that Brina's housecarl Horik doesn't trust her can't be helping, either.

[[folder:Silus Vesuius]]
[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silus_vesuius_2981.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSilverstein (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Kovrizhnykh (Russian)[[/note]]

A descendant of a family of Mythic Dawn members, he opens a museum dedicated to the Mythic Dawn and asks the Dovahkiin to find the pieces of Mehrunes' Razor for him.

* BlackShirt: Believes that the Mythic Dawn should be remembered for holding the fate of the Empire within their grasp.
* CallBack: His entire quest is one to ''Oblivion'', being focused around the Mythic Dawn.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: If you decline his offer of money in exchange for sparing his life and decide to just kill him, he elects to go down fighting and attacks you.
* GenreBlind: Frighteningly oblivious to the fact that EvilIsNotAToy. He seems to think that he's in a setting where simply collecting pieces of an infamous doomsday cult's weapon is both easy and not that dangerous, despite the fact that the being who gave said weapon still is around and would have followers still.
* NightmareFetishist: He seems a little too enthusiastic about the Daedric cult of his ancestors.
* PetTheDog: If you [[spoiler:let him live and he survives the Dremora attack]], he'll sincerely thank you for it.
* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:You can either betray and kill Silus to get Mehrunes' Razor, or spare his life and forfeit the chance to reforge the weapon, leaving you with only the disassembled fragments.]]
* SociallyUnacceptableCollection: He turns his house into a museum dedicated to the Mythic Dawn, the ApocalypseCult that murdered Emperor Uriel Septim and caused the Oblivion Crisis [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion 200 years prior]].
* TooDumbToLive: He not only tries to find all the fragments of Mehrunes' Razor to complete his collection, but he actually decides to find one of the Dagon's shrines and ''ask him to repair it''. You can call him out on the fact that messing with the Daedric Prince of Destruction's ArtifactOfDoom is a terrible idea, not that he'll listen. [[spoiler:It may just prove to be his undoing.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Mehrunes Dagon declares this, although it's up to the player whether to actually kill him or not.

!People of The Reach
The Reach is the westernmost province, and is dominated by craggy canyons of the Karth River and its tributaries, and by the soaring peaks of the Druadach Mountains. The rugged wilderness of the hold is home to the Forsworn, hostile Breton natives who seek to gain independence from both Skyrim and the Empire and thus attack all outsiders on sight. Its capital is Markarth, built into the ruins of an old Dwarven city. Markarth is one of the most fortified cities in all Skyrim and it is home to a lucrative silver mining and smithing industry. Its banner is a rack of ram horns. Its Jarl is the Imperial-aligned Igmund, a young man who inherited the position from his father Hrolfdir after he was murdered by the Forsworn.

[[folder:Anton Virane]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSilverstein (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Kovrizhnykh (Russian)[[/note]]

The Breton chef in Understone Keep, he plays a small but significant role during the Dark Brotherhood storyline.

* AssholeVictim: Considering his xenophobic attitude against the Reachmen and his abuse of his assistants, he is one of the targets late in the questline that the player won't feel so bad about offing.
* BadBoss: Mistreats his assistants; during a idle chat, he may threaten to cut off the fingers from one of them to teach her a lesson.
* FantasticRacism: Virane really dislikes the Reachmen, even the ones that are not Forsworn. He takes offense at being called one and insists that he is a Breton from High Rock.
* FrenchJerk: The fantasy counterpart, at any rate, since he is a chef, a jerk, and a Breton.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: The Dragonborn will interrogate him about the Gourmet's location and he will quickly spill the beans. However, they are instructed to silence Virane so that their mission to [[spoiler:assassinate the Emperor]] won't be tracked up to him.
* SupremeChef: The reason why he is tolerated, according to his assistant Rondach.
-->"Only reason the Jarl keeps Anton on is because he cooks up a storm."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Borkul the Beast]]
[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/borkul_the_beast_9106.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]

An Orc bandit who serves as Madanach's bodyguard in Cidhna Mine.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In his own words, he was sentenced to life in prison for "Murder. Banditry. Assault. Theft. And ''lollygagging''".
* BloodKnight: If you decide to challenge him to a brawl in order to get the right to see Madanach, he won't hide his delight. It's also implied to be the reason he joined the Forsworn in the first place.
* BrickJoke: Guards all over Skyrim tersely inform the player that there is to be no lollygagging. Borkul actually got arrested for it.
* TheDragon: To Madanach.
* GrievousHarmWithABody: One of the inmates claims that he once ripped off another prisoner's arm and beat him to death with it.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: It's implied the reason he joined the Forsworn was because he admires their violence and cruelty. He will also appreciate if you tell him you found your first murder exciting.
* TokenMinority: If you help Madanach and the Forsworn escape Cidhna Mine, Borkul goes with them to Druadach Redoubt, dons Forsworn gear, and proclaims that "The Reach will be ours again!" -- despite not being a Reachman. It's mentioned in the ''[[AllThereInTheManual Pocket Guide to the Empire]]'' that the Reachmen historically had strong ties with the Orcs, and learned hedge-magic from them, so it's possible the Forsworn consider Orcs fellow aboriginals.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: In Cidhna Mine, he goes around wearing nothing but ragged trousers. If [[spoiler:you help the Forsworn escape]], he will then go for Forsworn armor, which leaves him shirtless as well.

[[folder:Calcelmo]]
[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/calcelmo_801.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' George Coe (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Mikhailov (Russian)[[/note]]

A somewhat eccentric Altmer scholar and archaeologist who serves as the court mage and also runs the Markarth Museum. Obsessed with the Dwemer, he invites anyone (via letter) to come to his museum and will pay handsomely for any Dwarven items they're willing to give him. He is also currently overseeing an excavation of one of the many Dwemer ruins dotting the Reach.

* AbsentMindedProfessor: Most frequently exhibited by his parting phrase.
-->'''Calcelmo:''' What? Oh, goodbye.
%%* AdventurerArchaeologist
* AmazonChaser: For Faleen.
* CannotSpitItOut: Has the hots for Faleen, Jarl Igmund's housecarl, but can't bring himself to make a move. You help things along during a quest in praise of Mara, the goddess of love and marriage.
* CoolUncle: He's assisted in his researches by his nephew Aicantar, who seems very fond of him.
* CourtMage: For the Reach.
* InterspeciesRomance: With Faleen, a Redguard.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Faleen can't possibly be more than 40, while Calcelmo has centuries behind him and centuries left to go.
* ShopliftAndDie: He takes the security of his museum ''very'' seriously, and has an entire unit of Markarth guardsmen [[spoiler:and an entire, heavily armed bandit clan]] guarding its halls at all times. They'll let you explore the museum to your heart's content if Calcelmo gives you the key, provided you don't touch anything, but [[spoiler:will attack on sight if you use the key to unlock his private laboratory]].
* StalkerWithoutACrush: He somehow knows ''exactly'' when you've purchased a Dwarven item, even if you purchased it from your spouse in the privacy of your own home. Possibly {{hand wave}}d by the fact that he's a mage.
* TwiceShy: It appears Faleen has felt the same for him all along, because when you approach her with the [[spoiler:poem]], it turns out she has a [[spoiler:love letter]] for him on her person, and she finally musters the courage to have it sent to him by that point.
* UngratefulBastard: Even after you kill Nimhe for him, collect the journals of the missing archaeological team, and help him with his love problems, he still refuses to [[spoiler:let you use his Falmer translator to translate an important document in the Thieves' Guild questline, so you have no choice but to do it in an illegal way. However, this is justified, as his Falmer translator is his life's work (and being an elf, that is a ''very'' long time), and he can't risk somebody else stealing his research. Why there's no option for you to ''ask him to do it for you'', however, remains a mystery.]]

[[folder:Aicantar]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Jon Curry (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Matrosov (Russian)[[/note]]

Calcelmo's nephew and assistant, and an obstacle to you translating Gallus' journal for the Thieves' Guild.

* GadgeteerGenius: Manages to reassemble and control a broken Dwarven spider, which you can sic on some guards in one quest.
* NiceGuy: Outside of the Thieves' Guild questline, he's always polite and friendly to the Dragonborn whenever they stop in to see his uncle.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: He'll confront you in Calcelmo's lab while you're [[spoiler:using the Falmer translator, and will be hostile on sight. Some players, however, find him so sweet that they choose to skip fighting by going immediately into the next room. After you finish the quest, he'll go back to his usual duties and won't remember you breaking in.]]

[[folder:Degaine]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/WilliamSalyers (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Dmitry Tarnover (Russian)[[/note]]

A Breton beggar and former smelter worker.

* CareerEndingInjury: Suffered ''some'' sort of injury that left him unfit to work at the smelter. As for the details, Degaine seems to make up new stories on a regular basis.
* DirtyOldMan: He was reportedly kicked out of the Temple of Dibella, with his tone when asked about the event suggesting that he wasn't there for the worship. He also gives you a miscellaneous quest to steal a statue of Dibella for the temple, again with the implications that he's going to be using it for less-than-savory purposes.
* EntitledBastard: Unlike every other beggar, who at least attempts to garner your pity, he basically tells you to throw money at him because he's a beggar that needs it more than you.
* {{Jerkass}}: While most beggars thank you for your kindness if you give them money, Degaine basically takes your coin and tells you to piss off. He's also a habitual liar and a sleazebag to boot.
* PetTheDog: Stealing the statue of Dibella for him makes him a little bit nicer to you. Incidentally, this also makes him [[KickTheSonOfABitch a prime candidate for feeding the Ebony Blade]], especially since completing "No One Escapes Cidhna Mine" also erases your bounty in the Reach.

[[folder:Eltrys]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JasonMarsden (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Anton Kolesnikov (Russian)[[/note]]

A Breton living in Markath who recruits the Dragonborn's help to investigate a conspiracy involving the Forsworn.

* FacialMarkings: Not immediately apparent, due to him mostly staying in a dark area, but he has [[http://images.uesp.net//c/cc/SR-npc-Eltrys.jpg tattoos all over his face]].
* DisappearedDad: He was only a boy when his father died. [[spoiler:Tragically, Eltrys himself becomes this trope when he is killed by the city's guards; earlier in the quest chain, he off-handedly mentions that his wife is pregnant, meaning that his child will become SomeoneToRememberHimBy.]]
* FreudianExcuse: A discussion with him will reveal his father was killed in the conspiracy when he was a child. He has been haunted by this ever since, leading to his obsession with figuring out why his father died.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Thonar's corrupt guards eventually find out about his investigation and kill him to cover up the conspiracy.]]
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Not that it helps him, sadly, but some players exhibit this toward his wife, Rhiada. She is in the same room as Betrid Silver-Blood when Betrid is attacked. Due to her pregnancy, quite a few players reverse-pickpocket a stronger weapon on her, to help her so she doesn't die.

[[folder:Faleen]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ClaudiaChristian (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Ramilya Iskander (Russian)[[/note]]

Jarl Igmund's Redguard Housecarl, who previously served his father.

%%zce* AmazonianBeauty: Calcelmo certainly thinks so.
* CulturedBadass: She's a skilled warrior who has a weak spot for poetry.
* HypercompetentSidekick: To Igmund. She's probably half the reason why he is still in power by the time the game starts. The other half is probably his uncle and steward, Raerek.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Calcelmo's hundreds of years older than she is and - being an elf - will almost certainly outlive her.
%%zce* UndyingLoyalty: To Igmund, and his father before him.

[[folder:Coven of Namira]]
A coven of Namira worshippers who are all cannibals. Several are residents of Markarth, keeping their eating habits and worship a secret.

* DarkSecret: They tend to want to keep their habits secret from the general populace, shushing the Dragonborn should they bring it up.
* ImAHumanitarian: They are all cannibals, eating human flesh willingly.
* TheyLookJustLikeAnyoneElse: despite being cannibals, it would be hard to tell without seeing it in action. Members include [[spoiler:Banning, a male Breton dog breeder outside the local stables; Lisbet, a female Nord food vendor; and Hogni Red-Arm, a male Nord food merchant]], all found around Markarth.

[[folder:The Forsworn]]
->''"The Reach will be ours again!"''

A group that operate primarily in the Reach. They are mostly composed of Reachmen, the original inhabitants of the Reach descended from Nords and Bretons living on the border between Skyrim and High Rock. This has given rise to the claim the territory is theirs by right and they have a long history of bloody conflict with the local Nords over control of the Hold. Several years before the events of ''Skyrim'', they actually managed to take control of Markarth, only to be brutally overthrown by Nord militia led by Ulfric Stormcloak in what became known as the infamous Markarth Incident. Despite this brutal loss, the Forsworn are still determined to take back what they believe is rightfully theirs, and have begun consorting with Hagravens to become powerful mage-warriors known as Briarhearts.

* AttackAttackRetreatRetreat: It's not uncommon to see Forsworn running at you yelling battle cries only to immediately turn tail and run when you loose an atronach or a zombie on them.
* AxeCrazy: They are perceived as this by most people due to their aggressive behaviour and RapePillageAndBurn actions. One of the in-game books mentions that they sometimes attack people and slaughter them, without bothering to steal any goods from them.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: It's not clear if they're doing it out of bloodlust or for some foul occult purpose, but their lairs are absolutely ''littered'' with butchered animals and tortured Spriggans.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: Can be either this or GrayAndGreyMorality depending on which of them you take in account. The Forsworn as a whole definitely are brutal, vicious, and cruel bandits and implied Daedra-worshipers who cause violence in the Reach, but it's mentioned that several of their members started out as innocents and ended up joining them in the first place because of the brutal and unfair Nord retribution after Ulfric took back Markarth. And that's excluding the corruption of the Silver-Blood family.
* BoomerangBigot: Their hatred of the Nords, as they are historically descended from both Bretons ''and'' Nords.
* DealWithTheDevil: The ritual used to turn a Forsworn into a Briarheart gives them greater combat skill, but robs them of their free will.
* DualWielding: Most of them favour this.
* EliteMooks: The Briarhearts.
* FailedASpotCheck: Many of their hideouts are in ancient Nordic ruins that have been around for thousands of years, yet they think that they have the stronger claim of being native.
* FantasticRacism: Particularly toward Nords, whom they see as oppressive invaders, though they really don't care for anyone who isn't pledged to their cause.
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Several [=NPCs=] (as well as, potentially, '''the Dragonborn''') admonish them for using what the Nords did to them as their excuse to slaughter people indiscriminately.
* GenuineHumanHide: The dialogues heavily imply their armors are at least partially made from the tanned skins of the people they have killed.
* GlassCannon: Their light armors made of skin, fur and bones offer very little resistance, since they favor DualWielding, most of them can't block, and their most powerful warriors have a LogicalWeakness that makes them very easy to kill in certain circumstances. However, they move very fast, and that same DualWielding means that even their weaker units can inflict insane amount of damage. Many of them are powerful spellcasters besides.
** Speaking in terms of magic damage however this isn't always the case, as higher level types of Forsworn have innate magic resistance.
* HatesEveryoneEqually: If you're not Forsworn, then the Forsworn hate you.
* {{Hypocrite}}: The Nords of the Reach in the past committed atrocities against them, and the Stormcloaks were apparently ruthless and indiscriminate in their reprisals when they finally took back the Reach from Forsworn control. But the Forsworn of the present attack and slaughter basically anybody unlucky enough to be caught on the roads by them, whether these people themselves are innocent or not.
* IAmAHumanitarian: Although never outright stated, it is heavily implied that at least some of them are cannibals.
* LiteralChangeOfHeart: The Briarhearts, Forsworn chieftains who have had their hearts magically replaced with Briarheart seeds by Hagravens.
* LogicalWeakness: Since Briarhearts gain their enhanced powers through replacement of their heart by enchanted Briarheart, ripping the Briarheart from their chest ([[DevelopersForesight with Pickpocket]]) instantly kills them.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Directed at them. Many non-Forsworn Reachmen are as fed up with their antics as the Nords are.
* OmnicidalNeutral: They are hostile to the empire, the Stormcloaks, the Blades, the Thalmor, the Orc strongholds, other Reachmen who don't support their cause, and random bystanders not affiliated with any of those factions.
* RapePillageAndBurn: It doesn't matter if a person is a Nord or not. To the Forsworn, if a person is not a "Reachman", they are trespassers who deserve utter destruction.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Their armors leave most males shirtless, and females with... a lot of skin visible.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: In their eyes, they are fighting to take back their homeland. The fact that they have slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent men, women, and children doesn't matter to them.
* WrittenByTheVictors: Played with. One of the books you can find dotted about Skyrim, ''The Bear Of Markarth'', invokes this trope; it is a serious defense of the Forsworn, and attempts to justify their rightful historical claim to the Reach while presenting the Nords involved as brutal oppressors. The author in question, however, has a vested interested in demonizing the Stormcloaks, given his position as an Imperial scholar. This leaves most of the book's contents questionable at best; none of the claims it makes align with the Forsworn's behavior, nor with the cultural history outlined in books like ''The Legend Of Red Eagle''.

[[folder:Ghost of Old Hroldan]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Craig Sechler (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Burunov (Russian)[[/note]]

The ghost of a warrior that haunts the Old Hroldan Inn, and seems to have been a companion to Tiber Septim in his early days.

* GhostlyGoals: His ghost is restless due to "Hjalti" (aka Tiber Septim) apparently promising to grant him his sword after a battle as a sign that they were sworn brothers. For some unstated reason - though it's strongly implied that the warrior died before or during the battle in question - this never happened. After mistaking the Dragonborn for Hjalti (due to both being Dragonborn), he begs them to find the sword and fulfill this oath.
-->'''Ghost:''' Even after the enemies' arrows dug into my chest and their hammers crushed my bones. I've waited.
* GoIntoTheLight: After thousands of years of waiting, receiving Hjalti's sword finally releases his soul to do this.
* HauntedHouse: His presence technically makes the Old Hroldan Inn this. However, the way the inn's owner reacts to seeing him seems to indicate that it's the presence of the Dragonborn which causes him to appear.
* MistakenIdentity: Perhaps because the Player Character and "Hjalti" were both Dragonborn, the Ghost believes the Last Dragonborn is Hjalti.

[[folder:Lash gra-Dushnikh]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/DianeSalinger (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Elena Morozova (Russian)[[/note]]

An Orc miner from the Dushnikh-Yal stronghold that works in Sanuarach Mine in Karthwasten.

* AnArmAndALeg: She threatens Belchimac with this when he complains about Orc cleanliness in her presence.
-->'''Belchimac:''' I don't like bunking with Orcs. It's not... clean.\\
'''Lash:''' If you want me to leave, you could challenge me to a fight. I promise to stop once you've lost an arm.\\
'''Belchimac:''' [[VerbalBackpedaling What I meant to say was]]... I love having an Orc here in the barracks. They're so... pleasant.
* CulturalRebel: She left her stronghold for unspecified reasons, and this causes her mother to disown her.
* IHaveNoSon: Her mother Gharol sends her a sword, to show Lash that she's no longer welcome back at Dushnikh-Yal.
* InterspeciesRomance: She seems to have a crush on fellow miner Ragnar, a Nord, and he seemingly returns it, judging by their conversations.
* YouAreACreditToYourRace: Amusingly, she and Ragnar both compliment each other in this fashion.

[[folder:Madanach]]
[[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/madanach_forsworn_9626.png]]
-> '''Voiced by:''' Stephen Russell (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Eugene Waltz (Russian)[[/note]]

The King in Rags, leader of the Forsworn.

* AffablyEvil: The Forsworn aren't exactly paragons of virtue, but Madanach is personable enough.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The leader of the Forsworn proves himself quite the powerful mage if you help him escape the mine (or try to off him inside it).
* BoxedCrook: Thonar keeps him alive in prison instead of executing him so he can use Madanach's Forsworn as his personal assassins. Thonar doesn't have nearly as much control over Madanach as he believes, though.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Even if [[spoiler:you help him escape]], Forsworn will still attack you, with a few exceptions. Could be a bit of RealityIsUnrealistic; Forsworn are under orders to attack everyone on the roads on sight. Even if Madanach were to make an exception for you, he likely wouldn't have a way to communicate it quickly to his scattered people or provide them with an effective means of determining your identity. The one camp where they don't attack you after his release is the one where he is personally staying.
* FightingForAHomeland: High Rock and Skyrim have fought over the Reach in the past, but Madanach wants to see it independent.
* GoodOldWays: From his point of view, anyway. Like all Forsworn, he worships the unidentified "old gods" (which are implied in various NPC dialogue to be the Daedric Princes) rather than the Nine Divines.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: There's a reason he's called "the King in Rags".
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:One way to resolve the quest. Instead of killing the prisoner he wants killed and helping everyone escape, you can kill ''him'' - you have no weapons, but you have your Shouts and magic spells as well as fists - and then loot the key from his body and escape on your own.]]
* KnightTemplar: Madanach talks a lot about the "injustice" of The Reach, but he's hardly a saint himself.
%% * LargeHam
* LuxuryPrisonSuite: By the standards of Cidhna Mine, at least. He not only has his own private cave with a personal bodyguard, it includes a bed and desk, drawers filled with books and paper and ink; he also apparently does not have to do any labor in the mine. By contrast, everyone else has to sleep on the ground and mine silver all day long.
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: Despite being a prisoner of Cidhna Mine, Madanach is still capable of coordinating the Forsworn, a fact which Thonar exploits for his own ends.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Argues this when you've been [[spoiler:unjustly arrested in Markarth]]. It's more poignant when you're a Nord.
* RebelLeader: For the Forsworn.
* RedBaron: The King in Rags.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: While he claims that his ultimate goal is peace once the Reach gains independence, he's not overly concerned about who has to die to accomplish that, and he ''hates'' the Nords. He does make an exception for a Nord Dragonborn, though, if only because he [[spoiler:needs help getting out of Cidhna Mine]]. [[DudeWheresMyRespect Granted, that won't protect you from all future attacks]], but that's true regardless of race.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness:
** Says this about Grisvar the Unlucky, whom he tells the player to kill as a test of loyalty.
** He also essentially says this to ''you'', if you [[spoiler:help him and his men escape]]. He and the Forsworn stationed at his camp won't be hostile to you, but Madanach does pretty much tell you before he runs off that his allegiance with you is basically done.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The Dragonborn can hear the Forsworn's side of the story of the Reach from him.

[[folder:Margret]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delany (English)

A Nord woman who claims she is visiting Markarth to buy jewelry for her sister. She plays a role in “The Forsworn Conspiracy” quest.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: If you rescue her, she will thank you by giving you a necklace.
* InTheBack: If successful, Weylin kills her by stabbing her in the back.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: Potentially. When the Dragonborn first enters Markarth, Weylin attempts to kill Margret. Her death can trigger “The Forsworn Conspiracy” quest, but you can save her and the quest will still start.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: If you rescue her, after you talk to her in the Silver-Blood Inn and [[spoiler:discover she is a spy]], she talks about leaving Markarth [[spoiler:even though she did not successfully complete her assignment]]. She does disappear from the inn after a while, apparently making good on this.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: The ability to save her from Weylin’s attack certainly qualifies as this.
* WalkingSpoiler: She is actually [[spoiler:a spy sent by General Tullius to investigate the treasury house and the Silver-Blood family.]]

[[folder:Melka]]
One of two Hagravens residing in Blind Cliff Cave, she was betrayed by the other one, named Petra, and locked away. She recruits the Dragonborn to free her and help reclaim her tower, and rewards them with her unique staff afterward.

* AffablyEvil: Granted, she ''is'' a Hagraven and likely has done some nasty things, but she at least tries to be friendly and make small talk while you help her out and actually keeps her word to reward you instead of betraying you like you might expect.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel (for a certain definition of "good") to Petra's Cain, as she calls Petra her sister after she's killed.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: Mentions that she collects ''eyeballs'' in post-quest dialogue.
* FailedASpotCheck: She does ''not'' have a great track record when it comes to discerning the player's race: if the Dragonborn is a Khajiit or Argonian, she thinks they're an Orc; any other race, and she thinks they're a Breton.
* TechnicolorToxin: {{Discussed|Trope}}. She describes poisons as "pretty".
* TrapMaster: {{Justified|Trope}}. It's her tower, so of course she knows exactly how all the traps function and are overcome, which she will share with the Dragonborn as they traverse it.

[[folder:Muiri]]
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muiri_5757.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Corri English (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Daria Frolova (Russian)[[/note]]

A young Breton girl working for the Markarth apothecary. Despite her innocent demeanor, she experienced a tragic past, causing her to become obsessed with revenge. She's obsessed to the point of summoning the Dark Brotherhood to carry it out.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: If the Dragonborn kills both Alain and Nilsine, her dialogue indicates she falls for them, and she becomes a marriage option.
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:She lived in Windhelm and was good friends with the well-known Clan Shatter-Shield. When one of said family's daughters was killed by The Butcher, Muiri was comforted by a man called Alain Dufont. It turns out that Alain only used Muiri to get to the Shatter-Shields and rob them. The Shatter-Shields blamed Muiri for this robbery and effectively banished her from Windhelm, taking away the life she built there.]]
* BrokenBird: She presumably used to be a nicer person, until [[spoiler:Alain Dufont happened and Clan Shatter-Shield wanted nothing more to do with her]]. Now she's broken enough to [[spoiler:put out a hit on one of the people in the family she was once friends with]].
* DudeMagnet: She notes the men in the city won’t leave her alone.
* MiscarriageOfJustice: [[spoiler:The victim of a {{frameup}} that ruined her relationship with Clan Shatter-Shield.]]
* SheWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:Also puts the innocent Nilsine Shatter-Shield on the murder contract, just to make the family matron Tova feel rotten. This results in Tova's suicide, and the Shatter-Shield patriarch to fall into a deep depression.]]

[[folder:Nepos the Nose]]
->'''Voiced by:''' George Coe (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Mikhailov (Russian)[[/note]]

An old and rich Reachman living in Markath. Secretly a Forsworn escapee from the Nord purge and an agent of Madanach while he is in Cidhna Mine.

* AffablyEvil: When you track back to him, he congratulates you for your success, answers every question you ask, then politely informs you he can't let you get out alive.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Tries to pull this on you, and is implied to have done it many times before.
* IgnoredEpiphany: His journal reveals that he genuinely feels guilt for sending so many young men to their deaths in the terrorist acts he accomplishes under Madanach's orders, but he apparently thinks he has gone too far to stop now.
* JustFollowingOrders: His reasoning for handing out Madanach's orders and sending people to their deaths.
--> '''Nepos:''' I don't know how, but he lives. I get his messages, and I hand out his orders without question.
* SunkCostFallacy: He knows he's wasted time, money, and lives on Madanach's rebellion, but he says that that isn't a reason to stop. He tries to explain that to stop now would be a bigger waste; see the above IgnoredEpiphany. The Dragonborn will almost certainly kill him for it.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He clearly underestimates the Dragonborn.
* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:He hasn't seen Madanach in decades, but he still calls him his king and carries out all his orders without question. It is rather disconcerting hearing him talk about his master and gives you an idea just how fanatical the Forsworn are. He even lampshades it himself.]]

[[folder:Raerek]]
->'''Voiced by:''' George Coe (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Mikhailov (Russian)[[/note]]

Jarl Igmund's steward is also his uncle.
----
* {{Blackmail}}: He is secretly a Talos worshiper. If you join the Stormcloak war effort, you will be sent to blackmail him with this information and obtain some valuable intel.
* CoolOldGuy
* HypercompetentSidekick: Far more competent than Igmund himself. His concerns regarding the Silver-Blood family in particular are completely justified.

[[folder:Thonar Silver-Blood]]
[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thonar_silver-blood_6597.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Christian Svensson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Taragin (Russian)[[/note]]

A member of the corrupt Silver-Blood family who runs Markarth's Treasury House.

* ArcVillain: Of the short Forsworn questline consisting of the "Forsworn Conspiracy" and [[spoiler:"No One Escapes Cidhna Mine"]] quests.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: He mentions that he used Madanach to get rid of "competitors, agents, idiots".
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:If you side with the Forsworn during "No One Escapes Cidhna Mine," he'll show up personally with a contingent of guards to confront the escapees. Given that the Forsworn and the guards at his back are all much more durable than he is and that [[TooDumbToLive he stands right at the front]], he'll almost certainly be the first to die, with no sympathy spared.]]
* BigBadDuumvirate: With his brother, Thongvor. Thonar runs the family business and Thongvar concentrates on politics.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: As far as he's concerned, hiring mercenaries to hound his competitors and forcing criminals to mine for him for the rest of their lives is perfectly fine if he gets more silver out of it.
* {{Jerkass}}: He doesn't try to put on any pretense of being likable or caring about anything other than money.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:A possible outcome of the Forsworn questline. The player can kill Madanach, after which Thonar will thank and pardon you, but still continue with his corrupt activities.]] Still, not a complete Houdini with the KickTheSonOfABitch aspect taken into account. That being said, [[spoiler:he immediately loses his essential status at the end of the mission and he greets you in a place with no guards. You can immediately go into sneak mode and kill him with a handful of arrows before the guards notice.]]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:A possible outcome of the Forsworn questline. The player can ally with Madanach and help him escape, after which they and the other prisoners attack and (probably) kill Thonar. He gets slain by the people he tried to seal away.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He loses his wife in a Forsworn attack on his own treasury. Even if you choose the sympathetic "I'm sorry" response, he's savvy enough to know he's an asshole and doesn't believe you. You can also basically invoke the trope by telling him "You deserved this."
* LaserGuidedKarma: Of course, there's nothing stopping you from [[PayEvilUntoEvil murdering him]] after the quest is done, since he's no longer tagged as essential. A particularly delicious way is to enter stealth and shoot him in the back with a [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Forsworn arrow]], making it appear as if he was yet another victim in the string of assassinations carried out by the "Forsworn".
** You can also cast Frenzy on him, having the [[DirtyCop corrupt guards that do his bidding]] kill him, instead.
** If you take his route out of Cidhna Mine (killing the Forsworn present and escaping), then he conveniently becomes a connection to you. A connection you can sacrifice to empower the Ebony Blade. Possibly one of the few times a player will feel glee at hearing "Excellent work, my child~".
* MealTicket: To his wife, Betrid, who proudly boasts of being a GoldDigger.
* SmugSnake: Much like Maven Black-Briar, and admittedly it's not entirely unreasonable as he's been keeping up a rather impressive operation with only a ''very'' few key players knowing (unlike Maven, who is rather open and direct about who's really in charge of Riften) for twenty years now. It's entirely probable that even his brother doesn't know what he's been doing. Thonar believes he has fully cowed Madanach and has the Forsworn completely under his thumb: even Madanach admits it wasn't until around the time of "The Forsworn Conspiracy" that the Forsworn had finally built up the resources to finally make their move against him. Thonar is later brutally proven wrong when Forsworn agents in his own house murder his wife and try to kill him too.
* TrophyWife: Probably Betrid; she looks to be younger than him by a fair bit. Despite this, he seems genuinely grief-stricken by her death.

[[folder:Red Eagle]]
A famous Reachman hero from back when the Reach wasn't controlled by the Nords. He led the Reachmen's resistance against the Empire when they invaded Tamriel, and was the first Briarheart.

* TheChosenOne: A weird subversion; he was supposed to become this according to a prophecy, which stated he would unite the ten kings ruling the Reach. However, [[OutsideContextProblem the Empire]] arrived and invaded the Reach, killing or bribing the ten kings and ruining all his chances to fulfill the prophecy.
* CoolSword: Red Eagle's Fury (or Red Eagle's Bane in its true form), his weapon, also serves as the key to his tomb.
* DealWithTheDevil: He made one with a Hagraven; in exchange for sacrificing his heart, his will, and his humanity, he gained incredible powers and became a pitiless spirit of vengeance. It was this deal that inspired the Briarheart.
* FlamingSword: Regardless of which version of the sword you have on you, it has a fire damage enchantment on it. [[spoiler:When you fight him, he's packing a fire-enchanted {{BFS}}.]]
* FullFrontalAssault: It was said that he made his LastStand "robed in nothing but his righteous fury".
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: [[spoiler:He appears as a regular Draugr boss in-game - complete with [[MakeMeWannaShout dragon Shouts]] - despite his backstory having nothing to do with the Dragon Cult. At high levels, he may even spawn as a Dragon Priest, which is even worse]].
* MeaningfulName: His birth name, Faolan, is a mix of this and LineOfSightName. It translates as 'red eagle,' and according to ''The Legend of Red Eagle,'' he was named for the cry of an eagle that was heard when he was born and the fact that it was autumn and the trees were covered in red leaves.
* LastStand: As mentioned above, he confronted the Imperial Legion on his own with nothing but his sword in the final battle, and managed to slaughter a thousand of them before dying.
* OneManArmy: While alive, he managed to kick the Imperial Legion out of the Reach, and even though they came back and eventually defeated him, he managed to slaughter a thousand enemies before dying.
* TheParagon: Seen as this by the Forsworn.

!People of The Rift
The Rift is in the southeastern corner of the province, and features a massive plateau with a perpetually autumnal aspen forest. Steep cliffs and mountains seperate it from the rest of the world and the rich soil and temperate climate allow good farming and fishing which sustains the hold's strong economy. Its capital is the crime-ridden Riften, home of the provincial chapter of the Thieves' Guild; notable features of the city include the central market square, the Black-Briar Meadery, and a labyrinth of sewers used as a refuge by the impoverished and outlawed known as the Ratway. Its banner is a pair of crossed swords on a purple background. Its Jarl is the Stormcloak-aligned Laila Law-Giver... supposedly, as in truth the amount of influence she actually has over the goings-on of her hold is debatable.

[[folder:Brand-Shei (Brandyl Telvanni)]]
[[quoteright:259:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brend-shei_4027.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSzarabajka (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Vladislav Kopp (Russian)[[/note]]

One of the merchants in Riften marketplace. Seemingly the first target of the Thieves' Guild (though you can [[GuideDangIt fail it on purpose]]).

* AerithAndBob: You can comment on him having weird name for a Dark Elf, though there is a very good reason for it.
%%* DeadpanSnarker
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: A walking example if the ''Dragonborn'' DLC has been installed. [[spoiler:He's one of the last surviving members of House Telvanni. If the Dragonborn completes Master Neloth's quests, they are made an honorary member of the same house. Unfortunately, there's no option at any point to tell Brand-Shei about this, or make any sort of offer to introduce him to Neloth.]] Even without the ''Dragonborn'' DLC, [[spoiler:Brelyna Maryon of the College of Winterhold is also a member of House Telvanni, and given that she's a potential spouse, it's possible for the Dragonborn themselves to be a member of House Telvanni by marriage.]]
** In the first quest for the ThievesGuild questline, you are told that framing him would only put him in jail for a few days - but Bethesda never programmed a time frame for him to be released so he'll stay in prison indefinitely. However, you can subvert sending him to jail in the first place by simply dropping the ring you are asked to plant on him. You can then tell your guild contact that you "lost it;" naturally, he assumes you were pickpocketed like a chump.
* GoodParents: He was raised by a kindly Argonian couple. Just so we're clear, this is the Dunmer and Argonians we're talking about -- two races known for [[FantasticRacism their animosity toward each other]].[[labelnote:Context]]In the backstory, the Dunmer enslaved the Argonians; following the events of ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'', the Argonians revolted and took over much of the Dunmer's homeland.[[/labelnote]] This makes Brand-Shei's adoptive parents one of the best examples of this trope ''ever''.
* HappilyAdopted: His backstory.
* NiceGuy: Snarks aside, he easily is one of the nicest merchants in Riften, especially compared to [[JerkAss Grelka]]. He politely salutes you whenever you pass close to his shop, gladly explains his origins to you, and is very grateful when you help him recover a clue about said origins.
-->'''Brand-Shei:''' I really appreciate what you've done for me. I'll never forget it.
* OrphansPlotTrinket: The journal you can find for him.
* RaisedByNatives: Raised by Argonians.
* SecretLegacy: He's actually one of last surviving members of House Telvanni.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: With Brynjolf in the starting Thieves' Guild quest.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: The first Thieves' Guild mission has you frame him for stealing, which leaves him in jail for the rest of the game. But if you prefer, you can drop the ring that you were supposed to place on him; he never gets arrested, and you still get into the guild.

[[folder:Chief Yamarz]]
[[quoteright:263:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chiefyamarz_8011.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]

Chieftain of the Orcs at Largashbur. His tribe has recently been besieged by giants sensing weakness in them, and they worry that Malacath has turned his sight from them.

* AssholeVictim: He either dies when he foolishly tries to fight the giant leader himself or does so when he tries to kill the Dragonborn to cover up the truth. Either way, he certainly had it coming.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: As per usual with orcs, the chieftain proves he's worthy of his position by being a great warrior. The problem for this particular tribe is that Yamarz very, very much isn't.
* BoisterousWeakling: He talks a big game and if you make him fight the giant leader himself, he claims that it'll only take a second. [[MegatonPunch He's not wrong about that last part.]]
* CurbStompBattle: If you talk him into fighting the leader of the giants himself, he's summarily crushed.
* DirtyCoward: In very sharp contrast to most Orcs. When challenged to defeat the leader of the giants by Malacath, he immediately demands your help in the task; since he was only told to kill the leader, he wants you to kill the rest. On the trip through the cave to said leader, he pointedly flees from the giants, and once you actually get to the leader, he tries to bribe you to kill it and let him take the credit.
* JerkAss: Even ''before'' you learn he is a DirtyCoward and an UngratefulBastard, you will most likely already find him unsympathetic due to him being rude and xenophobic toward you.
* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: The player has the option of telling his tribe that he faced his death with honor and courage. However, even if they do this, Malacath will speak up and tell them the truth: that Yamarz was "a coward and a weakling."
* NoTrueScotsman: He will express this opinion toward an Orc Dragonborn, whom he will call a "filthy city Orc". Ironically enough, this trope is what Malacath thinks of ''him''.
-->'''Malacath:''' You don't deserve to call yourself an Orc! You're weak, you're small, and you're an embarrassment!
* TooDumbToLive: Besides the fact that he tries to off you after you just killed the giant he was too cowardly to face himself, does he really think he can put one over on a ''Daedric Prince'' who cursed his tribe in the first place because he knew Yamarz was a wimp?
* UngratefulBastard: Even though you make efforts to help him and his tribe to get rid of their curse, not only does he keep acting rude toward you all along, but he also tries to pull a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on you.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: If you agree to kill the Giant for him, he will try to kill you immediately after you are done to ensure you won't tell the truth.

[[folder:Froki Whetted-Blade]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/{{Jim Cummings|1952}} (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Kuznetsov (Russian)[[/note]]

An elderly hunter who worships the old Nordic goddess Kyne. Notable for being the grandfather of Haming, the child Hadvar rescues during Alduin's attack on Helgen, who lives with him now.

* GreatWhiteHunter: For religious reasons, out of respect for Kyne's animals.
* GrumpyOldMan: Stemming from how city Nords now worship the Nine Divines, which he believes are "stolen idols" and watered down versions of the Nordic pantheon.
* TheMissionary: Judging by his reaction when he first sees you, he really does not like these.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: His son, Haming's father, is killed during the dragon attack in the prologue.
* ScrewPolitenessIAmASenior: Upon seeing you, he insults you, believing you have come to tell him about the Nine Divines. He warms up if you tell him you don't believe in the Divines.

[[folder:Grelka]]
[[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grelka2.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AprilStewart (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Inna Koroleva (Russian)[[/note]]

A rather unlikable Nord armor merchant working in the Riften marketplace.

* FantasticRacism: If you visit Haelga's Bunkhouse while she is there, you can hear a conversation in which she insults Madesi and clearly expresses her dislike of Argonians.
** GameplayAndStorySegregation: Nothing is stopping you from marrying her as an Argonian in the Special Edition, though.
* JerkAss: Basically tells you to just buy something or leave whenever you try to engage conversation with her. Also, see FantasticRacism above.
* MissingSecret: Looking in the game's code reveals that Grelka was intended to be a potential spouse; but because she doesn't offer any quests, it's impossible to raise her disposition towards you and she never becomes available for marriage, barring mods or using console commands to make her like you.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: This is her motivation; she wants to get as much money as possible so she can leave Skyrim. Considering the country is in the middle of a Civil War, dragons are coming, and she lives in a WretchedHive to boot, you can hardly blame her. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation However, no matter how much gold you personally spend at her stall, she never actually leaves, nor does fixing any of those things lessen her desire to go.]]

[[folder:Grelod the Kind]]
[[quoteright:209:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20120123125459grelod_the_kind_7436.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Diane Michelle (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Marina Bakina (Russian)[[/note]]

Manager of Honorhall Orphanage and the target of Aventus Arentino's Black Sacrament.

* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: The reaction to her death.
** With one notable exception: Constance Michel, who never endorsed Grelod's cruelty but defended Grelod, saying she's old and has no other life. Constance's reaction to Grelod's death is to panic at the thought of someone being murdered in cold blood, but everyone ''else'' engages in much rejoicing.
** Played with via the Hold Guards. Those outside of Riften, who didn't know Grelod personally, consider the news to be that of the tragic murder of an elderly woman. Hold Guards ''inside'' Riften, however, consider her such an AssholeVictim that they don't bother to arrest you, even if they see you leave the orphanage on the day she was killed.
* AssholeVictim: When she's killed, the children ''cheer'', and her more kind-hearted assistant is more shocked by how blatant and abrupt the murder was than by the fact that it happened at all. You don't even get a bounty for killing her and everybody in town just rolls with it, because everyone agrees that she was a horrible person. Considering [[WretchedHive what Riften is like]], this says a ''lot'' about her.
** This even extends into Astrid's opinion of her, since she outright says that the "old crone had it coming".
* ChildHater: To put it mildly. When you visit the orphanage for the first time, she's in the middle of telling the children that she'll never let them be adopted and if they don't work hard enough, they'll get an ''extra'' beating. Then she demands that they tell her they love her. She even has a cell in the orphanage with shackles on the wall.
* DefiantToTheEnd: To give her credit, she can face her death apathetically and fearlessly if the Dragonborn tells her that they are part of the ''Dark Brotherhood'' or saying they are here on [[GiveMyRegardsInTheNextWorld Arentino's behest]].
* EvilOldFolks: Her treatment of the children at her orphanage should be proof enough. Even the Riften guards think so, and will let you off the hook for killing her simply because they agree that she had it coming.
* EvilOrphanageLady: To an extreme: starving and beating children, locking them in shackles, constantly telling them how worthless they are, refusing to let anyone adopt them, [[InsaneTrollLogic complaining that nobody's adopting them...]]
* {{Expy}}: Shows similarities to Miss Hannigan from ''Theatre/{{Annie}}''.
* FantasticRacism: She carries a book titled ''The Pig Children,'' which is all about how horrible Orcs are.
* HateSink: The first thing you hear when you enter the orphanage is her warning the kids that if they shirk their chores, they'll get an ''extra'' beating. She is obviously designed to be a cruel, hateful, awful creature, so you can kill her without feeling a shred of remorse.
* IllPretendIDidntHearThat: Some of the guards in Riften are happy to tell you that they saw you walk out of the orphanage on the day she was murdered, but won't arrest you for it. Yes, even if you walk up to her in full view of the children and breath fire in her face using a Shout! (One of the guards will even call you a Greybeard for it.)
* IronicNickname: She's called "the Kind", but is anything but. Even adults know that it's a complete lie.
* {{Jerkass}}: If spending your days verbally and physically abusing children doesn't make you this, then what does?
* KarmicDeath: One of the ways to kill her is to use a fear spell to chase her out of the orphanage. There, Edda the beggar will, suddenly, kill her instead. The only explanation for this is the possibility that Edda grew up in Grelod's [[SarcasmMode "care"]] before being thrown out into the streets of Riften.
** Although this is likely just a coincidence caused by the game mechanics: befriended [=NPCs=] tend to assist the Dragonborn in combat and beggars such as Edda were the easiest to befriend (you just need to give them a septim once).
* OneHitPointWonder: Since she's an old lady, she's not exactly tough. Grelod is so weak that the first word of the Unrelenting Force shout, which doesn't do any damage and just pushes your enemy back a bit, kills her outright.
* PaperTiger: She's shamelessly abrasive to anyone who has the misfortune of speaking to her, and she physically abuses the children in her care. She also has the lowest amount of health and will die in one strike.

[[folder:Haelga]]
[[quoteright:216:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haelga_6109.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Susan Eisenburg (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Olga Kuznetsova (Russian)[[/note]]

The owner of the bunkhouse in Riften, which houses many of the city's residents.

* {{Expy}}: Of Mirabelle Monet, a rude innkeeper from Anvil in ''Oblivion'' who also [[ReallyGetsAround really got around]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Even if you haven't done anything to make her dislike you, she will frequently tell you that you are ''not'' welcome in her Bunkhouse, since she only allows workers and not travelers or adventurers to be there. She is also mentioned to be abrasive toward her niece, Svana.
* JerkassHasAPoint: If you stick long enough in the Bunkhouse, you might hear a dialogue between her and Svana revealing that Svana is in a flirting relationship with Sibbi Black-Briar. Haelga tells her niece rather cynically that Sibbi just wants to sleep with her. While it's mean to say such a thing, considering [[TheCasanova what we know]] of [[TheSociopath Sibbi]], she is almost certainly right.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: One of the missions required to join the Thieves' Guild includes collecting money for protection from various persons in Riften, her included. You will most likely not feel sorry when coming for her.
* {{Noodle Implement}}s: Poking around her bed shows that she has shackles attached to the wall, which is kinky but not this trope. However, ''under'' the bed you'll find some leather straps and a ''horker tusk''. A letter from one of her lovers also mentions her [[SexGoddess prowess in bed]] while wearing Daedric boots, which begs the question not only of what their purpose is but also where she acquired them in the first place.
* PetTheDog: If you give her one of the brochures from the Temple of Mara while doing that small sidequest for the priestess, Haelga acknowledges that she's more into the teachings of Dibella (and boy is she ever); but she'll accept the brochure nonetheless and even promises to read it with some slight interest. It's pretty much the closest thing to a pleasant conversation you can have with her.
* ReallyGetsAround: Much to her niece's disgust. A sidequest even involves collecting "Marks of Dibella" from the various men she slept with recently. Mentions from said men include her doing it in the stables and an implication that she might have [[SlippingAMickey drugged one of them]] so she could sleep with him (though it's left ambiguous if he is telling the truth or not). According to overworld conversations, she's even interested in ''[[LizardFolk Madesi.]]''

[[folder:Hofgrir Horse-Crusher]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Popeye Vogelsang (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Viktor Bakin (Russian)[[/note]]

Owner of the Riften Stables.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: You can brawl him, and after you defeat him, he becomes much friendlier and you can ride any of his horses for free.
* EmbarrassingNickname: It comes from a time when he was drunk and tried to ride a colt instead of a full-grown horse; he accidentally broke the colt's back. He has decided to no longer ride horses thanks to that.

[[folder:Ingun Black-Briar]]
[[quoteright:262:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ingun_8600.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Corri English (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Daria Frolova (Russian)[[/note]]

Daughter to [[TheDon Maven Black-Briar]] and part of the infamous family. She's easily the most personable of the bunch, but she still has her... issues.

* AffablyEvil: Aside from being a Black-Briar and an aspiring MasterPoisoner, Ingun is one of the most genuinely friendly people in Riften.
* TheApprentice: To Elgrim.
* DeathByIrony: The entire reason she likes alchemy - that the same ingredients that can be used to create, save or restore life can be used to kill or maim.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Double-subverted. While she bemoans her family's greed and decadence, it's because she feels that it's pointless, not because it's wrong. She feels that she was meant for more than they can offer. Considering her particular focus in alchemy, she could potentially be the ''most'' dangerous of them all.
* FetchQuest: She has one of the most long-spanning and exhausting fetch quests in the game, asking you to find 20 of each of three relatively rare alchemy ingredients - Nightshade, Deathbell, and Nirnroot. It's not so bad if you know where to look (Nightshade and Deathbell are plentiful in Morthal, and you can even raise them in your own gardens if you have ''Hearthfire'' installed), but still a lot harder than finding 20 Salt Piles would be. It's also worth noting that all three ingredients are used in deadly poisons...
* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: Ingun may share her appearance with Maven, but while Ingun is rather up-front about her more questionable quirks but is a decent person otherwise, Maven is just an asshole through and through.
* MadScientist: In the making.
* NiceGirl: Her creepier predilections aside, she is always very polite to you, pays well for your hard work, and even provides a renewable source of alchemy goods if you complete the quest, simply because of a sense of ''noblesse oblige''.
* NightmareFetishist: Her reasons for being interested in alchemy are... disturbing to say the least. She seems to have a thing for the morbid and macabre.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: She looks exactly like a young Maven. They even wear the same outfit, for Mara's sake.
* ToBeAMaster: Of alchemy.
* WellDoneDaughterGirl: Her other motivation. She wants to make her mother proud.

[[folder:Lu'ah Al-Skaven]]

A Redguard necromancer who has taken refuge in Ansilvund, the tomb of the legendary warriors Holgier and Fjori. She now plans to revive them and raise an army of Draugr to destroy both sides of the civil war.
----
* FlunkyBoss: She fights with Holgier and Fjori helping her. To win, you must defeat all three of them.
* FreudianExcuse: She's sworn vengeance against the Empire because her husband Saeel, an Imperial Legionaire, was killed during the Battle of the Red Ring.
* ILoveTheDead: Her biggest grief with the Empire is that they cremated her husband's remains instead of turning them over to her, so she couldn't reanimate him like she wanted. She's settled for channeling his spirit into Holgeir's decayed corpse instead.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Misses her dead husband and wants him back... and, being a necromancer, is entirely capable of doing just that, and then some.
* VillainHasAPoint: The reason why Lu'ah wants to cause this much death? Her husband died during the Thalmor siege on the Imperial City, and the Legion had his body cremated without her permission. She also sneers at the Stormcloaks since, while they talk big about overhrowing the Empire and its injustices, they did nothing to help Hammerfell in its own push for independence because it wasn't Skyrim's problem then. And while it is correct that the Civil War will lead to more death, it would be even worse if Lu'ah achieved her goal and caused both sides to be killed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Madesi]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Tim Blaney (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Stanislav Strelkov (Russian)[[/note]]

An Argonian merchant who sells jewelry in Riften. The first quest to join the Thieves' Guild involves stealing one of his rings and framing Brand-Shei for it. He can also give the Dragonborn a quest to collect materials for his jewelry.

* NiceGuy: He's always polite and rewards you well for his quest. Really, he rivals Brand-Shei as one of the nicest people in Riften.
* UnwittingPawn: The very first Thieves Guild quest has you steal one of his rings and plant it on Brand-Shei in order to frame the latter and "teach him a lesson."

[[folder:Maramal]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Jon Curry (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Matrosov (Russian)[[/note]]

A Redguard Priest in charge of the Temple of Mara in Riften. He is the one selling Amulets of Mara and arranging weddings, including, potentially, the Dragonborn's.

* BabiesEverAfter: According to dialogue you can overhear, his wife is pregnant with their first child.
* HappilyMarried: To Dinya Balu, one of the priestesses in the Temple.
* InterspeciesRomance: His wife is a Dark Elf.
* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: This usually is how most people in Riften react to his preaching. Obviously, it's not easy being the priest for a Divinity of Love in a WretchedHive.

[[folder:Maul]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Popeye Vogelsang (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Viktor Bakin (Russian)[[/note]]

Right-hand man of Maven Black-Briar and her primary enforcer on the street. His brother, Dirge, is the bouncer for the Ragged Flagon. Should Maven be named Jarl, Maul becomes her housecarl.

* ArmsAndArmorThemeNaming: "Maul" is more likely a nickname, or maybe a self-selected appellation, but he's still named after a weapon.
* TheDragon: To Maven Black-Briar.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: To maul is to wound by scratching and tearing. ''A'' maul is basically [[DropTheHammer a big ass hammer]].

[[folder:Romlyn Dreth]]
[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/romlyndreth.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSzarabajka (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Vladislav Kopp (Russian)[[/note]]

A Dark Elf working at the Black-Briar Meadery, who secretly steals mead to sell illegally in his own business.

* BlatantLies: "The Dreth family doesn't steal, Indaryn." Not only was his ancestor most likely a criminal, but he himself is smuggling Black-Briar mead to sell it cheaper and make profit for himself.
* ContinuityNod: He is a descendant of Valen Dreth, the JerkAss Dark Elf from the beginning of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. One of his conversations with innkeeper Keerava involves him narrating an exaggerated tale of his ancestor during the Oblivion Crisis.
* DenyingTheDeadParentsSins: Possibly; ''Oblivion'' clearly shows his ancestor Valen was a jerk and most likely a criminal, but Romlyn still insists that "The Dreth family doesn't steal" and delivers ridiculous stories portraying Valen as a hero. Either he really is oblivious to his ancestor’s real past, or he is in denial about it.
* LovableRogue: Especially compared to his ancestor. He ''is'' stealing mead and selling it on the black market, yes, but [[KickTheSonOfABitch the people he is stealing it from are far from sympathetic]], and if you help him in his business without denouncing him, he will prove pretty grateful, to the point he becomes available for marriage.

[[folder:Shadr]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JasonMarsden (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Anton Kolesnikov (Russian)[[/note]]

A stable worker in Riften and an apprentice of Hofgrir Horse-Crusher. He gets scammed by Sapphire and fears for his life because of it.

* EntertaininglyWrong: He assumes his life is in danger because he owes money to the Thieves' Guild and has no way to make that payment. This would be logical, except he doesn't know that the guild has strict rules against its members killing people except as a last resort.
* InterspeciesRomance: Listening in on his marketplace interactions reveals that he has an attraction to Marise Aravel the Dunmer food merchant, as he will invite her for a drink at the Bee and Barb and is saving up for a trinket from Madesi. Whether or not she's aware is unknown, although another dialogue implies she reciprocates it and she's certainly not opposed to the idea of getting that drink. She has a conversation with Dinya Balu about whether Mara would approve of her marrying someone who isn't a Dunmer. Dinya replies that Mara approves of any love.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Given that he's a young Redguard, probably in his 20s, and Marise is a white-haired Dunmer, she's likely at least a couple hundred years his senior.

[[folder:Sibbi Black-Briar]]
[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sibbi_black-briar_9390.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/StephenRussell (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Eugene Waltz (Russian)[[/note]]

One of Maven Black-Briar's sons. Considered by Mjoll the Lioness to be the worst member of the family. Currently incarcerated in Riften Jail because even his mother got sick of his out-of-control nature.

* TheCasanova: Makes it clear to the Dragonborn, when the latter visits, that he's out to get all the women he can get his hands on - this is effectively what landed him in jail. He even flirts with a female Dragonborn.
* ConMan: Sold Louis Letrush a horse that actually belongs to the whole Black-Briar family.
* HairTriggerTemper: Maven had him jailed for eight months just so she wouldn't have to deal with this for a while. Apparently, murdering a guy in public was the final straw for her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: His dialogue consists entirely of him whining about his predicament. He honestly believes his fiancee was wrong to be offended by his infidelity. He also blames her for his current incarceration (she confided in her brother about Sibbi's infidelity, angry brother confronted Sibbi, Sibbi ''stabbed her brother to death'' and got jail time for it, and he blames ''her'') and wants her dead for it.
* {{Jerkass}}: Mjoll will tell you that he's the worst Black-Briar. Considering what the Black-Briar family is like, that is saying something.
* KarmaHoudini: Averted; where the rest of his family is tagged essential, you only need to wait until you're through with the quest to steal Frost before you can kill him.
* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Sibbi gets all of the comforts of home in his cell during his eight month incarceration for ''murder''. And the only reason he was imprisoned at all was because Maven thought he needed to cool off. [[UngratefulBastard Sibbi still complains.]]
* TheSociopath: Sibbi has a hugely inflated opinion of himself and no regard for the thoughts and feelings of anyone else. He's not as superficially affable as most examples, but otherwise fits the description like a glove.
* UngratefulBastard: Thinks his mother's being too harsh with him by giving him a long overdue time-out when he ought to be grateful he's not getting a worse punishment for murdering someone.

[[folder:Clan Snow-Shod]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/{{Jim Cummings|1952}} (Vulwulf); Martina Lotun (Nura); Paul Ganus (Unmid); Christian Svensson (Asgeir) (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Denis Shvedov (Vulwulf); Tatyana Shitova (Nura); Artyom Kretov (Unmid); Alexander Taragin (Asgeir) (Russian)[[/note]]

A Nord upper-class family living in Riften. Notable for being outspoken Stormcloak supporters. The family consists of Patriarch Vulwulf, his wife Nura, a priestess of Talos, and their sons Unmid and Asgeir, the former of which serves as Jarl Laila's housecarl. They also had a daughter named Lilja, who joined the Stormcloak forces and was killed in action.

* TheDutifulSon: Asgeir ''wants'' to be one; unfortunately, Vulwulf disapproves immensely of his Imperial contacts, what with the ongoing civil war..
* FatherIDontWantToFight: Asgeir aspires to become a businessman, has made some influential Imperial contacts, and is due to marry the Emperor's first cousin. Vulwulf is immensely disappointed in him.
* GrumpyOldMan: Vulwulf is constantly grouchy, especially in affairs related to the Empire.
* HonestCorporateExecutive: Both Vulwulf and Asgeir, who apparently have [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter no idea]] about their partner [[DevilInPlainSight Maven Black-Briar's]] business practices.
* IWantGrandkids: Nura, as seen at her son's wedding:
-->'''Nura Snow-Shod:''' Vittoria may be pretty, but does she have the right hips for the job? I want grandchildren, and lots of them.
* InterspeciesRomance: Unmid, who is apparently sleeping with Jarl Laila's Bosmeri steward Anuriel. You can occasionally overhear them talking about their "special weapon training."
* LetHerGrowUpDear: Nura occasionally tries to mediate this way between her husband and her son Asgeir.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: Vulwulf, whom you can find bickering about politics even at his son's wedding with his daughter-in-law's (equally obnoxious) mother. Nura, by contrast, tries her best to invert this.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: And they're bitter about it.
* RainbowPimpGear: Unmid may be a powerful warrior, but his fashion sense is certainly rather odd. That elven armor would look garish even without the red mohawk or the purple face paint.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Right after [[spoiler:assassinating Vittoria Vici for the Dark Brotherhood]], Vulwulf will cry foul that the whole thing has to be an Imperial plot to discredit the Stormcloaks. Obviously he's only saying this because he reflexively blames the "damned Imperials" for everything and wants to exonerate his own side, but he's not far off the mark: [[spoiler:The assassination was schemed by an Imperial Elder Council member (well, technically a Breton, but one with deep roots in Cyrodiil) as the first step of a larger, more sinister plan, and part of it hinges on Vittoria's death being blamed on the Stormcloaks]].
* ShootTheMedicFirst: What apparently happened to Lilja. She wasn't a combatant, but a healer, seeing as she was trained as a priestess of Talos by her mother.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: During the Dark Brotherhood questline, most of the family will show up for Asgeir's wedding to Vittoria Vici - the same one where you're supposed to assassinate the bride. Assassinating the groom as well is, of course, completely up to the player, and will likely result in a brawl that gets all of them killed.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Asgeir again.

[[folder:Wylandriah]]
[[quoteright:207:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wylandriah_3728.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delaney (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Maria Ovchinnikova (Russian)[[/note]]

Court mage for The Rift, and perennially scatter-brained.

* AbsentMindedProfessor: If her rambling at you for two minutes in MagiBabble wasn't indication enough, she'll send you out to find some experiment materials she misplaced. In three different cities. When you return them, of course, she's completely forgotten she sent you out to find them or that she lost them in the first place, but she's grateful and rewards you all the same.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: The College of Winterhold treasures her correspondence letters, which are apparently complete and utter nonsense; she once requested a sample of ''the Heart of Lorkhan''. She blithely asked them to give her the heart of the dead creator-god which may or may not be responsible for the vanishing of the Dwemer, and who definitely disappeared himself centuries ago. However, in the letter that mentions the Heart of Lorkhan sample, another mention is made of her requesting "[[RightForTheWrongReasons greenmote]]," a mind-altering and potentially lethal drug found only in the Shivering Isles, but which the senders take to refer to "[[YouDontWantToCatchThis greenspore]]", a dementia-inducing disease found only in fish.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Turns out that there actually is a working model of the Heart of Lorkhan in the College - namely, Arniel's warped soul gem. However, since no one else in the College is aware of this fact, it's presumably some sort of lucky guess on her part.
* CourtMage: For Riften.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Implied. The guide says she acts this way so people will leave her alone. In-game, she's awfully clear and concise when telling [[AbhorrentAdmirer Hemming Black-Briar]] to stop harassing her.

[[folder:Wyndelius Gatharian]]
[[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wyndelius_gatharian.png]]

A Dunmer who came to Ivarstead with the intention to find the treasure in Shroud Hearth Barrow, and disappeared soon before the place was found out to be haunted. Or so it seems; in truth, he is himself posing as a ghost to scare away the villagers so he can keep searching in peace.

* AccidentalTruth: While Shroud Hearth Barrow doesn't have ghosts (or at least [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane doesn't appear to]]), it ''does'' have restless dead guarding it in the form of the usual Draugr; they just happen to be in areas Wyndelius couldn't reach.
* BecomingTheMask: Thanks to his SanitySlippage, he ended up believing he really ''was'' a ghost guarding the Barrow.
* GraveRobbing: Originally came to steal treasures inside the Barrow. By the time you meet him, he's switched to keeping other potential grave-robbers out.
* {{Irony}}: The Sapphire Claw, the search for which apparently drove him mad because he couldn't find it, actually was owned by ''the very innkeeper he was trying to scare away''. To add insult to injury, when you do get to the Barrow's treasure room, you find out it has a secret entrance which opens... the back wall of Wyndelius' lab. There was no way for him to access it, but he was practically sleeping ''right next to the treasure'' all along without realizing it.
* MythologyGag: Wyndelius' name is only one letter away from '''S'''yndelius Gatharian, a Dunmer mage and part of a hapless adventuring party that ventured into The Shivering Isles in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion's]]'' eponymous expansion. Like his apparent descendant, Syndelius can (depending on the players' choice) be driven into a maniacal, obsessive search for a key that will unlock untold riches. Likewise, Syndelius' partner Grommok can (again depending on your choices) be made to believe that he has become a living ghost, also not unlike Wyndelius.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It isn't clear if his SanitySlippage was caused by a side effect of his potion, a combination of despair from failing and isolation, or actual ghosts tormenting him. Or maybe two or all three.
* SanitySlippage: As revealed by his journal, he started out merely as a ConMan posing as a ghost to scare away villagers. As he kept searching in vain for the Sapphire Claw needed to access the lower chambers of the Barrow, however, he gradually lost his sanity, until he started ''really'' believing he was a ghost guarding the place. This arguably makes fighting him to the death a MercyKill.
* ScoobyDooHoax: He is using an alchemical potion of his invention to make himself glow like a ghost, allowing him to scare away villagers so he can keep searching for a treasure.

!People of Winterhold
Winterhold is the northeastern-most province, and primarily an Arctic wasteland of snowy coasts and snowier mountains. There is very little industry and only the hardiest of animals and people can survive here. Its capital is also called Winterhold, and in its prime it was an ancient rival to Solitude, but a cataclysm in the not-too-distant past has left it a faint shadow of its former self. Winterhold is however home to the College of Winterhold, a fortified mages' school which attracts students from far and wide. There are very few residents in the town who are not affliated with the College, and most of them are poor and spend most of their days drinking their sorrows away in the Frozen Hearth Inn. Its banner is a three-pronged crown, with braided strands comprising the lengths of the three prongs. Its Jarl is the Stormcloak-aligned Korir, a young man who bemoans the decline of his hold and has ambitions to restore it to past glory.

[[folder:Malur Seloth]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malur_seloth.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSzarabajka (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Vladislav Kopp (Russian)[[/note]]

The Jarl's Steward (regardless of which side of the Civil War is controlling the town). Due to being a Dunmer, Korir assumes he has ties to the College of Winterhold, and as such recruited him. In truth, Malur is a slouch with no marketable skills, but goes along with it to benefit from the position.
----
* LazyBum: Malur is perfectly content to just sit on his ass and do nothing all day, and bristles at the idea of actually doing any sort of work.
-->'''Malur:''' I'm trying to do as little as possible. You're getting in the way of that.
* MeaningfulName: His surname is uncannily close to "Sloth", which is something he proudly is.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: His answer if you ask him what he does as a Steward:
-->'''Malur:''' Me? Nothing. And I hope to keep it that way.
* ProfessionalButtKisser: After doing his Favor Quest, he will teach a level of Speech along with dropping this line:
-->'''Malur:''' This should come in handy. Here. Let me show you a few tricks I've learned about buttering up royalty.
* SureLetsGoWithThat: He is just a regular Dark Elf, with no particular experience or knowledge of magic; but because he is an elf, Korir assumed he ''must'' have ties with the College of Winterhold, and recruited him as a steward. Malur reacted with this trope so he could benefit from the position.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nelacar]]
[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nelacar_6736.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Neil Dickson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Andrey Finyagin (Russian)[[/note]]

Expelled from the College of Winterhold, this Altmer mage lives at the Frozen Hearth Inn, staying within the city of Winterhold.
----
* AffablyEvil: The 'evil' part is a bit of a stretch, since Nelacar is personable, helpful, endearing, and very possibly the ''nicest'' Altmer in the game next to Viarmo. However, he's also probably a necromancer who has done some vile, vile things. Should the Dragonborn have completed the College questline, he respectfully addresses them as "Archmage". Of course, it's [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation entirely possible]] he might simply be trying to get on their good side to be allowed back into the College.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Seems to believe this, as he seems to believe that [[spoiler:corrupting Azura's Star into the Black Star]] is preferable than turning it over to its "evil" Daedric master.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** He's probably done some vile things during his time, but he personally thinks his former teacher went far too far.
** On the other side of the coin, he got himself kicked out of the College of Winterhold somehow, even though the College itself is more tolerant of necromancers than most.
* EvilSmellsBad: Or more specifically, according to Dagur, [[ShoutOut like a beast that's]] "[[Film/GalaxyQuest been turned inside-out and exploded]]."
* {{Necromancer}}: Probably, given his involvement with Malyn Varen's experiments into immortality and his general comfort with the concept of black soul gems. Conversely, he ''did'' express being appalled at the lengths to which his former teacher was willing to go when studying Azura's Star.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Septimus Signus]]
[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/600px-sr-npc-septimus_signus_9624.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/PaulEiding (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Gruzdev (Russian)[[/note]]

An ingenious but insane wizard living in a remote island in the Sea of Ghosts.
----
* AffablyEvil: He's nice enough for a madman, but he openly admits that he's done some very nasty things in service to Hermaeus Mora.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's a bit eccentric due to having his brain scrambled by Elder Scrolls.
* DealWithTheDevil: He's dealt with Hermaeus Mora due to his thirst for knowledge.
* EerieArcticResearchStation: Septimus’s residence is an ice cave far North of Winterhold where he researches a Dwemer box.
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Probably a contributing factor to his insanity, but the main cause of it is that...
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: He went insane when he looked upon an Elder Scroll. It's implied that four or more dimensions got crammed into his poor little three-dimensional brain, too.
* TheHermit: He lives all by himself in a outpost north to Winterhold, which is already far from civilization as it is.
* JunkieProphet: Judging by the empty Skooma bottles at his outpost, it's likely.
%%* MadOracle:
* MindScrew: His book, ''Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls,'' shows up in ''Online'', which takes place more than a thousand years before the events of ''Skyrim''. The Moth Priest who found it in the library stacks noted that the postscript says it came from "[=4E 195=]", making him suspect it is a transcription error... but he's not 100% sure on that, considering what he deals with.
** There's some theories that suggest that he didn't die to [[spoiler:Mora]] but that he came to the same conclusions about the nature of the universe that Talos did because he [[spoiler:read Mora's book]]. Unlike Talos, though, he wasn't ready for the truth and thus ''ceased to exist completely'' instead of gaining godlike powers. This is based on the idea that the daedric gods can't just kill people from beyond their own dimension, because otherwise they wouldn't need Champions and cultists to do the killings for them.
* MathematiciansAnswer: When asked where one can find an Elder Scroll, he says it is very close... in the sense of being in the same three-dimensional plane as them. Of course, this is actually one of the longer quests in the game, because you can't travel in four dimensions!
* RhymesOnADime: He tends to speak like this.
* UnwittingPawn: Hermaeus Mora's. He ''thinks'' that Mora's helping him retrieve the Heart of Lorkhan. He's actually being used by Mora to unleash the ''[[TomeOfEldritchLore Oghma Infinium]]'' on the world.
* ThirdPersonPerson: He sporadically refers to himself with his own name, likely due to his insanity.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Due to his insanity, Hermaeus Mora no longer considers him useful and he turns into a pile of ash upon finding the ''Oghma Infinium''.]]
[[/folder]]

!Wanderers
[[folder:M'aiq the Liar]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aiqtheliarcc_8934.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AndreSogliuzzo (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Dzyuba (Russian)[[/note]]

A Khajiit monk who wanders the land. He is named after his ancestors and carries on the family tradition of delivering cryptic {{Take That}}s to the player as well as toward the creators themselves.

For more information on M'aiq outside of the context of ''Skyrim'' itself, see his entry on the [[Characters/TheElderScrollsRecurringCharacters Elder Scrolls Recurring Characters]] page.
----
* ArtifactTitle: In-universe example. M'aiq the Liar served as an AuthorAvatar giving cryptic {{Take That}}s right from his introduction in ''Morrowind'', but the ''in-universe'' untruthfulness of (most of) his comments were toned down for ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim''.
-->'''M'aiq:''' Some say Alduin is Akatosh. Some say M'aiq is a liar. Don't you believe either of those things.
* AuthorAvatar: The only reason he has a role in the game is to voice the creators' opinion about the UnpleasableFanbase.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: One possible variant of his encounter can consist of finding him standing next to a burned cart, several dead human bodies, and the corpse of ''a dragon''.
* CatchPhrase: Averted. He sometimes does utter the catchphrase of his ancestor ("M'aiq knows much, tells some. M'aiq knows many things others do not."), but does not use enough to make it his own catchphrase.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He comes across as very detached from the setting. Logical, since he is something of a literal AuthorAvatar.
* DeadpanSnarker: Some of his speeches are very sarcastic.
* EasterEgg: As a MetaGuy FourthWallObserver who runs randomly around Skyrim. It's entirely possible to play for hours without running into him, and his dialogue is mostly just for fun.
* LegacyCharacter: There was also a Khajiit with his name 206 years earlier in Morrowind and 200 years earlier in Cyrodiil. This is explained by the fact that the name is passed down to newer generations.
--> '''M'aiq:''' M'aiq's father was also called M'aiq. As was M'aiq's father's father. At least, that's what his father said.
* MushroomSamba: He always has Skooma on his person, which might explain his bizarre, if fairly accurate, view of the world.
* NoodleIncident: He was [[YourSoulIsMine soul-trapped once]] and didn't appreciate the experience. Come the ''Dawnguard'' expansion and the reveal of the Soul Cairn, a not-very-nice place where trapped souls end up, it's not hard to see why.
* TakeThat: Just about every speech he makes is a reaction the makers have about an aspect of the game fans aren't pleased about.
* TakeThatUs: He also starts snarking at some minor gripes concerning ''Oblivion''. A noteworthy snark is when he repeats a much ridiculed line about mudcrabs from the previous game. He also mocks several bits about Skyrim's lack of immersion in spots, such as the supposed 7,000 steps.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Like most Khajiit, M'aiq talks about M'aiq in this fashion almost every time M'aiq speaks.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: For whatever reason, he won't attack the player if they're in Vampire Lord, or Beast Form, nor will he attack the player if they're a stage four vampire.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: M'aiq is marked as essential and isn't affiliated with anyone, meaning that he can be assaulted to grind your combat skills with no repercussions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Old Orc]]
[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/old_orc_7914.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]

An aging Orc found in the wilderness. He has been [[DeathSeeker looking for a good death]], and the Dragonborn can give it to him.
----
* DeathSeeker: He has seen a vision from Malacath telling him to seek a glorious death. By the time the Dragonborn gets to him, he's surrounded by saber cat corpses. Apparently, they weren't glorious enough.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: From his point of view, his death at the hands of the player counts. Especially if the latter's Dragonborn identity has been revealed. And ''especially'' especially if you have already completed Malacath's Daedric Quest: that way, not only does the Old Orc die in battle as he wanted, but ''he also dies at the hands of a legendary dragonslayer who was acknowledged by Malacath himself as his Champion''. Bonus points if you use [[DropTheHammer Volendrung]], Malacath's own artifact weapon, during the battle.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: His character name is just "Old Orc." And that's exactly what he is!
* FaceDeathWithDignity: He explains that he wishes to die while he can "still call himself a proper man", elaborating that he doesn't want to linger on to the point where he's frail and feeble. He further explains that it's "unseemly" to cling to something after it becomes useless, even more so when that thing is yourself.
* HonorBeforeReason: He's honestly not ''that'' old, but he's past his prime in traditional Orc culture. Even though you can tell him this, and point out his potential usefulness to others outside the strongholds, he still insists on dying because Malacath wills it.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: If asked, he'll clarify that he can't kill himself because "it would displease Malacath."
* OldSoldier: Fittingly. He's also fairly tough as [=NPCs=] go; if you encounter him at a low level, it's probably in your best interest to just ignore him.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: There's nothing that stops the Dragonborn from using Soul Trap on him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ri'saad]]
[[quoteright:217:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saad_5002.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AndreSogliuzzo (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Dzyuba (Russian)[[/note]]

Head of the Khajiit caravans. Ri'saad leads one of them and is behind forming the other two, who work for him.
----
* {{Hypocrite}}: The Khajiit caravans are not allowed inside any of the cities, because the Nords think them to be thieves and smugglers. Ri'saad laments this "racist" attitude... except he openly sells illegal Moon Sugar and Skooma. [[spoiler:Join the Thieves' Guild, and one mission shows that Ri'saad and his caravans willingly smuggle goods and act as fences for little more than a few bribes.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Though the Khajiit Kingdoms of Elsweyr joined the Aldmeri Dominion willingly, he regards Khajiit working with the Thalmor poorly, calling them "Thalmor Filth" and noting that they give all Khajiit a bad name.
* NiceGuy: He (if you talk to the other Khajiit merchants) was the guy who helped them all carve out a lucrative trading niche in the economy of Skyrim, and he even took a few with troubled backgrounds and made them respectable. Ysolda of Whiterun, who wishes to be a shopkeeper, also states that despite their reputation, the Khajiit are fairly honest businessmen by her account.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: A possible way to look at him being a fence for the guild and selling moon sugar. If he's going to be shunned anyway, he might as well make a profit from it...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Talsgar the Wanderer]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/talsgar_the_wanderer.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MichaelJGough (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Denis Shvedov (Russian)[[/note]]

A Nord bard occasionally found wandering the main roads.
----
* CulturedBadass: One version of his appearance code brings a pair of bandits along with him, both of whom he beats quite handily. Of course, since he's marked an essential NPC, it's basically impossible for him to lose. At higher levels, he can be found going one on one against Frost Trolls and even ''dragons''.
* NoodleIncident: One where it's pretty easy to fill in the blanks. You can ask him to train you in Speech, but he'll politely refuse, saying, "Ah. Well. After a little incident with a roguish lad and the daughter of a prominent thane... Well, let's just say, best not."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Plautis and Salonia Carvain]]
An Imperial husband and wife trying (and failing miserably) to get to Solitude in time for Vittoria Vici's wedding.
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* BrickJoke: After completing "Bound Until Death", they can still be found wandering Skyrim, but after having fallen upon quite a bit of bad luck.
* {{Jerkass}}: If you try to engage them in dialogue, you'll quickly find them to be anything but friendly. Salonia takes the cake post-wedding, referring to the Dragonborn as "[[ItIsDehumanizing it]]" and swearing to hire an army of battlemages to burn Skyrim to ashes once they get back to Cyrodiil for their misfortunes.
* NoSenseOfDirection: If you follow them for long enough, they arrive not at Solitude, but Windhelm. And since they can be encountered multiple times, it can be assumed that this has been going on for a while.
* ProfessionalButtKisser: The whole point of their visit is to ingratiate themselves with Vittoria, establish a business deal with the East Empire Trading Company, and eventually land an audience with Emporer Titus Mede II for some unspecified reason.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Minus the "protagonist" part. They're not that likable, and everything about their encounters is in service of comic relief.
* UpperClassTwit: They're rich snobs from Cyrodiil that look down on the Dragonborn.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Pre-"Bound Until Death", they carry several valuable gems and necklaces meant for Vittoria, and dialogue provides the Dragonborn the opportunity to attempt to rob them, turning the bodyguard hostile.
[[/folder]]

!Other Characters

[[folder:The Sons of Gauldur]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gauldursonbrothers.JPG]]

The covetous, patricidal sons of Archmage Gauldur from an age long past, who conspired to murder their father and claim his magical amulet. Their deeds led to them being hunted down, slain, and sealed away with the amulet's fragments, and their names struck from the annals of history alongside Gauldur's own... But the past never seems to stay buried.
----
* ArcVillain: All three of them, for the quest "Forbidden Legend."
* BarrierChangeBoss: Jyrik surrounds himself in an elemental cloak that gives him heavy resistance to either fire, frost, or shock. You'll have to use one of the other elements to beat him ([[TakeAThirdOption or just bash his face in with a weapon]]).
* BossRush: At the end of their quest, all three brothers reappear to fight you in succession. [[spoiler:Once beaten again, they prepare to all attack you at once, but [[BigDamnHeroes Gauldur's spirit puts an end to that]].]]
* DoppelgangerSpin: Throughout his fight, Sigdis will periodically create clones of himself that can attack with both arrows and Shouts.
* FighterMageThief: Mikrul is the Fighter, as he attacks you up close with a gaggle of Draugr flunkies, and carries the health-boosting piece of the amulet. Sigdis peppers you with arrows from long range, and his piece of the amulet gives a stamina boost, making him the Thief. Jyrik wields magic to protect himself and attack you, and his amulet piece boosts the magic stat, so he's the Mage.
* FinalBossPreview: When encountered, Jyrik will draw power from the Eye of Magnus to make himself invulnerable until Tolfdir starts draining that power away. At the end of the College questline, [[spoiler:Ancano]] uses the same strategy and must be defeated the same way.
* FlunkyBoss: Mikrul fights accompanied by a number of Draugr Thralls. They're exceedingly weak, unarmed, and die when Mikrul himself goes down, so they're not much of a problem, and an archer Dragonborn can actually take Mikrul out before he has the chance to summon most or even all of them from their tombs.
* KinslayingIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Between their reign of terror, and their murder of their father to obtain his Amulet, the Sons of Gauldur were [[UnPerson damned from history]] by King Harald.
* MacGuffinGuardian: Each holds a piece of Gauldur's amulet. Jyrik pulls double duty by also guarding the Eye of Magnus in the College of Winterhold questline, making him the one you're most likely to encounter first.
* MagicStaff: Jyrik's staff possesses a unique shock spell that burns magicka equal to ''double'' its damage; most other shock spells burn a lesser or equal amount to the damage dealt. However, he doesn't actually use it; it's instead lying on a table in front of him.
* MassOhCrap: [[spoiler:When Archmage Gauldur's spirit rises from his grave behind them, the brothers can only [[SayMyName exclaim his name]] before he banishes their souls for good.]]
* MutualKill: The fate of the living Sigdis Gauldurson, in battle with King Harald's personal battlemage Geirmund. There's a reason why the tomb where Sigdis is found is named Geirmund's Hall.
* SelfMadeOrphan: They conspired together to murder their father in order to claim the power of an enchanted amulet he created for themselves.
* UnPerson: To ensure that the lure of the Gauldur Amulet would never lead to more bloodshed, High King Harald had Gauldur and his sons' names erased from all records. His efforts did not stand up to the passage of time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Matriarch]]
While Madanach may be the leader of the Forsworn in Skyrim, documents littered around the land mention a being known as "Our Matriarch", who guides the Forsworn as a whole beyond Skyrim. While she does not appear in the game, she is responsible for guiding the Forsworn as far as they have gotten.
----
* TheGhost: Does not make a direct appearance in the game that we know of. It's been theorized that she's either Drascua in Hag Rock Redoubt/Dead Crone Rock or the unnamed Hagraven in Hag's End/Deepwood Redoubt. Both are Hagravens that are surrounded by large Forsworn Camps. The latter of the two is unique in she's also surrounded by a coven of Hags and Witches and she will teleport to a different room after she's taken enough damage. In Deepwood Redoubt there's also a missive that details that the Matriach had the Forsworn head there.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Madanach puts a face to the organization, but she's the one in real power behind the scenes.
* OneBadMother: She goes by "The Matriarch", and she's the leader of the Forsworn as a whole.
* TheWomanBehindTheMan: She's issuing orders to the Forsworn behind the scenes (or at least to some of the Forsworn cells around the Reach).
[[/folder]]

!People of Eastmarch
Eastmarch is a hold in eastern Skyrim, with its primary geographical feature being its volcanic tundra, dotted with steam vents and hot springs, but there is also the highlands and boreal forests of Giant's Run. Its capital is Windhelm, a major port city situated on the mouth of the Yorgrim river leading out to the perilous Sea of Ghosts, bringing in commerce across the north of the continent. Windhelm was built by the Atmorans in the Merethic Era and so is the oldest continuously inhabited human settlement in all Tamriel, and many Nordic kings through the ages have called this city their seat of power, giving the city great cultural and historical significance. Dunmer and Argonians have a notably big presence in the capital due to the hold bordering Morrowind which lies across the Velothi Mountains to the east, but they find little hospitality from the locals. Its banner is a profiled head of a roaring bear on a blue background, an emblem shared by the Stormcloak Militia. Its Jarl is Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the Stormcloak Rebellion.

[[folder:Alain Dufont]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/StephenRussell (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Eugene Waltz (Russian)[[/note]]

An infamous bandit lord that has taken over the Dwarven ruins of Raldbthar. Sometime before the events of the game, he took advantage of Clan Shatter-Shield's grief over Friga's death to con a large sum of gold from them and fled the city, leaving his fling Miuri to take the fall for the theft.