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1These are minor characters who do not fit in the other categories, but are still unique in their own way. For other Skyrim characters, click [[Characters/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim here.]]
2
3
4[[index]]
5* [[Characters/SkyrimEastmarch Eastmarch]]
6* [[Characters/SkyrimHaafingar Haafingar]]
7* [[Characters/SkyrimHjaalmarch Hjaalmarch]]
8* [[Characters/SkyrimTheReach The Reach]]
9* [[Characters/SkyrimTheRift The Rift]]
10* [[Characters/SkyrimWhiterunHold Whiterun Hold]]
11[[/index]]
12
13----
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16!People of Falkreath Hold
17Falkreath Hold is the southernmost hold of Skyrim, and is noted for its verdant evergreen forests and relatively temperate climate. Moving through the Pale Pass to the south leads to Bruma in Cyrodiil, so the strategic value of this hold for both sides of the civil war is obvious; the Imperial Legion's ability to reinforce their hold on Skyrim is determined on holding the pass. Its capital shares the hold's name, and is home to the largest graveyard in Skyrim. Outside the capital the hold is very sparsely populated, but there are numerous small camps dotted around for lumberjacks, hunters and fishermen who make a good living from the hold's rich resources. Its banner is a stag with tangled antlers, on a lavender background. Its Jarl is the Imperial-aligned Siddgeir, who deposed his pro-Stormcloak uncle Dengeir for the position.
18
19[[folder:Ghunzul]]
20[[quoteright:289:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghunzul_3026.png]]
21[[caption-width-right:289:''"Looking for the blade? You aren't the first!"'']]
22->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]
23
24Orc leader of Cracked Tusk Keep and protector of the blade shards of Mehrunes' Razor.
25----
26* CrazyPrepared: Ghunzul doesn't simply use himself and his bandits to protect the shards. He keeps them locked in the dungeon, protected by several button-activated bars, numerous tripwire traps, and spikes that stab at anyone who opens the chest containing them.
27* OldSoldier: When was the last time you saw an Orc with ''white'' hair?
28* RetiredBadass: The book ''The Keepers of the Razor'' suggests he once served in the Imperial Legion.
29* SecretKeeper: He is the eighth descendant of the Inner Circle that shattered Mehrunes' Razor and divided the fragments across Skyrim.
30[[/folder]]
31
32[[folder:Runil]]
33[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tes5-skyrim-journal-runil-003_5907.jpg]]
34->'''Voiced by:''' George Coe (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexey Mikhailov (Russian)[[/note]]
35
36Altmer priest of Arkay, and overseer of the graveyard that puts Falkreath on the map.
37----
38* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He was a Dominion battlemage, and he's now a Priest of Arkay to atone.]]
39* CoolOldGuy: One of the nicest Altmer you will meet in Skyrim.
40* CulturalRebel: [[spoiler:He's very grateful for the friendship and respect the humans of Falkreath have shown him during his time there. Contrast this with his former masters in the Aldmeri Dominion, who would love nothing more than to see humanity wiped off the face of Nirn.]]
41* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Runil has a dream portending the coming of Alduin, and of his own eventual path-crossing with the Dragonborn. His first scene in your presence has him giving last rites over a grave, just as his dream foretells.
42* GoodShepherd: As a priest of Arkay, the god of birth and death, he presides over funerals and comforts the family and friends of the deceased.
43* HeelFaithTurn: He explains that he became a follower of Arkay [[spoiler:and presumably defected from the Aldmeri Dominion]] after the Great War, feeling the weight of all the people he killed and hoping to be redeemed.
44* RetiredBadass: A veteran of the Great War who's still quite skilled.
45* ShellShockedVeteran: Much like Madena, he's got some shell shock over all the lives he terminated during the Great War with his magefire. [[spoiler:His journal indicates he was on the Aldmeri Dominion side, who weren't known for holding back in the magic department either.]]
46* SummonMagic: He is the common-level Conjuration trainer.
47[[/folder]]
48
49[[folder:Sinding]]
50[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sinding_5943.jpg]]
51[[caption-width-right:225:''"I can be a powerful ally to you. And I would promise to never return to civilized life. I know now that I can't live among people."'']]
52->'''Voiced by:''' Thor Edgell (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Yaroslav Agikyan (Russian)[[/note]]
53
54A Nord imprisoned in Falkreath jail for murdering a child. He's actually a werewolf who got cursed by Hircine for stealing his Ring.
55----
56* TheAtoner: He admits that he probably deserves to die for what he's done, and if you choose to spare him, he promises to never return to society.
57* BlessedWithSuck: 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.
58* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Attempted to get one over on the Daedric Prince Hircine by stealing Hircine's Ring. It didn't turn out well for him since Hircine cursed the ring to make his transformations completely uncontrollable.
59* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Sinding's description of his 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.
60* 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.
61* TragicMonster: He didn't want to murder the child, but owing to Hircine's curse he ended up doing so against his own will.
62* WalkingShirtlessScene: Since he's a werewolf he goes around shirtless all the time.
63[[/folder]]
64
65[[folder:Angi]]
66[[quoteright:216:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tesv_angi_5815.png]]
67->'''Voiced by:''' Martina Lotun (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Tatyana Shitova (Russian)[[/note]]
68
69A Nord ranger who lives in a shack high upon a mountain ridge south of Falkreath. Born and raised in Helgen, she decided to live alone in the wilderness after her family was killed, having grown tired of the townspeople all feeling sorry for her.
70----
71* AloofArcher: An aloof hermit who lives in the wilderness, honing her archery skills on any foolish bandits that come close.
72* DontYouDarePityMe: Part of the reason why she lives outside of society. Offer your sympathies after she tells you her story and she'll get angry.
73-->'''Angi:''' Don't be like them. Don't feel sorry for me.
74* DoomedHometown: She was born and raised in Helgen.
75* FriendlySniper: First impressions notwithstanding; she threatens to put an arrow in your head when you first meet her, but that's only because most of the people visiting her shack are either trying to rob her or kill her. If you act friendly towards her, she happily teaches you her formidable archery skills, gives you her personal bow when you pass all her tests, and thanks you for keeping her company.
76* TheHermit: Lives alone on a mountain ridge, but doesn't mind.
77* KickTheDog: Can be on the receiving end of a ''major'' one from the Dragonborn; see "YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness" below.
78* MasterArcher: So skilled with a bow that she's one of the only three master archery trainers in Skyrim.
79* OnlyFriend: The Dragonborn can become this to her.
80* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: She made sure the two drunk Imperial soldiers that killed her family got what they had coming to them.
81* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Implied, even before Helgen was destroyed. The Imperial Legion probably wasn't too happy when she murdered those two soldiers, justified or not. Good thing she already wanted to leave town.
82* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: After she has taught the Dragonborn everything she knows about archery and offered them her special bow as a parting gift, the player can tell her that [[KickTheDog she is of no more use to them]] and they are now going to [[UngratefulBastard kill her]].
83[[/folder]]
84
85[[folder:Hert]]
86->'''Voiced by:''' Corri English (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Daria Frolova (Russian)[[/note]]
87
88A Nord vampire who runs Half-Moon Mill. She provides lumber for Falkreath, and used to also provide for Helgen before Alduin destroyed it. She's actually rather friendly with the Dragonborn, and will provide them with lumber for their homesteads as well.
89----
90* AffablyEvil: She's extremely polite to the Dragonborn and pays them well if they chop firewood for her. If she likes the Dragonborn, she'll even let them have free lumber as long as they cut it themselves. That being said, she's still a vampire who feeds off of travelers.
91* AmbiguouslyEvil: Really, it's hard to determine how evil she is. Yes, she's a vampire... but she seems to just want to live on her own with her husband. Her dialogue implies that some of her victims have been Imperial soldiers that were patrolling and were "nosy", but the specifics aren't given. Did they stumble upon her bloody murder shed and see past victims? Did they realize she was a vampire and try to kill her for the simple reason of '''being''' a vampire, so she and her husband killed them in self-defense? Or did she murder them in cold blood after luring them in? Even the extent of her victims isn't known. Were they travelers, merchants, and other innocent people? Or does she prey upon bandits, necromancers, and other scum that won't be missed from society? She and her husband don't seem to care much for other vampires, going by the fact that if the Dragonborn is a blood-starved one they'll become hostile to you. But at the same time, their ability to walk in the sun without issue indicates that they have been feeding regularly -- people, venison, trolls, cattle.
92* CuteMonsterGirl: She's this in the vanilla game. [[NightmareFace Not so much]] with ''Dawnguard'' installed, though.
93* CutLexLuthorACheck: She actually makes an honest living selling lumber.
94* KarmaHoudini: If you choose to destroy the Dark Brotherhood rather than join it, you can never get the quest directing you to kill her and her husband and they'll be free to keep killing innocent travelers. Since they're not marked essential, however, you ''can'' kill them independently of the quest, though the game will simply treat it as common murder in spite of their wickedness.
95* SchmuckBait: Some of her random dialogue will have her offer to let you stay the night, although you have no way to accept this. Lucky for the Dragonborn, as the various fed-upon corpses in the basement reveals what happens to those who do.
96* UnholyMatrimony: She's married to Hern, another vampire and a Dark Brotherhood contract.
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Anise]]
100->'''Voiced by:''' Alice Hirson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Lyudmila Ilyina (Russian)[[/note]]
101
102An elderly woman who lives in a secluded shack north of Lake Ilinalta. She comes off as very friendly and lonely, but she's actually a powerful witch attempting to start a new coven.
103----
104* EvilOldFolks: Again, she's a witch.
105* FauxAffablyEvil: When you first meet her, she remarks on how nice it is to have a visitor. She even has the typical "friendly old lady" voice set.
106* HeKnowsTooMuch: If you go snooping around in her basement, she'll attack you when you come back out.
107* MostDefinitelyNotAVillain: When you talk to her, she may say that she's just a poor old woman with nothing interesting.
108* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Her sister is Moira, the Hagraven to whom the Dragonborn [[spoiler:gets drunkenly engaged to]] during "A Night to Remember".
109[[/folder]]
110
111[[folder:Nenya]]
112->'''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delaney (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Maria Ovchinnikova (Russian)[[/note]]
113
114The Altmer steward of Falkreath Hold and right hand woman of Jarl Siddgeir.
115----
116* HypercompetentSidekick: Of Siddgeir. He's too lazy to run the hold, so he has her run it, which she does well.
117* NiceGirl: She's nice and does her best to look after the people of Falkreath.
118* OlderThanTheyLook: She served under Dengeir when he was young, and now Siddgeir, but she still looks very young. Justified, since she is a Altmer, who can live for hundreds of years.
119* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She runs Falkreath Hold, due to Siddgeir being disinterested in actually running it and she truly does what's best for the people.
120* RightHandWoman: Of Jarl Siddgeir, and Dengeir before him. She runs the day-to-day operations in the Hold.
121* ShoutOut: She shares her name with [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Galadriel's ring of power]].
122* StatuesqueStunner: She's very cute for a Altmer and she towers over every other non-Altmer.
123[[/folder]]
124
125
126
127!People of The Pale
128The 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.
129
130[[folder:Arondil]]
131[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arondil.png]]
132->'''Voiced by:''' Neil Dickson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Andrey Finyagin (Russian)[[/note]]
133
134A 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.
135----
136* 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]].
137* EvilSorcerer: A very perverted {{necromancer}} who kills women and turns them into his undead slaves.
138* 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]].
139* 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...
140* PowerPerversionPotential: He's a necrophiliac who practices necromancy. The rest should fall into place from there.
141* 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...
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Keeper Carcette]]
145[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keeper_carcette_5731.png]]
146[[caption-width-right:268:''"I am the Keeper of the Vigil here in Skyrim. We bring Stendarr's Mercy to the innocent and His Justice to the daedra."'']]
147->'''Voiced by:''' Colleen Delaney (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Maria Ovchinnikova (Russian)[[/note]]
148
149Leader of the Vigilant of Stendarr, she leads the militantly anti-Daedra sect from the Hall of the Vigilant, south of Red Road Pass.
150----
151* 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.
152* FantasticRacism: The sect is not very polite to Orcs, presumably because of their connection to Malacath.
153* 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.
154* 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).
155* 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.
156* 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.
157* 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.
158* UnderestimatingBadassery: She and her Vigilant fail to realize the threat represented by the Volkihar vampires, leading to their demise.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Horik Half-Hand]]
162[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/horik_halfhand_3200.png]]
163->'''Voiced by:''' Paul Ganus (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Artyom Kretov (Russian)[[/note]]
164
165Fellow veteran to Brina Merelis, who becomes her housecarl should she be anointed Jarl of the Pale.
166----
167* PlatonicLifePartners: With his former commander, Brina Merelis.
168* 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.
169* 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.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Madena]]
173->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AprilStewart (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Inna Koroleva (Russian)[[/note]]
174
175Court mage for Dawnstar. A retired Legion battlemage, she's seen more than she cares for of war.
176----
177* CourtMage: For Dawnstar.
178* 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.
179* 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.
180* 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.
181[[/folder]]
182
183[[folder:Silus Vesuius]]
184[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silus_vesuius_2981.png]]
185[[caption-width-right:258:''"I realized that the Mythic Dawn's importance -- ''our'' importance -- to history cannot be denied. I'll see everyone in Tamriel remember that for a moment, we held the fate of the world in our hands, for good or ill."'']]
186->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSilverstein (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Kovrizhnykh (Russian)[[/note]]
187
188A 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.
189----
190* AvengingTheVillain: In a way, he seeks to revive interest in the Mythic Dawn cult through his museum and somewhat rehabilitate their image from delusional madmen to noble agents of change.
191* BlackShirt: Believes that the Mythic Dawn should be remembered for holding the fate of the Empire within their grasp.
192* CallBack: His entire quest is one to ''Oblivion'', being focused around the Mythic Dawn.
193* 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.
194* 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. Worse yet, he seemed to believe that Mehrunes Dagon would simply do as he asked with no sacrifice as if the Daedric Princes were little more than benevolent genies.
195* NightmareFetishist: He seems a little too enthusiastic about the Daedric cult of his ancestors.
196* PetTheDog: If you [[spoiler:let him live and he survives the Dremora attack]], he'll sincerely thank you for it.
197* 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.]]
198* 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]].
199* 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.]]
200* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Mehrunes Dagon declares this, although it's up to the player whether to actually kill him or not.
201[[/folder]]
202
203
204
205
206!People of Winterhold
207Winterhold 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.
208
209[[folder:Malur Seloth]]
210[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malur_seloth.png]]
211[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm trying to do as little as possible. You're getting in the way of that."'']]
212->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeithSzarabajka (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Vladislav Kopp (Russian)[[/note]]
213
214The 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.
215----
216* 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.
217* MeaningfulName: His surname is uncannily close to "Sloth", which is something he proudly is.
218* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: His answer if you ask him what he does as a Steward:
219-->'''Malur:''' Me? Nothing. And I hope to keep it that way.
220* ProfessionalButtKisser: After doing his Favor Quest, he will teach a level of Speech along with dropping this line:
221-->'''Malur:''' This should come in handy. Here. Let me show you a few tricks I've learned about buttering up royalty.
222* 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.
223[[/folder]]
224
225[[folder:Nelacar]]
226[[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nelacar_6736.png]]
227[[caption-width-right:243:''"Dagur and I have an understanding. He gives me privacy, and I make sure my experiments don't blow up his inn."'']]
228->'''Voiced by:''' Neil Dickson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Andrey Finyagin (Russian)[[/note]]
229
230Expelled from the College of Winterhold, this Altmer mage lives at the Frozen Hearth Inn, staying within the city of Winterhold.
231----
232* 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.
233* 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.
234* EveryoneHasStandards:
235** He's probably done some vile things during his time, but he personally thinks his former teacher went far too far.
236** 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.
237* EvilSmellsBad: Or more specifically, according to Dagur, [[ShoutOut like a beast that's]] "[[Film/GalaxyQuest been turned inside-out and exploded]]."
238* {{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.
239[[/folder]]
240
241[[folder:Septimus Signus]]
242[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/600px-sr-npc-septimus_signus_9624.jpg]]
243[[caption-width-right:208:''"Dig, Dwemer, in the beyond. I'll know your lost unknown and rise to your depths."'']]
244->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/PaulEiding (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Gruzdev (Russian)[[/note]]
245
246An ingenious but insane wizard living in a remote island in the Sea of Ghosts.
247----
248* 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.
249* BunnyEarsLawyer: Septimus is clearly insane, but he's also the ''most'' knowledgeable Dwemer researcher we have ever encountered save for Sotha Sil and Vivec who had firsthand knowledge. His ramblings, while odd and seemingly nonsensical, are actually quite close to how the Dwemer perceived the world. Referring to their technology and designs as "musical" in nature and looking at the world in a purely cosmic manner where time and distance aren't as relevant as whether or not something exists at all.
250* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's a bit eccentric due to having his brain scrambled by Elder Scrolls.
251* DealWithTheDevil: He's dealt with Hermaeus Mora due to his thirst for knowledge.
252* EerieArcticResearchStation: Septimus’s residence is an ice cave far North of Winterhold where he researches a Dwemer box.
253* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Probably a contributing factor to his insanity, but the main cause of it is that...
254* 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.
255* TheHermit: He lives all by himself in a outpost north to Winterhold, which is already far from civilization as it is.
256* JunkieProphet: Judging by the empty Skooma bottles at his outpost, it's likely.
257%%* MadOracle:
258* 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.
259** 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.
260* 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!
261* RhymesOnADime: He tends to speak like this.
262* 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.
263* ThirdPersonPerson: He sporadically refers to himself with his own name, likely due to his insanity.
264* VillainOfAnotherStory: He admits to doing horrible things in the service of [[spoiler: Hermaeus Mora]] such as murder and spreading plagues. He also came into contact with an Elder Scrolls at some point in the past which damaged his mind.
265* 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''.]]
266[[/folder]]
267
268!Wanderers
269[[folder:M'aiq the Liar]]
270[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aiqtheliarcc_8934.png]]
271[[caption-width-right:212:''"M'aiq has heard it is dangerous to be [[DoomMagnet your]] friend."'']]
272->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AndreSogliuzzo (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Dzyuba (Russian)[[/note]]
273
274A 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.
275
276For more information on M'aiq outside of the context of ''Skyrim'' itself, see his entry on the [[Characters/TheElderScrollsRecurringCharacters Elder Scrolls Recurring Characters]] page.
277----
278* 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''.
279-->'''M'aiq:''' Some say Alduin is Akatosh. Some say M'aiq is a liar. Don't you believe either of those things.
280* AuthorAvatar: The only reason he has a role in the game is to voice the creators' opinion about the UnpleasableFanbase.
281* 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''.
282* 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.
283* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He comes across as very detached from the setting. Logical, since he is something of a literal AuthorAvatar.
284* DeadpanSnarker: Some of his speeches are very sarcastic.
285* 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.
286* 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.
287--> '''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.
288* MushroomSamba: He always has Skooma on his person, which might explain his bizarre, if fairly accurate, view of the world.
289* 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.
290* TakeThat: Just about every speech he makes is a reaction the makers have about an aspect of the game fans aren't pleased about.
291* 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.
292* ThirdPersonPerson: Like most Khajiit, M'aiq talks about M'aiq in this fashion almost every time M'aiq speaks.
293* 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.
294* 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.
295[[/folder]]
296
297[[folder:Old Orc]]
298[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/old_orc_7914.png]]
299[[caption-width-right:245:''"I am waiting for a good death."'']]
300->'''Voiced by:''' Noah Nelson (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Sergey Lavygin (Russian)[[/note]]
301
302An aging Orc found in the wilderness. He has been [[DeathSeeker looking for a good death]], and the Dragonborn can give it to him.
303----
304* 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.
305* 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 Volendrung, Malacath's own artifact weapon, during the battle.
306* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: His character name is just "Old Orc." And that's exactly what he is!
307* 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.
308* 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.
309* ICannotSelfTerminate: If asked, he'll clarify that he can't kill himself because "it would displease Malacath."
310* 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.
311* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: There's nothing that stops the Dragonborn from using Soul Trap on him.
312[[/folder]]
313
314[[folder:Ri'saad]]
315[[quoteright:217:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saad_5002.png]]
316[[caption-width-right:217:''"The wise trader finds the best opportunities, even if he must travel far to find them."'']]
317->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AndreSogliuzzo (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Alexander Dzyuba (Russian)[[/note]]
318
319Head of the Khajiit caravans. Ri'saad leads one of them and is behind forming the other two, who work for him.
320----
321* {{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.]]
322* 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.
323* 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.
324* 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...
325[[/folder]]
326
327[[folder:Talsgar the Wanderer]]
328[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/talsgar_the_wanderer.png]]
329[[caption-width-right:350:''"Ahh. Smell that fresh air? Truly, this is a good place to play a song."'']]
330->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MichaelJGough (English)[[note]]'''Other Languages''':Denis Shvedov (Russian)[[/note]]
331
332A Nord bard occasionally found wandering the main roads.
333----
334* 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''.
335* 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."
336[[/folder]]
337
338[[folder:Plautis and Salonia Carvain]]
339An Imperial husband and wife trying (and failing miserably) to get to Solitude in time for Vittoria Vici's wedding.
340----
341* BreakTheHaughty: {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Plautis in their post-wedding encounter. While still not exactly friendly, he admits they lost everything they brought with them and just wants to find his way out of Skyrim.
342* BrickJoke: After completing "Bound Until Death", they can still be found wandering Skyrim as lost as ever, but after having fallen upon quite a bit of bad luck as well.
343* CallBack: One or both of them are likely descendants of Narina Carvain, the ruler of Bruma in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''.
344* HumiliationConga: According to Plautis post-"Bound Until Death", [[spoiler:they were beset by bandits, his clothes were shredded by a Sabre Cat, and a dragon ate the Legionnaire acting as their bodyguard]].
345* {{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.
346* 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.
347* 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.
348* SkewedPriorities: While Plautis laments their near-deadly troubles with [[spoiler:bandits and wildlife]], Salonia is angriest about ruining her favorite shoes.
349* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Minus the "protagonist" part. They're not that likable, and everything about their encounters is in service of comic relief.
350* UpperClassTwit: They're rich snobs from Cyrodiil that look down on the Dragonborn.
351* 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.
352[[/folder]]
353
354!Other Characters
355
356[[folder:The Sons of Gauldur]]
357[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gauldursonbrothers.JPG]]
358
359The 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.
360----
361* ArcVillain: All three of them, for the quest "Forbidden Legend."
362* 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]]).
363* 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]].]]
364* DoppelgangerSpin: Throughout his fight, Sigdis will periodically create clones of himself that can attack with both arrows and Shouts.
365* 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.
366* 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.
367* 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.
368* 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.
369* 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 if you don't actively pursue the quest.
370* 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.
371* 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.]]
372* 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 and the lake it sits in the middle of are both named for Geirmund.
373* SelfMadeOrphan: They conspired together to murder their father in order to claim the power of an enchanted amulet he created for themselves.
374* 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 ultimately did not stand up to the resolve of Daynas Valen, who cobbled the details back together over his lifetime in his pursuit of the amulet for himself.
375[[/folder]]
376
377[[folder:The Matriarch]]
378While 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 (at least not by her title), she is responsible for guiding the Forsworn as far as they have gotten.
379----
380* 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 (who is encountered and fought during the unrelated Daedric Quest "Pieces of the Past") or the unnamed Hagraven in Hag's End/Deepwood Redoubt (which contains a bonus you can earn on [[spoiler:Gaius Maro]]'s contract in the Dark Brotherhood questline). 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.
381* GreaterScopeVillain: Madanach puts a face to the organization, but she's the one in real power behind the scenes.
382* OneBadMother: She goes by "The Matriarch", and she's the leader of the Forsworn as a whole.
383* TheWomanBehindTheMan: She's issuing orders to the Forsworn behind the scenes (or at least to some of the Forsworn cells around the Reach).
384[[/folder]]

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