How Many Skyrim Characters Can You Name?
- by Patrick Deslauriers
- – on
- in The Geek Corner
Gamers try out lots of games, some good, some bad, some which leave behind such a bitter, unfulfilling taste that we wish we could go back in time and stop ourselves from ever buying them in the first place. Every once in a while, though, a game comes along that stops gamers in their tracks and demands to be played. It commands attention and is so wholly engrossing that a player can get lost in it without even noticing and, the next thing they know, several hours have passed and the real world has moved on around them.
On November 11th, 2011, Bethesda released a little game called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. And by "a little game," I mean a sprawling, incredibly detailed fantasy RPG that was so massive it actually felt like the whole other world it sought to create. In this frigid country of mountains, magic, and dragons, the player was free to do as they pleased, to bend their gaming experience to their will, and to rise above the elements and all other monumental obstacles put in their way. Skyrim was more than a game; it was an experience that rocked the gaming world and became one of the most iconic, indelible games ever created.
Skyrim was and remains memorable for the varied multitude of experiences the player can have within the game, but what exactly makes a moment stand out? In some cases it was the frozen, northern landscapes that captured a light, fragile sort of beauty. At other times the gravity of a situation created so much tension and awe that it could be cut with a knife. And in other instances still it was simply because of the flavor of the game, its uniqueness and particular brand of charm that went beyond its overwhelming scale and turned that enormous world into something truly special. In that regard, the characters of the game, those who lived in Skyrim's frost-covered lands, were key. Can you, as one of countless dovahkiin, recall all those you met on your journey through Skyrim?
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
The leader of Skyrim's local rebellion against the omnipresent Empire, this guy shows up as a prisoner being brought to Helgen in the game's opening sequence. The fact that such a high-profile insurgent was lumped in with the common rabble is questionable to say the least, but it's an intelligent way to introduce the player to some of the game's major figures right away. Oh, and this guy's been gagged so he can't use his voice, not so he can't speak, but rather so that he can't literally shout someone to pieces like the late High King.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
A large portion of Skyrim's most interesting people, unsurprisingly, belong to the region's most prominent factions and organisations. This guy is the player's gateway into the Thieves' Guild, a shadowy organization that operates out of the sewers beneath the city of Riften. He first approaches the player in the market square, asking them to steal some jewelry from a merchant while he provides a distraction. The player can simply walk away but, should they comply, they'll be launched into one of the most elaborate questlines in Skyrim.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
There are few people in Skyrim cooler and more understanding than this guy, the Jarl (chief) of the major city of Whiterun. Following the attack on Helgen, the player eventually makes their way to Whiterun to warn the city about the dragon threat. Though naysayers question the player's credibility, and rightly so, the Jarl takes the warning seriously and immediately considers how to protect his people. He can usually be found leaning back on his throne, but he's shown here as the cool cat he really is. You go, dude.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Skyrim's quests aren't exactly relatable, what with the constant need for heroics and monster-slaying and all. This guy, however, isn't after anything big; he just wants the player to engage in a good old-fashioned drinking contest. If the player accepts, they awaken the next morning with zero recollection of what happened the night before and with, um, a distinct lack of clothing. They then proceed to retrace their steps during their evening of incredible debauchery, ultimately discovering that their drinking partner was none other than the Daedric Lord Sanguine in disguise. It seems even drinking can't be normal in Skyrim.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Remember this dragon who shows up at the beginning of the game and whose presence enables the player's escape from Helgen? Yeah, that was nice of him, even if it wasn't intentional. The thing is, he's also the antagonist of Skyrim's main story because he's hell-bent on destroying the world, so eventually the player must defeat him, no matter how scary he appears. It's all good, though, because by the time the player gets to the end of the main story, he's easy to beat. Major style points for the terrifying looks, though.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Have you ever met a wizard who lives in a giant mushroom in the middle of an ash-covered wasteland? Me neither, at least until I player Skyrim's Dragonborn expansion. The player wanders around Solstheim, an island that's actually part of Morrowind, in the aftermath of an eruption that's blanketed half of the island in ash. Smack in the middle of that desolation is an enormous mushroom with a bunch of people milling about it. So, of course, the player enters the weird abode, seeking some pleasant conversation and maybe a quest or two. Instead, they find this guy, the most pompous, narcissistic jerk this side of Tamriel.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
If anyone tries to tell you that Skyrim is a pleasant, happy game, feel free to point them in the direction of the Dark Brotherhood questline, which starts out with this boy. After the loss of his parents, this kid was sent to an orphanage in Riften, which was presided over by an awful woman ironically nicknamed Grelod the Kind. She was so bad, in fact, that this boy escapes and returns to his abandoned former home to set up and conduct the Black Sacrament, a ritual used to summon the Brotherhood and ask them to assassinate someone. They don't answer, so the player plays the role of assassin instead.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Upon killing and absorbing their first dragon, the player returns to Whiterun where they reconvene with the Jarl. However, in the process of walking to Dragonsreach, the player hears the booming voices of the Greybeards, a summons to High Hrothgar so that the Dragonborn may unlock their true potential. The player's next step is to ascend to the Throat of the World and learn what these secretive figures have to teach. Upon arriving, they're greeted by this guy, the leader of the Greybeards. Thankfully, his voice, which is provided by none other than Christopher Plummer, falls lightly on the ears, as he has a lot of explaining to do about the fate of Skyrim and the Dragonborn.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
I mentioned before how the Dark Brotherhood is, well, dark, but it's not always grim or terrifying. Sometimes the Brotherhood's shadowy ways are downright delightful, and such is the case with this little girl. At first glance, this normal girl seems exceptionally out of place among the Brotherhood's various assassins and murderers. After one chat with her, though, the player discovers that she is in fact a vampire who was turned as a child and has been around for a few hundred years. Oh, and she gets a kick out of murdering unsuspecting people with poisons of varying degrees of deadliness.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
If there's one person in Skyrim whose voice you'd know anywhere, it's probably this guy. The leader of the Dawnguard, a group of hardcore vampire hunters, this character is rough, tough, and has a deep and raspy voice to match his legendary no-bullshit attitude. He's determined to exterminate the vampire threat and will do whatever it takes to do so, including killing anyone who stands in the Danguard's way, even the player. He's basically the Idris Elba of Skyrim, but with a long beard and a gigantic, skull-crushing hammer.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
We've all made some mistakes we're not proud of, whether they involve inviting your unceasingly gassy uncle to your wedding or making bread pudding for, well, any reason at all. This guy, though, made a faux pas for the ages. After discovering the Shrine of Azura and meeting with her acolyte, the Dragonborn does some research into an artifact called Azura's Star, which is essentially a bottomless soul gem. The thing is, a mage of questionable sanity managed to pour his own soul into the Star, trapping him inside forever but also making him immortal. Not sure the drawback is worth it.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
After some dragon-killing on behalf of Whiterun, the Jarl gives you the privilege of purchasing property in the city. You do so, and huzzah! You've now got your very own home! And yes, it comes with a personal housecarl to boot! The Jarl throwing in a steward to serve you may seem like a good thing, but it turns out the lady in your service is one of the most annoying characters in all of Skyrim. She's so aggravating, in fact, that the community has more mods dedicated to improving her single character than just about any other in the game. At least she's loyal, right?
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Skyrim is a massive game littered with loads of little encounters that happen all across the map. If you were extremely fortunate in your travels, you may have come across this friendly fellow once or twice. A musician by trade, he wanders the world singing tales of the Empire and the Dragonborn for a small fee. Intriguingly, completing the main story will inspire him to create and perform another song about the player's defeat of Alduin. Meeting up with this guy is always a pleasant affair, a blissful little pick-me-up in a roadside or tavern setting.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Whereas Lydia is one of the most annoying characters in Skyrim, this character is one of the most beloved. Discovered by the player whilst searching for an Elder Scroll, this character was accidentally locked away hundreds of years ago while searching for the Scroll herself. With her vampire status, sassy nature, and general wittiness, this character makes for an enjoyable and competent follower who aids the Dragonborn in defeating the emerging vampire threat. It also turns out that her father is the mastermind behind that threat, but thankfully she's not a big fan of his.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Speaking of dragons, let's not forget the antagonist of the Dragonborn DLC, who's also one of Skyrim's most recognizable faces or, um, masks. While journeying across the island of Solstheim, the player learns all about this antagonist, the first Dragonborn who swore himself to the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora in exchange for unspeakable powers. With the combined might of his master and his innate Dragonborn abilities, this guy is a formidable foe. The final battle with him involves dragon-riding, thu'um shouting matches, and much more, making for one hell of a finale.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Speaking of pure evil, do you remember this vampire and shadowy overlord? Serana's dad is the Dawnguard DLC's big baddie and is determined to give vampires a golden age by plunging the world into permanent darkness. To do so, he needs a legendary weapon called Auriel's Bow, which has been hidden away for centuries. It's up to the player to find the Bow first and instead harness its power to banish the darkness. Or, if you prefer, you can help this deliciously malicious vampire achieve his goal instead. Being a vampire is pretty cool, after all.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Do you enjoy incredible power, forbidden knowledge, tentacles, and long walks through toxic swamps? If so, you'll absolutely adore this Daedric Prince, whom the player can meet in the Dragonborn DLC. The player can find mysterious artifacts called Black Books which grant mighty boons, with the notable catch that you'll have to trek through a hostile dimension of tentacled creatures, oozing sludge, and structures made of countless ancient times to acquire them. Oh, and your mind might be shattered into a thousand pieces by the Daedric Lord who inhabits the realm.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Remember Neloth, the pompous jerk wizard who lives in a giant mushroom? This guy might as well be his long-lost cousin, because he's just as arrogant and obnoxious, maybe even more so. Soon after the Dragonborn begins their studies at the College of Winterhold, this character shows up as a visiting mage and spends a lot of time in the main hall. After the Eye of Magus is discovered, though, he shows he's even more of a jerk by murdering the Archmage, sealing himself in the room with the magical artifact, and attempting to take its power for himself. Thankfully, the player gets to kill him and experience a sizable wave of satisfaction.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
The Thieves' Guild, what with it being comprised of people who lie, cheat and steal for a living, features a lot of smooth criminals. That said, this character might just be the smoothest. Despite being arrogant and vicious, she's a master of lockpicking and infiltrating loot-filled places and her no-nonsense attitude commands attention and respect. Her prickly demeanor means she's short on friends, but she's fiercely loyal to the Guild and is still willing to give out praise when warranted. She's tough to please, but happy to cooperate once her respect is earned. That said, good luck to the bunch of Guild members who have crushes on her.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
If you thought Sheogorath was the quirkiest, nuttiest person on this list, you probably forgot about this guy. A seldom seen member of the Dark Brotherhood and apparently a jester, this guy is responsible for caring for the Night Mother, an ancient corpse worshiped by the Brotherhood as their deity. At one point in the Brotherhood questline, he appears along with the Night Mother at the Sanctuary, and promptly shakes things up. He's wacky, flamboyant, downright insane, and he fancies himself the Listener, the single person who can speak to the Night Mother. Of course, that ends up being the Dragonborn instead, because they're an incredibly special snowflake.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Where do you typically go on vacation? Maybe somewhere warm in the Caribbean? Maybe something historical in Europe? How about the mind of an emperor who's been dead for a few hundred years? The Daedric Prince pictured here, being so enamored with madness and all, opted for the latter option. Upon finding the late emperor's hip bone the Dragonborn is transported into the former ruler's mind. There, they find both the Daedric Prince and the emperor, who sits around with an empty look on his face. I wouldn't be happy if a fashionable madman showed up inside my mind either, so I get where he's coming from.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Remember how you impersonated the Dark Brotherhood to kill Grelod the Kind for Aventus Aretino? Yeah, that was never gonna fly. The next time the player falls asleep after helping Aventus, they wake up in an abandoned, bloody house with no memory of the events that brought them there. Lounging on the sparse furniture is this character, the leader of the Brotherhood. In her calm, smooth voice, she gives the Dragonborn a choice: kill one of three men in the room, or die themselves. The choice is made, and from there the player begins their descent into the murderous darkness of Brotherhood culture.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Unless you have a thing for tearing everyone you come across into shredded bits of meat, being a werewolf sucks. Say goodbye to any self-control you had and say hello to some serious primal ferocity! The thing is, people are still going to hold you accountable for your actions, like this guy, who wound up in Falkreath's jail for killing his own daughter. The player can try to help him, but it turns out he's been cursed by the Daedric Prince Hircine, and that hold won't be easily broken.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
The Dragonborn never really has (or needs) a mentor during the events of Skyrim, but this aged mage comes closest to fulfilling the role. After demonstrating some basic skills with magic to enter the College of Winterhold, the player is granted access to the grounds and is lumped in with the new class of students, all of whom this guy graciously takes under his wing. One of the first things he does is take the class on a field trip to some nearby ruins. They're actually infested with draugr, so that wasn't his best idea.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
After progressing the main story a bit, you'll meet this fierce warrior, who usually works as an innkeeper in Riverwood. In actuality, she's the last leader of the Blades, an ancient group of dragon-hunters sworn to serve the Dragonborn. She's excited that the Dragonborn has finally returned but is wary of the rising dragon threat, which poses enormous danger to Skyrim's populace. She offers to help the player as much as she possibly can despite the Blades' pitifully low member count. There's a whopping two members right now, but she hopes things will pick up now that the world is on the brink of destruction.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Do you like horses? How about tireless, undead horses that exude evil with such twisted efficacy that their eyes glow red? If so, look no further than this steed, which you can acquire after delving deep into the murky waters of the Dark Brotherhood questline. The weird thing is it can actually still die, it just has much higher health and recovers that health rapidly. So it's not actually an immortal horse after all. But it will fight back against anything that attacks you, including dragons, so that's kinda cool. Oh, and don't confuse him with Gandalf's horse. He hates that.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Hey, you know what would be difficult? Asking you to provide the name for a character whose appearance varies from game to game! Don't worry, though: they're always dressed in exactly the same way that betrays an obsession with black clothing. This guy shows up at the conclusion of your quest to obtain the Ebony Mail, a magical set of armor that shrouds you in silence and poisons anyone who gets too close to you. To get this far, you'll have to murder multitudes of cultists and innocent people, including a close friend that you sacrifice to a Daedric Prince. Not exactly ideal, but sometimes you just gotta pay the iron price in a game like Skyrim.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
The Greybeards have deep connections to dragons, what with their deep knowledge of the draconic thu'um (voice) that can also be harnessed by Dragonborn. Nevertheless, one of Skyrim's biggest twists is the discovery that the leader of the Greybeards is an actual dragon, and an ancient one at that. Why help humans? Probably because he's trying to right the many wrongs he made by serving under Alduin during the Dragon War, wherein he allegedly helped eradicate countless human lives. He still seems like a nice guy, though he's a bit of a close-talker.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
As the military leader of the Empire, this guy plays a prominent role in Skyrim's main story, especially the civil war. Appearing in the game's opening sequence at Helgen, he metes out the player's death sentence with a palpable amount of compassion despite the circumstances, and his capacity for kindness and understanding continues throughout the events of the game. He tries to be reasonable whenever possible despite his evident military prowess, and is keen on achieving peace diplomatically rather than through bloodshed. He also bears a striking resemblance to Caesar because, well, why not?
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
The former Archmage of the Mages' College doesn't play a major role in the events that transpire there, with the notable exception that he's murdered by Ancano once the Eye of Magus is brought to the College. However, while he's still alive, the Archmage interacts with the player on a few occasions, rewarding them with a magical trinket for helping uncover the Eye and imploring them to research its origins on his behalf. Still, the Archmage's greatest impact is felt when the Dragonborn takes up his mantle and, in turn, his robes, which are imbued with enormous magical power.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
One of Skyrim's most badass women is this character, the shaman of a local Skaal tribe living on the island of Solstheim. With Miraak's rise to power, the elemental obelisks around the island have begun to control the minds of villagers, the Skaal included. This character is determined to get to the bottom of things and is investigating the Temple of Miraak when the player arrives. She's glad to team up with the competent Dragonborn and, with her Brienne of Tarth-like frame and fighting style, she's a mighty fine ally to have.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
When wandering about the town of Morthal at night, the player can come across this ghost of a little girl who spends her time standing around in a destroyed house. With a little investigation, the Dragonborn discovers that she and her mother both died in their family home when it was set ablaze, allegedly by her own father. Tragically, the ghost has no memory of the events that befell her family. She is, however, keen to play hide and seek.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Few people in Skyrim have as much trouble surrounding them as this character, who was exiled from the Thieves' Guild for twenty-five years after being framed for the murder of Gallus Desidenius, her lover and mentor. After joining the Guild themselves and progressing the questline, the Dragonborn eventually realizes that she was framed for the murder by Mercer Frey, the current Guildmaster. After finally finding this character and learning the truth, the player joins with her and Brynjolf to overthrow Mercer. Bloodshed ends up being the only way to go, though, so Mercer is killed, and the Dragonborn is installed as the new Guildmaster.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Though Cicero was frustrating to deal with, this guy took a legendary amount of patience. A former wizard of the College driven insane by reading an Elder Scroll, this character left in search of ancient Dwemer artifacts. He happened upon a strange Dwemer device hidden away in a small, icy cave, and spent years hence trying to unlock it. The Dragonborn eventually finds him, still living in the far-flung cave, and heeds the wizard's advice to collect the blood of various races to unlock the device. With the contraption finally open, the insane wizard giddily runs up to the ancient tome stored inside, only to be instantly vaporized. Obsession never ends well, kids.
What's the name of this Skyrim character?
Museums are fun, quiet places where you can learn all about the past. Skyrim features only one museum, and of course it's about an ancient cult that almost destroyed the world. The museum opens in Dawnstar, where this friendly fellow is happy to give you all the details and proudly proclaim that his family was involved in the cult. After some chatting, he implores you to help him find and rebuild the cult's long-lost weapon, a Daedric artifact called Mehrunes' Razor. Being the nice person you are, you do so, and then he tries to murder you. Jerk.