Difference between revisions of "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim"

Several characters are depicted as drunkards, and the Dragonborn can give them alcoholic drinks if they have any in their inventory when speaking to the drunk.

During the Daedric quest “A Night to Remember,” the Dragonborn engages in a drinking contest and wakes up the next morning in a strange place with no memory of the previous wild night they had. The rest of the quest involves figuring out what happened while they were drunk. The quest is avoidable, though the Dragonborn will not receive the Daedric artifact, the Sanguine Rose; to avoid it, simply don’t speak to Sam Guevenne when he appears in any inn you enter after reaching level 14. To read through the quest line for "A Night to Remember" click here.

Wolf-fighting cage-matches appear in two locations: Faldar’s Tooth, a bandit fortress with no quests specific to it (though some quests with random locations will send the Dragonborn there), and Cragslane Cavern which is a location the Dragonborn must visit during a quest if they would like to receive a title in the province of The Rift and purchase a house in the city of Riften. In both cases, the Dragonborn puts a stop to the wolf-fighting operations by killing the outlaws responsible but must either ignore or kill most of the wolves, as they attack when their handlers are attacked or if they are freed from their cages. To read more about Faldar's Tooth and Cragslan Cavern click here and here.

Pet dogs kept by NPCs exist throughout the game. These dogs can run out of health in the same way the Dragonborn’s pet dog can. Other non-hostile animals which can be killed include domesticated cows, chickens, goats, and wild foxes, rabbits, elk, and deer. Dragon attacks are likely the most common cause of accidental death for these animals, though the Dragonborn can kill them just as easily.

During the quest “A Night to Remember,” the Dragonborn must rescue a goat named Gleda, whom they had abducted and sold to a giant during a night of drunken escapades. The goat can die if attacked by the Dragonborn, dragons, or any other source of damage. If the player would rather not risk the goat’s death, this part of the quest can be skipped by ignoring the quest’s hint to visit the town of Rorikstead and instead traveling to the city of Whiterun and talking to Ysolda who can be found near the marketplace during the day. To read more about the quest "A Night to Remember" click here.

Other enemies can chase the Dragonborn into bodies of water and will occasionally swim in after them, though these enemies cannot attack the Dragonborn while swimming just as the Dragonborn cannot attack them while swimming. Enemies with ranged attacks, such as bandits with bows, mages with ranged spells, or dragons’ shouts can harm the Dragonborn while they are swimming.

During combat enemies will often verbally taunt the player, including using racial slurs, especially if the player is a member of certain races shunned by the Nords' society, notably the Khajiit, Argonians, and elvish races.

Depictions of decapitations and beheadings include blood coming from the killed character’s severed neck.

Certain skeletons, especially those which appear in the dens of vampires, bears, trolls, or anything else that is liable to consume a human, are often covered in blood, and the bloody skulls still contain eyes.

Blood spatter is sometimes used as a trail for the Dragonborn to follow or as a background texture in places where someone or something was beaten or killed.

Blood is collected in a basin for rituals during the questlines for the Companions faction and during the quest “Evil in Waiting,” and another bloodfilled basin is located in Shriekwind Bastion, a Nordic ruin. To read more about the "Evil in Waiting" and "Shriekwind Bastion" quests, quest click here and here.

During the Dark-Brotherhood quest “Death Incarnate,” the Dragonborn will encounter a person suffering severe burns and must have a brief conversation with them and ultimately kill them in order to advance complete the questline. To read more about the "Death Incarnate" quest, click here.

The transformations into Werewolf and Vampire Lord look painful as the Dragonborn or other character mutates into their altered form..

Lootable skeletons which function as containers, as well as loose bones and skulls, some of which appear with a coating of blood and gore, can be found throughout the game.

In many dungeons, the Dragonborn will encounter strings of bones strung from the ceiling which rattle when bumped into and can alert enemies to their presence.

When dragons are killed, their flesh burns away to reveal their reptilian skeleton. From their corpses, the Dragonborn can loot dragonbone and fashion armor from it.

The armor worn by the Forsworn enemies incorporates bones.

The Dawnguard DLC adds dogs with husky appearances who are allied with the Dawnguard faction, as well as death hounds, black canids with skeletal faces who are allied with the vampire faction.

Werewolves appear in the game, and the Dragonborn can become one by doing the Companions questline.

Human flesh and human heart are both alchemy ingredients which which the player can use to create potions or can simply eat.

If the player becomes a vampire, they must feed on sleeping humans in order to maintain their human appearance and prevent villagers from being hostile to them. Vampirism can be cured during the early stages in the same way that any other disease can be cured: with a cure disease potion or a visit to the shrine of a Divine. However, if allowed to progress until the Dragonborn is a full vampire, a special ritual must be undergone with Falion of Morthal to cure the Dragonborn of their vampirism. To learn more about the ritual necessary to cure vampirism, click here

In their native home of Valenwood, the Bosmer people are cannibalistic and eat their dead, due to a pact they made in antiquity with the intelligent plants of the forest they inhabit. This Green Pact prohibits these elves from eating plants or harming them in any way. While the Bosmer of Skyrim do not necessarily adhere to this Pact, several books which discuss the Bosmer feature their cannibalistic ways. None of the books in the game are required reading, so these can easily be avoided: (This section is incomplete.)

• The book “A Dance in Fire, Chapter 3,” the protagonist and his Bosmer companions eat a highly-intelligent tiger, described as “a creature as intelligent as a man or mer.” To read about the "Dance in Fire v. 3 book" click here.

Several other books depict or reference cannibalism. None of the books in the game are required reading, so these can easily be avoided:

• The main conflict of the book series “Bone” which is added by the Dragonborn add on, is that of a minor lord whose land is being attacked by barbaric cannibalistic warriors. To read more about the "Bone" series, click here.

At two points in the Dark Brotherhood plotline, the Dragonborn must close themselves in the coffin of the Night Mother, the ancient leader of the assassin’s guild, whose mummified corpse is a conduit through which she can speak to her followers. The interior of the coffin is not visually made to seem like as small of a space as would be implied by the size of the coffin when viewed from the outside, and none of the characters involved makes reference to the tightness of the space, merely how strange the request to close oneself in a coffin is.

Lootable skeletons which function as containers, as well as loose bones and skulls, can be found throughout the game.

Two varieties of lootable corpses exist that cannot be produced through actions of the Dragonborn. Desiccated corpses appear in spiders dens; they have a greenish hue, are wrapped in spider webs, and either hang from the ceiling or roll on the floor. Burnt corpses appear in many places, often to point out the existence of a fire-related trap or to give evidence of a past dragon attack.

Draugr are animate mummified zombies which are encountered in almost any Nordic ruin and will attack intruders. Some Draugr are merely containers for lootable items and will remain interred in their alcoves or coffins, rather than rising to attack.

Animate skeletons are a recurring enemy.

During the Dark Brotherhood plot-line, the Dragonborn encounters the Night Mother, the ancient leader of the assassin’s guild, whose mummified corpse is a conduit through which she can speak to her followers. At two points during the questline, the Dragonborn must close themselves into the coffin with the mummy where the screen is filled with the Night Mother’s visage and with no opportunity to turn the in-game camera away from her face for the duration of the necessary cut-scenes.

The Dragonborn can also marry during the course of the game, and if their spouse lives outside of a city where dragons can attack or if they are a follower and are taken along on quests, the spouse can be killed.

Many characters the Dragonborn encounters have had loved ones die, and the Dragonborn must, often, help them get revenge or bring them news. The following is not necessarily a comprehensive list of occasions where the Dragonborn encounters characters who are suffering the loss of a loved one:

• During the miscellaneous quest “No News is Good News,” the Dragonborn must help a woman get news of her soldier-daughter’s whereabouts, only to discover the girl had been killed in action. To read more about the "Now News is Good News" quest click here.

• During the exploration of the Nordic ruin of Ansilvund, the Dragonborn encounters and must dispatch a necromancer who is raising an undead army which she plans to use to seek revenge for the death and subsequent cremation of her husband, a fallen soldier. To read more about the "Ansilvund" quest, click here.

• During the location quest “Ancestral Worship,” the Dragonborn must accompany a cowardly warrior through his family tomb to defeat the necromancer who killed his aunt and is defiling the tomb. To read more about the "Ancestral Worship" quest click here.

• During the miscellaneous quest “Drowned Sorrows,” the Dragonborn must help a man fill in missing pieces of his past. He is under the impression that the love of his life ran off with a thief and abandoned him. Over the course of the quest, the Dragonborn discovers that the woman had been faithful to the man and had died while hunting for treasure which could secure the couple’s financial future. To complete the quest, the Dragonborn must inform the man of his love’s fate. To read more about the "Drowned Sorrows" quest, click here.

• On the road near the location “Meeko’s Shack,” the Dragonborn can encounter a dog named Meeko who barks at the Dragonborn and attempts to lead them off in the direction of the shack. If the Dragonborn follows, they will discover the body of a dead Nord beside a journal, chronicling his death by disease and his remorse over leaving his faithful dog, Meeko behind and alone. The dog will continue to protect the shack, sitting beside the Nord’s body, though it can be persuaded to follow the Dragonborn on their quest like a normal follower. If dismissed, the dog will go home to the shack to resume its vigil. With the Hearthfire add-on, the Dragonborn can adopt Meeko as a house pet, which will move the dog into the Dragonborn’s home of choice permanently. To read more about the "Meeko's Shack" quest, click here.

The city of Winterhold is struggling along in the wake of a large-scale disaster which caused much of the cliff-side city to collapse into the sea. There is hostility and animosity among the villagers against the Mages College which was largely untouched by the disaster.

During the quest “The Only Cure,” the Dragonborn must defeat the renegade leader of the Afflicted, a group of people with a special disease which had been given to them by the Daedric Prince Peryite, who are holed up in an old ruin with the eventual intent that they be sent out into the world to spread their disease. To read more about "The Only Cure" quest, click here.

The Knahaten Flu was a massive plague in Elder Scrolls lore. While it does not feature in this game, it may be mentioned in some of the books or may appear while investigating the lore through outside sources.

Drowned characters can be found in many places in the game.

• During the exploration of the ruin Rannveig’s Fast, the Dragonborn falls down a chute into a cage filled with waist-high water, in which floats several corpses. Once the Dragonborn escapes the cage, they can read the journal of the necromancer who set the trap, which describes two different drowning deaths of other adventurers who had fallen into the trap. To read more about Rannveig's Fast, click here.
• Outside the exit to a cave system called Darkwater Pass, the Dragonborn can find the submerged skeleton of an adventurer who appears to have been tied to a stone and thrown down a waterfall where they subsequently died. To read more about "Darkwater Pass", click here.

The book “The Argonian Account, Book 4” opens with the protagonist paralyzed and being carried along in a river. He loses consciousness temporarily but wakes up more-or-less unscathed after his ordeal. None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided. To read more about "The Argonian Account, Book 4", click here.

The residents of Honorhall Orphanage are emotionally abused by their caretaker who tells them that they are rejects and that no one will ever want to adopt them. These children can be adopted with the Hearthfire add-on, and the caretaker can be killed as part of the quest "Innocence Lost" which will cause her to be replaced as caretaker by her kindlier assistant. To read more about the "Innocence Lost" quest click here.

The way the idea of the soul is handled in the Elder Scrolls universe is potentially troubling. The idea of an afterlife is very present, and there is, in fact, proof of the existence of several afterlives, including the Nordic heaven of Sovngarde, the Hunting Grounds of the Daedra Hircine, and the Daedra Nocturnal’s realm of Evergloam. At the same time, the Dragonborn can capture the souls of practically any being or anima they kill with the use of soul gems and the soul-trap enchantment or spell and can use these to create and power enchantments for weapons and armor. It is unclear whether or not the bearers of these souls are capable of entering their respective afterlives if they are soul-trapped. The Dragonborn also absorbs the souls of slain dragons and applies their knowledge to understanding the Words of Power for their unique Shouting power.

The final enemy of the dragon portion of the plotline, the great dragon Alduin, invades the Nordic afterlife of Sovngarde and consumes the souls of the Nords’ heroic dead in order to become more powerful. When the Dragonborn visits Sovngarde for the final battle, Alduin is in the process of feeding, and the Dragonborn meets several dead souls who are eaten by Alduin shortly after the Dragonborn interacts with them. This is especially disconcerting because the souls are lost in a fog Alduin created to confuse them and prevent them from reaching the safety. Also, depending on what quests have been undertaken prior to entering Sovngarde, the Dragonborn can encounter the souls of certain people they have met along their journey and with whom they may have developed personal connections. Despite the potential for worry over the loss of these characters, none of them can be consumed by Alduin, and Alduin’s feeding concludes at the end of the plotline.

The werewolves featured during the Companions questline are committed to serving their afterlife with the Daedric prince of the hunt, Hircine. Several of the Companions struggle with the fact that, as werewolves, they will not be able to go to Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife, and a large part of the Companions plotline involves finding a way to break the werewolf curse for those who want to go to Sovngarde.

Large crossbow weapons which shoot explosive bolts are sometimes rigged up as traps within Dwemer ruins.

Certain traps involve hanging jars full of flaming oil, which can be shot down and explode on impact with the ground. Iridescent oil often coats the ground in areas featuring this kind of fire trap which can spread the flames along the ground.

In certain places within Stony Creek Cave, Knifepoint Mine, Gloombound Mine, Alftand, and, with the Dragonborn add-on, Raven Rock Mine, the air will seem to waver and is filled with an invisible flammable gas. This gas can explosively catch fire and spread when triggered by any source of fire, such as a torch or fire magic wielded by the Dragonborn. To read more about each area click in its name.

Eye of Sabre Cat is an alchemy ingredient and can often be harvested from the creatures when they are defeated.

Certain prop skulls, especially those which appear in the dens of vampires, bears, trolls, or anything else that is liable to consume a human, appear bloody and still contain damaged eyes.

During the quest “Frostflow Abyss,” the Dragonborn explores an abandoned lighthouse whose former keepers met a grisly fate. At the end of the quest, the Dragonborn locates the remains of the lighthouse keeper, which appears as the bloody skull mentioned above. This particular skull must be looted from the boss monster; it appears as the first item in the enemy’s inventory, so when the Dragonborn goes to loot the enemy, a close-up of this skull appears, which could be unsettling. To read more about the "Frostflow Abyss" quest, click here.

Dragons and the Dragonborn both have fire breath attacks.

As the plot of the game heavily involves fire-breathing dragons returning after hundreds of years of slumber, dragon-attacks become a common occurrence, and the Dragonborn can often find ruined villages and homes which were burned as a result of dragon attacks.

In Morvunskar, mad-scientist mage killed several human test subjects with fire. To read more about Morvunskar, click here.

Some traps shoot fire, while others involve hanging jars full of flaming oil, which can be shot down and explode on impact with the ground.

Flammable materials will often appear in dungeons. (See Explosion section for further details)

When beheaded or decapitated, both the head and neck of the slain character show the inner musculature of the neck.

The Dragonborn can also locate several varieties raw animal meat in the world, usually by looting it off of killed animals. The Dragonborn can also find the alchemy ingredients human heart, human flesh, giant's toe, Falmer ear, and sabrecat eye.

Spriggan enemies produce a sound like buzzing bees, and, when defeated, release a swarm of glowing particles which attack the player and could be interpreted as insects.

Butterflies, moths, bees, and fireflies can be harvested for alchemy ingredients.

In some places, tiny ants can be spotted crawling on top of large tree stumps.

In Nordic ruins, Draugr will often be interred in coffins which will, when approached, pop open suddenly, and the Draugr will emerge. This isn’t usually startling if it is anticipated, but can be startling when not. Similarly, in Dwemer ruins, Dwarven Spiders and Spheres can be dispensed from pipes in walls suddenly when the player approaches, and in Falmer dens, the Falmer enemies can jump down from their nests which are often suspended high in tunnels.

Dragons can appear suddenly while traveling in the world, and encountering them triggers special battle music, which can be startling if unanticipated or if the audio is on too loudly.

Shalidor’s Maze near the location Labyrinthian features very tight spaces and potentially startling encounters. With a narrow path, high walls, and many blind corners around which occasionally hide skeever enemies who jump out and attack the Dragonborn, traversing the maze can be unnerving. The maze is entirely avoidable, and the reward for completing the Maze, the Diadem of the Savant, can be found at a different location via a bug. To read more about the "Diadem of the Savant" quest, click here.

In all of these situations, spells such as Detect Life/Detect Dead or the shout Aura Whisper, can be useful to prevent jump scares. These spells cause auras to appear around entities, and the auras are even visible through walls, which makes spotting a potential scare early, possible. Playing with the audio off can also prevent some of the sudden loud sounds which could be triggering.

• Following the quest “Innocence Lost,” the Dragonborn will receive a mysterious letter. The first time they sleep after receiving this letter, they will awaken in a strange location and be given the quest “With Friends Like These...” which will give them the option of either being inducted into the assassin’s guild (to do so they must kill at least one of a set of three people who were kidnapped along with the Dragonborn), the Dark Brotherhood or of wiping out the assassins. To read more about the "Innocence Lost" quest click here. To read more about the "With Friends Like These..." quest, click here

• During the Companions job quest “Rescue Mission,” the Dragonborn must rescue and subsequently escort home a random, named villager who had been kidnapped by bandits, Falmer, Hagravens, vampires, or wizards. To learn more about the "Rescue Mission" quest, click here.

• During the quest “The Heart of Dibella,” a young girl was kidnapped, and the Dragonborn must rescue her. To read more about "The Heart of Dibella" quest, click here.

• During the quest “The House of Horrors,” a servant of the Daedric prince, Boethiah, was captured, and the Dragonborn is charged to rescue him. To read more about "The House of Horrors" quest, click here.

• During the miscellaneous quest “Extracting an Argonian,” Derkeethus was captured and imprisoned and must be rescued by the Dragonborn. To read more about the "Extracting an Argonian" quest, click here.

The ghostly denizens of the dungeon Rannveig's Fast will tell you how sorry they are for attacking you. The necromancer controlling them has stripped them of their will, forcing them to attack you, but they have enough sense of morality to feel remorseful over it and will tell the Dragonborn "I'm sorry," and "This isn't what I want."

The Dark Brotherhood is a guild of assassins which the Dragonborn can join. The quest-line for the guild features the Dragonborn committing several murders.

The city of Windhelm is plagued by a string of murders perpetrated by someone known only as the Butcher.

When the Dragonborn first enters the marketplace in the city of Markarth, they have the opportunity to prevent a murder, though quick reflexes are necessary to kill the murderer Weylin before he can assassinate his target.

During the quest “The Break of Dawn,” the Dragonborn must investigate ruins which are being controlled by a necromancer. Throughout, the dungeon, the player encounters failed necromantic experiments which appear as burned, desiccated corpses which flop about in unnatural ways when interacted with. To read more about "The Break of Dawn" quest, click here.

The book “16 Accords of Madness, v. XII” features the unintentional mutilation of a young woman by a warrior wielding a cursed blade. None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided. To read more about "16 Accords of Madness, v. XII", click here.

• Ass:
  • Vex of the Thieves Guild asks that the Dragonborn “not make her look like an ass in front of the Guild” by messing up a job.
  • Maul of Riften will tell the Dragonborn to “watch [their] ass around” the city if they fail a Persuade check against him when they first arrive.
  • Galmar Stone-Fist of Windhelm will taunt enemy Imperial soldiers in battle with the phrase, “The Emperor can kiss my ass!”
  • The book “A Dance in Fire, Chapter 3,” includes the term “ass,” in reference to a large tiger species the protagonist encounters. None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided.

• Bastard:
  • “Bastard” is used in several places as the actual term for an illegitimate child; these uses will not be listed here.
  • During the introduction cinematic, when one of the captured rebel soldiers is beheaded, one of his compatriots calls the Imperial solders who have captured them “Imperial bastards.”
  • In the “Smuggler’s Journal,” which is found in a cellar at Mara’s Eye Pond, the smuggler who penned the book calls his employer “that bastard” after discovering the contents of his cargo: human bodies, which, some time after the journal was written, turn out to be sleeping vampires. None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided.

• Bitch:
  • Vex of the Thieves Guild uses the phrase “son of a bitch” in reference to a guild traitor.
  • Vipir the Fleet of the Thieves Guild, while under the impression that a particular character is a traitor to the Guild, calls her “that Dunmer bitch.”
  • Jarl Idgrod of Morthal uses the phrase “traitorous bitch” to describe a female vampire who had persuaded people to kill a woman and the woman’s young daughter.
  • Mjoll the Lioness of Riften may call Maven Black-Briar a “cold, unfeeling bitch,” when they walk past each other in town.
  • Galmar Stone-Fist of Windhelm describes the Stormcloaks as “the meanest, toughest sons of bitches Skyrim has to offer.”
  • During the quest “The Lover’s Requital,” Sibbi Black-Briar will call his estranged former fiancee a “bitch” and threatens violence against her.

• Piss:
  • Delvin Mallory of the Thieves Guild uses the phrase “piss-drunk mad” in one of the early dialogues with him.
  • If the Dragonborn is not a member of the Thieves Guild, Molgrom Twice-Killed, an imprisoned member of the Guild, will tell them to “piss off” when they speak to him.
  • Malus Maccius of the Honningbrew Meadery will tell the Dragonborn to “piss off” if they don’t want to buy anything from the meadery.
  • The Dragonborn expansion adds the book “The Poison Song, Book 1,” in which a character discussing whether someone’s cursed uses the phrase “Piss on the faerie and they piss right back on you.” None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided.
  • Ungrien of Riften has a conversation with the beggar Sniff when asked for money, telling him, “If I even had a pot to piss in, I’d gladly share. Sorry.”
  • The book “The Argonian Account, Book 2” includes the use of the phrase “Hist piss” to describe a foul-rain that falls in the province of Black Marsh. None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided.
  • Maul of Riften will tell the Dragonborn to “piss off” after the conversation he will begin with the Dragonborn when they first enter the city.
  • Jarl Siddgier of Falkreath will send the Dragonborn on a quest to get quality mead, specifying that he wants “none of that local piss.”
  • General Tullius of Solitude will, during the main quest “Season Unending” complain during the negotiations about being metaphorically handed “a mug of sheep’s piss.” This quest can be avoided by completing the civil-war main plotline before working on the return-of-the-dragons main plotline.

• Multiple Uses of Offensive Language:
  • During the main-plot quest “A Blade in the Dark,” the Dragonborn’s companion, Delphine uses a number of swears during a fight with the dragon Sahloknir. She calls him “that bastard,” “you son of a bitch,” and “the damn dragon.”

The residents of Riften’s Honorhall Orphanage are beaten by their caretaker, whom the Dragonborn has the option to kill as part of the quest “Innocence Lost.” To learn more about the "Innocence Lost" quest, click here.

• Shalidor’s Maze near the location Labyrinthian features very tight spaces and potentially startling encounters. With a narrow path, high walls, and many blind corners around which occasionally hide skeever enemies who jump out and attack the Dragonborn, traversing the maze can be unnerving. The maze is entirely avoidable, and the reward for completing the Maze, the Diadem of the Savant, can be found at a different location via a bug. To read more about the "Diadem of the Savant" quest, click here.

• During the quest “The Break of Dawn,” the Dragonborn must investigate ruins which are being controlled by a necromancer. Throughout, the dungeon, the player encounters failed necromantic experiments which appear as burned, desiccated corpses which flop about in unnatural ways when interacted with. To learn more about "The Break of Dawn" quest, click here.

• The cavern of Blackreach which must be entered during the main plot can be unsettling. It is a dark, subterranean cave filled with desolate ruins, skulking Falmer enemies, and, at nearly 4 square miles in size, is very easy to get lost in. To read more about "Blackreach", click here.

Cicero of the Dark Brotherhood is an assassin who went mad following his assassination of a jester. The jester’s laugh haunted Cicero for the rest of his life, especially so when he was faced with not receiving an honor he deemed himself worthy of: the position of Listener, the sole person able to communicate the wishes of the Night Mother, the assassin guild’s leader.

The Daedric prince of madness, Sheogorath, is in charge of the mentally ill and even works to make people insane, often leading them to commit many atrocities. For example, during Sheogorath’s Daedric quest “The Mind of Madness,” the Dragonborn must enter the mind of a long-dead mad emperor and help purge his mind of the traumas that drove him to insanity. To read more about "The Mind of Madness", click here.

The book “16 Accords of Madness, v. IX” features the Daedric princes of dreams and madness, Vaermina and Sheogorath, respectively, making a bargain regarding which of them can make a mortal man the most hated by other mortals. Their methods turn the man insane. Vaermina gives the man horrific nightmares for ten years, and he becomes a both loved and reviled writer of horror books. After this, Vaermina stops interacting with him as per the contract, and Sheogorath ignores the man for the next ten years, leaving him to steep in the traumas left over from the nightmares and the abandonment he feels when his patroness stops talking to him. The man then turns to writing sacrilegious materials and is eventually put to death for his writings. To read more about "16 Accords of Madness, v. IX", click here.

The use of the Daedric artifact the Ebony Blade is described in the “Admonition Against Ebony” with which it is found,to have the ultimate effect of giving its wielder “the crazed eyes of those wild men who roam the hills chattering with rabbits.” To read more about "Admonition Against Ebony", click here.

In the city of Windhelm, the Dragonborn encounters rampant racism:

• The Dark Elves or Dunmer, who moved to the city as refugees after a natural disaster in their homeland, are forced to live in a slum and face racist abuse and threats against them.
• Trade caravans and other migrant groups are threatened by bandits, and the ruler of Windhelm refuses to offer aid.
• The Argonian dockworkers are not paid fairly for their labor.
• The Dragonborn can help with each these problems in different ways: by brawling with one of the Dunmers’ worst antagonists and gaining his respect which tones down the harassment somewhat, by taking out a group of bandits who threatened caravans and migrants, and by persuading the Argonians’ boss to pay them a fair wage.

The history of the Orcs is one of repeated harassment and ostracization by their human neighbors. Their homeland of Orsinium was burnt and rebuilt several times throughout history, and many Orcs live in strongholds in isolated parts of Skyrim, attempting to live out their ancient way of life, as far from the Nord’s negative impressions of them as possible.

The Forsworn are a group roughly analogous to Native Americans who had control of the part of Skyrim known as the Reach until Nordic settlers came in and claimed the land for the Empire, kicking the Forsworn into the hills and out of power. They retaliate with guerrilla warfare against the Nords who have claimed the province.

Books which contain racist rhetoric or describe racism include “Scourge of the Gray Quarter,” “16 Accords of Madness, v. XII,” “The Alduin/Akatosh Dichotomy,” and others. None of the books in the game are required reading, so these can easily be avoided. (This section is incomplete.)

Bats appear as an atmospheric element in certain areas, flying harmlessly out of caves or from under bridges.

The dragon enemies are reptilian.

While not depicted in this game, several elements of the Elder Scrolls lore feature reptilian creatures, some of which are mentioned in in-game books and appear in other games in the Elder Scrolls series. They are not depicted visually in any of the sources in this game. Notably, the Tsaesci race is another race of reptilian humanoids, and the lesser daedra species of clannfear and daedroth are reptilian.

The Moth Priests are figures in the lore of the game and do not appear in game outside of discussion of them in several in-game books, though they are featured in other games in the Elder Scrolls series. These priests train intensively to read the Elder Scrolls which, over time, cause them to lose their vision.

The quest “Caught Red Handed” is given by Haelga’s niece Svana, who wants to shame Haelga for her sexuality in retaliation for Haelga’s treatment of Svana after the death of the girl’s parents. If the quest is undertaken, the Dragonborn must convince three of Haelga’s partners to give up the tokens they received after their rendezvous with Haelga. The Dragonborn must subsequently present the marks to Haelga to fluster and shame her. Each of the men reports very judgmentally about the strange things Haelga wanted to do with them, everything from sex in the stables to implications that Haelga drugged one of her partners. To read more about the quest "Caught Red Handed", click here.

Sapphire of the Thieves Guild tells the Dragonborn of her backstory, in which her family was all killed she was captured and raped by bandits.

In the mythology of the Elder Scrolls series, the Daedric lord, Molag Bal, also called the "Lord of Rape," created the vampire race via the rape a young woman who became the first vampire. This bit of lore is brought up in dialogue in the Dawnguard DLC and is told explicitly in the book "Opusculus Lamae Bal."

In the book “Mystery of Talara, Part 4,” a patron of a brothel is depicted as regularly abusing the prostitutes he hires. He is brutal enough to them that the text describes his regularly hired prostitute as “still healing from [his] appointment with her last week.” None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided. To read more about the "Mystery of Talara, Part 4", click here.

During the Thieves Guild side-quest “Toying with the Dead,” the Dragonborn must explore a Nordic ruin called Yngvild in order to collect the four journals of the ruin’s sole living inhabitant, a necromancer named Arondil. Among other things, the journals document Arondil’s unwanted advances toward the young women of a nearby town.

During the quest “Rise in the East,” the Dragonborn must track down a group of pirates and get information out of their leader, in order to track down the pirates’ base of operations. When they enter the inn where these pirates are staying, the men are harassing the resident bard, the daughter of the inkeeper. She attempts to call them out for their behavior, but, when told to leave her alone and “shut [their] filthy mouths,” they respond with “Oh we’ve got other things in mind for our mouths, sweetie.”

Muiri of Markarth exasperatedly queries the Dragonborn, “Why can’t the men in this city leave me alone?”

Svana Far-Shield of Riften reports being groped by the male patrons of her aunt’s Bunkhouse establishment.

In a note called “A Warning” which is found in Riften’s Ragged Flagon, Vex of the Thieves Guild warns fellow thief Delvin to stop trying to peek at her while she bathes.

During the quest “A Few Words with You” for Carlotta Valentia of Whiterun, the Dragonborn must persuade a bard who keeps harassing Carlotta to stop.

During the Thieves Guild side-quest “Toying with the Dead”, the Dragonborn must explore a Nordic ruin called Yngvild in order to collect the four journals of the ruin’s sole living inhabitant, a necromancer named Arondil. The journals document the necromancer’s experiments with reanimating corpses, his frequent fantasizing about the women of the nearby town of Dawnstar, and his eventual discovery of his necrophilic attraction to his test subjects. He acts out these attractions upon the bodies of dead women whom he reanimates to “a state of total complacency, bending to [his] every task and whim.” One such woman was someone he had met while living in Dawnstar, and, despite not even being able to recall her name, still feels and acts upon a sexual attraction to her. To read more about the "Toying with the Dead" quest, click here.

Several books contain instances of men’s objectification of women. None of the books in the game are required reading, so these can easily be avoided: (This section is incomplete.)

• The book “Mystery of Talara v1” features a procession of prostitutes and describes the objectifying reactions of the men watching them dance through the city. To read more about "Mystery of Talara v1" click here.
• The skill book “Jornibret’s Last Dance” features the lyrics of a ballad about a womanizing lord who spends the first dance of a ball eyeing the bosom of the woman he initially plans to love and leave that night before his plans change. To read more about "Jornibret's Last Dance" click here.

In turn, the Falmer of the region Blackreach have enslaved surface dwellers. To read more about "Blackreach", click here.

While not depicted in this game, several elements of the Elder Scrolls lore feature slave trade, some examples of which are mentioned in in-game books or could be encountered when searching for more information on the series. Notably, the Dunmer race once enslaved the Argonian and Khajiit races.

Several books depict slavery. None of the books in the game are required reading, so these can easily be avoided: (This section is incomplete.)

• "The Marksmanship Lesson”
• "The Adabal-a”
• The book series “Bone” which is added by the Dragonborn add-on.

Dwarven Spider enemies are golden constructs which vaguely resemble spiders.

• Wujeeta of Riften asks for the Dragonborn to help her get clean by giving her a healing potion. Once the Dragonborn does this, she seems to improve.
• Stands-In-Shallows of Windhelm is addicted to skooma and requests that the Dragonborn steal some special skooma for him from a tavern in town. This can be avoided by turning down his request or simply by never talking to him.
• When exploring the Dwemer ruin of Alftand, the Dragonborn encounters the remnants of an expedition which had become trapped. The only survivor is a Khajiit named J’darr who went mad while suffering withdrawal symptoms from his skooma addiction. Alftand is avoidable, though a main-plot quest does point the Dragonborn there. To avoid it, delve into either Mzinchaleft or Raldbthar, as both have a passage way to Blackreach, the region where the quest is actually sending the Dragonborn. Raldbthar is advised, because it is closest to the quest's location within Blackreach.

During the Dark Brotherhood quest “Mourning Never Comes,” the Dragonborn is contracted to kill a woman’s ex-lover after he turned out to be a bandit and shamed her in front of long-time friends who ran her out of town. For a bonus, the Dragonborn is also presented with the option to kill that family’s only surviving daughter, as the elder daughter had been previously murdered. If that option is carried out, the grieving mother will kill herself, citing her grief over her two daughters’ murders as the reason for her suicide. To read more about the "Mourning Never Comes" quest, click here.

During the miscellaneous quest “Frostflow Abyss,” the Dragonborn investigates a cave system infested with Falmer beneath a lighthouse to discover what became of the lighthousekeeper and his family. The keeper’s daughter is found dead, having cut her wrists after being captured with no hope of rescue. To read more about the "Frostflow Abyss" quest, click here.

The book “Pirate King of the Abecean,” features the lyrics of a sea chanty, one stanza of which implies that, should one be at sea and encounter the ship of Velehk Sain, the titular Pirate King, it would be advisable to “do yourself in, [and] don’t try at crossing swords” due to the merciless nature of the pirate crew. None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided. To read more about "Pirate King of the Abecean", click here.

Upon completion of the Dark Brotherhood quest line, the Dragonborn can purchase an expansion for the Sanctuary which creates a torture room with four prisoners. There is no opportunity to release them, but the Dragonborn can attack and hurt each of them to get the location of a cache of loot and potentially kill them.

During the main-plot quest “Diplomatic Immunity,” the Dragonborn must infiltrate into an enemy embassy and steal intelligence files. While inside, the Dragonborn must visit the dungeons for the final file and can free prisoners who had been beaten and interrogated. To read more about the "Diplomatic Immunity" quest, click here.

Animate skeletons are recurring enemies.

Vampires appear throughout the game and can turn the Dragonborn into a vampire. Vampirism can be cured during the early stages in the same way that any other disease can be cured: with a cure disease potion or a visit to the shrine of a Divine. However, if allowed to progress until the Dragonborn is a full vampire, a special ritual must be undergone with Falion of Morthal to cure the Dragonborn of their vampirism. To read more about the special ritual, click here.

The Dragonborn can use magic to resurrect dead bodies to be temporary servants and followers, though this is completely optional.

The residents of Honorhall Orphanage are emotionally abused by their caretaker who tells them that they are rejects and that no one will ever want to adopt them. These children can be adopted with the Hearthfire add-on, and the caretaker can be killed as part of the quest "Innocence Lost" which will cause her to be replaced as caretaker by her kindlier assistant. To read more about the "Innocence Lost" quest click here.

During combat enemies will often verbally taunt the player, including using racial slurs, especially if the player is a member of certain races shunned by the Nords' society, notably the Khajiit, Argonians, and elvish races.

Babette of the Dark Brotherhood is a vampire who looks like a child. She is, in fact, hundreds of years old, but was bitten by a vampire when she was ten.

The residents of Riften’s Honorhall Orphanage are abused by their caretaker, whom the Dragonborn has the option to kill as part of the quest “Innocence Lost.” To read more about the "Innocence Lost" quest, click here.

During the quest “Ill Met by Moonlight,” the Dragonborn enters the town of Falkreath in the aftermath of the murder of a little girl by a werewolf. To read more about the "Met By Moonlight" quest, click here.

During the quest “Laid to Rest,” the Dragonborn must investigate the death of a woman and her daughter, who were both killed when their family house burned down under mysterious circumstances. To read more about the "Laid to Rest" quest, click here.

During the quest “Siege on the Dragon Cult,” the Dragonborn delves into Forelhost, an ancient Nordic ruin which had been besieged hundreds of years previously. As the quest progresses, the Dragonborn uncovers the lengths to which the ruin’s residents went to avoid being taken alive, even to the point of killing and burying their children, whose mummified bodies the Dragonborn encounters part-way through the dungeon, though they merely look like scaled-down versions of larger mummified Draugr. To read more about the "Siege on the Dragon Cult" quest, click here.

The book “Mystery of Talara, v5” features the testimony of a young woman who had been the victim of a failed assassination attempt when she was a child. In order to protect her young friend from an assassin, she had leapt through a window and fallen into a river, where she struck her head and lost her memory of the event. She was presumed dead until she regained her memories in her late twenties. None of the books in the game are required reading, so this can easily be avoided. To read more about the "Mystery of Talara, v5" book, click here.