Morthal Gothic | Skyrim Analysis: Nordic Horror & Melancholy

[@boreanknight]

My first Skyrim analysis/lore video is about Morthal, quest Laid to Rest, vampires, locals, ghosts and of course, main villain Movarth, mentioned in one of my favorite books "Immortal Blood".

[@dagoonite]

I really like how eloquent and yet approachable style this video has. It weirdly matches the subject matter. I really appreciate how you don't describe people as simple or the like, you call their mindset pragmatic. There's a lot of little word choices that work so well here. I was enraptured from the moment you spoke of Hammer films. A good way to get my attention.

[@MLPDethDealr32]

Fun Fact btw, if your character is a Vampire, Alva calls you out on it. "I know you for what you are Nightstalker, leave this town is ours. Now let us resume our roles, lest the sheep suspect the Wolves".

[@kazzlik1197]

I love Morthal. The Jarl, the redguard mage, vamps right around the corner. There was so much cut content around it and i always felt like it was supposed to be another "city", just like Winterhold etc.

[@tylerkessler4021]

Winterhold was barely a city

[@kazzlik1197]

@@tylerkessler4021 i meant solitude

[@xaikken]

@@kazzlik1197i figured you meant windhelm

[@kazzlik1197]

@@xaikken yeah probably, point stands even with solitude

[@sebakisniesebakisnie6109]

Morthal is actually one of my favorite locations in Skyrim and I think a solid 70% of it is how Idgrod is the best Jarl ever lmao

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

She once came to my wedding. None of the other Jarls came.

[@KingTalion]

Morthal has become my favourite place to settle down in Skyrim, I can't really explain why but at some point I just started to like it more than any of the other player housing locations

[@PoseurGoth]

It's objectively the best house in the game. The fish hatchery is crazy op compared to the largely worthless apiary (the one in the dlc farm is better), and the grindstone that is found in other locations. The histcarp can be used to make the most profitable potion, while the river betty can be combined with deathbell to make a very, very useful poison.

[@K1ngCraft]

I absolutely adore your style of storytelling and your editing style. It's given me the inspiration I've been needing for months. Please continue! :)

[@boreanknight]

Thanks! Glad to be of help!

[@FelisAlcea]

You should definitely read "We have always lived in the castle" by Shirley Jackson. If you haven't already. It checks all your boxes of what you love about towns like morthal.

[@boreanknight]

It looks very interesting and just what I love, thanks!

[@MoeHasubandoAbsolver]

Subbed because you used "rusticity" in a sentence and I never realized that word exists.

[@rockerrrboy8501]

This is so cool! Out of every place in Skyrim, Morthal is indeed the scariest, I'll never forget that time I've found the court mage (forgot his name), in those strange ruins, by himself, doing some strange ritual, as himself said, "to protect Morthal", but from whom or what was said ritual, was never explained.

[@boreanknight]

Falion the wizard, he's such a mysterious figure. I have a feeling Bethesda had more plans for him.

[@MLPDethDealr32]

A really good mod that overhauls the Morthal Swamp and the area of Fort Snowhawk are the following: Fort Snowhawk Ruins Expanded and Snowhawk Ruins Gate Addon, and The Marshlands. That last one makes it a nightmare. combined with a fog mod, And several that overhaul frostbite spiders, And the mods Dark Destiny,Seeking the Cure, and Morthal Barrow that adds a small questline.

[@tylerkessler4021]

You have the most underrated channel on KZbin

[@boreanknight]

Thanks!

[@xaikken]

Agree

[@wyvolf]

Year later but this video made appreciate Morthal a lot more but idk if it’s just *me* but the implication with Laelette and Helgi is truly frightening. Always sent a shiver up my spine and typically I try avoiding this quest sometimes, I’m so glad we could put Helgi’s soul to rest.

[@andreafranzen7088]

Nice. You really managed to capture that scary atmosphere. You could easily do a part two also. With abandoned shacks in the middle of the swamp, ghosts running through the night etc. etc. Personally I always wondered what the necromancers did in Ustengrav.

[@boreanknight]

Thanks, I'll look into it!

[@RobertoBonilla-zw3cu]

This didn't seem to be the kind of video I thought I'd like, but I watched the whole thing! Great job, very entertaining.

[@jayjayaye]

This was such an excellent, in-depth, even loving exploration. You've made Morthal feel rich in a way that I've found it hard to experience in-game. Thank you for taking such time and going into so much detail. I'm guilty of just gunning it through any Morthal quests (didn't even bother to visit until I was level 70 in my latest playthrough) but now I know I'll be exploring and absorbing it more.

[@ItsLexieMarie]

I always live in Morthal, it's so spooky and mysterious!

[@csam9167]

I remember than one time for the joke i gave my follower ( Lydia , Erik from rorikstead and that dunnmer from the hunting inn in whiterun ) souls sucking daedric weapon and black souls gems before taking them deep in the Morthal swamp before letting them kill each other with it , the survivor gained the right to fight me in ritual combat for the price of it souls. I baptised this event the morthal combat Such a good zone , i wish it had more content

[@Quertagon]

i could never put my finger on why morthal was my favorite place in all of skyrim but your perspective really helped me understand it, its the sense of impending doom, the fog, the snow, the swamp so many things that lure me in, the mysteries safe to say im a fan of cosmic horror, always have been

[@Gitshiver]

There are so many interesting quests and judt general world building around kids in skyrim, I think they really wanted to push the new feature. There's froki's grandson from helgen, aventus arintino, balgruuf's son... morthal itself is such a cool place, I always build a house there!

[@K1ngCraft]

Fancy seeing an established gentlemen such as yourself, in this here comment section!

[@Gitshiver]

I see you're a man of culture as well!

[@squigglyworms]

the title of this video is truly perfect; i can't think of a better way to describe the feeling of morthal, great video!! :))

[@mustardbiscuits9750]

This video was wonderful, honestly, one of my favorite skyrim analysis videos I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot).

[@ratman1367]

I'm only halfway through the video, but I just wanted to say that this is one of my favorite videos I've ever watched. Everything-- the content, editing, narration-- is perfect, and I'd love to see more videos from you that analyze specific Skyrim locations like this (although nowhere can quite match Morthal's quiet beauty). Because Skyrim is over a decade old by now, I feel a lot of the content made about it on this platform has grown repetitive and bland, but this (and the other videos I've watched of yours) truly stand out. I love it, and just wanted to let you know how much myself (and others I'm sure) appreciate your work. Keep it up man, seriously. ❤️

[@Artanis0000]

I'm gonna jump the gun here a bit because I'm only a few minutes into the video so maybe it goes all the way downhill from here, but so far, I love your perspective on this place, and I think you did a great job with the visuals and soundscape. I never thought much about morthal but I'm excited to hear what else you have to say about it. Good work!!

[@boreanknight]

Thanks, hope you enjoyed the video. It was a learning but fun experience for me.

[@Coven_of_Hags]

Anise was my favorite character in the game. My favorite character I played was a witch who lived with her in the woods as her apprentice. Sadly a bounty collector on his hunt for me happened upon our dwelling and killed Anise. I set him ablaze and lived alone thereafter.this video was so beautiful! It was fantastic to revisit Morthal through your eyes.

[@boldbearings]

Great ambient opening, the torch hissing, night wind buffetting. 💘

[@Vinyls77]

Love everything that's covered in this vid :) Always love more vampire content in Skyrim!

[@BekkiUndSo]

I'm not the biggest Morthal Fan, throughout the years Whiterun has always been my favorite city. But I have to admit, the region grew on me, especially because of Hearthfire. And I think Morthal Gothic is a perfect term to encapsulate the feeling

[@melodygarrison8071]

Morthal actually isnt my least favorite. For me that title goes to either Winterhold or Dawnstar

[@David_Alvarez77]

Definitely Winterhold, yes.

[@edward9232]

Dawnstar, I can only think of two quests I enjoy there. Only good think is the dark brotherhood

[@F2PMegaGod]

Your channel has a very VaatiVidya vibe to it. Idk if its what you were going for, but works great!

[@SandGentleman]

I really love the shots you take. They're very atmospheric! Vampires in TES are really neat. I loved the vampires in Skyrim... at least until the Dawnguard DLC came out. Then they gave all vampires glowing yellow eyes so any vampires hiding among the mortal population became stupidly obvious. Oh, and let's not forget the goth vampire lady who talks like a modern teenage girl... even though she is supposed to be 1000s of years old in the lore. Serana always felt to me like a schoolboy's fantasy of what having a vampire gf in Skyrim would be like. Not my thing lol. I wish the Volkihar clan was characterized more like their description in Immortal Blood as more Skyrim-type vampires instead of the more generic gothic-castle-type vampires. Vanilla vampires were way cooler and more mysterious in my opinion! Anyway, love the content!

[@wilberator9608]

Jarl Igrod got her nickname when she overheard somebody calling her a "raving crone".

[@PoseurGoth]

Morthal has always been my favorite town, when I'm not playing with survival mode. Dawnstar has always been my personal least favorite, even though it technically has more amenities.

[@DanilaPit]

tremendous and great work! appreciate it!

[@boreanknight]

Thank you! Glad you like the video!

[@operator8014]

I always thought Morthal didn't make ANY sense. A Jarl and 3 workers, plus 5 guards, for a town of like 6 people. The local government makes up like 60% of the residents. Makes sense how that mean old bag stays in charge.

[@lauradeneault3525]

I love listening to that kind of atmospheric videos while I play😊

[@steelshepherd6843]

I've been playing Skyrim LE for...probably since it came out. Uhhh...I have it on Steam and PS3 before that...but I've been moding it for a long time and have some things installed manually that I don't even know tha name of and are not available on Nexus anymore... The darkness and ambient sound I have while walking through Skyrim at night is something else...and Hjaalmarch especially is creepy. Love it.

[@paolo5297]

Thanks for the video, as usual well thought and nicely done content. P.S. can't wait for White Hand Morrowind to continue!

[@boreanknight]

Me too, actually! I'll record a new episode soon. Thank you!

[@B3_W0lf]

Very well done! 👌

[@calebr908]

I'd want to be somewhere safe. I dont think I'd handle that stuff irl.

[@frateranpvbail-shm6912]

Morthal is my favourite place in Skyrim.

[@ktoztam]

As would Heimskr said: Your channel is GLOORIOUS! LIked and Subscribed

[@narosedraconis2424]

Ah Morthal, the lest favored area in Skyrim and ironically, my personal favorite area. When Hearthfire came out. It made my day, that I could build a home there (though i do wish it was closer to the town) Myrwatch is also one of my favorite CC homes. B/c it not only suited my preferred magic & sword, play style. But was also located near Morthal. XD

[@thatonedude]

Hey, I know this vid is old, but I'd like to request another video similar to this on the tone of another city! Like windhelm or Riften! Life sprawling cities that invoke such a deep feeling I can't seem to find in any other games.

[@boreanknight]

I'd love to cover most of the cities, thanks!

[@thatonedude]

​​@@boreanknight perfect! Thanks! I am so excited to hear there might be more 😁

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

My favorite thing about Morthal is the Jarl.

[@JarvisBaileyVA]

NOBODY TALK ABOUT MY BESTIE JARL IGGY 🗣️

[@TheKnizzine]

Idk I found everything inbetween Windhelm and Winterhold creepier. Morthal and Markarth seem like the nicest cities to live in outside of Whiterun and Solitude

[@simplycinclair8979]

“Cycle of eternal return” dragons dogma reference?

[@boreanknight]

Haven't played it yet! It's just a term I got from reading Mircea Eliade and probably Nietzsche years ago, but I used it in a different context here.

[@simplycinclair8979]

@@boreanknight interesting! They must’ve gotten the idea for that quote from that book then. I’m mostly referring to the dragons dogma dark arisen boss theme “Coils of light”

[@sethharris813]

Doesn't Morthal have a connection to The Dark Heart of Skyrim?

[@boreanknight]

Is that from ESO?

[@sethharris813]

@@boreanknight yeah I only know about it from a lore video. Never played ESO myself.

[@ronniecorbett6306]

👍

[@diogeneslantern18]

Morthal always give me the heeby jeebys. Never enjoyed the atmosphere of Falkreath, Dawnstar, Winterhold or Riften either.

[@naufalgitaro5633]

modlist pls?

[@boreanknight]

This was a Septimus modlist from wabbajack, it's deleted now but there are plenty of other ones.

[@hitomisalazar4073]

Morthal is... I do feel a lot of the magic you talk about with it. It's a darker place than most of Skyrim (which isn't necessarily bright to start with). It kind of really is immersed in this idea of despair and finality and the ideas that magic might not be a good thing or the paranoia people probably ought to have more in the general civil war and chaos of Skyrim, etc. It's a place that... I often find myself going out of the way for. Because not much really sends you into Morthal or its swamps generally. Like outside of the Jurgen Windcaller horn retrieval and the Gaulder Amulet. Both of which are closer to (and probably like me most often traveled to from) Solitude. I think the only quest that really takes you to Morthal proper on its own is... the Dark Brotherhood sending you to assassinate Lorbuk in the inn and the Mehrunes Dagon quest? But I seldom do the mess that is the Dark Brotherhood. And generally most of my characters wouldn't help reforge the Razor. But so much just draws me in there. It's the one place other than Falmer Caves where I ever found Chaurus, as quite a few are nasty surprises out in the swamp. It's one of those places that I really feel good about becoming the Thane of. Where it feels like I've done something very meaningful. I like the Hearthfire Homestead I can make there and it's usually my go to player housing in a lot of runs. Oddly Lakeview Manor as far as I can tell is most people's favorite/go to but it's the one I do the least, preferring even the Dawnstar homestead over it. It's one of those places where I always feel uneasy about it. Often justifiably so of course. The snowy mountains are filled with Frost Trolls and Giant Frostbite Spiders that can and will let a low level character know they done stepped into the wrong neighborhood. The Swamps filled with Chaurus, Spiders, and Mudcrabs to the point where you often feel like there's something lurking nearby no matter where you are in it. And some interesting ruins like the Skyborn Altar and some unnamed locations in it. Just... something not nice but has that "watching a natural disaster moving closer" feeling about it. like seeing a Tornado in the distance.

[@hitomisalazar4073]

Kind of a sad thing mentioning that book "Immortal Blood". I kind of wish they had Vampire Clans with unique abilities in Skyrim. Instead of what they've done in generally just making their vampires generic. Like having Volkihar Vampires that could live inside ice and phase through it? That would be pants crapping scary to run into as a player. Just imagining if you're walking over say, that half frozen Lake underneath Brass Water Cave and suddenly through the ice a Vampire grabs your ankle, rooting you in place while another Vampire comes up to jump you? And then the potential in Dawnguard to become one of those Volkihar Vampires with the same ability. I dunno. Just something I felt about Vampires in Elder Scrolls... really forever. Like in Daggerfall they do mention various clans and you get quests from only your clan and have to go kill the Bloodfather of your Clan if you want to be cured, etc. But every clan is exactly the same. Then in Morrowind they have three clans but outside of Stat/Skill Boosts the only thing to really differentiate them is who they turned before you (All Altmer, Nords, Dunmer) and where their home base is. Then Oblivion stepped it back by only having one kind of Vampire which had basically no content to do as a Vampire beyond "Get Cured". As did Skyrim initially with the same form of Vampirism and the only content related to it being "Get Cured". Dawnguard added the Volkihar and... while I do appreciate the "Vampire Lord" ability and transformation as something that "Real Vampires" with Molag Bal's blood/blessing can do as opposed to "Lesser Vampires"... I dunno. I just keep feeling like there's a good idea they skirted around ever since Daggerfall and never really executed. Lore wise, just like in Immortal Blood, there's a lot of mentions of different kinds of Vampires and their Special Vampire Abilities that only those Vampires have. And I kind of want to see that. Like if I'm a Bosmer who becomes a Vampire I have a very different set of abilities than an Imperial turned into a Vampire or a Nord turned into a Vampire. Probably will never happen (I haven't checked out ESO content for Vampires as a character to know if they did, my only brush with it is the fact that in any major city you're bound to run into people begging to be bit), but is on my wishlist for the next game. Though I fear kind of the accountant mindset that I can see too clearly. That "... why are you doing 10 times the work for people? Just make one kind of Vampire instead of 10, it doesn't make good budgetary sense and throughput". Because well, games are an Industry and that kind of thinking is bound to crop up. Though I would think it cool to have a special Argonian Vampire skill set for instance. And clan of Argonian Vampires, with Argonian Vampire content. It'd be neat as well to highlight something where like "No a Redguard isn't just a dark skinned human, they do have fundamental differences" as the same Vampirism disease ends up effecting them differently (and I'd find a cool nod to the lore of them being literally not from this world). Then again that might trigger lore fits in people about how "Well it never worked that way before".