Skyrim's Strangest Rivalry

[@AKCyrway]

Guard: "Is that ... fur? ... coming out of your ears ...?" Me: (stares at guard in Khajiit)

[@HereticalKitsune]

Not to mention all the hats and helmets people might be wearing.

[@alicematalice]

Classic toddslop

[@wakaitsu]

Me, an argonian: "...ears?"

[@NickNak]

I've always hated how the Silverhand were just a bunch of random bandits, I love the idea that they're an old offshoot of the Companions pre lycanthropy that's lost their way and falling on hard times

[@burnoutcat2387]

There's a Creation Club set of armor that hints that they may have been an offshoot of the vigilants of stendarr or at least that silver hand is a term used to define werewolf hunters so who knows Though I did hear about the Companions offshoot theory before

[@I-HAVE-A-BOMB]

Honestly there seems to be a lot of stuff in Skyrim that screams they either restarted development several times or had way less time to make it than they've admitted. Everything is so shallow and small compared to Oblivion, saying that though you can see the bones are there, just didn't have time to put meat and skin on em

[@wesleydavis3387]

Agreed, it would be pretty cool to be able to switch to the Silver Hand. I’m sure they lay claim to being the /true/ companions since they keep coming for the axe pieces.

[@vanarloc2632]

But they ARE just bandits.

[@bokrugthewaterserpent3012]

The entire Companions storyline was only made in the last couple of months of development. Even 6 months before release Todd Howards was unwilling to promise the game would even have werewolves.

[@sunsolar2138]

you know, I was disappointed that the moment Farkas turned into a werewolf I couldn't attack him. I mean come on, right before your eyes he admits that a werewolf is a monster, give you the choice to kill him and start hunting werewolves

[@boreanknight]

That would be a great moment to switch sides from roleplaying point of view!

[@MURDERFACE555666]

actually yeah wtf?? we can destroy the db and fail the namira quest just fine

[@AmaryInkawult]

Likely time constraints kept the questline as it is

[@peytongonavy]

​@@AmaryInkawultBethesda game development is an exercise in wanting everything at once and slowly working our way backwards until the game actually functions properly. The more time they have, the more stuff they can fit into the game without breaking it, but they won't ever be able to make a game that implements ALL their ideas.

[@AmaryInkawult]

@@peytongonavy yes... That's why I said time constraints...

[@Yorikha]

I do wish there was a joinable Silver Hand faction. I figure it would be similar to Dawnguard in regard to hunting werewolves in hiding.

[@Daishi18]

There are mods that makes them joinable. You can check them up at Nexus.

[@overworkedgilgamesh]

@@Daishi18 does the mod make them wear armor made of silver or do they still look like bandits

[@flippa4220]

In the Constellation Modpack they have unique (and fitting) armor, not sure what mod that is from. The modpack as a whole is great for a lore friendly playthrough

[@xsizzlexster6495]

I'm playing the mod called "The Conflict Under The Crescent." You join the silver hand faction and play from their point of view while following the Vanilla story. It's really cool. They have their own unique armors and weapons.

[@sephikong8323]

I personally assumed that the Silverhand were formed by former Companions that refused the gift of Hircine and wanted to hunt those they saw as desacrating the name of Ysgramor's host. That sounds like a genuinely good storyline imo

[@MangoMann072]

Here's a fun idea The companions claim they are cursed to be werewolves yet they have a ritual to become werewolves... So how does that work? Are the already cursed werewolf members passing down their curse to their children? Could they simply just not perform the werewolf ritual anymore? What happens if the entire upper leadership were to get wiped out like with the SH attack on their base? Wouldn't that mean there would be no more werewolves? The lower members apparently don't know about the ritual so how would they continue the werewolf custom? You see what mean right it's stupid.

[@Daishi18]

Probably most younger members doesn´t care much about getting the curse in order to be part of "The Circle" (Which is the gratest honot a companion member can achieve, apart from being the harbringer)as the implications of this gets glossed over the benefits and power that it bestows to them. But it does makes sense that older guys like Kodlak, which are quite far their prime and are increasingly conscious about their coming death, might look back and reallize it was a mistake, specially if you intend to go to Sovngarde in the afterlife. Maybe, before him, noone actually tried to look for a cure, or was just not smart enough to do it. As Borean Knight pointed out, Kodlak is not your typical meathead warrior, but a pretty well cultured individual. Then, he probably influenced the likes of Vilkas and Farkas to reflect on the implications the curse entails, not trying to force them to cure themselves, but make them reflect if that´s what they really wanted for their lives.

[@Balinux756]

Kodlak only recently discovered that werewolves are barred from entering Sovngarde, none of them had an issue with lycanthropy before. And then there are people like Skjor and Aela who don't mind going to Hircine's realm instead.

[@highwaystar4518]

pop off dude keep going

[@Leeloo-Foxx]

skjors opinion was never given, but aela refuses the cure when offered because she cant stand the thought of being seperate from her lover in the afterlife. granted, we should have been able to curse skjor's spirit too since it worked fine for kodlak

[@Balinux756]

@@Leeloo-Foxx Skjor gives his opinion at the moment of the ritual. He's very much pro werewolf

[@NicolasNuykenCompositions]

Can’t wait for the 10 hour analysis of Dragonborn V. chicken

[@peytongonavy]

Chapter 1: Chicken Eggs, Alchemy, and You Chapter 2: Fending off vengeful Mothers. Chapter 3: Chicken dinner prep.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Any Austin is prob finding every chicken in Skyrim to discover if/how many have names, as we speak. Maybe mathing out egg production by locale.

[@claudettebenoit4056]

😂😂😂

[@katsu1715]

i miss having faction bases in every major city that had their own story and subculture with a few quests that would play into the bigger story of the faction as a whole

[@aurochtamer]

The reason Dustman's Cairn is so hard is because the quest's dynamic difficulty is borked. The quest spawns enemies that are too high a level for your character level. As far as I know, we've never confirmed if it's a bug, or was meant to help balance out the fact that Farkas is helping you. But Farkas is also bugged. He's the wrong character class for his equipment and actually drops his good greatsword and starts using a much worse default one when he transforms, so he's nowhere near as helpful as he was supposed to be.

[@NegativeDumpster]

The optimistic part of me wants to say Bethesda gave him a shitty sword on purpose, to subtly encourage the player to slowly take on a more active role. But I'm probably giving them too much credit, tbh.

[@YELY-w3j]

This makes sense the mission is a pain on legendary , I do deathless runs and have ended their multiple times but didn’t know it was a levelling issue thanks

[@Recoil1808]

Gotta say I genuinely love how the ESO devs threw in an easter egg about Riverwood's violently protective love of their chickens.

[@HunCsaba9899]

I can't imagine how long it must have taken to film 1 hours worth of cinematic shots, but it is a treat to watch!

[@MangoMann072]

I've always hated the companions tbh. They're so smug about being the best warriors yet their presence is never felt anywhere outside of possible random encounters. They get paid to fist fight old women and clear rats out of people's farms not exactly what I'd call heroic, meanwhile there are infinite bandit camps that jarls have to outsource to random mercenaries in each hold because apparently the companions are what... too busy? Not interested? A lot of help they were during the Whiterun dragon attack considering their base is in Whiterun! Them forcing you to be a Werewolf was the last straw for me I never join them and if i do i only do enough to get some skyforge steel which is pretty good and then never interact with them again. Also their radiant quests are boring!

[@HappyBuffalo347]

Bethesda missed an opportunity when they didn't have the companions take part in dragon attack and civil war battles

[@EnigmaticRPG]

That's why I loved the mod that slowed down the Companion's questline and the one that added more random events where they were out hunting, clearing dungeons, etc. You had to have certain skill levels and cleared a number of quests, and some time had to pass for you to prove yourself before the questline progressed, so you could treat it the same as the mercenary bounty quests. Just checking in occasionally and grabbing what work was available, just like you would bug innkeepers for, but felt less impersonal/random to me. Bumping into them out doing stuff made them feel that much more alive, too.

[@lmao2703]

I remember playing with a follower mod who had commentary on the companions that honestly made me change my entire tune about it. Farkas shows you the companion’s entire hand at your trial by mistake. It would actually make complete sense that they (Skjor and Aela) would want to usher you into the circle as quickly as possible so you wouldn’t be a liability, which is why they basically threaten you + why Farkas and Vilkas aren’t there. Then you have the dream that Kodlak had, which is its own separate force and the theme of the second half of the questline. Call it cope if you want, but it did make me go into the MCM and shorten the quota on the quest requirement between dustmans cairn and the silver hand raid.

[@apathybronson]

I do think that part makes sense though, in the meta narrative. Because the throughline with all factions is basically 'we went to shit together with the rest of Skyrim' Its the same with the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild. The DB is now taking contracts to kill mentally ill homeless people and the Thieves Guild is getting robbed blind and doesn't see it.

[@myriad9597]

​@apathybronson Yes, and it screws with the plot of the mian quest, as skyrim is staffed with decaying or weak factions, there is little reason the dragons don't quickly take over besides stupidity.

[@winterburden]

My favourite part was when he said "it's wolfin' time," and then wolfed all over them.

[@Noblesix84]

I always agreed with Farkas when it came to the spiders. If I were in Skyrim I'd want to stay as far away from those things as possible.

[@HappyBuffalo347]

This is why we need to bring back spears

[@lindor6393]

And glaives, and throwing knives, and throwing weapins over all

[@TheLastRaven]

In volkihar castle you meet a ex campanion vampire

[@True_Lycan]

one thing that always rubbed me the wrong way about the Companions is the fact they proudly state, multiple times, that they have no leader. Yet at the end of the questline that idea is fully thrown out the window, and our player is just the leader now.... Had they just referred to us as soley "the new harbinger", then no problem. But no, we're specifcally called the new leader, and this is what we tell Aela, Farkas and Vilkas. Like they just forgot about that part between when they started writing the faction and the end of it.

[@cronical246]

It's pretty dang lame that Aela is the only one who follows you all the way through Ysgramor's tomb. But it goes to show why she belongs in the circle, just as much if not more than the brothers.

[@poilboiler]

Definitely. It's just such a shame she is by far the worst fighter of them. The brothers have good armor and weapons and their "ai" makes them charge towards enemies and hack them down. Aela has the worst heavy armor in the game, the second worst bow and the worst arrows and her "ai" has her frequently strafing back and around corners blocking her shots.

[@TheGrandestMerchant]

Bro, there is actually no way you had the AUDACITY to pop into my recommended a few days ago and suddenly become one of my favorite content creators. There’s actually no way. All jokes aside, I love all these lore videos! Keep it up!

[@boreanknight]

Thanks!

[@Xiporah]

Joining the companions later in the game is a trip because they do not change dialogue based on your character's actions. My Dragonborn traveled to Sovengarde and back to destroy Alduin. My story is sung throughout all the mead halls and taverns of Skyrim, and yet Vilkas and most of the others act like I am a level one nobody when I walk in. Skjor's death is a pro because you can loot that wolf armor from him.

[@gilernt]

now THIS is the kind of high quality, well-written, relaxing, cinematic skyrim lore content ive been looking for!

[@Balinux756]

I had the same issue becoming a werewolf. It made little sense plot wise, unless you find a way to rationalize it. The way I did it was, my character got infected with vampirism, so I used the werewolf curse as the better of two evils. It makes sense, since becoming a werewolf is a choice, and vampiris sanguinaris isn't. So, assuming your character doesn't know how to cure himself yet, he can experience the cursed vampire life before Skjor presents the beast blood as an actual blessing for us.

[@just_addd_water_to_your_ramen]

Almost anytime I do a traditional Nord Warrior I follow fudgemuppets viking build quest arc. It helps me rationalize it a bit better. Starting as a younger more hot headed character I accept the blessing of hircine for more power, do hircines quest, become harbinger of the companions and complete the Civil War quest.

[@Bethgael]

That was pretty much how I did it, too.

[@RNS_Aurelius]

A lot of things in Skyrim just felt like they needed to tick a box before the November release date. The companions are the only werewolves in all of Skyrim and the only possible way to become one. Their biggest rivals are just reskinned bandits in gameplay and even are part of the in game bandit faction. Every faction feels rushed and by your 3rd or 4th quest you're told your special and will save the faction. The civil war was flaccid and meaningless. I felt far more tension between the natives and the empire in Morrowind than in Skyrim. We're told the white gold concordat is the main driving for behind the civil war but beyond the ban of talos worship, which most people other than Heimskir don't seem to care about and we don't really know any of the other motivations. In Morrowind the Empire seeks to stake a claim in parts of the local economy, getting the deed to local mines, the imperial guilds do dubious things like the mages guild attempting to monopolise training services. The empire in Morrowind acts as and empire does, expanding its reach and digging in its heels. In Skyrim it feels like they're scared to make people feel they've made the wrong choice so everything is flat

[@NorscaWolves]

I'm so so happy there's still content creators making long form videos about skyrim and Elder scrolls topics. Immediately subscribed

[@csam9167]

Borean Knight filling the blank of Skyrim lore while my dunnmer is going to solsteim , how oddly fitting

[@chrisdiokno5600]

It would have been interesting seeing the Silver Hand as a group of former Companions who despised the route of lycanthropy, and became their own thing, though eventually fell into corruption, with many becoming extremist haters of all lycans or suspected lycans

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

There's a really interesting story hiding in the Companions vs Silver Hand story. If the Silver Hand was a breakaway sect of the Companions who wanted to expose their lycathropy, only to not be taken seriously by anyone, that would've been cool in itself. If they then became a rival mercenary guild that eventually fell afoul of Nietzche's warning about "he who fights monsters" and became monsters themselves, that would've been a really cool twist. But that's not what they did. They never really fleshed them out. They implied a lot - like that they were monster hunters who had gone mad (like when they started torturing werewolves) but they never really gave you more than breadcrumbs. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I like being able to fill in the blanks. On the other, I feel like they really should've spelled a few things out.

[@Bethgael]

This would have been so much better, because the whole "Silver hand kno9w that the companions are weres" is otherwise completely internally inconsistent. If they know, why don't new companions? Or anyone else? Or, conversely, if even new companions don't know this, why do the Silver Hand? [NB: worse, the Silver hand in ESO are completely different. Yes, Skyrim is in decline, but there's a _history_ there, even if written in retrospect, since ESO lore is alleged canon now].

[@wyvolf]

I loved companions… when I was 12 first playing Skyrim due to my fascination with werewolves which still grows strong as a 24 year old (god damn the tism grows strong), and as I replay Skyrim it’s one of the biggest disappointments of the game, I don’t care about them as much anymore as I used to. We have same thoughts so of course I agree. While i like the concept of lycanthropy. And very much a pipedream given current Bethesda story writing, I hope TES VI werewolves are better (wishful thinking)

[@EnigmaticRPG]

I was the same, hyperfixating on the Ayleids and Snow Elves... so mysterious! Imaginative mods filling in the blanks with pretty items or followers... then we get official content and it's sooo disappointing in comparison. orz

[@Ratface0007]

Every faction in Skyrim is annoying. The Companions are arrogant jerks, especially Aela, who calls you a coward for not helping kill a half-dead giant The Thieves Guild has Brynolf who will stalk you throughout Riften, demanding you do crime for chump change. Additionally, nameless Thieves Guild members will mug you out in the wild The Dark Brotherhood are a bunch of incompetent goons that keep sending flimsy assassins after you until you wipe them out or join up The Mage’s College almost gets a pass because they don’t go out of their way to antagonize the player, but they’re really dumb so they can join the rest The only joinable faction that doesn’t actively grate on my nerves is the Dawnguard, because at least they do things and have a goal.

[@lindor6393]

You forgot about the two most important factions, and by far, except Dawnguard, the best two

[@hazeltree7738]

Other guild members won't mug you in the wild, once they realise you're part of the thieves guild they apologise and leave you alone

[@Tito_michi]

I had a funny scene when the Dragonborn got locked and Farkas turned into werewolf. Lydia stayed behind and wasn't locked and... watched him ripping the Silverhand fighters with great interest. I laughed so hard. I said to myself - and now our old and favourite Oblivion style cringe came back.

[@poilboiler]

Those silverhand bandits all have like 1 health, because they all instantly die if you throw down an atronach outside the little chamber before pulling the lever "trapping" you inside.

[@lmao2703]

I had a funny scene where Teldryn Sero actually ended up killing all of the silver hand before Farkas did, then while farkas was doing the “I hope I didn’t scare you with my strength” speech after opening the gate, Teldryn was in the background going “who did this” and “death does not diminish” while standing over the bodies he slain.

[@Professor-Ty-Palmtree]

I always had a teori about way the companion quest line felt so short. I think it all ties back to that reavel of the Warewolf form by Farkas. It clearly is an accident, as confirmed by several of the npc. And i think that the only reason we are invited to become a Warewolf so quickly. It's because Farkos tells Aela and Skjor about it, and Skjor panics and decides that we need to be silenced. But because Kodlak likes ous, and they all respect Kodlak's judgement. They decide that the best way to deal with ous is to make ous a part of the secret. After all, way would whe want to tell the Jarl (as an example) that the companions are Warewolfs if whe are one too. And everything after that is just a series of unfortunate accidents. Skjor dies because he was too hasty in his plan to make ous a Warewolf. Aela's judgement is clouded by her anger from losing Skjor. That anger escalates the tension of the Silverhand, how becomes forced to attack Whiterun and Jorvasker as a all or nothing last stand. Kodlak himself also gets forced by this escalating tension. Sending you out to find the cure before you, the newest Warewolf, how upp until now have been going on a killing spree, hunting all the Silverhand members Skyrim have to offer. Becomes to taken by the beast and decides against curing your self. Resulting in Kodlak getting killed and completing this cirkus of accidents. Aka, if Farkas hadn't been forced to reveal the secret, I think the story would have turned out completely different.

[@boreanknight]

Great analysis! It's an unfortunate chain of events.

[@DespairDoctor]

Yeah, that's a thing that kept me from doing the Companions quest for quite a while, learning that becoming a werewolf was necessary.

[@just_addd_water_to_your_ramen]

My favorite line The companions questline is "the harrowing of the hunting grounds". It sounds so cool

[@weenug489]

Man, this video makes me want to play a skyrim mod where you can join the silver hand, and either destroy the companions, or meet somewhere in the middle

[@claudettebenoit4056]

This is so well done! You've fleshed out the lore in a way that was informative and entertaining at the same time. Thank you!

[@raphaelmazaangoso5962]

Your videos are exactly the type of stuff I was looking for a long time, can you please make a video of the augur of dunlain ?

[@just_addd_water_to_your_ramen]

Well, at the very least, I can tell you that The Augur of Dunlain is from somewhere in northeastern Highrock. In the Kingdom of Jehenna.

[@Kaimad3it]

I've always wondered why the silver hand were villianized, even made little by their banditry. The vigilants of stendar are well known and tolerated monster hunters, why not the silverhands too? Thanks for providing some perspective on an over shadowed group of hunters

[@willemvanstaden3292]

I miss the old TES IV Fighter's Guild. :( At least the mod, Enhanced Skyrim Factions: Companions, improves the skyrim experience a LOT - not forcing unethical choices on you. Also the mod, Say No to Nocturnal, comes to mind.

[@HamanKarn567]

Another amazing video. I know you probably get this from a lot of people but you're legit my favorite elder scrolls youtuber. Idk how to describe it but you just feel very unique and the way you present your videos is just awesome.

[@tonts5329]

The Silver Hand, much like the Vigilants of Stendarr, Penitus Oculatus, The Blades and the Bards College, are a faction that really needed more time and effort put into their questline. Their could have been separate perk trees to advance your skills as a Bard/Vampire/Daedra/Werebeast Hunter. Similar to the Vampire and Werewolf perk trees in Skyrim, for Bards you'd advance it by using Battle Chants, Battle Hymns or similar bardic abilities to buff and debuff allies & enemies. The Vampire Hunting tree would obviously let you kill vampires and vampiric enemies and resist vampirism and other diseases. Same for Werebeast and Daedra Hunting trees, potentially boosting them based on gods worshipped? Perhaps an alternative to the companions ala the Fighters Guild could have been present in Solitude as a newer branch of the guild from Cyrodil?

[@iamgoont]

Babe, wake up, new Borean Knight just dropped

[@entenigelpfau]

A super Video! You have my Respect (like a true Companion!) delving so deep into these Connections of Families, Whiterun, Ysgramor, Honour and Doom. Well interpretated the single Characters what their words and actions say about them - very factual without getting emotional. Chapeau!

[@Gitshiver]

Excellent work as always Alek! I gotta admit, the mandatory werewolf bit made me shy away from the Companions on most playthroughs. Letting elven races join always seemed a bit odd too, I often thought the guilds in Skyrim would have benefitted from having restrictions in general; like, the Imperial Legion probably shouldn't accept you if you've completed the Dark Brotherhood questline, or the College of Winterhold should require some sort of magical aptitude to let you in. I know the plan was "everyone can do anything", but replayability would be way higher in my opinion if you couldn't actually do everything at once.

[@straker454]

I always figured the Silver Hand were actually a bandit group that were beat by the Companions and once they discovered the Companions had werewolves among them, took up silver weapons and started calling themselves the Silver Hand as a way to set themselves up as an opposing force. They were never good, they aren't the Dawnguard or Vigilant of Stendarr, they are simply a gang with a a name and a preferred weapon type because the other guys are werewolves.

[@vinzenzdeanson4946]

On the vigilants, I'm a dedra cultist but in modded gameplay I try to find immersive ways to get keeper Carsette as a follower... At the moment her gauntlets and greives are shiny gold and "Saint like" 😉

[@blackhawk5712]

Really enjoy your perspective. I always felt sad at the end of the companions story line. Like we only reached the end of a long cycle of decadence.

[@ThaCrossword]

Can't wait for the 10 hour epic that will be the analysis of the relationship between Dragonborn and the chicken!

[@borkbork3513]

As much as I like this theory, ESO you can meet a member of the silver hand in Wrothgar. Perhaps they go even further back.

[@vcombs4276]

It could be that the new SH is using the name of the pre-established SH to gain more notoriety.

[@palomar8571]

She’s a knight of the Silver Dawn, which is a completely unrelated knightly order (that also hunt werewolves). I guess werewolf hunters aren’t that creative when it comes to names.

[@michaeltelson9798]

My disappointment with the Companions was being given a job to roughen up someone. That sort of strong arm tactic is one for the Thieves Guild and you do that with them as well. It lowers the Companions to being no more than thugs.

[@just_addd_water_to_your_ramen]

I still think thieves guild quest is my favorite . I usually try and do a no-kill run (with exceptions for characters i have to kill). Also between main quests i force myself to do the optional thieves guild quests to reach a higher rank. My main problem with the thieves guild quest is it is ridiculously buggy towards the 2nd half for no reason.

[@boreanknight]

I'd like to play the Thieves guld soon, there are bunch of gulds I haven't explored yet.

[@just_addd_water_to_your_ramen]

@boreanknight might I recommend trying to do it the way I do it? Trying to kill as few people as possible, getting all the collectibles and competing all the side missions. And unfortunately, I do mean all (the crown of barenziah quest is technically a thieves guild side quest). I tend to get a quest marker mod for it. Which means you have to join the mages College (you have to complete the under saarthal quest) and the dark brotherhood. Though I guess you could do a dunmer night blade style character? Maybe have sneak, Lockpicking, pickpocketing, light armor, illusion, destruction, one-handed and either Alchemy or Enchanting. Use Daggers and firebolts as your main things of damage, Use illusion and stealth to always stay hidden, pickpocketing and Lockpicking to make a lot of money, and then light armor and enchanting/Alchemy to back up your stats. Maybe take the atronach stone and use Alchemy to respite magicka? Or enchanting to increase your overall magicka. With all of this, you could be a thief, mage, and assassin

[@Iorvethfox]

I’d love to see lore videos from non-Morrowind TES games. I’m glad I came across this channel, very well made content.

[@harrisayoub]

Subscribed! That was excellent! Loving these extended Skyrim lore videos.

[@Atomic_Aegis45]

For some reason Kodlak is naked when I get back to Jorrvaskor

[@MauricioOsuna-et8et]

It's just sad that Bethesda didn't fully flesh out the Silver Hand to be a real faction. In-game, I know that any sensible jarl wouldn't treat a group of werewolf hunters as mere criminals. Warriors willing to put theirs on the line against such a threat, who are indeed capable of killing and capturing the beasts, they're top assets. Even, them being such hardened warriors, would be the best bet against the current dragon threat.

[@Bethgael]

It seems to me that most of the issues with Skyrim boil down to "Jarls stupid dumb." And it shouldn't.

[@MauricioOsuna-et8et]

@@Bethgael Each Jarl has defects, obvious or subtle. But that is natural and expected, since they're not elected based on any scientifically accurate measure of intelligence and leadership capacity, and there seems there's no established concept of the people thinking "This jarl is stupid dumb, let's kick him out of his throne!" that could at least rotate out the inept ones.

[@Madhattersinjeans]

I love that ending animation missing the sub button. You got me on that alone.

[@heart04winds19]

that for some reason that book you mentioned kinda reminded me of that guy from Futurama "I'm a werewolf biologist, I am very curious about werewolves, though personally I hate werewolves" "then why did you become a werewolf biologist?" "I don't know you well enough to get into that"

[@travislefebvre7341]

I know this isn’t the kind of companion this video is about but it reminds me of how little world building most of the requitable companions in Skyrim have is weird to me. Kind of wish they had something similar to fallout 4s companion quests with obtainable perks

[@lagarona851]

Oblivion Arena crowd animation yeah wou-houh! It's the grand champion

[@davespwite]

i honestly really enjoy your skyrim videos. the way you go through the stories isnt just a dry re-cap. i can tell that you really love the game for everything it offers, its earnest storytelling and its goofy bethesda tone. you take the characters and the story seriously. your videos make me care as much about skyrim as you do.

[@Haggysack2k8]

I personally think the strangest rivalry in Skyrim is and will always be between the Dragonborn and the Thalmor and it is strange because of the fact, that the Thalmor still exist and you as the Dragonborn cannot go full Pelinal-mode on them.

[@chandler2814]

Companions questline woulda been so much better if a few changes where made. These being: One of the whelps when you join was a silver hand infiltrating the guild thus making kodlaks death and attack on jorvasker make more sense. If you arent forced to be a wearwolf.... And if krev the skinner was a actual unique character with dialog that you could potentially do an off shoot if you wanted and join them/defeat the companions 😂

[@kuraraShotai9]

Kinda wish the Companions had a Maro & Silver Hand parallel like with the DB storyline, but it would involve revealing/framing the Companions as a cult of Hircine or something. I would be less satisfying like how u can team up with Maro to take down the DB but for role-playing purposes it would have been pretty interesting. Maybe u need to infiltrate the Companions long enough to get proof of their werewolf forms & u tell like, the Jarl or even the Thalmor about it & leads to a raid inside their base or skyforge

[@briskhockey]

Lovely video. Recently discovered your channel. Fantastic!

[@DetectiveJones]

I definitely like the Oblivion alternative to the "Fighters Guild / Rivalry" Where they're a direct competitor, fighting for relevance. The Silverhand are introduced as a pure enemy type within the game, attacking on sight basically from first encounter and remaining as a slightly altered bandit group. Whereas the Blackwood company are a alternate merc group that while you cant join, don't feel like direct antagonists and rather just rivals that you can understand the feud at first and kinda decide who you like more...Well...Until that REALLY good first mission you get where you infiltrate their group. I definitely would have liked for a better rivalry, and maybe even a chance at "joining" in the same way you can betray the Dark Brotherhood if you so choose upon meeting them. Hopefully Elder Scrolls 6 does a lot better with the guilds, because across the board Morrowind and Oblivion did them better, with Oblivion being my favourite.

[@boreanknight]

I haven't played Oblivion as much as Morrowind and Skyrim but I did the Fighters Guild and it was so fun and dramatic.

[@pyroAdapt]

For some reason there's always this glitch where when kodlack gets killed he isn't wearing any clothes... This adds an extra layer of tragedy to his death because it implies that they did a whole lot more to him than take his life...

[@PotooBurd]

The algorithm has blessed me with this timeless masterpiece. 🙏🏅🙌 Great job, keep it up!

[@boreanknight]

Thanks so much!

[@wise_thaat]

On my first playthrough, I'll never forget. After completing the entire quest line. Skor, somehow came back to life. As if nothing happened. One day I walked in, and he called me whelp like nothing changed, interacting with everyone. So strange

[@boreanknight]

I heard about this bug and it's creepy, like some shapeshifter imitating Skjor

[@wise_thaat]

@@boreanknight yes! Like even the companions talked about him like he was still dead openly in front of him.

[@TorvusVae]

New headcanon; both offshoots of the Companions have been corrupted by Hircine. The Circle have been directly pledged and carry Hircine's lycanthropy curse, while the Silver Hand have had their hatred and desire to hunt werewolves secretly intensified by Hircine or some follower of his behind the scenes.

[@_Sporkz_]

Btw when you first get transformed ibto a werewolf, rather than waiting around you can use the insane sprint speed to run to the whiterun exit gate and activate it which immediately moves to the next part with Aela

[@ZTRCTGuy]

That it's a well kept secret is pretty clear, not for the player but simply canon. I was thinking about the vigilants of stendar, which are deadra hunters but also include werewolves. Yet they seem to have zero clue about the companions being werewolves. But well... the Vigilants are kind of a joke in skyrim. I think that former compagnions made their own faction to fight werewolves for the same reason Isran left the Vigilants to restart the Dawnguard to fight vampires.

[@naji_aka_Tracey]

I have been listening to your content for two days. You are a phenomenal story teller. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I am so lonely these days I appreciate the idea of companions + joining a guild just so much even tho I can't play.

[@captaingunnstar]

I wish I could have joined the silver hand

[@povilzem]

"Vilkas" is a Lithuanian word, meaning "wolf". It's not normally given as a name, but it can be a family name. I know I've met at least one person with the last name Vilkas, a psychiatrist in a hospital I used to work at.

[@boreanknight]

In Serbia it's a very common first and last name with many variations, I also had a coworker called Farkas so that's how I know the pronunciation :)

[@teo161]

Likewise, "Farkas" is a Hungarian word meaning wolf, also used as first and last names, although neither is currently common. To be more precise, it's the current Hungarian word for wolf but literally means "tailed," as in tailed animal, because the actual original word for wolf was considered taboo to use.

[@mattfox2716]

Really high quality editing and story telling. Thanks.

[@narosedraconis2424]

I love my lore. and always welcome additions to it. But I like that the werewolves legends, are so lacking... It adds a height of power to them. Giving the sense... that the reason, so little is known about them. Is b/c of how dangerous they "actually" are, when encountered. Just like how the knowledge of vampires Is so wide spread. It's almost useless to anyone, who comes across it. Since their abilities, differ from other vampires. Do to the wide variety of bloodlines they have.

[@evilpac2327]

The video is great, but that ending is awesome lol

[@boywithearing]

You did it. You described Bethesda magic. You quantified it so well in your rant when many others just can't because you're right, the magic is in the interaction of roleplaying, as embodying the character, and the toybox provided to craft immersive narratives, both on a micro and macro level. Thank you for pointing that out.

[@koR0ziwe]

Time to put in the earphones, and relax at work for 1 hour 😌

[@austinlee4156]

Your openings are cinematic masterpieces my dude. Also Happy Memorial Day, i hope you get out n have fun

[@NiskaMagnusson]

it would be cool if when the Silver Hand capture you that they get fleshed out a bit there, for example perhaps they are those effected by werewolves going crazy and destroying everything and killing people when the moon comes up, perhaps widows or repentant ex-werewolves themselves, sponsored by a wealthier member of society or various Jarls in order to reasonably sustain their organization. Maybe they offer to help you cure yourself, in order to swear yourself as an opponent to the companions, such a game-changer like that we'd never see in a Bethesda game, but it's still fun to speculate, I'd love to see a modder pull off something like that, it's easier than it was in previous years with more realistic AI voices starting to sound fairly natural when tweaked enough.

[@attackboss6]

The creation club content makes the silver hand much more... interesting

[@lindor6393]

So Beth hired modders to do their job and made us pay for it. Ffs, they are sometimes worse than EA. What's in that mod?

[@LICENFIREFEAR]

elder scrolls universe lore is magnificent ! and you did a great job investagating this topic ! i watched untill the end and was honored by youre great commentary and editing ! Many thanks

[@boreanknight]

Thank you so much!

[@EmmettF.W.]

I’d like to think that Hircine was responsible for the founding of the Silver Hand. Because it’s a way he can possess those souls sooner rather than later, by way of mortal intervention.

[@robjsmiles]

He kind of approved either way if you hunted Sinding or hunted his hunters

[@frateranpvbail-shm6912]

1 Hour? Aww, Hell Yeah!

[@-gemberkoekje-5547]

The sky forge is the avatar of Kynareth, as she forged Hircine from the remains of Lorkhan.

[@alicesaxon601]

I love the contrast between his mostly melee fighter perspective on followers not helping enough and me a mostly mage player being relieved when any follower dips out or hangs back with a bow so I can be unleashed. I get they wanted it to be more immersive but the friendly fire mechanic made most of the good spells useless if you have a follower.

[@АртемДавыдов-э2л]

Рад что с тобой все хорошо.

[@glebermakov3035]

Чел не только побеждает болезнь, но и годный контент пилит. Сильно

[@deadseven3474]

I like your voice dude, calming but not boring, with an accent I cannot place but I'm going to assume its Nordic? Either way great vid. I find it ironic that Mjoll says the Thieves Guild is hardly a guild. Their structure and the fact that you have to actually build the guild up and earn the title of leader makes it the most guild-like group you can join in Skyrim, in my opinion.

[@boreanknight]

Thanks! Accent is Slavic but I had people tell me I sound all kinds of ways.

[@deadseven3474]

@@boreanknight Oh ok. It just reminded me of a few friends on discord and one is Norwegian and the other is from Bulgaria so I flipped a coin lol.

[@BekkiUndSo]

I always thought it would have been an interesting narrative choice to have Vilkas and Farkas have opposing opinions on Lycanthropy. For interpersonal drama ofc, but also because of player romance choices. I remember settling for Farkas in one of my first playthroughs because I enjoyed the idea of a werewolf duo from a role-play pov. (And yes, you could pick Alea for that reason, but let's be real, she isn't the most likable companion xD)

[@Leeloo-Foxx]

the strangest rivalry is my khajiit and the countless npcs saying my skin is pale as the snow. im a cat. of course my skin is pale, its covered in fur that blocks the sun!

[@ImJustTryingToSurvive]

The last bit at the end sent me

[@2KXMKR]

I was role playing a humble woodcutter, moving from Riverwood to the big city of Whiterun looking for work. Along the way I witnessed The Companions battling a giant. It was fkng hilarious hearing Aela scolding a literal peasant dressed in rags armed with nothing but a wood cutters axe for not running to help a bunch of armour-clad barbarians slay the beast. Oddly enough, her invitation to join them fit in perfectly with the role play as The Companions quest line essentially has you start out as an errand boy, which is exactly what my character was looking for.

[@nellylenaj3601]

I always found it morbidly funny that Skjor was next in line to be Harbinger and was all "Ill be fine. Dont you worry" and then here we are a few days or months (however long it takes those who are doing the questline) later and Skjor goes before Kodlack. Its the irony for me

[@Zedigan]

I love you're videos man. I love a lot of other TES channels too but I find a lot of them can be a bit too energetic for my taste sometimes. Your videos however, are like a tale unfolding in front of me, as if you were taking me on a journey. Your eye for ambience and detail along with your calm voice make for an excellent experience. Your channel is like a breather of fresh air, blessed by Kyne herself.

[@boreanknight]

Thanks so much!

[@JonathanRossRogers]

52:33 Good job lighting the already glowing red-hot Skyforge.

[@nordvestgaming1238]

What are the chances that this is posted right before I was going to start a playthrough as a werewolf/champion of Hircine...

[@EJDubbz]

This is what happens when you rush game development.

[@fnord4960]

I really do hate the companions, those furry edgelords. Tbh they were always a poor substitute for the fighters guild.

[@gamegod7237]

The reason the Silverhand are so disliked is because they aren't against the werewolves, but the people that turn into them. They're inhumane. They've also got something against the companions, and it's clearly shown when they attack the companions, and Farkas when he accompanies you to that dungeon (forgot the name)

[@RedCommunistDragon]

*Dustman’s Cairn*

[@BanjoJill]

I always skip over the Companions quest because the Silver Hand really disappointed me. I wanted them to be in-depth and cool, but they're just lowly bandits wielding silver weapons.

[@Ascottishsamurai]

Don't you ever apologize again for entertaining me for an hour. 😆 The ending at the table had me roaring with laughter.