Sven or Faendal | Skyrim Lore

[@UncleBo-y4f]

I just marry her myself while faendal watches the wedding

[@KazhnaLightfoot]

Assert your dominance 🗿

[@ryanhau1073]

Screw the Bro Code

[@DarkrarLetsPlay]

LOL YOU CUCKED HIM

[@Spiffington]

You need to kill him or she will cheat on you with him.

[@Nehauon]

Guessing Sven is dead?

[@deltasubliminals5315]

Does Sven train your archery to 50 for free? No he does not

[@yolkonut6851]

But he's got some sick tunes

[@tristanwallen5225]

But he is the only bard follower in the game

[@1th_to_comment.]

​@@tristanwallen5225 Faendal realizes how powerful archery is.

[@yolkonut6851]

@@1th_to_comment. faendal's got nothing on Aela, maybe Bosmer aren't such great hunters after all

[@palamedes4740]

Spoken like someone who didint watch the whole thing

[@zeeouellette1707]

The fact that Faendal’s letter is just “Sven’s a little baby boy” and Sven’s letter is “FAENDAL IS A NA*I”

[@babygurleatsshickennuggits4201]

The thing is Faendal is probably right lol

[@dartagnanlemos]

Exactly!!!!!

[@FluffySylveonBoi]

What does Nai even mean?

[@i.hate.swedish.ISRAELUBERALLES]

NAZI @@FluffySylveonBoi

[@craig2196]

There's a missing Z hint hint.

[@melma2753]

I always thought both of them were kinda scummy, so i just betray the first one of them that approches me, and let RNG decide Camillas future.

[@ldcraig2006]

I agree, they're both creeps, although Faendal is a good companion to take with you into Bleak Falls Barrow early on. That said, I think their ways of wooing leave a lot to be desired, and I generally just ignore both of them and move on to Whiterun.

[@Miss_Camel]

Same. And she’s thirsty af every time I walk past, so I figure she doesn’t particularly care who she ends up with. Although, on this play through I guess I helped Sven, and it gave me the option of having him as a follower, which had never even occurred to me before, and it was a real help! After a few raids (once I could afford Jenassa), I sent him back home to Camilla with better armor than he started with, hope he’s not dead…

[@brandonkirk5236]

​@@Miss_CamelKeep an eye on him. I helped him and a few in-game weeks later I got a letter of Inheritance saying he died. I was wondering how It could possibly happen when he never leaves town, wolves never attack. Then I remember a particular sneaky wood elf who is good at archery. The tree hugger assasinated my bard friend, an act of passion? Idk, I broke in his house while Faendal slept and avenged Sven myself.

[@Miss_Camel]

@@brandonkirk5236 omg what a sore fucking loser that dude is!! I’ve been feeling a bit thirsty myself, maybe I’ll stop by riverwood and pay him a visit. He is pretty cute, you COULD call him a “snack”. Delicious AND nutritious! 🧛🏻‍♀️

[@olvustin6671]

@@ldcraig2006man, I would do that if I didn't have an obsession to finish all quests

[@Galimeer5]

They both write fake letters from the other telling her off, and when some random dude she doesn't even know delivers one of the letters, she just accepts it at face value and ghosts the person who ostensibly did nothing wrong in that iteration of events. Think about that. You're competing for a woman's attention with another guy. She seems to be reciprocating to both of you until one day, she just stops talking to you for no reason. Somehow you find out the other guy wrote her a fake letter from you...and she didn't even confront you about it? She just accepted that one of the guy's who's been flirting with her the past week(?) would just out of the blue treat her like garbage? "Sven's" letter says he's going to treat her like a trophy house wife who does all the chores while he fucks off and "Faendal's" letter says courting an imperial like her will "befoul his bloodline" and she needs to accept her people's place -- subservient to the Aldmeri Dominion. And she just believes the fake letter immediately? Both men are scum and Camilla is so shallow that she falls for their schemes without any hesitation. They're all awful.

[@babyqeels]

I play as a woman so that quest makes a lot more sense for me LOL

[@marcozanella9850]

You forgot the best part: simply equip an amulet of Mara after retrieving the claw, and she'll just marry you right away...

[@BigHatLoganGaming]

What's funny is sven didn't even get the type of elf right

[@moonblaze2713]

​@@BigHatLoganGamingSon of Valenwood? No, he got wood elf right. I assume you're confused by the Aldmeri Dominion bit, but that's because Valenwood is currently part of the Dominion. It all tracks.

[@crazydicelady6117]

See, when I do this quest, I just take whoever gives me the fake letter first and nark on them immediately to her. It's the most immersive way for me.

[@marcnolan2409]

If we take out the factor of who the better follower is then the answer is obvious neither of them deserve Camilla since they both attempt to manipulate her

[@NoName-mi8js]

On the other hand, Camilla doesn't confront either of them about the letter, and just automatically assumes the letter is from them.

[@darrienjones8917]

​@@NoName-mi8jsSo in a way that helps it work itself out. They all deserve each other cus they are all horrible people

[@tainadeoliveira]

Tbh she gets what she deserves too. They are all awful to one another

[@thlydd]

@@NoName-mi8js She will also incessantly flirt with any male player character- Meaning that she's either uncaring of who she's with or is basically the village bicycle in her desire to "have excitement and adventure"

[@DemonaConsie]

Honestly Camilla is just as bad really. Stringing them along for her own ego and amusement. There's a line she says to you if you're playing as a female, "The men here like my attention, and I like theirs. Best know your place." It kind of makes me want to punch her in the face.

[@yolkonut6851]

Best option: get the letter from whoever you like the least and tell Camilla the truth.

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

Tell one about the other's letter, then tell her the truth about the second guy's letter

[@quadrapoly]

I always do this so I feel like the one I pick is in the right.... Even though they're all assholes

[@omegothic]

faendal and sven should kiss

[@GlennSkywalker2305]

Plot twist Sven and Faendal secretly are dating

[@ryanhau1073]

Would be funny if that what happens if the Player marries Camilla

[@wizzolizzo1064]

They should do more than kiss

[@omegothic]

@@wizzolizzo1064you're so real for that

[@danny8284]

@@wizzolizzo1064hold hands? how scandalous!

[@sakurasensations4786]

I usually help Faendal because in all honesty… Sven just has a douchier vibe. I also took Faendal as a follower one time but accidentally killed him with a fire storm scroll while fighting some ice wraiths because I was really close to death, and then got a letter from Sven thanking me for killing him and that bothered me so much that I traveled all the way back to Riverwood, lock picked my way into Sven’s house, crouched down (my build was stealth archery so I obviously wasn’t seen), waited until night, and then head shot him. Part of me was hoping I’d get a nonsensical letter from Faendal thanking me for that, but alas… Unfortunately not lol There wasn’t really a point to that story, I just wanted to tell it lmao

[@MochicoArtemis]

y'know, Stealth Archery lacks in the pride and entertainment department

[@preacherofmusic]

Faendal's gonna send you a letter from Elf Sovngarde thanking you for mercing Sven lmao

[@preacherofmusic]

@@MochicoArtemis To you possibly, I was a heavy weapon heavy armor runner for the longest time until I said fuck it and went stealth archer and I loved every secod of it, I still do it occasionally too

[@MochicoArtemis]

@@preacherofmusic I guess you're just another one of those people who have no sense in pride or entertainment

[@MochicoArtemis]

@@preacherofmusic oh yeah, you clearly don't play the game honorably, if you like playing as a stupid Stealth Archer

[@aryakapur2229]

The third option is that ultimately both Sven and Faendal become tired of trying to rizz up Camilla, so they marry each other instead.

[@darrienjones8917]

Ah the secret ending

[@BigHatLoganGaming]

I could actually be convinced that faendal doesn't understand homosexuality is a thing and assumed that the feelings he gets while looking at sven are just jealousy

[@justcallmeoreooo]

​@@BigHatLoganGamingomg this is my new favorite skyrim head canon

[@ashwolf2006]

"Bro's before Hoes!" and what MxR always says "Camilla is a whore"

[@erukaseven]

The boys in hate with each other.

[@chuckleberryflin]

Sven's a pretty good choice if you need a Boethiah sacrifice

[@LoneSilverW0lf]

That’s pretty much the only reason I side with him. Make an otherwise pointless follower marginally useful.

[@josel317]

That's a good idea, I just got one of those hirelings

[@MochicoArtemis]

so is Faendel

[@preacherofmusic]

Mister Molag is also a runner-up for "Come sacrifice a dumbass to me."

[@chadalpha7983]

Who takes care of his mom if you do that?

[@Kuhboose1]

Idk, I think Faendal seems like the better person, even if he is a bit of a creep about it. He thought the most icrimnating thing he could put on Sven was to make him out to be someone who would treat camilla like a slave. Sven's idea of smearing faendal was to use his race against him and claim that he's part of an oppressive regime. That's a pretty stark difference. Neither is good, but Faendal is arguably better as a person.

[@goatslayer3160]

The fact Sven still lives with his mom shows he isn't very independent, and he probably *would* treat Camila like that. Also what would happen if they did get together? Would she move in with him and his mom? Faendal said he rarely shows up for his actual job, and according to Hod, when he does he's drunk. Faendal, while not perfect, has his own home and hunts his own food, he's obviously the better choice.

[@jackofastora8962]

“Treating someone like a housewife is worse than calling them a lesser subservient race” Imo both are equally scummy dudes, but at least Sven writes in “we can still be friends :]”

[@MoostachedSaiyanPrince]

The real irony of the letter Faendol writes is that despite it basically stating "Sven" just wants her as a housewife while he goes adventuring, Camilla only seems to hate that idea when it comes from Sven, because she's perfectly happy doing exactly that when she marries the player. Meaning that she doesn't hate the idea of fulfilling the role Sven wants for her, she just won't do it for Sven. So I lean towards Faendol, not just because he can get my archery skill up for free very early, but because I genuinely think he has a better chance with her, since Camilla's revulsion to being Sven's stay at home wife is so severe despite her being fine with doing that for the player.

[@Kuhboose1]

@jackofastora8962 that letter doesnt describe treating someone like a housewife. That letter describes wanting an indentured servant who does your bidding and you dont have an inkling of respect for, though you claim to love them. Besides, not my point. The worst thing that Faendal could think to say was that sven wouldnt respect camilla herself as a wife and partner, showing he actually cares about her as a person and how she'd be treated as a wife. Sven was blatantly racist, using Faendal being an elf against him. Those are two very different approaches that say a lot.

[@jackofastora8962]

@@Kuhboose1 as the person above your reply said, she does the exact same thing for the Dragonborn if they get married, so what would you call that? And what would that make camilla since she just accepts Sven’s fake letter at face value and never talks to faendal about it? As I said, they are both equally as scummy, but it’s very clear that what faendal wrote is just the standard of marriage in the world of Skyrim, and what sven wrote is just how the vast majority of people view elves. So the argument isn’t “who’s worse” it’s “what’s deemed more acceptable in the world of Skyrim” which, when put into context makes all three of them even more shallow people.

[@gooderambles]

I'm kind of mad that Faendal isn't a romance option. Not only are there no wood elf marriage candidates, But Faendal is just a solid companion who has a lot to offer the player. Also, he looks great in shirtless fur armor.

[@rockowlgamer631]

I believe I married him on my second playthrough so it should be possible.

[@guitarmama06]

@gooderambles OMW! I thought I was one who put Faendal in shirtless fur armor. Something about him wearing the fur skirt, a gold enchanted necklace, hide bracers and with his arms crossed, just staring at you...ooh lala! 😂 (I also do that with Marcurio, but that's neither here nor there)

[@gooderambles]

@@rockowlgamer631 Not without mods or console commands.

[@guitarmama06]

@rockowlgamer631 must be with mods then. In vanilla, he's unmarriageable. All the online sources also say he can't marry the player.

[@gooderambles]

@@guitarmama06 While I adore Marcurio, he doesn't really look good shirtless. He's so skinny that he barely has any muscle on him and the fit doesn't work. He's still a great sidekick with amazing DPS and funny one-liners, which is why I've married him so many times over the years.

[@chrissaunders2152]

It seems suspicious that Sven comes off as pretty simple, yet understands the political conflict between Cyrodil and the Aldmari Dominion well enough to use it in his letter. I believe Hilda helped him write the letter, as he already had it when we approach him.

[@eanaz79]

He's a bard, and Skyrim's bards are expected to be well-read.

[@GenericProtagonist7]

Sven didn't go to collage for you to besmirch his intelligence.

[@lancea.mcmillen7856]

You left out the fact that if you play as a male character, Camilla flirts with you pretty much immediately. She clearly doesn't have real feelings for either of them, or if she does, she's pretty disloyal.

[@absolutelydegenerate1900]

I forgot about that, yeah even as an Argonian she’s still trying to hop on your dick

[@DeadDancers]

Feelings alone aren’t enough to expect loyalty. If she wasn’t in a relationship with either of them and has to think about her prospects, flirting with any man as part of assessing them/opening up the option for continued assessment would be a very reasonable expectation, I think.

[@plaguedoctorjeff857]

​@@DeadDancers It honestly sounds like she's just courting men, which nothing is wrong with

[@ZionistJew-oj1bo]

​@@plaguedoctorjeff857yes there is something wrong with it, shes a Whore. No respectable man wants a woman who is a fling. Where those women end up in real life saying is Karma lmfao, single mother life lol.

[@bandawin18]

The only reason for that is the whole golden claw mission making you be viewed favorably by Lucan and Camilla. That's literally it

[@IsetMeritAmon]

I usually ignore this quest altogether because I dislike all three of them, BUT if I'm in the mood for it, I always support Faendal, simply because Sven's letter is way more damaging for Faendal, in my opinion. If word came out of what he supposedly said there, it could potentilly get him into trouble with everyone else, not just Camilla. To me also, the fact that Sven's mother is such a r4cist, and that he decided to portray Faendal as such in that letter, makes me think that Sven himself is one as well. Lol I know it's giving it too much though, but if I'm getting serious with it, fvck Sven, honestly

[@iNC0GNEGRO]

Actual based take

[@babyqeels]

Yeah I hate them both for being deceitful, but I was thinking the same about the letters, Sven’s makes Faendal sound a lot worse and seems either racist or just very ignorant to what his words could do

[@MamaMOB]

Yes. All of that. Is that a lot?

[@goatslayer3160]

He portrayed someone he didn't like as a yahtzee in order to ruin their life. Sven would love Twitter!

[@james739123]

It's why when I do this quest, I talk to Sven first, so Faendal has the fake letter from Sven and can use it as leverage against him if he tries anything.

[@KimberlyKjellberg]

I used to go for Faendal. But now I go with neither and just stay out of their drama. I tried marrying Camilla once, never again, she just went on and on about that claw.

[@hugehappygrin]

Don't forget, her brother underhandedly accuses you of shaving the claw before handing it over. It's made of solid gold, in game, because the real thing could not be 100% gold, it need another element as a binder. Never the less, shaving was in practice when gold coins were currency. One of the problems with a gold currency, the other is that gold is denser than lead, so quite heavy.

[@Matt_History]

​@@hugehappygrinhe doesn't accuse the player, he makes an observation that it's 'smaller than he remembers' but clearly doesn't think you did it.

[@BowserFilthFederation]

@@hugehappygrinIS THAT WHY HE SAID THAT???

[@doesntgetthejoke7564]

​@@BowserFilthFederationNo

[@KimberlyKjellberg]

@@hugehappygrin I knew that gold shaving was a thing but for some reason that never connected for me. But that makes sense, I just briefly wondered what he was on about and moved on.

[@thehonoredone2361]

Faendal has a job, good at Archery, nice guy. Sven... alright singer, kinda of a bugger, and lives with his mom. You can tell she prefers the elvish bow to Sven's tiny lute.

[@HJHWolf]

Actually, Sven works in mill, although he drinks too much that he is absent often 😂

[@Mr-tu4cj]

A nice guy wouldn’t try to manipulate a woman he loves! I get what you mean though. Sven is definitely not as polite, but I’d say both Sven and Faendal are assholes, and neither deserves Camilla’s affection.

[@oaktreeholler]

I'd imagine, in the long run, she'd probably want the independent huntsman elf over the basement dwelling musical nord. Faendal probably has the better paying job in this midieval style world. Both are flawed characters, but aren't we all.

[@ashwolf2006]

​@@Mr-tu4cjSven's is the bigger asshole on the two. If you ever read Sven's fake letter he intends to not just make faendal look bad, but he ourrights goes out of his way to destroy the guys life and reputation as falsely accuses faendal of being a thalmor spy.

[@AroAceGamer]

Even more so, Faendal's fake letter isn't actually that far off from the mark about Sven, maybe an exaggeration, but Sven's fake letter is an outright dangerous character assassination towards Faendal.

[@ailius1520]

A weird thing I thought of is Faendal's occupation. Per the lore, Wood Elves have a religious taboo about harming plants in Valenwood. They're the opposite of vegans and will *only* eat animals, nor will they use any of their homeland's wood. Now this religious taboo does *not* apply to plants outside of Valenwood. Still, I do wonder about the moral code of a man who comes from a "never harm a tree. ever" culture who dices up trees for a living.

[@CappyCorning]

I may be mistaken. But I'm thinking that Faendal's response would be that the real harm to the trees was when they were chopped down. He's not creating the corpse. That's already been done. He's just making it more usable. Also keep in mind not all wood elves follow The Green Pact. Especially not those who leave Valenwood.

[@IfISmileWillYouPee]

Maybe hes not religious and thats why he no longer lives in Valenwood

[@gh0rochi363]

Maybe he follows the nedic pantheon

[@Joffie69]

Faendal is a stalker alright... I married Camilla and lived on Goldenhills Plantation Every now n then i would either wake up from sleeping in bed with Camilla and find Faendal standing at the end of the bed, or i would fast travel to Goldenhills and arrive in the morning to find Faendal leaving! Lets just say, I know the perfect candidate for a certain Boethia quest!

[@TheGreatThicc]

See first you have him as your travelling companion for those sweet sweet free levels in Archery then kindly ask him to help you find this sick chestplate you heard about

[@guitarmama06]

@Joffie69 oh man! Now I kind of wish I hadn't accidentally (on purpose) killed him. But at least you get a free bed in Riverwood, if you want to go to sleep there.

[@HappyH4ppyHappy]

J’zargo has always been my favorite

[@TheShadowSentinel]

Better than Aela you mean?

[@insertclevernamehere1186]

Fun fact: Sven and Talvas share the same voice actor, and due to a bug, when recruiting Sven as a follower, he will say "I'm sure Master Neloth won't mind"...

[@BowserFilthFederation]

THIS HAPPENED TO ME

[@leafheart3213]

I always wondered who the hell neloth was when I first played through the game. I absolutely scoured whiterun hold looking for anyone named neloth

[@Glorp1997]

​@@leafheart3213 i always thought he was svens bard mentor lol

[@letrewiarz]

When it comes to roleplaying, I always choose Sven. After helping him with the girl, I give him a sword, armour and take him on some adventures, to make him taste combat and become a true man for his future wife. After it's time to move on, I leave him some money and a sword, so that he something to remind him of our time together.

[@themotivatedmaycry9120]

I was thinking of something similar that i was going to do in my playthrough but instead have him join the blades

[@captainrumia2607]

Hilda's lack of racism against orcs is an uncommon thing. They often don't get seen as being elves, and while they're sometimes seen as being a beast race, but not always. Plus, they're another proud warrior race.

[@christinaedwards5084]

They’re Mer Elves are different

[@TheShadowSentinel]

@@christinaedwards5084mer and elf are the same thing in Elder Scrolls.

[@SorceressWitch]

​@@christinaedwards5084Mer are elves and orcs in The Elder Scrolls are elves. There is even a quest to collect blood of 5 elven races and orc blood is one of the 5 elven blood types needed for the ritual to work.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Yeah, many see orcs closer to goblin than the other mer. But then, Elder Scrolls orcs aren't your usual greenskins. First, they are proper elves. Second, they are known as master smiths. Third, they aren't treatest like evil monsters. Oh, and dwarves are also elves. There are bascially only elves, humans, and sapient animal people on Nirn. And yes, that includes the kung fu tigers and snake people on Akavir.

[@lynxfangr]

The answer is that Camilla is not a prize to be won but her own (fictional) person, so neither of them DESERVES her. The correct *question* is who is BETTER for Camilla.

[@masterneloth]

And the answer is still neither 😎

[@gh0rochi363]

Boooooo buzzkill hisssssss booooooo just have fun

[@StrifeSoul990]

The answer is neither. They never cate abput camillas feelings and only about themselves. She deserves better

[@iNC0GNEGRO]

She doesn’t care about their feelings either. She just likes their attention. She deserves Sven. Faendal got his shxt together.

[@ToharaAmah]

She does deserve Better, I agree. It's me, I'm Better lol

[@kingbrennus1580]

Lol, simp.

[@samflood5631]

At least marrying the Dragonborn is a much better choice for Camilla.

[@jayltonsenpai]

The true awnser is that Sven and Feandal deserve each other, the hate they have for each other is love disguised because they can't accept their true feelings

[@ShieniLicksOnLemons]

Faendall is actually jealous of the attention Sven gives to Camilla, and Sven is in denial of his feelings towards Faendall because of the racism he learned from his mother.

[@wandauriel]

Now that would be a story 😂 But I would prefer Even to back off, I saw elf boy first!

[@icemythic6076]

Alternatively you can show either fake letter to Faendal or Sven, or even show both to Camilla. I like how this quest has a bunch of small branches. If you want to be really "meta" about which choice you pick though, becoming friends with Sven after delivering his fake letter to Camilla allows you to take low value items from his home for free without stealing. This includes a fair amount of garlic which can offer a bunch of gold and xp if crafted into potions of regenerate health/magicka and then sold. Not a big deal if you don't mind stealing but I usually try to avoid crime unless I'm role-playing a thief/Assassin etc

[@jimschneider799]

Whenever I start an evil playthrough, I give her Sven's letter, telling her Sven asked me to deliver it. Then, I recruit Faendal as a follower, build Lakeview Manor, and appoint Faendal as my steward. Then, I return the golden claw, marry Camilla, and send her to live at Lakeview Manor.

[@daakusureyaa]

У меня была история связанная со Свеном. Когда проходил игру на максимальной сложности, в самом начале игры, на меня напали головорезы в Ривервуде. В тот момент, у меня НИКОГО не было в напарниках, и никто не хотел помогать. И лишь только один Свен вступился за меня (хоть и был их раз в 10 слабее) и умер. Моё уважение.

[@oaktreeholler]

For me it depends on if I'm playing as an elf or not. Gotta have our elven brother's backs.

[@christinaedwards5084]

As an altmer those bosmer are filthy underlings.

[@TheGreatThicc]

​@@christinaedwards5084as a nord... I don't know, fuck you?

[@leepicbaconman1553]

As a dunmer I really don’t care for you N’wahs, just stay away from my land.

[@DH-gq7bm]

I have a feeling that none of the mer have each others backs

[@christinaedwards5084]

@@DH-gq7bm faendal simps for my Altmer hard 😂

[@luckyels3034]

The dragonborn definitely, both are sycho and even if you are too at least you're a demigod or something.

[@althechicken9597]

sneak archer build guves you the right answer anyway. Just by their letters, you can tell faendal knows her better, and what will turn her off specifically, whereas it seems like Sven just uses High Elf stereotypes to make a Bosmer look bad. He definitely could know that through being creepy though so 🤷

[@joelrobinson5457]

Bosmer and haltimer don't even look the same! High elves are racist towards Bosmer for not having long enough faces!

[@loptseldr]

"fine blonde hair" Faindal i think maybe you secretly have a bit of a thing for Sven lol. you do pay a lot of attetion to him.

[@austinlee4156]

Master Neloth always pondering the most important of questions!

[@TheMuseSway]

As a female who played Skyrim when it first came out. I did hear her say that on my second run. I think she just says it just by a casual walk by. It's as she sees your female Dragonborn as a potential threat for their affections. So she deserves none or Sven. But I usually choose Faendel cause he's just more useful when you're lower level. I also just like Bosmers in general.

[@deiansalazar140]

Genuine question which one of them is better Sven or Faendal?

[@shiny1556]

Sven and Faendal should just start dating each other, would solve a lot of issues that way.

[@tiacat11]

The enemies to lovers romance we didn't know we needed We've even got manufactured drama in Hilda being horrified at the thought of her baby boy running away with some elf!

[@normalhuman9878]

I need this as a mod now

[@StaticCoffee]

I thought about that too

[@WGGplant]

According to Svens letter, Faendal and Camila do spend time together. Likely in the inn as Sven knows about it.

[@timtaylor9298]

He mentions seeing Faendal sneaking to Lucan's shop.

[@eerreerr497]

It feels like faendal actually loves camilla while sven just sees her as the town trophy

[@nathanvosburgh718]

pretty much and when you talk to Sven for the first time one of his lines is like Camilla is MINE you here!!

[@tiacat11]

He loves Camilla, sure, but he still won't ever talk to her. Pretty weak basis for a relationship there.

[@eerreerr497]

@@tiacat11 I see where you're coming from! Maybe he's just one of those shy boys with a heart of gold? Makes me wonder now how he ended up in Riverwood and his backstory of why he's so shy but he's definitely capable of defending Camilla, despite his lack of voice I feel like if their farm or future home got raided, he would full be capable of holding them off but I they could pull off a very nice butchery of some sort But if Camilla went with sven, his silver tongue would really help out if they decided to open some sort of trade shop since she's quite experienced in trading and business ownership Thankfully they left the quest open for you to choose whoever you'd like 🫶 both seem okay in their small town circumstances

[@tiacat11]

@@eerreerr497 You know what, I respect that. You're right, at the end of the day the quest is VERY open ended, and a lot of the dialogue is vague enough that you can really write whatever kind of story you want with it.

[@eerreerr497]

@@tiacat11 dude exactly!!! The dialog is very vague one both ends of their relationships. You worded it so perfectly, tysm!

[@owenandrew7951]

The big brain move is siding with Faendal, training in archery, then taking your money back

[@smackyfrog6046]

I always just give her both letters. Sell them both out

[@superepicfuntime821]

You can do this? O.o

[@smackyfrog6046]

@@superepicfuntime821 get the fake letter from Sven/Faendel. Give the fake to Faendel/Sven, and he'll take the first letter. THEN pickpocket the first fake letter from his inventory. You have both fake letters and you can give them to Camilla and tell her the truth or lie however you see fit.

[@Purriah]

You can actually give her both letters. Give the one sven wrote to faendal or vice versa, he takes it and writes one which he gives to you. Pickpocket the one from the first guy back, then give Camilla both of them. You can still tell one of the guys that they don’t have to worry about the other one anymore and get a follower while they both get their karma.

[@yolkonut6851]

Sven would be worth it if you could ask him to play a song while adventuring.

[@thornescapes7707]

I resolve this the most ethical way, which incidentally happens to be the most strategic choice as well. First, I talk to Sven and get his horrible letter, to expose his treachery to Camilla, so that she knows him for the deceiving snake that he is! Then I take Faendal away as a companion (best option in that moment), eventually installing him at the Goldenhills Plantation as my steward... far away from Camilla. Thus, Camilla avoids Sven the liar and Faendal is removed from the picture.

[@darkxdead]

Oh yes. MORE. We need Skyrim tea prepared by no other than Master Neloth.

[@antefizulic6851]

"Oh, I'll pause my job of slaying ancient dragons and their priests to help some useless mortals with their elementary school level love triangle"

[@SixshotRevan]

The way I typically do this quest is to have Sven write the fake letter, tell Camilla the letter is fake and let Sven burn, and then Faendal typically gets killed by a dragon anyway. Seriously, Faendal has died in every playthrough of Skyrim I've had in the last five years.

[@FeralGuyxD]

I always will love sven. feandal is the typical nice guy virgin who's like: "grrrr all women are the same" and sven is just a majestic mother fucker

[@iNC0GNEGRO]

Faendal tried to make Sven seem like a misogynist. Sven tried to make Faendal seem like, basically, an Elf Nazi. One of those is way worse. The attention seeker deserves Sven.

[@tristanjackson5343]

Fun fact I messed up my mod list a few days ago and I had to reinstall everything & reload order it I decided to take feandal with me for the first time since I played vanilla Skyrim a couple years ago he's a really good friend and companion I like him wood elves are friendly versus a generic Nord definitely take the elf everyday unfortunately we're not even level 10 in this playthrough and feandal is laying face down dead in the Riften jail

[@tassey]

Then you can pick up Inigo.

[@tristanjackson5343]

@@tassey that was the plan get that fucking blue cat and my elf boy rolling together

[@pipsqueack]

What happened to Faendal ?

[@poggestfrog]

@@pipsqueack Riften happened.

[@tristanjackson5343]

@@pipsqueack I had a mod that populated the jails with realistic prisoners me and him were in the jails together and I tried to break out and things got messy with the realistic prisoner population they didn't take kindly to an elf boy in the prison to say the least

[@jazzitall]

I'm glad you're posting Skyrim analysis while everyone else switched entirely to Starfield videos. ❤

[@doughboywhine]

If you are trying to min max, the best solution is to give Faendal's fake letter to Camilla, and then use him for free training and as a follower for however long you feel like. Take the key to his house and use it as your own (everything loses ownership and some containers don't respawn), and marry Camilla if you please. After Faendal outlives his usefulness you can sacrifice him to Boethiah or the Ebony Blade, or you can just plain eliminate him and essentially gain full ownership of his Riverwood home. It has a bed, cooking pot, safe storage, and is a stone's throw away from the smith's and the wood chopping blocks, so it's actually a pretty good home if you don't engage with enchanting or alchemy and remain an unadoptive bachelor.

[@kristykreme9915]

Who knew Neloth is also a master of the dark art that is love

[@thelettucebarrel7784]

All three parties in this situation are kinda scummy lmao.

[@JediLordNathan]

For me its simple: The Dovahkiin is the one for Camilla, let me be frank the Dragonborn actually does a fair amount of things that are in Camilla's favor, first off the Dragonborn is honest with her and can simply choose to not side with either of the two by just not taking the quest from either of them (Or if you are me and play with a mod that expands the option, straight up tell her both of them were trying to decieve her and she dumps both) though the real point is that the Dragonborn helps her and her brother out by retrieving the Golden Claw something that Camilla herself wanted to do but Lucan wouldn't let her. Really though it boils down to the Dovahkiin being the only one who can actually marry her, the fact that you aid her with getting the Golden Claw for her and her brother, I mean whenever you talk to her after she guides you to the bridge she says "Mara bless you for agreeing to help us" and the fact that you have as the player the option to straight up not take the quest at all and court Camilla yourself tells me that she'd rather marry someone that isn't willing to break a friendship over her. Plus with my mods I've actually made a her a follower courtesy of some edits in Xedit and RDO she is actually better than both by virtue of not having a level cap just like J'zargo

[@Hernal03]

Those who have the _Amorous Adventures_ sex mod installed eventually come to believe that the Dovakiin deserves her! _"Believe, Believe, the Dragonborn Comes!"_

[@Renan.Parente]

I completely agree. Sven is a much better option. As well as being a nicer man, he makes his intentions clear and is more cultured. Sven and Camilla were already closer before the quest. Great video. :)

[@Mango_Ferret]

You said there is a "Love Triangle". What if the true answer is that Sven & Faendal should romance each other and give Camilla the cold shoulder

[@gagemcmahon9485]

It’s a good fuckin day when master neloth blesses us with some telvanni gospel

[@masterneloth]

The ending of the words is ALMSIVI 💤

[@kenenwankwo7393]

I've started 5+ characters in Skyrim. I've never seen these people or heard of this quest till now. 12 years after the game's release.

[@Eramidas]

Sven should've been a follower that gives you speechcraft training

[@anvos658]

Somebody skilled in speechcraft wouldn't have to resort to a fake letter to win somebody's affection.

[@DefectiveLotus]

Her dialogue if told Faendal wrote a fake letter made me think she preffered Faendal and was waiting for him to get serious/open.

[@queencitysaint9600]

I chose Faendal, simply because he can train you in Archery and then you can take back your gold

[@NPOCrushader]

Liked my way of dealing with this. Snitch on Sven to Camilla so she chooses Faendal, get Faendal as a companion, he dies to a vampire attack, I mary a grief stricken Camilla.

[@georged7059]

I always choose faendal so I can get archery training for free then once I’ve got a better follower I just use him for either the boethia quest, or to charge up the ebony blade, so I guess she always ends up with Sven in my play throughs anyway😂

[@MezzoForte4]

Lmao, that's so fucked. 😂

[@maskedrecruit4571]

It is implied that Sven also holds some of the racism of his mother as, if you show faendal's letter to sven, he says something like "Of course an elf would do that" (I can't remember the exact wording and can't find it on any wiki's right now)

[@Wanettepoems]

While I'm not much of a fan of any of them (handing fake letters is really scummy), I find it quite disheartening *she* wants adventure, and you can (at least in what I used to choose before I started to just ignore them) get her together with Faendal (who seems fine living and working in his village, iirc) and then take HIM with you on your adventures?? Like... what?? That makes no sense! She wanted out into the world, and now she's supposed to be stuck in this village with an overprotective brother and a partner, yet alone, while her partner adventures? It always rubbed me the wrong way. Adventures for the win. Wouldn't it be much sweeter if you could at the very least bring them both along?

[@ovp3606]

Yeah that’s part of the reason I kinda replaced Faendal with Lydia because I felt bad (and also because a melee fighter works better with a mage in combat)

[@Sweetlesishere]

Sven is just funnier and more amusing, he's a true bro. I would image he and my character going out there and flirting with the local wenches and getting caught up with Sam Gueverne (whatever his damn name is) and getting into all sorts of cool antics.

[@lucifuge75]

I usually side with Sven so that I can later sacrifice him to Boethiah.

[@wisygirlywopitty]

Eheh... Smart... Never thought of that one to get ride of the competition 🤔

[@menelmacar3]

It’s giving “dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit…”

[@JactheKnave]

I’m fond of the murder route. Killing either Sven or Feindal will get the other to send you a thank you note OR you can kill Camilla and have them both resent you even if no one can prove it 😂

[@jimmybobbledobble]

My deal in this is to usually tell Camilla who sent the letter and how it was made to defame the other, so she'll know the truth.

[@enby_sims_lover109]

I always pick Faendal, just because Sven is kinda mean to his mom when she says she sees a dragon

[@Unprotected1232]

Faendal if you're feeling cheeky. . He's both a potential trainer and follower. That means we got access to his inventory.

[@mpg272727]

Sven- Annoying disrespectful unemployed ""bard"" living with his mother Faendal- Proud elf with his own home and a master marksman who often hunts and helps out at the mill Which way modern Nord?

[@CryNoM0]

Just choose faendal so you can finesse him for archery training

[@tinolano]

Now I feel leaving her at the alter 20 times is justified.

[@allamericanslacker2378]

You missed more than a few things when going over the relationship between those three. 1) You call Faendal a creepy stalker but, don't take into account that Sven is just as bad, if not worse, considering that the first time you talk to him he says, "Camilla is already mine. She just doesn't know it yet," which suggests that not only is he jealous and possessive, she doesn't reciprocate when he displays his affections, beyond the occasional simple banter. 2) Sven does work at the mill. Hod comments on it when you first arrive in Riverwood with Ralof, which means that all that time he spends at the inn is him blowing off work. Faendal confirms it as well if you ask what his problem with Sven is. 3) Sven is most likely an alcoholic. Hod brings attention to this in the same comment where he confirms that Sven works at the mill. When Gerdur says, "Hod, come here," Hod's response is, "What's the problem? Is Sven drunk on the job again?" 4) Faendal will sometimes ask if he saw you talking to Sven and warns you that Sven is not a good person, suggesting he's aware that Sven is a drunk and/or racist. 5) If you play a male character, Camilla will say, "You're a strapping young man! Don't be a stranger." This suggests that she is either flirtatious with all the single men she meets or, she's not really interested in Faendal or Sven, and just likes getting attention from them, which isn't surprising given the only two other male characters in Riverwood that we know for sure are single, one is a drunk and the other is her brother. 6) If you marry Camilla and kill Sven and/or Faendal without getting caught, Camilla will send you a letter saying she knows you did it, and she's glad they're gone. When you take all of this into account, it's easy to see why she hasn't picked one of the two. Camilla doesn't want to marry either of them. If one of them had to be picked though, Faendal is clearly the better choice. While he's more reserved than Sven, he's not afraid to express himself, given he will occasionally say there's beauty in Riverwood that's unmatched in all of Skyrim. To me at least, that makes him come off as more sincere. He has a strong sense of duty and is law abiding. He's also a very hard worker. He has to be to when you consider he managed to find time to accumulate all the hunting trophies he has even though he's working at the mill pretty much all day every day. He's an extremely adept hunter given he's taken down a bear from three hundred yards in the middle of a blizzard, making him far better at both protecting and providing for Camilla.

[@flabbergasted6231]

OR! Better yet, if you like neither choice, you can screw both of them over and take a letter from one and give it to the other and they will give you their letter to one up the other then go to Camilla and tell her how both guys are trying to trick her. I did that my first playthrough without realizing it was special dialogue lol. I just didn't like the backhandedness that was going on.

[@ahbraveconscript997]

there is no love triangle that some good illusion magic and a few local guards can’t fix.

[@BigHatLoganGaming]

Faendals a better man overall, but I just watched sven gun down a dragon with nothing but an iron dagger and balls of dwarven brass, so I gotta commend that

[@Ametisti]

I usually side with Sven, only because I always somehow end up talking to Faendal first, and just take the letter to Camilla and rat him out.

[@Giddog40]

The one time I married Camilla I saw Faendal leaving my house, they never found his body and the axe I used was kept in a display case so Camilla would remember that there are consequences

[@oxishimaruxo]

First few playthroughs I married Camilla, pretty early game, access to a house. I side with Faendal, get him as a follower train up archery trade my gold back. Then after he can't coach archery anymore i sacrifice him to Boethiah. Sven doesn't really add much, now if he could coach Speech it'd be a different story

[@PotooBurd]

Love your work! Comenting for the algorithm 🌻 Solid gold comedy! 😂🏅👍 Rooting for your success!

[@paulblankenship8344]

I do the opposite of whoever gives me the letter first, by telling Camilla the truth.

[@bigblue6917]

Like most if I choose to pick one I would pick Faendal because it gets you the free archery training. The fact that Camilla will take a shine to the Dragonborn shows that she is trying to increase her options which to me suggests that she is not happy with the ones she has. Anyway, I just skip this option, especially as I now use the Alternate Start, which means I am spared all of this.

[@LøvæFråNordn]

I Like how Faendals Name Sounds Norwegian, even tough he is a Bosmer. Faen means something like Devil in Norwegian, and Dal means Valley in Norwegian

[@dismayingmist7868]

I go for Sven Just to hear the harsh dialogue from Carmella about Feandel, but there should of been another option since The letters seem to manipulate her , And also I agree with Hod

[@ville4090]

Best solution is.... Step 1: Side with Sven, and then sacrifice him to Boethiah. Step 2: Kill Faendal with Wuuthrad, and harvest his blood for Septimus. Step 3: Reanimate them both. Step 4: Marry Camilla, and have both of the now undead Sven and Faendal as guests of honor. Step 5: Profit.

[@chroniclesoflaura]

I forgot about the love triangle and married her myself for some easy income 😂 Faendal died from a dragon attack not long after anyway so 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@JDunham97]

there should of been an option where you give both fake letters to camilia and say they were both trying to lie

[@Balen-]

unfortunately in order to get both letters one of them is taken from you

[@JDunham97]

@@Balen- yeah i know....

[@Balen-]

@@JDunham97 definitely should’ve been an option. bet in oblivion it would’ve been, but bethesda needed a game to appeal to the masses

[@BluffyMoo]

Would Camilla change her mind should the DB equip either Sven or Faendal with the amulet of Mara? That would be hysterical if there were dialogues for these NPCs. And have Camilla send out hired thugs against the person who "wrote" such letter too. 😅

[@williamafton348]

The right person for Camila is the naked madman in Solitude’s sewers in the saints and seducers creation club add on.

[@_TehTJ_]

I think Sven spreading misinformation about Faendal is a way worse thing than people tend to talk about it. Like, I want you to really think about what it means to accuse him of being a Thalmor, especially to a woman who clearly has trauma about the Great War. He moved from Valenwood all the way to Skyrim to work a very crappy job in a tiny village, chances are he probably has an extremely good reason to hate the Thalmor. It’d be like calling a Syrian refugee an ISIS insurgent or a Chinese immigrant a communist spy. I agree that Faendal is a vanilla stalker and is bitch made for not even talking to Camila, but Sven is a real scumbag for that.

[@seannolan9857]

Faendal will attack you if you fight the Thalmor. Sure, he doesn't directly work for them, but he certainly doesn't hate them.

[@luismiguelrodriguez798]

I usually pick Sven because i think he's a loser and then i give him a new job and life as a steward for one of my farms just to help him to reform his life and forget about Camila.

[@DarkrarLetsPlay]

The best ending: Sven and Faendal become a couple and Camilla marries her brother Lucan Valerius. She has the most dialogue, and therefore chemistry, with her brother after all.

[@tristanpotter2183]

Youre a fuckin weirdo

[@DarkrarLetsPlay]

​@@tristanpotter2183 Hahahha

[@kmcderm133]

It would be nice to have the option to present Camilla with both letters and an explanation and see where the cards fall.

[@ryanhau1073]

This is one of thoes quests that could have a lot more potential

[@averywhitaker3513]

The word "Deserves" in the context of the thumbnail has the mind-feel of sticking my hand in a bucket of swamp sludge

[@emilymschoener9193]

I choose Sven so I can give him fine clothes as a bard once I pass level 20