Skald the Elder

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"The only reason dragons are attacking is because Talos is angry with us for turning our backs on him. As soon as we drive the Empire out of Skyrim, the dragons will vanish."

―Skald

Skald the Elder is one of the Jarls in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. He serves as the Jarl of Dawnstar. As Jarl of Dawnstar, he resides within The White Hall with a number of servants and counselors, including his housecarl, Jod, his servant, Bulfrek, and the Court Wizard, Madena. His family, the Felgeifs, have been Jarls of Dawnstar for generations. Skald the Elder has ruled Dawnstar for over 35 years.

Personality

Skald is a grumpy, elderly man. He has a particular distaste for the Imperial Legion and often argues with two Legion veterans living in Dawnstar. He also has a fascination with the Civil War and respects Ulfric Stormcloak greatly.

Political views

He is one of three Jarls to openly and actively support the Stormcloaks and Jarl Ulfric. Skald also believes that the Dragons have returned because Talos has become angry with the Empire for banning his worship, and that they will disappear when the Stormcloaks push the Empire out of Skyrim.

Interactions

First encounter

Near the White Hall, upon first entering Dawnstar, he can be seen arguing with one of the town's most important residents, Brina Merilis, and rebuking her housecarl Horik Halfhand for wearing Imperial Legion Armor, branding the act as treasonous. He goes as far as threatening to execute the man and seems to think of them as imperial spies.

Waking Nightmare

If Erandur is not spoken to directly at Windpeak Inn, Skald the Elder informs the Dragonborn of nightmares citizens are having. He sends the Dragonborn to speak with Erandur, a priest of Mara, culminating in the sack of Vaermina's shrine at Nightcaller Temple.

Bounty

He provides radiant quests for bounties.

Thane of the Pale

He may also dub the Dragonborn Thane, if he is known by the people throughout the hold. This is achieved by completing Waking Nightmare and completing tasks for the people of The Pale.

Civil War

If the Dragonborn sides with the Empire during the Civil War, or if Markarth is traded for Dawnstar during Season Unending, Skald, his housecarl Jod, and his servant Bulfrek are exiled to the Palace of the Kings in Windhelm. Brina Merilis, an Imperial Legionnaire, replaces him as Jarl of Dawnstar.

Kill the Giant

Skald the Elder asks the Dragonborn to kill a giant.

Purchase land in the Pale

If Hearthfire has been installed, Skald can offer the Dragonborn the deed for Heljarchen Hall, provided the Dragonborn has completed the quests "Waking Nightmare" and "Kill the Giant" for him.

Quotes

• "Good luck with the giant; don't get stepped on." ―After sending the Dragonborn to "Kill the Giant".

Trivia

• "Skald" is an Old Norse and Swedish word for "poet/bard/storyteller".
• According to conversations with Skald's servant Bulfrek, his last name is Felgeif.
• Skald was voiced by Jim Cummings.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Skald the Elder. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

•  360   PC   Skald may not reward the Dragonborn for completing a a radiant bounty quest
  •  PC   Solution: After killing the target and before returning to Skald, type CompleteAllObjectives BQ03 into the console. This removes the quest from the journal. Return to Skald for the reward.
•  PC    PS3   A radiant bounty quest from Dawnstar may sometimes be stuck in the journal after being rewarded. This includes "Collect the bounty from Skald in Dawnstar"
  • May be fixed by completing another quest from Skald.
  •  PC  May be fixed by using the console command "SetObjectiveCompleted BQ03" before turning in the quest.
• Even if Skald is out of Dawnstar in the Palace of Kings when the Stormcloaks are defeated, he will still comment about not getting any sleep.
•  360   Even after completing "Waking Nightmare", Skald may not offer any dialog options other than "How is Dawnstar faring in the war?" and "Is Dawnstar prepared for dragon attacks?". This means he cannot offer any radiant quests, grant the title of Thane, or allow the purchase of Heljarchen Hall.
  • Note: The Dragonborn must be level 22 or above to receive new dialog options and quests from Skald.
•  PC   If Skald is exiled and then the bounty quest after "Waking Nightmare" completed, he will resume making positive comments in the Dragonborn's presence ("You're not as dumb as you look").
•  PS3   If Hearthfire is installed, he may not ever give the option to buy property in The Pale.
  • This can be resolved by making sure "Kill the Giant" has been completed. If Skald does not offer "Kill the Giant", all other bounty quests need to be completed and the bounties collected. Returning to Skald should get him to offer the Thane quest and subsequently the option to buy property in the Pale.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim