The Chief of Thirsk Hall is a quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn. It is one of two side quests that involve Thirsk Mead Hall, the other being "Retaking Thirsk." This quest will be marked as failed if "Retaking Thirsk" is accepted.
Background
Walkthrough
This quest can be started by approaching the entrance to Thirsk Mead Hall. A Riekling will initiate dialogue and ask the Dragonborn to follow him inside. Once inside, speak to the Riekling Chief. Incredibly, he has learned how to speak and explains that he has a few tasks that he needs help with.
"You strong. Help tribe-kin"
- Where did you live before you were here?: "Tribe-kin live all places. All of world within great water."
- Why did you take over Thirsk?: "Hot fire. Cold dizzydrink. Happy tribe."
- Who are you?: "You. You strong. Help tribe-kin."
- What is going on here?: "We family. We strong, you stronger."
- How did you learn to talk?: "Chief smart. Most Riekling dumb but chief smart. We family. We strong, you stronger."
Are you saying you want my help?: "Bilgemuck run. Prize beast, run. Fool tribe-kin, chase away. Bilgemuck fear. You bring, he follow you. Yes?"
Bilgemuck is an animal of some kind? And you want it back?: "Bilgemuck prize beast. You find, he folllow. Bilgemuck love meat. Give meat, he follow. You go."
Fetch Bilgemuck
The first task the chief asks is to find Bilgemuck, a unique Bristleback, and bring him back to Thirsk. Approach the beast and offer it some meat for bait, such as Horker Meat, and it will begin to follow the Dragonborn. Lead it to a small pen by the side of the mead hall to complete the first part of the quest.
Collect 10 Scathecraw
Next he requires ten samples of Scathecraw, which he calls "redgrass". Scathecraw can be found all over Solstheim or bought from alchemists. Raven Rock has a great abundance of them.
Kill the Nords
For the final task, he will ask the Dragonborn to help him kill some nearby Nords that have been troubling the Rieklings. If Bujold's Retreat has been visited before, it is revealed that these Nords are actually the previous inhabitants of Thirsk Mead Hall that were driven off by the chief and his fellow Rieklings. Accepting to help the chief will cause him to jump out his throne and run outside, ready to fight. Alternately, the Dragonborn can also voice their reluctance, resulting in the chief waiting inside the hall for the Dragonborn to return later. This gives the Dragonborn the opportunity to talk to Bujold and help her instead. If the Dragonborn agrees to help Bujold, "The Chief of Thirsk Hall" quest will fail and the Dragonborn can participate in "Retaking Thirsk" hall with the help of Bujold and the others.
The chief will exit the hall with three of his warriors and give a short pre-battle speech:
"Froo ha cawasy jo la.
Karoo taray pelfrik?
Felgir paw tuwani barj.
Goora! Goora! Goora!"
What this means is unknown, however it bolsters the spirits of the Rieklings and they will charge at Bujold's Retreat. Approaching the camp will turn the Nords hostile and they will immediately fight back.
Usurp the throne
Once all the Nords have been killed, the chief will mention that the Dragonborn is too strong and perhaps wishes to usurp him, much like he did with the previous chief of the tribe:
"You strong! All tribe-kin stronger with you. But... maybe you too strong. Too strong, want to be chief."
- Slow down here. I don't want to hurt you.
- You're right. I want to be the new chief.
Either option prompts the following: "Strong always fight strong. Old chief strong, me stronger. You stronger? Fight me!"
Next he will attack. Once he is dead the Rieklings of Thirsk will recognize the Dragonborn as the new chief and the quest is completed.
Reward
- Any member of the Riekling tribe at Thirsk Mead Hall can be recruited as a follower.
- While in Solstheim or Skyrim, between one and three Riekling warriors from the tribe may appear randomly to assist when in combat.
- After Bujold the Unworthy is killed, her name is changed to Bujold the Intrepid.
Journal
| Journal Entry |
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I've found a group of Rieklings who seem to have taken up residence in Thirsk Mead Hall. Somehow, their chief has learned how to speak intelligently, and has asked me to assist them with a number of small favors.
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I've found a group of Rieklings who seem to have taken up residence in Thirsk Mead Hall. Somehow, their chief has learned how to speak intelligently, and after I did a number of small favors for the tribe, asked me to help them kill the group of Nords who formerly lived in the hall.
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I found a group of Rieklings who took over Thirsk Mead Hall. I did a number of favors for them, and their Chief attacked me, thinking I was attempting to usurp him. After I defeated him, the rest of the tribe welcomed me, and they made me their chief.
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Or |
I found a group of Rieklings who took over Thirsk Mead Hall, but chose not to help them.
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Bugs
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This section contains bugs related to The Chief of Thirsk Hall. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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| Click to see the list of bugs encountered |
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| Dragonborn Quests | |
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| Main Quests | |
| Black Book Quests | |
| Raven Rock Quests | |
| Skaal Village Quests | |
| Tel Mithryn Quests | |
| Other Quests |
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