The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Permanent Thralls (Continued)

An elemental mage found in Darklight Tower, which is located West-Southwest of Riften and South of Goldenglow Estate. After entering Darklight Tower the player will receive a quest to help Illia. Once completed, Illia will be available as a follower. As a thrall, she is able to hit the max range for most NPCs, 40. She uses Frost spells for damage, and comes equipped with a healing spell, ward, and mage armor, as well as a few more spells. Also, while her primary skills are in Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, and Restoration, she lacks any spells in the Conjuration school. A good mage follower or thrall.

The lovely Bard found in Dawnstar. Hottest NPC in the game. There. I said it. Unfortunately, the player is unable to marry her, so what's the next best thing? That's right, killing her and stashing her body in your house (wow, that sounded a lot less creepy in my head). But really, that's probably all she's good for as her max level is 6 and her primary skill is Speech. If only she continued to sing me her lovely songs after she was thralled while I'm enthralled. Oh well.

An elemental mage. Found in Harmugstahl, which is located North of Karthwasten (which is East of Markarth). There are multiple radiant quests that will take your through this dungeon. These quests are: Arniel's Endeavor, which you can receive from Arniel Gane at the College of Winterhold; Onmund's Request, also at the College of Winterhold; and Salty Sea-Dogs, given by Captain Wayfinder at the docks in Dawnstar. Many other radiant quests have the possibility to take you through this dungeon too.

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Found in Angarvunde which is found: Starting from Riften, Directly West from Riften is Goldenglow Estate. Directly West from Goldenglow Estate is Heartwood Mill. Directly West from Heartwood Mill is Angarvunde. Classified as a "Citizen" and level capped at 1 (read: terrible stats), she seems to be more for decoration or fodder for the enemy. Also useful for holding your junk.

Commonly found in The Hag's Cure in Markarth, Muiri is able to be thralled after completing her quest Mourning Never Comes. You receive this quest from Astrid of the Dark Brotherhood early in the Dark Brotherhood quest line. After completing her quest, she is no longer flagged "Essential", at which point she is able to meet an untimely death if the player so chooses. She is also available for marriage after completing her quest, but only if she's still alive, you sicko.

Found in the College of Winterhold, usually in the Hall of Attainment. She is not involved in any quest, nor does she sell any spells or items. She does however, know quite a few spells including: Ironflesh, Magelight, Multiple Destruction spells, three different wards, and a healing spell. Needs to be tested if she will actually use these while thralled. The main drawback for her is her level cap of 4.

Old Orc can only be found in a random encounter, so actually coming across him may prove quite arduous. A bit below average since he's capped at level 25, but he's one of the few permanent Orc thralls. He wants you to kill him, so if you agree, he'll immediately turn hostile saving you the guilt of killing an innocent person. Ah, who are we kidding? I shot him before he even got close enough to speak. What? He looked like an enemy, okay!

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Generally regarded as one of the better Thralls. He's immune to Fire, Frost, and Shock. He retains a sizable chunk of his spells, his toxic spewing attack, and he can teleport to boot. Talk about cool. He is found at Bthardmaz Arcanex during the quest The Only Cure. Bthardmaz is North of Markarth and then slightly East. The Only Cure quest can be received from Kesh at the Shrine to Peyrite. The Shrine to Peyrite is located Southeast from Bthardmaz.

He has a fairly impressive array of spells:

• Mage Armor (Listed as having Oakflesh, Stoneflesh, Ironflesh, and Ebonyflesh. Which one he will cast, I don't know)
• Frostbite (8pts of DPS which he can and will dual cast for 2.2x damage)
• Icy Spear (60pt of damage)
• Incinerate (60pt of damage)
• Thunderbolt (60pt of damage)
• Invisibility (rarely casts this and it's usually only up for a second or two before he breaks it)
• Healing spells that he will actually use as a thrall (Healing, Fast Healing, Grand Healing)
• Greater Ward
• Teleportation (unique to Orchendor and he's invincible while the purple aura is still up)
• Vile Vapor (does around 40pt of damage and looks like it might poison too)

He's listed as having a few more spells, but those are the ones that I've seen him cast. There's just a small problem that can sometimes hold Orchendor back though; When enemies get close, he falls back to Frostbite. The 8pts of damage a second spell. He doesn't seem to want to stop using it either as when an enemy gets close he makes no effort to put any distance between himself and the enemy, but instead will deliberately try to stay close to the enemy while using his meager Frostbite spell. Sometimes he couples it with Incinerate and sometimes he just wants to dual cast it. Again, it's a very small problem, especially when considering how powerful he is.

Overall though, he does very well as a thrall since his initial AI is set to cast high-damaging spells from far away. He usually opens the encounter with a mage armor spell and then follows it up with thunderbolt or incinerate until an enemy gets close. If you are playing a melee oriented character, Orchendor will compliment you build very nicely. He can have a bit of trouble against really strong melee oriented enemies, but he will laugh in the face's of his enemies while he destroys them.

He will also always respawn with an enchanted ring of Destruction and a necklace that either boosts his maximum health or increases the speed at which it regenerates. Thanks to metatrongrhm1 for the heads up.

He's got a lot of bulk, high damaging spells, and he's immune to the 3 elements. You want to watch things die? Get Orchendor.

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Rigel is found in the second area at Pinewatch. Pinewatch is located in-between Helgen and Falkreath. She is another character that is basically a named Bandit Chief. When the player is at higher levels she spawns with a full set of Steel Plate Armor. All of her stats are missing from multiple sites, so if you are on the PC and can test her full stats, send me an email. More than likely, her stats will be very similar to other named Bandit Chiefs, like Hajvarr Iron-Hand (P) or Ghunzul (P). I can tell you, however, she is not above the level of 40.

A mage with above average stats for a permanent corpse. He's in Rannveig's Fast, which is located South from Morthal and West from Drelas' Cottage. His body is not supposed to reset and neither is the dungeon, but I wouldn't risk leaving him alone in Rannveig's Fast for a long time, as I've had him disappear in an earlier play through.

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A mage that owns the Museum of the Mythic Dawn in Dawnstar. He sends you off on the quest Pieces of the Past to find Mehrune's Razor, and at the end of the quest you are given the option of killing him and taking the dagger or sparing him and not receiving the dagger. He makes a better than expected thrall, as he gets a wide selection of spells:

• Conjure Familair
• Some type of mage armor (probably Oakflesh or Stoneflesh)
• Some type of ward
• Healing (which he will actually use while thralled)
• Fast Heal (will also use while thralled)
• Sparks (does 8 points of damage a second)
• Flames (does 8 points of damage a second)
• Firebolt (25 points of damage),
• Lightning bolt (25 points of damage)
• Ice spike (25 points of damage).

He also appears to be able to dual cast any Destruction spell for 2.2x the damage. I have yet to witness him dual casting anything else though. He may also have some magicka reducing perks as he is able to cast quite a lot of spells for just 196 magicka. He's actually a pretty decent thrall just because he makes use of more spells than most other thralls. Most other Mage thralls will just come equipped with a low level destruction spell and a Conjure Familair spell, so seeing a thrall capable of a wider variety of moves is very refreshing.

A Bard at the Candlehearth Hall in Windhelm. Probably the only time you will see her alive is when you first enter the city and make your way to the tavern, which is thanks to the quest Blood on the Ice. There is a hidden counter that triggers this quest. You'll get 1 point every time you enter Windhelm or any of the immediate surrounding areas (like the stables or nearby farms). Once the counter hits four, the next time you enter Windhelm between the hours of 7 PM and 7 AM, Susanna will have been slain and strewn across the street and the quest will start after talking to the nearby guard. After a day, her body is taken to the Hall of the Dead so it is possible to pick her up there. Don't wait too long since her body will eventually disappear. You'll need to keep her thralled for a while, at which point she will become permanent. Need to test how long exactly, but my initial guess would be around 11 days.

One of the few named (and currently only listed permanent) Archers. He appears as a radiant quest, so his location may vary, but usually appears on the roads near Nilheim, which is just East of Ivarstead on the other side of the lake. You might also check near Sarethi Farm which is Southeast of Nilheim. With a max level of 25, he is lacking compared to others that can hit the normal cap of 40. But don't be discouraged from using him if you like though, as he is one of the few Archers. And you can always pick him back up when he dies.

A Khajiit Warrior that is found in the Abandoned Shack during the quest With Friends Like These.... The Abandoned Shack is found just East of Solitude. The player is asked to kill one of the NPCs (or all). This is the second quest in the Dark Brotherhood quest line. The first quest Innocence Lost can be received from Aventus Aretino in Windhelm. Vasha makes a great rug or mount over the mantle.

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Unique in the fact that Sain is currently (that I know of) the only named Dremora that can be thralled. He's completely silent outside of a few battle lines. That means no moaning. No chattering. He's located in The Midden Dark which is a dungeon beneath the College of Winterhold. You can start the unmarked quest Forgotten Names by wandering into The Midden Dark and picking up the "Incident report" on a table. From there you will have to find the rings that are in the Arcanaeum, and then bring them back to the gauntlet, placing them in the correct sequence to spawn Sain. From here, the player can release him or kill him. Killing him will allow you to thrall his body, releasing him make him instantly disappear, forever losing the ability to thrall him.

Not terribly useful with a max level of 4, but if you dreamed thralling a battle-only-talking Dremora, that doesn't moan, in Redguard garb, well, today is your lucky day. Also, that's a really specific dream to have. I don't know if I would actually believe you if you were to tell me that was your exact dream.

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Another really unique thrall because he will turn into his ghostly form when the player enters through a long loading screen. He also has that phantasm exploding effect and sound when he dies too. He's found at Shroud Hearth Barrow which is on the outskirts of Ivarstead. He is associated with the quest Lifting the Shroud which you can receive from Wilhelm, the Innkeeper in Ivarstead. He will attack you as you progress through the quest, so all you'll have to worry about is thralling him. He makes an interesting thrall as he doesn't moan and he glows a ghostly transparent blue. Thralls will respawn their equipment if you kill them, take their stuff, thrall them, and then go through a long loading screen. Gatharian will do just that, but unfortunately does not respawn the potions that make you appear as a ghost. From what I've seen, two potions is the most you'll get. :(

These thralls lack permanency, but make up for it in some way usually by being a powerful thrall. This section is really short. I need to think of something witty or interesting to say here.

A Dunmer Forsworn (yep, you read that right) found in Knifepoint Mine. You'll find him at the end of the quest Boethiah's Calling. Once you reach level 30, a Boethiah Cultist will attack you. This is a random encounter and after dispatching the Cultist, the player can then loot a book off of the Cultist's corpse which. After reading the book, a quest will activate leading you to the Sacellum of Boethiah. Alternatively, you can travel to the Sacellum of Boethiah to start the quest. Sacellum of Boethiah is located just Southeast of Windhelm. It's important to note the level of the Champion. If the player is below level 58, then the Champion will be at level 38. If the player is level 59 or higher, the Champion will be level 51, making him un-thrall able. (Needs to be confirmed)

An Orc Warrior found in Largashbur which is located just Southwest of Riften and just Southwest of Goldenglow Estate. A low level cap of 20, but is unique in the fact of the amount of health he has (1272). At the end of the quest The Cursed Tribe, which is started when wandering into Largashbur or by hearing rumors in Riften from the guards, the player will have the option of killing the giant and letting Yamarz take credit for it. If the player agrees, Yamarz turns on the player forcing you to kill him. Thralling him afterwards will ensure that he has his enormous health pool, and saves the player from otherwise slaughtering him while he sleeps.

Malkoran is found in Kilkreath Ruins, which you can find by going West along the road from Solitude. The actual name of the landmark is Statue to Meridia, but the place you enter into is Kilkreath Ruins. If you interact with Meridia's Beacon in front of her statue, you will get the quest The Break of Dawn which will lead you directly to Malkoran. Unique in the fact that when he dies, a shade will spawn which may or may not be hostile towards the player.

A Brenton Conjurer found in Rimerock Burrow. The easiest way to get to this place is to start from Solitude. Go West on the road until you get to Statue to Meridia. From there go directly North to Wolfskull Cave. From there, go directly West on the road and you will hit Rimerock Burrow (it's to the West of Lost Echo Cave). Nothing terribly unique about him. The best I can tell is he's a named NPC that's fairly powerful, but I've seen people swear by him.

Not necessarily permanent and not necessarily strong, but what makes them desirable is the fact that they say something other than "UUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH" every 10 seconds. If you've dismissed Thralling because you can't get over the constant groans, this section is the saving grace (provided that you can deal with "That spell looks dangerous". But you can just kill your thrall when entering a town to get around that.). Also be aware that I'm now thinking that all of the people in this section probably don't even talk while thralled (outside of when they are facing an enemy). More than likely, Cicero is the only thrall that will actually speak random, full sentences, while thralled. The others listed, are here because they are not permanent and they do not moan (maybe). I will likely cut this section in the future and merge it with the above.

An Altmer Elemental Mage found at the College of Winterhold. If you follow the Mages Guild story line, you'll end up dealing with him later on, thus preventing you from killing him early and having everyone get mad at you. The quest that you deal with him is called The Eye of Magnus. It's important to note that he has a max level of 50, so once you are above level 40, he is un-thrallable.

An Imperial Assassin, Cicero is found in the Dawnstar Sanctuary (Just West of Dawnstar) during the quest The Cure for Madness (which is one of the final quests in the Dark Brotherhood quest line). He's probably the most unique follower in that he has over 30 unique lines while thralled (and alive) and he will spontaneously dance. The problem that you will run into is that he has a max level of 50, so you can potentially miss him as a thrall if you wait too long to finish the Dark Brotherhood quest line. If you do pick him up before level 40, he will continue to level up with you so once you make it over level 40, you won't be able to thrall him again if he goes down. Another potential problem is that if you decide to spare him, he is then marked essential and cannot be killed. So it's pretty much a one time chance to get him as a thrall. He is also a chatty Cathy, so he may grate on your nerves quicker than other thralls. I feel he makes a better follower than thrall, mainly for the reason that once you get past level 40, if he ever goes down, you can't pick him back up and if you did thrall him, he takes up a permanent slot.

An Altmer Sorcerer, she is almost always located in the Thalmor Embassy. However, she is marked essential and cannot be killed there. After completing the quest Season Unending, which only triggers after the quest The Fallen (part of the main quest) has started, will she be un-flagged as essential. However, it will not trigger if you have already assisted in capturing 8 of the 9 holds, so you can potentially miss this thrall altogether. After the completion of Season Unending, Elenwen is removed of her "Essential" tag, meaning she can be killed. A good time to thrall her is after completing Season Unending, while she makes her way back to Solitude by way of roads. Distract her with the throw voice shout or use a long range sneak attack to avoid being detected by her traveling companions.

Colonel Campbell is usually found at Ulfric Stormcloak's side. Initially, he is at the Palace of the Kings in Windhelm, but once the player starts progressing through the Liberation of Skyrim quest line (by siding with the Stormcloaks), he will move between various camps. So far, it appears that he is only killable if you side with the Imperials, as he is otherwise marked essential. The quest in which you can kill him is The Battle for Windhelm, which is gained from siding with the Imperials during the Civil War quest line.

An Imperial Soldier and General of the Imperial Army, he's usually found in Castle Dour in Solitude. He is marked Essential until the quest Battle for Solitude, which the player can only receive if they sided with the Stormcloaks during the Civil War quest line. During this quest, Tullius can be killed and thralled, but only if the player is level 34 or below. Tullius and Ulfric are unique because they are set to be 1.2x the level of the player. It is very possible to miss him as a thrall since getting above level 34 doesn't take that long, and I'd wager a lot of players will spend a lot of time leveling up and doing miscellaneous quests before completing the main quest.

An Imperial Soldier, she is General Tullius' chief lieutenant. She is usually found in Castle Dour in Solitude, but if you side with the Imperials for the Civil War quest line, you will also find her in various Imperial camps throughout the quest line. She is marked "Essential" and thus cannot be killed until the quest Battle for Solitude, which is gained only by joining up with the Stormcloaks for the Civil War quest line. Therefore, it may be impossible to gain her as a dead thrall if you sided with the Imperials.

A Nord Warrior found in Jorrvaskr in the town of Whiterun. By joining the Companions, the player will eventually come across Skjor's lifeless body during the early Companion quest The Silver Hand, at which time he can be thralled. Something to aware of though, his max level is 50, so it is possible that the player will be unable to thrall him due to being over level 40.

One of the main protagonists/antagonists (depending on how you look at it) of the story. He spends almost all of his time at the Palace of the Kings in Windhelm. He is marked as an "Essential" follower and is only un-flagged during the quest Battle for Windhelm, which can only be received if you sided with the Imperials for the Civil War quest line. Otherwise, he remains "Essential" at all times. He has a max level of 50, and is set to be 1.2x the level of the player. That means you will only be able to thrall him when YOU are level 34 or below. Once you hit level 35, he will be at too high of a level to be thralled. It is said that not only does he retain his voice clips, but he'll use shouts too while thralled. I have not yet confirmed this, so take it for what you will.

That's it for right now. Thanks a whole lot for reading this FAQ. Hopefully you got some good use out of it. If you want to add anything regarding unique thralls or you just want to say "Hi", click right here --> Contact Information to be taken to the section with my email address. This FAQ is intended for private use and may not be sold for money, nor may it be hosted on any website other than listed below.

Hey! Guess how many words are in this FAQ.

Copyright Josh Day 2012