Heroes, Are there any in Skyrim? Options

[Acadian]

As the song says. . . I need a hero! Are there any such NPCs in Skyrim? To me the term implies noble, selfless bravery and leadership under both physical and moral duress.

In Oblivion, Buffy found Savlian Matius and Sir Mazoga to be the stuff that true heroes are made of. According to Sir Mazoga’s accounts, we understand that Emperor Martin Septim was also of the same noble, selfless cloth and was a hero. I think that Savlian and Martin’s credentials are clearly presented in the game. I admit that Sir Mazoga’s credentials are more questionable without the massive dose of RP / fanfic that Buffy and I have applied to her – for in Buffy’s world, Sir Mazoga is ‘The Chosen One’ / Champion of Cyrodiil.

Buffy has encountered two NPCs in Skyrim she would readily call heroes. Mjoll the Lioness as the brave protector of Riften and Captain Modyn Veleth – the relentless captain of the Redoran guards in Raven Rock on the Isle of Solstheim. I admit some of Buffy’s opinion of Modyn Veleth was influenced by the same factor that caused her to admire Savlian Matius – she was attracted to him. Alas though, Veleth is ‘taken’ by another elven lass in Raven Rock and Buffy is not a love poacher.

She felt initially that both Vilkas and Farkas might have hero potential, but when push came to shove, both of them wimped out leaving Buffy and Aela to do the dangerous stuff. Of the Companions, it is only Aela who has potential as a heroic leader. She does smell a bit of wet fur though. . . .

Serana seems rather noble, brave and determined to not let her own family clan destroy the sun – driven by a ‘heroic’ destiny? Buffy did grow to trust Serana – with her life - and willing to follow her into some very disturbing places. A vampiric heroine seems more than a bit ironic though. . . .

So are there any heroes in Skyrim among the vanilla NPCs?

[haute ecole rider]

Reading through this topic has made me realize that there are no clear-cut heroes in Skyrim, not like there is in Oblivion. Playing this through Alise's eyes makes me feel that everyone there has an agenda, and that none of them are right or wrong.

Grits, Alise is very much with you regarding Hadvar. While Ralof is handsome in a dirty kind of way, Hadvar seemed to want to do the right thing. Remember when the prisoner steps off the cart, he turns to Captain Harpy and suggests that there is a mistake, and that the prisoner isn't one of the Stormcloaks and maybe shouldn't go to the block. That right there is a man with a conscience. And of the three playthroughs (two before and this current one) where Alise has gone through that tutorial/character creation/cart ride, she has chosen to go with Hadvar. She did go with Ralof once, but she wasn't too impressed with him.

I have a very difficult time seeing Ulfric as hero material. Alise does, too, and it has nothing to do with the Dunmer/Altmer in Windhelm. Our mutual reaction to the first time we heard that "heroic" speech is "what a load of bull-crap!" Maybe it's our cynicism, as I am from Illinois, one of the most corrupt states in the US (yes, SubRosa, up there with Detroit), and Alise has been through a lot before coming to Skyrim, and has seen promises broken too many times to believe another one. But we both have a difficult time buying Ulfric's sincerity.

And when we did the MQ, we wanted to like and trust Paarthurnax, but we were left feeling that he, too, has lied to us about the real reasons he helped the Dragonborn. Still Alise won't kill him when Delpine asked her to.

I would nominate both Meeko and Vigilance for hero of the week, except that without mods, they make very annoying companions. So in this playthrough we are going to try a few new mods for those amazing dogs who have so much character (I love watching Stump with the kids in Riverwood!). And Alise trusts these dogs far more than she does any so-called sentient being who talks.