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?

[Acadian]

Ghastley, I've spent a fair amount of time in the Strongholds, but not nearly as much as you I'd wager. Buffy's always been in awe of the orcs in both Cyrodiil and Skyrim. Ghorbash is a great idea and one we'll really have to look into more carefully. Thanks!

SubRosa, Eeeep! Ulfric! Oh my, he certainly does ooze charisma. I mean just listening to his dialogue when you first visit Windhelm is almost enough to make you want to sign up for the bluecoats. I trust Buffy's judgment though and while she readily admits to his bigger than life charisma, he makes her feel quite uncomfortable. As if he oozes more than just charisma. Hard to pin down. I've never touched the civil war and probably never will though. Coincidentally, I have considered Ralof as well. He makes the Hadvar/Ralof choice an easy one during the tutorial. Not to mention that Buffy thinks, given a bath, he'd clean up into a very handsome Nord.


Just to be clear, my purpose for the thread is two-fold as I think both of you clearly 'get'. First, I'm in search of a 'hero' for Buffy's game - someone like a Savlian, Mazoga or Xena for Buffy to be inspired by and possible help. Secondly, it is just an open-ended question that I think SubRosa really honed in on as she discussed shades of gray. I love how 'gray' the civil war is - both sides are wrong and right at the same time. I do think Skyrim overdid the gray though when it comes to 'the ends justify the means'. The best example I can think of are the compromises you have to make if you were to complete the Dragonborn DLC. Buffy walked away in disgust 2/3 of the way through, refusing to betray the Skaal and in desperate need of a bath to scrub away getting slimed by Jabba the Hutt (Hermaeous Mora). Ugh.