For over a decade, miss some of Skyrim's biggest secrets, some of which present questions without definitive answers. One such mystery surrounds the farming village of Rorikstead, found in western tundra in the Hold of Whiterun.
For context, Rorikstead is a small settlement on the border between Whiterun and the Reach. A few quests may bring the Dragonborn through Rorikstead, but none connect to the main plot or larger quest lines. Aside from a nearby burial mound where Alduin can appear to resurrect a long-dead dragon, the village seems wholly uninteresting. It contains an inn, a pair of small farms, and with the manor or Rorik, who bought the local lands after he fought in the Great War and for whom the settlement is supposedly named. More observant players may note that Rorikstead stands out, however, for being the most prosperous farm in Whiterun Hold. Despite numerous closer farms, the city of Whiterun receives the majority of its produce from Rorikstead, which is noted to have particularly fertile soil compared to the largely barren tundra that comprises the rest of the region. The quality of the soil is Rorikstead's big mystery, and while it could be merely a coincidence, a bit of digging reveals a significantly darker explanation.
The dark secret around this seemingly picturesque settlement has been well documented by YouTuber Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Rorikstead's Dark Secret
Nine named NPCs live in Rorikstead, across four groups - the previously mentioned Rorik and his long-time companion Jouane, a healer; the innkeep Mralki and his adventure-hungry son Erik; the Altmer farmer Reldith and her adult adopted son Ennis; and the farmer Lemkil and his twin daughters Britte and Sissel. Compared to many of Skyrim's weirder NPCs, the denizens of Rorikstead seem completely normal at first blush. They all have context and backgrounds around their lives, added for a bit of local color - Rorik returned from the Great War after Jouane healed his grievous injuries; Erik wants to be an adventurer, but his father has been overprotective since Erik's mother died when he was young; Ennis was orphaned at a young age, but the proud farmer Reldith took him in and the two now export cow manure as well as crops; and Lemkil's wife died shortly after their daughters were born, leading him to resent the children. Alone, any of these would be simply details to flesh out the settlement. But viewed together they inform perhaps the biggest secret of Skyrim's Whiterun Hold - Rorikstead has two cases of mothers dying shortly after giving birth, and they may have been sacrificed as part of a dark bargain.
That may seem far-fetched, but some key dialogue and interactions with both the Dragonborn and other villagers provides a deeper understanding of what's going on. In conversations with Jouane and Reldith, the Dragonborn can inquire about the success of Rorikstead's crops; both get defensive and cite hard work and good soil. Jouane also mentions "blessings of the gods," and definitively states that there's no secret to their fortune. These statements could be taken at face value, but a look inside these characters' homes suggests they know more than they let on.
Someone In Skyrim's Rorikstead Is Up To No Good
Within Rorik's Manor, Jouane can be found to own a copy of a book titled Spirit of the Daedra, which discusses how The Elder Scrolls' various Daedra are more than happy to use human beings and harvest their souls. This would be less suspicious if Jouane owned a large library, but this seems to be his only book - and it's tucked away as if hidden. Additionally, only two other copies of this book exist in Skyrim - one belongs to the College of Winterhold, and the other is found in Apocrypha, the realm of the Daedric Prince of Knowledge Hermaeus Mora. This book, found in Rorik's Manor alongside an (empty) soul gem, indicates that Jouane knows far more about Daedra than a mere healer would. Could he have invoked dark powers in exchange for bountiful harvests?
More definitive than speculation as to Jouane's involvement with Daedra is the proof that he has been teaching magic to Sissel - in secret. From boss fights to bargain with the Elder Scrolls Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile, known for making bargains with mortals that they'll later regret.
Reldith's involvement goes deeper, too. She's the only adult woman in the whole village and her son Ennis is adopted. Camelworks theorizes that Jouane only sacrifices women who can bear children. Not only this, but Reldith seems to know and may even be complicit in Jouane's sacrifices. In one conversation, Ennis asks why they don't sell Rorikstead's soil as they do their cow manure; Reldith is quick to shut him down. This could merely suggest a desire to keep Rorikstead's bountiful crops special, but may also suggest that Reldith knows the soil alone may not be the cause of its great harvests.
While other lore mysteries in The Elder Scrolls may have wide-reaching consequences, this theory surrounding Rorikstead is unexpectedly dark. It's far from the only strange occurrence in Rorikstead, though. The innkeep Mralki mentions a basement in the Frostfruit Inn, though no such space exists, and Sissel claims to have dreams about an old, grey, friendly dragon, a description that seems to match to Paarthurnax - whose existence is known only to the Dragonborn and the Greybeards. A short distance away from the main settlement is Lund's Hut, where the eponymous skeever-keeping Lund seems to have deliberately poisoned himself in grief for a lost spouse (perhaps even a wife, sacrificed by Jouane?).
The existence of Rorikstead itself is even shrouded in mystery due to several historical books in Skyrim. If Rorik is to be believed, the village has only existed for a few decades, but traditional songs like "Ragnar the Red" and various tomes suggest that Rorikstead has existed since the Merethic Era, thousands of years prior to the events of Skyrim. There's no definitive explanation here, but whether Rorik is lying about the settlement's origins, the books refer to a different Rorikstead, or the game's developers simply missed this oversight, Rorikstead is absolutely one of the strangest, most mysterious locations in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - despite its humble appearance.
Source: Camelworks/YouTube
