WhileSkyrimbecame known for its open world, flexible classes, and mods, one of the defining aspects of it that captured the imaginations of players was many of its side quests, many of which were considered better than the bigger main and war quests. It was the smaller stories of the people ofSkyrimthat proved to be the most interesting, and one of the most interesting of those stories involved a small family on a farm in Rorikstead.
The quest itselftakes place at Goldenhills Plantation, a location that comes as a part of theCreation Cluband theSkyrimAnniversary Edition. It triggers as the Dragonborn approaches the farmstead when an angry ghost attacks; upon investigation, the Dragonborn will find the body of a man with a note that says he suspects he’s been poisoned. This will trigger the quest “The Unquiet Dead”, one of the most poignant in the game and one that stuck with many players long after it ended thanks to its tragedy, miscommunication, and ending.
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Through interactive and environmental storytelling, where the Dragonborn finds and reads journals scattered throughout the house, the player learns the sad story of what happened at Goldenhills Plantation. The father, Urval, had dreams of owning land and becoming a successful farmer with his wife, Jonquil, and their son, Rin, so he bought Goldenhills Plantation for cheap because of the massive boulders on the property.
His optimism and tunnel vision about the success of the farm led to arguments with Jonquil, who argued that they could not afford luxuries such as a wagon, while Urval resented Jonquil’salchemy and potions, despite the fact they brought in significant income for the family and saved Rin’s life from a fever. Their constant arguing about finances and their respective interests drove resentment in Rin, who hated listening to their fights.
He nursed dreams of joining the Imperial Legion and practiced fighting with his toy sword. Rin notes in his journal that his father forbade him from joining the Legion as he was to take over the farm, while his mother didn’t want him to die in the war. Rin decides to take his parents' word as a challenge and leaves their home to find wolves to kill with his toy sword.
Skyrim’s Small Stories Have Surprising Depth
Both Urval and Jonquil are devastated when Rin is discovered to be missing, and their resentment turns to paranoia as they begin to blame the other for the death of their child. Urval believes Jonquil poisoned Rin to punish him, while Jonquil believes Urval killed him to punish her. Consumed by grief, the two kill each other using their specialties: Jonquil brews a specialty poison and places it into Urval’s mead, who then drinks it beforeambushing Jonquil in her hidden alchemy laband killing her with an axe.
The family lies there, dead, until the house is disturbed by the Dragonborn. Their ghosts rise to defend their home when disturbed, and it’s up to the Dragonborn to put them to rest by finding Rin’s body and toy sword by the well and returning it to the house. Upon return, the ghosts of Rin, Urval, and Jonquil, finally at peace, appear to the Dragonborn and thank them for their kind act. Rin rewards the Dragonborn with thekey to Goldenhills Plantation, unlocking farming inSkyrim.
Putting this family to peace is one of the most emotionally poignant quests in the game, especially as the characters involved were blinded by something as human as grief. There isn’t a good or bad guy in this story; rather, it’s about a family who were torn apart by a misunderstanding and a tragedy.Quests like this one are what makeSkyrimso great and why it’s a game that’s still relevant more than a decade after its release.
Skyrimis currently available on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
