M’aiq knows all the secrets of the swamp, but sadly, he cannot tell. Sometimes it is better M’aiq doesn’t say.

How can they accuse him of sacrificing children ? They can't be killed lol.

Jarl Raven-Crone is my favourite cause if you're thane of Morthal or atleast helped a lot of people in town before before doing the quest on Thalmor Embassy, during the quest itself you can ask her to make a "Scene" and her response is hilarious to me "An old woman can get away with anything"

I love how having met Daedras in a plane of Oblivion is way less of a shock than having spoke to a Dwemer.

Game: *has content* Bethesda: CUT IT CUT IT ALLLLL

You need to do one on the greatest mystery in skyrim. Why do children want to approach me in full dedric amour to play tag?

petition to have Bethesda release Skyrim: Uncut

I like the theory that Falion is primarily connected to Vaermina. Among other things, it explains the children's nightmares and could explain why he's spoken with Dwemer, as we've seen that the Dreamstride is capable of transporting people to the past. But as for the entity he addresses in the ritual, I personally believe it's Azura. The ritual takes place at dawn, the quest is called "Rising at Dawn," and Falion states "as the sun ends the night, end the darkness of this soul." Azura is one of the more benevolent daedra and specializes in change and transition, so it wouldn't surprise me if she has a hand in this ritual.

It’s most likely he’s speaking to Vaermina. She’s the only god capable of curing vampirism. She’s also the god of nightmares which will explain why the children are having them.

God I wish they fleshed out this hold more in Skyrim.

What about the vampire den? I thought part of the reason Falion settled in Morthal was to protect the citizens from the influence of the vampire dwelling there. I forgot the vampire's name but I'm pretty sure Falion knows he's there and knows that his thralls/underlings/whatever are toying with the towns folk.

A further, much later note, if you convince Serana to cure her vampirism, she'll go to Falion without saying anything along the lines of needing to find someone who knows how to cure vampirism and she even speaks about him as if he's a familiar figure. And wasn't Serana trapped in a tomb for more than a hundred years?

I feel like we got about 30% of what was planned for Skyrim that they never decided to finish despite never letting Skyrim die

What are you doing in my swamp?

"some jarls in this land are clearly corrupt or otherwise just too blatantly incompetent to do their job" COUGH COUGH Siddgier of Falkreath

I actually don’t think the Dragon Priest’s were all that into necromancy. After all, the Dragons largely regarded necromancy as taboo much like the humanoid races. That’s what made Durnehviir unique amongst the Dragons: his extensive use of necromancy to gain power and dominance over them. It wouldn’t make much sense for the Dragon Priests to so heavily delve into magics that the dragons themselves found distasteful. I also think that Morthal’s secrets are connected to the dragons, but specifically Durnehviir. Hjaalmarch may well have been his domain, and Kjenstag Ruins his seat of power.

The Dwemer he's supposedly met in his travels is probably Yagrum Bagarn a Dwemer you could meet in Morrowind, who was traveling in Oblivion during the events of Red Mountain and apparently missed out on whatever happened to the rest of his people. Just pointing this out because I remember in another video you seemed skeptical about someone else meeting a Dwemer in Oblivion.

8:50 “I can tell a vampire from a man.” Proceeds to let a house burn down and people die before pointing out alva’s existence..... nvm WHILE STILL ignoring her existence

I would love to invite Fallion and Valerica to a debate and lecture on Conjuration and the realms of Oblivion. I think those two alone could advance the understanding of Magicka as we know it

No wonder Morthal associated stories felt incomplete to me, I felt that I missed some quest triggers at first. It's disappointing that Skyrim wasn't a fleshed-out experience, not like past games that are complete experiences.

He calls out to "Those who are not our ancestors" - isn't that almost a direct translation of the meaning of the term "Daedra"?

I'm actually glad TES VI is taking this long to come out hopefully the developers aren't cutting as much content this time.

I always loved this quest, a creepy quest in a creepy place involving creepy people, which really stuck with me because the way it ended for me was walking into Falion’s line of sight, no exchange of words, he just looked at me and the quest ended

You can really see that this man loves Skyrim. As I love hearing how you can hear his voice get higher when he talks about something unique or undiscovered, and I smile at it. Love ya Nate. Always have always will.

*Something strange in you're neighborhood. Who you gonna call?* All of Skyrim: The Dragonborn.

Nate has evolved from a standard toptenner to The Detective.

I've avoided that damn swamp since I installed a mod that adds giant snakes to the swamp

I was just imagine, if Kjenstag ruins are so might and mystery powerful, and it may have something to be with the dragon cult and necromancy... what IF it may be the place where Durnehviir, the lich dragon managed to create his philactery and struck the deal with the Ideal Masters, and the dread force that emanates from the ruins is infact the Dead Dragon's soul, powered by the Ideal Masters? They tricked him, but also were obliged to enhance his power as promissed, just don't tell him exactly which part of him would gain the power.

Lol can u imagine what a different game skyrim would of been if the cut content was actually in the game? Wild.

“Those who are not our ancestors” refers to the daedra

My theory is that the ruins were Durnehviir's base of operations when he was studying his own necromancy and eventually served as his portal to the Soul Cairn prior to his imprisonment.

Nate, I absolutely love how passionate you are about Skyrim. We can hear it so clearly in these investigation videos. It makes it feel all the more real. You get your audience wrapped up in the story. Bravo.

tbh You meet a dwemer who claims to have been in another plane when the rest of them disappeared while playing Morrowind. so his claim to have met a dwemer could be true. as a matter of fact, it was probably the same one.

The last time I was this early, the Greybeards were just the Beards.

A thought on all of this happening in a swamp: What if the significance of the area lies in all of the living plants and animals, as well as the decomposing dead ones. The soul energy in the area would theoretically be greater than in some other areas of Skyrim because of the density of organic material. Easy access to many souls for necromancy, and would be prone to magical resonance and strange happenings. I know the game doesn't portray this area as full of life, but swamps are dense with it

Swamps are my favourite biome! When I first found the swamps I was super excited and everything was spooky and fun, until I figured out it was basically an empty husk. Igrod is super cool tho, fav jarl right there.

I like to think Keinstaag was the research lab of necromancy for the dragons, a particular form of mummification involved submerging the corpse under some swamp stuff, and I like to imagine bog mummies were the proto draugrs. since the lab was already developed their and it was so close to labyrinthian they just kept the shop open their.

Falion's cut content has ALWAYS intrigued me the most, I have been bugged by this for YEARS, literally since 2013, and I'm super excited to watch this video

"as if he was controlling something" anyone get the feeling it's some kinda dunwich horror vibe. He is keeping a great nasty beasty away.

One little correction: Falion calls upon "those who are not our ancestors" when performing the ritual. That's a literal translation of "daedra". So it can't be the Ideal Masters he's calling upon, because they're their own type of entities. (Personal theory: maybe he's working with Meridia? She would probably be glad to help Falion undo Molag Bal's work, given her long-standing hatred for him.)

There’s Jarl Ravencrone who can see into the future as a physic, Falion is rumored to practice the dark arts. And a formiddible green ogre named Shrek makes his home deep in the swamp, and anyone who gets to close hears a scream saying, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP!?!”

Do not question, do not fear, for he is the *_𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘔𝘢𝘯_*

This has been one of my favorite videos that you've made, thank you for all your time you put into your content. It's so enjoyable and makes my day better.

Man, I really admire your work here. I'm a huge fan of Skyrim, and you're my favorite Skyrim youtuber. Just know that your videos are being watched here, in Brasil, by a guy that really admires the way you explain and pass knowledge about this (as we all know) huge game. Really, thanks Nate.

Theory: What if this mysterious ritual was actually the same reason why the Draugr and Dragon Priests are the way they are in Skyrim. I remember watching a video about this special unknown energy or magic that Draugr use to live, that even though they are classified as undead, they were still alive when the process happened. And that they (according to the video) wake up in order to clean the crypts and then transfer their "life energy" to the Deathlords and Dragon Priests and various leaders of said crypts, only to go back to sleep again as a way of recharging this seemingly unlimited source of energy. Similar to how Morthals "powerful" energy for necromancy is portrayed.

My top 3 guesses for who Falion is calling upon in the ritual to cure you of vampirism are Meridia, Azura, and the Ideal Masters. The Ideal Masters obviously because of their association to Conjuration and soul gems. However, while they're associated with souls, those souls are... well, dead. Not sure if they'd be able to actually bring someone back to life. Meridia would make sense since she's the daedric prince of life and is known as the "Lady of Infinite Energies." Obviously, with life as her domain, it would make sense for her to be involved in the "return" of life to a mortal who became undead. Plus, her hatred of undead would probably mean that an undead returning to its natural, uncorrupted state would make her very happy. Azura would also make a lot of sense because of the phrasing of the ritual speaks of transitions, which Azura is associated with. She is connected to soul gems and Conjuration through her artifact, Azura's Star. She also is often in conflict with undead. Furthermore, the quest to rid yourself of vampirism is called "Rising at Dawn," and Azura is the daedric prince of dawn and dusk.

Nate, you tell my bedtime stories, you're the most enjoyable part of my day, thanks!

I'm so glad you made this video, I always wondered and Ravencrone is BY FAR my favorite Jarl.

My home life is a living hell, people around me seem to be dedicated to tearing each other apart. It’s a small escape but thanks to your videos Nate I can think of something else for a little while. And an extra long investigation video at that! I understand these take a lot more time to research but it’s some of your best stuff.

I adore Idgrod, 10/10, best Jarl! (That said, her name gives me definite Headless Horseman vibes, sounding like it's based off Ichabod Crane)

Love videos about the mysteries and cut content like this which try to piece them back together! Keep the ESO tie-ins coming!

All videos very much rewatchable, love it

I wanna see a collaboration with Camelworks or Fudgemuppet. The three of you are pretty much the loremasters of Skyrim.

I love how Skyrim is so packed full of content that some of it couldn't be finished, made even more impressive that this game was a 100 man project

Love these big lore research videos! Thanks for uploading!

"As the sun ends the night" This is technically called "dawn". There's a daedric artifact you can get called "Dawnbreaker". The daedra most likely to cooperate in ending someone's vampirism is clearly Meridia.

I like how my first interaction with falion was at night in the middle of the swamp. He was weist deep in the water

Interesting video, I appreciate the time spent producing this one. The ending is a little unsatisfying, being a massive tease about what actually happened, but that seems to be a Bethesda trademark I suppose. On another note, do you suppose that Potema may have potentially used Kjenstag ruins and the massive wealth of Necromantic energy in Morthal to enhance her own powers when she raised her daedric and undead legions during The War of the Red Diamond? Being one of Skyrim's most famous necromancers I have a hard time believing she wouldn't notice it basically sitting on her doorstep.

Really sad that in ESO, even if you free Freiwen before finding Mexton, you can't talk to her and try to tell her Freiwen is alive.

I'm currently based in the DIY Manor in the Hjaalmarch(I used the True Alternate Start: Sellsword mod), so this really helps me out. Thanks guys! Place reminds me so much of Barovia, i half expected a Strahd poxy to show up(though i suppose the Vampire hunting quest could technically count).....

I just hit 13:38 and I’m wondering if maybe he’s a Psijic member. Or rather, a potential recruit. What we see in ESO is that the Psijic order does recruit people sometimes, and as skilled as he claims to be, and as knowledgeable as we see him, he’s got to be a good candidate.

Petition to have Bethesda release the FULL version of Skyrim in yet another of Todd's rereleases.

I didn't realize there was so much to this area. I always got the feeling this area felt a little unfinished in the published game. Great vid!

I'd like to think that it's Vaermina who Falion calls upon. She's the only other person in the entire ES universe who knows how to cure vampirism. I believe you even stated before that if Molag Bal wants to cure someone of vampirism, he has to go through Vaermina(kinda weird how Bal is the god of vampirism, yet he can't cure it). Perhaps Falion went to the Vaermina's realm and personally learned how to cure vampirism from her. As for the ruins, I do think the dragon cult is the most likely answer. As you stated, they were incredibly obsessed with necromancy. Not only this, the ghost is wearing ancient nordic armor, and his grave is in Hjaalmarch, indicating the ancient nords were active here. Another great video, keep up the good work!

Do a shot every time Nate adds an "a" to the end of a word.

If you use *Cutting room floor* mod then *Laid to rest* quest has additional objective - Return Helgi's doll to her father (optional) and Alva's house is called Piquine's house or Piquine's old house. There are new NPC's in the town too

I love your stories, thanks so much for your awesome vids!

I always got a "Dead Marshes" vibe from Hjaalmarch.

Well, well, color me impressed lad, never thought you’d get around to this one

From a story writing perceptive, I personally really like the idea of some evil ritual going so terribly wrong that its disastrous consequences echo thought time for thousands of years.

oh my god i binged this channel like a year or so ago and i swear you had like?? 50k subs??? oh my god??? unless i was just so unaware but good god good for you man. you deserve it and i love that you haven’t changed a bit despite the huge fanbase! unless it was 500k idk but i SWEAR you didn’t have this many

Nate, you pick some of the most beautiful scenes for your videos. I am so glad you do Skyrim vids, I love the art but can't play the game because of the way the screen rotates. Make me motion sick. I try to never miss one of your video releases, though. Thanks, man.

Thanks for the content, bro.

21:58 YO! I saw this ghost once in my playthrough! I had no idea he was THAT special!!

Just after watching the first half of the vid- (some of this you may have already mentioned): My theory is that Falion is actually the dragon Durnheviir. Link to Necromancy- Check, this dragon did indeed gain Conjuration/Necromancy powers. Link to Ideal Masters- Check, the dragon made a deal with the Masters to get the aforementioned powers. Link to Vampirism Knowledge/Curing: Check, the dragon was tricked into guarding a vampire as his part of the deal. Explanation of Sneaking Out: If it is the Soul Cairn that he sneaks out to, that makes sense too, then the dragon would have to sneak out to uphold his end of the bargain in guarding the vampire. Why he thinks he's Saving Hjalmarch: Maybe he's just keeping the vampire from escaping? they can be dangerous. Can Dragons Be Humans?: Possibly. It's suggested in the Tending the Flames quest that King Olaf was in fact the Dragon Numinex in human form, and it is also said that Tiber Septim became Talos, he became a dragon. There is clearly some sort of precedent here. The only hole this theory has in it is that he clearly had his powers while teaching at the College- how did he sneak out every night? I mean, if he was a dragon, he'd probably have plenty of options to travel there- flight, Whirlwind Sprint shout perhaps... but still. Merits further research.

[Opening cutscene] Ralof: Hey, you, you're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there. Lokir: Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they had'nt been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and be halfway to Hammerfell. You there. You and me - we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants. Ralof: We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief Imperial Soldier: Shut up back there! Lokir: And what's wrong with him, huh? Ralof: Watch your tongue. You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King. Lokir: Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured captured you....Oh gods, where are they taking us? Ralof: I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits. Lokir: No, this can't be happening. This isn't happening. Ralof: Hey, what village are you from horse thief? Lokir: Why do you care? Ralof: A Nord's last thoughts should be of home. Lokir: Rorikstead. I'm...I'm from Rorikstead. Imperial Soldier: General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting! Tullius: Good. Let's get this over with. Lokir: Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me. Ralof: Look at him, General Tullius the Military Governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this. This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in. Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe. Haming: Who are they, daddy? Where are they going? Torolf: You need to go inside, little cub. Haming: Why? I want to watch the soldiers. Torolf: Inside the house. Now. Imperial Soldier: Whoa! Imperial Captain: Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it! Lokir: Why are we stopping? Ralof: Why do you think? End of the line. Let's go. Shouldn't keep the guards waiting for us. Lokir: No! Wait! We're not rebels! Ralof: Face you're death with some courage, thief. Lokir: You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake! Imperial Soldier: Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time. Ralof: Empire loves their damn lists. Hadvar: Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm. Ralof: It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric! Hadvar: Ralof of Riverwood. Lokir of Rorikstead. Lokir: No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this! Imperial Captain: Halt! Lokir: You're not gonna kill me! Imperial Captain: Archers! Anyone else feel like running? Hadvar: Wait. You there, step forward. Who are you? You've picked a bad time to come to Skyrim, kinsman. Captain. What should we do? He's not on the list. Imperial Captain: Forget the list. He goes to the block. Hadvar: By your orders, Captain. I'm sorry. At least you'll get to die here, in your homeland. Follow the Captain, prisoner. Tullius: Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne. Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak: (muffled grunts) Tullius: You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace. Hadvar: What was that? Tullius: It's nothing. Carry on Imperial Captain: Yes, General Tullius. Give them their last rites. Priest of Arkay: As we commend your souls to Atherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved... Stormcloak Soldier: For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with. Priest of Arkay: As you wish Stormcloak Soldier: Come on, I haven't got all morning. My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same? Stormcloak Soldier: You Imperial bastards! Vilod: Justice! Ingrid: Death to the Stormcloaks Ralof: As fearless in death as he was in life. Imperial: Next, the Nord in the rags! Hadvar: There it is again. Did you hear that? Imperial Captian: I said, next prisoner! Hadvar: To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy. Tullius: What in Oblivion is that! Imperial Captain: Sentries! What do you see? Imperial Soldier: It's in the clouds! Stormcloak Solldier: Dragon! Tullius: Don't just stand there! Kill that thing! Imperial Soldier: What in the Eight Divines is this thing? Ralof: Hey , kinsman. Get up! Come on, the gods won't give us another chance!

Your investigations are so intriguing and informative. I love the detail. Keep it up Nate.

Sometimes I just wish that Bethesda would add cut content systematically with updates.

“Gorm is plotting against his boss”. No, he wants his change back from Aldis.

morthal was one of my favorite towns when I started playing bc it felt spooky and mysterious, until I realized it was just unfinished and there wasn't much to do there

Every video TheEpicNate315 does is so well put together and satisfying.

2:52 AM.........time to watch another Nate´s video!

With regards to Gorm's coup, you can also overhear him talking to Benor, that local tough guy who wants to join the guards. Benor will ask him if it's time for that thing they discussed, and Gorm will say not yet but "something needs to be done". Benor will also talk openly to you about how Idgrod isn't doing her job as jarl properly. Since the Housecarl is usually responsible for overseeing the local guard, I wonder if Gorm keeps Benor off the guard because he wants to use him as an assassin or enforcer in his coup, someone he controls directly and discreetly.

My personal theory about Falion was that he was a member of the mythic dawn cult who has managed to survive using life extending magic. That would explain his skill with conjuration magic, his knowledge of oblivion, and all the other weird stuff he knows.

Found this channel this week and am absolutely amazed at the amount of good content this man can still extract out of a game that's damn near a decade old and has had more rereleases than most franchises have had actual games.

I just wanted to say, Nate you are pretty awesome and I'm glad you are on KZfaq to explain Skyrim and other games and I actually think I wouldn't have known any info on these topics. Thank You Nate.

Voiced character: *pronounces character name in video* Nate a few minutes earlier: *offers two different wrong pronounciations, says he doesn't know* Not taking away from the video, it's very great and fascinating, but it's a bit funny, Nate.

I will give you some insight as to why her title is "Clever Woman" as we know, ESO is very long before Skyrim. In Skyrim, if you claim your connection to the College of Winterhold to Tsun as your right of passage, he speaks of magic as the "Clever Craft" and that the Nords had forgotten their respect for it. Thusly, her being a "Clever Woman" is the same as the use of "Mage" in Skyrim.

Game: literally says character's name for you Nate: says name two different ways and they're both wrong

"So let me get this straight. You just sent me out to do all this shit. You _know_ what's causing this mayhem. Yet you won't tell me. Okay." **sword slides from scabbard**

This video is the reason I got into and started playing ESO. So thank you, Nate!

I always thought that town was weird. Great video as usual full of information and lore. 🙃☕❤

Skyrim probably has some of my favorite lore, in terms of locations in Elder Scrolls. Always happy to see additions to it -as well as the others, thanks to ESO.

i want a mod that brings back all the cut content, oh wait a minute there is one

Rewatching your videos in preparation for your return Nate!

I dont know much Elder Scrills lore, but each mystery that you bring up makes me want to delve into skyrim again and again.

1:04 When there's somethin' strange, in your neighborhood, who're ya gonna call?

The amount of cut content in Skyrim drives me nuts. Its like, if you're gonna release the game again every year you could at least finish it.

your videos are the best. Thanks for avoiding me the trouble to play ESO.

I always was quite unsure wherever I did see ghosts moving around in the swamp or if it was my imagination. Usually I would see just some puffs of smoke going around a corner of some ruins, or a blue flash moving past me, but it happened so rarely that I never really investigated it further.