This has been a problem since I first got Skyrim, and I've never been able to find much information on it. After I invest a decent amount of time in a character, (60-80 hours), the world of Skyrim just, well, dies.

The nice ambient conversations between NPCs, such as Nazeem berating that stall vendor for not having fresh fruit, or the conversation between the little girl and her brother in the Winking Skeever about opening a new cask, or Vilkas telling someone else how to properly use a two-handed sword, stopped happening. Now NPCs just stand around coughing, or yawning, or humming. I see them turn their heads to talk to someone that passes, but the conversation doesn't play. Sometimes even the stall vendor pvssyr doesn't play. The hunter in Whiterun won't hawk his fresh meats, Brynjolf won't hawk his Falmerblood Elixir, etc. Nobody says anything anymore.

However, they're still happy to speak to *me* whenever I stand close to them. In fact, Aela has been telling me "Something has shifted in the moons, brother" every five seconds for the past half hour while my character's been idle.

In short, Skyrim is dead, or at least mute, and I need help!