I must have played through The Companions Questline like 6 times by now, with different characters. I really love the faction, as a concept, but in the actual delivery I still find it slightly disappointing. Recently I've been trying to pin down in more detail as to why.

I mean, sure, once you've actually joined The Companions it is only 5 quests long. Not counting Radiant quests, of course, but the game actually doesn't let you do more that ONE radiant quest before you've completed the questline. It could do with more, clearly...

But I don't actually think that's it.

It's to do with the very ground roots of the faction's history and Lore.

So the history of The Companions begins with Ysgramor. He comes over from Atmora with 500 Companions. Jorrvaskr is the ship he travelled to Skyrim on and commanded.

Long before there even IS a Whiterun they discover The Skyforge. It's discovery prompts The Companions, as they were, to found a mead hall, seemingly using the ship Jorrvaskr to form its roof.

You think that, given the History, that at least the citizens of WHITERUN might make a bigger deal of that, if not thse in other areas of Skyrim. The Companions do not mention this either. You only learn these details from Loading Screens and the Songs of the Return books in-game.

Anyway...

This history suggest (At least to me) that there are two elements aside from the Fighting which should be a big part The Companions questline.

Smithing (I mean they've GOT the Skyforge)

and

Drinking Mead (Which is, after all, the point of a Mead Hall).


Neither of these things really play any true part in The Companions' questline.

I mean sure, The Skyforge does give you access to some unique kit. Eorland sell Skyforge Steel weapons (A tiny degree better than standard steel) and Wolf Armour (Which is actually no better than standard steel) and completing the questline also gives you access to Smithing new kinds of Weapons and Arnour (Though neither are particularly outstanding in stats).

I just find myself feeling that if the Forge is supposed be something special then there aught to be some kind of Quest involved for maintaining it. Or producing a specific weapon FROM it. I also feel like it should give some smithing quality bonus, of some kind. Something to MAKe it stabd out. I dunno...

With regards the Mead Hall part? Joining The Companions for the sixth time the other day, and listening to the swearing in speeches, there are references to both raising a tankard in your honour and leading the Campanions in song of your deeds.

And it struck me... neither of these things ever happen. Nor are possible.

For a Mead Hall, bizarrely, there is a distinct lack of revelry in Jorrvaskr.

Nobody ever 'drinks' or toasts. Nobody ever sings. There are no bards. There are no songs of deeds. Nothing.

And that, above all else, is what I think leaves this questline feeling a little bit flat. There's very little spirit of comradeship with your fellow Companions. You don't have any individual quests to do for them barring Vilkas, Farkas and Aela. The others are never defined as characters at all, and there is no option to use the Mead Hall as a Mead Hall is intended!

Is it too much to ask to offer me the chance to go out for a night on the lash with Torvar, Athis and Ria, sing rude songs, cause a little bit of minor trouble, and get a rollicking off Aela when we stagger home?! Is it!???

What do others think. Is this just me?

I think that the Companions have moved past that stuff in modern Skyrim. At this point, they're a bunch of paid fighters with vague ideas of honor and the history they have who are trying desperately to hold on to it. I think there's fascinating story opportunities in that. Trying to help the companions regain their lost honor after losing Kodlak and--

Well, I think you've inspired a fanfic. :-p

Legit though, this is an awesome thread. I can't wait to see reactions to that great post.

I agree, I think Bethesda failed a bit to portrait the Nord culture not only with Jorrvaskr but in all of Skyrim because there are very few quest where the nordic spirit and culture is shown aside from some boastful lines of dialogue. Songs in your honor, drinking contests, comradeship and in general a better acknowledgement of your deeds are lacking in most parts of the game's questlines.

The Bards' College is another example. There was a quest to create a giant Poetic Edda for Skyrim, taking submissions from different Bard's around the world. The framework is still there in the Creation Kit, but it got axed, unfortunately. Talsgar the Wanderer is likely the only part of this which survived.

It's a shame that the only drinking contest in Skyrim is associated with a very different Quest...

Excellent thread, completely agree. This is yet another faction in Skyrim which did not fulfill it's potential. It could have been so, so much better..

Yeah, another example of this unfinished content is the civil war questline.
From the UESP:

• Leftover dialogue, markers, quest updates, and other evidence suggests that at one time the game's developers intended the Civil War to be much more dynamic and complex than it currently is. Taking a hold would have involved capturing the outlying villages and/or points of interest as well as completing the regular missions. In addition, sieges like those seen during http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Battle_for_Whiterun_%28Stormcloaks%29 and the final two battles were intended to occur with each hold capture. On top of this, the opposing side would actively participate in the war, which would have forced players to play defensive as well as offensive missions. Finally, it would have been possible for the opposing side to lose their main capital yet still have other holds, meaning the final battle may have taken place elsewhere (for example, for the Stormcloaks the final battle could also have taken place in Markarth, as well as Solitude.)
  
• In addition to the Jagged Crown quest, you were also at one time able to defect to the other side by favoring the opposing side during negotiations in http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Season_Unending.

It's a pity that this kind of quests were axed in favor of more generic "fetch&kill" quests.