When I first joined them, everything looked like the perfect guild. However, I only got two quests until the only way to progress was to ... get a new ability. Now, after some nice dude died, do I really have to participate in Aelas personal war against the Silver Hand? I guess these guys don't know better and I can't see anything wrong about them, I would probably do the same.

Just randomly busting into camps whereever they are and mindlessly slaughtering people just seems wrong. So are the companions dead for me? Or is there still a way to get some random ("Radiant") quests? Did I miss something about the Silver Hand?

They do jobs for people like the fighters guild. But then you get tossed into a mini questline to get revenge.

Once you're done with the "special power" and revenge, you can resume your Fighter's Guildy methods.

Silver Hand kidnap and torture non-werewolves too. Not nice people.

i didn't know about that they did that to non-werewolves, but either way they are some bad dudes, if you notice most of the time they are set up in a similar way as bandits

The Companions are werewolves. The Silverhands capture, torture, and then kill werewolves. This means that if you're a Companion, then you're a werewolf and so the Silverhands will want to capture, torture and kill you.

What's the problem?

It's like a small army of Ned Flanders clones went out and bought this game and show up every day complaining that the game is violent. Go play Pac Man.

If you randomly stumble over a Silver Hand fort whilst not part of the Companions, they will still attack you. They're bandits, albeit bandits with a higher purpose. Don't feel bad about killing them.

> I guess these guys don't know better and I can't see anything wrong about them,

They're bandits and just downright twisted people generally. The "Lycanthropic Legends of Skyrim" book recounts the author's meeting toward the end with what was almost certainly a Silver Hand member, and that description makes it clear that they aren't just well-meaning; they're a bunch of nutjobs.

Ned Flanders again.

Maybe I just haven't looked close enough, but I don't get why they should be seen as bandits. Hunting beasts that roam the night and slaughter peasants does not sound like an average bandit's day to me. The companions might be noble warriors and stuff, but Daggerfall books like the Charwich-Koonige letters portray werewolves as rather mindless killing machines and Aela does not seem different.

Where do I have to look to find that the Silver Hand is actually evil?

//Edit


Didn't notice that, thank you.

Sell swords.

You have the wisdom of the falcon.

> Hunting beasts that roam the night and slaughter peasants does not sound like an average bandit's day to me.

If that's ALL they did, sure. It isn't all they do. The Silver Hand does a fair bit of indiscriminate peasant-slaughtering of their own (as well as slaughtering anyone who happens upon one of their lairs), as well as having some rather disturbing pastimes involving the bodies of those they've slain (or are in the process of torturing to death). I'm pretty sure that's a deliberate irony: they're more bestial than the beasts they hunt.

> Aela does not seem different.

Despite the way she phrases things, Aela is vengeful in a very human fashion, and she targets the Silver Hand because of that. (The fact that the Silver Hand would turn her into one of their 'art projects' given the least chance doesn't help their case, either.) There is no suggestion anywhere that she goes rampaging across the countryside or killing indiscriminately, though.

If you've accepted becoming a werewolf, then an order intent on hunting werewolves is your enemy.

yeah, you chose to join the ranks of the werewolves. A werewolf higher on the ladder is giving you an order.

Having said that... the radiant quests aren't worth doing something you dislike. If you are wanting to "get through the werewolf" thing just go get the "earn 300 by killing a bear" part it probably isn't worth the hassle, just move along to something else.

The Silver Hand are scum who attack and, capture and torture werewolves and pretty much everything else.
There are tortured corpses all over their bases, of none werewolves too. They attack you on sight if you arnt a companion, so obviously kill anyone who comes near their bases.
Why would you think they were anything else? They're obviously very sick and evil people.

The Companions are a guild of warriors who happen to be werewolves. That they are werewolves is not their main point. That they are powerful warriors who work for money by sorting out problems and make the world a better place and help people is their main point. They're a bit mercenry and not perfect, but they're good and honourable people.
They decend from the companions who came with Ysgrammer. They're a very old guild.

They were'nt always werewolves, they were normal, but powerful fighters till about 300 years ago.
They got lycanthropy from Hyrcine, to make themselves stronger.

Silver Hand are evil. Plain and simple.

"Bad people who don't like werewolves."

It's pretty thin on story and options within the story that is there. Personally I kept waiting for a plot twist that never came or some depth for this "Major" guild, especially after the pretty good theives guild story. None of the characters grabbed me making me want to befriend them during the questline and hanging around after was seeming like it was worth the time.

they are the fighter's guilfd of Skyrim basically.

they take on contracts like the fighter's guild.

once you do the the Soul Cleansing of Kodlak

and yourself it is pretty repetative after that.