So as I was riding on shadowmere accompanying me with 2 thrall slaves near the Markarth stables when I accidentally nudged a guard and all of the sudden he dies. I heard someone scream out "Someone help!" and on the top left corner of my screen I receive a high bounty from the reach! How is that even possible? I didn't even attack the guard yet he mysteriously dies as if he had a heart attack.... and I am the one to get the blame?!??!

Welcome to Justice Pre-CSI days. Without DNA, they can only go after the last person to contact the deceased.

Consider it justice for the murders you probably got away with.

You trampled him to death!

Guard pancakes.

Thou shalt not nudge

Nudging somone over a ledge is a crime outside of the Shivering Isles

Trust me, slamming into a guy on a horse is probably going to screw 'em up pretty good. Watch where you're parking your horse. lol

It IS shadowmere after all, he probably bite him or something on the way by. But besides that being hilarious i have no idea how it could have happened

Do you have the Special Sword with the constant damage other effect? You may have killed him without even knowing you were doing it. The nudge was the straw on the camel's back.

But I nudged a guard off of a ledge to his death at Markarth, and I didn't get a bounty.

QFT

Try running someone over with your car and see what the law enforcers will think of you.

Horseplay is serious business. It's all fun and games until somebody gets nudged. Then again, perhaps it was a heart attack, especially if he was...

He's back...... http://inuscreepystuff.blogspot.com/2010/09/jvk1166zesp.html

Horse nudging, and even horse biting, are considerably worse than lollygagging. You got what you deserved.

I've had something slightly similar when walking under the bridge of Robber's Gorge. Earlier on, the bandits had released the rocks from the traps (honestly, how exactly do they get them back up there?) When I walked underneath it several hours later my horse touched one of the rocks lying on the ground, gave a horrible scream and died underneath me. The rocks must still have had their damage-value on them even though they weren't rolling anymore.

Maybe you had somewhere on you a similar effect?

Those deadfall-trap rocks do that. Take a follower along in a dungeon with them. They'll damage you, but they have a disproportional effect on followers. Certainly they complain enough, lol.

Yep. Fallout 3 was worse, but I've noticed that static damage-dealing trap elements will still damage you if you bump into them.