Well This Is .. Interesting...

[RichterZorg]

I recently started a new playthrough on a non-default MO2 profile. This post isn't about mods though, I think. So, after leaving Helgen and going to Riverwood, hanging out in Riverwood to do Bleak Falls Barrow and Camilla's love triangle mini-quest, I ventured to Whiterun. I met the Jarl, I defended the Western Watchtower, slew the formidable dragon, heard the Greybeards summons... .yada yada yada . Well, one day I came into Whiterun to sell off my booty from sacking a bandits camp and to collect my bounty from Avenicci, but Belethor's shop was locked. I checked the game clock via the wait menu and it was during normal business hours, and I was slightly puzzled. I collected my bounty and tried Belethor's shop again just in case, nope, still locked. So I went to The Drunken Huntsmen and War Maidens, sold what I wanted to them, smelted the rest, and off I went on another adventure. The next day, the same thing happened and I almost incurred a bounty, but I backed out of the lockpick before I caught the guards attention. This is weird I thought, but this went on for a few days and I decided to walk around the back, and try that door. The back door was unlocked, so I opened it and went on in. Much to my surprise Ysolda greeted me from the counter, and I sold what I needed to sell that other vendors wouldn't buy, gems, etc. This is really weird, and the fellow that worked for Belethor was perfectly fine with Ysolda working the shop, so I let it go. I walked out the front door, and immediately incurred a bounty because it was 'still locked' according to the game, I did the "I'm the Jarl's Thane spiel and got let off, but I kept using the backdoor until I saw the shops front door was actually open.

 

So, a few days later I did the Whiterun Hall of the Dead mini-quest to retrieve Ander's amulet of Arkay. I found Belethor's casket in there, and Frolia Grey-Mane's casket there too! So, now I'm trying to figure out how did they die? I don't use Open Cities, so there couldn't have been a Bandit or Vampire attack. It's too early in the game for those pesky random dragon attacks, and I didn't kill them. About the only random thing I can think of that might have killed them is the Havok-Spawn-In-The-Sky-And-Drop-To-Your-Death thing. My game is no stranger to that phenomenon, I've seen Elk, Mammoths, Cows, Bandits, my Followers.. and Whiterun Guards all do that at some time, So that settled that mystery for me for the most part, and I prefer shopping with Ysolda over Belethor any day.. sleazy-little-man., and I don't have to hunt Ysolda down to sell my Sleeping Tree Sap.

 

So I continued on with my playthrough, did more quests, bounties, exploration etc.. and then I joined the Companions. I usually do this early on because 'why not?' Simple fetch quests, simple battles, loot and septims fame and glory.. so I thought. Guess what the first job Farkas gives me is.. c'mon guess! Turns out I have to go 'rough up' some milk drinker right here in Whiterun, but not kill them right? The target is Avulstein Grey-Mane, you know, the guy you need Frolia Grey-Mane to introduce you to, so he doesn't kill you when you break into his home! Did I mention I saw her casket in the Hall of the Dead earlier on in this tale? Oh yes I did... I decided to give it a go, and see how improbable it was going to be to actually finish this quest. I parked my followers outside the back door, lockpicked my way in, unhid, and the first thing I hear is "You're not supposed to be in here" "I'm warning you" "Leave now.. Guards!" We've all been there at some point in our Skyrim careers. So, I get close to him and hit 'E' to start the "I'm here to settle a dispute" dialogue. Avulstein is having none of it, and I don't have my Gloves of the Pugilist on me, and I can't kill him, so I'm fist-fighting a guy with a battle axe, it does not go well, and a second attempt is in order, two hits and my health is pretty thrashed so I gracefully bow out, and I mean run like a little girl. So now I'm kind of stuck, because none of the other companions will give me jobs if this one is unfinished. It's really not too big of a deal because it is the Companions questline after all, and nothing game breaking in the grand scheme of things, but it does bother me that the game would even spit out this quest when the target is specifically needed to do the related quest to rescue Thorold. I even spent some time in dialogue with Vignar Grey-Mane to see if I could chat him up enough to gain entrance to his house like you can chat up the Battle-Borns. No avail, so I ended up going back to the Hall of the Dead and swiped the keys from Frolia and Belethor, keys are a good thing to have!

 

So, that's my game so far, and I have absolutely no idea how I can fix it, aside from starting another New Game. I hope somebody somewhere got some enjoyment from this sad little tale, or at least a chuckle or two, as that was the entire intent of this tale, I'm a graduate of the Bards College after all and it's my job to bring a smile in these dark days.

[scorrp10]

Yeah, it happens. far as NPC deaths go, there can be vampire attacks in Whiterun, pretty much anytime after Dawnguard line becomes available, I think around lvl 10. Which is why I am such a mega fan of 'Run for your lives' mod.

 

You can generally resurrect a dead NPC via console (or advance a stuck quest past a problem stage).

[7531Leonidas]

This won't help now, but for future playthroughs, there is Protect Your People ( https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/10297 ). The only problem I ever really had with it is when I decided that Alva shouldn't be on the loose any more...

 

A quick adjustment in SSEEdit solved this problem, AND works with Run for Your Lives.

[anjenthedog]

You can also ad hoc convert NPCs (I'd recommend keeping that to named NPCs) to essential status to avoid their premature deaths, using console or any number of mods that can edit their "killability" (ex: The Manipulator).