Hall of the Dead

[Inquart]

So, all of you have probably encountered skeletons in various Halls of the Dead in some of Skyrim's cities. My question here is: why are they there in the first place? Is it because the ghosts of the dead got angry, maybe because of the overall turmoil and civil war? Or are they acting like a guardians there to prevent anyone from desecrating or stealing from the coffins? If so, why do they attack us? Would they also attack someone who wants to, let's say, visit his ancestor there? How do they know the difference between a trespasser and a visistor anyway? How do you bury or visit your kin with angry undead around every corner? Is the priest's presence somehow calms them down because he's got that holy amulet and represents Arkay?

Now, in Whiterun at least that question is somehow explained: the priest, Andurs, has lost his amulet in the catacombs and the dead grew restless, thus the skeletons roaming the halls. In Solitude, it might have something to do with Roggvir's execution, whether it was just or not, or perhaps Potema's return (though the skeletons are there even before we complete any of the quests involving the rather infamous Wolf Queen).

Or...is it just me, overthinking things again? :D

[AnimeOtaku102]

They're Nords, they probably just like picking fights with the living every now and then.

[Rooker75]

They're Nords, they probably just like picking fights with the living every now and then.

 

Nords: A people who love to fight so much, they're still brawling a thousand years after they die.

[Inquart]

Well, that's one explanation, I think. ;)

 

But seriously?

[Lachdonin]

The dead rarely rest easy in Tamriel. Pools of magicka collect wherever large volumes of black-souls gather, and that magicka lingers in the body after death. This can sometimes lead to spontaneous reanimation, be it in the form of Skeletons, Draugr, Bonewalkers or zombies. Essentially, the magic which fueled the soul remains, though the intelegence and 'humanity' has passed into the Dreamsleave.

 

Priests of Arkay carry with them talismains which alow them to dispell the animations, which is why they are able to go about their business without risk of a skeleton stabbing them in the back. However, in places where the Priests of Arkay do not frequent, such as the sites of mass burials, horrible crimes or on the fields of long forgotten battles, the dead can wander aimlessly for centuries before they are put back in the ground.

 

 

 

 

I made all that up, of course, but it's as good an explination as any.

[bben46]

The dead rarely rest easy in Tamriel. Pools of magicka collect wherever large volumes of black-souls gather, and that magicka lingers in the body after death. This can sometimes lead to spontaneous reanimation, be it in the form of Skeletons, Draugr, Bonewalkers or zombies. Essentially, the magic which fueled the soul remains, though the intelegence and 'humanity' has passed into the Dreamsleave.

 

Priests of Arkay carry with them talismains which alow them to dispell the animations, which is why they are able to go about their business without risk of a skeleton stabbing them in the back. However, in places where the Priests of Arkay do not frequent, such as the sites of mass burials, horrible crimes or on the fields of long forgotten battles, the dead can wander aimlessly for centuries before they are put back in the ground.

 

 

 

 

I made all that up, of course, but it's as good an explination as any.

 

I like it :thumbsup: - and those necromancers aren't helping matters with their spells either. :whistling:

[AnimeOtaku102]

Well, a more serious version of "they probably just like picking fights with the living every now and then" would be the spirits found unworthy to enter the Hall of Valor are desperately trying to create a second chance by possessing their old bones and seeking battle. The priests' duties and powers would be to prevent spirits from forcing their way back, but with the Civil War going on many of them have probably been sent out to tend to the wounded or prepare bodies for burial/cremation/sending back to families, leaving a skeleton crew (no pun intended) in the cities to maintain the sanctity of the crypts. Assuming the crypts are actually much larger than represented in-game, this might have become an impossible task and the priests are neglecting the less-visited areas (deeper in the crypts where no new bodies are interred and nobody visits), which would explain why we see skeletons and not "fresh" zombies.

[Kayyyleb]

The dead rarely rest easy in Tamriel. Pools of magicka collect wherever large volumes of black-souls gather, and that magicka lingers in the body after death. This can sometimes lead to spontaneous reanimation, be it in the form of Skeletons, Draugr, Bonewalkers or zombies. Essentially, the magic which fueled the soul remains, though the intelegence and 'humanity' has passed into the Dreamsleave.

 

Priests of Arkay carry with them talismains which alow them to dispell the animations, which is why they are able to go about their business without risk of a skeleton stabbing them in the back. However, in places where the Priests of Arkay do not frequent, such as the sites of mass burials, horrible crimes or on the fields of long forgotten battles, the dead can wander aimlessly for centuries before they are put back in the ground.

 

 

 

 

I made all that up, of course, but it's as good an explination as any.

Dang you had me pretty much convinced until that last line. I like this explanation.

[Inquart]

Well, a more serious version of "they probably just like picking fights with the living every now and then" would be the spirits found unworthy to enter the Hall of Valor are desperately trying to create a second chance by possessing their old bones and seeking battle. The priests' duties and powers would be to prevent spirits from forcing their way back, but with the Civil War going on many of them have probably been sent out to tend to the wounded or prepare bodies for burial/cremation/sending back to families, leaving a skeleton crew (no pun intended) in the cities to maintain the sanctity of the crypts. Assuming the crypts are actually much larger than represented in-game, this might have become an impossible task and the priests are neglecting the less-visited areas (deeper in the crypts where no new bodies are interred and nobody visits), which would explain why we see skeletons and not "fresh" zombies.

 

I really like that explanation, thank you. Maybe the truth lies somewhere between yours and Lachdonin's own thoughts on the matter.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Inquart