The Companions

"I am a warrior and will die as I lived—in glorious battle!"

- The Companions' proclamation

The Companions are similar to the Fighters Guild of Cyrodiil. Eorlund, a blacksmith in Whiterun, states that they have been leaderless since Ysgramor. He says that an elder named Kodlak Whitemane acts as the Harbinger (counselor), but that there have been no actual leaders since Ysgramor. The fact that they have no official leader is emphasized by their name.

If Torvar is asked, "Who's in charge around here?" before joining, he will reply, "In charge of what? I'm in charge of me, and you're in charge of you."

Jorrvaskr, the mead hall where the Companions live and operate, is the oldest building in Whiterun.

First interactions
Aela the Huntress, Farkas, and Ria are among the first of this faction met in Skyrim. They first appear at Pelagia Farm outside of Whiterun fighting a giant. They may be assisted, and doing so, Aela and the others react positively. Likewise, not helping causes her to chastise. Whether they are assisted or not, Aela extends an invitation to Jorrvaskr. If approaching from a different route it is possible to completely miss this fight.

Assistance
After joining The Companions if the law is broken in Whiterun, and the guards react negatively, members of the Companions leap to defend.

Jorrvaskr
Jorrvaskr is the home of The Companions, located on the eastern side of Whiterun in the Wind District. Jorrvaskr sits at the base of the Skyforge which is an ancient forge from which special weapons and armor are crafted by Eorlund Gray-Mane; the Skyforge creates the finest steel in Tamriel, which is why Jorrvaskr was erected in this location. The inside serves as both the Companions' lodging and mead hall where they sleep, tell tales of valor, and occasionally fight each other. Once a character joins The Companions, they can make this hall their home, too.

On the southern wall of the mead hall is a special area, created to hold the fragments of Wuuthrad. At the end of the Companions questline, the last fragments are collected, and Wuuthrad becomes one piece. Wuuthrad can be kept after the final quest.

Joining the Companions
The most straightforward way to join the Companions is to head to Jorrvaskr in Whiterun and talk to the members until the Harbinger, Kodlak Whitemane, is directed to. Vilkas opposes the new member, but Kodlak reassures him and directs him to take them outside to train. You must use weapons (or bare fists) when fighting Vilkas, and the weapon(s) can be enchanted. After the training, Vilkas will send you on an errand to Eorlund Gray-Mane, Whiterun's senior blacksmith at the Skyforge, in order to sharpen a sword. Eorland offers information about the history of the Companions. Eorlund asks you to take a shield back to Aela. After these errand quests are completed, at least one level-dependent quest is given before being initiated into the guild. After the brief initiation ceremony, the new member is directed to choose a bed in the living quarters, which comes with a secure dresser for storing items.

The Circle
The Companions also have a secret. Several of the Companions are werewolves and as such, the guild is in constant conflict with a band of werewolf hunters known as the Silver Hand. During an early Companion quest, "Proving Honor", an attack on Farkas by the Silver Hand can be witness from within a locked cage. After this, "What is it like being a werewolf?" can be asked of them. They withhold from answering the question and may attack if too many questions are asked.

After completing more quests after the Proving Honor quest for the Companions, speak to Skjor. He and Aela offer lycanthropy. If affirmation is given, a special ceremony is conducted, allowing furthermore, for the transformation into a werewolf to occur once per day. Further interaction with the Companions halts until a decision is made.

Quests

 * Take Up Arms
 * Trouble in Skyrim
 * Proving Honor - complete one or more Radiant Quests as a prerequisite.
 * The Silver Hand
 * Stealing Plans
 * Striking the Heart
 * Blood's Honor
 * Purity of Revenge
 * Glory of the Dead

Side quests

 * Most of these quests are radiant and can be repeated unlimited times, with random goals. For example in Animal Extermination, the house and target beast will be different each time. 300 are gained by completing each quest.
 * Entering and leaving the area in which the NPC currently occupies, changes radiant quests. Simply reenter Jorravaskr until the desired quest appears.
 * Sometimes, the leaders won't have any quest. Reentering Jorrvaskr may also change this.
 * Some of these quests (like Purity) are one time only, but they still follow the "reset" mentioned above, when leaving an area.

Initial wave
These quests are available after completing Take Up Arms
 * Animal Extermination I - Aela
 * Animal Extermination II - Aela
 * Hired Muscle - Farkas
 * Trouble in Skyrim - Farkas
 * Family Heirloom - Skjor or Vilkas
 * Escaped Criminal - Skjor or Vilkas
 * Rescue Mission - Skjor or Vilkas

Second wave
These quests are available after completing The Silver Hand.


 * Striking the Heart - Aela
 * Stealing Plans - Aela
 * Retrieval - Aela

Final wave
These quests are available after completing Glory of the Dead.


 * Totems of Hircine - Aela
 * Purity - Farkas or Vilkas
 * Dragon Seekers - Farkas or Vilkas (Prerequisite: must also complete Main Quest: A Blade In The Dark )

Members

 * Kodlak Whitemane : Harbinger and Circle Member
 * Aela The Huntress: Circle Member, Expert Trainer (Archery)
 * Farkas : Circle Member, Master Trainer (Heavy Armor)
 * Vilkas : Circle Member, Master Trainer (Two-Handed)
 * Ria
 * Skjor : Circle Member
 * Athis : Expert Trainer (One-Handed)
 * Vignar Grey-Mane
 * Njada Stonearm : Expert Trainer (Block)
 * Torvar
 * The Dragonborn (After the completion of Take Up Arms)

Asking Aela, Farkas, Vilkas, Athis or Njada to be a follower allows for free training sessions to be gained, because gold spent on lessons can be removed from their inventory repeatedly. Companions trainers specialize in melee skills. Members of the guild can be fed upon by a vampire, but this is still considered a crime.

The following people work for the Companions, though are not technically members.


 * Brill (Friend of Vignar)
 * Eorlund Grey-Mane (Smith for the Companions)
 * Tilma the Haggard (Caretaker of Jorrvaskr)

Bounty
The way that bounty works in The Companions is different than the normal bounty system. The only way that bounty can be received is by stealing things from other Companions (through pickpocketing or just taking things from the shelves of Jorrvaskr) or by killing a companion in a single hit. It is possible to attack any one of The Companions without encountering any bounty. A warning is issued upon first strike, "Watch it there, Brother". Thus, the Sneak, One-Handed, and Archery skills, as with any other offensive skill, can be power leveled. Killing a Companion causes a bounty of 1,000 to be accumulated.

Trivia

 * The Companions appear to be more tolerant of Non-Nords than many as there is at least one Imperial and one Dunmer among those being considered.

Bugs
De Companions