Riverwood (Skyrim)

The village is built on the eastern bank of the White River, in Whiterun Hold. It's a small Nordic community in a valley, between the river and the steep mountainside, in an area relatively clear of trees. It serves largely as a stopping point and rural community along the road from Helgen to Whiterun.

Overview
Riverwood was founded by the ancestors of Gerdur and Hod, current residents and owners of the village's lumber mill. The village is small, consisting of a lumber mill, inn, blacksmith, general-goods store and three log houses and huts with small vegetable gardens. The village is largely self-sufficient, growing its own vegetables as well as hunting and fishing for meat. Trade is made through the blacksmith and goods store, and what cannot be found locally or bought from travelers passing through may be bought from the Whiterun market. While the village is walled along its entrances, these walls are not initially patrolled by Hold guards, and the rural village is largely defenseless. As such, the road to Whiterun is frequented by bandits during the time of the Civil War, and the residents will stay in the village.

Interactions
Riverwood is likely the first location visited following the attack on Helgen and the escape from the Imperials. As such, the small and simple community serves as a tutorial village to the player.

After the events at Helgen, the Dragonborn is directed to either Alvor, had they followed Hadvar, or Gerdur, siding with Ralof. The quest Before the Storm has the player arriving in Riverwood, receiving supplies from the respective source, and being urged to head to Whiterun to inform the Jarl of the return of the dragons.

Riverwood also acts as a significant location and base during the first half of the Main Quest.

The player can participate in several local economy and community jobs for the residents, such as chopping wood, milling logs at the mill and smithing basic armor and weapons at Alvor's forge. Additionally, Orgnar at the Sleeping Giant Inn has an Alchemy Lab.

Following the quest Before the Storm, the village can be bolstered with a trio of Whiterun Guards as well as a small camp with bedrolls and a fire with a Cooking Place at the southwest entrance. Otherwise, the village is defenseless discounting its basic walls. Crime does not go unpunished, however, as the residents will attack the player should they commmit a crime. The residents will accept a yield, but a bounty will be added to Whiterun Hold regardless, and they may refuse another yield following further crimes.

Inns
(1) Sleeping Giant Inn. Run by Orgnar and Delphine.

Shops
(2) Riverwood Trader. Owned and run by Lucan Valerius.

(3) Blacksmith, at (Alvor and Sigrid's house) - Owned and run by Alvor.

Houses
(3)Alvor and Sigrid's house.

(4)Faendal's house.

(5)Hod and Gerdur's house.

(6)Sven and Hilde's house.

Other
Lumber Mill - owned by Gerdur, also operated by Faendal and Hod.

Guard Camp - Guards' sleeping place.

The White River on which Riverwood is built is full of Salmon and leads to Whiterun after a series of rapids and falls. These fish are sought after by the areas hunters, and can be used for food or sold for gold. With the The Elder Scrolls V: Hearthfire DLC, salmon leaping up falls also have Salmon Roe, a valuable alchemy ingredient.

Characters
There are a total of sixteen residents (and one dog, as well as chickens and cows) in Riverwood.
 * Alvor - A blacksmith who lives and works at the local smithy. Trader in weapons, armor and smithing materials. He is Hadvar's uncle.
 * Camilla Valerius- Sister of Lucan Valerius. Both Sven and Faendal are in love with her.
 * Delphine - She and her friend Orgnar own the Sleeping Giant Inn.
 * Dorthe - The daughter of Alvor.
 * Embry - The local drunk. He is mostly seen around or in the Sleeping Giant Inn.
 * Faendal - A local Wood Elf archer who works at the mill and has a crush on Camilla Valerius. Possible follower depending on the Dovahkiin's choice in the Love Triangle quest.
 * Frodnar - The son of Hod and Gerdur, the young boy is tailed by his dog, Stump . He is a bit of a prankster.
 * Gerdur - Runs the mill along with Hod. Descendant of the founders of Riverwood. She is Ralof's sister.
 * Hadvar - An Imperial soldier and nephew of Alvor.
 * Hilde - The mother of Sven. She claims that she has seen a dragon, but nobody believes her.
 * Hod - Runs the mill along with Gerdur, and will buy firewood.
 * Lucan Valerius - Owns the Riverwood Trader.
 * Orgnar - He and his friend Delphine own the Sleeping Giant Inn.
 * Ralof - Is a member of the Stormcloaks, who lives at the home of his sister Gerdur and her husband Hod.
 * Sigrid - The wife of Alvor.
 * Stump - Frodnar's dog.
 * Sven - The son of Hilde and the local Bard. He and Faendal have a crush on Camilla Valerius. Possible follower depending on the Dragonborn's choice in the Love Triangle quest.
 * Whiterun Guards - A trio of Whiterun Guards will be assigned to Riverwood if the player completes Before the Storm. One will patrol the north gate, another the south, while the third patrols the town itself, generally around the south gate. If the Dovahkiin sided with the Stormcloaks and has completed the Battle for Whiterun, these Guards remain but are replaced by Stormcloak Soldiers.

Nearby Points of Interest

 * Anise's Cabin
 * Embershard Mine
 * Guardian Stones
 * A hunter's camp can be found a short distance south-west of Riverwood on the banks of the river. It may prove useful for low-level characters, as the hunter can be killed or pickpocketed. His camp holds some useful items, and a Novice-Locked Chest with randomly generated loot. An iron ore vein is also present at the camp.
 * Bleak Falls Barrow
 * There is a hidden chest across the river on the road leading into Whiterun at the beginning of the game.

Trivia

 * Riverwood was a prototype for towns in Skyrim, and was the first area in the game to be built to completion.
 * After crossing the stone bridge from Riverwood, there will be a fork in the road. Take the road that heads towards the right, and stop at the first dead tree on the rightside (mora tapinella fungi is growing on it). Ants are coming out from the base of this dead tree and spilling out into the road.
 * There is an ant covered tree stump directly across the stone bridge that is connected to Riverwood.
 * In Riverwood, ants can be found near the saw mill on a tree stump (land area surrounded by water).
 * On some nights, it is possible to see a thief trying to lockpick the Riverwood Trader's Shop, though they are often found and attacked by the guards.
 * If the Golden Claw is given back to Lucan, there is a chance that two thieves will appear and attempt to steal it back. If the thieves are killed, Lucan will thank the player.
 * Before the quest Before the Storm, Riverwood will have no guards.
 * After the quest Battle for Whiterun (Stormcloaks) the guards in Riverwood will remain in their traditional yellow uniform, even if Before the Storm is completed after this quest, this is also apparent in Rorikstead.
 * There is a tree across the bridge from Riverwood, which will play a sound clip of birds scattering, but no birds can be seen.
 * Sometimes, if the player is attacked by Hired Thugs, Alvor, Sigrid, and/or Delphine will attack them.

Bugs

 * There is a bug when Delphine, Alvor, Sigrid, Gerdur and Faendal attack for no reason. Yielding to a guard  or fast traveling to a different hold can generally fix this. Additionally, Alvor has roughly 3/4 health.


 * Upon entering the Riverwood Trader's Shop, there can be a thief walking around inside it with Lucan still awake.


 * The dog Stump will run into Alvor's house if a dragon attacks and will not come out. Consequently, this causes his owner Frodnar, Gerdur and Hod's child, to wait in the middle of the street for Stump to follow but there's no Stump. The only way to fix this is to reload a previous save.


 * One instance has it to where all of the dead people never disappear.


 * Hod never leaves his house, regardless of time of day. This is apparently triggered on the player's first visit to the town, and lasts for the rest of the game.
 * A possible solution for this is to open the console, clicking Hod, then typing  then   directly after. In many cases, this resets the character's AI.


 * It is possible that, everyone in Riverwood will act as if Frenzy was cast upon them.

Map
Interactive map of Riverwood. Hover or click on the icons for more information.

Gallery
Ривервуд