Whiterun (Skyrim)

"The Plains District of Whiterun is home to the city's shops and market, while the Wind District is mostly a residential district. The Jarl's palace, Dragonsreach, dominates the Cloud District."

- Proventus Avenicci Whiterun is the capital city of Whiterun Hold, in the province of Skyrim.

History
Whiterun is seen as the most “pure” Nordic city in Skyrim. In Whiterun, Nords live as they have for centuries: their lives are simple, harsh, and rooted in ancient traditions. Even the city’s fortifications—wooden and stone palisade walls and the sheer defensive advantage offered by its position on a large bluff that raises the city above the surrounding Tundra—are archaic by contemporary standards. It is the culture of Whiterun that best exemplifies what it means to be a “True Nord.”

Whiterun is located on the eastern end of its Hold, a cold and windy Tundra that fills the center of Skyrim. It was founded by Jeek of the River, who was the captain of the Jorrvaskr. At the time, this was the sole structure in the city. Now, Whiterun is a large city, albeit one that retains the feel of a smaller Nord village.

When approaching Whiterun, the towering fortress of Dragonsreach dominates the view. Its history can be traced back to the First Era, when King Olaf One-Eye subdued the great dragon Numinex in a legendary duel of Thu’ums atop Mount Anthor, and brought him back to the fledgling town as a captive. It was then that the magnificent keep was rebuilt and renamed to serve as a cage for Numinex, whose head still adorns the Great Hall.

Sociology
Whiterun was once considered Skyrim's equivalent of the Imperial City, but in recent times has suffered from many problems. The Civil War, excessively harsh winters, harassment by Horme bandits, and the attacks of Frost Trolls have diminished the once-proud city.

It's a strategic city for both the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks because of it's central location, however Jarl Balgruuf the Greater remains neutral in the conflict.

The city is home to two important dynastic families, the Gray-Manes and the Battle-Borns. Once on good terms with one another, they are currently bitter enemies, as a result of their differing views on the civil war conflict, as well as the economic disparity between both clans, since the Battle-Borns are wealthy and the Gray-Manes are modest. Upon entering the city, the player is able to choose a side, either Battle-Born or Gray-Mane, although this is not necessary to interact with the city's shops and temple.

Whiterun is home to The Companions, a faction similar to the Fighter's Guild of Cyrodiil. Their headquarters are in Jorrvaskr, a legendary mead hall that was built next to the Skyforge (and Underforge), an ancient forge that is said to be older than both men and Elves. The city of Whiterun itself was built around Jorrvaskr, which used to attract warriors from all across Tamriel. Due to The Companions' reputation for being over-glorified sellswords, Jorrvaskr is no longer held in such esteem as it once was.

City layout
Whiterun is composed of three districts: {| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 100%; height: 100%; border:0px solid #fff;" ! style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff;text-align: left;vertical-align: top;font-weight:normal" |

The Plains District
This is the first district any visitor to Whiterun enters, so named because it is the lowest of the three and therefore closest to the plains outside the city. It contains all the major merchants and the marketplace. ! style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff;padding: 10px 0 10px 0;" | ! style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff;text-align: left;vertical-align: top;font-weight:normal" |

The Wind District
The Wind District is where most of Whiterun’s residential buildings (including the mead hall Jorrvaskr) are located and was named because of the strong mountain winds that gust through the area. ! style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff;padding: 10px 0 10px 0;" | ! style="text-align: left;vertical-align: top;font-weight:normal" |

The Cloud District
The Cloud District is the smallest of Whiterun’s three districts. It was so named because it is located atop the mountain Whiterun was built on and is therefore closer to the clouds than any other. It is dominated by the imposing form of Dragonsreach. ! style="padding: 10px 0 10px 0;" |
 * }

Inns

 * The Bannered Mare

Shops

 * Arcadia's Cauldron
 * Belethor's General Goods
 * The Drunken Huntsman
 * Warmaiden's
 * Whiterun Marketplace

Houses

 * Amren's House
 * Breezehome (For Sale)
 * Ysolda's House
 * Heimskr's House
 * House of Clan Battle-Born
 * House Gray-Mane
 * Olava the Feeble's House
 * Severio Pelagia's House
 * Uthgerd's House
 * Carlotta Valentia's House

Jarl's Residence

 * Dragonsreach

Other

 * Gildergreen
 * Hall of the Dead
 * Jorrvaskr
 * Temple of Kynareth

Outside the City

 * Battle-Born Farm
 * Chillfurrow Farm
 * Pelagia Farm
 * Whiterun Stables
 * Honningbrew Meadery

Purchasable property
Breezehome, the house in Whiterun costs 5000 and can be bought from the steward after the Jarl dubs the Dragonborn Thane. The seller is either Proventus Avenicci or Brill, depending on who remains Jarl after the Skyrim Civil War. Earning approval requires the performance of certain tasks around the city.

Clan Battle-Born

 * Alfhild Battle-Born
 * Bergritte Battle-Born
 * Idolaf Battle-Born
 * Jon Battle-Born
 * Lars Battle-Born
 * Olfrid Battle-Born

The Companions

 * Aela the Huntress
 * Athis
 * Brill
 * Farkas
 * Kodlak Whitemane
 * Njada Stonearm
 * Ria
 * Skjor
 * Torvar
 * Vignar Gray-Mane
 * Vilkas

Dragonsreach

 * Farengar Secret-Fire
 * Irileth
 * Jarl Balgruuf the Greater
 * Proventus Avenicci
 * Lydia

Followers

 * Jenassa
 * Uthgerd the Unbroken
 * Upon completion of the Companions questline, any of them will become a follower.

Clan Gray-Mane

 * Avulstein Gray-Mane
 * Eorlund Gray-Mane
 * Fralia Gray-Mane
 * Olfina Gray-Mane
 * Thorald Gray-Mane
 * Vignar Gray-Mane

Merchants

 * Adrianne Avenicci
 * Arcadia
 * Belethor
 * Carlotta Valentia
 * Eorlund Gray-Mane
 * Farengar Secret-Fire
 * Fralia Gray-Mane
 * Ulfberth War-Bear

Priests

 * Acolyte Jenssen
 * Andurs
 * Danica Pure-Spring

Others

 * Ahlam
 * Amren
 * Anoriath
 * Braith
 * Brenuin
 * Commander Caius
 * Dagny
 * Elrindir
 * Eimor (appears after In My Time of Need)
 * Fianna
 * Frothar
 * Gerda
 * Heimskr
 * Hrongar
 * Hulda
 * Maurice Jondrelle
 * Mikael
 * Mila Valentia
 * Nazeem
 * Nelkir
 * Olava the Feeble
 * Saadia
 * Saffir
 * Sigurd
 * Sinmir
 * Skulvar Sable-Hilt
 * Tilma the Haggard
 * Ysolda

Bugs

 * It is possible to get underneath/outside of Whiterun. This can be done by jumping on top of Carlotta Valentia's house via the walkway on the western wall. From there, climb to the eastmost v-shaped support strut on top of the roof. Then jump on top of the wall dividing the town. Walk west, and you'll fall through it. Using Become Ethereal is recommended here to prevent death by fall damage. (Xbox 360)
 * Another way of getting outside Whiterun is to head to the main gate, take a left into the small alcove next to the gate with a barrel. Stand atop of the barrell turn to face north, and jump through the large opening.
 * Another way of getting out of whiterun is to head to the skyforge, whirlwind sprint onto Jorrvaskr, jump on the roof, head to the southern end of the roof of the building, then whirlwind sprint onto a intersection between two walls, then drop down outside of the map.
 * Underneath the town, you'll find a number of chests containing items similar to the street vendors' store inventories. Known accessible chests are located underneath Skyforge and Carlotta's stall. There are two visible chests underneath Fralia Gray Mane's and Anoraiath's stalls, but it is unknown how to access them.
 * The chest underneath Skyforge contains weapons and armor, as well as a large amount of gold. The one underneath Carlotta's contains a very small amount of gold and a few vegetables. Carlotta's can be accessed by walking along the wall dividing the town and then underneath Sevario Pelagia's House.
 * Outside of the western wall, there is a walk-through entrance (similar to a cave entrance) that reads "To". It appears to lead to a deleted test room, but the entrance was never removed. The game will just idle on a black screen, as there is no preloader.
 * The player can also go under Whiterun by going to the top level of the Dragonsreach and going outside once again. This porch area is protected by a high railing, but it can be jumped over when standing on a stairway and jumping down and over it. Some parts of the ground of Whiterun will not exist, and the player can fall through. It's possible to get back up onto ground again by heading over to where the Talos priest is, and jumping on top of one of the small streams of water running through the area.
 * Killing cows inside Whiterun may result in you receiving bounty in Winterhold.
 * After entering the city, to the left there is a storm drain. If you walk past by the guard's house the texture will change from shallow rushing water to deep water.
 * It seems at some points the platform around the Underforge and the Skyforge will disappear and prevent entrance to the Underforge. One fix is to leave Whiterun altogether and then re-enter or simply load a previous save. (Confirmed: 360)
 * When near Dragonsreach, if the play goes to the left of the builing, heading towards the rocks will hide your character inside Dragonsreach walls.
 * Walked into Whiterun and The Battle-Borns and GreyManes were Fighting all over the city. The Guards had taken the side of the Grey Manes (as were the companion) also the Guards were attacking the Children...very strange bug, went out of the city and went back in  the attack was still on!

Trivia

 * Dragons may attack and kill any or possibly all NPC's in Whiterun.
 * Throughout Skyrim, players will be able to find tactical maps with cities' alliances. On these tactical maps, Whiterun is listed as being under Imperial reign. However, Balgruuf claims that he has yet to decide who to join, technically making the city of Whiterun neutral, although he does claim to owe a favor to General Tullius whom he seems indebted to. That being said, since Skyrim is nominally under Imperial rule, a Jarl would be considered to be siding with the Empire simply for not aligning himself with the Stormcloaks, at least by the Stormcloaks themselves.
 * Whiterun bears more than a passing resemblance to Edoras, the capital of the Kingdom of Rohan in the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Both cities are hill fortresses, with the highest point housing the hall.
 * A guard may say "Did someone steal your sweetroll?" a reference to another bethesda game Fallout 3.