Grelod the Kind

"The headmistress is an evil, cruel woman. They call her Grelod the Kind. But she's not kind. She's terrible! To all of us!"

- Aventus Aretino

 is an elderly Nord woman and the headmistress of the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. She has a reputation for being an utterly cruel and heartless woman. One of her charges in particular, Aventus Aretino, managed to escape the orphanage and later employed a member of the Dark Brotherhood to have a murder contract against her satisfied.

Personality
Grelod is frequently cruel and abusive towards the children in her care. Not only does she beat them and refuse to allow their adoption, but she berates them verbally as well. Listening to Grelod's conversation with the orphans reveals she has 'extra beatings' planned for any who 'shirk their duties'. She also states that they will never be adopted because nobody wants them, and openly calls them "riff-raff" to their faces.

The children are not the only ones in the orphanage who suffer from Grelod's cruelty. She also yells at her assistant, Constance Michel, from time to time, issuing mean-spirited complaints about the children and orders to deal with them. According to Constance, the people of Riften are well aware of Grelod's cruel nature; they call her "Grelod the Kind" out of irony.

Interactions
Grelod generally wants nothing to do with the Dragonborn. Any attempts to speak to her will be roundly refused, as she is hostile to everyone.

Spread the Love
If the Dragonborn tries to give Grelod one of Dinya Balu's The Warmth of Mara pamphlets after completing The Book of Love, Grelod will flatly turn him or her down. "Unless Mara wishes to come down and help me with these urchins, I don't really give a damn about her blessings."

Innocence Lost
The Dragonborn is asked to assassinate Grelod the Kind by Aventus Aretino after being mistaken for a member of the Dark Brotherhood in the quest "Innocence Lost". If the Dragonborn does so, either to fulfill Aventus' contract or just because they feel that the hateful woman deserves it, the children of the orphanage cheer and do not alert the Riften Guard.

Indeed, Grelod can generally be cut down right in front of all of the children with no repercussions. If the Dragonborn lingers around too long the guards may eventually come inside - likely called by Constance Michel, who is the only person to show anything but happiness at Grelod's death by running around screaming. Once Grelod is gone, interactions with the children indicate that their lives have improved considerably: Constance is now in charge of the orphanage, and she treats her charges far more kindly than Grelod did.

It is generally not possible to speak to Grelod, though it can be done if she is confronted after receiving the contract from Aventus; the Dragonborn can even claim to be a member of the Dark Brotherhood, even though they have not been recruited yet. However, Grelod will not be intimidated no matter what is said.

Even when is installed, it is not possible to adopt children from the orphanage while Grelod the Kind lives. The Dragonborn may adopt children from elsewhere in Skyrim. Constance will remain agitated until the Dragonborn completes Innocence Lost by talking to Aventus. In order to adopt from Honorhall one is required to begin the Dark Brotherhood series of quests, regardless of whether the player joins the Brotherhood or not.

Combat and posthumous events
While it is difficult, it is possible to assassinate her without being detected. The children enter the room and celebrate, and Constance may panic, even if the assassin is undetected. No bounty is gained, however. Constance may or may not panic, but will panic if interacted with before completing the quest. After killing her and reporting back to Aretino, guards all over Skyrim will comment about it. Guards outside Riften will tell you that "those poor children must be heartbroken", while those in Riften will state that the children are "better off" with her gone.

After she is killed, the children in the orphanage all express respect for the Dark Brotherhood, as well as admiration for Aventus Aretino, for carrying out his promise. After killing her, a coffin labeled "Grelod The Kind's Coffin" appears in Riften's Hall of the Dead.

Notable loot

 * The Pig Children

Trivia

 * It is rumored by one of the children, Francois Beaufort, that she is part Hagraven, though this may be due more to her cruelty than anything else.
 * After berating and threatening the children, she says: "Now what do you say?" The children are required to answer: "We love you Grelod, thank you for your kindness." This is an homage to Miss Hannigan, the cruel headmistress of the orphanage in the musical "Annie".
 * Because Grelod has two health points, it is possible to kill her with Telekinesis and an item.
 * There is a room beside the beds that has three pairs of shackles in the walls.
 * Guards in any hold except the Rift will comment that "those poor children must be heartbroken". Guards in the Rift will, however, state that the children are "better off."

Bugs

 * Performing a power attack on her whilst she is sitting may make her fall through the floor.
 * If she is caught in a full-power Unrelenting Force Shout, she may fall through the floor, and her corpse may resurface where she was talking to the orphans.


 * This has been fixed by the unofficial Skyrim patch
 * Using the spell Firebolt on Grelod while behind her will send her across to the next room but sometimes she will continue to have dialog like "I yield!" This doesn't seem to affect anything as it will say that you killed her and the children rejoice. Has only been tested on 360.