Faendal

"I don't like to brag, but I once took down a bear at three hundred yards. In a blizzard."

- Faendal

Faendal is a Bosmer archer found in Riverwood. He and Sven have a rivalry for the love of a local girl, Camilla Valerius. He offers Archery lessons at the Adept level. He is also working for Gerdur and Hod in the mill.

Interactions
Faendal is an Adept-level Archery trainer, able to train the Dragonborn until level 50. He will offer this service even if the Dragonborn favors Sven of him in the quest Love Triangle.

He is also a potential follower after completing Love Triangle if the Dragonborn sides with him by exposing Sven's letter to Camilla, or by giving Camilla Faendal's own fake letter. This gains the gratitude of Camilla as well as Faendal. After completing this quest, Faendal can be asked to follow the Dragonborn, and he will readily oblige.

In the Hearthfire DLC, Faendal is one of the followers that can become a steward for one of the Dragonborn's homes.

Faendal's House
Faendal's House is located in Riften. Sometimes Faendal will not leave his house, leaving the door in an unlocked state. To fix this, reenter and try again. It is possible to pickpocket Faendals' key.

Archery
After taking Faendal on as a companion, it is possible to receive free Archery training. Purchase the next training level up from Faendal, then speak with him to open the trade option. Take back the money paid for training. This can be repeated up to five times per level, up to level 50 in Archery.

Pickpocket
As with any trainer, money given to him can be pickpocketed back. The total value of gold affects the success rate, as does the Cutpurse perk. This is another way to train both Archery and Pickpocket, but can only be used when he is not a follower, as the Pickpocket option is not available for followers.

Another way to steal from him safely is to reverse-pickpocket a paralyze poison into his inventory (which requires the Pickpocket perk, "Poisoned"). Wait in sneak mode while he is paralyzed, then once the effect runs out and he starts standing up, and he will not notice anything taken from him.

Lockpicking
Faendal's house has an Expert level lock. To raise lockpicking, the key to his house will need to be returned, if it was taken. With Faendal following, pick the lock to his house, then go back outside. He will lock it again - resetting it so it may be picked again.

Follower
Faendal seems to have a lawful disposition; when trespassing in residences, he will occasionally say, "You should not be in here" and refuse to enter dialog and take orders until leaving the area. Also, if the Dragonborn enters combat with Hold Guards or Imperial Soldiers, he will join them in attacking the Dragonborn. This does not occur if he is hit by the Imperial Soldiers, turning him hostile to them.

Faendal is competent with bows but often prefers to use daggers and swords if he has them. He will use the most damaging bow in his inventory at long range, the most damaging blade available at close range, while at mid range (provided no obstacles) he tends to use any weapon with the highest damage.

Trivia

 * Faendal is able to join the Blades.
 * If the Dragonborn owns Breezehome and has purchased the alchemy lab, Faendal can occasionally be found using it, even if he is not a follower, or is fairly aggressive toward the Dragonborn.
 * Upon entering Riverwood as an elf, Faendal says "Greetings Brother/Sister Elf, nice to see a familiar face far from home."
 * Faendal will occasionally visit Camilla Valerius no matter where she is. This means that even if the Dragonborn is married to her and they live in a home other than her own, Faendal may be found leaving the home as soon as the Dragonborn arrives, or traversing Skyrim on the way to or from it.
 * A similar situation may occur if the Dragonborn marries Hilde.
 * In the Dawnguard official add-on, if the Dragonborn has sided with the Dawnguard, he/she may get a quest from Florentius to rescue his/her spouse from a random location. If the player has married Camilla, Faendal may be found dead upon arrival of the rescue location, having attempted to visit her.
 * If the Dragonborn helps Sven in the love triangle, then marries Camilla and moves to Proudspire Manor, Faendal may appear in Solitude and attack the Dragonborn and any guards on sight.
 * If Faendal is killed as a follower, the Dragonborn may receive a Letter of Inheritance from the courier.
 * If the player helped Sven with the Miscellaneous Quest to give Camilla Valerius the fake letter, Faendal will send Hired Thugs, who will appear the next time the player leaves a city hold and attack on sight.
 * Faendal may be found wandering Skyrim randomly, and/or slain by one of the many creatures he might encounter.
 * Faendal is the only elf in Riverwood.

Bugs
Faendal