Birna

Not to be confused with Brina Merilis.

Birna is a Nord pawnbroker living in Winterhold.

Background[]

"I'll sell just about anything, if it's worth my time. Keep that in mind, will you?"

―Birna^[src]

She owns the shop Birna's Oddments. Her brother is Ranmir, whom she is constantly fighting with. The Dragonborn can purchase the Coral Dragon Claw from her shop; after doing so, she tells them to take the claw to Yngol Barrow.

Interactions[]

Drowned Sorrows

Dialogue[]

"I'll sell just about anything, if it's worth my time. Keep that in mind, will you?"

Why set up shop here? "Wasn't by choice, I can tell you that. Options were in short supply. Ranmir and I grew up here, and nearly any money I make, he drinks away. Without the coin to pack up and leave, I decided to take to trading."

Do you get much business way up here? "Very funny. I'm sure you have noticed that the town isn't exactly overflowing with people. So I'll sell whatever I can. If it's worth puting a price on, you can bet I'll do it. I've made a few bad deals. Been burned a few times. But mostly, I come out on top."

You said something about a bad deal? "Yeah, it was stupid of me. I shouldn't have believed the story and just refused the trade. But I didn't, and now I'm stuck with this worthless junk."

What was the story? "Some line about this claw thing and Yngol Barrow. He said it was worth more than its weight in gold if I took it back there. Something about placing it back in Yngol's chamber, I don't know. What was I thinking? Even if it were true, I'm not setting foot in some ancient tomb, filled with who knows what."

I could look into it for you. "I don't even care any more. You want to check it out? Fine. I'll sell you the thing for fifty gold, and then it's your problem."

I'll take that claw for 50 gold. "Fine, here you go. You get killed on account of this thing, it's not my fault. Got it? But, I suppose, if it does actually turn out to be worth something, let me know, will you?"

Conversations[]

Birna "We need coin, Ranmir, and you're not bringing home any." Ranmir "And you would have me do what, join the College and prance around casting spells all day?" Birna "Don't just walk away from me! Where do you think you're going?" Ranmir "To the Inn for a drink, of course! Where else could I even go in this gods forsaken town?" Birna "And what, you think that'll solve all your problems?" Ranmir "Probably not, but it's worth a try!"

Birna "Please, come home. Just...come home." Ranmir "Can't. Got at least two rounds to go. Why don't you go...sell something?" Birna "Why? Because I'd rather be here trying to keep my only brother from drinking himself to death." Ranmir "Ha! Drink ain't gonna kill me. Not today, anyway."

Ranmir "Well, isn't this a surprise!" Birna "How much of our money have you spent today, Ranmir? Anything left, or is it all gone?" Ranmir "If I wanted to get yelled at, I'd be home. Can't you leave me be?" Birna "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I bothering you? Am I making your life more difficult?"

Equipment[]

Belted Tunic
Boots
Iron Dagger
Key to Ranmir's House

Quotes[]

"I do what's necessary so we can get by. Have to, since I can't count on my brother for anything." – during "Drowned Sorrows" quest.
"If you're looking for Ranmir, he's either passed out in bed, or working on winding up that way." – during "Drowned Sorrows" quest.
"My brother's a good-for-nothing drunk. We'd have lost the house by now if it were up to him." – during "Drowned Sorrows" quest.
"Just because we live in the middle of nowhere doesn't give Ranmir the right to drink himself into oblivion." – during "Drowned Sorrows" quest.
"Ranmir has no problem drinking himself under the table, so I have to be the one to make ends meet." – during "Drowned Sorrows" quest.
"Things are easier now that I don't have to worry about Ranmir anymore." – after completing "Drowned Sorrows" quest.
"I still can't believe you were able to help Ranmir pull himself together." – after completing "Drowned Sorrows" quest.
"Without all our money going to drink, I can afford to expand my selection a bit." – after completing "Drowned Sorrows" quest.

Trivia[]

Birna has the smallest average shop inventory of any general goods merchant, usually having about 15–20 items in stock.
After purchasing the coral dragon claw from her, she asks you to let her know how your trip to Yngol Barrow turns out. However, even after clearing the barrow, there will not be any dialogue available with her regarding this.
Birna, as well as Ranmir, holds a key to Ranmir's house with EditorID WinterholdRanmirsHouseKey. It unlocks Birna's Oddments shop, since the EditorID for the place is WinterholdRanmirshouse.
After solving Ranmir's drinking problem during "Drowned Sorrows," Birna will say that the store may have more goods to sell now that Ranmir's money is not being spent drinking. There is no change in her shop inventory, however.

Bugs[]

This section contains bugs related to Birna. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template 360 / XB1 , PS3 / PS4 , PC / MAC , NX / PS5 , XS , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

PC 360 Sometimes, Birna may not offer the dialogue option to buy or sell. The coral dragon claw can still be bought, however. Exiting and reentering dialogue can fix this.
PC PS3 Birna may stand in front of her shop facing her brother. She may not give any dialogue options about the coral dragon claw, and will remain unresponsive.
- PC (fix) Use the console command stopquest 000B2174. She will return to her daily routine.
Sometimes, Birna may provide all of the dialogue options, including the buy/sell option, but not for the coral dragon claw. The alternative is to get the claw in Yngol Barrow. However, intermittently, it may not appear within the Barrow.
For an unknown reason, even if the Dragonborn has never entered Brina's store, they may be attacked by hired thugs sent by her.
The game may fail to load Birna, which can make her disappear completely.
Birna may sell the coral dragon claw, even if the Dragonborn already has it from Yngol Barrow.
Birna may not always be eligible for investment through the Speech skill.

Appearances[]

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim