- "Just because something is, doesn't mean it must be."
- ―Eorlund Gray-Mane[src]
Glory of the Dead is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is the final quest in The Companions' main questline in which the Dragonborn must venture to Ysgramor's Tomb to cleanse the spirit of Kodlak Whitemane from his Lycanthropy.
Background[]
I should attend the funeral of Kodlak Whitemane, the late Harbinger of the Companions.
Objectives[]
- Attend Kodlak's funeral
- Give the fragments of Wuuthrad to Eorlund
- Retrieve Kodlak's fragment
- Give the final fragment to Eorlund
- Meet the Circle
- Go to Ysgramor's Tomb with the Circle
- Return Wuuthrad to Ysgramor
- Get to the burial chamber
- Speak to Kodlak
- Put witch head into fire
- Defeat the wolf spirit
- Speak to Kodlak
Walkthrough[]
Skyforge and Kodlak's funeral.
Vilkas tells the Dragonborn to attend Kodlak's funeral. He then joins the rest of the Companions at the Skyforge.
Kodlak's funeral[]
All the members of the Companions are here, along with Jarl Balgruuf and a few other Whiterun citizens to pay their respects to the fallen Harbinger of the Companions. The Circle members will begin prayers, and Eorlund gives a eulogy. Aela will then light Kodlak's funeral pyre and ask the Circle members to retire to The Underforge. Once the ceremony concludes, Eorlund will ask the Dragonborn to give him the collected fragments of Wuuthrad so he can prepare them for re-forging.
After the Dragonborn turns over the fragments, Eorlund Gray-Mane asks them to retrieve the last shard of Wuuthrad from Kodlak's end drawer, located in his room in the basement of Jorrvaskr. One has the option to take his journal, which talks about the Dragonborn and the dreams which foretold their coming into Kodlak's life and leading up to this point with helping the Companions and the Circle.
The remaining Circle members gathering in the Underforge.
When the Dragonborn returns to the Skyforge and gives the last fragment to Eorlund, Eorlund offers his thanks and says that the Dragonborn's Shield-Siblings await them in the Underforge.
After the Dragonborn enters the Underforge, a conversation about Kodlak ensues between the Circle members. Eorlund arrives, with Wuuthrad, which he passes to the Dragonborn. The Circle then resolves to travel to Ysgramor's Tomb and posthumously cure Kodlak of his Lycanthropy.
Ysgramor's Tomb[]
The Dragonborn must travel to Ysgramor's Tomb, northwest of Winterhold. They may fast travel or accompany the Circle as they walk there. One must ensure that there is at least one Glenmoril Witch Head in the inventory before undertaking the trip.
Ysgramor's statue.
The statue of Ysgramor is activated by placing Wuuthrad into the statue's hands. Doing so will open the pathway at the end of the hall that leads to the burial chamber. Once the passageway opens, Wuuthrad can be removed with no ill effects. From this moment forth, it is the Dragonborn's exclusive property. Vilkas will elect not to join the others as they make their way to the Burial Chamber, noting that his grief has clouded his judgment recently. He will wait by the statue.
Several Frostbite Spiders are on the path, including one Giant Frostbite Spider, but the majority of enemies are ghosts of past Companions. These mean the Circle members no harm; they are present as a test more than anything, and must be fought. Farkas will reach a point where he, like his brother, can go no further, citing his terror of Frostbite Spiders ever since he and the Dragonborn fought them in Dustman's Cairn. The Dragonborn and Aela enter the Burial Chamber together.
Activate the fire, and in so doing, drop a Glenmoril Witch's head into the flames. Doing this will release Kodlak's beast spirit and a battle will ensue. Defeating the beast spirit will free Kodlak's spirit. The Beast Spirit can be difficult to see at times, so an attack which leaves a lingering visual effect (such as Flames or Fire Breath) will highlight the spirit.
Upon the successful cure of Kodlak's spirit, the Dragonborn will be granted the title of Harbinger of the Companions, making them their first true leader since Ysgramor himself. Before leaving the burial chamber, one can acquire the Shield of Ysgramor from the chest at the top of the spiral ramp to the right of his sarcophagus.
Curing the Dragonborn's lycanthropy (optional)[]
If the Dragonborn wishes to cure themselves of Lycanthropy, they may do so at this point, if they defeated and kept more than one of the Glenmoril Witches' heads during the "Blood's Honor" quest. If not, they can travel back to Glenmoril Coven to defeat another witch and take her head. If Ysgramor's Tomb is exited before curing the disease, the "Purity" quest for Vilkas and/or Farkas must be completed before being able to be cured. As long as the Dragonborn does not go back to Jorrvaskr first, they can re-enter the tomb after retrieving the Glenmoril Witches' heads and cure themselves of Lycanthropy without doing the "Purity" quest for Vilkas or Farkas.
Activating the fire again (which will remove a second Glenmoril Witch head from the inventory) will release the Dragonborn's Beast Form and a battle will ensue. Defeating the Beast Spirit in combat will cure Lycanthropy (the Beast Form can still be used during the fight but will automatically revert once the Beast Spirit is defeated). The cure is permanent and Lycanthropy will no longer be able to be contracted, unless the player has installed the Dawnguard add-on, in which the player can talk to Aela again to once again become a Lycanthrope. Even with the Ring of Hircine equipped, the Dragonborn will no longer be able to transform into a werewolf once this ritual is performed.
Journal[]
| Glory of the Dead – C06 | |
|---|---|
| ID | Journal Entry |
| 10 | I should attend the funeral of Kodak Whitman [sic] [Do not change this to Kodlak Whitemane. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.], the late Harbinger of the Companions.
|
| 15 |
|
| 17 |
|
| 18 |
|
| 20 | As a member of the Circle, I need to convene in the Underforge to determine the next steps for the Companions following the death of Kodak Whiteman [sic] [Do not change this to Kodlak Whitemane. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.].
|
| 30 | The Companions believe there is a way to cleanse Kodlak's soul of the taint of the beast. We're going to the ancient Tomb of Ysgramor to perform the ceremony.
|
| 35 |
|
| 40 |
|
| 50 |
|
| 60 |
|
| 65 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 200 | I helped grant Kodlak Whitemane the glory of Sovngarde, and took his place as Harbinger of the Companions.
|
Trivia[]
- If the player has the quest "The Fallen" active while this quest is pending, Jarl Balgruuf will be at the funeral, but cannot be spoken to until everyone leaves (after Eorlund is given the fragment). He will then be found in his normal spot on the throne in Dragonsreach.
- The Dragonborn will be alone when they are sent to retrieve Kodlak's last fragment downstairs; this will be one of the only times to steal the numerous coin purses, and pick the weapons cases (expert).
- After completing this quest, the Dragonborn becomes the Harbinger of the Companions. Once this happens, the two rooms that were Kodlak's become theirs, and all items in those two rooms can be taken without being "stolen." This includes several coin purses, a Daedra Heart, and an Unusual Gem/Stone of Barenziah, among other treasures. These items (apart from the Unusual Gem/Stone of Barenziah) will respawn periodically.
- If the player cures themselves, the "Totems of Hircine" quest may not be possible to do. If the quest is completed beforehand, and the Ring of Hircine is kept, the Dragonborn will still be able to turn into a werewolf through the ring's power; however, they must have the ring equipped when the curing takes place. Otherwise, they will be unable to benefit from it, and subsequently unable to change into a werewolf. The ring can be removed afterwards.
- Using the werewolf form inside the tomb makes the Companions aggressive, even though they have the beast blood. If they witness the transformation, it also results in a bounty, as it would with any other non-hostile NPC.
- After Eorlund tells the Dragonborn to get the fragment, he continues to work the forge, using Kodlak's funeral pyre to reforge Wuuthrad. The Skyforge will henceforth be capable of forging Ancient Nord Armor and Nord Hero Weapons, which cannot be forged elsewhere.
- Even though the weapons the Companion Ghosts carry are ghostly, Ghosts with bows shoot physical arrows that are able to be picked up, and Ghosts with melee weapons have physical Ancient Nordic weapons knocked out of their hands when they die.
- When the Dragonborn is given the task to convene to the Underforge after giving Kodlak's fragment to Eorlund, there is a typo in the quest journal, as it says 'Kodak Whitman' instead of "Kodlak Whitemane." This also seems to happen in other sections of the log.
- The Dragonborn is unable to loot Kodlak's body at the funeral.
- Even though the Dragonborn's beast blood can be cured, Hold Guards may still make werewolf comments to the player.
- Once the quest is completed, Aela, Farkas and Vilkas all elect to remain at Ysgramor's Tomb for some time, for their own reasons. The Dragonborn may leave and go elsewhere; however, if they return to Whiterun and occupy themselves in the merchant section within the next several in-game hours, they may witness all three entering the city and running through the streets to return to Jorrvaskr.
- After the conclusion of this quest, both the Circle's members and regular Companions (with the exception of Vignar Gray-Mane) become eligible marriage candidates, as well as potential followers.
- After the completion of this quest, the statue of Ysgramor can be activated again to obtain Wuuthrad.
- During this quest, from the funeral to completion, Eorlund becomes unavailable as a merchant and will only say "For Kodlak!" if interacted with.
Bugs[]
|
This section contains bugs related to Glory of the Dead. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
|
| Click to show |
|---|
|
Achievements[]
 |
Glory of the Dead Complete "Glory of the Dead" |
|---|---|
| Points | 30 
|
| Trophy |  |
Appearances[]
| The Companions Quests | |
|---|---|
| Main Quest |
|
| Radiant Quests | |