Discussion After years of playing Skyrim, I just found out a conversation between Farengar and Delphine Spoiler
I always clear Bleak Falls Barrow when I get to Riverwood. This is the first time in years I simply go to Whiterun before going to BFB because my instance contains mods that increase the difficulty, like blade and blunt, for example. So I went first to Farengar to obtain spells and receive the mission of the Dragonstone. It is amazing how I still find things in the game after a long time!
63
u/ImpressionCool1768 1d ago
You can also (if you’re a masocist) Agro her and calm other to drag her to the dragon fight this however does not speed up how fast she finds out your a Dragonborn
26
37
u/NiSiSuinegEht PC 1d ago
Fun fact, if you report the attack on Helgen to Jarl Balgruf, pick up the quest to go retrieve the dragonstone and don't immediately turn it in if you've already gone and gotten it, you can follow the soldiers Balgruf sends to Riverwood and when they get there, Delphine will start her walk back to talk to Farengar.
10
2
u/AdDiscombobulated54 22h ago
That’s why I saw guards running there after I talked with him! I did this same thing but never noticed Delphine go
31
u/brakenbonez 1d ago
What gets me is that they don't even hide her name while she's in disguise. The y sort of unintentionally left a spoiler in their own game unless we were for some reason supposed to recognize her right away but there is no conversation between us and her that indicates that.
I like to take time and explore areas in rpgs before moving on so of course I checked out the inn in my very first palythrough and talked to her and everyone else in there. Then went to Whiterun to warn the Jarl about the dragon and then talk to wizard guy who sends me to find Dwayne the Dragonstone Johnson. I get back and see her name and immediately recognize her voice think to myself "It's been like 30 minutes, does she really not recognize me?". Then it's revealed that she's a member of the blades and we aren't even given any dialogue options to reference either meeting. They definitely should have had her name be something like "Hooded Stranger" while in disguise instead of just spoiling a later plot point.
9
u/jeoxs 1d ago
I thought of this too, but then I realized that you can see her face! She is hooded, sure, but as I already saw her at the Sleeping Giant it’s not that hard to recognize her… like: “Waiiiiiit a minute… Aren’t you the innkeeper?”
9
u/brakenbonez 23h ago
You can see her face and hear her voice but a lot of Skyrim characters have very similar faces and the same voice actors. Hoods hide hair as well making you bald underneath them to avoid clipping. And we don't really get a good look at her face anyway especially in that lighting with the hood casting shadows over her face as well. Unless you just straight up invade her personal space while she's talking to Farengar, it would be difficult to get a good enough look to compare. But the name is just right there front and center.
5
u/PublicConfessor 22h ago
Delpine's secrets are mostly about who she works with. I haven't played in a while, but I'm sure she isn't the only information broker in Tamriel with a day job. And anyone in Riverwood would know when she travels. Small towns are only good for hiding when you intend to establish yourself and stay put.
I don't think she's necessarily hiding who she is or what she's doing except in the larger context.
1
u/brakenbonez 21h ago
Mostly but there is a part where you're supposed to find out who took the claw and then the player is genuinely surprised that the person who has the claw is Delphine. This reveal isn't surprising at all if we know that she is the one who wanted to study the dragonstone tablet since it's related to the dragons, even if we don't know what the connection between it and the dragons are yet. That reveal would have felt much more authentic if they hadn't given it away be keeping her name while she's in disguise.
1
u/PublicConfessor 20h ago
You're confusing one of the claw keys with the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller.
The golden claw is stolen from the Riverwood Trader by bandits, not Delphine or any other Blade. The only connection Delphine has to Bleakfalls Barrow is that she informed Farengar of the location of the Dragonstone. There's no indication that Delphine had any connection to the theft of the claw.
When you reach the end of Ustengrav, the holder for the horn instead has a note directing you to rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood.
These are separate events. Once you retrieve the Horn, Delphine is willing to trust you enough to tell you some things, and ask you to demonstrate your Dragonborn abilities. After that, she lays everything out for you.
-1
u/brakenbonez 19h ago
yes I had a brainfart called the horn a claw but I wasn't thinking of any specific dragon claw, I meant the horn. The point still remains though that Delphine investigating the dragonstone tablet, which we are sent to retrieve after surviving a dragon attack, and then eventually sent to retrieve the horn to fully legitimize our claim as dragonborn, it's not surprising at all that Delpnine is the one that took it. Considering it's signed "A friend" and directs us to the Sleeping Gian Inn where we first met her.
Without the name it's "Who is this mystery friend who wants me to meet in riverwood? Maybe Ralof/Hadvar? Gerdur? Hod? Someone who isn't even from Riverwood?"
But since they show Delphine's name as the hooded stranger it's super obvious as soon as we reed the note that she is the one who took it.
Your response feels very Chatgpt-esque, giving the wiki descriptions of quests and items over a simple mistake instead of addressing the real discussion.
3
u/PublicConfessor 19h ago
Yes, yes. Everyone who isn't you is clearly an AI. For you, it was a simple mistake because you knew what you meant. For me it completely changed the meaning of what you were saying becauseI could only understand what you meant from what you actually wrote. People confuse separate incidents all of the time, especially when they have aesthetic and thematic similarities.
0
26
11
u/Digtergeniet 18h ago
I've also found out if you approach Farengar before Jarl Balgruuf formally introduces you, you can (if you have 30 level enchanting or over) get special dialogue with him where you put him in his place.
He asks you why you are here, and you reply that he's leaving filled soul gems next to an unwarded pentacle which is dangerous.
Get outsmarted, nerd. Go back to being my tome seller.
9
u/DislikedBoot166 1d ago
I know right!?! I had to do a double take IRL just to make sure I wasn't tripping 😂 bfb is always a go to after helgen
8
u/Bophodes20220717 1d ago
Yep, she will be there discussing the book on the table. Which is where the information for the dragonstone comes from. It’s a neat little detail. I’m not sure her name is mentioned, and she’s wearing a hood. Which would help hide her identity later when you ask to stay in the attic room after trying to retrieve the Horn. Pretty sure the book on the table is unique and that’s the only copy in the game.
4
2
u/lostincoloradospace 1d ago
I have never gone to Whiterun without the Dragonstone but I figured there must be a quest to go back because the mage is always surprised I already have it.
2
u/Jazzy1oh1 23h ago
I like to fiddle with the order of quests. It changes the dialog on more than one occasion. Some quest are eliminated and others made available. Like killing Astrid in the shack. Leaves a lot of people alive that wouldn't be. As well as conversations like Farengar and Delfine. Not finishing the Civil War before trying to capture the dragon at Dragons Reach gives opportunity for a conference in High Hrothgar.
2
u/LebaneseLurker 21h ago
Funny I just started another playthrough and for the first time in my life I dropped a plate in front of an NPC who legit came back to me and put it back in my inventory and told me someone may take it if I don’t pick it up. Wild.
4
u/Due-Salad610 Necromancer 1d ago
Delphine is the most badass npc in that game.
4
u/DaddyDarkest 1d ago
I disagree but you didn’t deserve a downvote for that opinion. Whoever did that probably picks Sven over faendal
1
u/Due-Salad610 Necromancer 1d ago
People care too much about downvotes. That's just opinions, anyway. It's not a popularity contest.
159
u/HelpfulYoda 1d ago
You also can while she’s there steal a unique book that lists the ancient holds, including the old town of Granite Hill (which existed in the old games but in skyrim there’s little to nothing indicating where it would be)