“Hey, you. You’re finally awake.” With that line, Ralof of Riverwood kicked off one of the most famous openings in gaming history. He is a Nord soldier of the Stormcloak rebellion, sitting across from you on the prisoner cart heading to Helgen, along with Ulfric Stormcloak and the unlucky horse thief Lokir.
Escaping Helgen
When Alduin crashes the execution in Unbound, Ralof is one of the two people you can follow to safety – the other being the Imperial soldier Hadvar. Follow Ralof and you fight your way through the keep together, while he points out how much better life would be without the Empire.
Riverwood and family
Ralof’s sister Gerdur owns the lumber mill in Riverwood with her husband Hod, which makes them more or less the village leaders. Escape with Ralof and he takes you to them in Before the Storm, where Gerdur helps you with supplies. During the cart ride he also mentions he used to be sweet on a girl from Helgen, and he reminisces about a local mead with juniper berry.
Childhood friends on opposite sides
Ralof and Hadvar come from the same small village and very likely knew each other as kids. Now they stand on opposite sides of the civil war – a small, very personal picture of what the war is doing to Skyrim.
Civil War
If you join the Stormcloaks, Ralof becomes a familiar face in the war quests. Join the Legion instead and you may meet him again as an enemy.
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