Hern is a Nord lumberjack who works Half-Moon Mill with his wife Hert. He greets visitors like long-lost friends and invites them to make themselves at home – which should set off alarm bells, because Hern and Hert are both vampires who quietly feed on travellers passing their mill.
Where to find them
Hern lives and works at Half-Moon Mill, the lumber mill north of Falkreath. Hert is never far away.
Quests
Hern is the mark in the Dark Brotherhood contract “Contract: Kill Hern”, handed out by Nazir. When you confront him, what you say changes his greeting: call him nightspawn and he promises you won’t leave alive; announce yourself as an assassin and he welcomes a fight between equals; stay silent and he senses death around you and tells you to go. Expect Hert to jump in and defend him.
He can also turn up in the Companions’ work: as a target for a “Hired Muscle” brawl, or as a captive in a rescue mission at Lost Echo Cave.
Personality & relationships
Hern plays the part of a cheerful country host, warning lone travellers that the woods can be dangerous and hinting that he and Hert have been looking for someone to join them on a hunt. Read between the lines.
Good to know
Hern and Hert don’t use Vampiric Drain, so fighting them is less likely to give you vampirism. Fire spells and fire-enchanted weapons are especially effective against him. He’s also a candidate for feeding the Ebony Blade if you kill him with it. The Lost Echo Cave rescue can break: Hern may never appear and the quest marker hovers over empty ground, with no known fix.
Quick facts
- Gender: Male
- Level: 10
- Class: Lumberjack
- Status: Killable
- Found in: Half-Moon Mill
- Base ID: 0001367B
Also in Half-Moon Mill
Hert.
Race, level, class and factions read from the Skyrim game files; story details checked against community wiki articles and written in our own words.