Horik Halfhand is a Nord warrior of the Imperial Legion and the devoted housecarl and bodyguard of Legate Brina Merilis. He has stood at her side for roughly thirty years and has no ambition beyond keeping her alive.
Where to find them
Early on, Horik is with Brina outside Dawnstar, where the Legion is positioned. If the Imperials take Dawnstar during the Civil War, Brina becomes the town’s new leader and Horik moves with her into The White Hall, the jarl’s longhouse. Should the Stormcloaks later win the town back, he and Brina are sent into exile together – to the Winking Skeever in Solitude rather than the Blue Palace.
Quests
Horik doesn’t hand out quests. His presence in The White Hall depends on how far you’ve pushed the Legion’s side of the war, so Stormcloak players may only ever see him camped outside town. He is always essential, so he can’t be killed.
Personality & relationships
Horik is the strong, silent type. Ask him about himself and you’ll get the short version: a farm boy whose parents died young, who joined the Legion as soon as he was old enough and has followed Brina ever since. She and the Legion are the only family he claims. He has nothing but respect for his commander and very little would shake his loyalty.
That doesn’t mean he is a yes-man. In one exchange he urges Brina to rethink her battle plans, pointing out that the Great War didn’t exactly end in a triumph, then immediately apologises in case he sounded disrespectful – Brina just laughs and tells him to stop being such a stiff.
He is far less warm towards the court wizard Madena. Horik openly tells her he doesn’t trust her and will be watching, and when she kindly offers a spell for his aching old legs, he flatly refuses to be anyone’s magical experiment.
Good to know
The game data rates Horik and Brina’s relationship as lovers, even though nothing in their dialogue says it outright – make of that what you will. He is also one of the few Dawnstar residents who doesn’t moan about nightmares before Waking Nightmare is resolved, although you can’t ask him about them either.
Quick facts
- Race: Nord
- Gender: Male
- Level: levels with you (x1)
- Class: Warrior
- Status: Essential
- Found in: Dawnstar
- Base ID: 0001A6B9
Also in Dawnstar
Irgnir, Irlof, Jod, Karita (Bard), Karl, Leigelf, Lond, Madena, Ravam Verethi, Rustleif, Seren, Silus Vesuius.
Race, level, class and factions read from the Skyrim game files; story details checked against community wiki articles and written in our own words.