Every small village has a farm boy who dreams of glory, and in Rorikstead that boy is Erik. This short quest in Whiterun Hold has the Dragonborn talking his father, the innkeeper Mralki, into letting him go. The payoff is a brand-new follower with a suitably heroic nickname.
How to start
Visit the Frostfruit Inn in Rorikstead and talk to Erik, who works there. Ask him what he wants and he will explain that he longs to be an adventurer, but his father refuses to let him leave the farm – and the family could not afford armor for him anyway. He asks you to change Mralki’s mind.
Walkthrough
Talk to Mralki about Erik
Mralki runs the inn and usually stands behind the counter at the far end of the room. When you bring up his son, he admits the real obstacle is money: he simply cannot pay for armor to outfit Erik. You have two ways to win him over:
- Pay up – offer gold to cover the cost of Erik’s armor.
- Lean on him – a few stern words are also enough to make him relent.
Return to Erik
Go back to Erik and tell him his father has agreed. He is delighted and suggests that one day the two of you might trade adventure stories over a mug of ale. With that, the quest is complete.
Choices and consequences
Whether you pay Mralki or simply talk tough, the outcome is the same: he agrees and Erik is free to go. Paying costs you gold; the stern approach costs nothing.
Rewards
- Erik takes the title Erik the Slayer.
- He becomes available as a hireable follower for 500 gold.
Tips and notes
- After the quest, Erik hangs around the inn and pitches his services to visitors, so he is easy to find when you want to hire him.
- Erik shows up in a suit of iron armor once he has become “the Slayer” – proof that the armor money (or your intimidation) did its job.
- If you are short on cash, choose the stern-words option; it reaches the same result.
