Retaking Thirsk is a Dragonborn side quest about pride, mead and a hall full of Rieklings. The Nords of Thirsk Mead Hall on Solstheim grew comfortable, lost their home to the little raiders, and now sit in a camp on the eastern shore doing very little about it. Their leader, Bujold the Unworthy, needs fresh blood to shame them into action, and later a witness for a ritual that does not go as she hoped.
How to start
- Visit Bujold’s Retreat on the east coast. You arrive in the middle of an argument between Bujold and her husband Kuvar about whether the group is ready to fight.
- Ask Bujold what is going on and offer yourself as an extra warrior.
- Note: this quest and The Chief of Thirsk Hall are mutually exclusive. Accepting this one fails the other, and accepting the final part of the other fails this one.
Walkthrough
Retake the mead hall
Once you volunteer, Bujold rallies the camp with a speech, using your enthusiasm to shame her people. Head up to Thirsk Mead Hall with the Nords and kill the Rieklings inside, including the Riekling Chief. The number of Rieklings varies.
Become Bujold’s second
Speak to Bujold after the fight. To lead the hall again she wants the renewed blessing of Hrothmund, the founder of Thirsk, and she asks you to come along as her witness. Agree to go with her or let her go ahead and meet her at Hrothmund’s Barrow.
Hrothmund’s Barrow
Inside, Bujold explains that Hrothmund led a band of warriors away from the easy life of the Skaal, and that anyone who touches his axe is judged by his spirit. She expects a formality. Before the flooded chamber, the small room has a hidden door opened by a handle in a crack to its left, leading to a chest with leveled loot and gems. As you approach the water it drains away to reveal a walkway. Near the altar there are two more chests.
Hrothmund’s verdict
At the altar Hrothmund’s voice speaks. He says Bujold’s softness let the hall fall in the first place, that she let her warriors weaken, and that nobody among them deserves to lead: in the wild, no leader is better than a poor one.
Decide Bujold’s fate
Bujold, ashamed but stubborn, intends to return and lead anyway, and asks you to keep quiet about what you heard. Agree, or refuse and she will fight you. If you pick neither option, it counts as agreeing.
Face Kuvar
Back at the hall, now restored with its smithy and extra beds, Kuvar asks what happened at the barrow. You can tell the truth or lie.
Choices and consequences
- Kept quiet, lie to Kuvar: Bujold stays leader of Thirsk and Kuvar offers training.
- Kept quiet, tell Kuvar the truth: Bujold is exiled, Thirsk is left leaderless and Kuvar offers no training. Hilund says she will go into the wild to help Bujold survive, hoping she can return one day.
- Killed Bujold, lie to Kuvar: Kuvar becomes the de facto leader and offers training.
- Killed Bujold, tell Kuvar the truth: Kuvar takes charge but refuses training and will not talk to you, and the others greet you coldly, though their dialogue stays available.
Rewards
- There is no gold or item reward. Instead, Thirsk Mead Hall is restored as a home base, and finishing the quest unlocks new dialogue plus the miscellaneous quests Elmus’ Berries, Halbarn’s Supplies and Hilund’s Spears, whatever ending you chose.
- Training from Kuvar, if you lied to him.
- Loot from the chests in Hrothmund’s Barrow.
Tips and notes
- If you want Kuvar’s training, lying is the way to go, whatever happened at the barrow.
- Bujold sees the barrow visit as a formality because Hrothmund blessed her before, which makes the outcome sting all the more.
- Decide between this quest and The Chief of Thirsk Hall before taking the latter’s final task, as only one can be completed.
- Once the quest is over, Bujold the Unworthy’s name changes to Bujold the Intrepid.
- The camp at Bujold’s Retreat is abandoned afterwards and its map marker disappears.
- Rieklings may raid Thirsk Mead Hall again on later visits. Halbarn will help you drive them off.
- An exiled Bujold does not actually roam the island; she is simply removed from the world.
- If you are a vampire, do not feed on Bujold before the quest starts: the whole Nord group turns hostile and the quest stalls.
