Thane of Falkreath is the miscellaneous quest that turns the Dragonborn into an honorary noble of Falkreath Hold, the gloomy, graveyard-filled corner of southern Skyrim. The Jarl – Siddgeir under Imperial rule or Dengeir of Stuhn if the Stormcloaks hold the town – wants proof that you are useful before offering the title. As the Jarl puts it, the title is mostly honorary, but it comes with a few perks worth having.
How to start
The quest has three formal steps: befriend the Jarl, assist three citizens of the hold, then return to the Jarl. How you befriend the Jarl depends on your situation:
- Talking to Siddgeir directly: In Falkreath‘s Jarl’s Longhouse, Siddgeir first asks you to fetch him a bottle of Black-Briar Mead. This is a radiant request that will not be offered while one of the Rare Gifts quests is active in your journal.
- The bandit leader: Once he has his drink, the Jarl (or his steward Nenya) sends you to kill a bandit leader at a radiant hideout. Finishing that job counts as befriending the Jarl.
- Hearthfire letter: With Hearthfire, a courier may bring a letter from Siddgeir early in the game (the source mentions reaching level 9 without having visited Falkreath) inviting you to his longhouse. Answering it skips the mead errand and goes straight to the next stage.
- Civil War: If the hold changes hands, the Jarl’s task can differ; the source mentions a rescue from Fort Neugrad as an alternative prerequisite.
Walkthrough
Step 1: Befriend the Jarl
Complete whichever task the Jarl or steward gives you as described above. When the job is done, return to the longhouse and the Jarl mentions there is room in his court for a new Thane – provided the people of the hold also vouch for you.
Step 2: Assist the citizens of Falkreath
You need to help three citizens of the hold. The Jarl himself counts as one of them once this stage begins, so in practice only two more favours are usually needed. Good options include:
- Dengeir of Stuhn (Falkreath) – Some Light Theft: steal a private letter for him.
- Hert (Half-Moon Mill) – chop firewood and sell it to her.
- Mathies (Corpselight Farm) – gather crops and sell them to him.
- Runil (Falkreath) – Dungeon Delving: recover Runil’s Journal.
- Thadgeir (Dengeir’s House) – deliver Berit’s Ashes to Runil.
- Investing 500 gold in Gray Pine Goods with the Investor Speech perk also counts.
- If you drop an expensive piece of armour and a citizen asks whether they can have it, letting them keep it counts as a favour as well.
Step 3: Return to the Jarl
When the counter reaches three, go back to the Jarl, who formally names you Thane of Falkreath and hands over your rewards.
Rewards
- The title of Thane of Falkreath Hold.
- The Blade of Falkreath, the hold’s ceremonial weapon.
- Rayya as your housecarl (Hearthfire only), who can serve as a follower and steward.
- The usual Thane privilege: guards in the hold give you a chance to talk your way out of minor crimes.
Tips and notes
- House: Falkreath has no house for sale in the base game. With Hearthfire, the hold is home to the Lakeview Manor building plot, sold by the steward once the Jarl allows it; becoming Thane is a natural part of that same relationship with the court.
- Do it early. Falkreath has fewer citizen favours than any other hold and the town is very exposed to dragon attacks (and, with Dawnguard, vampire raids). Mathies, Lod and Narri can all die, which can leave you short of quest givers later in the game.
- If Helvard is killed during the Dark Brotherhood questline, the Jarl may not offer this quest at all.
- If the favour counter gets stuck, selling cabbages to Mathies is a reported way to nudge it along.
- The Civil War can replace the Jarl after Season Unending or the war questline; the new Jarl still grants the title.
