The Companions

The Companions, also known as the Shield-Brothers, is an organisation that is based in Jorrvaskr in the city of Whiterun. They are one of the joinable factions in Skyrim.

History
The Companions were founded by Ysgramor as the Five Hundred Companions where he led them to victory against the elves that had destroyed the Nord capital of Saarthal thousands of years ago. According to the current Harbinger, the curse (or blessing from a certain point of view) that The Companions currently possess was brought on by his predecessor a few hundred years ago when he struck a deal with some witches for power.

Organization
There are no leaders within The Companions, the first and only leader being Ysgramor. Instead, the Companions are guided by the Circle which is in turn guided by a Harbinger. The current Harbinger when the Dragonborn joins the Companions is Kodlak Whitemane.

Although the Circle functions as a sort of guiding body, they mostly serve to give out contracts or teach the regular members of the Companions. Within the Companions, it is every man and woman for him- or herself. Thus, the Companions function in Skyrim as the closest approximation of the Fighter's Guild known elsewhere in Tamriel.

Members
Harbinger: Circle: Shield-Brothers/Sisters: Others:
 * Kodlak Whitemane (deceased)
 * Aela the Huntress
 * Farkas
 * Skjor (deceased)
 * Vilkas
 * Athis
 * Njada Stonearm
 * Ria
 * Torvar
 * Vignar Gray-Mane
 * Eorlund Gray-Mane, blacksmith
 * Tilma the Haggard, housekeeper

Beast Blood
All members of the Circle possess the 'Beast Blood'. This allows them to turn into werewolves at will with increased stamina, health and speed.

Recruitment
You first meet The Companions outside of Whiterun. If you are approaching from Riverwood, you will come across Aela, Farkas and Ria fighting a Giant in the middle of the road. Should you choose to help them Aela will complement you on your skills and you can ask her about joining the Companions. She will then tell you to speak to the Harbinger in Jorrvaskr, Whiterun.

Proceed to Whiterun and enter Jorrvaskr. Go straight down the main road till you reach the market and go up the stairs at 10 o'clock. At the tree, take the exit at 2 o'clock to reach Jorrvaskr. Once inside, turn right and head down the stairs at the back, following the quest marker to Kodlak. Know also that once you have finished recruiting there are certain factions you cannot join, such as the Dark Brotherhood. But you can still be a Companion and part of the that faction.

Take up Arms
After speaking with Kodlak about joining The Companions, he will ask Vilkas to test your mettle to see if you are worthy to join. Agree to the test and follow Vilkas out to the back for your test. Do not worry about him attacking you, he will just block the whole fight. Just pull out a weapon and smack his shield a few times till he is satisfied. (Note: You cannot use magic to finish the test. Using magic will just get Vilkas to respond "We don't use magic in the Companions.")

The next part will just be running a few errands for The Companions. Vilkas will give you his sword to take to Eorlund for sharpening. He can be found in the Skyforge behind Jorrvaskr and up some stairs. When you give him the sword, he will give you a shield to return to Aela. Do so and you will be considered a member of the companions. For now, just follow Farkas as he takes you to your quarters.

Intermission 1
In order to proceed, you must complete one Radiant quest from any member of the Circle. So proceed to Aela, Farkas, Vilkas or Skjor and speak with them. The quest that they give you is randomly selected from a pool. Known options are:
 * Animal Extermination
 * Escaped Criminal
 * Family Heirloom
 * Hired Muscle
 * Rescue Mission
 * Trouble in Skyrim

Warning: These quests can sometimes send you to areas that are very difficult for your current level.

Proving Honor
Skjor will ask you to retrieve a fragment of Wuuthrad and ask you to go speak to Farkas. Go back to the main hall and have a chat with Farkas and pump him for whatever information you want to know about the task. When you are done, tell him to meet you at Dustman's Cairn. Journey there when you are ready and Farkas will be waiting for you outside.

Enter the dungeon and fight your way through the draugr until you come to a large room with two exits, one which leads into a small alcove and the other with bars blocking the path. Head into the alcove and pull the lever which will trap you inside and Farkas outside. He will then be ambushed by a bunch of Silver Hand. Just sit tight and watch as the secret of the Companions is revealed to you and Farkas lays into the ambushers. Once he is done he will release you.

Continue through the dungeon till you reach a locked door that needs a key. Search the chests around for it and proceed through till you reach the fragment. Buff up if you wish because once you pick up the fragment, draugr will start spawning from the surrounding coffins. Just do your best to deal with them, Farkas will help. Once you are done, head down the side passage and back to Jorrvaskr. Once back, just follow Vilkas around to your induction.

The Silver Hand
One of the Circle members will come to you and tell you that Skjor wants to speak to you. If you do not get this, just speak to any member of the circle and do one or two of their random jobs and it should happen.

When you speak to Skjor, he will tell you to meet him at the Underforge at night. Just follow your quest marker to the place and use the wait function if it is not dark yet. Follow Skjor in and speak to Aela to begin the induction ceremony. Walk up to the basin and drink the blood.

After you wake up just run around a bit till the wolf form wears off and Aela will wake you up at a campsite in the woods. She will tell you that they plan to strike at the Silver Hand and that this will be your first task as a member of the Circle. Follow the quest marker to Gallows Rock and fight your way through the Silver Hand members to find Krev the Skinner.

Intermission 2
To proceed, you need to complete two Radiant quests from any member of the Circle. The new options unlocked at this point are:
 * Retrieval
 * Stealing Plans
 * Striking the Heart

Warning: These quests can sometimes send you to areas that are very difficult for your current level.

Blood's Honor
Upon your return, you will be informed that Kodlak wants to see you. Head downstairs to find the old man and he will fill you in on the history of The Companions. He will then request for you to find a cure for Lycanthropy and send you to Glenmoril Coven. Head there and just kill a witch and loot her head. You might want to head into the side passages and kill them all to complete the optional objective or just one more to get a spare head to cure yourself.

Purity of Revenge
When you come back, you will find Jorrvaskr in an uproar. Apparently the Silver Hand has attacked in your absence and managed to kill Kodlak as well as stealing the fragments of Wuuthrad. Vilkas will approach you and request that you aid him in retrieving the stolen fragments and avenging Kodlak's death. Head off to Driftshade Refuge to begin serving extra helpings of revenge. Fight your way through the fortress killing all the Silver Hand you come across.

When you reach the end, you will be confronted by an extra strong Silver Hand in Imperial Armor accompanied by two others. Kill them and loot the fragments from the table. Return to Jorrvaskr and hand the fragments to Eorlund.

Glory of the Dead
The first thing you need to do is attend Kodlak's funeral. Do not worry, it will be over quick. After the funeral, Eorlund will approach you and ask that you retrieve Kodlak's fragment of Wuuthrad from his belongings. Do so and you will be called to the Underforge to attend a meeting of the Circle. Once there, just listen to them argue for a bit until Eorlund makes his grand entrance.

Your task is now to head to Ysgramor's Tomb and try to purify the spirit of Kodlak so that he may enter the Nordic afterlife. Proceed to the tomb. Once in, you will have to place Wuuthrad in the hands of the statue of Ysgramor to open the gate. Fight your way to the end and you will meet with the spirit of Kodlak. Speak with him and he will tell you to throw one of the heads of the Witches into the fire. When you do so, the Spirit of the Beast within Kodlak will be freed in the form of a giant red wolf. Start blasting away the moment it is visible. You can damage it while it is still being separated. Once it is dead, Kodlak will congratulate you and declare you Harbinger.

After story
Three new quests will now be unlocked for you:
 * Totems of Hircine
 * Purity
 * Dragon Seekers

In addition to these, the previous radiant quests are still available. There will be a permanent quest in your journal to 'Talk to The Companion leaders for work'.

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