Before departing for High Hrothgar, in gratitude for the players delivering information and eliminating the dragon, Jarl Balgruuf granted each of them the title of Thane of Whiterun. This was the highest honor he could bestow within his authority as Jarl, and he presented each with the Axe of Whiterun as a symbol of their status.
Since mission cutscenes and dialogue required players to act independently—with interaction only possible during dungeon exploration or in town trading districts—an amusing scene unfolded.
Just as everyone assumed the reward was merely a hollow title and an axe that mages and rogues had no use for, Proventius Avenicci, the steward standing nearby, informed them that a Thane had the right to buy property in the city. As it happened, there was a vacant house for sale.
The players immediately asked for the price. Avenicci's answer: 5,000 gold.
Marin: "You're robbing us!" Oneiya: "Let me see if I can pickpocket the deed off him later..."
Verdan: "Time to keep accompanying the commander on quests to save up money."
Sandal: "I'll sneak back tonight and tie up this greedy fellow."
Amy: "Hmm... I need to learn more about making money from Old Wayne..."
Andromath: "Farewell."
McBride: "Haha, no thank you."
Ana, meanwhile, was counting the items in her bag: "Still 4,399 gold short..."
As the crowd prepared to check their maps for the route up the mountain, assuming the formalities were over, they were stopped at the doors of Dragonsreach. A female warrior with long black hair, sharp eyebrows, and a mix of heroic spirit and beauty called out to them. She carried a sword and shield.
"Greetings, Thane. I am your Housecarl. My name is Lydia. From this day forward, I will protect you with my life."
Following Lydia's words, a small prompt appeared in the game:
[Followers are only available in Single-Player Mode].
Suddenly, the group that had just been complaining about the uselessness of being a Thane was overjoyed. The female players were particularly pleased; it meant they wouldn't have to delve into lonely dungeons alone during solo play—they would have a loyal partner for their adventures.
Oneiya: "To be honest, I'm a rogue. When I'm stealing from enemies, you need to hide your tracks well."
Lydia: "I will, my Thane. However, I cannot condone stealing from the innocent public." ...
Ana: "Can you taunt?"
Lydia: "If you truly require me to insult your enemies, I will do so, though I do not enjoy it."
Amy: "Wow, big sister, your hair is so beautiful and your figure is great. How do you maintain it?"
Lydia: "..." ...
The male players were even more animated.
Marlin looked left and right in the game, then took off his VR glasses to glance around the net cafe. Seeing everyone absorbed in their play and Tess focused on Wayne's screen, he returned to the game and whispered: "This... Housecarl. Besides protecting me, what else can you do?"
Lydia remained serious, explaining that her primary duty was combat, though she could also guard the Thane's property as a steward if ordered.
Marlin asked stutteringly: "Steward? Doesn't that mean... mean we have to live together every day?" Lydia nodded earnestly. Marlin: "But I have a daughter... I don't know if she'll agree..." Lydia: "That is your private matter, my Thane. I cannot participate in that discussion." ...
Elsewhere, Sandal confirmed no other players were around his world-instance and walked in circles, eyeing the exquisitely featured female Housecarl. "You work for me, and I don't have to pay a single copper?" Lydia: "Yes, my Thane. It is my duty. I am willing to give my life." Sandal: "Free? Then, as far as you know, are there any... special female guards that require payment?" Lydia thought for a moment: "There is an archer in the city named Jenassa. She is a Dark Elf, very distinct from the humans here. Hiring her costs 500 gold." Sandal swallowed hard, thinking: "If the free ones are this good, a 500-gold one must be out of this world!" ...
Andromath: "Are you a warrior?"
Lydia: "I am proficient with the sword and shield, and I have some skill with the bow."
Andromath kept his distance, appraising her. He felt the Housecarl before him indeed possessed great talent in martial arts. Since coming to Wayne's cafe, he had been thinking about how to use magical power to bridge these worlds with reality.
He asked: "If I found a way to teleport you to another world—I mean, if I could do it—would you be willing?"
Lydia: "As long as it is legal and moral, the Thane's request is my duty to fulfill, no matter the cost." ...
Verdan, who had been single for all twenty-eight years of his life while dominating battlefields, blushed. He hesitated several times before saying: "I... I have a commander I must protect. If I leave you here... do you have a place to stay?"
Lydia: "I am a guard of Whiterun. If you make no specific arrangements, I will continue to live with the female attendants at Dragonsreach."
Verdan: "Good... wait... wait for me. We will have the chance to fight together." ...
McBride: "Haha, young lady, I have no need for now." ...
Wayne ran straight to Lydia. Before she could introduce herself, he demanded: "Give me your shield, your sword, and the light armor you're wearing."
Lydia: "As... as you command." She handed them over piece by piece. Wayne: "Wait for me here. I'll find you if I need you." ...
But even that wasn't the most extreme reaction. That belonged to Winston.
Lydia: "Greetings, Thane. I am your—"
Winston: "Get lost." He left Lydia standing outside Dragonsreach, bewildered in the wind.
One should know that Lydia was a top-tier "waifu" candidate for countless Skyrim players... ...
Back in the Whiterun marketplace, the group met up again, though the expressions on their faces were quite strange.
Winston ran straight out of the city. Wayne followed shortly after, though their destinations were different. Wayne told Amy and Oneiya that he was going to a special place to start a different questline, advising them to stick to the main story to get the hang of things faster.
Amy turned to her father, wanting to team up to climb the cloud-piercing High Hrothgar. But Marlin refused immediately, claiming his legs were bothering him and that he wanted to observe more of this world's local customs.
Sandal urged Verdan to hurry and accompany Marshal McBride to find the Greybeards, while he himself started asking around town for the whereabouts of an archer named Jenassa.
Wayne found a random guard and asked for news about vampires. "Sure enough," the guard told him that rumors of vampire attacks had been frequent lately, and an organization called the "Dawnguard" was recruiting members specifically to hunt them.
Wayne boarded a carriage outside Whiterun and told the driver to take him to Riften, in the southeast of Skyrim.
He was going to leave the Greybeards waiting while he went to wake up the still-sleeping "Young Lady."