Bethesda Softworks released The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim way back in 2011 and since then the game has received several iterations and ports. Over the years, Skyrim fans have discovered countless hidden details in the open world, created unique cosplay and fan art, and stumbled across some bugs and strange occurrences like questionable actions from the game’s many Stormcloaks.
Reddit user Klayer89 recently posted a clip of their adventure in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim which starts with the player exploring a wooded area near a cabin by jumping around. Turning to face a road parallel to the cabin, an Imperial Courier runs sporadically before stumbling back into the player and pauses for a moment. After this close encounter, Klayer89 decides to follow the courier down the road around several corners and past a bridge before he meets his end staring at a group of Stormcloaks.
After passing a signpost that gives The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim players directions beyond the compass and map, Klayer89 follows the Imperial Courier up a hill towards one of the farm locations in Skyrim. As the duo approaches the front of this farm, the Imperial Courier is ultimately defeated by three Stormcloak soldiers carrying bows. While firing arrows at the Imperial Courier, these Stormcloaks suggest that the defeated NPC called themselves a warrior despite evidently being a courier that relays quests in the form of messages to players.
After slaying a Skyrim player’s companion which is usually a weaker target, enemies like these Stormcloaks would normally move on to the Dragonborn, but that’s not the case with players who are simply following one of the countless NPCs that inhabit the province of Tamriel. Once the Imperial Courier is killed, the Stormcloaks in Klayer89’s video simply continue walking the path they’re on as if nothing happened and ignore the player character. Like other Skyrim enemies, Stormcloaks usually have to be triggered by being hit but given the faction’s hatred for the Imperial Legion, this unprovoked assault makes sense according to The Elder Scrolls lore.
Because of how erratically the Imperial Courier in Klayer89’s video acted, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim NPC may have been impacted by a bug like so many other Skyrim NPCs have been since the game’s release. While Imperial Couriers are usually sent to Skyrim players with quests that aren’t otherwise available, it appears that the NPC in Klayer89’s video was unable to deliver the message before being run down by the Stormcloaks. Although Klayer89’s post asked why the Stormcloaks would kill a courier without being provoked, Bethesda has yet to clarify what causes Skyrim NPCs to act so strangely at times.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
