The Nords love to talk about how gritty and hardy they are. But few races in Tamriel have had to endure as much as the Dunmer – also known as Dark Elves.
First, they were cursed and turned dark and red-eyed after offending the Daedric Prince Azura. Then, their entire society collapsed and had to be rebuilt after a comet struck the Red Mountain and caused a catastrophic eruption, forcing many Dunmer to flee West – toward Skyrim.
What awaited them in Skyrim? The rejection and discrimination of the people of Windhelm and life in the ghetto known as the Gray Quarter.
And yet they’re still there, doing their best to earn their lot and fighting for a better tomorrow.
They’re precisely the kind of resourceful companions a hero like the Dragonborn needs! And we’re taking a look at some mods that’ll make them even better.
With shops like Grave Concoctions and Dead Man’s Drink next to the biggest graveyard in all of Skyrim, it’s no wonder Falkreath attracts shady characters.
Baloth Telvem is one of these shadowy figures.
After being kicked out of Winterhold for raising one too many corpses, this master necromancer moved his operation to Falkreath – where you’ll find and recruit him.
He’s a combat mage who’ll charge the enemy with a conjured sword while his two skeleton underlings block any flanking attempts.
If you’d rather adventure with some of the vanilla Dunmer followers, Pandorable has you covered.
This mod significantly improves the facial appearance of Jenassa and Karliah – the two best female Dunmer followers in vanilla Skyrim.
Jenassa owes her popularity to how quickly you can find and recruit her for such a mighty warrior. She’s the perfect bodyguard for any Dragonborn who prefers others to dirty their hands while they cast spells from the back.
Karliah, on the other hand, can only follow you for a little while – but since she’s part of the Nightingales questline, beautifying her can greatly improve your time in the Thieves Guild.
Another solid option to overhaul Jenassa that leaves her looking just a little less like she just came out of the beauty salon is this mod by Wizwar.
It transforms Jenassa’s facial structure and default expression to look a bit more gentle and refined. She might be a bloodthirsty warrior now, but maybe she was just an ordinary Dunmer girl before she wound up in the Drunken Huntsman.
One of my favorite aspects of this mod is the scarification on the right side of her face. It must be the latest trend in Morrowind!
This mod is fantastic if you plan to take Jenassa as your wife.
She looks loving and down-to-earth… at least when she’s not hacking bandits to pieces.
Dunmer are well-known to have particular sensitivity toward Daedric influence – especially that of Azura, who gives them visions of the future.
Few Dunmer have peered as far forward as Virelda – known as the Heretical Soothsayer.
This beautiful but mysterious lady was driven out of Cyrodiil in times long past for her terrible predictions, and like many Dunmer, she ended up in Solstheim. There, she hid in an ancient temple until the coming of the Dragonborn roused her from her meditations.
Creator Mlee3141 made Virelda a force to be reckoned with in ranged combat thanks to her mastery over Destruction magic. She might even show you a new trick or two!
Many of them have the misfortune of living in Windhelm’s Gray Quarter – including Atvir Dres.
This roguish Dunmer looks like any other Windhelm street urchin but hides an exiled Morrowind prince under the veneer of misery. With dreams of one day leading an army of mercenaries to claim his birthright, he continues to prowl the streets in search of coin.
The creator, Janus, was inspired by the classic Companion Vilja mod for Oblivion. The level of detail in Vilja’s backstory and personality was astounding, and they wanted to do the same.
With hundreds of lines of fully-voiced dialogue and countless organic interactions, Atvir Dres is the perfect immersive party member you’ll grow to love as you hunt dragons and save up for that army.
I love follower mods that give vanilla NPCs a second chance at stealing your heart.
Nether’s Karliah does just that for this member of the Thieves Guild and the Nightingales, whose incredible potential was wasted by making her just a temporary follower in vanilla Skyrim.
This add-on makes her much more attractive and enables her as a permanent follower and possible marriage partner. She’s also much better in combat.
Karliah has tons of new voice lines, including quest and location-specific comments that make her feel organic and immersive. You’ll have a blast trying to woo her or earn her respect throughout your adventures.
AngryKarakuri’s Nereron is another Dunmer criminal mastermind who’ll make your travels much more interesting and offer a new perspective on life in Tamriel.
Living as a smuggler between Morrowind and Solstheim, Nereron’s accent and attitude might remind you of The Elder Scrolls III. He has over 400 lines of voiced dialogue about his adventures and time in Morrowind, which he’ll gladly share over a glass of authentic Sujamma.
This fascinating Dunmer is the perfect companion for thieves, necromancers, mercenaries, and morally gray characters who need a little support from the shadows.
Interesting NPCs is an incredible mod that populates Skyrim with over 250 fully voiced NPCs, including 25+ followers to diversify your army of possible sidekicks.
Of these followers, only three are Dunmer:
Erevan
Meresine
Raynes
But what a trio they are.
Erevan is a former knight of the Order of the Rose who’ll be an excellent fit for a virtuous Dragonborn. On the contrary, Raynes is a bit of a psychopath interested in spilling the blood of wrongdoers to deter further crimes.
Or if you’d rather focus on your mission to save Skyrim from the Dragons, recruit Meresine. She’s been getting visions of fire and blood and is hell-bent on preventing another disaster like the Red Mountain eruption.
1. Teldryn Serious – A Teldryn Zero Backstory Quest
One of the most intriguing and mysterious Dark Elves in vanilla Skyrim is Teldryn Sero – the best swordsman in all of Morrowind, if you’ll believe his own reports.
Clad in a full suit of Chitin armor, Teldryn hides his face and past.
At most, he’ll reveal that he grew up in Blacklight, the capital of Morrowind.
Teldryn Serious by Undriel is a massive follower and quest mod that reveals more about Teldryn’s dangerous life as you fight together to protect Raven Rock.
It’s over 500 lines of fully voiced, lore-friendly dialogue and a new questline, some dungeons, and a couple of bosses. There’s a ton of loot to find, too, including new weapons and a new armor set.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
