#jarl balgruuf

[umbracirrus]

WIP Wednesday!! 💛

Hello, everyone! It's Wednesday already, and I come with some political machinations that Balgruuf is having to deal with :3 Not much else to say other than that-!!! Under a read more due to length.

Tagged by @hircines-hunter, @skyrim-forever, and @thequeenofthewinter -!

Tagging anyone who wishes to share a WIP <3

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“Winterhold sounds as though it is struggling,” Balgruuf muttered as he entered his study, letter in hand with Proventus following not far behind him. The doors fell shut with a light click, before he placed the letter down on his desk and began to light the candles and sconces in order to give them both light to work with. “My first correspondence from Korir in months, and things sound to be bleak.”

“Bleak, my lord? How bleak?”

The jarl was silent as he took his seat, propped his elbow up on the arm of the chair and brought his hand up to his chin, before loudly exhaling through his nose. “Food shortages, insufficient building materials to repair damage to buildings that can withstand the weather, medical supplies running low, and I quote,” he took hold of the letter with his free hand, and sighed. “‘magical anomalies which continue to plague the remaining citizens of Winterhold which the College ignore, and instead tell me to discuss the matter with the Psijic Order and the Thalmor.’”

Proventus frowned. “It sounds to be... Very tense. Precarious.”

“Hm. I can think of another few words to describe the situation too,” Balgruuf muttered under his breath. In particular, ‘difficult’ came to mind – both describing what the people of Winterhold were having to go through, and the behaviour of his fellow jarl. Korir had always been a bit... Prickly. Not dissimilar to how his father before him had been in the few years he had known his predecessor.

He did have to wonder though... Korir hadn’t originally been his father’s heir. He had an older sister who simply disappeared... he had to say almost thirty years ago, by that point? A few years give or take. Perhaps things would have been different if Ingja had taken up the mantle of Jarl instead.

“Jarl? Septim for your thoughts?”

Balgruuf glanced at his steward for a moment, then shook his head. “It is nothing,” he stated as his brow furrowed. “I believe that we should take this as an opportunity. Whiterun and Winterhold have never had the strongest of relations, this may be a chance to improve things.” He brought his hand to his chin, and quietly hummed as he thought through his options. “Perhaps we could gauge what the situation is across Whiterun, then from there discuss with Korir about establishing some sort of trade between the holds. It has been something we have discussed on numerous occasions yet have never actioned, so this may be the ideal time to start putting things into place. Winterhold no doubt has resources which could be valuable for Whiterun in return for supplies...”

“Ah... Yes, that sounds reasonable enough, my lord,” Proventus stated, nodding along as he began to flick through some papers which he had with him. He then stopped on one sheet, and ran the tip of his quill partway down the page. “However, we do not have an up-to-date assessment of Whiterun’s own resources...”

“So we bring in the people who are more informed on the state of things. My Thanes as a starting point, as they cover not just the city, but the hold’s towns and villages too. Their opinions on the matter will be useful too. From there, we can see about reaching out to other people who may be able to provide supplies…” Balgruuf trailed off as his brow furrowed.  “Though we will have to make it clear to Korir that we are not giving him something for nothing. If he intends to take advantage of Whiterun’s current willingness to help, then he can ask his neighbouring holds for support. If the likes of Skald or Ulfric even care to listen to him in the first place. The two of them have had a greater focus on political advances as of late from my recent correspondences…”

The room was silent beyond the scratching of Proventus’ quill against paper, before the steward quietly and repetitively tapped the nib. “And when shall we convene this meeting with your Thanes? Would sooner be better?”

Balgruuf began to think it through, then folded his arms over as he closed his eyes. “Three weeks. Korir’s letter says that with the recent change in seasons, routes in and out of Winterhold are opening up and the conditions are no longer as harsh – he believes the city has enough for another two to three months. It gives us a bit of time to figure things out before contacting him with our offer of support, and time for him to make alternative arrangements if he wishes for Whiterun to carry both its own burdens and his own.”

Proventus nodded, and made a quick note, before frowning. “The Dragonborn will be leaving for Riften imminently.”

He had forgotten about that.

He rose from his seat and took a deep breath. “I will leave it to you to arrange letters to the other Thanes. I will try to catch Elyse before she leaves.”

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Jarl Balgruuf with his children

Art posted by Bethesda for Fathers Day

*Artist Unknown* If anyone knows the artist, comment below!

[jzargo]

Michael Gough voicing both Beckett and Gimble in Bloodlines and then voicing Vilkas, Jarl Balgruuf, half the guards in the game, and Ralof in Skyrim...

[skyrim-forever]

Alright which table you sitting at?

[hircines-hunter]

Tea is too Sweet for the Jarl.

for @umbracirrus

[critter-in-skyrim]

who is the most babygirl skyrim character?

[entrancedsnow70]

More people should want to fuck Jarl Balgruuf and I’m disappointed in the Skyrim fandom for not jumping on that dilf

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

Balgruuf the Greater, after there's an attempt on his life orchestrated by his kids: Wow, that sucked. Time to not think about that ever.

[hadvarandralof]

quick sketch of balgruuf ‘cause i love him <3

[moicaire]

press home to unlock I guess. but first you have to get past

🚨 WIDE BALGRUUF 🚨

[umbracirrus]

Okay, so, I have recently been thinking about axes and their importance in Nord culture in Skyrim, in part because I have something planned in a fanfiction that involves giving an axe and have been doing a little bit of research into it, and I have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole so please bear with me on this mini essay in which I have pulled together my thoughts/observations about axes in Skyrim and my two favourite Jarls, Balgruuf and Ulfric.

So, as anyone who has done the Civil War quests in Skyrim would know, there is a pivotal point in which the balance of power in Skyrim shifts either towards the Empire or the Stormcloaks based purely upon the player's alignment - when Whiterun either aligns with the Imperials or is taken by force by the Stormcloaks. Of course, there is one particular event which happens immediately before the battle begins, and that is the delivery of an axe.

However, at this point I would just like to bring up something which will become relevant later no matter what your alignment - at the point of the axe being sent, you have been named a Thane of Whiterun. Balgruuf won't hear anything to do with the Civil War when a dragon is attacking the Western Watchtower, so becoming both Dragonborn and a Thane is a prerequisite to the Civil War.

If you align with the Empire, it is Balgruuf who decides to send an axe. If you ask why, he gives the explanation that "if he returns it to you it means we have business to settle. If he keeps it, then we are at peace.", and if you ask whether you should say anything, he says that Ulfric knows what it means (also important for later!). The other dialogue option which isn't just 'sure, okay, I'll do that' also says that it is tradition, and that Ulfric honours traditions.

Obviously, Ulfric doesn't accept it and you return to Balgruuf with the news that he will be attacking Whiterun and suddenly, the city is under siege. When you win, Balgruuf personally thanks you for what you have done after his victory speech.

Now, on the other side of things, if you side with the Stormcloaks, it is Ulfric who gives you the axe to take to Balgruuf, but his explanation is much more... succinct. "If he keeps it, I will bide my time. If he returns it to you, it means war."

And as with the other side, because the game would be pretty boring is Balgruuf was to go "sure, I accept Ulfric's axe", he rejects the axe and that in turn means that you return to Ulfric with his axe, and he expresses his disappointment that Balgruuf had done so.

The two Jarls wanted the other on their side, but their views were fundamentally different they couldn't accept. 😭Sending their axes was just a formality, a way of saying 'this is it, we have to fight now'.

So what I am basically getting at, the civil war quest establishes that giving an axe is a way of determining allies and enemies, depending on whether it is accepted or rejected.

Coming back to what I mentioned earlier, in order to do the civil war quest and to talk to Balgruuf in order to either give him Ulfric's axe or to give his axe to Ulfric, you have to have become the Dragonborn and are a Thane of Whiterun. When you become a Thane in Skyrim, you end up receiving a weapon as a reward, typically named 'Blade of *insert hold name here*'. Except in two places.

Whiterun, and Eastmarch. In those places, you get either the Axe of Whiterun or the Axe of Eastmarch.

If I remember correctly, the blade weapons are randomly generated so have the potential to be axes, but these two are specifically named to be and are axes.

What else is in common with Whiterun and Eastmarch?

Their Jarls (Balgruuf and Ulfric) are the only two people in Skyrim who actively partake in and have knowledge of the tradition of the sending of axes.

When you become a Thane of these two holds, you are not just becoming a Thane, you are becoming a trusted ally of the Jarl, somebody who they can rely upon. Even more so with Ulfric, because you can only become a Thane of Eastmarch with Ulfric as Jarl if you are Stormcloak aligned.

Speaking of being Stormcloak aligned, how about a diversion back to the Civil War, specifically when the battle for Whiterun has reached its penultimate stages, Balgruuf has been defeated and has surrendered control of Whiterun. After an argument with Vignar (and I'll get into him later because he makes my blood boil), Balgruuf turns to you and says a line which absolutely breaks my heart - "And you. A Stormcloak? I'd thought better of you." 😭

Balgruuf thought you his ally, he had given you his axe, and you have just gone and stabbed him in the back (figuratively, and quite possibly literally depending on character build). As I said, it breaks my heart when he says that line.

Basically, what I am getting at, is that the depth of such a simple tradition in Skyrim is immense and I wish that there were more things like it (beyond the duel to the death for the throne thing, looking at you Ulfric) or saw it used more in the game. And that Balgruuf and Ulfric are by far the best Jarls in terms of character development and just how much their homeland and traditions mean to them. And I wish that there was a way to keep Balgruuf as Jarl even if you are Stormcloak aligned because fuck Vignar, and you know what? Fuck Maven Black-Briar too, she sucks. Laila is pretty incompetent as Jarl but at least she isn't Maven and that's a rant for another time. But not having Maven as Jarl is main reason I join the Stormcloaks more often than not. Balgruuf is usually the main reason that I join the Imperials on playthroughs.

Now... Vignar Gray-Mane. When you make him Jarl of Whiterun and he names you Thane, he gives you the Blade of Whiterun, not the Axe of Whiterun (yeah, I know I said that I think the blade weapons can be randomly generated as axes, and no doubt it was given to stop you from having multiple axes of Whiterun, but I just don't like Vignar soooo....). That's mean. Especially after we protected the city and helped him become Jarl too. There's another layer of insult there if you've rescued Thorald, his nephew, from the Thalmor. At least Brunwulf Free-Winter gives you the Axe of Eastmarch when he is Jarl if you defeat Ulfric for the Imperials and complete that shitshow of a quest 'Blood on the Ice'. Brunwulf is a bro, not Vignar. Hmph.

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Jarl Balgruuf Browser History

> Barl Jalgruuf

[nekomomoz]

Found this really funny chart so I filled and translated it with my fav Skyrim characters :3

[mazurga]

Jarl Balgruuf the Greater

[falkreathbard]

Lydia is the bastard child of Jarl Balgruuf. This is my headcanon, and it makes a whole lot of sense once you think about it.