I always thought of Dragonreach’s “decorative moat” as you put it as an actually functional piece of architecture. Just not as part of the palace’s defenses, but more of a day to day thing. I think it’s a livewell that’s been made to resemble a moat. There’s always fish in there, and Whiterun Hold has lots of fertile fishing spots. Fisherman throughout the Hold could be payed by the Jarl’s household to catch fish from around the Hold and bring them back to Dragonsreach alive, so that the fish can be released into the livewell and recaptured when the Jarl’s kitchens are ready to cook them. There’s even waterfalls oxygenating the water and keeping them pure and flowing downhill. People often like to keep catfish or carp alive for a while in ponds, pools, or even bathtubs before cooking them. It lets you keep them in clean water eating clean food for a while, which lets some of the bottom-feeder funk work it’s way out of the meat.
This channel is a real throwback to the old video game myths/creepypasta videos of the old internet but with a modern take and I absolutely love everything about it
The skeleton is floating because it's marked as a body you can loot. While you can find pieces of skeletons under water, actual bodies cannot fully submerge because the water physics engine actively prevents a body's head from going under the water.
Personally I like the idea that it's an escaped prisoner who chose the worst hiding place imaginable and drown. Like "the guards are distracted! They won't check under here!" *eventually drowns because the guards won't leave* Morbidly funny.
My theory: that's Balgruuf's wife. I don't think he straight up murdered her, but I think he was forced to put her down for her use of the ebony blade. Perhaps she was unhappy about his illegitimate child, possibly sired while she was being driven mad by it, estranging him. Or perhaps he used the blade on her under it's influence and deeply regrets it (I don't think he is evil). The court and Jarl fears it-- it has a history somewhat recently in dragonsreach where something went down.
But if that were the case why wouldn't he put her in the hall of the dead? Or bury her and not leave her under the bridge to dragonsreach, a place where people could easily spot it.
I think you're right about it being Balgruuf's wife. However, I don't think he did it himself. I think it was actually the Dark Brotherhood. Gabriella's preferred way of disposing bodies is by dumping them in the water. Another possible murderer is Balgruuf's second in command, Irileth, who was previously a member of Morag Tong.
So you actively drag Nazeems body through half of the city and up the massive stairs to dump him in there? 😂 I like to imagine everyone seeing it but pretending that nothing is happening
I figured it was a joke about someone who had to wait to see the Jarl for so long they perished and turned into bones and are still there waiting. 😂 But really, its probably a piece of a cut quest from the originally planned larger Whiterun that actually had a Cloud District. Nazeem used to have a house, but it was cut so he's basically homeless.
While Maven is a plausible candidate, I don’t think she’d be so brazen as to dump the body underneath the doorstep of another Jarl. She might have Riften firmly in her pocket, but risking the anger of another Jarl who she doesn’t control is a chance I don’t think she’d be willing to take. More likely, she’d remove the guy from Whiterun and have his body dumped somewhere out in the wild where he wouldn’t be found…. Cos it’s kind of ridiculous that the Dragonborn is the first person to find such an obvious and not very well hidden body. Whoever the body is, it has to be something related to Whiterun’s domestic politics, which is why the guards pretend not to notice it when patrolling the bridge all day. If it was someone outside the city, they’d at least remove it and intern it in the hall of the dead, so the fact they haven’t is pretty good indication they’ve been told to leave it alone. Or maybe a Bethesda dev just thought it’d be funny to put a skeleton there. 😂
My theory is that it is indeed Balgruuf's wife and that the killer is either Gabriella from the Dark Brotherhood (she has a penchant for dumping her targets in the water), or Irileth, who was trained by the Morag Tong and admits to killing many threats to Balgruuf.
I've always been curious about that skeleton since if first laid eyes on it and knew instantly which one you were referring to. Sometimes the Skeleton does have some coins and some bone meal.
This is why I love content like this. Always putting a spotlight on things I never noticed before. And I've played this game for YEARS and still discover new things. Great content 🤝
In the realm of outlandish conspiracy theories about this skeleton in the moat, I have one. Mikial was possibly envious of the husband of Carlotta, and possibly saw the two together in the inn constantly. Mikial was jealous, wanting Carlotta for himself. He may have courted Carlotta, but she chose her husband instead of him. So, Mikial goes Arcadias shop and buys Deadly Nightshade and a bottle of Nord mead. Mixes it in and offers it to Carlottas husband on a walk to the Jarls palace. Carlottas husband is poisioned, and Mikial strips the body of clothing and identification papers, dumping the body in the moat, reasoning that nobody checks there.
A fun and interesting theory. The only real flaw is that someone willing to go that far to be with someone would not suddenly give up just because some random person asked them to...
Both sensible, I like the idea the skeleton has something to do with Balgruuf but the more I looked down that rabbit hole the more I realised how ridiculous it'd be for the Jarl to pop a body in his own moat.
@@christianthrasher8677 To what purpose? It whould be far easier for her to just dump the body off the Drangosreach balcony and thus out of the city and into a spot few people ever venture.
I wonder what happens once you become the leader of the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves guild. Does Maven continue to use these threats? It could be an interesting video, covering how your progress changes the perception of characters in game.
I’ve loved watching all of your RDR2 videos for the years you’ve been making them, and today I log onto RU-vid to find out you’re making Skyrim videos, that are really interesting, in 2024!!!! My day has been made and my life complete
7:47 I know that elsewhere is an actual word, but for some reason when you said it I first thought of Elsweyr, where the Khajiit come from, which just shows how much time I spend watching Elder Scrolls lore videos. It would be very strange if the skeleton was actually transported to Whiterun from Elsweyr by the Khajiit caravans.
Gabriella in the DB favours a bow and iron arrows.... and mentions she likes using a body of water as a hiding place when you talk to her about killing the Gourmet. So my headcannon has her responsible for a bunch of underwater skeletons around Skyrim including Narfi's sister, Reyda, too.
I think it's pretty obvious to both questions. The who the skeleton is is Balgruuf's wife. The who did it is the Dark Brotherhood. There is one member of the Brotherhood, Gabriella, who's favoured way of disposing bodies is by dumping them in the water.
It probably something to do with cut content for the Mephala quest, since the ebony blade is followed by a trail of death and it in Whiterun I imagine it would've had been for to kill someone at some point.
I've just been getting back into Skyrim (for the billionth time lol) and this is one of those things I always remember for some reason, yet i never noticed the literal dragon skeleton in Dragonsreach until you mentioned it. What is wrong with me?
There is one, though not very strong, reason why it is not Christophe. Maven letter says someone will come and escort him back to Riften, so it would be much easier to dispatch of Christophe somewhere on the road in the wilderness. If she wanted to send a message, well then the assassin wouldn't have hidden the body. And about the black sacrament, the letter to Astrid is unsent and the ritual sacrifice still in place so most likely whoever Maven wanted killed by the Dark Brotherhood is still alive. A potential target for the dark brotherhood might be Svidi/Lynly Star-Sung. She might be Sibbis problem, but I doubt that Maven would tolerate anyone humiliating her family
I don't think Maven even had to pay anyone to "look the other way" - death isn't exactly a rare sight in Skyrim, those are wild times in a country that is mostly untamed wilderness. People don't say much if you show up in town with a whole skeleton army following you, at max you get some grumpy comments about using magic which most nords see as weakness. Also if anyone is caught pickpocketing or lockpicking, the guards would be their BEST option, as some offended citizens would straight up attack a thief and could very much get them killed before the guards even arrive. So I don't think guards aren't used to see an unaccounted body here and there. After all, who cares? Noone? Then it isn't something worthy of attention.
I certainly feel bad for anyone who considers Maven a 'friend' as there's no loyalty or honor in that woman's bones. God I hate her so much. And I feel bad for the poor wood elf who runs the meadery for her. The man is terrified, he even tells you she made multiple disappear and dumped their bodies in a lake. Edit: I wasn't expecting it but you brought it up as soon as I finished writing this comment lol.
1:14 Easter egg to Elisa Lam, who drowned mysteriously in a watertank above the Cecil Hotel The moat/pons you mention where this skeleton floats in is the water supply for the city below, it flows all the way down through the districts and out of the city by the city gates.
Regardless how the body got there and who it is, a decomposing body would stink to high heaven so, which would not go un-noticed, especially considering where it was. I doubt the Jarl, his family or guards would tolerate that whiff for very long.
So I don’t know what I did in my vanilla play through, but every time I enter Riften a huge fight happens in the town and everybody fights Maven. Serves her right I’ve always hated her. I am a dragon slaying badass I could easily turn her into paste if only the game would allow me.
what if its the body of the real nazeem and the one in whiterun is a clone i mean he always ask if ive been to the cloud district like cmon hes not real right?
Irileth, Balgruuf's housecarl seems really jumpy and talks about assassins. Could this be an assassin that was caught and thrown into the moat as a warning to more assassins?
Doubt it. If he had been an assassin, they would have just put him/her in a gibbit and hung him above the city gates where it can be seen, not under a bridge where you can only see it if you jump in.
He could be someone who is hated by the people. Maybe a traitor or someone who betrayed and as punishment their corpse was left under the bridge for everyone to walk over in disrespect And being erased from history so no one will remember you
I bet it was Nazeem. He doesn't want other people going to the cloud district The man is quite *obscene* Does that count as saying obscenities until you talk about mafia?
i wonder if he will talk about Vulthuryol the blackreach dragon who you summon just from shouting at a random ass bell like maybe theres nothing there but idk
