Letters from a Friend

[EltonJ]

I've been noticing that I've been getting these while playing Skyrim.

Oh, and hi, my name Elton J. Robb, and I've played most of the Elderscrolls games. Alright, the interesting thing about these letters is that they aren't on the Wiki. I thought I'd mention them.

They go like:

<Player Name>,

You caused a bit of stir in Western Watchtower when you demonstrated the power of your Thu'um. Not everyone is anxious for the Return of the Dragonborn.

I for one desire to see you grow and develop your talents. Skyrim needs a true hero these days.

Yu should turn your attention to <random dungeon>. I understand it holds a mysterious Source of power that can only be unlocked by the Dragonborn.

Sincerely,

A Friend

I don't know who this guy is, but I hope he's neutral in Skyrim's politics. I'd be grateful if someone could do a page on these notes.

[Cemiboy_FB]

You don't get to know the 'friend' is, the game is just trying to make it easier for you to find words of power.

[Avron the S'wit]

Hey there, Elton, and welcome to the UESP forums! Don't forget to stop by our Welcomes and Goodbyes thread and say hi.

Skyrim has a lot of dynamic and random things that happen, including getting letters from friends. I know there is just a brief page of the text on the Wiki, but not much in detail. I think they are all essentially more or less the same, location and such aside. But you might come across other letters in your travels, too...or orders to be carried out on you. What a surprise!

[EltonJ]

Hey there, Elton, and welcome to the UESP forums! Don't forget to stop by our Welcomes and Goodbyes thread and say hi.

Skyrim has a lot of dynamic and random things that happen, including getting letters from friends. I know there is just a brief page of the text on the Wiki, but not much in detail. I think they are all essentially more or less the same, location and such aside. But you might come across other letters in your travels, too...or orders to be carried out on you. What a surprise!

Oh, one of my characters got a Dark Brotherhood kill order. I was surprised. I was trying to think about who wanted me dead.

[Iaius Amaius Heron]

You don't get to know the 'friend' is, the game is just trying to make it easier for you to find words of power.

Actually, you do. Keep playing the main quest and you'll meet your "friend".

[EltonJ]

It's either Panthurax, Belden, or Delphine. I played through the whole main quest.

[TomDD]

Yeah, they are aiding you in finding word walls, so you can get new shouts. Reading one gives you a miscellaneous quest to get the word of power from the cave mentioned in the letter

Actually, I believe your 'friend' is...

Spoiler:

Delphine, the Blade, and current barmaid at the Sleeping Giant Inn

(BTW, pretty significant spoiler, so only click if you have completed up to at LEAST 'The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller' quest!)

[unokitsune]

Yeah, they are aiding you in finding word walls, so you can get new shouts. Reading one gives you a miscellaneous quest to get the word of power from the cave mentioned in the letter

Actually, I believe your 'friend' is...

Spoiler:

Delphine, the Blade, and current barmaid at the Sleeping Giant Inn

(BTW, pretty significant spoiler, so only click if you have completed up to at LEAST 'The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller' quest!)

Spoiler:

Actually I don't think it's delphine concidering that I was getting these letters after Delphine sent me to kill Parthunax and I refused to. The blades refuse to talk to you until you kill Parthunax after you return with the Elder Scroll.

I doubt it's Parthunax because with him being at the top of the world for so long he doesn't know the current situation down on earth or the new courier system

And I don't think it's that member of the thieves guild you rescue from the Thalmor Embassy either

Honestly I think it's Agveir of the greybeards since he also helps you locate other words of power when you talk to him

[demicore1]

I think its Whiterun guard, who sayd to you near the tower, that you are dragon born.

[Kingdoms]

Once, i've gotten the letter explaining how i caused a scene in the blackreach, and only me and Lydia would've been there to witness it...
I'm convinsed Lydia is sending the letters!
But honestly, I'm not convinsed that this 'friend' is even a real NPC.

[CriminalScum]

I don't think it is an actual NPC. I also thought the letters were directing me too

Spoiler:

The dungeons that contain the Dragon Priests

I've only received three letters and all three took me to dungeons containing those [&@%!].

[NLN]

I think it's a different someone in all the cities. Not a named NPC, but someone random, a guard or just someone walking past, and that's why you get the letters for doing shouts in different cities, if your "only" friend knew of all the locations, why wouldn't they write them all down at once? It's different people who only know of one location and they are happy to tell where it is.

[Eltee]

And they happily now have 'dragoborn advice' templates at the postal office. Just fill in Dragonborn's recent deeds, and here fill out your recommended dungeon! Easy as pie!

[NLN]

I spit on my monitor, seriously! XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

But yeah, because the devs were too lazy to NOT make templates. Also, if it was the same person, WHY wouldn't they write "oh, I was the one that sent you to here-and-here, was it good? I found another location"?

...in fact, this would be the only good way to not make it look stupid.

[Eltee]

I still think it makes the world feel more alive. But... It would take ten minutes to cook up thirty slightly differently phrased notes. An hours work for a writer, and you could make a dozen different templates for every random note in the game.

[NLN]

We are talking about the same people who put intricate references into very random and minor locations about things most people will never find out just because they aren't sneaking around to listen to the bandits/other hostiles talking, YET they didn't put anything about the backstory of the main questline in for those who would like to dig deeper...

The templates don't make sense anyway, whether it's the same person or a different one, I just prefer to think of it as different ones in different cities

[Chaos the N'wah]

I still think it makes the world feel more alive. But... It would take ten minutes to cook up thirty slightly differently phrased notes. An hours work for a writer, and you could make a dozen different templates for every random note in the game.

*Receives Letter from a friend*
*It smells of alcohol and is damp to the touch*
*Opens letter to find an illegible, mess of chickenscratch and random lines*
*Receives Letter of Apology*
*It reads, "Sorry, I was so drunk off of Blackbriar that I forgot what I wrote"*

[NLN]

I still think it makes the world feel more alive. But... It would take ten minutes to cook up thirty slightly differently phrased notes. An hours work for a writer, and you could make a dozen different templates for every random note in the game.

*Receives Letter from a friend*
*It smells of alcohol and is damp to the touch*
*Opens letter to find an illegible, mess of chickenscratch and random lines*
*Receives Letter of Apology*
*It reads, "Sorry, I was so drunk off of Blackbriar that I forgot what I wrote"*

I now want a DLC where you can play a courier, possibly rising to the top of the post service of Skyrim! :'D

Quests would include (judging from actual happenings in game): "deliver this letter to this-and-this wearing only your boots"

[Pancake]

The "friend" is

Spoiler:

Todd Howard

he watches your every actions.

[azuarc]

I don't know who the friend is, but man those couriers sure freak me out. Sometimes they find me in the middle of a town, and sometimes as I'm stepping out of a dungeon. Seriously, how does this guy know where I am? Or who I am for that matter, considering a different outfit completely masks my appearance. It's not like he's sitting around doing his thing and then sees me from a distance and goes "there's the chick I was looking for."

It must be Lydia writing the letters. It's the only explanation.

[Trelares]

It must be as pancake said and it seems that this "courier" guy is the same as our "mysterious" friend, thats why he can find us everywhere^^.

[Chaos the N'wah]

Obviously it's the courier himself! Why else would he run around naked other than that he had to sell his clothes in order to fund for all the paper and ink!

[Frost Mage]

Obviously it's the courier himself! Why else would he run around naked other than that he had to sell his clothes in order to fund for all the paper and ink!

Genius! That must be it!

[Chaos the N'wah]

Either that...or the notes are made from his clothes...his dirty...sweaty...Stalking-you-across-Skyrim-without bathing clothes...
"A piece of me is on you..."
*Shudders*

[metaphysician]

*cough* Its hardly "laziness" to use a template for what is just a templated minor sidequest. You might as well complain about every other radiant quest being randomly generated. . . which is tantamount to saying you want all the radiant quests excised.