The land of Skyrim is filled with undead characters that players will encounter multiple times during their journey. Players will encounter Draugr and Skeletons inside the various nordic crypts and dungeons which make up the bulk of undead characters in Skyrim Special Edition. However, there are some undead NPCs that are different from the rest.These particular characters have some backstories behind them rather than being a generic enemy type for players to take down during their quests. Finding these characters will require players to keep a sharp eye out as it is easy to categorize them as regular enemies and miss them.
5 Holgeir And Fjori
Players can encounter Holgeir and Fjori, a pair of draugr, in Ansilvund. According to in-game journals and books, Holgeir and Fjori were once competing warlords that lived centuries before the events of the game. They eventually met in battle, but instead of slaying each other, the pair fell in love as their swords crossed. Holgeir and Fjori soon got married and lived a happy life for the next few years, until one day a venomous snake bite claimed Fjori's life.
In grief, Holgeir built her Ansilvund as her grave and a memorial and afterward took his own life to join her in death. When players visit Ansilvund, they will find that a Redguard necromancer by the name of Lu'ah Al-Skaven is trying to raise an army of Draugr.
She aims to exact revenge from both the Empire and Stormcloaks for the loss of her husband, Saeel, who was slain during the Great War. She hopes of raising Holgeir and Fjori to lead her Draugr army against the two factions. After players deal with Lu'ah, they can talk to the spirits of Holgeir and Fjori who thank them for freeing them once again and gift the player a unique one-handed sword called 'Ghostblade'.
4 Malkoran's Shade
Malkoran is a necromancer who is encountered during the Daedric Prince Meridia's quest. He can be found at her temple where he will have raised an army of Corrupted Shades by attempting to enslave the souls of fallen Stormcloak and Imperial soldiers. Players will need to defeat scores of these Shades before confronting Malkoran himself and putting an end to his unholy activities.
However, once Malkoran dies, his own Shade will rise from his body. If players manage to get a good look at him, they will notice a unique design to his character model as it has particularly menacing teeth and bigger size. A look at the game's files reveals that Malkoran's Shade is treated as just a remodeled Dragon Priest possessing a similar AI package and animations. Once both forms of Malkoran are taken care of, players will then be able to collect a unique sword gifted by Meridia called Dawnbreaker which is particularly useful against undead and vampires.
3 The Headless Horseman
The Headless Horseman is a spectral undead entity that can be encountered in the Whiterun hold at night between 10pm to 5:30am. Unlike most undead characters, the Horseman does not seek to bring harm to the players and others around him. In fact, he spends most of his time riding around the Whiterun hold. If players decide to follow him, the Horseman will lead them to Hamvir's Rest where he'll stop, linger for a few moments, and then disappear.
Players will then be attacked by a few skeletons which can easily be dispatched. Afterward, players can approach the sarcophagus located in front of them and find a helmet, a human skull alongside a battleaxe. Fans believe that this is in fact The Headless Horseman's tomb where he rides out from and returns to every night.
2 The Pale Lady
The Pale Lady is a unique Wispmother encountered in a large sanctuary beneath Frostmere Crypt. Wispmothers are mysterious beings as not much is known about them, but traditionally can be encountered in the northern regions of Skyrim, surrounded by Wisps. When players arrive at Frostmere Crypt, they will learn that the dungeon was being used as a hideout for some bandits who seemingly went insane.
As players delve deeper into the crypt, they will end up at a lush green sanctuary where they will encounter the bandit leader near the entrance breathing his last. He tells players that the bandits discovered a unique sword from the area after which the insanity began.
He adds that one of the bandits went into the sanctuary to return the blade and end the insanity which is when the leader followed him inside, only to be attacked by the bandit with the sword and left to die. When players catch up to the bandit, they will see him get killed by The Pale Lady. Players can either attempt to slay The Pale Lady themselves or return the blade to the altar after which The Pale Lady disappears. The in-game book, Lost Legends, speaks about The Pale Lady as possibly a figure named "Aumriel" who battled Ysgrammor's heirs for decades before they sealed her away.
1 Yngvild's Undead
The crypt of Yngvild can be found on an island in the Sea of Ghost, east of Dawnstar. As with most dungeons of Skyrim, players will find the area filled with Draugr along with some ghosts. A closer look at both enemies will reveal that they are all exclusively female characters.
Female draugr are rare on their own and a dungeon filled with female draugr exclusively raises some questions. The answers can be found deeper into the crypt where players encounter a necromancer named Arondil.
After dealing with him, players can read his journals to reveal that the necromancer had a very creepy and unhealthy obsession with women. He was a resident of Dawnstar before he was chased away from the city for his creepy tendencies and then took refuge in Yngvild. He had been raising a host of female undead to serve him as his servants. Players will have the opportunity to put the dead to rest once more by slaying Arondil once and for all and ending his creepy activities.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was released on November 11, 2011, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. From November 2021 onwards the game is available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.