Lore:Terrfyg

Terrfyg
Race	Unknown	Gender	Male
Resided in		Whiterun, Skyrim Jorrvaskr Hunting Grounds
Previous Ruler		Vigrod Wraithbane
Next Ruler		Askar

Jorrvaskr, the mead hall of the Companions.

Terrfyg was the Harbinger of the Companions in the Second or Third Era. He was responsible for turning the Companions to "the ways of the beast". As a werewolf, he was the first Harbinger to be denied access to Sovngarde.

History

The Underforge

A lycanthropy ritual in the Underforge

Little is known of Terrfyg's history and leadership. He was remembered as a good, but short-sighted man. Following Kyrnil Long-Nose's founding of the Circle in the late Second Era, the upper ranks of the Companions became infected with lycanthropy after Terrfyg made a bargain with the witches of the Glenmoril Coven. Following his death, Terrfyg's soul tried to enter the Sovngarde, but before he could even approach Tsun, he was set upon by a great wolf, who pulled him into the Hunting Grounds, the realm of Hircine.

The pact made with the witches turned high-ranking members into werewolves, and since that time, partaking in the beast blood became a tradition within the Companions' inner circle. It was passed down throughout the centuries via ritual infection of those admitted to the Circle. This ritual would take place at night in the Underforge, a secret chamber beneath the Skyforge. Although many members embraced the affliction, it prevented the Harbingers of the guild from entering Sovngarde after they had died, instead becoming trapped in Hircine's Hunting Grounds.

Centuries later, in 4E 201, Terrfyg's decision was considered a mistake by Harbinger Kodlak Whitemane. Some members of the Circle, led by him, would eventually conclude it was not a gift, but a curse with serious spiritual implications that would threaten their souls' opportunity to reach Sovngarde, and worked to eliminate it from the Companions. After his death, the order managed to cure Kodlak of his affliction, allowing him to join his ancestors in Sovngarde. However, he hoped that someday, he and other honored warriors could invade the Hunting Grounds and rescue the souls of the Companions who did not have the chance to free themselves from Hircine's grasp before death. He called this imagined battle "The Harrowing of the Hunting Grounds".

Notes

• 1.

  When Terrfyg became the Harbinger, the Circle was already established by Kyrnil Long-Nose. Long-Nose was leading the Companions in the late Second Era, before the Three Banners War, during which the faction was led by Vigrod Wraithbane. As of 4E 201, the beast blood had only been afflicting the companions for a few hundred years, placing Terrfyg's leadership in either the late Second Era or Third Era.