A Skyrim player has discovered the longest kept secret hidden in plain sight


There’s a dark, hidden story hiding behind a seemingly innocent little town in Skyrim…

It all goes back to Lokir, the other guy who was captured at the start of the game…

We find out that Lokir dislikes both the Stormcloaks and the Imperials, which is a big clue that kind of flies under the radar if you aren’t paying attention. Why did he decide to flee from Rorikstead, a seemingly innocent town? Something’s just not right about that place…

Here are some facts about the town of Rorikstead: 

  • There’s a wizard in this town trying to secretly teach magic to a little girl. Upon inspecting the wizard’s house, we discover he worships Daedra.
  • There’s a song about Ragnar the Red which dates back a very long time, and references the town.
  • “Rorik” means “Red King” or “Bloody Warrior”.
  • In The Elder Scrolls Online, it’s revealed that this small farming town dates all the way back to the first era, yet other villages in Skyrim claim it’s a new town that has just recently sprung up.
  • Another book, a shipping manifesto, reveals that the town was present in the 2nd era. The conclusion from all of this? Maybe the town has fallen and risen again over time.
  • Rorikstead has surprisingly fertile soils and bountiful harvests considering it’s size and location.
  • Most homes have soul gems inside of them.
  • Many women die during childbirth, despite the fact that the town is home to a healing wizard.
  • Rorik says he fought in the great war, and had his life saved by a healer.

So, keeping all of that in mind, and a few other points that are brought up in the video, what’s the theory?

The town is actually a secret cult of Daedric worshipers, and it’s unclear how many townsfolk are in it on.

image: wikia

There’s a dialog with the wizard Jouane Manette where he vehemently denies there being any kind of secret to this town, which obviously raises red flags.

The fertile mothers who are dying are actually being sacrificed for fertile land. One woman is still alive because she’s too old to be fertile, along with two twin sisters who are alive because they’re too young.

This could explain how the town rises and falls. If they stop doing sacrifices, it would anger the Daedrics. If they keep sacrificing, they aren’t able to grow their population or give birth to future generations of citizens.

Is the town mage teaching magic to the little girl so that she can someday take over the duties of sacrificing fertile woman?

ESO on Youtube, who came up with this theory, says it ties together all the strange loose ends and items in the town.

YouTube video

Check out the video for the complete rundown so you can decide if this theory makes perfect sense or if it’s just a wild conspiracy from a big imagination. Can you find any holes in the theory?