Skyrim:Borkul the Beast

Borkul the Beast (RefID: 00019915)
Home City	Markarth
Location	Cidhna Mine, then Druadach Redoubt
Race	Orc	Gender	Male
Level	PC×1 (range=10-50)	Class	Orc Warrior
RefID	00019915	BaseID	0001338A
Other Information
Health	100+(PC-1)×11.7
Magicka	50+(PC-1)×3.3
Stamina	50
Primary Skills	Heavy Armor, One-handed, Archery, Sneak
Perks	MS02IncreaseDamage; Reduce Damage
Class Details	GuardOrc1H
Morality	No Crime	Aggression	Aggressive
Voice Type	MaleOrc
Faction(s)	CrimeFactionCidhnaMine; DruadachRedoubtFaction; TownCidhnaMinePrisonerFaction

Borkul the Beast

Borkul the Beast is an Orc warrior who is found inside Cidhna Mine. He is considered to be the toughest prisoner in the mine and guards the door leading to Forsworn leader Madanach. During No One Escapes Cidhna Mine, you need to convince him to let you pass in order to gain your freedom.

Once outside the city, he will run all the way to Druadach Redoubt where he will start his life anew as part of the Forsworn. He will now spend his time either patrolling the path by the river, or wandering around inside the cave, occasionally eating, relaxing, or sleeping. His only dialogue at this point will be about him refusing naming you as Blood-Kin to the Orcs.

He is only armed with a pickaxe and wears ragged trousers and a pair of iron gauntlets.

Related Quests

• No One Escapes Cidhna Mine: Escape from Cidhna Mine!

Quest-Related Events

No One Escapes Cidhna Mine

When first encountered, he will not leave his spot near the door, though he is quite talkative. When you approach him he will say:

"The new meat. So soft. Tender. What was it like killing your first one, huh?"

Option	Dialogue
Exciting. I felt the rush of blood... and smiled.	"A true killer, like me. The gods put us here to fill their halls with souls. You'll fit in fine down here."
Horrible. My soul is heavy with guilt.	"Pah. The gods have a place for killers. You can't carry the burden? You're weak."
I'm not a murderer.	"Liar."

You will then get the option to ask him a couple of simple questions:

What are you in for?

"Murder. Banditry. Assault. Theft. And lollygagging."

How long have you been here?

"Guards brought me in about 12 years ago. Was running a good group of bandits up until then. But these Forsworn. They're nothing like the men I cobbled together. They're real killers."

This conversation will also unlock some new greeting when he sees you:

"You serve your time by digging. So dig."

"Prison's not so bad. Less complaints when I kill people."

There will be no further dialogue options until you have spoken to fellow prisoner Uraccen about Madanach.

When you return to Borkul you can ask him to see Madanach:

I need to see Madanach.

"You want to talk to the King in Rags? Fine. But first you got to pay the toll. How about you get me a shiv? Not that I need one, but it's nice to have in case I need to do some "shaving." Ha ha."

This opens five different dialogue options, with five different outcomes:

NOTE: Please see the related quest page or the shiv page for information on how to get the dialogue.

Option	Dialogue				Reaction
I don't have a shiv.	"Then find one. That dung heap Grisvar's been known to make a few."				Find a shiv
Here's your shiv.	"All right, head on in. But don't try anything in there. Madanach is smarter than you think."				Pass the door
Madanach is expecting me. (Persuade)	Passed: "Hmph. Fine. Go on in. But don't try anything in there. Madanach knows more than you think." Failed: "The only thing Madanach expects is a bottle of Skooma in tribute every so often. You're not getting through."				Passed: Pass the door Failed: Nothing
How about some skooma instead? (Bribe)	Passed: "Ah, now that's a good idea. Head on in. But don't try anything in there. Madanach is smarter than you think."				Passed: Pass the door
Let me through, pig-face. (Intimidate)	Passed: "Those eyes. All right, killer, go on through. But don't try anything. Madanach knows more than you think." Failed: "That's what I was hoping you'd say."				Passed: Pass the door Failed: Turn hostile
How about I fight you for it? (Brawl)	Brawl: (Start a brawl) Victory: "It's been so long since I tasted my own blood. Sour." You'll let me through now? "Yeah, yeah. Go on in." Failure: (Nothing)				Brawl
I'll pay the toll later.	"That's right. Turn around and leave."				Nothing

After he lets you in, he will wait by the door until you prove your loyalty to the King in Rags. When you follow Madanach out to the main chamber, Borkul will stand in the crowd and listen to the speech and shout:

"The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!"

He will then run through the secret tunnel with the rest of the Forsworn and enter Markarth Ruins, saying nothing except:

"Get going."

Once outside, he will don a full set of Forsworn Armor and fight for his freedom like everyone else, battling his way through the city towards the gates.

Notes

• Borkul is the only member of the Forsworn that isn't a Breton/Reachman.

Bugs

• Borkul's sleep package is blocked by his other Cidhna Mine packages.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 2.0.0, fixes this bug.
• During No One Escapes Cidhna Mine, it is impossible to intimidate Borkul, due to the confidence level bug.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 2.0.5, addresses this issue. His confidence value has been lowered one notch to "Brave" instead of "Foolhardy".
• When you try to brawl with Borkul, he may equip his pickaxe during the fight.