Skyrim is an immense game, with a variety of quests and paths players can choose. Among those many paths is the option to become pseudo-royalty, in the form of obtaining the title of Thane in any of the nation's nine holds.
But the path to becoming a Thane is not universal. Just as each hold and its residents are unique, so to is the method to earn each Jarls' favor. Take, for instance, the hold of Falkreath. The quest for the Jarl's favor has several converging paths, and here, we'll explore those paths, and how to become Thane of Falkreath.
4 Black Briar Mead, Please
For those who only have the base game, or want to seek Thanehood as soon as possible, they'll need to befriend Jarl Siddgeir to unlock the rest of the quest. And the best — and only — way to do that, is to provide him with some alcohol. But not just any alcohol, oh no. He wants Black Briar Mead. Fortunately, said mead can be purchased in most taverns, inns, and pubs around the nation.
But for those light on septims, there are a few other locations to find it, be it through looting or thievery. Most obviously is in Helgen Keep, near the bear section of the dungeon. It's a perfect place for those pursuing the title early in-game. There'll also be a bottle in Ustengrav, which is useful for those who pursue the main quest. Multiple NPCs might have a loose bottle or two laying around their house, waiting to be stolen. And, of course, there's always the chance for it to randomly spawn as bandit camp loot. Be warned, though: this quest is coded under the radiant quests of "rare gifts," meaning if someone is trying to find a mammoth tusk for Ysolda, or a book for Lami or Rustlief, then Siddgeir won't give out this request until the former are completed. So players should be careful which other quests they've yet to complete.
3 Wait For The Courier
But for those who have the Hearthfire DLC installed, and/or are a little more patient, they can circumvent Siddgeir's never-ending need for branded alcohol. Instead, players can wait until they've reached level nine, after which said Jarl will send a courier after them, with the request for them to visit Falkreath. And early game, its quite possible to grind up to this level without ever setting foot beyond Riverwood, should players focus the right skills — alchemy, archery, pickpocket, and sneak are among the easiest to do. Then, once they've got the level, got the letter, and head to Falkreath, players can immediately skip over the need to get Black Briar Mead, and receive the actual thane quest from Siddgeir.
2 Dungeon Delving
Whether the path of mead or letter is chosen, the rest of the quest proceeds relatively the same. Jarl Siddgeir will give players the quest to go after a bandit clan and kill their leader. This, too, is a radiant quest, meaning where these bandits are located will vary from players to player, and playthrough to playthrough. Fortunately, there are only four dungeons that could be the possible location: Bilegulch Mine, Cracked Tusk Keep, Knifepoint Ridge, and Embershard Mine.
Of these, Embershard Mine and Cracked Tusk Keep are the better dungeons to get, as both are extremely close to towns players should have already travelled to: Riverwood and Falkreath, respectively. And of these two dungeons, Embershard Mine — being the earliest dungeon available in game — will be the absolute best, as the bandits that spawn here are always of lower level and weaker stats, compared to players. Of course, the dungeon of choice is randomly generated well before the actual quest is given, and players generally can't manipulate the game to get whichever one they want. But let's keep our fingers crossed that it'll be a cake walk dungeon.
1 A Good Citizen
Once the dungeon has been thoroughly explored and the bandits annihilated, Siddgeir will be quite pleased, and just about ready to make players thane...but not quite yet. As one last bit proof loyalty — not just to him, but the entirety of Falkreath hold — he'll give out one last quest: for players to help 3 people of the hold. Seems easy enough at first. But Falkreath, both city and region, is mostly wild woodland, with very few citizens. And not every citizen can qualify to help us achieve this quest. The quickest and easiest methods to complete this quest, though, are to sell vegetables to Corpselight Farm, deliver ashes to Runil in the Hall of the Dead, and to chop firewood to sell at Half-Moon Mill. The former two don't even require leaving the city of Falkreath to complete, and Half-Moon Mill is among the easier locations to find in the hold, given that it's situated along the main roads.
But should any of these characters die — say, in a freak dragon accident or Dark Brotherhood assassination — then fear not, as there are a few other ways. Players can also assist the former Jarl, Dengeir of Stuhn, with some minor thievery, or assist the Priest of Arkay, Runil, with finding his lost journal...but that's it. There's only five opportunities to help the citizens of Falkreath. And while it's not extremely likely for three of them to die in one game (at least, purposefully), it's still quite possible. So players should refrain from unleashing a massacre on Falkreath hold, or they'll be permanently locked out of thanehood for the region. But assuming the best, that all quests until now are completed, and that three citizens are helped, then congratulations! Siddgeir will grant the title to players, and with it, comes many, many perks, both in the main-game, and through Hearthfire.