Skyrim:Irileth

Irileth is a Dark Elf nightblade who serves as housecarl to Jarl Balgruuf the Greater of Whiterun, and remains by his side at all times within Dragonsreach.

Irileth accompanies the character to the Western Watchtower, where they slay Mirmulnir. She gives several speeches along the way to motivate her contingent of guards. She is essential, and is quite useful in the fight.

Irileth wears a custom set of leather armor, along with a matching pair of bracers and boots. She fights with a Steel Sword of Cold. When attacking at range, she uses steel arrows and an elven bow, regardless of character level. She also makes frequent use of Destruction magic, namely Shock spells.

Although it is highly uncommon for a Dunmer to serve as housecarl in Skyrim, Irileth and Balgruuf fought in many battles together when they were younger.  When Balgruuf was named as Jarl of Whiterun, she demanded that she be his housecarl, on account of their long-forged battle-bond.  As a rule, Irileth appears to be highly distrustful of the main character, regardless of events that may take place, though after killing Mirmulnir and being declared Dragonborn she will tell the main character that she's happy that the Dragonborn is on their side, as well as saying that you are a welcome guest, but must still respect the rules of the household, once you obtain the Jarl's favor.
 
Spells
Irileth knows the following spells: 

In addition, she has a unique perk that halves the damage of her destruction spells when used on dragons.

Related Quests
 
 
 
 
 

Quest-Related Events
Before the Storm
thumb|left|''"What's the meaning of this interruption?"''
When you enter Dragonsreach to inform Jarl Balgruuf of the dragon attack at Helgen, you'll stumble upon him arguing with his steward, Proventus, regarding the civil war. Irileth will draw her weapon and will slowly approach you when she spots you: ''"What's the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors."'' If you tell her you have news from Helgen, she'll grant you audience with the Jarl: "Well, that explains why the guards let you in. Come on then, the Jarl will want to speak to you personally." If you, however, have been asked by either Alvor or Gerdur to request aid from the Jarl and mention that Riverwood is in danger, she'll insist you can tell her about it: "As housecarl, my job is to deal with all dangers that threaten the Jarl or his people. So you have my attention. Now, explain yourself." When you then tell her a dragon destroyed Helgen, she'll be surprised and let you approach the Jarl: "You know about Helgen? The Jarl will want to speak to you personally. Approach." Should you tell her you were to inform the Jarl personally, she'll stand by her decision: "Whatever you have to say to the Jarl, you can say to me.", after which she'll utter: ''"I'm starting to think..."'', after which the Jarl will ask her to let you through.

However, if you went straight to Solitude or Windhelm to join up with the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks, you'll end up having to hand Jarl Balgruuf a message from General Tullius or Ulfric. In that case, after she asks you why you are interrupting, you can tell her you have a message from either Tullius or Ulfric, which will grant you an audience with the Jarl immediately: ''"You'd better speak to the Jarl, then."
thumb|right|"Yes, my Jarl."
Once you have told Balgruuf about the dragon attack in Helgen, the concerned jarl will turn to his steward, Proventus Avenicci, while Irileth will take the opportunity to get her points across:



After this conversation, Irileth travels all the way to the main gate in southern Whiterun, where she meets up with three nervous Whiterun guards outside the guard barracks for a quick briefing:



The three soldiers will then run all the way to Riverwood to do their duties, while Irileth will return to her usual spot in Dragonsreach.

Dragon Rising
While you are handing over the Dragonstone to court wizard Farengar Secret-Fire, a guard will run upstairs to the Jarl to inform about a dragon at the Western Watchtower. Irileth will utter: "Wait for me.", before quickly running downstairs, interrupting your conversation with the court wizard by shouting: "Farengar! Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby." She then turns to you: "You should come, too." An excited Farengar will exclaim: "A dragon! How exciting! Where was it seen? What was it doing?" Irileth will then tell him to lower his enthusiasm: "I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you. If a dragon decides to attack Whiterun I don't know if we can stop it." They will proceed up the stairs, where Balgruuf will be standing near an exhausted guard:


The jarl will then turn to you: "I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here." He then returns to Irileth: "One last thing, Irileth. This isn't a death or glory mission. I need to know what we're dealing with." Before leaving, Irileth assures him: "Don't worry, my lord. I'm the very soul of caution." She will then set off towards the watchtower and ask you to meet her there: "I'll see you at the watchtower as soon as the rest of the men have gathered."
thumb|right|"Shall we go kill us a dragon?"

thumb|left|"No signs of any dragon right now."
She and the soldiers will then run off towards the Western Watchtower. If you manage to approach her, she will just say: "Be careful. We need to find out what happened here."'' They will keep running down the road, stopping at a rock a few hundred feet east of the watchtower, where they'll take cover as Irileth inspects the tower from afar and provides a quick briefing: ''"No signs of any dragon right now, but it sure looks like he's been here. I know it looks bad, but we've got to figure out what happened. And if that dragon is still skulking around somewhere. Spread out and look for survivors. We need to know what we're dealing with."'' She and the soldiers will draw their weapons and run towards the tower, and as you discover a guard hiding on the destroyed bridge, he'll shout: 

Guard: ''"No! Get back! It's still here somewhere! Hroki and Tor just got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!" 
Irileth: "Guardsman! What happened here? Where's this dragon? Quickly now!" 
Guard: "I don't know!"''
thumb|right|Irileth bravely faces Mirmulnir
If you've already arrived and found the guard on your own, the guard will give you the same warning, after which the dragon approaches and Irileth and her men will try to catch up as fast as they can, skipping the previous dialogue. When you see Mirmulnir approaching, the guard will utter: "Kynareth save us, here he comes again..." Irileth will be quick to shout out orders in an attempt at organization:  "Here he comes! Find cover and make every arrow count!"

When Mirmulnur is slain from a distance, Irileth can be heard saying: ''"Let's make sure that overgrown lizard is really dead. Damned good shooting, boys!"'' When you're close to its dead body and it starts to dissolve, a startled Irileth will exclaim: "Everybody get back!", as she and the men will run to take cover while you absorb the dragon's soul. When you've completed absorbing the soul, a soldier will walk up to you:

Soldier 1: "You... must be Dragonborn!"

He initiates a conversation with you in which he claims you're Dragonborn, after which a second soldier approaches:

Soldier 2: "Dragonborn? What are you talking about?"

At this point more soldiers approach the carcass.

thumb|left|"Here's a dead dragon, and that's something I definitely understand."''
At that point Irileth will have come out of hiding while she has been listening to the conversation. She will focus on the dragon's corpse as she claims:

She'll then turn her attention towards you: ''"That was the hairiest fight I've ever been in, and I've been in more than a few. I don't know about this Dragonborn business, but I'm sure glad you're with us. You better get back to Whiterun right away. Jarl Balgruuf will want to know what happened here." She will then stay behind and will only repeat: "I'm taking command here for the moment. You head back to Whiterun and let the Jarl know what happened."

As soon as you have spoken to Jarl Balgruuf, Irileth returns to Dragonsreach.

The Fallen
During the quest The Fallen, after you have convinced Balgruuf to use his palace as a dragon trap, Irileth will only comment: "I don't know how you talked the Jarl into this plan of yours." but will still head up to the great port of Dragonsreach and scout the landscape for dragons saying nothing but: "Let's get this over with." When Odahviing arrives, she will draw her bow and do her best to get him to land without killing him. When he is down, she will shout,  "Get it into the trap before it kills us all!"'' One the dragon is stuck in the trap, she will position herself at a safe distance while you talk to Odahviing. After a while, when the quest The World-Eater's Eyrie is initiated, she will start wandering around the captured dragon and will, when Farengar Secret-Fire turns up and makes bad suggestions to the captured dragon, say: "Farengar, very bad idea. Even for you." Once Odahviing is freed, she will go down to the dragon and ensure it keeps its promise. When you climb onto the dragon she will comment: ''"You're either the bravest person I've ever met, or the biggest fool."


Dialogue
Irileth may be seen talking with Jarl Balgruuf about his security: 
Irileth: "Balgruuf, did you slip out again last night for a drink at the Bannered Mare?" 
Jarl Balgruuf the Greater: "Heard about that, did you? Yes, I went out for a pint or two. What of it?" 
Irileth: "These secret visits to the tavern will make you an easy target for an enemy assassin. You should have told me first." 
Jarl Balgruuf the Greater: "Damn it, woman, I'm the Jarl of Whiterun! I won't apologize for talking to my people. You can't protect me every moment of the day." 
Irileth: "That might be so, but it will never stop me from trying."'' 

Notes
The Official Prima Guide states that Irileth was trained as an assassin by the Morag Tong in Morrowind.

Bugs
 
Commit a minor crime, such as assaulting a guard, then clear your bounty. This will cause them to stop attacking you, even in the middle of combat.
 Before she turns hostile, open the console and select her, either by clicking on her or entering the code  , then enter the code  . This will prevent her from turning hostile. Note that this will not work after she starts attacking you.