PS3 How does your housecarl behave after you get married?

[WarriorMage]

Okay, so I'm starting to think about getting married. I've picked my bride-to-be but I have a couple of questions first.

Lydia is currently occupying Breezehome but all she does is sit on my room and eat her bread. She no longer has any of the "Follow me" or "I need you to carry something" options. Just the "What is a housecarl?" and "What is a thane?" questions. I suspect this may be because I broke things off with her at the altar. She was pretty upset at the time and I thought she had gotten over it but now I’m not so sure. How is she going to act once my new wife moves in? I'd like to tell her to go back to the keep but she just ignores me. I'm a good guy so killing her is not an option. Not to mention the whole corpse in the bedroom issue.

I’ve considered buying the house in Solitude and having Jordis as my housecarl. How does she act after you marry someone else? Out of curiosity I bought and furnished the house (but didn’t save) and noticed Jordis seems to hang out in one of the common rooms and appears to have a fairly nice personality.

Are there any housecarls that stay in the keep and don’t just automatically assume you want them to move in? I suppose then they’d be a “keepcarl”. Is there a house you can buy without getting a housecarl at all?

Maybe I’ll just move into the wife’s place.

 

[Mighty Pecan Pie]

Okay, so I'm starting to think about getting married. I've picked my bride-to-be but I have a couple of questions first.

Lydia is currently occupying Breezehome but all she does is sit on my room and eat her bread. She no longer has any of the "Follow me" or "I need you to carry something" options. Just the "What is a housecarl?" and "What is a thane?" questions. I suspect this may be because I broke things off with her at the altar. She was pretty upset at the time and I thought she had gotten over it but now I’m not so sure. How is she going to act once my new wife moves in? I'd like to tell her to go back to the keep but she just ignores me. I'm a good guy so killing her is not an option. Not to mention the whole corpse in the bedroom issue.

I’ve considered buying the house in Solitude and having Jordis as my housecarl. How does she act after you marry someone else? Out of curiosity I bought and furnished the house (but didn’t save) and noticed Jordis seems to hang out in one of the common rooms and appears to have a fairly nice personality.

Are there any housecarls that stay in the keep and don’t just automatically assume you want them to move in? I suppose then they’d be a “keepcarl”. Is there a house you can buy without getting a housecarl at all?

Maybe I’ll just move into the wife’s place.

You can kill your housecarl, if you don't want one.

And how housecarls behave when married? Well, you can forget your nightly adventures with them, as you are married

In all seriousness: I didn't see a change of behaviour when I got married. I would say they act the same way as before.

 

[Lucid]

Jordis' behavior doesn't change when you move a spouse into Proudspire Manor. Her follower dialogue remains the same when she's your follower. When dismissed as a follower she will move from spot to spot on the 2nd floor eating and staring off into space. Your spouse will make use of the entire house, including time at the alchemy and enchanting tables if you have them. Jordis and your spouse will sometimes be found seated at the same table but they do not interact in any way.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

You don't have to have a housecarl for any of the Hearthfire homes (you can buy them w/out becoming Thane) and, if you're really lucky, you can actually buy Breezehome or Honeyside w/out becoming Thane by not completing the "help my people" things, or, at least not telling the Jarl once you have.

On occassion, after winning the war for the imperials I've even been able to purchase the house in Windhelm without becoming Thane, although it's kind of weird because you can't get it cleaned or furnished until you finish "Blood on the Snow" and that always glitches w/out Ulfrich and his croney on the throne so I end up with a bloody house and a lot of bones, but no use for it.

 

[Janus3003]

I've noticed when I was in Proudspire Manor, Lydia (my character's wife) would sleep in the basement mat instead of the master bedroom. I concluded that Jordis bullies her every time she thinks she can get away with it, leaving Lydia very down in the dumps and feeling that she's nothing but trash fit only for the Unwelcome Guest Room. It took a lot of Dovahkiin TLC to get her feeling somewhat spunky again.

Don't be fooled by Jordis's pleasant exterior. She's a psycho.

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

Dr. D'Irsei had taken Jordis out with her as front office assistant/anesthesiologist for quite some time before marrying her, and there didn't appear to be any change in behavior. That is, until Serana walked in.

Then her days back at the company's Solitude main location were filled with tension. Always making sure there was a room separating her from everyone else. It got worse after the divorce, and the Dr.'s quickie remarriage to Serana.

With time, and Amazing Follower Tweaks, Jordis has become part of the company's traveling services group once again, and is always with the Dr. and Serana, and backed up by Eola, the Endodontic specialist. It's a full life. Now, if only the Dr. could get Ria to agree to stay at the Lakeview Manor office and manage it, things would be great. But she keeps on running back out to join the mobile team. Argh. Prima donnas.

 

[Wildroses]

Once you buy a house, the housecarl instantly goes: "Cool, I finally have a place of my own" and moves in. I'm not exaggerating, I mean instantly. This one time as I was buying Breezehome way after becoming Thane Lydia got up off the table where she was eating lunch the second I was done talking to the steward. I followed her out of curiosity and yep, she went directly to Breezehome, and from there to her favourite chair.

Sometimes I wonder if housecarling is an elaborate scam by squatters. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house which I just bought?" "Er...I'm your housecarl. Didn't anyone tell you all houses come with a housecarl? Heh, heh, this dude is always off having adventures and is barely here, s/he'll never figure it out..." This is why it is important to always take your housecarls on adventures and get them killed.

 

[WarriorMage]

I was going to start taking her and basically using her as a pack mule. Fill her up with stuff then send her home. And if she got killed then I'd have my place (and my bread) all to myself. But, like I said, she won't do anything any more.

 

[Janus3003]

You dumped her at the altar, man! Why is it so surprising she doesn't want to be a pack mule anymore??

 

[WarriorMage]

Yeah, I know. At the time I remembered seeing somewhere that you couldn't marry her. I think it was a glitch in the computer version. I was so excited that I had found a way that I immediately took it. Started having regrets and figured that was the only way to break things off with her since there wasn't any kind of "I've changed my mind" option. We all make mistakes. But she's still honored to see me.

 

[Amaryllis]

Jordis' behavior doesn't change at all. If you keep her in Proudspire Manor, she even continues to sleep on the mat in the basement.

 

[ColleenG]

Both Gregor and Valdimir stare at me longingly but remain perfect gentlemen. Their eyes betray their feelings though.