So just some more updates. Asta seems to still pop up randomly when I fast travel. luckily it's always at places I can store her, I'm usually checking if my corpses disappear. Also one of my fast travels a forsworn pillager appeared right next to me and started attacking even though I was just outside riften, I believe she was the one a thralled many moons ago... Hamelyn basically destroyed her with no effort.
Speaking of Hamelyn he used some other spells Fireball and a ward. Like how much spells does this guy know? and he rarely uses em too... he prefers his firebolts and lightning bolts alot. He possibly might have a healing spell then, I haven't seen him use it since he rarely dies on me. Also when he was cornered by a bandit he put his lightning bolt away and started using his fists, how manly, but that's because I didn't give him a weapon. So to test it out I gave him a dagger, sometimes he'll have it out and a spell in his other hand. Anyways his spells I saw him use so far are firebolt, lightning bolt, ice spike, fireball, a flesh spell, and a ward. Mr. Skeever King is starting to become a personal fave of mine.
UPDATE: went for a solo mission cause I wanted to sneak, got it done and found that Hamelyn's corpse is gone from the abandoned house. RIP Skeever King you will be missed.
Some other news I went to do the Pale Lady quest, the tomb is filled with the typical bandit types. I remember reading about a glitch that can make your follower dual wield if they have a one-handed weapon and a pickaxe in their inventory, so I tested it on a bandit thrall and it worked. My bandit was an Orc Bandit Marauder and he dual wielded the pickaxe and ebony war axe I gave him, the other bandits stood no chance especially with Hamelyn backing him. Other than that the named NPCs in this quest were Kyr and Ra'jrr, one a nord and one a khajiit, both 1 HP'r despite me finding them alive... it's probably a fail safe for their scripted deaths. After completing the quest I went to see if Eisa Blackthorns' body vanished since she gave me the quest, and it did... her corpse has stayed where I left her for days on end until I completed the quest. So you can either choose her some named bandit chief or two weak thralls and a semi-unique sword and a word wall. Also UESP lists Frostmere Crypt as a safe storage area since it supposedly doesn't respawn.
Yes , you can force dual-wielding with a pickaxe if you don`t provide a shield or other off-hand equipment for the Thrall to use.
Although you can enchant them , unfortunately the only Pickaxe in the game that can be improved with Smithing is the Notched Pickaxe found at the very top of The Throat of the World.
Follower Darkeethus of Dark Water Crossing carries my version.
But your tale leads into mine.
I was taking a break from followers and thralls and wandering solo near Markarth when I ran into a dude who told me about a mine owner and his Orc buddy who had been run out of their own gold mine by Forsworn.
I took this minor quest and continued solo since it sounded like an easy task.
There were only 7 forsworn to kill including one Briarheart and one Ravager.
The mine was loaded with gold veins and I produced 24 ingots at the smelter there.
Just as I finished smelting my loot , a dragon attacked.
I didn`t want to fight it alone so I ducked back in the mine , waited an hour before exiting and quickly FT`d back to the quest giver for my reward of 1500 gold.
This owner , Pavo Attius , and his friend Gat gro-Shargakh were so excited they said they`d go right to work.
I could still see that dragon flying around where the gold mine was about 2 clics down the river valley but they headed in that direction anyway.
No time to go get help so I followed them until the dragon finally attacked us.
I got the dragon`s health bar down by half before he finally toasted the 2 miners in their shoes.
Both are typical level 6 but as miners I wanted to test the pickaxe trick.
I gave one a steel war axe and pickaxe and I gave the other a pair of Forsworn swords.
Both of them dual-wielded without problems !
A Forsworn weapon is a much better choice for dual wielding since it can be improved with a steel ingot and no special perks are required.
Forsworn Bows will also fix the follower/thrall bug where they use their default hunting bow rather than your donated one.
I would note that certain NPC such as these two miners don`t have default bows and therefore no bug.
Likewise they can be forced into fighting only in melee if you don`t give them a bow or staff.
Equipped with just hand weapons they charge into battle like a Dremora !
Now I`m waiting to see how quickly these guys disappear if at all
