Spoiler What is the point of Valdr?

[sticky runes]

You heal him, help him kill off the beasts so he can bury his friends, and he gives you a dagger and says come back to my place any time. Is anything else supposed to happen after that? I was hoping he would become a follower at least.

 

[wrighty]

No, nothing else happens.

 

[Mannulus]

Nope. That is it really, a small side quest with a small reward.

 

[Psiberzerker]

That dagger is fantastic, though. With a dual weilder, and Smithing, it's not technically enchanted, so you can get decent damage out of it, accellerate your main weapon (Like an axe) and still pop off crits with it like a Sword, but without spending any Perks. And finally, it either works with Elemental Fury, or you can double enchant it with Extra Effect, and it retains the crit chance. Just plain awesome if you know how to use it. (Especially with Windshear, which isn't technically Enchanted, either.) Also, with Assassin's Blade, it can Crit on top of the massive Backstab multiplier.

And no, I've never been able to find him in Falkreath, except by following him back. Even then, he doesn't say anything different (Repeats the same "If you're ever in Falkreath" line, in Falkreath) and dissapears forever as soon as you turn your back, or step inside the Deadman's Drink. I'd take him as a follower with a quickness, or even marry him.

 

[Mithradates]

What I don't understand is why helping Valdr doesn't count as "assisting the people of Falkreath". I was given that task by the jarl of Falkreath, so I went to find Valdr on the assumption that he's one of the people I can help. I did his quest, he gave me his dagger (which, while it's been great for me in past games, is useless to me in my current one because I'm a pure mage), but when I checked my misc objectives, it didn't count as assisting one of the people of Falkreath. It still said 0/3. Why? Is it a bug? He's a resident of Falkreath hold, his quest takes place within Falkreath hold, and once you help him he spends the rest of the game living in Falkreath city. I don't get it.

 

[sticky runes]

Yeah Falkreath is a small enough hold as it is with scarcely enough people to help in order to become thane. I once lost the farmer in a dragon attack so that cut down my chances, I couldn't give him any vegetables. Also, agreeing to help Lod find Barbas doesn't count, as you never actually succeed at that quest, and you don't get the option of giving him any other stray dog you find out in the wild. I normally end up dropping a suit of armour in front of Solaf to gain gain his favor.