Can You Adopt a Khajiit Child in Skyrim?
| Yes! With the mod Khajiit Child Maisha |
|---|
As an avid Skyrim player with over 400 hours logged, adopting a cat-like Khajiit child has always intrigued me. Unfortunately no beast race children exist in the vanilla game. But thanks to clever modders, you can now adopt Maisha – an orphaned Khajiit girl adding new depth to Skyrim‘s adoption system.
In this gamer‘s guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about finding and adopting Maisha, speculating on why there are no beast race kids, and evaluating other potential Khajiit family options. Let‘s dive in!
Introducing Maisha – the Adoptable Feline Daughter
Maisha in the Cotter‘s Shanty orphanage (Image credit: chesko on Nexus Mods)
Maisha is a female Khajiit child added by the aptly named Khajiit Child Maisha mod. According to the description, you can find her living in the Crabber‘s Shanty orphanage located outside Dawnstar.
What makes Maisha special compared to human children?
- Unique Khajiit facial textures and fur details – she looks vastly different from vanilla kids
- Wider range of facial expressions – she smiles, frowns, and tilts her head curiously
- Minor graphical glitch with her neck – small seam visible from certain angles
Other than some neck seams, Maisha blends in perfectly fine. And she can be adopted just like any other urchin child in Skyrim!
Author chesko also hints that Maisha has an interesting background story. But I‘ll leave those details unspoiled in case you want to discover them yourself!
Skyrim Adoption Mechanics and Requirements
Before we continue with Maisha, let‘s recap the core adoption mechanics in Skyrim:
Adoption Prerequisites
You must have:
- Hearthfire DLC – introduces adoption system
- House with children‘s bedroom – kids won‘t move in otherwise
How to Adopt Children
To adopt Maisha or any child:
- Speak to them while they‘re in a good mood
- Agree to adopt when prompted
- Child moves into your home
You can adopt up to two children total.
Raising Adopted Children
Once adopted you can:
- Give them gifts daily to improve relationship
- Set up a daily schedule and routine
- Have them do chores like farm work
- Monitor their moods and needs
So in summary – adopting kids in Skyrim involves finding a homeless child, buying a house, speaking to them, and letting them move in. Now let‘s get back to Maisha…
Finding and Adopting Maisha
If you want to welcome Maisha into your family, follow these simple steps:
- Install Khajiit Child Maisha mod
- Travel to Dawnstar and enter Crabbers‘ Shanty orphanage
- Speak to Maisha and agree to adopt
- Visit your home to meet your new Khajiit daughter!
And that‘s all you need to start raising a beast race child. Easy right?
What activities you decide to do together is completely up to you. My personal recommendation is give Maisha some Dwarven armor suits and train that cat in heavy weapons combat!
Why Are There No Vanilla Khajiit Children?
Now you may be wondering – if adding a Khajiit child is so easy via modding, why didn‘t Bethesda include them originally?
Well according to Skyrim lore and culture:
- Children do not travel until they reach adulthood
- Therefore Khajiit cubs remain in Elsweyr settlements
- The dangerous frozen lands of Skyrim are ill-suited for non-human offspring
So while there are some Khajiit caravans trading goods externally, children remain safeguarded in their Elsweyr homeland guarded by adults.
There are also no children models designed for beast races in the base game files. So unfortunately my dreams of adopting a little cat boy or girl don‘t align with strict Elder Scrolls lore!
What Would Khajiit Cubs Be Like?
While I can now adopt Maisha, what would other Khajiit children be like?
Going by Elder Scrolls lore:
- They develop faster than humans initially
- Reach adulthood between 16-20 years
- Form is based on the phase of Masser and Secunda moons
- Train from young age in stealth, archery, and close combat
So despite faster physical growth, I‘d speculate full Khajiit teens have similar maturity to human ones. And combat training from childhood means adopted cubs could potentially start as followers!
Other Racial Children Mods
While Maisha remains the sole feline adoption option, other mods add more racial variety if you want multi-species families:
Elven Children
| Mod | Races Added |
|---|---|
| Elven Children | Dunmer, Altmer, Bosmer, Orc |
| Children of the Sky | Snow Elves |
Beast Children
| Mod | Races Added |
|---|---|
| Hybrid Race Children | Argonians |
| Horned Dragon Children | Dragon Race |
I‘m thrilled to see elf and beast offspring getting some love. My next playthrough will likely feature custom-made Orc and Snow Elf siblings!
Other Khajiit Family Options
If you don‘t want an adopted urchin like Maisha, here are two other ways to add Khajiit family members:
Khajiit Spouse Followers
Marry a Khajiit like Zahkriisos to make them your adventuring partner. However they are adults only.
Custom Child Mods
Some mods let you birth custom offspring. Combine race mods like Khajiit Racemenu Preset to create a unique Khajiit cub. Requires more setup but allows full customization.
So while these options take more effort, you have alternatives to grow a cat family!
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
Hopefully this guide gave you all the details around adopting and customizing Khajiit children! To summarize:
- Maisha remains the sole adoptable Khajiit child option
- Mods add more elf and beast race variety in adoptions
- Lore and culture explain lack of beast offspring in Skyrim
- But other mods let you build cat families through marriage and custom children
Based on my 400 hours played, I highly recommend all Skyrim players install the Maisha mod! Having her as my daughter created some extremely memorable moments.
So if you want a unique experience, go adopt that Khajiit child today! Let me know if you have any other questions.
