Can you marry a female Khajiit in Skyrim?
As a passionate Skyrim player and modder, I get asked this question a lot by fellow gamers interested in cross-species relationships. So can you tie the knot with a cat-woman in the frozen north? The answer is yes! While no native Khajiit marriage candidates exist, with a little modding magic you can say "I do" to feline beauties like Khayla and Naashi in Elder Scrolls V.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know including:
- Available female Khajiit spouse options
- How to install eligible Khajiit follower & marriage mods
- Expert analysis of cat-people lore and the benefits of Khajiit wives
- My first-hand experience marrying Khayla on multiple playthroughs
So let‘s dive into Tamriel‘s most mysterious race and how you can tie the knot with these cat-like warriors!
An Introduction to the Khajiit Race
Before discussing potential spouses, some backstory on the Khajiit is helpful. Hailing from the province of Elsweyr, the Khajiit race encompasses cat-like people with a range of appearances – from nearly elven to the large saber cats prowling the dunes. Khajiit culture revolves around travel and trade, with nomadic caravans constantly crisscrossing the land.
The Khajiit also possess an intriguing alien mindset thanks to the influence of the twin moons Masser and Secunda. To quote veteran RPG writer Lawrence Schick:
"The Khajiit mind is not quite like ours. It has wider horizons for some types of understanding."
This unique viewpoint makes Khajiit wonderful companions for open-minded wanderers. As we‘ll see, their skills and racial abilities also complement more combat-focused Dragonborns quite well.
Now let‘s meet our candidates! Here are the top female Khajiit available to marry through mods:
Khayla
Added by Interesting NPCs, Khayla is my personal favorite and go-to Khajiit spouse. Originally an orphan on the streets, she grew into a skilled illusionist and nimble thief mixing magic and melee skills. Her sarcastic wit provides plenty of laughs on adventures.
Beyond combat prowess, Khayla feels the most well-developed with extensive dialogue reflecting her past struggles. I always love hearing her unique perspectives on locations we travel to. She also has a hidden sensitive side behind her prickly exterior. If you enjoy thief/assassin playstyles, Khayla is a perfect match.
Naashi
The Naashi follower mod adds another potential Khajiit wife – a stern warrior protecting caravans. She is more serious than Khayla but specializes in deadly two-handed skills with war axes and greatswords. Plus learning about her duty guarding fellow cat-people makes for intriguing conversations.
Naashi has my #2 recommendation for warrior and tank builds. Just be careful if you also have aSabre Cat mount pet – between that and Naashi I took some friendly fire before figuring out key bindings!
Ra‘zhinda
A tough Khajiit ranger added by Interesting NPCs, Ra‘zhinda is a good match for archers and can fill the stealth archer role too. Her sarcasm rivals Khayla‘s own and serving as her spotter provides wonderful immersive questing. I recommend Ra‘zhinda for Bosmer and Nord Dragonborns thanks to shared skill and quest tendencies.
She may not have as many customization options vs. Khayla but her lion-like manes and warpaint make Ra‘zhinda visually stunning!
The table below summarizes key details on marriage candidates:
| Name | Skills | Personality | Recommended Builds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khayla | One-handed, Illusion Magic | Sarcastic, Witty, Sensitive | Thieves, Assassins, Nightblades |
| Naashi | Two-handed, Heavy Armor | Serious, Duty-bound | Warriors, Tanks |
| Ra‘zhinda | Archery, Light Armor | Cocky, Adventurous | Rangers, Bards |
Hopefully this summary helps identify your perfect cat-girl companion! Next I‘ll cover the mod installation process.
Installing Khajiit Follower & Marriage Mods
The main requirement for a Khajiit playthrough is installing follower mods that add the NPCs. For Khayla, Ra’zhinda and others I highly recommend Interesting NPCs. Focused on new quests & NPCs, it includes several joinable Khajiits.
The Interesting NPCs mod is massive though – over 250 new characters and dozens of quests that can alter previous playthroughs. So for more specific Khajiit followers I recommend standalone mods like <a href=“https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1901">Naashi instead.
For installing mods like Interesting NPCs, follow standard Skyrim modding steps:
- Download mod files from Nexus Mods
- Extract files into Skyrim\Data folder
- Enable mods in the Skyrim start menu
- Launch the game and enjoy!
I also highly recommend utilizing a mod manager like Mod Organizer 2 vs. manual install. Making sure load orders are configured properly is critical with modded games.
After installing mods with new Khajiit followers, trigger their recruitment quests. Talk to Khayla around Windhelm to hire her for 500 gold. Naashi joins automatically defending a attacked caravan.
Then just adventure together normally. Once you reach relationship rank 4 (from leveling, quest rewards, etc) marriage dialogue opens up!
Let’s analyze that cultural dynamic next.
Cross-Cultural Relationships & Khajiit Spouses
Beyond game mechanics, marrying a cat-person like Khayla or Naashi makes for truly unique roleplaying. The average citizens of Skyrim are known to be distrustful towards beast races. Nords in particular share a bitter past with the cat-folk. As expressions go:
“It’s like taking cats to swim. Fur and water don’t mix.”
So establishing enough rapport for romance poses initial challenges requiring discretion or combat prowess impressing warriors like Naashi.
But for open-minded wanderers Khajiit wives offer rich rewards. Let’s analyze their racial bonuses:
+15 bonus to sneaking skills – They make great scouts and nighttime companions. Having a Khajiit partner simplified many crypt raids keeping guards distracted!
+10 bonus to pickpocketing – Between their natural stealthiness and my existing boosts, not even Dwemer ruins could hide fresh nirnroots from us. Made my alchemy hobby easier for sure!
Night Eye vision – Exploring tombs or hunting game at night is no issue with built-in night vision. Lanterns just aren’t needed even in the deepest catacombs.
Combine that with custom skills from added followers like Khayla’s magic or Ra’zhinda’s archery and they rival other popular wives. In my last playthrough, Khayla consistently outdamaged heavy hitters like Borgakh! Her dagger sneak attacks are absolutely lethal.
Bottom line, Khajiit wives provide wonderful bonuses fitting wandering adventurers and thieves. The cultural differences also forced me to reconsider biases I didn’t even realize I held as Dragonborn. And exploring the richness of Khajiit culture made for some of my most memorable quests.
My only complaint is the lack of custom dialog acknowledging our relationship – I hope DLCs or mods address that someday. Still, I happily recommend feline companions for any open-minded wanderer. Next I’ll share my firsthand experiences getting hitched to Khayla.
Marrying Khayla: My Personal Experiences
I first recruited Khayla after overhearing rumors of a master illusionist in Windhelm and found the sarcastic cat picking pockets to get by. After convincing her to join me on adventures, we slowly bonded while raiding bandit camps and Nordic crypts.
By level 15 she felt like an extension of myself during combat with the perfect mix of distracting enemies then striking them down. Soon we became richest thieves in Hjaalmarch – no chest or target could stop us! Once Amulets of Mara entered shops, I immediately grabbed one and proposed.
After a lovely ceremony, we bought a home in Riften suited for our thieving lifestyle. Having a permanent base of operations with weapon plaques, potion stockpiles, and so many weapon racks brought wonderful immersion. It felt like our own secret lair planning midnight heists!
Overhearing Khayla’s unique dialogue sitting near the fireplace or talking to visitors is just so rewarding. I feel it really validated our relationship developed through countless adventures. And her bonuses like boosting prices to sell stolen goods made building that dream house simpler.
I loved it so much that Khayla is my go-to choice for allies in basically all my new playthroughs now! Even if I’m focused on magic or combat skills, just having her skillful company and funny quips keeps each run feeling fresh 300+ hours later.
So in summary: yes, you absolutely can and should marry female Khajiits like Khayla or Naashi in Skyrim! Their awesome bonuses and radically different perspectives enhance any playstyle. Hope this guide convinced you to give cat-wives a chance on your next wanderings. Stay stealthy out there!
