Oblivion - Dark Brotherhood Quest 3 - Accidents Happen

The mini-quest to get the next contract from Valtieri is called "Blood of the Damned." Talk to Vicente to complete the mini-quest and learn that your new task is to go to the northern town of Bruma and slay a Wood Elf named Baenlin. It needs to look like an accident if you wish to receive a bonus reward. For the more direct Dark Brothers, sneaking into Baenlin's house and killing him and his manservant Gromm is very easy. However, doing so forfeits the bonus.
Vicente tells you that Baenlin likes to sit in his most comfortable chair every day between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. It just so happens that this chair sits right under a heavy mounted head of a Minotaur. The head is loosely attached to the wall by a set of ropes which you can reach via a crawlspace. The crawlspace is accessed from the bedroom at the south end of the house's second floor; the door is in the southeast corner next to the desk.
Travel to Bruma. Baenlin lives in a house just north of the Eastern Gate. Enter through the basement door at the rear of the house for remotely safe and indirect access. Sneak upstairs into the crawlspace and wait till it is sometime between 8:00pm and 11:00pm. Make sure Baenlin doesn't see you, as he will leave the chair, at which point you have to leave, wait, and try again. It is possible to wait in the room above the chair if you close the door behind you. The game no longer considers you as a trespasser. Once you're in position, loosen the planks and the head will crash to the floor, killing Baenlin in the process.
Sneak out the same way you came and return to Valtieri in Cheydinhal for a level dependent gold reward (up to 600 gold), advancement to Slayer and, if you were worthy, the bonusSufferthorn dagger. If Gromm survives, you can find him in Olav's Tap and Tack, weeping over his dead employer. Baenlin's house is now occupied by the killable nephew Caenlin, who was most likely the Brotherhood's client for the accident.

Skyrim - Main Quest 10 - Alduin's Wall

From the The Ratway in Riften, it is necessary to travel with Esbern back to Riverwood so he can meet with Delphine. Make your way out of the Ratway by the way you came, avoiding or defeating the Thalmor agents and various underworld criminals you may encounter along the way. Once outside, you need to travel to the Sleeping Giant Inn. Whether you go on foot or fast travel, it makes little difference, though fast travel can save you a long walk.

Upon arriving at the inn, you will be greeted by an incredulous Delphine. After a brief reunion between the two former Blades, they move to Delphine's secret cellar, where Esbern announces his intention to journey to Sky Haven Temple, a Blades headquarters built up around an ancient Akaviri military in the Reach. Of particular importance within that location is a structure from the First Era known as Alduin's Wall, which both recounts the history of the Blades and dragons and details a prophecy regarding Alduin and the return of the dragons.

Delphine soon realizes that Esbern's description of the temple's location matches her knowledge of the Karthspire, and the Blades agree to set out for that location. Delphine tells Orgnarthat the Inn is now his and bids him farewell. At this point, you can choose to either travel with the Blades or alone, heading towards the marker Delphine placed on your map. If you're traveling alone, it may be easier to take a carriage to Markarth and then head east, as Delphine recommends, though you can also take the longer route through Falkreath hold, which is generally easier if you have the Blades with you.

Whether you went as a group or solo, when you arrive at the Karthspire you will find yourself up against a horde of Forsworn, as well as a dragon. Though you can stand and fight, if the battle begins to overwhelm you it is simple to retreat into the Karthspire caverns themselves.

You will now need to journey through the interior of the Karthspire, defeating the handful of Forsworn and making your way to the beginning of the Akaviri ruins.

Heading up the stone steps on the right, you will be confronted with a trio of three-sided pillars, each side inscribed with a symbol. According to Esbern, they are of Akaviri origin, but the one that matters most to you is the symbol meaning 'Dragonborn', which resembles two dragon heads facing each other and an arrow pointing down. Once all three pillars are showing this symbol, the bridge to your left will drop, allowing you and the Blades to continue.

In the next chamber you come to, you will be confronted with a floor of pressure plates, inscribed with the same three symbols as the pillars. Once again, the Dragonborn symbol is the key, and as long as you move across only on these tiles, you can reach the other side. Stepping off of the route will cause a fireball to be launched at you, so moving slowly is advisable. If you prefer, you can use the Whirlwind Sprint shout to move across without triggering the trap.

Once safely across, pull the chain to allow the Blades across, and exit the chamber. You will need to travel across a pair of bridges, and then into the entrance chamber of Sky Haven Temple. Esbern heads for a large stone head built into the far wall, which is according to Esbern the visage of Reman Cyrodiil. In fact, the entire temple is some sort of shrine to him. In front of it is a large carved circle, which Esbern declares to be a "blood seal", requiring the blood of a Dragonborn to function. Activate the circle and you cut your hand, dripping blood on the circle. The stone head then retracts, and an opening is revealed.

Delphine and Esbern take a few moments in the following tunnel to inspect the Akaviri carvings and light the braziers, but you may wish to run ahead and view the temple proper. After arriving behind you, Esbern is immediately attracted to a large relief on the far wall, Alduin's Wall. He moves over to inspect it, taking several moments to fully identify it. Ultimately, he proclaims that the ancient Nords actually used a shout to defeat Alduin, and Delphine turns to you, asking if you know of such a shout. At this point, your best source of information is likely the Greybeards, however much Delphine may dislike them.

Bid farewell to the two Blades, both of them enraptured by Sky Haven Temple, and leave the building. Your next destination is High Hrothgar, home of the Greybeards.

Oblivion - Dark Brotherhood Quest 2 - A Watery Grave

The mini-quest to get the contract from Vicente Valtieri is called "Welcome to the Family". To complete it, you just need to accept the contract from Vicente. He will tell you that the target of your first contract is Gaston Tussaud, the captain of the pirate vessel Marie Elena.
The captain's ship is currently docked in the Imperial City Waterfront District. You now have your shrouded armor, which is very helpful for this mission. In fact, it is possible to kill only the target in this mission. First, when you arrive, you will no doubt notice the pirates loading crates into the ship, overseen by a female Dunmer. If you so much as step on the ship and they see you, they attack. There are a few different strategies which result in a smoother and subtler entry.
You can sneak down to the crates; once near, a prompt should pop up asking you if you want to hide away. Accept and you'll find yourself inside the ship. Sneak along the hallways until you hear two men speaking to one another. After they are finished with their conversation, move out of the way so they don't see you. After it's safe again, resume moving forward until you arrive at a ladder leading upwards. Climb and you'll be in the captain's cabin. Kill him any way you choose.
Alternatively, you can wait until nightfall and jump onto the balcony at the back of the ship, though the lock is Very Hard. (Teinaava hinted at this strategy if you asked him about the assignment beforehand). Tussaud will either be sleeping in his bed or eating dinner in the chair directly in front of you, an ideal target for a sneak attack. Although you will not be able to kill him instantly unless you have extremely high Strength/Blade or a custom weapon, you should be able to finish him off before he has a chance to counterattack. After looting his corpse and chest, leave the way you came in and either dive into the water or Fast Travel to get away unnoticed.

Shortly after you kill the captain, two pirates will barge in to investigate the commotion, so you need to hurry. They will knock on the door shortly before busting it open, so if you're into looting the place, that's your only warning. If the Captain was sleeping, pickpocket his key so you can loot him and his treasure chest prior to his murder, since the two pirates waste no time in coming through the door. It is possible to sneak attack the two pirates if you hide in the shadowy nook next to the door where they enter, or you could escape through the rear door.

However you complete the job, when done return to Vicente for the Black Band, a leveled ring that increases your Light Armor, Security, and Magic Resistance.

There are many ways to kill Captain Gaston Tussaud, and sneak is not required at all.

• Guards: If you board the Marie Elena then the pirates will become hostile. However, they are quickly cut down by any Imperial Guards patrolling nearby. Once they are dead, you can proceed directly to the Captain's room unhindered. After you kill him, you can lead the pirates that come in to investigate outside, and the guards will take care of them as well. You can also lure the Captain to the Imperial Guards on the pier and he will be promptly slain.

• The silent killer method: Purchase a poisoned apple from M'raaj-Dar in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. Leap onto the balcony at the stern of the ship (back end for you land-lubbers) and unlock the door. If you do this at around 1:00 AM, the captain will be asleep. Reverse pickpocket the captain and place a poisoned apple into his inventory. Remove all food from the table and any containers in the captain's stateroom. Leave. When the captain wakes up and eats, he will eat the poisoned apple - killing him. The guards aren't alerted by using this method. In fact, nobody is. You can re-enter the stateroom after he's dead and clean him out of everything if you didn't loot before when you were placing the apple.

• Sniper: Another stealthy method is to sneak to the ship and shoot down the pirates and the first mate. Then you can enter the Captain's cabin, preferably when he's sleeping, and fire away. Remember, the two pirates who check on their Captain will still come, so get out of there as soon as possible. You can escape easily by stealing the Captain's Key and slipping out of the back door, onto the balcony, and off the ship.

• If you approach the Captain while he is sleeping, it is possible to pickpocket his sword from him, forcing him to fight unarmed. This can be useful if you are having difficulty fighting him.

Skyrim - Main Quest 9 - A Cornered Rat

After infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy, return to Riverwood and inform Delphine of what you learned from the Thalmor records. Now, you must retrieve the archivist Esbern from his hiding place in Riften, and you're given a code phrase to say to him.

The journal will direct you to talk to Brynjolf. You may speak to him, Dirge, or Vekel the Man inside The Ragged Flagon. All three give an option to persuade or bribe them for information on Esbern's location, although this is not necessary if the player has already joined the Thieves Guild. They will tell you that Esbern is located in the Ratway Warrens. As the location is accessible before this, you have to the option to proceed directly to Esbern without talking to them. Speaking with Keerava, the Riften innkeeper, also advances the quest. The quest continues as normal and will update with both finding Esbern and talking to Brynjolf. Thalmor are still present in the Ratway regardless.

The sewers and tunnels beneath Riften are inhabited by a number of thugs and three or four Thalmor warriors searching for Esbern. When you reach the door to Esbern's room, he is very wary of Thalmor agents and initially refuses entry. You may persuade him by saying Delphine sent you, you can tell him the password "Where were you on the 30th of Frostfall?", or you may explain that you are the Dragonborn.

Once Esbern is convinced that Delphine sent you, he tells you what he knows: Alduin the World-Eater's return has apocalyptic implications, and Esbern's warnings of this threat have been consistently ignored. He agrees to follow you to Delphine's base in Riverwood.

As soon as Esbern leaves his hovel, more Thalmor agents show up and attack. Esbern is a capable mage, summoning atronachs whenever engaged in battle. In the Warrens, the retired soldier Salvianus will attack the first Thalmor that appear, shouting "No, you cant be here! You're all dead! I already killed you over and over!" Exit back to Riften through the Warrens. While escorting Esbern through Riften, watch out for Gissur and Shavari (hired informants for the Thalmor), who will likely attack.

Leave Riften for the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood. You can fast travel if he is following you. Note that if you asked him to show you the way out via the "Do you know the way out?" dialog option, he is not actually following you and you must have him wait and re-follow; otherwise, he will potentially get stuck on the way out and will not automatically show up with fast travel.

Once he is reunited with Delphine, the next quest begins.

Oblivion - Dark Brotherhood Quest 1 - A Knife in the Dark

According to the rumor mills around Cyrodiil, the Dark Brotherhood comes to you in your sleep after you murder someone to recruit you. This is, in fact, true. To be invited to the Brotherhood, you must murder someone in cold blood. In other words, you must murder an innocent without provocation (note that Bandits and the like do not count as the required murder). Once the deed is done, regardless of who is there, the cryptic message "Your killing has been observed by forces unknown..." will appear in the corner of your screen, indicating you will be visited the next time you sleep. For suggestions on who exactly to murder, consult this guide.

Once your murderous actions have been "observed by forces unknown," sleep at any rest area to be contacted by a Dark Brotherhood's Speaker, Lucien Lachance. To prove your worth before you join the Brotherhood, you must kill Rufio, an old man attempting to hide from his past at the Inn of Ill Omen, located north of Bravil on the Green Road. Upon accepting the quest Lachance will give you a dagger known as Blade of Woe, an unenchanted dagger that remains a quest item until the final Dark Brotherhood quest.

Speak with the Innkeeper at the Inn to discover that Rufio lives in the basement of the Inn and is quite the recluse, never emerging. Entering his room is easy enough; enter through the hatch to the basement. Rufio's room is on the left at the very end of the corridor and the door is not locked. Killing him is quite easy; if he is sleeping, punching him once will do the trick. It is advisable to not use magic, as someone may hear the blast and come rushing downstairs.

If you speak with him before you kill him, he makes vague references to a horrific event in his past, and it is implied that he was part of an attempted rape that resulted in the death of the victim. This is later confirmed if you investigate the backstory of Claudius Arcadia, who arranged Rufio's assassination as retribution for killing his wife or daughter.

After you kill Rufio, you can actually just sleep in the (now dead) man's bed, although any bed will do. Regardless of where you sleep, Lucien will reappear and welcome you into the "family".

He will send you to the Brotherhood's main safe-haven, hidden in an abandoned house in the eastern part of Cheydinhal. When you come across the 'Abandoned House' (there is an easy lock on the boarded-up door) and make your way through the basement, you will see a door with red light emitting out of it. Activate the door, and when it asks for a password, answer 'Sanguine, my brother' just as Lucien instructed.

Once inside the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, you meet your new family led by the Argonian, Ocheeva. Ocheeva will give you your reward for joining the Dark Brotherhood, a Shrouded Hood and Shrouded Armor, two pieces of armor with benefits to stealth-based skills. Since you are a new family member, you must start out with "less important" contracts until you prove yourself. Your new brother who is responsible for handing these contracts out, Vicente Valtieri, just happens to be a vampire. He offers you a chance to become a vampire, or "hunter of the night" as he puts it, if you can prove yourself worthy to be one.

You will now be given a series of missions that involve assassinating people, in the form of 'Contracts'. Once Vicente gives you the first it will conclude this Quest, and begin the first chapter in your long, shadowed, twisted descent into the void with A Watery Grave.

Skyrim - Main Quest 8 - Diplomatic Immunity

The quest entry in your journal states that you should meet Delphine in Riverwood. She will be found in the Sleeping Giant Inn, where you follow her back into her secret room.

Talking to her will reveal she has a plan to get into the Thalmor Embassy. She can arrange to get you into a party thrown by Elenwen, and that will be your chance to get some secret documents. You will need to speak with a Bosmer spy, Malborn, who will offer you assistance.

Meet Malborn in The Winking Skeever in Solitude. When you meet him, make sure to bring everything you want or need smuggled into the embassy, including amulets, rings, weapons, potions, etc. There are locked doors and display cases in the Embassy, so you may wish to bring lockpicks. You have only one opportunity to hand over equipment for use in the Embassy, everything you don't give to Malborn will be taken from you by Delphine to be stored in a chest in the Sleeping Giant Inn's secret room.

Following the meeting with Malborn, rendezvous with Delphine at the stables outside the city. She will make grave comments about your attire regardless of what you are wearing and give you Party Clothes that you must wear. When ready, Delphine will take all your remaining items and you will automatically board the carriage.

Once you have arrived, show the guard the invitation and head inside to be greeted by Elenwen. There is no rush, so you can take your time to converse with the party guests if you wish. The guests who attend depend on your travels in Skyrim. If you have completed any quests for them, they and their dialogue will match accordingly. However, in order to slip out and investigate the embassy, you'll need to create a distraction. Many of the guests are willing to cause a distraction:

Guest	Interactions	Parameters for appearance
Aquillius Aeresius
Balgruuf the Greater		Must have finished the siege on Whiterun.
Elisif the Fair
Erikur	Talk to him and encourage him to solicit Brelas.	Talk to him in the Blue Palace.
General Tullius	No distraction option, but will express his disdain for the Thalmor and a rare bit of sympathy for Ulfric's cause.	Must have finished Message to Whiterun and must not have a civil war attack going on.
Idgrod Ravencrone	If you have completed Laid to Rest, there is an option to ask her to make a scene.	Talk to her in Highmoon Hall.
Igmund
Maven Black-Briar	Will offer distraction if she likes you. Otherwise she will only tell you not to talk to her.	Appears unless you are on the quest Dampened Spirits.
Ondolemar	If you have completed Search and Seizure, there is an option to ask him to make a scene.	Talk to him in Understone Keep.
Orthus Endario	If you have completed Rise in the East, there is an option to ask him to make a scene.	Only appears if you have completed the quest.
Proventus Avenicci		Must have finished The Whispering Door and must not be on the questMessage to Whiterun.
Razelan	Ask Brelas or Malborn for a drink, give him the Colovian Brandy and you can ask him to make a scene.	Always.
Siddgeir
Vittoria Vici		Appears unless you are on the quest Bound Until Death.

Go behind the bar and follow Malborn through the door. He will lead you through the kitchen to a chest with your smuggled belongings, but it is not required to take them. Leave the room through the next door that Malborn opens; he will lock it behind you.

You must now locate and retrieve documents with information on dragons. Approach with stealth and avoid detection, or charge in with combat and kill anyone who stands in the way—whichever you choose, the quest resolves in the same way. If you wish to use stealth, see the Notes section below. Proceed through the door on the left - you can either wait until thesoldiers finish their conversation and move away, or kill them. Once inside, go up the staircase. A Thalmor Wizard will be standing guard ahead, facing the wall. Either kill him or sneak behind him. Head left down the hallway and left again to find the door leading outside. There are two guards patrolling outside, which can be evaded. However, a wizard stands guard at the door to Elenwen's Solar and will not move away. Either create a distraction to move him away and quickly dash in, or kill him. If you are seen, the guards will sometimes not follow you into the Solar.

Inside the Solar, there is a soldier immediately ahead who will head upstairs. Head to the left side of the room and search the chest behind the desk. Grab the dragon report and the two dossiers. There is an Unusual Gem upstairs in the bedroom to the left, which is required for a certain Thieves Guild quest, although if you have installed version 1.4 of the Official Skyrim Patch, the gem can instead be found in Reeking Cave. There is a safe in a small room next to the bedroom with high level loot.

Go down the nearby stairs to the Interrogation Chamber. Rulindil and a Thalmor Soldier will be torturing a prisoner, Etienne Rarnis, in one of the cells. You can sneak behind Rulindil and grab the dossier, or kill both him and the guard. You can also speak to the prisoner, who will tell you to escape via a locked trapdoor. You may free him if you so choose. If you caused Brelas to get arrested earlier, she will be in the cell at the far end and can be freed as well. She will assist you in taking out any hostile guards before escaping.

Once the prisoner has been spoken to or the document has been retrieved and read, two soldiers will enter the room with Malborn and begin to search for you. Either kill them and loot the key to the trapdoor, or pickpocket it from them; the latter option is difficult since they are constantly alert, but this is the only way to get through this quest without directly killing anybody (Etienne Rarnis' and Malborn's fates due to you not helping them notwithstanding). If you are inactive too long, they will attack and kill Malborn, though this does not affect the quest at all. If you wish to save Malborn, act quickly, as he is weak and defends only with his fists. If you collect the dossier without reading it or talking to Etienne, you can go back upstairs to the door you entered through and then read it, which will update the quest and trigger the two guards to appear with Malborn; if you are hiding next to the door they will appear in front of you and can be easily ambushed. Once the guards are dealt with, go through the trapdoor.

The trapdoor in the dungeon leads to Reeking Cave. There is a troll inside the tunnel who will attack both you and the prisoners, but you can simply run for the exit to avoid it. If you have any followers at this point they will be at the tunnel exit already fighting the troll. There is a dead necromancer, an Unusual Gem, and a copy of the Illusion skill book Before the Ages of Man beneath the ledge that you walk out on when you exit the tunnel.

Return to Delphine in Riverwood with the information you have obtained, and retrieve your gear from the marked chest.

Oblivion - Arena - (faction)

The Arena is located in the east district of the Imperial City, where people of Cyrodiil attend to watch brave warriors fight to the death for fame and gold. This faction was established by the first Blademaster, Gaiden Shinji, of the Order of Diagna. It was to be a place where warriors could prove their worth. Though he died shortly after its completion, the Arena owes its existence to him.
To join the gladiatorial ranks of the Arena, speak to Owyn, the Blademaster in the Bloodworks. You will automatically become a member of the Blue Team.

• For each match won, the participant is paid according to their rank within the Arena, a range of 50 gold to 500 gold. This gold is level-independent, with virtually no affiliations with other quests, making it a good starting questline for low-level characters.

• After each fight, the Arena combatants can use the Basin of Renewal found inside the "Red Room" (so named because blood from the arena floor above is said to drip down the walls) to restore themselves.

• When you become the Blue Team Champion, you will receive a title of your choice, one that will stretch across all of Cyrodiil.

• After you defeat The Gray Prince and become the Grand Champion, you will be approached by an Adoring Fan who will want to be your "side kick," offering to carry your weapon or give you a back rub and other things of the sort (none of which is doable).
  • See his page for the potential benefits and detriments he offers.

• Once you achieve the prestigious title of Grand Champion, you will also get a Raiment of Valor. Be sure to take Agronak's Raiment from the Gray Prince when you beat him. Once you give it to Ysabel Andronicus, she will give you your own in return - Heavy or Light.
  • Alternatively, if you decide not to hand over the armor, you can keep Agronak's Raiment, which (unlike your own raiment) is a quest item and therefore effectively has no weight. However, this is advised against, as the armor you receive from Ysabel will have the same enchantments, and you will be unable to receive the benefits of being the Grand Champion.

• Afterwards, when you manage to make it to the Grand Champion matches, you can start looting creatures. This is quite beneficial once you start fighting Minotaurs, who carry Blunt weapons and naturally hold their Minotaur Horns, which are useful in Alchemy.
  • The maximum reward you can get for each creature is 40+(player level-1)×50 gold. The actual amount is somewhat random as it is taken from a leveled list, thus at level 30 you can get anywhere between 40 and 1,490 gold although higher values are more likely. The gold is calculated for each creature you fight, so the maximum reward that can ever be obtained is 4,470 gold.

• Beyond the gold, you will gain 31 fame points for completing the entire Arena quest. You get 10 fame points for defeating The Gray Prince alone.

• You must wear your Heavy or Light Raiment issued to you by Owyn. This rule does not apply to the Grand Champion match.
  • In the two cabinets there are replacement suits of armor (5 light and 5 heavy in each), so you don't have to worry about repair.
  • You may wear any helms, shields, or jewelry.

• You cannot scavenge the corpses of your foes. This rule does not apply to the Grand Champion match.
  • This prohibition extends to weapons and shields that are knocked out of an opponent's hands. The sole exception to the rule are arrows which have missed: they can be recovered during or after a match. Trying to scavenge from a corpse will not result in a penalty but a message will appear telling you that this act is not permitted.

• You can only fight from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M.
  • This is the time you request a fight. You may wait until any time to actually begin your fight.
  • The Grand Champion is not bound by the time.

• The rules of the arena are "anything goes." You can use any weapon or cast any spell in your matches, and may freely use potions, poisons, scrolls, or sneak attacks.

If you remove your armor during your match, the fight will end and you will be disqualified for it (also, prompting a scold from Owyn). This is the only way you can get out of a fight without killing or getting killed yourself. If you happen to do so a second time, you will be expelled from the Arena. There is no way to get back into the Arena after being expelled.

Skyrim - Main Quest 7 - A Blade in the Dark

When you arrive in Riverwood, go to the inn and talk to Delphine. When Delphine is asked for the attic room, she will tell you that there is not any such thing, but she can give them the room on the left. When you go inside, she will talk to you about the Horn and give it to you. She will ask that you follow her to a secret room below the inn. She reveals that she took the Horn to attract the attention of the Dragonborn, and the note was a test to protect against trickery by the Thalmor. She also tells you that the dragons are not coming back, but are actually being resurrected from their burial mounds. Only the Dragonborn can permanently kill dragons, but she is not quite ready to accept you as Dragonborn, despite the Greybeards' interest in you. Luckily, she has a task to prove your worth. According to the Dragonstone map from Bleak Falls Barrow, the next dragon will rise from a burial mound in Kynesgrove, and she wants you to go there with her and kill it—only then will she accept you as Dragonborn. Tell her you're ready to leave, and she will put on her gear and leave the inn.

You are free to follow Delphine to Kynesgrove, or you can go at your own pace and possibly beat her there. As soon as you get to Kynesgrove, Iddra will run up to you saying that a dragon was sighted flying over the burial mound and that you should get out of town. If you traveled with Delphine, she will run up ahead of you to the burial mound, fearing it may be too late. If you arrived ahead of her, she will appear shortly on the mound, behind you.

Upon arriving at the site, you will see the dragon Alduin, who is using his Thu'um to resurrect the dead dragon. Once the dragon in question,Sahloknir, is whole once more, he has a conversation in the dragon language with Alduin. It is recorded below with a general translation below the text and a literal translation in parentheses.

• Alduin: Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse!
  • Sahloknir, ever-bound dragon spirit! (spirit bound dragon eternity-of.)
• Alduin: Slen tiid vo!
  • Let your flesh be unrotten! (Flesh against time.)
• Sahloknir: Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?
  • Alduin, my overlord! An age past, did you not destroy the power of the ancient kings? (Alduin, my overlord! An age time ago kill power-of-kings ancient?)
• Alduin: Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir.
  • Yes, Sahloknir, my trusted ally. (Yes, Sahloknir, my champion [of] allegiance.)
• Alduin: Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi.
  • So, my false Dragonborn? I do not recognize you as dragon. (So, my of-fake Dragonborn? I recognize no from dragon of you.)
• Alduin: You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah.
• Alduin: Sahloknir, krii daar joorre.
  • Sahloknir, kill these mortals. (Sahloknir, kill these mortals.)

After ordering Sahloknir to kill you, Alduin flies away. Kill Sahloknir and absorb his soul, then talk to Delphine. She will tell you everything that you want to know, and reveals that she is one of the last members of the Blades. She will also talk to you about her suspicions regarding the Thalmor, who are the only ones who could benefit from the return of the dragons. She then mentions possibly infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy, starting the next quest, Diplomatic Immunity.

Oblivion - Main Quest 6 - The Path of Dawn

During this quest, Baurus becomes non-essential, so before going on this quest, it is recommended to obtain some Convalescence spells to assist in keeping him alive.

Talk to Jauffre after escorting him and Martin to Cloud Ruler Temple. Now that Martin is safe and secure, the next obvious step is to retrieve the Amulet of Kings so that Martin can light the Dragonfires. Anticipating this course of action,Baurus, the only Blade present at the Emperor's assassination to survive, has been gathering intelligence in the Imperial City. The two of you are to work in conjunction to retrieve the Amulet. You can find Baurus at Luther Broad's Boarding House in the Elven Gardens District.

Inside, you'll find Baurus sitting down and drinking. There may be a different assortment of people in the bar, depending on when you arrive, but one customer, Astav Wirich, is always present. Have a seat next to Baurus and chat with him. In the course of his intelligence-gathering, he has attracted unwanted attention and is being stalked. Suspicious of Astav, Baurus formulates a sting operation: He will leave to the secluded basement in the hope the man will follow. Sure enough, as Baurus leaves Astav follows. Head downstairs and intercept him.

When Astav discovers that he has an opportunity to strike Baurus down without Imperial interference, he'll summon his Mythic Dawn gear and try to assassinate him. Although the fight is pretty one sided in Baurus' favor, Baurus won't mind if you fight Astav from the rear. After Astav is dead, Baurus will instruct you to check his body for anything useful. You'll find a strange book entitled Mythic Dawn Commentaries 1. Show it to Baurus, and he will suggest that you talk to Tar-Meena, an expert of Daedric Cults, in the Arcane University, who may be able to tell you more about the book.

Travel to the Arcane University, located in the southeastern corner of the Imperial City. If you have completed Join the Mages Guild, Tar-Meena will be wandering around the Mystic Archives. If not she will be found reading in the Arch-Mage's Lobby. Talk to her about the Mythic Dawn, and find out more about this cult and its patriarch, Mankar Camoran. She says that you will need the complete set of the Mythic Dawn Commentaries, also known asCommentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, to find their headquarters. She offers you the second book, which leaves you to find Books Three and Four.

Tar-Meena suggests that you visit the First Edition bookstore and speak with Phintias, the proprietor, who may have some information about the last two volumes. His bookstore is in the Market District on the northeast side of the Imperial City, near the center of the district. Upon arriving, ask Phintias about the Mysterium Xarxes. He'll say that while Books One and Two are rare, Books Three and Four are next to impossible to find. He does happen to have a copy of the third, but it has already been paid for by another customer, Gwinas. As for Book Four, he states that he has never even seen a copy of it and has absolutely no idea on where you would find one.

To obtain the third book at this point, you have a few options:

• As soon as Gwinas buys the book, talk to him and tell him that the Mythic Dawn were the ones who murdered the emperor. As soon as he realizes this, he will give you the book and a note about the meeting.
• If you boost Phintias' disposition above 80, he will reluctantly sell the book to you for 100 gold. You will still need to confront Gwinas for the note.
• Before Gwinas picks up the book, it can be found in a locked chest behind Phintias' counter. You can steal the book before Gwinas arrives and Phintias will not be able to give it to him. If you talk to Phintias, he will comment that the book has been stolen. Again, you will still need to get the note from Gwinas.
• Gwinas can also be pickpocket or killed for the book and/or the note.

Volume Four can only be obtained from a member of the Mythic Dawn. Gwinas has set up a meeting, of which he'll tell you the time and place, with his sponsor, Raven Camoran. You must go in his place to receive the fourth and final volume.

As the quest log suggests, go see Baurus back at the Boarding House before heading out to the meeting and let him know what you've found so far. Accompany him through the rather long Elven Garden Sewers where you'll encounter a few mud crabs and leveled goblins. There is very little loot throughout the sewers, so a direct route to the meeting place is advised.

As you follow Baurus through the sewers, periodically heal him to keep him at full strength. Heal him again just before entering the final door to the meeting area. He'll let you know when that is. This will keep him alive through the sewers and, if necessary, throughout the fight. If you do not have a Convalescence spell, waiting will heal both of you at the same time. However, this will not work in the middle of a battle. The fight with the Mythic Dawn agents at the meeting area can be rather difficult, especially if you want to keep Baurus alive. Keeping Baurus alive is recommended because he can be a big help at lower levels, and also during the other battles in the Main Quest. Additionally, if you meet Baurus at the Cloud Ruler Temple after he and you travel through the sewers, he will thank you and give you a free skill increase in Blade, Block, and Heavy Armor. You may also wish to take the lead in order to protect Baurus on the way, since he is no longer essential. If you get too far ahead of him, he'll simply wait for you to come close enough to continue on. Once you reach the meeting area, Baurus suggests that you cover him, although, you can take the lead and have him cover you if you insist. In this path though, he will be discovered and attacked. Whatever happens, he says, you must try to get the book and recover the Amulet of Kings. At this point, it is a good idea to rest or apply a Convalescence Spell to Baurus if you have one. Saving your game is also an excellent idea.

There are many possible ways to continue from here, including the following:

• If you take the stairs to the left of the door into the Sunken Sewers, you'll be on an overlooking walkway with a great vantage point, as Baurus mentioned. The Sponsor will enter and talk to Baurus as two more cultists enter from the top. Without stealth options, these cultists will likely discover you. Even if they don't see you, the first cultist will recognize Baurus and attack. You have a moment before the two cultists enter to attack the cultist below in your manner of choosing. This stratagem tilts the fight greatly in your and Baurus' favor. Alternatively, if you have reasonably goodSneak and Marksman skills you can shoot through the gates up above and eliminate both cultists before they even enter the room. You can then hop down and assist Baurus in finishing off Raven Camoran.

• Ignore Baurus' suggestion of using the vantage point and follow him through the door instead. He will sit at the table, while you should hide in the shadows to the right. The inset wall to the left is also an excellent place to wait. When the first cultist comes in, he stands facing the table with his back to you. If you have enough skill in Sneak you canimmediately sneak up behind him and pick his pocket. If you take too long the other cultists will arrive. If you can pickpocket the book and sneak out of the room in Baurus' line of sight, he will shortly break off the meeting and follow you, and the two of you can leave in peace. He may leave even if you don't.

• You may meet the Sponsor instead. Baurus will hide up on the overlook. Sit down in the chair, and the Sponsor will enter. If you get up or try to talk to him he will yell at you. When the other two agents enter the room, they will see Baurus and attack. If you are quick here, there is an opportunity to pickpocket the book before Baurus enters. This will allow you to leave without having to fight the Mythic Dawn Agents. The opportunity arises after the Sponsor has walked behind you and turns his back on you. You can also pickpocket the key to the Sunken Sewers.

• Another option for keeping Baurus alive at higher levels is to tell Baurus that "I'm not ready to go yet" and then go through either door yourself. If you use a Detect Life spell, at least about 60 feet in range, you can see Raven Camoran through a metal gate on the lower level. He is usually around a corner, behind a wall. To attack him out of line-of-sight, use a ranged spell with an area-of-effect at the ground closest his feet. He and the other cultists will come out and attack you. You can safely take out all three while Baurus is still waiting outside. When you are finished and have the book, go back out and talk to Baurus, who will go ahead to Cloud Ruler Temple, allowing the quest will proceed. If you proceed to do it this way Baurus will remain essential.

• Another option is to go onto the overlooking bridge and make sure Raven sees you while he is still behind the door. This will make him turn hostile but he will not open the gate so you can take him down with a bow or Destruction spell. The other two attackers will come in but will not be very hard to take out. One will carry a key, allowing you to get the book from behind the gate.

Loot Book Four from the Sponsor along with a level-dependent ring, a Sunken Sewers Key, a potion, and a scroll. Be sure to thoroughly explore the Mythic Dawn room as well, where there are three crates and three chests, including one boss-level chest that may contain additional enchanted items as well as additional copies of Mythic Dawn Commentaries Books One to Three.

Once you have the book, you will part ways with Baurus, who states that he'll go to Cloud Ruler Temple to help protect Martin. It is possible for Baurus to die while making his way back to the temple. Exit the sewers either the way you came or through the new area unlocked by the Sunken Sewers Key you retrieved from the cultists. You can also return to outside the cult room, take an immediate left into the next room and then exit up a ladder into Fathis Ules' basement.

The four books each contain a clue as to the location of the cult. You should be able to figure it out by reading the texts but if you need help, go to Tar-Meena at the Arcane University. She'll think about the puzzle and asks you to get back to her tomorrow afternoon to see if she's made progress. If you wait a day and then ask her about the Mythic Dawn, she will tell you that she is sure that the key to the mystery lies in the first word—or even first letter—of each paragraph in the Commentaries....

Look at the large red letters that begin the paragraphs in the book. Put them all together to read: GREEN EMPEROR WAY WHERE TOWER TOUCHES MIDDAY SUN.

Green Emperor Way is the central district of the Imperial City, where the Imperial Palace is located. If you are going strictly by the clue from the books, you should wait until nearly midday. Look for the shadow of the White Gold Tower, and walk to the end of the shadow. If you look up, the tip of the tower should be touching the middle of the sun. You should be standing right in front of the Tomb of Prince Camarril, where a set of red runes are glowing to reveal the location of the Mythic Dawn shrine. Click to activate the tomb and advance the quest.

If you're following the quest marker, there's no need to pay attention to the sun's shadow: you can follow the quest marker straight to the Tomb of Prince Camarril, located just south of the gate leading to the Talos Plaza District. You don't even need to talk to Tar-Meena. At any time after obtaining the fourth volume you can go to Green Emperor Way to advance the quest. The runes on the tomb will only glow from 11:48 AM to 12:30 PM. You need to be standing on the south side of the tomb with the palace positioned behind the tomb to see the runes. The runes on the tomb actually glow every day from the very beginning of the game, but it is only possible to activate the tomb during this quest.