The Battle For Kvatch: [edit] Make it to the Castle
Whenever you're ready, speak to Savlian Matius to begin the battle. Follow him out of the chapel and wipe out the daedra. If any other soldiers survived the previous quest, they will continue to accompany Savlian and help with the attack. Savlian is an essential character so he cannot be killed. However, the rest of your allies are mortal and unleveled. Keeping them alive, while not necessary, is a notorious challenge at high levels. Eventually, Savlian and his men will reach the path that leads to the castle only to find that the gate has been sealed. He sends you to find Berich Inian, who has the key to the guard house.


Gatehouse
When you return to the chapel, reinforcements have arrived: two Imperial Legion Soldiers and one Imperial Legion Archer tell you that they saw the smoke from the Gold Road. Ask them to follow you, then talk to Berich. He will lead you into the Chapel Undercroft, where you will encounter several Daedra. At the far end of the Chapel Undercroft is a door leading back outside. Berich will lead you through the city streets, fighting Daedra as you go, to a hidden tunnel that leads to the gatehouse. At this point, Berich opens a locked trapdoor with his key, and departs, leaving you and your Imperial Legion soldiers. If Berich gets killed at any point on your way toward the gatehouse, you will have to loot the key to the trapdoor from his corpse and open the trapdoor yourself.

The tunnel is straightforward and free of enemies. At the end, take the ladder up and out and into the gatehouse. On the upper level of the gatehouse is a turn wheel which opens the gates. Berich, Savlian, and any remaining men will rush headlong into the courtyard. Clear the courtyard of any remaining Daedra.


Into the Castle

Inside the Castle's Great HallOnce the courtyard is clear, Savlian will run into the castle. Approach him and he'll tell you to go find the Count of Kvatch while he takes care of the main hall. He and his soldiers will remain at the entrance to the throne room. Only the Imperial Legionnaires will follow you as far as the entrance to the next area. Be sure to grab an Acrobatics skill book A Dance in Fire, v4 from a table in the Great Hall.

Fight your way through the Great Hall towards the north end, where there is a passage leading to the Count's bedroom. Count Ormellius Goldwine is dead in his chambers; there is no possible way to save him. When you find the count, a quest update will tell you to at least take his Colovian Signet Ring back to Savlian. Back in the main hall, inform Savlian of the Count's death to complete the quest. If you give him the ring, he'll give you his Kvatch Cuirass in return, a leveled enchanted light armor. The cuirass fortifies Strength and Endurance by two to eight points.

Preparation
If you unlock all the doors in Fathis Ules's House connecting to the Elven Gardens Sewers (front door, basement door, etc.) prior to starting this quest, Baurus will then travel to the Mythic Dawn meeting via Fathis's house, which is a much quicker route. During this quest, Baurus becomes non-essential, so before going on this quest, obtain some Convalescence spells from one of the chapels of the outlaying cities.


An Old Friend
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 and end this ordeal. Anticipating this course of action, Baurus, the Blade present at the Emperor's death, and its only other survivor, 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 of the Imperial City.

Inside, you'll find Baurus sitting down and downing booze. There may be a different assortment of people in the bar, depending on when you arrive (notably, a grumpy old man in the corner named Astav Wirich). 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.


Volume One: Astav and Baurus
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's 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; she may be able to tell you more about the book you just found.


Volume Two: The Arcane University
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 as Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes) to find their headquarters, and fortunately offers you Book Two, which leaves you to find Books Three and Four.


Volume Three: First Edition
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 Book Three, 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 people 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's disposition towards you above 80, he will reluctantly sell the book to you for 100 gold. You will still have to get the note from Gwinas, which you can do by confronting him like in the previous option.
Before Gwinas picks up the book, it can be found in a locked chest behind Phintias's 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. Catch Gwinas when he's walking away after attempting to buy the book and talk to him; he will still give you the note.
You can follow Gwinas back to the hotel he is staying at, where you can either pickpocket the book and the note from him, or kill him and take both items from his corpse.
Volume Four can only be obtained from a member of the Mythic Dawn. Gwinas has set up a meeting, which he'll tell you the time and place of, with his sponsor, Raven Camoran, to arrange getting the book. You must go in his place to receive the fourth and final volume.


Volume Four: The Sewers
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 (see Preparation at the top of the page). 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, through 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, even though he is marked essential until the meeting with the Sponsor - and so cannot be killed until that point - since he can still be injured (weakening him for the upcoming encounter, when he is no longer essential). If you get too far ahead of him, he'll simply wait for you to come back. Once you reach the meeting area, Baurus suggests that you cover him (you can take the lead and have him cover you if you insist, 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. As previously noted, Baurus is now non-essential, meaning that he can be killed. The following are the various methods of continuing:

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, who will most likely see and attack 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 snipe at the cultist below, if you so choose. If you have a silence effect spell or poison, you can hit Raven or one of the other cultists with it. This will stop the victim from casting spells, including their ability to cast Bound Armor and Bound Weapon spells. This stratagem tilts the fight greatly in your and Baurus's favor.
Ignore Baurus's suggestion of using the vantage point, and follow him through the door instead. He will sit at the table, and 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, immediately sneak up behind him and pick his pocket (if you take too long the other cultists will show up). You will be able to at least get the book and perhaps more. Immediately sneak out of the room the way you came. If you make sure you are in Baurus's 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 by yourself. If you use a Detect Life spell (~60 feet), 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 or scroll with an area-of-effect at the ground closest his feet of at least 15 feet. An arrow will not work, as Camoran is too far away. He and the other cultists will come out and attack you. Here 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, he will go ahead to Cloud Ruler Temple and 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 (unless he used the latter two fighting you). Be sure to thoroughly explore the Mythic Dawn room as well, where there are three crates and three chests (one a 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. Note that Baurus can die while making his way back to the temple. Exit the sewers either the way you came or through the new area (Talos Plaza Sewers) 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's basement.


Before...

...and After

Cracking the Code
The four books each contain a clue as to the location of the cult. Do not read on if you want to try to figure it out yourself! 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. Some non-English versions of the game ruin the puzzle due to the initial letter of a word being different.

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 will only be able to see the tower if "Distant Buildings" is turned on in Video Options). 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 (or reading this guide), 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 just go to Green Emperor Way. The runes on the tomb will only glow at midday (specifically 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.

Dagon Shrine: Travel to the Shrine
You've finally been able to track down the location of Mythic Dawn's secret shrine to Mehrunes Dagon. The location, marked on your map, is in the northeastern part of the province at Lake Arrius Caverns, just north of Cheydinhal. Unlike Weynon Priory and Kvatch, you cannot immediately fast travel to Lake Arrius unless you happen to have been there before.


Gaining Entry
The Doorkeeper just inside the cavern will let you into the shrine without too much hassle. He says you should go and speak with Harrow, Warden of the Shrine of Dagon. Harrow will ask you to hand over all of your possessions (including all of your gold) and put on an Initiate's robe. If you refuse, you'll get a warning and another chance to don the robe. If you follow Harrow's instructions, you temporarily become a member of the Mythic Dawn and you are allowed to follow Harrow into the shrine.

At any point, you can refuse to co-operate and instead fight your way in. You will be told that your cover has been blown. You will then need to fight your way through the entire shrine, killing all the cultists you meet. You can choose whatever option is better suited to your character's strengths. If you are a stealthy character - or just really good at running - playing along with the Cult may be advantageous. Strong fighters may have an easier time simply marching in fully armed and cutting down everything in their path.

There are a few strategies for coping with Harrow taking all your equipment:

Harrow will not take any quest items that you may have in your inventory. Therefore having weapons such as the Blade of Woe, Umbra, the Honorblade of Chorrol, or even the weapons shipment from The Desolate Mine can be advantageous.
You can drop most of your equipment on the ground just before speaking to Harrow (you may not want to drop small, difficult-to-find items like keys). You can then pick everything up the moment after you agree to hand everything over. This allows you to enter the next section fully equipped without blowing your cover. You will still need to loot Harrow later in order to retrieve your gold and any other items you allowed him to take.
You can subsequently pickpocket Harrow to retrieve some items. Zero-weight permanent bound items are perfect candidates, since detection is influenced by item weight.
You can obtain some replacement equipment from the storage room at the far end of the Shrine Antechamber. You should drop a few lockpicks before speaking to Harrow (and pick them up after you give him your equipment) because this room is locked. Even if you do not give your equipment to Harrow, a visit here is recommended because it has some nice loot.
You can also walk up to Harrow and let him see you. Then when he starts walking towards you, start walking backwards and back out the door. He will stop at the entrance to the door and start walking back to his position. While he is walking back you can go around him and go through the door without having to give up your stuff.

The Ritual
There are two main options here, largely dictated by whether or not you turned over your equipment when you entered the shrine.


If You Handed Over Your Equipment
Harrow will lead you to a ceremony, which is already in progress, directed by Mankar Camoran himself. After a short speech, Mankar will disappear into a magical portal to Paradise, his realm; unfortunately he will also take the Amulet of Kings with him. It is impossible to kill Mankar at this point, because he is flagged as essential. It is not even possible to try to pickpocket the Amulet from him because he is also flagged as a "ghost" meaning you cannot interact with him in any way. Trying to obstruct the quest at this stage can lead to a serious bug later, so it's best to just let Mankar escape.

Once Mankar gets away, a quest message will pop up to inform you that your new target should be the Mysterium Xarxes, because it may aid you and Martin in retrieving the Amulet. At this point you will be introduced as a new Initiate to Ruma Camoran, Mankar's daughter and she will ask you to perform a ritual sacrifice of Jeelius, an Argonian priest. You may choose to agree or refuse to perform it. If you refuse, the cultists will immediately turn on you. Since you are weaponless and vastly outnumbered, this will be a very difficult battle. You have several choices at this point:

Once you have the knife for the ceremony, you can wander around unbothered until you find Harrow among the worshippers. Simply use the dagger to kill him, then search the body for your items.
Kill Jeelius, which will allow you to wait until things cool off a bit before stealing the book. Although you are now part of the Mythic Dawn, you cannot get out of the cave until you take the Mysterium Xarxes. Wait for one hour, which will allow the whole room to clear out except for Harrow, Ruma Camoran, and one additional guard (who stands behind the altar area). Then proceed to grab the book, attack those three and escape, fighting any other cultists along the way.
Agree to the sacrifice (for now at least). Go to the podium and pick up the silver dagger. Then grab the Mysterium Xarxes and run for it. You'll need to keep running all the way through the Shrine Living Quarters (avoiding many cultists along the way). You won't be safe until you make it out of the caverns.
If you are powerful enough to deal with the cultists, you can refuse to make the sacrifice, or even free Jeelius.
If you want to save Jeelius, note that picking up the Mysterium Xarxes will cause the statue of Dagon to collapse on top of him. See Jeelius for tips on how to help him survive.
See Fighting the Cultists for tips on how to survive the ensuing fight.
If your sneak skill is high enough, you can pickpocket your best items from Harrow and then use those items to kill him and take the rest of your stuff back, making the rest of the battle easier.
Another way is to pickpocket some lockpicks from Harrow and use them to open the door at the end of the hall outside the Shrine. You will find a basement with some scrolls, potions and weapons which will make it a lot easier when you attack.

If You Blew Your Cover
If you refused to turn over your equipment in the first place, you will need to kill Harrow (and the doorkeeper if he runs in). Fight and sneak your way through the antechamber and into the main Dagon Shrine, where the ceremony led by Mankar Camoran is going on. Your quest should update with your new target: the Mysterium Xarxes. Fight your way to it. Taking it will collapse the statue, close the entrance and open a new exit through the cult's living quarters. Using this method allows you to take followers into the shrine with you.


Fighting the Cultists
In most cases, you will end up having to fight your way through many Mythic Dawn cultists.

By choosing opportune times to start fighting, you can reduce the number of cultists you will need to fight. In particular, most of the cultists will leave the shrine area if you wait for a while (the shadows on the upper level of the shrine area are good areas to hide while waiting).
If you are outnumbered by cultists at the shrine, you can stand under the statue of Mehrunes Dagon. When the cultists are under it with you, run and grab the Mysterium Xarxes. This will cause the statue to collapse on top of them, killing most of them instantly.
To avoid being cornered by multiple cultists, keep moving at all times.
Use area-effect staves/spells to damage as many people at once as possible.
If your conjuration is at least at an apprentice level, you can summon some bound armor and a bound weapon for extra protection against the cultists.
If you are as playing as a stealthy archer, you can sneak to the far upper-right corner and play sniper from a perch. It will take a significant amount of time for the cultists to run all the way around and up to reach you. You could potentially pick many of them off with poisoned arrows by the time they realize what's going on and begin to move in.

Jeelius
Helping Jeelius to survive this quest can be challenging (although optional).

One challenge is avoiding his death when the statue of Mehrunes Dagon collapses on top of him. If you free him before taking the Mysterium Xarxes then the statue will not collapse on top of him: however, you cannot access the Living Quarters until you have the book, so this option makes it impossible to purge that area before he gets there. Otherwise, as soon as you grab the book, you can rush to stand over Jeelius, deflecting some of the statue, and casting a healing spell on him if necessary. Similarly, casting a short duration custom spell on him combining shield, fortify endurance, and fortify health can make him tough enough to survive the statue falling. Also, casting a destruction spell with an area effect on the falling statue may deflect most large chunks. Alternatively, cast Chameleon on self and Invisibility on the Argonian. Free him and he will run away, hiding in some corner. Now grab the book and the statue will collapse on the empty altar.

As soon as you free Jeelius, he will run towards the exit, avoiding as many guards as he can. However, he will always take the long path through the Living Quarters, even if the (much shorter) route via the Antechamber is still accessible. Jeelius is able to cast a few randomly-determined spells, so he might be able to heal himself and should be able to attack the cultists with a destruction spell. However, he will die if he gets cornered. Trying to follow Jeelius can make things worse because it just attracts more cultists than if he tries to flee alone. If you do try to follow Jeelius, be prepared to use many healing (or even defensive) spells on him.

To guarantee Jeelius's survival, you can delay freeing him until after you have gone through all of the Living Quarters and killed all of the cultists. Then return to the shrine, release him, and accompany him out through the empty corridors. This may take several attempts due to the statue falling.

If you escort Jeelius through the caves, he will thank you once you get outside and introduce himself as Jeelius from the Temple of the One in the Imperial City. If he survives, you can go to the Temple Of the One a few days later and he will give you free one-point skill boosts in Alchemy, Mysticism, and Restoration, provided they are below 90.


Escaping from the Caverns
No matter which option you choose, you will end up leaving the Dagon Shrine area through the door on the north side of the shrine, leading to the Shrine Living Quarters. This door does not unlock until you take the Mysterium Xarxes, at which point the door you entered through also locks.

There are many cultists (as many as 15) in the living quarters, all of whom have to be killed or avoided to make it out. Taking the time to check the chests and other containers can be worthwhile, because they may contain good loot.

Once you make it through to the first zone, Lake Arrius Caverns, your way is blocked by a "Rock Wall". The turn handle to activate the Rock Wall is located at the start of the tunnel, in the previous room.


Return to the Temple
When you finally make it outside, head towards Cloud Ruler Temple with the Mysterium Xarxes. Martin may be found in the Great Hall of the Temple, and he will take the Mysterium Xarxes. He believes it may hold the key to opening a portal to find Camoran, but he will need some time to safely study it.

Investigate Spies
Once you've given the Mysterium Xarxes to Martin, he tells you to speak to Jauffre about Spies. Apparently the gate guards have seen strangers along the road near the temple for the past few nights and Jauffre wants you to find them. Speak to Captain Steffan for more details. Steffan says the spies have been seen near the Runestone at the bottom of the hill near dusk.


[edit] The Rune Stone
There are two Mythic Dawn Agents to find and eliminate to complete this quest: Saveri Faram and Jearl. Note that even though it is possible to pickpocket the Basement Key from Jearl as she leaves her house and obtain proof that Jearl is a spy, you will still be forced to kill the spies. The pointer will point back to Jauffre at Cloud Ruler Temple as soon as you obtain the proof, but he will instruct you to kill them anyway (see stage 85).

The first can most often be found at the Hestra Rune Stone (map) indicated by Steffan, just southeast of the Temple towards Bruma. At sunset (shortly after 5:00 pm, to be specific), one or both Mythic Dawn Agents will appear in the ruins and attack you on sight. The runestone's Bound Gauntlets and Bound Weapon (dagger or mace) may be useful in the fight.

If you need help, you can lead the agents to either the town or the temple and have the guards help you kill them. You can also go directly into Jearl's house in Bruma during the day. This makes it much easier to get help if you need it.

Once the first Mythic Dawn agent is dead, you will receive a quest message to speak to Captain Burd in Bruma, as Jauffre previously mentioned. Make sure you loot all keys from the first agent's corpse.

If you kill both agents before talking to Captain Burd and then talk to Jauffre, he will direct you to locate their base, so you will still need to talk to Captain Burd to continue.


[edit] Jearl's Basement
The first agent has two keys on her which should help you find the cultists' base in Bruma.

You can head directly to Jearl's house or seek further guidance from Captain Burd. He might be found patrolling the Great Hall in Bruma. Ask him about Spies in town and he doesn't have any specific information. Tell him what you've found so far. If you killed the cultist at the runestones he'll allow you to search Jearl's home, otherwise he'll mention the Bruma Caverns are being used by the spies.

Jearl's house is in the southern part of Bruma and is easily entered with the key you retrieved from her. There's nothing much to be found on the first floor. The one locked chest just has a 75% chance of containing one piece of armor (fur or leather) or one weapon (iron or steel). However, there is a concealed trapdoor that is partially hidden by the green rug closest to the bed. Alternatively, you can go through the Bruma Caverns found just west of town.

Either way, you'll end up in Jearl's basement (both entrances locked, level dependent, opened with the Basement Key from either spy). On a table you find Jearl's Orders, which reveal the enemy's plans. Apparently she and Saveri were casing the Cloud Ruler Temple in preparation for an all-out attack on it and Bruma through the use of Oblivion Gates. The basement doesn't contain anything else of interest except copies one and two of the Mythic Dawn Commentaries.

The second agent will likely attack you on your way to Jearl's basement. If you're having trouble finding the second agent, Saveri Faram or Jearl can be found at the house only at specific times. They can be found sleeping in her bed during the night, but otherwise may be found in the basement, caverns, or woods between Bruma and the Cloud Ruler Temple. Be ready, as the remaining agent will likely attack on sight.

If you report back to Captain Burd, he will allow you to enter Jearl's house at any time. For all practical purposes, this means that the house becomes yours. Be aware, however, that only the chest on the ground floor is safe for storage.


[edit] Return to Cloud Ruler Temple
Return with the plans to Jauffre who will congratulate you on your efforts and then run off to warn the Countess of Bruma about the impending attack. Speak to Martin to learn what he has discovered from the Mysterium Xarxes so far.

Blood of the Daedra: Cloud Ruler Temple
After learning about the impending attack on Bruma by the Mythic Dawn cult, speak to Martin about his progress on deciphering the Mysterium Xarxes. It seems in order to open a portal, four items are needed. So far he has only determined what one of those items is: a Daedric Artifact.


Blessings of the Fifteen
Ask Martin about Daedric Artifacts who will suggest you read Modern Heretics for more information on these artifacts. The book will be on the table Martin sits at while working. The book provides all the information necessary to get a Daedric artifact from Azura's shrine (including a map marker for its location). If you've been focusing on the main quest so far, the quickest way to get to Azura's shrine is to fast travel back to Lake Arrius Caverns and head cross-country from there. The page on Azura's quest describes what to expect once you reach Azura's shrine. However, Azura is not the only option. There are 15 Daedric artifacts available in Cyrodiil, one from each of 15 Daedric lords; any of these artifacts will satisfy Martin's needs. Details on all of these quests are provided under Daedric Quests.

Probably the most important thing to consider when choosing an artifact to use is whether or not your character can use the item effectively. The full value of each individual artifact is determined by each player's own style, and an excellent sword that no blade-strong character would ever dream of parting with may just be the right choice for an archer or mace-fighter to sacrifice. That said, each artifact does have some consistent qualities that make it a good or terrible choice to sacrifice:

Azura's Star: It is highly recommended that you do NOT give up Azura's Star; this item is much too useful to lose. It is essentially a reusable Grand Soul Gem, and it becomes particularly valuable as you start to rely on enchanted weapons later in the game. Even if you have never used the Soul Trap spell, it's worth keeping the Star for later. It will become extraordinarily useful. Replaceable by Grand Soul Gems, up to the point where the supply of those or the player's patience runs out.
Ebony Blade: An excellent blade for use against NPC spellcasters, but not as effective against more mundane fighters, or monsters (who use powers that are immune to Silence). If you're on a witch-hunt, you will have to compare this with casting silence as a spell or poisoning a weapon with a suitable concoction, and wielding instead a Daedric Longsword (24 damage to the Ebony Blade's 23) enchanted with a Sigil Stone (Absorb Health Sigil Stones available as early as level 5 absorb 10 points or more, with the highest, at level 17, absorbing 24; Ebony Blade absorbs only 8 health).
Goldbrand: A weapon with very high physical damage, rivaling that of the vaunted Umbra. Unlike Umbra, though, this blade's enchantment inflicts further damage. If you're focused on longsword fighting, this is practically an essential weapon in your arsenal. A Daedric Longsword with a Fire Damage Transcendent Sigil Stone does 1 less physical and 3 more Fire Damage.
Mace of Molag Bal: The Absorb Strength enchantment on the mace has no duration, making it wholly ineffective, and the low number of charges of Absorb Magicka make this a relatively poor weapon for actual use, even for a skilled Blunt Weapons user. A Daedric Mace does 1 less damage and the relevant Ascendent Sigil Stone absorbs ten times as much Magicka.
Masque of Clavicus Vile: If you do not intend to use the Umbra sword, then the Masque of Clavicus Vile is an excellent choice to sacrifice, as it increases only your personality, widely considered to be one of the least useful stats since the speechcraft mini-game can be supplemented with an extensive array of aids including bribes, Charm spells, and Fortify Personality and Speechcraft, both available in spell and potion form. Fortify Personality is available at Enchanting Altars, but not in Sigil Stones. Utterly replaceable (other than appearance) by the Knights of the Nine item Helm of the Crusader, which is more durable, lighter, and adds 25 Personality instead of 20.
Oghma Infinium: The value of this artifact, especially when used by a high-level character, is almost beyond consideration. It offers you the opportunity to train your character beyond conventional limits of skills and attributes, and should be retained at the expense of any other artifact you have available. No comparable replacement.
Ring of Khajiiti: The Chameleon 35% and Fortify Speed 10pts effects of the ring make this artifact valuable for Stealth-based characters; a Transcendent Sigil Stone enchantment can provide 30% Chameleon, and surpass the ring's +Speed with 12pts, but not both, obviously.
Ring of Namira: Reflect Damage 12% and Reflect Spell 10%. Potions can provide either effect, at up to 24%, as do numerous other items, although the combination of the two qualities is uncommon (Mirror Shield is another instance).
Sanguine Rose: This artifact can be a powerful weapon if used carefully, especially for a low-level character. However, it can also be a danger to the user. The Sanguine Rose summons a random Daedra next to your target. The Daedra usually attacks the target, but if you are standing nearby there is a chance it will attack you instead. At higher levels entirely replacable by, and unequivocally inferior to in many respects, Summon spells.
Saviour's Hide: As a physical cuirass of Light Armor it is one of the best, being only slightly less protective than Glass, but one-fifth of its weight. Players with The Apprentice birthsign will also find its magic resistance useful. However, it offers nothing spectacular for other types of characters. Compare its 25% magic resistance to a Sigil Stone's maximum of 20%. Incomparable weight for the protection.
Skeleton Key: Is extremely useful for any character, since it gives you infinite tries to open a lock. No comparable replacement. However, there is a bug associated with this.
Skull of Corruption: At best, a creative player can make good use of this staff in a tight situation. At worst, it is a very entertaining toy. If you can keep it, then keep it. No comparable replacement.
Spell Breaker: An excellent shield, especially if you're going up against spellcasters. Even a character unskilled in Heavy Armor can at least equip the shield to make use of its 30% Spell Reflection, whether they have an accompanying weapon or not. Not a wise item to give up, as long as you can shoulder the weight. As with Ring of Namira, Reflect Spell can be provided with potions.
Volendrung: As one of the few weapons with a Paralyze enchantment, Volendrung has its strengths. But, as the heaviest artifact around, only a skilled Blunt Weapons fighter won't mind carrying it everywhere. Neither Sigil Stones nor the Enchanting Altar afford the Paralyze effect, but there are five Oblivion and three Shivering Isles ingredients available to make such a poison.
Wabbajack: When successfully struck, a target, no matter how damaged, is transformed into one of eight random creatures at full health, from a Rat all the way up to an Ogre. After ten seconds, the target reverts back to its original form, healed to full. Available at Level 2; the quest to obtain it is relatively easy. Lightweight. No equivalent replacement. Not a good weapon for low level characters. However, the Wabbajack is actually quite useful to a player that can kill any creature it summons, within ten seconds and more easily than the enemies the player commonly faces. It can be considered a form of crowd control when fighting Ogres, Gloom Wraiths or Goblin Warlords, as there is a 90% chance it will summon something weaker than an Ogre.

Mysterium Artifact
Finding the other Daedric shrines is generally not easy: as suggested by Modern Heretics the shrines are remote and few people know of their existence. Which artifact to obtain for Martin is your choice. One key factor is the level of your character: each quest has a minimum level requirement, ranging from 2 to 20 (Azura and Sheogorath are the only quests available at level 2). Another key factor will be which artifact you think is least useful for your character. All the Daedric artifacts have unique magical powers, including capabilities that are not otherwise available. The artifact you give to Martin will be destroyed and gone for good. Once you obtain a Daedric artifact, return to Martin and give him the artifact. Martin tells you he needs more time to continue translating the Mysterium Xarxes and tells you to speak with Jauffre in the meantime.

Bruma Gates: The Gates of Bruma
Jauffre wants you to help the Bruma guard learn how to close an Oblivion gate. One has conveniently just opened near Bruma. Find Captain Burd outside the gates of Bruma and repel the first wave of attackers. You are then to lead the charge into the gate in order to close it. Lead Captain Burd and his two men (whom he calls Bor and Soren) in after a short inspirational speech from Burd.

You can enter the gate without Burd and his men. Once you get to the top of The Fury Spike, your quest will update, telling you to show Burd how to close the Oblivion gate using the Sigil Stone. If you use the wait command, Burd will soon appear before you and the quest goes on as scripted.


Leading the Charge

Your first view of the Bruma Oblivion world.The Oblivion area has few things of significance, as it's mostly a winding, linear path to the tower. You may find a lone guard fighting Daedra along the way. You may enlist his help or order him to flee. There are various Daedra scattered about along with some treasure and plants. Once you reach the Tower, go inside and make your way to the top. The guards will likely be of good assistance to you providing you can keep them alive. Burd is flagged as essential so he will only become unconscious. Your companions will charge an enemy as soon as it spots you or you attack it. Rest in safe areas to heal the guards as needed. They will also tend to get in the way of your attacks but don't seem to mind being hit a time or two (Warning: If you hit them a third time, they will turn on you. Simply yield to them and they should stop attacking). If you land the killing blow on a guard, you will receive the usual bounty of 1000 gold for murder, but the remaining guards will not try to arrest you until you come back to Bruma. Your disposition with Burd will also fall to zero.


Assaulting the Sigillum Sanguis
Near the top of the Sigil Keep, you will encounter a Dremora Sigil Keeper (he is not any tougher than the Daedra that you have already encountered). Take the Sigil Key from him or pick the lock on the door that leads to the Sigillum Sanguis area. Be warned that there is a small concentration of Daedra guarding the Sigil Stone. Note that if you brought Burd into the gate with you, he must be present in the Sigillum Sanguis for you to remove the stone. If you told him to wait or left him far behind, you will have to go back and find him.


Back to Bruma
Once the gate has been closed and you are back in Bruma, talk to Captain Burd again. He says that he thinks he can handle any more gates that open around Bruma. Return with the news of your success to Jauffre. Speak to Jauffre for an optional sidequest (Allies for Bruma), or speak to Martin to continue with the main quest line

The Wayward Knight: Attack on a Gate
The son of Count Cheydinhal, Farwil Indarys, has entered the Oblivion gate with his group of knights called the Knights of the Thorn. Asking the local town guard about Knights of the Thorn reveals that they spend most of their time making up wild stories and drinking at the tavern.


In Oblivion
After entering the gate you will find that, unlike most Oblivion gates, this quest takes place in a unique plane of Oblivion. The earliest part of the plane will have you traveling through a series of caves, ending with Farwil plus his one surviving knight on the other side of the tunnels, Bremman Senyan. However, if your Acrobatics is fairly high you can leap down the cliff, landing on rocks, and get down there, bypassing the caves entirely. Talking to Farwil activates a rather wild story, while speaking with his companion unveils the real story, Farwil, after failing to go to the town guard for help he has lead a losing battle against the daedric forces in this plane, leading to all of the other members of the Knights of the Thorn dying. Bremman and Farwil managed to evade the rest of the daedra at the base of the bridge leading to the sigil keep. They refuse to return through the way they came meaning you will have to destroy the gate to save them. This is followed by a long, unbroken bridge over lava with four random Daedra. It is a good idea to keep Farwil and the enemies away from the edges, as Farwil and his companion both will blindly jump into the lava to chase an already doomed Daedra. All Daedra will be drawn to attack Farwil first, and since he doesn't have much health, protecting him is vital.


Tactics for Keeping the Knights Alive
The Sigil Keep (called "The Chaos Stronghold") is a typical run with two corridor-ramp areas, eventually leading to the Sigillum Sanguis. Upon entering the Chaos Stronghold, the two knights will go sword-happy and may very well enter the corridors after some Daedra they managed to spot up in the rafters. As you cannot give them commands you will have a particularly hard time saving Farwil from an untimely death. To make matters worse they lack leveled equipment, instead they wear a partial set of steel armor, with a Knights of a Thorn Shield and two different steel weapons. It is also worth noting they have no ranged attacks and will be extremely vulnerable to friendly fire and enemy spell casters.

Considering these factors the best strategy for completing this quest with the best possible ending would be to do it at an early level, as at the higher levels they are mismatched in one on one fights against the daedra, let alone the daedric hordes you face. Though it may seem logical at first glance, it is not recommended to try to rush the tower and hope they will last long enough for you to destroy the gate as they will die long before you can reach the top of the sigil keep. Archery is nearly entirely useless in this quest as the tower's cramped hallways and crooked paths make it almost impossible to line up a shot, not to mention the two suicidal lemmings that will charge right at the enemy. Having spells that provide magical shields against damage, 100% Chameleon spells to keep them safe from most damage, and healing spells to help them recover from the many wounds they will sustain throughout the battle are all recommended. You may also benefit from spells or enchantments that boost disposition since they are both melee fighters friendly fire is very likely.

At level 30, friendly fire is a big problem for a strong fighter; a tactic that might help is to soften up but not kill the closest Daedra in a group before moving on to the next enemy. The two knights should lag behind and finish off the opponents without too much trouble, two on one, and this keeps them behind you and out of your way while you do most of the damage. Then they can be healed before moving on to another group.

After fighting a group, if your companions are on low health, you can wait (if there are no enemies around) and they will regenerate their health.


Reward
If Farwil is returned safely, he will make you a Knight of the Thorn and gives a leveled Knights of the Thorn Medallion (Fortify Speechcraft). You will receive +2 Fame. Access to the Knights of the Thorn Lodge is also awarded, but there is not much in there. It does have some beds which makes for a decent place to rest. It is probably a bad idea to use the chests and crates to store items because some of them respawn.

The Count will also offer a reward of one of two magic items - a sword or a staff; only one can be selected. If the sword is chosen, the Count will present Thornblade, a leveled longsword of Disintegrate Armor. The alternative is the Staff of Indarys (leveled Shock Damage and Damage Strength). The Count will also give allies to Bruma.

If Farwil dies, you can retrieve his Signet Ring and his Knights of the Thorn Medallion. In this case, you only get +1 Fame and your final reward from the Count will be lessened, as you just get a leveled gold reward (see chart below). Although the Count asks for Farwil's Signet Ring, you do not need to have it to obtain the reward; even if you do have the ring, the Count returns it to you.

If Farwil is killed by the player, the quest ends. Beware, if you do kill Farwil and do not reload, the Count will refuse to talk to you for killing his son, making it impossible to do any previously uncompleted quests involving the Count, such as the Cheydinhal house for sale, or the Allies for Bruma quest. You will also receive +2 Infamy for killing Farwil.