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In the kitchen, the Khajiit cook Tsavani will complain about Malborn bringing a stranger into the kitchens, at least until Malborn reminds her of her secret Moon Sugar addiction. Malborn will then lead you into a room where you can receive the items you asked him to smuggle in. As soon as you exit through the door, Malborn will lock the kitchen area behind you and you are on your own, with the objective to find dragon-related intelligence. In the first hallway, you can eavesdrop on a conversation between two Thalmor Guards, hinting that Delphine may be wrong about the Thalmor:
Guard #1: "Did you see those robes march in this morning? Who're they with? More of the Emissary's treaty enforcers?"
Guard #2: "No. They're high mages, just in from Alinor. I guess Herself is finally getting worried about all the dragon attacks."
Guard #1: "Ah, good. I've been wondering how we were supposed to defend this place from a dragon."
Guard #2: "If a dragon does show up, maybe we'll get lucky and it will eat the mages first. Might give us enough time to kill it."
Guard #1: "Ha. I'd like to see those arrogant bastards taken down a notch. Always looking down their noses at us lowly footsloggers."
After a bit of mean-spirited laughter, one of the guards will say, "Well, we'd better get back to our rounds." and they will both return to their duties, unfortunately in the room you will have to pass through. Note that the full set of Thalmor clothes in the adjacent room was supposed to make you harder to detect, but due to a bug, the clothes don't work, as the desired effect was wrongfully set to the Hooded Thalmor Robes. You can claim a set of hooded robes from the Thalmor wizard in the upstairs area from the first room, but chances are he will detect you and call upon the two guards from downstairs. Regardless, you can choose between two strategies; either take the stealthy approach, with or without the hooded robes (see this section), or go on a rampage and kill everybody.
The first room contains the two talkative guards, with the Thalmor wizard patrolling the second floor. Right after their conversation ends, they will both turn their back to the door and return to their positions, giving you a chance to sneak upstairs and attempt to claim the robes by killing the wizard quietly. If not, you will have to take out the two guards and the wizard, and pick one of the two available doors leading to the outside courtyard. The area is patrolled by three Thalmor soldiers with another wizard standing guard near the front door to your target destination, the Solar of Elenwen. If you wear the hooded robes, the guards will not notice you, but the wizard cannot generally be avoided and will see through your disguise. To enter the Solar, you have a few options. The most straightforward is to fight them all. You can avoid the fight by using Calm, or by using Fury on one of the guards and then running in while they're busy with each other. Stealthy characters can fire arrows to distract the guards and pull the wizard away from the door. The door wizard occasionally looks to his left, leaving open an opportunity on his right for sneaking and invisible characters to get through the door before fully detected. Once the guards are dealt with and the way to the Solar is clear, enter sneak mode and head in.
Once you get inside Elenwen's Solar, the true face of the Thalmor will start to show, although not in the way Delphine expected. When the door closes behind you, you should hide behind the plant in the southwestern corner and eavesdrop on the conversation between the Thalmor torturer Rulindil and his informant Gissur in the neighboring room. The conversation centers on a prisoner named Etienne and an unnamed old man:
Gissur: "But, I need that money! I earned it. I have my own expenses you know..."
Rulindil: "Silence! Do not presume, Gissur. You are most useful, but do not presume. We have other informants who are less... offensive."
Gissur: "But no one else has brought you such valuable information, have they? Etienne, he's talked, hasn't he? He knows where that old man is you're looking for, he told me himself."
Rulindil: "You'll get the rest of your money when we confirm his story. As agreed."
Gissur: "So he has talked! I knew it!"
Rulindil: "Everyone talks, in the end. Now, I have work to do. Leave me to it, if you ever want to see the rest of your payment."
Gissur: "Can I... I could help you. He'd talk to me. He trusts me."
Rulindil: "You'd like to come downstairs with me, is that it, Gissur? Shall we loose his bonds and put you in a cell together? You can ask him anything you like, and see how he answers."
Gissur: "No, no. I'll... I'll wait outside."
Rulindil: "That would probably be best. Now get out!"
While an insulted Gissur obeys orders and leaves the building, Rulindil will head downstairs and enter the dungeon, leaving the patrolling soldier alone with you. You can either sneak past him or kill him, as your objective is the chest in the northwestern corner. Open the chest and obtain the interrogation chamber key, Thalmor dossiers onDelphine and Ulfric Stormcloak, and the revealing document Dragon Investigation: Current Status, which proves the Thalmor are investigating the dragon attacks as well, with Rulindil in charge of interrogating a suspect in the cells.
Go down the stairs and enter the dungeon, where you will arrive at a balcony overlooking a bloodstained torture room and a number of cells. If he wasn't killed in the previous room, Rulindil will be seated at the desk, while a Thalmor Soldier will do the dirty work and torture Etienne Rarnis while Rulindil asks a series of questions:
Etienne: "Stop. Please. I don't know anything else. Don't you think I'd have told you already?"
Soldier: "Silence. You know the rules. Do not speak unless spoken to. Master Rulindil will ask the questions."
Rulindil: "Let's begin again."
Etienne: "No... for pity's sake... I've already told you everything..."
Rulindil: "You know the rules."
Etienne: "Noooooo!!!"
Rulindil: "Start at the beginning, as usual. If you persist in this stubbornness I'll have..."
Etienne: "No, wait! I was just... catching my breath... why wouldn't I tell you again? I don't even know anything... There's an old man. He lives in Riften. He could be this Esbern you're looking for, but I don't know. He's old and seemed kind of crazy. That's all I know."
Rulindil: "And his name is...?"
Etienne: "I don't know his name. Like I've told already a hundred- Ahhhh!"
Rulindil: "You know the rules. Just answer the questions. And where can we find this nameless old man?"
Etienne: "Like I said, I don't know! I've seen him down in the Ratway. Maybe he lives down there, but I don't know for sure."
Rulindil: "That will be all for now. I must say I continue to be disappointed in your lack of cooperation. I hope next time you will do better."
Etienne: "What else do you want from me? I've already told you everything. Listen, if you let me go I can take you to Riften, show you where- Gaaaaah!!!"
Soldier: "Silence, prisoner!"
With that last punch, Etienne finally loses consciousness and the Thalmor will leave him alone. Rulindil will stay behind his desk while the Thalmor Soldier will start patrolling the area. This time around, you will have no choice but to kill both of them, as your objective is the chest right next to Rulindil. From your spot on the balcony, head down the stairs and attract the attention of the soldier, then kill her as quickly as possible. Rulindil may notice this, but if not, sneak up behind him and cut his throat. He is a powerful wizard with countless spells at his disposal, so get rid of him quickly, then loot his body for a wide array of items such as spell tomes, poisons, and enchanted jewelry. Now is a good time to save the game, if you want anold friend to survive and get another quest later on.
When everything is quiet, enter Etienne's cell and tell him that you are here to help. Cut him loose and ask him if he knows anything of importance; he will then tell you about Esbern and the quest will update. You can also ignore Etienne and look in the chest by the back wall to the right of his cell, which contains a book titled Thalmor Dossier: Esbern; if you read it, the quest will also update. When that happens, take a quick run up the eastern set of stairs, where you will find Malborn, now exposed for his treachery, and two Thalmor Soldiers. They will kill him on the spot if you let them, so kill both of them quickly and don't hit Malborn. After the battle, search the corpses for the trap door key (or pickpocket the key without combat) and return to Etienne who will be waiting near the trap door, or just go to the trap door. This will also be your last chance to free Brelas if you involved her in your distraction by speaking to Erikur.
You will now have up to three followers, completely unable to fight, but unlock the trap door and enter Reeking Cave. Down there, a troll resides, so run ahead of the fugitives and kill it before they even notice it (as they will try to fight it and get killed in the process). If you had a follower when you spoke to Delphine at the stables, he or she will probably enter the cave at this point from the other side, and help to kill the troll. You can also just run through because trying to kill a big troll with your weak followers in the way is really hard without getting them killed. Lastly, locate the tunnel with a dead conjurer, the Illusion skill book Before the Ages of Man and an Unusual Gem. Find the exit and prepare to deliver some surprising news to Delphine back in Riverwood.
In the secret basement underneath the Sleeping Giant Inn, Delphine will anxiously await your return. When you tell her the that the Thalmor have nothing to do with the dragon attacks, she will be quite surprised and ask for elaboration. When you tell her that they're looking for someone named Esbern, she will be shocked: "Esbern? He's alive? I thought the Thalmor must have got him years ago. That crazy old man... Figures the Thalmor would be on his trail, though, if they were trying to find out what's going on with the dragons." It turns out Esbern is a formerBlade, just like Delphine, and that it makes perfect sense for the Thalmor to blame him for the dragons. When you tell her about Esbern's supposed location in Riften, she will immediately task you with tracking him down before the Thalmor do. She will then give you a secret phrase to gain Esbern's trust, the Diplomatic Immunity quest will end, and the next quest, A Cornered Rat, will begin. Remember to claim all your belongings from Delphine's chest before leaving for Riften.
One achievement is unlocked when you complete this quest:
If you want to use the Hooded Thalmor Robes, as intended by the developers, either acquire some from the randomJusticiars found in the wilderness, or aim to kill the wizard on the first floor. After you don the robes, you will be undercover if you're an elf, can walk past the guards (at a distance) if you are human, or will be immediately exposed if you are Khajiit or Argonian:
Race | Question |
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High Elf | "Must be new around here." |
Wood Elf | "Seems a bit short to me." |
Human/Dark Elf/Orc | "You there. I don't think I've seen you around before." or "Come here. Let me see your face." or "Haven't seen him/her around before." or "Must be new around here." |
Beast Race (Khajiit or Argonian) | "Wait, is that a tail?" |
If you play as an Altmer, it's even possible to tell the wizard guarding the door to the Solar that 'Elenwen wants to see him' by passing a speech check, thus allowing free access to the Solar (if you cannot pass the speech check however, he'll notice that you're an intruder and everybody in the courtyard will turn hostile). Note that once you reach Elenwen's Solar, the patrolling guard, as well as Rulindil, are scripted to see through your disguise, regardless of race.
This method is possible with a reasonably high Illusion skill (over 50) as other races by using Calm spells. It does not work for any other guards during this mission, and once you are inside the Solar, the guards will attack you on sight.
setstage MQ201 100
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Delphine thinks that the Thalmor know something about, or are even responsible for, the dragons' return to Skyrim. She has a plan to get the Dragonborn into the Thalmor Embassy, to gain access to their secret documents in an attempt to find out more about the situation at hand. She will acquire a legitimate invitation to a reception being held by the Thalmor ambassador, Elenwen. Find the Bosmer servant and spy for the Blades, Malborn, at the Winking Skeever tavern in Solitude.
When arriving, Malborn will agree to smuggle some equipment into the back-rooms. Malborn can bring an unlimited amount of gear with him, while the only gear the Dragonborn will have during the beginning of the mission will be what has been given to Malborn.
There is only one chance to give him gear. Nothing else can be given to him once the trade dialogue closes, and remember nothingelse can be taken inside; give it to Malborn. Give him somelockpicks, since there will be locks to pick.
Afterwards, the Dragonborn will meet with Delphine at the Solitude Stables at Katla's Farm to pick up the invitation and party disguise, and then drop off everything else on hand with Delphine; everything given to her will be stored safely until reclaimed after the mission. Delphine will store the inventory in a chest in her hidden office in theSleeping Giant Inn, in Riverwood.
Once at the party, the Dragonborn will be approached by ambassador Elenwen and will become engaged in conversation. Malborn interrupts the conversation, causing the ambassador to walk off. The Dragonborn then has the opportunity to speak with Malborn and ask him for a drink.
Ambassador Elenwen greets the Dragonborn upon entering the Thalmor Embassy. After speaking with her, the Dragonborn will need to create an opening to slip out of the party; tell Malborn when ready, and he'll wait by the door behind the bar for the Dragonborn's next move:
Once there's an opening, go to the door behind the bar and follow Malborn. Go through the kitchen to a pantry, retrieve the smuggled equipment from a chest, and go through a door into the next hallway. Malborn will lock the door behind the Dragonborn, completing this phase of the mission.
As Malborn locks the door, look through a doorway to the left and overhear two Thalmor agents chatting at a bar. Behind the bar are stairs leading up to a Thalmor Wizard. Kill them (or wait for them to move out of the way and sneak past them), and then either go through the ground floor exit or turn left at the top of the stairs. Kill or sneak around the mage, and then turn left again to enter a room with access to a second floor exit. This will open to an exterior area with more enemies to kill or avoid. The two guards can be avoided, but a mage guards the door and will alert the guards if he is attacked. It is, however, possible to go through the door with a sufficiently high Sneaklevel without alerting the wizard, by sneaking as close to them as possible (within Pickpocket range), targeting the door and activating it. If a general alarm is raised, additional guards will come from the barracks. Once clear, enter the only door into the ambassador's offices (Elenwen's Solar).
A Dragonborn that is an Altmer and is wearing hooded Thalmor robes may walk past all the guards without incident. Walking is essential, as running, even as an Altmer and wearing Thalmor robes will cause the guards to become hostile. Even if the Dragonborn is an Altmer, the Thalmor wizard at the door to the Solar will ask why they are not at their post. At this point, the option to persuade the wizard that Elenwen wants to see them inside becomes available. If this persuasion is successful, the wizard will say to "take his post" and say not to let anyone in, at which point he should leave the area but appears to stay where he is. Either way, once inside the Solar, any disguise will no longer work and everyone inside will become hostile on sight.
Inside, either kill everyone or sneak over to the chest the quest arrow is pointing to, and grab the needed items. Read the documents taken to activate the next arrow. If Rulindil and/or Gissur are not killed, they will have to be fought later (when exiting the Embassy, and in a follow-up quest in the Ratway, respectively).
There is a locked display case in Rulindil's office, containing two elven daggers, a gold and ruby circlet, and a gold and emerald circlet. There is also a Gold Ingot in one of the upper rooms, along with more loot.
After recovering the quest items from the office, the quest arrow will lead down into the dungeon, where Etienne Rarnis is being kept captive. If Rulindil was killed in his office, the only other person in the dungeon will be a guard patrolling outside the cells. If Rulindil was allowed to walk down the stairs, he will also be there, sitting at a desk (taking notes) while the guard tortures the prisoner. Information about Esbern is needed to proceed. This can be done in three ways:
Whichever method is used, learning about Esbern triggers a scripted event leading to the next stage of the quest.
After the Dragonborn learns about Esbern, two Thalmor guards will enter the dungeon with Malborn in custody; his cover blown. The guards hold the key to the trapdoor, so they have to be killed. If the Dragonborn is an Altmer dressed in full Elven Armor the guards will not be hostile, allowing them to get close enough for melee weapons to be effective.
Once through the trapdoor, a frost troll will be waiting, as well as any followers that might have been left before entering the party. Under the stone ledge is a necromancer's body, an Illusion Skill Book Before the Ages of Man, a Stone of Barenziah, and some loot.
Exiting the cave will allow seeing off anyone that was saved. Return to Riverwood to reclaim any gear from Delphine's chest. If Etienne survived, he can later be found in Riften among the Thieves Guild. If Malborn survived, he can be found in the New Gnisis Cornerclub in Windhelm, and he will give you another quest to find and kill a Thalmor assassin who is keeping him from leaving Windhelm and Skyrim.
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It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. She's going to talk to her contacts about how we can infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy.
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It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. She's going to help me infiltrate the Thalmor ambassador's manor and find out what they know about the dragons. I should meet with her contact, Malborn, in the Winking Skeever Inn in Solitude.
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It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. Her contact, Malborn, smuggled some of my equipment into the Thalmor ambassador's manor. I infiltrated the manor posing as a guest at the ambassador's party. Now I need to search the ambassador's office to find out what the Thalmor know about the dragons.
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It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. With the help of her contact, Malborn, I infiltrated the manor posing as a guest at the ambassador's party. I've now learned that the Thalmor are just as in the dark as we are - in fact, they're searching Riften for a Blade named Esbern, who they believe knows what the return of the dragons means. |
It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. With the help of her contact, Malborn, I infiltrated the manor posing as a guest at the ambassador's party. I learned that the Thalmor are just as in the dark as we are - in fact, they're searching Riften for a Blade named Esbern, who they believe knows what the return of the dragons means.
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Thalmor Soldier 1: "Did you see those robes march in this morning? Who're they with? More of the Emissary's treaty enforcers?"
Thalmor Soldier 2: "No. They're high mages, just in from Alinor. I guess Herself is finally getting worried about all the dragon attacks."
Thalmor Soldier 1: "Ah, good. I was wondering how we were supposed to defend this place from a dragon."
Thalmor Soldier 2: "If a dragon does show up, maybe we'll get lucky and it will eat the mages first. Might give us enough time to kill it."
Thalmor Soldier 1: "Ha! I'd like to see those arrogant bastards taken down a notch. Always looking down their noses at us lowly footsloggers."
Thalmor Soldier 1 and 2: "[hearty laughter]"
Thalmor Soldier 1: "Well, I guess we should get back to our rounds."
This section contains bugs related to Diplomatic Immunity. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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