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Quick Walkthrough [ edit ]

Detailed Walkthrough [ edit ]

Plans [ edit ]

Once more, Amusei summons you to see the Gray Fox. This time Amusei will send you to Othrelos' house in the Imperial City. The last three quests were a preparation for the ultimate job: retrieve an Elder Scroll from the Imperial Palace. He makes no secret that this will be a most dangerous and daring task and warns you to be prepared. He gives a detailed plan for the heist, involving going through the sewers into the Old Way (an old escape route) to reach the Elder Library, impersonating Celia Camoran to intercept the scroll, and making the getaway. He gives you an Imperial Sewer Key for access to the Palace Sewers, the restored Arrow of Extrication, and the Boots of Springheel Jak. He also tells you that there will be no blood price during this quest.

Glass of Time [ edit ]

The first task before you can begin your descent into the sewers is to sneak into the Palace Basement (downstairs from the Elder Council Chambers in the palace) and activate the Glass of Time (a giant hourglass). You can also complete this task without sneaking by picking the lock then making a beeline for the Glass of Time (if you are willing to incur a bounty). A third option is to just skip this step completely. Supposedly, activating the Glass of Time unlocks the Old Way, but because of a minor scripting glitch this step is actually optional. If you know where to head once you're in the sewers, you can head straight to the Palace Sewers entrance.

The main trip is a lengthy dungeon crawl, so before proceeding it is worth making sure that you have everything you will need, including enough lockpicks and a bow to fire the Arrow of Extrication. Once you are ready, head into the sewer entrance from the Arboretum. Proceed through to Beneath the Bloodworks and make your way past the various undead creatures including skeletons, vampires, ghosts, and wraiths. Head into the Palace Sewers (you need the Imperial Sewer Key for this).

Proceed through the two zones called the Old Way and into the Lost Catacombs. At the end of the Lost Catacombs there is a large rectangular room with a tiered upper level. On the north side of the room there's a stairway to the upper level, but there is a large gap in the stairs. Equip the Boots of Springheel Jak and you will be able to jump over the gap. On the upper level, you will find two push blocks; one on your immediate right, which will activate the two dormant Dark Welkynd Stones, and one push block on the other side of the room; activate this one in order to open the gate and access the next zone, the Hall of Epochs.

Hall of Epochs [ edit ]

Ayleid Guardian - Timeless Defender

Not far in, you'll come to a huge chamber with a large statue, identified as the Keyhole Pillar, flanked by two smaller statues. A quest update in your journal lets you know that this is where you need to use the Arrow of Extrication. In order to fire the arrow, you need to be standing in a specific spot to open the keyhole on the pillar. The update hints that the location needs to be somewhere with a clear view of the pillar. If you start exploring the room, another quest update will let you know when you're approaching the right area.

The correct location for firing the arrow is blocked by walls and locked gates. You may attempt to simply jump the gap from the ledge behind, although it will be a challenging feat even with the Boots unless you yourself have a high level of acrobatics. The intended way for you to reach the location is to lower the walls by activating a hidden Push Block. If you head south from the main room, you'll find a Push Block on the balcony—this doesn't affect the walls in the main room, but it does open a hidden door. Continuing past the hidden door leads to a new zone (also named the Hall of Epochs). The Push Block you're looking for is at the end of this zone. Returning to the main room will reveal that the walls have dropped away (freeing some undead) and that the gates have opened. If you didn't bring along a bow, make sure to get a bow at this point: one of the four undead who were just freed is guaranteed to be an archer who carries a bow.

When you stand on the pressure plate, the keyhole in the Keyhole Pillar is opened up; if you step off the plate, the keyhole closes again. Only your presence on the plate triggers the keyhole; other creatures or corpses will not be recognized. Therefore, you need to be standing on the plate when you fire the Arrow of Extrication. Careful aiming is necessary because you only have one Arrow of Extrication, and it is a long distance shot. You can practice with regular arrows; watch for the puff of dust that indicates where the arrow hits if it contacts the statue. If you miss with the Arrow of Extrication, you can also go retrieve it and try again (if you can find the arrow). In any case, you probably want to save before making an attempt. Aim at the cross formed at the hilt of the statue's sword, or possibly slightly lower, where the top of the statue's hands come together. If you listen carefully, an accurate shot produces a sound of metal on metal, even if a regular arrow is used. If a message appears saying "you cannot fire this quest arrow now" try hotkeying the arrow of extrication and then reloading a previous save.

Once you've got the key into the statue, it'll lift up from the ground and reveal a door. When you are close enough, the two statues beside the door come to life as Ayleid Guardians. They provide a challenging fight, although it is much easier to simply sneak past them. If they do see you, simply running will not help: they will follow you and alert all of the guards in the palace to your presence. Once you are past the guardians, go down the stairs to the door and open it. (You might need to remove your armor to avoid waking the guards in the next room).

The Elder Scroll [ edit ]

You emerge in the Imperial Guard Quarters. Be very careful not to get caught during this part of the quest. If you are, you will not be able to go back up to the palace and are left with no way of finishing the quest. Prepare to do some serious sneaking through two doors, one of which is locked, to reach the outer round corridor (although some of the doors may already be opened by the guards). One way to make this part easier is to wait by the open statue until it is 1 am then enter while the guards are sleeping. Then go up a level to reach the Elder Scrolls Library. Sneak past the guard and enter the main core of the library.

You'll see two corridors curving away on either side of you. Follow the right one first. You'll come up behind a seated Blind Moth Priest. If you're sneaking, he won't turn. Pull the lever to his back right and creep back the other way, all the way around the level. You'll now be facing the blind priest, and beside a door that the lever opened. Go inside the library and sit down in the Reading Chair—not one of the benches around the side of the room. The priests, thinking you are Celia Camoran, will bring you the Elder Scroll.

The prize within your grasp...

Escape from Palace [ edit ]

Take the scroll (when unobserved) and make your escape. You may also want to take two useful Shadow scrolls from the bookcase, which each provide 50% Chameleon. You can't go back the way you came, but instead must head up the nearby stairs. Make your way through the Moth Priest's Quarters to the Imperial Battlemage's Chambers. Sneak past the guard, Evangeline Beanique. Alternatively, there is no Blood Price for killing her, but it will result in suspension from the Mages Guild if you are a member, and may alert the guards.

In the fireplace, there's a chute leading somewhere. It's a long, long jump.

You can use the Boots of Springheel Jak to jump safely, but they'll be destroyed by the jump (you land safely when wearing the boots because it is a scripted effect, not actually because the boots provide +50 Fortify Acrobatics; the same script then removes the boots).

The fall is easily survived without the boots by having enough Acrobatics, or good health—or if you can sufficiently fortify either. It can be done with just around 40 Acrobatics if you have at least around 180 health. Don't reequip the boots without saving first because if you jump with them on while still on the quest they could be destroyed. There is a small sloped ledge just a few feet below the grate itself that can be used to briefly slow your fall. While not a great help, this ledge will save you a few health points that could ultimately be the difference between life and death. Another way to survive the fall, if you have at least 30 Acrobatics and 110 health, is to equip an item which fortifies health by at least 15 and consume two of the Surilie Wines found in the room. It is recommended that you use the Surilie Brothers Vintage 415 and Surilie Brothers Vintage 399 as you will likely have more health after the fall.

An alternative to jumping is to intentionally get arrested by the guards in the Imperial Palace. You will be sent to jail, but once released you will still have the Elder Scroll and can take it to the Gray Fox Before doing this, however, you must first return to the trapdoor in the Guard Barracks where you first entered from the Hall of Epochs. Attempting to open the trapdoor will give you the same quest update that you would get from jumping down the chute in the fireplace. It is critical that you get this quest update before being arrested, otherwise you will never be able to finish the quest.



No matter how you choose to do the jump, you end up back at the entrance to the Old Way. Head back through the sewers and return to the Gray Fox with the grand prize.

Countess of Anvil [ edit ]

Now the Gray Fox gives you another task: give his ring to the Countess of Anvil. He says it may cause anger or tears, and if she asks, tell her it's from a "stranger".

Go to Anvil and do what he says. To show her the ring, you'll have to talk to her when she is sitting in the Great Hall. If you are there at night when she sleeps you will have to wait until morning. The Countess recognizes it as the wedding ring of her long-lost husband, who had disappeared ten years ago.

Gray Cowl of Nocturnal [ edit ]

Corvus reinstated as Count Umbranox

At that moment, a man (a Stranger, the master forger) stands up and approaches the throne. He makes a declaration about Emer Dareloth being the one who stole the Cowl of Nocturnal, and says he's her husband and the Gray Fox. He received the cowl from the previous Guildmaster who was at the end of a line of guildmasters right back to Dareloth, each one of whom had inherited the curse along with the cowl, erasing them from history and the memories of everyone who knew them. He was the first to realize that he could use the power of the Elder Scrolls to break the curse. Having done so, he is recognized by Countess Umbranox as her husband on the condition that he renounces his life of crime. He gives you the Cowl and the title of Gray Fox and tells you that the Guild's hall has been restored due to the curse being lifted and, thus, its history having been changed.

You get another entry when you hit the Imperial City. The former Gray Fox has been restored as Count of Anvil and Dareloth's home is restored as the Thieves Guild hall. The top floor is the Guildmaster's Quarters, which can be used as a home. However, the containers in the rest of the building are not safe for storage. There's a locked room with a handful of lockpicks on the table and a Security skill book upstairs but nothing more. Armand will be available upstairs when he's not outside at the Waterfront.

With the grand quest over, you're free to do as you like as the new Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild. More details about the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal can be found on its page.

Notes [ edit ]

Amusei will not seek you out and initiate the quest if you are in jail, in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary or wandering around in the Elven Gardens District.

If your Acrobatics skill is high enough, you may be able to enter the palace without the Boots of Springheel Jak.

The Speechcraft skill book 2920, Second Seed (v5) is only available during this quest. It is in the Imperial Battlemage's Quarters, on a high shelf to the right of the fireplace you jump down near the end of the quest.

is only available during this quest. It is in the Imperial Battlemage's Quarters, on a high shelf to the right of the fireplace you jump down near the end of the quest. Without the Shivering Isles expansion pack, the book Feyfolken III is only available during this quest. It is in the library where you take the Elder Scroll, on the first shelf on the left.

is only available during this quest. It is in the library where you take the Elder Scroll, on the first shelf on the left. It is possible to reach the pressure plate by jumping rather than lowering the walls. Although an invisible wall blocks your path, it is possible to jump under it and over it to reach the plate.

If the push block isn't opening the walls, you can very easily stand behind the Iron gate and then jump around it using the boots of Springheel Jak. Setting the stage to activate the statue is not a viable option, as it will active the guardians but not the secret door. If you did this, you can still use the arrow to activate the door.

After you complete this quest, a special edition of the Black Horse Courier is published: Palace Break-In? . In fact, it is published immediately after the great heist, even before the quest is completed. Also, if you are caught when sneaking around the palace and cannot finish the quest, you may hear rumors that the Palace was infiltrated and that there might be a new Gray Fox.

. In fact, it is published immediately after the great heist, even before the quest is completed. Also, if you are caught when sneaking around the palace and cannot finish the quest, you may hear rumors that the Palace was infiltrated and that there might be a new Gray Fox. If you put the cowl on immediately and talk to the "Gray Fox", he will respond like a normal citizen. This happens until one of you leaves the cell and you get the quest update.

There is an unused dialogue option "I don't want the cowl's curse" that was supposed to appear at the end of your conversation with the "Gray Fox" (after he finishes talking with Millona). He would respond to it with "The curse has been broken. Of course the thieves will only recognize you as their guildmaster when you wear the cowl. However, when you remove the cowl, eveyone [sic] will know you as yourself. Fortunately, the cowl still has the power to hide your alter ego from them. They will not realize that you are the same person that just took off the cowl. To them, the Gray Fox just vanished into thin air." However, since the preceding dialogue is marked as ending the conversation, this dialogue option never becomes available.

that was supposed to appear at the end of your conversation with the "Gray Fox" (after he finishes talking with Millona). He would respond to it with However, since the preceding dialogue is marked as ending the conversation, this dialogue option never becomes available. In Skyrim, during the quest Elder Knowledge, when you ask Urag gro-Shub about the Scrolls, he asks "Do you even know what you're asking for?" . Should you tell him you do and ask if he has one in the library, he will say that even if he had one there, it would be under heavy security and not even the world's greatest thief could lay a finger on it. This is an obvious reference to this quest.

. Should you tell him you do and ask if he has one in the library, he will say that even if he had one there, it would be under heavy security and not even the world's greatest thief could lay a finger on it. This is an obvious reference to this quest. An achievement will be unlocked upon becoming the new Gray Fox.

Bugs [ edit ]

Journal Entries [ edit ]

The Ultimate Heist (TG11Heist) Stage Finishes Quest Journal Entry 0 1 10 Amusei has given me another message from the Gray Fox. I am to meet him at [sic] Othrelo's 15 (Player has left Othrelos's house) 20 The Gray Fox intends to steal one of the Elder Scrolls from the Imperial Palace. The audacity of such a theft is astounding! When I am ready, I should come back to him at Othrelos house. 30 The Gray Fox intends to steal one of the Elder Scrolls from the Imperial Palace. The audacity of such a theft is astounding! The Gray Fox has laid out the plan for me. It's not simple, but he has given me a written copy for my reference. He has even set aside the guild rule of blood price for this heist. Now I just have to execute the plan. The first step is to infiltrate the Imperial Palace and activate the Glass of Time, whatever that is. 40 I have activated the Glass of Time. According to the Gray Fox, the door to the Old Way in the Imperials Sewers should now be open. Now I just have to find it. 50 I have found the sewer entrance that the Gray Fox told me to look for. Now I need to find the Old Way. 55 I have found the Old Way. This is clearly a long abandoned sub-basement of the Imperial City. It looks like it's going to be a long journey to get into the Imperial Palace this way. I need to find the door that connects to the palace interior. If I remember correctly, I will need [sic] the the 60 Advice for puzzle number three. 70 There must be some secret way to open this door. I'll bet this is where I have to use the Arrow of Extrication. Most likely I have to be standing in a special place for the keyhole to open up. It will be somewhere with a clear view of this pillar. 71 These walls look like they are meant to move. Maybe the place I need to stand to fire the arrow is behind them. I'd better look for a way to get through them. 72 This must be the spot. Standing on this pressure plate opens the pedestal at the far end of the room. I should practice with normal arrows a few times before trying the Arrow of Extrication. I will only get one try. 73 I've used the Arrow of Extrication to activate the door and open the secret way into the palace. There is no telling where I might end up. I should take care to extinguish my lights, muffle my footsteps, and be stealthy as I enter the door. 75 (Player exits Palace guard quarters) 80 (Lever has been pulled) 85 I've seated myself in the reading chair. Now I just have to wait for them to bring me the scroll. So long as I don't speak to any of them, the priests seem to be assuming I am Celia Camoran. 87 (Scroll is placed on table) 95 The Moth Priests are onto me! I have to get out of here. The way back is closed. My only hope is to go forward and hope I can find another exit. 100 I have the Elder Scroll! This is the treasure of the century. My name shall be known across Tamriel for this theft! Now to get it back to the Gray Fox. The way back is blocked. I'll have to go upstairs to find a way out. Even [sic] through 102 I have escaped from the Imperial Palace by jumping down a chimney chute in Ocato's bedroom. I hope the royal battlemage won't mind my misusing his ash flue. I can only hope my fall doesn't end too abruptly. I wonder if this is what the Gray Fox said I would need the Boots of Springheel Jak for? 105 (Player has left building) 110 The Gray Fox has yet to pay me for stealing the Elder Scroll from the Imperial Palace. To get my reward, I have to present a ring to Millona Umbranox, the Countess of Anvil, and gauge her reaction to it. I don't understand what this has to do with the Elder Scroll, but for now I'll trust him. 120 (The Gray Fox approaches the countess) 130 (The Gray Fox talks to the countess) 135 (Conversation over) 140 The Gray Fox, who is no longer the Gray Fox, but is now Corvus Umbranox, has given me the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal. I am now the new Gray Fox and the new guildmaster of the Thieves Guild. Due to the magic of the cowl, the Thieves of the guild will not notice the change. However, since the curse is lifted, I can remove the cowl and be recognized as myself again. Interestingly, the cowl's magic makes it so that anyone seeing me remove the cowl does not associate me with the Gray Fox. 145 (The player has left Castle Anvil) 150 History has been rewritten. I should go see the new Thieves Guild Hall in the Imperial City Waterfront. The Gray Fox, or Count Corvus as he is now known, told me that I get to run the place. 160 Finishes quest 199 (Part one of being expelled - continues in stage 200) 200 Finishes quest I got into a fight with the monks. The heist is ruined. There is no way to get the Elder Scroll now. My only option is to flee the palace. I am certain the Gray Fox will expel me from the guild. I don't think they'll let me back in.

Notes