The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion S.I. Walkthrough (PC)

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Shivering Isles - Walkthrough (IGN/Gamespy Exclusive)
Version: 0.6
Date: 05/08/07

Created by:

Alienslof, www.slofshive.co.uk, sloffy@ntlworld.co.uk
Abram 'APY' Wagenaar, www.planetelderscrolls.com, apy@rpgplanet.com

For comments or questions about the content of this walkthrough (help with quests, info about a certain part of the walkthrough), please contact Alienslof.
If there are any technical details or layout issues, please contact APY.

This walkthrough can only be hosted with our explicit permission. Currently, it is only to be hosted at Planet Elder Scrolls and IGN FAQs. Don't expect this to change in the near future, and please let us know if you see this walkthrough hosted anywhere else.

Title: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Shivering Isles
System: PC, Xbox 360
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: 03/27/07

Table of Contents

01 - Walkthrough
01.1 - A Door In Niben Bay
01.2 - Through the Fringe of Madness
01.3 - A Better Mousetrap
01.4 - Baiting The Trap
01.5 - Addiction
02 - Changelog
03 - Conclusion

Walkthrough
By: Alienslof

A Door In Niben Bay

Once the expansion is installed, wait a day. You will then be updated with a rumour of a strange doorway that has opened up.

'I have heard a rumor that a strange doorway has appeared on a small island in the Niben Bay. I should investigate.'

Sure enough, a new marker has appeared out in the middle of Niben Bay, east of Bravil. Swimming or water walking is the only way to reach it. Once there, a large stone face dominates the island, with a blue glowing doorway in its mouth and surrounded by a few colourful characters. It's worth talking to them just for the entertainment value. An Imperial guardsman will warn you that people who go in there are either not seen again, or return 'changed' - in other words, mad. It's just a simple matter of stepping through.

Screenshot: Map

'I have entered the gate and been greeted by a man named Haskill. He tells me that he is the Chamberlain of Sheogorath.'

Haskill asks you to sit and once you're comfortable, will explain that things are not going well in the Shivering Isles and the Mad God is seeking a mortal to become his champion.

'Haskill has told me that his Lord Sheogorath is searching for a mortal to become his champion. I should speak again Haskill when I have made my decision.'

Once you accept the job, the room disintegrates into a cloud of butterflies (rather a nice effect) and you find yourself sitting on the top of a hill looking down into a lush, mushroom-filled valley. In order to access the main part of the land, you must first pass through the Gates of Madness. These are guarded by the Gatekeeper.

'I have decided to attempt to become Sheogorath's champion. In order to meet Sheogorath, I must first pass through the Gates of Madness, guarded by the Gatekeeper.'

Time to look into this, then.

Through the Fringe of Madness

'I have entered the Shivering Isles. In order to find the Lord of this realm, I must first pass through the Gates of Madness.'

Down the hill lies Passwall, a small hamlet of rickety shacks inhabited by a few people (all mad in one way or another). By talking to these folk, you can learn much about the Gatekeeper, and none of it nice. They speak of a party of adventurers who are going to attempt to take him on. You are treated to a nice little fight scene when you go to investigate. He kills all of them with ease.

'The formidable Gatekeeper has destroyed a party of adventurers. I should talk to the residents of Passwall before trying to deal with this creature.'

Screenshot: Gatekeeper

Talking to the villagers will point you in the direction of Jayred Ice-Veins. He can be found wandering around, or in the small inn. Also, by talking to some of the people, you can learn that the keys to both Gates are in fact sewn up into the Gatekeeper's body - it looks like killing him is going to be the only way past.

'I should talk to Jayred about killing the Gatekeeper.'

Jayred does indeed have some interesting information. He explains that the Gatekeeper only has one weakness and that is to his own flesh and bone - or at least those from which he was created. He mentions the Gardens of Flesh and Bone and needing to get through a locked gate - once in there, he claims he can use some of the bones lying there to create special bone arrows that can be used against the monster.

'Jayed thinks he can make arrows that will harm the Gatekeeper from bones found in the Gardens of Flesh and Bone courtyard. I should speak to Jayred when I am ready to go.'

Jayred will lead you off to the Garden once you tell him you're ready - all that's required is to follow him.

'I should follow Jayred to the Gardens of Flesh and Bone.'

The lock is an easy one and once through the gate you are attacked by three Shambles, skeletal-type creatures made from bones tied together. In the centre of this courtyard lies the skeleton of a dead Gatekeeper. Jayred will retrieve the bone pieces he requires from this corpse.

'Jayred has collected bone fragments from a skeleton of what appears to be another Gatekeeper. I should see Jayred in a few hours to retrieve the arrows made from these fragments.'

Once a little time has passed, locate Jayred and he will give you a handful of the arrows and ask if you are ready to take on the creature. He will then follow you to Gates of Madness.

'Jayred has finished the arrows and is willing to come fight the Gatekeeper with me.'

The arrows deal him a great deal of damage and with both of you shooting at him, he is quickly taken down. He's quite slow, though has a large stride - fortunately there is plenty of room to keep backing up while firing arrows at him.

'The Gatekeeper is dead. I should retrieve the keys to the Gates of Madness from the Gatekeeper's corpse.'

'I have both the key to Mania and the key to Dementia. I can go through either door of the Gates of Madness.'

At this point, I don't think it makes any difference which one you pass through, as both sides of the Shivering Isles lands are accessible. If I'm wrong, I'll amend this.

'I've entered the Shivering Isles. I should seek out Sheogorath.'

There is an alternative method for killing the Gatekeeper. In Passwall's tavern, The Drunken Wastrel, there's a woman there at night who brags about being the mother of the Gatekeeper. Relmyna Verenim tires of talking to you and directs you to her apprentice, Nanette.

'I should see if Nanette has anything interesting to say about the Gatekeeper.'

Upon being persuaded, (bribe or butter her up) Nanette informs you that the Gatekeeper's mother's tears will hurt him, and that the mother visits the Gatekeeper every night around midnight. Follow her there, sneaking behind her, and draw close enough to hear her talking to the Gatekeeper.

'I should find Relmyna at midnight, and spy on her visit with the Gatekeeper.'

She drops a handkerchief soaked with tears that you can pick up and get three doses of her tears, which are a potent poison that acts for 120 seconds on the Gatekeeper.

'The sorceress has dropped a handkerchief full of her tears, which apparently can hurt the Gatekeeper. I should get that handkerchief.'

You can then get the bone arrows from Jayred or just poison a hand weapon and attack the Gatekeeper right then and there.

'I've squeezed the handkerchief full of the Sorceress' tears into a bottle. This may act as a poison to the Gatekeeper. I have a limited number of doses, so I will need to be careful using them.'

(Thanks to Henry F. Petrash for the alternative method.)

A Better Mousetrap

Once you reach New Sheoth, it's soon clear that just like the rest of this strange land, it is divided up into two, one side for Mania, known as Bliss and one side for Dementia, known as Crucible. Bliss is bright and colourful like the lands of Mania. Crucible is dark, dingy and brooding like Dementia's own land. Sheogorath's palace is also similarly divided, right up to his throne; clearly, the fellow is quite insane, with two sides to his madness. There you will find the Daedric Prince and Haskill, his advisor - the man you met first. Talking to Sheogorath is entertaining to say the least; but once you work through the nonsense, it soon becomes evident that he is worried for his realm, and looking for someone to be his champion and put everything to rights.

Namely you. He speaks of the coming of Jyggalag, the Prince of Order and this bodes ill for the Realm of Madness. He needs to get some defences back up to protect the realm and its subjects. The first line of defence is a magical one known as the Resonator of Judgement. The problem is that this device has been inactive for years and needs to be started up again.

'I've been given the Manual of Xedilian and a strange device called an Attenuator of Judgment by Sheogorath. I've been directed to proceed to Xedilian, and to return the place to working order. I should either read the Manual or speak to Sheogorath's Chamberlain, Haskill, to familiarize myself with the strange dungeon.'

Reading the manual and talking to Haskill will reveal several clues to achieving this goal.

'I've learned that in order to restore Xedilian, I must activate the Resonator of Judgment. To do so, I will need to find three Focus Crystals and place them each in a Judgment Nexus, which will prepare the Resonator for attunement. I should proceed to Xedilian now and begin my search.'

Screenshot: Xedilian

It's quite a bit of a trek, especially as there are no horses in the Shivering Isles, though the destination of a miscellaneous quest is along the same route. (See A Liquid Solution)

'I've entered Xedilian. I should now begin locating the Focus Crystals that link the Resonator of Judgment with the rest of the dungeon.'

It's soon evident that the place has been in disuse for a long time, and is now home to a tribe of Grummites. These will object to your presence with violence. Pay special attention to the Grummite Shamen - in particular the staffs they carry.

'I've discovered the first of the three Focus Crystals. It was affixed to the top of a Grummite Shaman's Crystal Staff. I think they are using the crystals as a power source for their weapons. Now that I've removed it from the staff, I should place the Focus Crystal in its Judgment Nexus to continue.'

Screenshot

I found each Shaman near to where the Focus Crystals needed to go, though they may move around a little depending on the fighting. Once placed, the crystal lights up. Same applies for the other two.

'I've placed the first Focus Crystal into its Nexus. I can now continue searching for Focus Crystals.'

'I've discovered the second Focus Crystal. I should place it in its Judgment Nexus to continue.'

'I've placed the second Focus Crystal into its Nexus. I can now continue searching for the final Focus Crystal.'

'I've discovered the third and final Focus Crystal. I should place it in its Judgment Nexus to continue.'

'I've placed the third and final Focus Crystal into its Judgment Nexus. The path to the Resonator of Judgment itself is now clear. My next task should be to attune the Resonator by using the Attenuator of Judgment that Sheogorath provided me.'

This is a large, grey shiny mass of angular crystals coming up through the floor. Activate this to complete the switching on of the Resonator. The first line of defence is now once more active.

Screenshot: Resonator of Judgment

'The Resonator of Judgment has been attuned.'

'I should speak to Sheogorath and see if he has any further need of me.'

Baiting The Trap

'I should now make my way back to New Sheoth and report my success to Sheogorath.'

However, before you return, you get to see this magical device in action. What's more, you have a hand in how it works. For the best and most entertaining experience of this, checking the manual is worthwhile. Once you start to head out of Xedilian, you bump into a man who seems to be the caretaker for the whole building. He can also offer advice and is worth talking to.

'I've met Kiliban Nyrandil inside one of the many observation rooms of Xedilian. It also appears that Xedilian has its first visitors, a group of adventurers. It's up to me to decide whether to allow Xedilian to kill them or drive them insane.'

There are two choices to each of the next tasks, so I'll include the journal entries for each. One choice results in death for the hapless adventurers, the other results in them going insane. This is a good demonstration of how the Resonator works on the minds of invaders, and is how it dispenses its defence.

First one is a choice between one giant Gnarl creature or a horde of them. One is death, the other, insanity. Press the button of your choice at the sides of the viewing balcony.

Insanity:

'I've unleashed the Giant Gnarl on the adventurers in Xedilian. With the threat of what he perceived as certain death knocking at his door, Lewin the Rogue has gone insane. I should make my way to the next observation room and choose how the adventurers will encounter their next obstacle.'

Screenshot

Death:

'I've unleashed the Gnarl Swarm on the adventurers in Xedilian. Unable to survive their onslaught, Lewin the Rogue has been slain. I should make my way to the next observation room and choose how the adventurers will encounter their next obstacle.'

Second up is a test of frustration for the unfortunate party. Who can resist the lure of such a large pile of treasure?

Insanity:

'I've caused Syndelius the Mage to go insane by pouring hundreds of keys on the ground which convinced him that one of them opened the gate to the huge treasure pile. All that remains now is the leader of the group, Grommok. I should make my way to the last observation room and choose how the stubborn Orc will encounter his final obstacle.'

Screenshot

Death:

'Using a huge pile of treasure as bait, I lured the two remaining adventurers into a fire trap. Syndelius the Mage didn't survive the blast, leaving only their leader, Grommok. I should make my way to the last observation room and choose how the stubborn Orc will encounter his final obstacle.'

By the time you come to the last one, only the Orc is left alive. He's come this far - can he survive it?

Insanity:

'By making Grommok think that he actually died and became a ghost, I've driven him insane. Now that all of the adventurers have been dealt with, I should speak to Kiliban.'

Screenshot

Death:

'I've caused the death of the remaining Orc adventurer, Grommok, by animating the zombies in the final room of Xedilian. Now that all of the adventurers have been dealt with, I should speak to Kiliban.'

Killiban explains that you are to receive the spoils of this little demonstration which he has taken from the now dead or insane adventurers.

'Kiliban Nyrandil has told me to meet him in Xedilian's reception chamber where I can recover the defeated adventurer's gear. I should use the final transport pad and make my way there now.'

Foremost among the items is a very special sword, one you probably saw the Orc carrying. Depending on what time it is, the sword will be named 'Duskfang' or 'Dawnfang'. Amongst the Orc's belongings is a note containing information about this sword, explaining how it transforms itself depending on night or day, and also its very special ability to upgrade itself. A particularly nice piece of kit!

'I've received some items and gold from Kiliban Nyrandil that had belonged to the adventurers. I can now safely report back to Sheogorath that Xedilian is in full operation.'

As you make your way out of the building, you will be attacked by three shiny, angular beings. Kill all three.

'Before exiting Xedilian, I was attacked by three unusual beings in equally strange armor. I should ask Kiliban if he knows anything about them.'

Killiban does indeed know what they are. They are warriors of Jyggalag, known as Knights of Order. These are the beginning of his invasion of the Shivering Isles.

'Kiliban explained the identity of the strange beings, calling them Knights of Order. He seemed very dismayed and wishes me to hasten to Sheogorath and report their presence.'

When you step outside there are more of them accompanied by a priest - as you kill them, he summons in more. To stop them, you must shut down the crystal thing they're popping out of. Like Oblivion gates, these will randomly pop out all over the Isles. As each Knight dies, take the Heart of Order he drops. Activate the crystal monolith thing and it will ask if you want to put in a Heart. It takes several but that seems to be the key to shutting them down. Only once the monolith is closed can the priest be killed - until then, he just gets back up.

'I need to report to Sheogorath that Xedilian is working, and that Knights of Order have appeared in the Shivering Isles.'

Sheogorath seems pleased that you have Xedilian up and running. He decides that in order to fully understand the Realm of Madness, you should experience both sides. He tasks you with going to talk to the Duke and Duchess. Thadon is the Duke of Mania and Syk is the Duchess of Dementia. Each one will give you a task to complete that will broaden your understanding of madness.

'I need to speak to the Duke of Mania and the Duchess of Dementia, as Sheogorath wishes for me to better understand the inner workings of his Realm.'

These can be done in any order.

Addiction

'I need to speak with Thadon in order to learn more about the realm of Mania.'

Thadon can often be found in his garden if he's not in the throne room. He explains that he's addicted to a substance called 'felldew' and he needs the Chalice of Reversal to cure himself of it. He feels that you should feel what being addicted to something is like for yourself - a voyage of enlightenment, if you will.

'Thadon has asked that I retrieve for him the Chalice of Reversal. I need to find someone in his court, or in Syl's, who knows where it might be.'

Thadon has no idea where it is, but asking around his staff yields results and a map marker. Wide-Eye the Argonian explains that it's in an Elytra lair called Dunroot Burrow.

'Wide-Eye has told me that the Chalice of Reversal is locked away in Dunroot Burrow. I'll need to ingest Felldew to enter the Burrow, and pass through to reach the Chalice.'

There is only one way to get in, which is to ingest some felldew, which you can get from one of the burrow guards just outside.

'I've taken Felldew in order to enter Dunroot Burrow. I shall have to be careful as I proceed through the Burrow.'

As soon as you ingest this stuff, you begin to feel the addiction kicking in. While it lasts, some of the Elytra will ignore you as it works like a hormone, making you smell like one of them.

'The effects of Felldew have worn off, and withdrawal is setting in. I need to either reach the Chalice of Reversal quickly, or find more Felldew as I make my way through the Burrow.'

As you proceed through the Burrow, you can pick up more of the felldew, which will temporarily alleviate the withdrawal - however, each time you eat more, the effects wear off that much faster, the withdrawal becomes more severe and you need more and more in order just to function as your strength wanes.

'I have survived Dunroot Burrow. Now I need to search the tower above for the Chalice of Reversal.'

The Burrow opens up into a ruined tower of a similar style to Xedilian. This has become home to several addicted people who will attack you on sight, worried that you are coming for their felldew supply. All you can do is kill them. In the centre of the top room is the Chalice you seek. Once you have possession of the Chalice, you feel your addiction fade - now you know why Thadon wants it!

'I have the Chalice of Reversal. It should be delivered to Thadon as soon as possible.'

Once you deliver the Chalice, Thadon shows his gratitude by granting you a place in his Court of Mania. A fake version of the Chalice appears on one of the plinths in Sheogorath's throne room, along with the Attenuator of Judgement display.

'I have delivered the Chalice of Reversal to Thadon, and he has granted me a place in his court.'

Changelog

0.5 (1 May 2007) - initial version

0.6 (8 May 2007)

Added alternate way for 'Through the Fringe of Madness'
Added quest 'Addiction'
Added pictures to 'A Better Mousetrap' and 'Baiting The Trap'

Conclusion

Thanks to: Henry F. Petrash

Submitted by AlienSlof - Created 5/1/07 (Last Modified 5/8/07)
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