Prerequisites: Exit the streets of Markarth Quest Giver: Vigilant Tyranus Region: Markarth, Forsworn-occupied location Reward:Mace of Molag Bal★
Summary: The Vigilant of Stendarr, Tyranus, suspects that Daedric activity is occurring within the abandoned house in Markarth. Deep beneath the house, a shrine dedicated to Molag Bal is indeed located. However, it has long been abandoned and neglected, and has even been desecrated by a priest of Boethiah. Molag Bal demands the capture and submission of this priest.
Quest Description
When entering Markarth for the first time, an agent of the Forsworn can be observed committing a murder against Margret near the market stalls. This serves as the beginning of the side quest "The Forsworn Conspiracy". At this point, a Vigilant of Stendarr also positions himself outside the abandoned house and can always be encountered there upon the next entry into the streets of Markarth.
Vigilant Tyranus outside the abandoned house.
When encountered for the first time, he is likely questioning Yngvar regarding the house. Yngvar informs him that the house has always been abandoned. Following this, Tyranus addresses the player, inquiring whether anything is known about the house or if anyone has been seen entering or exiting. He explains that he is a Vigilant of Stendarr and suspects that the house is being misused for rituals involving Daedra worship. If assistance is offered, he is pleased to have backup and requests that one follows him into the house.
Search the abandoned house★
Upon entering, Tyranus notices with astonishment that fresh food is present and the furniture shows no signs of rot - someone must have been here recently, even though no one in the city claims to have seen anything. Suddenly, he hears noises coming from the other rooms and goes to investigate them. At a locked door, he realizes that no ordinary Daedra rules here and hurries away to get help. While the rooms are suddenly bathed in an eerie, dim light and objects fly through the air, an instruction is heard inside one's mind to crush the weak Tyranus. The Vigilant of Stendarr waits in the entrance room, but the door leading outside is locked. The voice continues to demand a killing, and apparently, the same is happening to Tyranus. He attempts to resist the Daedric power but soon succumbs to it and attacks.
Find your reward
Following Tyranus' death, it is stated that the reward waits further down in the house.
Gloomy and colorless - the house is under a powerful influence.
The previously locked door leads downstairs to further rooms, and a breach in the wall leads to a shrine. A rusty mace hovers above the shrine, and when one attempts to take it, spiked grates suddenly shoot up from the floor, trapping one as if in a cage. The voice of Molag Bal resounds and denies the reward. One can question him about the spikes, the mace, or his altar, and it is revealed that Boethiah instructed her priest to desecrate this altar with repulsive rituals. Molag Bal demands that the priest, who is currently being held captive somewhere, be located and freed. When he returns here to perform his rituals, he will walk straight into the trap.
Find the priest of Boethiah / Free Logrolf
Due to the quest marker, Logrolf the Willful is located with minimal effort. After fighting through to him and untying his bonds, he inquires with confusion on whose behalf this is being done - as no one knew since when or where he had been captured. Several dialogue options are now available, but all of them result in him remembering his task and rushing to the altar in Markarth.
Go to the abandoned house
Upon re-entering the abandoned house, Logrolf is encountered, having seemingly just arrived as well. He runs downstairs to the shrine, intending to begin his desecrating rituals, when he is surrounded by the spiked grates. He warns Molag Bal that a follower of Boethiah cannot be defeated this way, to which the Daedroth replies that he has his own champion present this time. He then addresses the player, demanding that Logrolf's will to live be crushed using the rusty mace★, forcing Logrolf to submit.
Beat Logrolf into submission
The mace hovering above the altar is added to the inventory and automatically equipped. Logrolf must now be tortured with it. In pain and with fading health, Logrolf refuses to renounce Boethiah. After he collapses and dies under the strikes, he is resurrected by Molag Bal, and another attempt must be made. Eventually, the ordeal becomes too much for Logrolf, and he surrenders. He pledges to bow to the will of Molag Bal, surrender his soul to him, and renounce Boethiah.
Kill Logrolf / Speak to Molag Bal
The Daedric Prince then commands that Logrolf be killed. Performing this with the mace is not required; any method is accepted. Following the death of the priest, one is rewarded with the Mace of Molag Bal★, which replaces the rusty mace. Molag Bal states that he will watch the player in future battles, and while he now attends to another soul in Oblivion, the player is instructed to watch over the house.
With this, the quest concludes..
Known Bugs
If Markarth is entered for the first time during the Sanguine quest "A Night to Remember" - meaning entry does not occur through the main city gate - the murder of Margret may fail to trigger. Consequently, the appearance of Vigilant Tyranus will not be initiated, preventing this quest from starting.
Incidents have been reported where exiting the house becomes impossible. To avoid these bugs, it is recommended to bring no followers into the house and to save the game prior to entry.
Allowing Tyranus to lead inside the house and avoiding interruptions during his commentary is safer.
Logrolf may occasionally be resurrected by Molag Bal outside the spiked cage. However, the quest can be continued normally.
Tips & Notes
Prior to the quest, the abandoned house remains locked.
When approached by Vigilant Tyranus outside the house, the quest does not need to be accepted immediately. If he is informed that nothing was seen and nothing was heard, the conversation terminates for the time being. Upon the next visit to Markarth, one will be approached again.
Stendarr is derived from the Nordic god Stuhn and became one of the Divines within the religion of the Empire. He is Tamriel's patron of order and justice, god of compassion and righteous rule through power and grace. In certain legends, he represents the apologist and defender of mankind. The Order of the Vigilants was founded after the Oblivion Crisis and takes action against anything and anyone preying upon mortals - vampires, werewolves, witches, but predominantly Daedra.
Molag Bal is the treacherous Daedric Prince of wrath, enslavement, and domination over mortals. He is the King of Rape, tormentor of men, and one of the Four Corners of the House of Troubles. He represents intrigue, blackmail, bribery, and dark magic. He collects the souls of mortals by sowing discord and strife.
The location of the Boethiah priest Logrolf is selected randomly. However, it is always a location within the Reach that is occupied by the Forsworn and where prisoners can be held.
If Logrolf is killed without being prompted to do so, the quest is considered failed.
Molag Bal intends to attend to the soul of Logrolf within Oblivion. The soul can nevertheless be trapped by the player.
The Mace of Molag Bal is also known as the Vampire's Mace. In TES V, the weapon damages the magicka and stamina of the victim by 25 points with each strike. Additionally, Soul Trap is activated for 3 seconds. The first two enchantment effects can be increased to 31 points of damage with the "Augmented Flames 1" perk, and to 37 damage points★ with "Augmented Flames 2".
The physical damage of the mace can be increased using ebony. However, since the base material is unknown, Smithing perks have no effect on the improvement of the weapon.
If the weapon is carried, certain NPCs will remark: "- That mace... get it away from me. Get it away..."
Within the abandoned house, several chests and wardrobes are available, which can be utilized for personal storage after the quest.
This is the starting
point of the quest.
Damage: 8
Weight: 13
Value: 5
Damage: 17
Weight: 18
Value: 1257
Enchantment:
Does 25 points of stamina damage.
Does 25 points of magicka damage.
If target dies within 3 seconds,
fills a soul gem.
Damage: 17
Weight: 18
Value: 1257
Enchantment:
Does 37 points of stamina damage.
Does 37 points of magicka damage.
If target dies within 3 seconds,
fills a soul gem.
★
against Margret near the market stalls. This serves as the beginning of the side quest "The Forsworn Conspiracy". At this point, a Vigilant of Stendarr
also positions himself outside the abandoned house and can always be encountered there upon the next entry into the streets of Markarth.
regarding the house. Yngvar informs him that the house has always been abandoned. Following this, Tyranus addresses the player, inquiring whether anything is known about the house or if anyone has been seen entering or exiting. He explains that he is a Vigilant of Stendarr and suspects that the house is being misused for rituals involving Daedra worship. If assistance is offered, he is pleased to have backup and requests that one follows him into the house.
, he realizes that no ordinary Daedra rules here and hurries away to get help. While the rooms are suddenly bathed in an eerie, dim light and objects fly through the air
, an instruction is heard inside one's mind to crush the weak Tyranus. The Vigilant of Stendarr waits in the entrance room, but the door leading outside is locked. The voice continues to demand a killing, and apparently, the same is happening to Tyranus. He attempts to resist the Daedric power but soon succumbs to it and attacks.
in the wall leads to a shrine
. A rusty mace hovers above the shrine, and when one attempts to take it, spiked grates suddenly shoot up from the floor, trapping one as if in a cage. The voice of Molag Bal resounds and denies the reward. One can question him about the spikes, the mace, or his altar, and it is revealed that Boethiah instructed her priest to desecrate this altar with repulsive rituals. Molag Bal demands that the priest, who is currently being held captive somewhere, be located and freed. When he returns here to perform his rituals, he will walk straight into the trap.
is located with minimal effort. After fighting through to him and untying his bonds, he inquires with confusion on whose behalf this is being done - as no one knew since when or where he had been captured. Several dialogue options are now available, but all of them result in him remembering his task and rushing to the altar in Markarth.
★, forcing Logrolf to submit.
refuses to renounce Boethiah. After he collapses and dies under the strikes, he is resurrected by Molag Bal, and another attempt must be made. Eventually, the ordeal becomes too much for Logrolf, and he surrenders. He pledges to bow to the will of Molag Bal, surrender his soul to him, and renounce Boethiah.
against Margret near the market stalls. This serves as the beginning of the side quest "The Forsworn Conspiracy". At this point, a Vigilant of Stendarr
also positions himself outside the abandoned house and can always be encountered there upon the next entry into the streets of Markarth.
regarding the house. Yngvar informs him that the house has always been abandoned. Following this, Tyranus addresses the player, inquiring whether anything is known about the house or if anyone has been seen entering or exiting. He explains that he is a Vigilant of Stendarr and suspects that the house is being misused for rituals involving Daedra worship. If assistance is offered, he is pleased to have backup and requests that one follows him into the house.
, he realizes that no ordinary Daedra rules here and hurries away to get help. While the rooms are suddenly bathed in an eerie, dim light and objects fly through the air
, an instruction is heard inside one's mind to crush the weak Tyranus. The Vigilant of Stendarr waits in the entrance room, but the door leading outside is locked. The voice continues to demand a killing, and apparently, the same is happening to Tyranus. He attempts to resist the Daedric power but soon succumbs to it and attacks.
in the wall leads to a shrine
. A rusty mace hovers above the shrine, and when one attempts to take it, spiked grates suddenly shoot up from the floor, trapping one as if in a cage. The voice of Molag Bal resounds and denies the reward. One can question him about the spikes, the mace, or his altar, and it is revealed that Boethiah instructed her priest to desecrate this altar with repulsive rituals. Molag Bal demands that the priest, who is currently being held captive somewhere, be located and freed. When he returns here to perform his rituals, he will walk straight into the trap.
is located with minimal effort. After fighting through to him and untying his bonds, he inquires with confusion on whose behalf this is being done - as no one knew since when or where he had been captured. Several dialogue options are now available, but all of them result in him remembering his task and rushing to the altar in Markarth.
refuses to renounce Boethiah. After he collapses and dies under the strikes, he is resurrected by Molag Bal, and another attempt must be made. Eventually, the ordeal becomes too much for Logrolf, and he surrenders. He pledges to bow to the will of Molag Bal, surrender his soul to him, and renounce Boethiah.