Escort Esbern to Riverwood
After Esbern has packed all the things he will need in the future (he assumes he will never return here), he accompanies the player to Riverwood. However, first you must traverse the sewers beneath Riften with him. Since you just took the exact same path in the opposite direction, no dangers should loom... except for more Thalmor soldiers. They have found the Ratway Warrens in the meantime and are searching the premises. Here you can witness what the old man Esbern is still capable of - a skilled wizard and, as an experienced Blade, an even better fighter.

Once you have mastered the final dangers of the Ratway, you will be attacked in the city by a Khajiit assassin named Shavari ★. Afterwards, you head to Riverwood - either on foot to experience adventures or via fast travel. You can ask Esbern various questions, which he will answer in detail (Blades, Delphine, Thalmor, the Great War). For some questions regarding the Dragonborn, however, he prefers to wait until reaching Riverwood to answer.

Talk to Esbern
There, he is greeted by Delphine after many years, and you proceed into the secret room. Esbern pulls a thick old book, the "Annals of the Dragonguard", out of his bag and begins to talk about the Akaviri conquests in Skyrim. In the Reach, they built Sky Haven Temple and erected Alduin's Wall inside to record their accumulated dragon lore in stone - as a safeguard against being forgotten over the centuries. Alduin's Wall was considered a wonder of the world at the time, but its location was forgotten. Recorded on this wall is supposed to be everything the early Blades knew about Alduin and his return - partly as history, partly as prophecy. Using the information Esbern was able to rescue from the Blades' archives, he discovered the location of the wall.
The impatient and pragmatic Delphine summarizes everything and asks if the wall can help us defeat Alduin. Esbern cautiously agrees – but first, you have to get there.

Gain entrance to Sky Haven Temple
Delphine says that she knows the area Esbern is speaking of - where Karthspire is located today, in the river valley of the Karth River. She leaves the choice to the player whether to travel together as a group of three or to meet up there. The area there is not safe because you constantly encounter Forsworn. Traveling with the two of them, however, is a safe affair, as both are excellent fighters. On the other hand, you can make your preparations in peace and experience your own adventures along the way. Furthermore, you attract less attention this way - as Delphine rightly points out.

Up at the counter, she says goodbye to Orgnar - probably forever. Then the journey begins.

At Karthspire, you must fend off an attacking dragon. Absorbing the dragon soul is, now at the latest, the proof for Esbern that you are the Dovahkiin. The entrance to the interior of Karthspire is located right next to a large Forsworn camp. Sneaking past will hardly be possible, so you should prepare for combat. Even after entering the cave, you must fight against the Forsworn residing there. Further progress is blocked by a chasm, and you must solve a pillar puzzle to lower the stone bridge.

Solution to the Pillar Puzzle

Esbern is helpful here and names the meaning of the symbols: King, Warrior, and Dragonborn. As soon as you set the Dragonborn symbol on the center pillar, Esbern confirms it is correct. The bridge is lowered when the Dragonborn symbol has been set on all three pillars. It is the symbol with the stylized dragon heads facing each other and a downward-pointing arrow in the center.

Shortly thereafter, you face yet another puzzle. To lower another bridge, you must cross a room paved with pressure plates. Stepping on the wrong plate triggers a fire trap.

Solution to the Floor Plate Puzzle

Just like before, the Dragonborn symbol is the solution (the one with the arrow pointing down). If you only step on plates with this symbol, you will safely reach the chain next to the flamethrower. Pulling it lowers the next bridge and deactivates the flame trap, allowing your companions to follow safely.

In the next room, you stand before the actual entrance to Sky Haven Temple. However, access to the temple is blocked by a giant head of Reman Cyrodiil. In fact, the entire room seems to be dedicated to the glorious Emperor of the First Era. Esbern explains how much the ancient Blades revered Reman and interprets the circular engraving on the floor as a "Blood Seal". The entrance will only open if you drop some blood onto the etched patterns on the floor.

Find the secret of Alduin's Wall
Once you have activated the access mechanism with your own blood, Sky Haven Temple can finally be entered. In the central room there stands the imposing wall containing all the dragon lore of the ancient Blades. Esbern walks along the wall and attempts to interpret the symbols. In the center of the wall, Alduin's defeat is said to be depicted. Apparently, the legendary Tongues stood against him, and the ancient Nord heroes defeated the dragon with a shout. However, what special shout that could be remains a secret. It would have to be a shout that can at least bring a dragon down from the sky. Delphine notes that you will have to ask the Greybeards for advice, whether you like it or not. Even if they seemingly fear their own power and refuse to face their responsibility, you have no other choice but to seek them out.

While Delphine and Esbern establish the temple as the new base for the Blades, you are to head to the Throat of the World. The quest ends here, and the next one is activated.

Known Bugs

• If you moved far ahead of Delphine and Esbern during the quest, so they were not present when you solved the pillar puzzle, they might get stuck at these pillars, waiting for the (already completed) puzzle solution.
• If you arrive at Karthspire via fast travel, it can happen that only Delphine appears. While you can advance to the temple entrance with her, you will likely be unable to enter the temple without Esbern.

Tips & Notes

• If you have trouble finding the way back through the sewers, you can ask Esbern if he knows the way. He will then lead the way, and you can simply follow him.
• If you have a follower with you while escorting Esbern to Riverwood, the two could easily become hostile to each other during a fight. It is best to do without a follower here, as Esbern is a skilled wizard, a good fighter, and essential to boot.
• Depending on your actions in Riften, Shavari might attack during the previous quest instead - usually in the sewers. If you are now about to leave the city with Esbern, it is her last chance, and she takes it - regardless of witnesses and guards.
• Esbern is a powerful companion and cannot die. If you have other dangerous missions to complete at the moment, his presence could be advantageous. The same applies to Delphine & Esbern on the way to Karthspire.
• Esbern's explanations about the Akaviri and Alduin's Wall contain statements that are not consistent with the established TES lore.
• The dragon at Karthspire seems to be scripted. This means that although it is nameless and has nothing to do with the story or the quest's theme, you should firmly expect its attack upon arrival.
• You do not have to kill all the Forsworn and ravage their camp at Karthspire. It is enough to deal with the 2–3 guards at the cave entrance.
• There are ancient braziers in the temple that you can light with a torch. This immediately makes the rooms more inviting.
• You can freely loot the chests in front of and inside the temple. In the room opposite Alduin's Wall, there are also a few Blades weapons and a set of Blades Armor.
• After this quest, 4 bonus objectives from the Blades can be accepted.