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The people of Skyrim aren’t typically open books. Players can discover some of their secrets, but certainly not all. From handwritten letters and brief lines of dialogue to clues hidden in weapons and tombs, every city holds secrets that are never fully revealed. Here are just a few of those little details that conceal much bigger mysteries.
10 Ysolda’s Side Business
At Sleeping Tree Camp in Whiterun hold, the player can find a message from Ysolda to an Orc named Ulag, who lays dead near the tree. Ysolda reveals that Ulag has been supplying her with Sleeping Tree Sap, which she sells in town. She’ll offer to buy any bottles the player has, at any time.
Sleeping Tree Sap has similar effects to Skooma, slowing movement and distorting vision. This raises suspicion as to the nature of Ysolda’s business. What’s the legality of this substance, and who are Ysolda’s customers?
9 The Stones Of Barenziah
If the player finds one of the Unusual Gems pictured above, they can ask Vex or Maul to appraise it. These stones once adorned famed Queen Barenziah’s crown, until it was stolen and the gems scattered. The player then receives an objective to collect all 24 stones.
Stones of Barenziah are found everywhere from caves to palaces. But how did they get there? Do the Jarls and Thanes who own them know their origin? Perhaps they’ve guarded these stolen gems for decades…or perhaps they’re unaware of their significance.
8 Reactions to the Mace of Molag Bal
Upon completing Molag Bal’s quest, he will reward the player with his mace. It’s a formidable weapon, but NPCs are not impressed. Upon seeing it, they may mutter: “That mace…get it away from me…get it away.”
Does the item radiate some kind of evil energy? If so, why isn’t the player affected? Perhaps, considering the cruel nature of this Daedric Prince, his followers have used this mace to commit heinous crimes in Skyrim before. Regardless, people seem somehow aware that this weapon has a dark past.
7 Babette’s Location in “Destroy the Dark Brotherhood!”
If the player kills Astrid in “With Friends Like These,” they’ll receive a quest to raid the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary and kill everyone. However, a certain vampiress will be missing from the scene.
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There’s an obvious gameplay reason for her absence: children are unkillable in Skyrim. In terms of lore, she was likely out on a contract. But it begs several questions: what would Babette do afterward? Would Cicero and the Night Mother find her? Could they rebuild the organization? Perhaps this quest didn’t destroy the Brotherhood after all.
6 Falion’s Impossible Claim
Morthal’s mysterious court mage claims he has “met Daedra and Dwemer and everything in between.” While meeting Daedra is easily believable, how could Falion have met with Dwemer, who disappeared in 1E 700?
Either Falion has discovered the secret of time travel, or he is thousands of years older than he appears. The latter is hardly impossible, considering his clear connection to necromancy. Of course, he could simply be lying to sound impressive; if so, why choose a feat so outrageously improbable?
5 Maven’s Black Sacrament
Behind a Master-locked door in Black-Briar Manor, the player can stumble upon a gruesome (and, if they’ve joined the Dark Brotherhood, familiar) scene. Maven — or someone in her house — has performed the Black Sacrament to summon an assassin.
With the Thieves’ Guild at her back, Maven has little need to involve the Brotherhood if someone threatens her business. Perhaps she’s seeking to settle a personal score, but with whom? Is she responsible for one of Nazir’s contracts, such as Safia or Ma’randru-jo? The answer remains elusive.
4 Irkngthand Shadowmarks
During the Thieves’ Guild questline, the player delves into the Dwarven ruin Irkngthand. The Nightingales race Mercer Frey to the Eyes of the Falmer, but has the Guild attempted this heist before?
There are three Shadowmarks in Irkngthand. A table bears the Thieves’ Guild mark, while there is a “Thieves’ Cache” symbol in the Falmer village. Mercer leaves an “Empty” mark right before the Grand Cavern as a taunt, but were the rest also his handiwork? Or did Gallus Gaius, who planned this heist, attempt it before his death?
3 The Ebony Blade’s Location
In Dragonsreach, the player can begin the quest “The Whispering Door,” involving Daedric Prince Mephala. During the quest, they can retrieve her artifact, the Ebony Blade. However, its presence there raises questions.
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Who found the Ebony Blade and locked it away? Does Balgruuf have Daedric connections? Did court mage Farengar Secret-Fire uncover the blade in his research, and hide it out of fear? Perhaps Irileth is responsible since many Dunmer worship Mephala. Any of these options are possible, but the Ebony Blade’s presence is never explained.
2 Wylandriah’s Note
Riften’s court wizard is scatterbrained and often distracted. However, there may be more to her odd nature than meets the eye. In her lab, there is a note from Mirabelle Ervine expressing confusion at Wylandriah’s request for a sample of “greenmote.”
Players of the Shivering Isles DLC for Oblivion may recognize greenmote as an item found in Sheogorath’s domain. This hints that Wylandriah may have visited the Shivering Isles. Is she just a typical absent-minded professor? Or do her eccentricities result from association with the Prince of Madness?
1 Jurgen Windcaller’s Tomb
During “The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller,” the Dragonborn must delve into a tomb to retrieve the titular relic. Upon reaching the Thu’um master’s resting place, however, eagle-eyed players may notice a strange detail.
On his sarcophagus, “Windcaller” is written in Daedric. Did the man who pioneered the Way of the Voice associate with a Daedric Prince? If so, whom? Jurgen’s presence in Sovngarde suggests that no Daedra claimed his soul; however, it doesn’t discount the possibility that he communed with them at some point in his life.
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