In Which Faanshi Infiltrates a Museum

Main action of this session was Thieves Guild–and specifically, the run through the Dwemer museum in Markarth. Still one of my favorite bits of the plot, third time through. <3

Highlights

• Play date: 6/13/2022
• Session number in this run: 25
• Started at Vlindrel Hall
• Went with Iona to kill Nimhe for Calcelmo
• Got the key to the Dwemer museum; sent Iona home so I could infiltrate the place safely
• Wandered into the front of the page still in the Arch-Mage robes
• Then changed off to Thieves Guild armor once i got into the nook where the Stone of Barenziah was, which also satisfied the active Bedlam Job
• Then snuck my way into the actual laboratory part of the complex
• Evaded all guards (thank you, Invisibility and Muffle spells, and Quiet Casting perk!)
• Did the valve to set off the explosions
• Yoinked the Dwemer cube when I got to it
• Got into the final chamber, got a charcoal and a rolled paper, made a rubbing
• Scrambled the hell out (still invisible and muffled!)
• Threw Become Ethereal shout (quietly!) and jumped down the waterfall to land safely in the water at the bottom; got out and fast traveled to Winterhold
• Went into the inn to meet with Enthir and Karliah
• Got the translated journal, and the Nightingale Blade \0/
• Came back out heard a guard yell “BY THE GODS, DRAGON!”
• Traded off to glass armor
• Dragon was an Elder Dragon, a fire breather; it killed the two Winterhold guards and also made me burn through all my available healing potions
• Threw storm atronachs at it and tried to stay the hell out of its way while I threw the Slow Time shout and periodically shot at it
• Leveled up to 44 during the fight; took Stamina bump and first Recovery perk in Restoration
• Finally killed it
• Snurched armor off the two guards it killed (and collected a Winterhold helmet and cuirass)
• Sold things to Birna, including dragon bits, to lighten up the load
• Went up to mage college and sold more things to Drevis and Faralda
• Got five rounds of Destruction training from Faralda
• Dropped off Saarthal amulet in chest in the Arch-Mage’s quarters
• Boinged to Lakeview
• Built a lot more furnishings for the armory and bedroom wings
• Dropped off remaining materials in cellar chests when I ran out of iron
• Got Lydia on duty with the plan that I really need to go to Volskygge, as well as get the rest of the aetherium shards
• Boinged to Whiterun first though for a supply run
• Then tried to boing to Kolskeggr and got one-shotted to death by one of the Forsworn
• Take two: tried to boing instead to Salvius Farm
• Oh hi Ri’saad and Khajiit! Sold Ri’saad a bunch of stuff
• Hoofed it to Deep Folk Crossing
• Came at Kolskeggr from the opposite direction this time and threw the damn dremora at the Forsworn to solve that problem
• Wound up looping just near Karthwasten, and making my way back west to finally reach the crossing
• On the way to Deep Folk Crossing, found a dead Adventurer in blue mages robes lying by the river, with a copy of The Aetherium Wars
• Got the second shard, and HI AGAIN KATRIA
• Then boinged to Deepwood Redoubt to get within range of Volskygge
• Walked over to Volskygge and saved there for the night

Commentary

Noting for the record: running the museum goes a fuck of a lot faster if you can become invisible on demand, you have Quiet Casting, and your magicka replenishes quickly! JUST SAYING.

And it only occurred to me as I started working on this post that, in fact, I could have not even bothered to set off the valve that triggers the fire and makes Aicantar run out of the room. I will definitely have to try that next time I run the Guild for an alt. 😀 Because it’d be delightful to saunter through the entire place and not have to disturb anybody.

Note about the fight with the Elder Dragon in Winterhold: I was “playing this session” years old when I learned that Winterhold guards apparently don’t actually carry shields? According to the wiki there’s only one Winterhold guard that has a shield at all, and it’s the one who patrols Whistling Mine. Why the hell only that guard gets a shield, the wiki is not clear on.

I did, however, get a cuirass and helmet for Faanshi’s contribution to the ongoing Who’s Going to Collect All the Guard Armor First contest!

At this point though I still wasn’t up to level 46. Which means I still had to kill a little more time before turning to the Thieves Guild, confronting the others with Karliah’s evidence, and getting Brynjolf to send me to go break into Mercer Frey’s house.

Decided therefore I’d get Lydia on duty to do a circuit and hit these places:

• Deep Folk Crossing to get that aetherium shard
• Volskygge to get the Volsung mask (not to mention the third word of Whirlwind Sprint)
• Possible loot drop in Solitude?
• Raldbthar, to get that aetherium shard
• Mzulft, to get the last one

If I break level 46 partway through this sequence I’ll boing to the Thieves Guild and pick up where I left off with that plot. Because I needs me some Chillrend. 😀

(Though, LOL, the Nightingale Hood will still be uncomfortable on Khajiit ears!)

Not sure I ever knew there was a dead Adventurer on the riverbank not far from Deep Folk Crossing? Looked like a woman, lying face down, in blue mage robes. And she had a copy of The Aetherium Wars, so presumably she was also looking for the shards? Maybe she was shot by the Forsworn? Or killed by a bear? This wasn’t far from where I heard a bear growling, so.

Meanwhile though I also really need to get my smithing and enchanting up. It’s still vexing to be tromping around in glass armor and still getting one-shotted by enemies! So clearly I need more powerful armor, and I need to be able to drop Light Armor enchantments on it!

Next time

Time to run Volskygge, and get the Volsung mask! We’ll see how long that takes me, and if I need to stop in Solitude after that for loot selling.

Screenshots

No screenshots this time.

Editing to add

• 11/22/2023: Added play date and session number markers.