Skyrim:Inner Sanctum (Vale)

It is also the location of Auriel's Bow and is where the final stages of Touching the Sky take place.

 
Related Quests
 

Walkthrough
Exterior
The exterior to this huge building is the Forgotten Vale. There is a bridge leading to a courtyard out front, with a large statue of Auri-El dominating the courtyard. In front of the statue is a lit brazier glowing blue/green and matching stairways curving up and behind the statue. At the top is a basin, into which you need to empty the water collected in the Initiate's Ewer, from each of the five wayshrines in order to unlock the doors. Behind this is a short passage leading to the huge double doors that are the main entrance to the building. Once you do this the water empties from the bottom of the pedestal, flows along grooves cut in the floor before collecting in a carved out sun design. A green crystal above then shines its glow down onto the water and the sun carving on the doors revolves and the doors are unlocked granting access.

Inner Sanctum
thumb|right|The Shrine of AurielUpon entering, you will see a number of frozen Falmer and chaurus in a large room, surrounding a Shrine of Auriel. Some of the statues are individual Falmer and chaurus and some in combinations. A number of these statues hold items of interest. Taking one of these items may free its possessor from its icy tomb, resulting in them attacking you, sometimes no-one is released and sometimes in addition to the possessor being released other statues nearby also break free and a furious melee can result. The items that can be looted in this first room are; a philter of resist cold, an elven shield, an enchanted elven sword, a philter of extra magicka, a scroll of blizzard, a philter of health, a staff of icy spear, an elven sword, and a silver emerald necklace. Around the shrine are a number of offerings; two gleamblossom flowers, four red mountain flowers, a scroll of fireball, an emerald, a garnet, a random potion of magicka, an elixir of health, a quiver of sixteen elven arrows, three yellow mountain flowers, and an amethyst. There are many skeletons found throughout this building, most of which can be looted.

Off to the left is a pedestal, which is an altar, that when activated will place the Initiate's Ewer on top and raises a concealed door with a sun symbol on it, on the west wall. You will then need to pass through and snatch the ewer back to continue, as you'll need the ewer for further doors. Each altar is about waist-high, in the form of the sun symbol. The passage beyond has another skeleton lying on the ground that can be looted. Follow the passage and at the other end is a normal door and the room beyond contains a frost giant, who carries the ruby paragon. Once it's defeated, there are a number of skeletons and a stone chest in the southeast corner. Over by the middle of the western wall is another altar and concealed door. Placing the ewer on the altar opens the door and grants access to a room containing a stone table holding a leveled potion of each; healing, magicka and stamina, two quivers of elven arrows and a stone chest. There are additional altars on the inside of each concealed door to allow you to return back the way you came.

Return to the first room, where you'll find doors in the northeast and northwest corners, both leading to the same room. The following room contains more frozen Falmer, again some of which are holding items that can be looted. Items found in this room are; a potion of vigorous healing, an expert level spell tome, staff of ice spikes. Opposite each of the doors is a stone table holding a leveled potion of healing, a leveled potion of health and a scroll of conjure flame atronach. In the middle of the southern wall is another table holding a random potion of healing and a random potion of magicka, with a passage opposite, to the north. To the left of this passage is a stone bench to the left with a skeleton next to a scroll of Ironflesh. In the passage the first frozen Falmer you encounter is holding a leveled necklace of health. The next is holding an elven war axe. To the southeast of this frozen statue is a room where there's a skeleton lying on the ground, that is cut in half holding the base of a brazier on a pedestal. In the southeast corner is a stone chest and another brazier containing a scroll of grand healing, a leveled potion of health and a leveled potion of extra magicka. To the left of the previous statue is a room with stone tables on the left, with several skeletons around them and open doors opposite that lead into another room filled with frozen statues. There are four chaurus and a lone Falmer who is holding a circlet of waterbreathing. Taking this will cause each of the statues, one after another to burst free and attack. Once they are dealt with exploring the room reveals a hole through the masonry and into an ice cavern to the west.

This leads into a huge ice cavern. From the hole there are two paths, straight ahead, to the west or around to the south. The latter of these leads to a small area containing a stone chest with a random potion of healing, a random potion of magicka and a scroll of fire storm beside it. Returning to the junction and following the path west leads to Auriel's Chapel.

Auriel's Chapel
When entering for the first time, as soon as you enter you are on a ledge, with a path below you and no way to get back up. There is a small empty area to the south, while to the east, along a passage is your goal. A chamber filled with more frozen statues and a throne at the far end, in which is sitting Arch Curate Vyrthur. As you approach he will initiate conversation before beginning to release wave after wave of frozen chaurus and Falmer upon you. After several waves he starts knocking down sections of the ceiling before raising an ancient frost atronach and then the last of the frozen Falmer. Once you've defeated all of these, he blows the whole of the roof and large parts of the walls to rubble and scattering it over the frozen lake, at which point a cut-scene plays with Serana instructing you to get up, followed by her confronting Vyrthur. You will be unable to do anything other than walking, following Serana as she passes another lowered wayshrine and climbs one of the two flights of stairs leading up to a balcony overlooking the frozen lake in the vale. Vyrthur will be standing in the middle of this. At the end of the cut-scene you are released and must battle Vyrthur. As soon as he is defeated the wayshrine below the stairs will rise and Knight-Paladin Gelebor will emerge from the now raised wayshrine, which is known as Temple Balcony. Don't forget to loot Vyrthur's body for the unique set of ancient Falmer armor. After a short conversation with Gelebor, he will grant you Auriel's Bow, which will appear above a capped basin inside the wayshrine. Gelebor informs you about sunhallowed arrows and will willingly give you twelve and offer to transmute 20 elven arrows to sunhallowed arrows as often and as many times as you want. If you are a vampire Lord, don't forget to keep some normal elven arrows in order to transmute them into bloodcursed arrows. Around the walls of the wayshrine are each of the other five portals.

Using the sapphire paragon transports you to a room in the Inner Sanctum that's been badly damaged and is otherwise totally inaccessible. It contains three stone chests, with heaps of loose gems, a random enchanted elven sword, an elven helmet, a pair of elven light gauntlets and an elven shield among them.

Bugs