Skyrim:Served Cold

Quick Walkthrough
# Receive a message from Captain Veleth.
# Listen to Arano's concerns, and speak with Geldis Sadri.
# Stake out the Ulen Ancestral Tomb.
# Report back to Arano and obtain the key to Severin Manor.
# Retrieve the evidence from the safe in Severin Manor.
# Travel through Ashfallow Citadel and kill the conspirator.
# Return to Arano, and follow him to receive your reward from Councilor Morvayn.

Detailed Walkthrough
The Conspiracy
Once you have completed March of the Dead and The Final Descent, getting near Captain Veleth will make him apologize for bothering you once again and tell you that the Second Councilor of Raven Rock, Adril Arano, wants to speak with you as soon as possible. He then makes it quite clear how important this task is, and when you locate Arano he will wait for you at a secure location, specifically on the road leading to the Earth Stone.
thumb|right|An undercover meeting
When you talk to him he will get right to the point: ''"After everything you've already done for Raven Rock, I hate to ask for more but I can't risk Councilor Morvayn being killed." He will then elaborate: "The Ulen Family of House Hlaalu, a rival Great House, has placed a deathmark on the councilor's head."'' He then explains that Councilor Morvayn once ordered a member of House Hlaalu executed and that he suspects that there are hostile members of House Hlaalu living undercover in Raven Rock, but only that he has his suspicions and nothing else to go on. He then asks you to be his eyes and ears in Raven Rock and see what you can discover. He suggests you talk to local innkeeper of the Retching Netch, a Dunmer by the name of Geldis Sadri who has quite the reputation as a gossip. When you bid Arano farewell, he will mention that Geldis has been with 'us' for a long time, so you can trust him—despite his reputation.

From his spot behind the bar in the Retching Netch, Geldis will reveal that Arano has chased the Ulens for years, without any results whatsoever. He will then share his personal thoughts on what needs to be done: ''"If you want to catch those slippery slaughterfish, you need to let them come to you. There's an Ulen Ancestral Tomb near the Temple. Someone's been leaving ash yam offerings on the altar inside." Geldis reasons that whoever leaves ash yams in the tomb is bound to know something useful, though Arano and his team of Redoran Guards never had any luck when investigating the tomb. He then suggests that you, as an ordinary citizen, may have an advantage, and that you go to the tomb and wait around for that person to show up.

An Unexpected Visitor
The Ulen Ancestral Tomb will be empty when you enter. Wait around for a bit and a visitor will show up and silently pay her respects near the central grave. If you sneak up close enough to the visitor, the quest log will update and tell you to report back to Arano. When you approach her openly, she will turn around and reveal herself to be Tilisu Severin, saying: "Oh, excuse me! I didn't realize there was anyone else here." Ask her what she is doing there and she will answer: "I presume the same thing you're doing... leaving an offering for the departed." When you confront her with the fact that she is not a member of the Ulen family, she will brush you off with: "Since there aren't any Ulens left on this island, I've taken it upon myself to leave the traditional offering in their stead." You can choose between three options as part of your investigation:
thumb|right|Who puts Skyrim:Ash Yam|ash yam in the tomb?
You're lying. You're from House Hlaalu! 
"What kind of nonsense is that!? I'm simply honoring a fellow departed Dunmer, and you hurl baseless accusations at me?"

Tell me why you're really here.  
"I'm simply honoring a fellow departed Dunmer."

I'll let you get to it then. 
"Oh, no bother. We all have a right to be here."

While Tilisu Severin returns to her meditation, locate Adril Arano and tell him that Tilisu may be the culprit:
"Tilisu? Are you sure?" He will then ask you for evidence:
"If Tilisu's involved in any sort of plot to harm Councilor Morvayn, I'm going to need hard evidence to prove it."
He will, however, refuse to search Severin Manor himself and will then ask you to do it: "If you're wrong about Tilisu, things would quickly go downhill around here and the real culprits might slip away. I can't afford for that to happen."'' He'll then hand you the key to Severin Manor and give you free hands to find evidence by any means necessary: ''"If you have the evidence and it places your life in peril, I would expect you to do whatever you must to keep yourself alive. Here, this key should open the front door of the manor in case they've locked it. Good luck."

If you ask Adril to tell you more about the Severin family, he responds, "Tilisu is wife to the family patriarch, Vendil. They have a single child, a daughter named Mirri. They arrived here ten years ago, and have been nothing but a benefit to Raven Rock ever since." Adril goes on to say, "They're quite wealthy and they've been quite generous by sharing their fortune with the community. They've contributed coin, food, supplies... even helped repair a few of the buildings in town with their own hands."'' When you ask if there's anything unusual about them at all, Adril reveals that ''" People have mentioned it's a bit odd about how close in age Mirri appears to be to her father, but that's hardly a cause for alarm." He concludes with a reminder: "Just make sure that you find solid evidence. If I accuse them without it, I'll be the laughingstock of the colony."''

The Ulen Matter
thumb|right|The wealthiest family in Skyrim:Raven Rock|Raven Rock
Severin Manor is located in the western part of town, on the way to the Earth Stone. There are two ways of dealing with the next task; either go into sneak mode just prior to entering, or kick the door open. Regardless of the hour, Tilisu and Mirri Severin will be waiting inside with weapons drawn. Your target is the expert-locked safe downstairs, so either fight and kill them both to claim the key to the safe, or attempt to sneak down the stairs straight in front of you upon entering, without being detected. A potion which fortifies Sneak may help here before heading down, and there's one down the stairs to the right of the alchemy table on the shelf for the return trip. Head to the western bedroom and look for the Severin Family Safe that sits near a set of shelves to the left of the bed and either pick or unlock it. Inside is the revealing evidence, specifically The Ulen Matter, a letter written by family patriarch Vendil Severin, but signed by 'Vendil Ulen'. The letter clearly confirms Arano's suspicions, as it describes the plan to assassinate Councilor Lleril Morvayn as an act of revenge for the execution he ordered on a member of the Ulen family years back.

Return to Arano with the letter in hand, and tell him that the Severin family is behind the conspiracy: "Then we finally have them! All that remains now is chasing them down, and bringing them to justice." Judged from the hostility you encountered back in the mansion, telling Arano you doubt they will surrender easily will make him send some help to Ashfallow Citadel, a place mentioned in the letter: ''"I'm going to send two of the best Redoran Guard we have to take them down. I want you to assist them any way you can."'' Although you will be given two options, Arano will not take no for an answer, so you will have to travel to the fort and help the guards out.

Ashfallow Citadel
thumb|right|The family Skyrim:Vendil Severin|patriarch
According to Arano, Ashfallow Citadel has been abandoned for a long time, but when you arrive at the scene you will find the two Redoran Guards dead and be attacked by two Morag Tong assassins immediately. Dispose of them and enter the half-buried ruin. The interior is almost entirely covered in ash and the very first chamber hides an East Empire Company strongbox on some shelves. Kill the patrolling assassin and proceed down the spiral staircase. Loot the chest here, and find the narrow tunnel leading south. Before long, you will land in the private quarters, patrolled by two assassins. The path ahead is blocked by a set of metal bars. A bookshelf in the western room contains a safe with especially valuable loot. The eastern room contains an arcane enchanter and an alchemy lab, as well as a chain you need to pull to proceed.

If you didn't kill her earlier, Mirri Severin will be waiting for you along with several assassins, so fight them all and face two more sets of metal bars blocking the path. Head into the western room and jump over five bear traps, then pull the chain. The other chain is located right next to the metal bars. Once they are removed, a third set of metal bars will block your path and the hallway will be plastered with pressure plates triggering spiked walls. Head into the western room and avoid more traps, then pull the two chains in there.

With the path clear, head into the final chamber where you will find Vendil Severin and, if you didn't kill her earlier, Tilisu, both of them clad in Morag Tong armor and accompanied by two assassins. Engage them and Vendil will shout: "For Vilur Ulen! Long live House Hlaalu!" When you've defeated him, he hints that he is Vilur's son with his last words, "I join you in death, father..." When all is said and done, loot Vendil's corpse for various goodies. Note that his chest key can't be used anywhere, but there is an unlocked chest at the back of the room. There is no quick escape route to Solstheim, so backtrack all the way to the entrance and return to Raven Rock.

The Good News
thumb|right|''"Adril... I haven't seen a smile on your face like that in a long time."
Back in Raven Rock, an excited Adril Arano will ask you if you tracked down Vendil. When you assure him that Vendil is no longer a threat, he will be relieved despite the two deceased guards who were slain by the Morag Tong: "Damn it. I was hoping to protect our people by sending them, not end up with casualties. To think that Vendil would stoop so low as to hire those fetchers... I'm glad you killed him." He will then ask you to follow him and rush back to Morvayn Manor to deliver the good news himself. Follow him inside and witness a brief conversation between the two councilors:

thumb|right|Your Skyrim:Severin Manor|reward
Adril: "Excuse me, Councilor Morvayn? I have some wonderful news." 
Lleril: "Adril... I haven't seen a smile on your face like that in a long time." 
Adril: "This visitor has single-handedly dealt with a threat that could have ended your life. Vendil, Tilisu and Mirri Severin weren't who they appeared to be. I'm afraid they were here to avenge Vilur Ulen's death." 
Lleril: "Vendil? But he's done so much for Raven Rock... how could this be possible?" 
Adril: "They did it to gain our confidence, councilor. They had us all fooled. I should have been more vigilant. I'm sorry." 
Lleril: "Don't say that. It's not your fault, old friend."

Councilor Morvayn will then ask you to step forward and receive his thanks: "What you've done for me... for all of Raven Rock... goes far beyond what I would have expected from a traveler to our town. For this, you have my deepest gratitude." He will then hand you the reward: "Now. I'm certain Adril was prepared to reward you appropriately for everything you've done. However, since a bit of coin hardly seems like enough... I've decided to provide something more substantial. Since the Severin family... or whoever they were...turned out to be criminals, their property is now forfeit. As Councilor, I hereby award you Severin Manor and everything contained within. You've earned your citizenship here, and I hope you'll consider staying with us as a member of our community."'' He will also hand you a leveled amount of gold, along with the right to live inside Severin Manor and claim all its contents. This unlocks an achievement and ends the quest.

Reward

 
Achievements
One achievement is unlocked when you complete the quest:
 

Notes
You might want to wait on this quest until you've done It's All In The Taste. Both Mirri and Tilisu are potential customers, and it can be difficult to find ten others without having to wait a day and go back to the same people otherwise.
When you speak to Adril after killing Vendil, even if Adril is in his usual seat right next to Morvayn, he will tell you he's taking you to see the Councilor and stand up before beginning the next conversation.
The only way to get the Severin Safe Key is to kill Mirri Severin and loot it from her corpse, or to have the Wax Key perk when picking the lock. It will not appear when pickpocketing her.
If you take this quest, don't bother to steal anything from Severin Manor until you complete it. All the objects contained within the house will be unmarked as owned once the quest is completed. Otherwise, the objects you steal in the meanwhile will be left marked as stolen in your inventory.
If you happen to run across Ashfallow Citadel and clear it before starting this quest, more Morag Tong will appear there and you must go there and clear it again during the quest.
If you have claimed the Thirsk Mead Hall for the rieklings, a group of their warriors may appear near the entrance to the Ashfallow Citadel and follow you inside, helping you out. You will be able to recruit any one of them as an individual follower as well.

Bugs
 
Sneak up behind her and pickpocket her. As soon as her inventory opens, the quest objective will be completed.
 
 
 

Quest Stages