No One Escapes Cidhna Mine No One Escapes Cidhna Mine is a quest available in . After completing " The Forsworn Conspiracy , " the Markarth city guards frame the Dragonborn , starting this quest . The Dragonborn is locked in Cidhna Mine and at one point is given the choice to free Madanach and become a Forsworn or to kill him . As a reward , the Dragonborn can receive either the Armor of the Old Gods or the Silver - Blood Family Ring . Detailed walkthrough . Meeting Madanach . Talk to Uraccen to learn that Madanach is in a private cell which is being guarded by Borkul the Beast . Borkul will demand a shiv as toll . A shiv can be obtained from Grisvar the Unlucky , who is located in the south tunnel . He will demand a bottle of Skooma . This can be acquired from Duach or Braig , through pickpocket ing , persuasion , or a brawl . Trade the Skooma to Grisvar in exchange for a shiv , and give the shiv to Borkul to get the key to Madanach ' s cell . Alternatively , Borkul can be persuaded , given the Skooma directly , pickpocketed , or defeated in a brawl . Attacking Borkul outside of the brawl will cause all the prisoners to attack . Unless one is a strong mage character , a Werewolf , or a Vampire Lord , this is not recommended . If a prisoner is attacked , Madanach will attack on sight as well . The Forsworn Option . Madanach will try to convince the Dragonborn that he and his Forsworn are justified in their actions and sends the Dragonborn to seek out the prisoner Braig and hear his story . After listening to Braig , return to Madanach and he will offer freedom , but he requires proof of loyalty . He requests the assassination of Grisvar the Unlucky , who has outlived his usefulness to the Forsworn Rebellion . After killing Grisvar , the Dragonborn must return to Madanach . Upon hearing news of Grisvar ' s death , Madanach gathers the remaining prisoners and leads them to an escape tunnel that runs through the Markarth Ruins . At the end of the tunnel , the Dragonborn ' s belongings are returned to them by Kaie , and Madanach adds the Armor of the Old Gods as a reward . Once outside , there is a confrontation between Thonar and Madanach . The Forsworn and Madanach charge the city , killing Thonar and all guards ( and citizens ) in sight . After they leave the city , they will continue running to Druadach Redoubt which will have several friendly Forsworn inside . The Silver - Blood Option . Kill Madanach in his cell . Sneak so as not to be detected by the other prisoners and guards . It is unlikely that Madanach will be killed with a pickaxe in one sneak hit , however . If the Dragonborn has the Assassin ' s Blade perk in the Sneak skill tree , listen to Braig ' s story and return to Madanach . Madanach will instruct the Dragonborn to kill Grisvar the Unlucky . There ' s a dialogue option to obtain a shiv from Borkul . Once obtained , kill Madanach with a sneak attack with the shiv . The shiv counts as a dagger and thus the Assassin ' s Blade perk applies , doing 15 times normal damage . Madanach may survive the initial blow , but it will deliver a substantial hit . Once Madanach is dead , read the note on his body and use his escape route . It is possible to run or sneak past the Frostbite Spiders and Dwarven Spheres in the Markarth Ruins , especially with the help of the Become Ethereal Shout . If the Dragonborn opts to sneak through the ruins , the Throw Voice Shout is indispensably useful . Alternatively , being a Werewolf , Vampire Lord , or Mage , makes fighting your way out significantly easier . Another option would be to use the Secret Servant power from the expansion to smuggle your equipment into the jail cell for you . Upon exiting , Thonar Silver - Blood will reward the Dragonborn with the Silver - Blood Family Ring and the Dragonborn ' s belongings . The ring is enchanted so that weapons and armor can be improved 15 % better . Playing Both Sides . Side with Madanach up until the Dragonborn is given the Armor of the Old Gods , which is at the end of the Markarth Ruins right before exiting to the city . After the dialogue and receiving the armor , attack Madanach , turning him hostile . Doing this while close to the door to Markarth will cause his followers to re - enter and attack the Dragonborn . After Madanach and his followers are dead , loot his body and read his note . Then exit out to Markarth and speak to Thonar . It is best to attack Madanach close to the door to Markarth because if not , his followers may not re - enter and it can be difficult to get the Silver - Blood Family Ring from Thonar as Madanach ' s followers will be waiting outside to attack . If done correctly , after killing Madanach and the rest of his Forsworn followers inside the Markarth Ruins , the Dragonborn will exit out to a peaceful Markarth with Thonar waiting to speak with them and reward them with the Silver - Blood Family Ring , as well as a pardon from the Jarl . If Jarl Igmund is spoken to afterwards , he will apologize for the wrongful imprisonment . If upon exiting the tunnel there are Forsworn left , it helps to reenter the tunnel so that Thonar is not accidentally hit . If a skilled assassin , it is possible to break out with the other Forsworn , and stall Madanach before he exits to Markarth . Once alone with him , kill him and search his body . Madanach will be dead , but the Dragonborn won ' t be blamed for the kill . When exiting to the city , both the Guards and Forsworn will be peaceful towards the Dragonborn , although they will still fight each other — either side can be assisted as both are friendly and will treat any attacks as accidental . Thonar will almost certainly be killed in the fighting before he can give the Dragonborn the ring , but this route still leaves the Dragonborn with the Armour of the Old Gods , an official pardon from the Jarl and a friendly Druadach Redoubt . Although if they are lucky , a conversation may be started up with Thonar when leaving the ruins , and , by quickly skipping through the lines , the Dragonborn may receive the ring . It may take several attempts to pull off properly and by reloading the autosave just outside the ruins , can yield different results . Another way is to stall Madanach and pickpocket him . He turns aggressive and can be killed . A guard will run in but will not attack . Notable items . There are two main paths for escape , and each carries a reward :