Retaking the Fringe In the previous quest , Ritual of Accession , the Hero chose to ascend to either the throne of Mania or Dementia . Depending on the choice , either Lady Syl or Lord Thadon will barge into the Sacellum during the Ritual and announce his or her defection to Jyggalag . Background . Thadon or Syl will also tell Sheogorath that the Fringe has been taken . Sheogorath is delighted , as this is a new turn of events , and sends the Hero to investigate . Note : " This walkthrough was written from a character who picked the path of Mania and overthrew Lord Thadon . The quest is nearly identical for those who picked the path of Dementia , except instead of fighting alongside Golden Saints one will be fighting alongside Dark Seducers . " Walkthrough . Passwall . Travel to the Fringe . The giant silver crystals that usually accompany Priests of Order have grown all over and the Hero will find a group of Golden saints / Dark Seducers battling a group of Knights of Order . After a brief fight Aurig Desha , one of the Saints , will approach them and say that the Knights are " relentless " and appear as fast as the Saints can kill them . She believes that destroying The Spire in Passwall will rob them of their power , and she has an idea . Before she can tell them however , another wave of Knights approach and they are forced to fight . At this point , there is an option to allow Aurig to command the troops or taking charge themselves . If chosen to command the troops , they must approach each Saint and order him to flank with a sword , move to the back with a bow , or stand their ground with an axe . Distribute the troops over the field , emphasizing those areas they are weak in . If a marksman , send more in with an axe . If fighting with a sword or touch magic , order more Saints to snipe with a bow . If they tell Aurig to command the troops herself , she will set up a line of ax - wielding front line troops and at least one archer . Once the battlefield is prepped , notify Aurig . Seconds later , three waves of three Knights will materialize in front of the Spire . After defeating the Knights speak to Aurig . She will tell the Hero that her scouts have noticed increased activity around the ruins of Xeddefen , located in the southeast corner of the Fringe . As they make their way to Xeddefen , they may notice that the Fringe has become barren , and the giant silver crystals will grow rapidly in their path . Xeddefen . Xeddefen is a fairly large ruin . Look for buttons in walls , traps , and watch the map for the beginnings of hallways behind secret doors . Proceed to the Great Chamber where they will discover Shelden , the self - appointed mayor of Passwall , sneaking through the halls . He says that he escaped into the ruins after the Knights attacked and has been lost ever since . He asks them to protect him . If they agree , he will become a standard follower . " Note : If they do not take Sheldon as a follower he will subsequently be crushed by the collapse of the ruin . " In the center of the next room is a large cluster of Knights of Order and a giant silver crystal with rivulets of light flowing down . One must place three Hearts of Order into the obelisk to overload it . At least one knight will appear after each Heart . Immediately after overloading the obelisk , the ceiling will begin to collapse . Run north first , then back around to the southwest . Mayor Shelden is apparently incapable of jumping , and if a large section of the ceiling collapses in his way , he will be stuck . However , by just running at the rubble one can carve a path for him by pushing the rocks out of the way . Shelden is also essential , and if he gets crushed wait for a few seconds and he will stand up and follow again . Follow the red arrow to Felles , a mixture of ruins and caves . The ceiling will not collapse in the root - like cave section , but will continue to fall in the ruins sections . Knights and Priests are scattered throughout Felles . At the final part of the level they will find a door that blocks the passageway west to the exit . The switch is on a pedestal in a room to the south . As soon as they get through that gate it slams shut , locking Shelden behind . He scolds them and says he will find another way out . The next section - all the way to the exit - is best done at an all - out sprint whilst on skooma , as this greatly increases speed . Shelden will be waiting outside . He rewards them with absolutely nothing so find Aurig and speak to her instead . She will be in Passwall , fighting off a final wave of Knights . She sends you back to Sheogorath . Note that you cannot fast - travel from the Fringe at this point - you will have to get through the Gates of Madness first . Sheogorath ' s Palace . Once back at Sheogorath ' s Palace , he will say that their next task will be to restore the Gatekeeper , who they killed in the quest Through the Fringe of Madness . Restoring the Gatekeeper will keep the rest of the Shivering Isles safer from another invasion . This will end the current quest and begin the next : Rebuilding the Gatekeeper .