Crimes of the Past Crimes of the Past is a quest available in . Marisette asks the Vestige for help in finding Gerard Althen , a man who has been found guilty of war crimes during the Ranser ' s War . Walkthrough . The Vestige can find Marisette southwest of Sanguine Barrows . Once she is spoken to , she will begin to explain her situation and ask the Vestige for help , saying : Afterwords , the Vestige will then need to seek out the first hidden clue . This clue , a Letter from Althen , will be found beside a corpse being eating by a Troll . This letter will reveal that Althen is in the Sanguine Barrows Crypt . Once the door is knocked upon , Gerard Althen , will speak out from behind the door , and will say : After this , the Vestige will need to go to an altar north of the crypt to find his letter . Along the way , there will be multiple Skeevers and a Spriggan . Once the letter from his pack is read , the Vestige must then return to him in order know how to release him . Once he is spoken to , he will give the Vestige the needed instructions : In order to activate the levers to open the door , the Vestige will need to retrieve their corresponding keys . The House Dorell key can be found in a crypt southwest of the Sanguine Barrow , while the House Tamrith key can be found in a crypt directly east . Within both crypts are multiple Skeevers and a Troll . The general location of the keys within the crypts are almost identical , except that the House Dorell key will need to be dug out from a dirt pile in the left corner of the room , while the House Tamrith key will need to be dug out of a dirt pile in the right corner of the room . After both of the keys are retrieved , the Vestige will then need to activate the south and north levers . The north lever is located on a hill directly in front of the entrance of the House Dorell crypt . It will be behind a boulder that is guarded by another troll . Behind the entrance of Tamrith crypt to the left is a chest , as well as Orichalcum Ore . There will also be two trolls , which will be found near a hole containing a skeleton and the book " Modern Heretics . " The south lever can be found behind a boulder on a hill directly in front of the entrance . Once this is done , the Vestige can then be able to enter the Sanguine Barrows Crypt to speak with Althen . He will speak to the Vestige with a somber and humble tone , saying : After exiting the barrows , the Vestige has two choices to choose from . One can either take Althen to the Ring of Daggers , or decide to let him go . There will be a corresponding marker for each choice . The location marker to take him to the Ring of Daggers will be located north - west , while the location marker to free Althen will be south - east . If one decides to take him to the Ring of Daggers , the Vestige must travel to Hroarfrost Downs and speak to Marisette . She will appear to be very pleased , saying : She will then give the Vestige the Barrow Hammer and a leveled amount of , completing the quest . Marisette will show disdain towards Althen , sneering at his attempts to make amends . She will tell him that he deserves a slow an painful death ; at this , he will then double over in pain . Annoyed , Marisette will kick him to get up , and they will both walk away . Alternatively , if he is taken to be freed , he will be very grateful , responding with : He will then reward the Vestige the Barrow Hammer and a leveled amount of , completing the quest . After this , a woman , named Gabria , will materialize behind him . He will appear shocked , thanking her for coming and asking for her help . She will respond by saying that Turenn had already planned everything , having Althen to be disguised as a merchant in Orsinium . After this , she will vanish , and Althen will thank the Vestige once more for their help . He will then disappear in the same manner as Gabriella .