The Bloodstone Chalice The Bloodstone Chalice is a quest in . Serving as the fifth quest in the add - on , " The Bloodstone Chalice " represents the first quest after the fork in the storyline , where the Dragonborn chooses to side with Harkon and acquire the Vampire Lord ability . Background . After accepting his offer , Harkon asks the Dragonborn to speak to Garan Marethi . Garan Marethi informs the Dragonborn of the Bloodstone Chalice , an ancient vampire artifact that needs to be filled with water from the Redwater Spring located deep within Redwater Den . He warns that the den has fallen into the hands of unsavory people who will also need to be dealt with . Walkthrough . Head to Redwater Den located within the Rift . From the outside , it will appear as a dilapidated hut guarded only by two Redwater Lookout s , who will welcome the Dragonborn . Go around to the side of the hut and into a trap door that leads inside the den . A Doorman will be posted inside who warns the Dragonborn to keep all weapons sheathed and not to cause any trouble . Once inside , it becomes apparent that a secret skooma den is being run from within . Speaking with the Dealer at the counter will give a little more insight into the den , and if the Dragonborn ' s Speech skill is high enough , some free Redwater Skooma samples can be obtained from her . Head past the cacophony of hacking coughs and towards the Adept level locked gate on the right . Pick the lock or pickpocket the key from the Attendant , and head into the cave system . Skooma cave . Once inside , head through the tunnels and into a large cavern that seems to be where the Redwater Skooma is distilled . Fight past the hostile vampires . Once they are defeated , on the bottom level , there is a prison cell , with a dead NPC inside it , which can be opened with the Redwater Den backrooms key . Alternatively , it can be opened by picking the adept level lock . Next head up the ramp and around to the upper platform where a lever is located . Pull the lever and it will drop the wooden drawbridge . Cross the bridge and head deeper into the cave system , killing any additional hostiles until the door to Redwater Spring is reached . Redwater Spring . This part of the cave is actually an old Nordic tomb that was buried during an earthquake in the Second Era , and as such is infested with Draugr . Once the cell is entered , directly north will be a table with gold and " Venarus Vulpin ' s Journal " on it . After grabbing them , proceed through the tunnels and towards the main prison . Be careful , when entering , to avoid a floor trap that leads to a spike pit . Kill the vampires here and head forward . Venarus Vulpin , a powerful vampire and leader of the skooma operation can be found in the next set of rooms . Kill him and his thralls . Once they have been defeated , on the nearby table , there will be gold and gems as well as " Venarus Vulpin ' s Research " . Then head on until the spring itself is reached . Walk up to the bubbling bloody waters and attempt to fill the chalice . At that moment Stalf and Salonia Caelia , two vampires from Lord Volkihar ' s court , will appear . They argue about who should get the credit for returning the chalice and then they decide to attack the Dragonborn ( Attacking them without allowing them to argue will make Dragonborn a traitor in Volkihar ' s court ) . Once they have both been killed , fill the Chalice with bloody spring water . Walk up to one of their bodies and take a sample of their blood . Proceed through the tunnel and exit the cave system back into the skooma den . Return to Garan Marethi and tell him what happened . An alternate method is to consume the Redwater Skooma while in the den . After its effects , the Dragonborn will wake up locked up inside a cell within the dungeon . In this same cell , there is a Spell Tome - Telekinesis . From here , the gate can be unlocked and the spring reached as normal .