Lifting the Vale Lifting the Vale is a quest in . Background . When the Hero enters Bruma , a Nord named Tolgan will ask the Hero to meet with Countess Narina Carvain and give the Hero 25 as an incentive . The Countess needs some help locating an artifact . Walkthrough . The Countess . When the Hero speaks with the Countess in Castle Bruma , she mentions that she is an avid collector of Akaviri items and considers her collection the most complete in all of Cyrodiil . However , one artifact , the Draconian Madstone , has eluded her for some time . Based from an old , transcribed Akaviri diary , Carvain believes that it can be found at the legendary Pale Pass , an Akaviri fort deep within the northern mountains . The fort at Pale Pass was the location of several Akaviri staged assaults during their invasion of Tamriel from the north many ages ago . The countess believes that the Akaviri commander had the stone in his possession and tasks the Hero with finding it . She gives the Hero a transcription of the journal , which provides an explanation of how to find the legendary Pass , and a roughly drawn map of Pale Pass that was found with the journal . She also provides the first map marker , Dragonclaw Rock . Serpent ' s Trail . To find Dragonclaw Rock , follow the dirt path east and then northeast from Bruma . Once there , head northwest up the mountain and one should find the caves location Serpent ' s Trail . Be careful at the entrance , as there may be Will - o - the - Wisps present . In the trail , there are leveled creatures , Pale Pass Ogre Stonewrecker s and animals as well as a dreugh , depending on level . Watch out for trap pads on the ground . One will eventually come across a skeleton , prompting a message window informing the Hero that the skeleton belongs to the same dead messenger that authored the journal . The skeleton is holding the Akaviri Orders that were supposed to be delivered to the commander . The Hero may choose to pick up these orders or not . Doing so is not required to complete the quest ; however , it does affect later dialogue . Continue on through the cave until reaching a door that leads outside to Pale Pass . Pale Pass . In Pale Pass , the Hero will find Pale Pass Ogre Stonewreckers and possibly wolves , bears or rats . Simply follow the path north - northwest until arriving at the old fort . Enter the fort into the Mouth of the Serpent , located in a dilapidated tower . The Ancient Fort . Once the Hero has entered the fort , head down the hall and watch out for a log trap when reaching the first hallway intersection . The main enemies of this fort are Undead Akaviri Soldier s , who each wield a Ruined Akaviri Katana and a Ruined Akaviri Shield . The goal room is the Venom of the Serpent . There are several ways to get there from the beginning , although if one has the intention to scout out and eliminate everything in the whole place , one will eventually make it there . If not , the quickest and most direct way is the following : At the first hallway intersection , make a left , go up the stairs and jump across the hallway to the other side ( or , if the Hero doesn ' t have a high Acrobatics skill , jump to the side platform to get across ) . Then enter the Scales of the Serpent . Go down the stairs , but slow down once the Hero comes to the hallway , as there will be several loose rocks in the ceiling . Allow the rocks to fall and then proceed . Follow the hallway as it turns left , lower and cross the bridge , and enter the Fangs of the Serpent . Once inside , look at the columns . One should notice that they have arrow trap holes . These can easily be avoided by circling around to the right and jumping around the outside of the columns . Lower the bridge and cross it , then make a left and enter the Venom of the Serpent . Commander Mishaxhi . In the Venom , there will be the ghost of Akaviri Commander Mishaxhi . Don ' t attack him yet . Go up and talk to him and he ' ll ask where the orders are . There are three options , all of which are viable : Any of these three options will work and will ultimately achieve the same purpose : opening the wall behind Mishaxhi where three chests and the Draconian Madstone are hidden . If the Hero decided to kill Mishaxhi , he will drop the Akaviri Dai - Katana , but be sure to pick it up immediately . Otherwise the katana will disappear with his ghostly body . Return to the Countess . Go back out to Pale Pass and then fast travel back to Bruma for the reward of the Ring of the Vipereye . The player can reenter Pale Pass at any time by travelling through the Serpent ' s Trail once more , and any side quests can be completed thus . Minor side quest : Keys and Barrels . As a small side quest in the area , in one of the small frozen ponds southeast of the fort there is a Frozen Barrel . In this barrel they will find a key and a Crumbled Note . The note tells a story of how a thief ( G . S . ) stole a ring from the wizard Ortharzel . After fleeing , this mysterious person ends up in Pale Pass and decides to hide the ring here . The note mentions that the thief used the " key to a key " trick . The key from the Frozen Barrel unlocks the Rusty Chest hidden among the grass in the tower just west of the entrance to the Mouth of the Serpent . The Rusty Chest contains a key to the Old Chest hidden behind some rocks along the trail southeast of the lake with the Frozen Barrel . The Old Chest contains the key to the Forgotten Chest southwest of the entrance back to Serpent ' s Trail . Lastly , the Forgotten Chest contains the stolen Circlet of Omnipotence , a one - pound ring which increases five attributes by a small amount each . The chests in the area respawn every week or so , so the Circlet of Omnipotence can be retrieved multiple times , though only one may be worn . The copies may be sold or put into storage , however .