Chateau of the Ravenous Rodent (Quest)

Chateau of the Ravenous Rodent is a quest available in . In the final test, Sheogorath wants the Vestige to take a vacation in his family's chateau. However, all the three guest rooms are occupied, and two guests are cannibals. The correct guest is the man that asks for room service. Next, the Vestige must find their way through a dark maze. Finally, they must fight their way through Madmen and Madwomen to a boss fight with Uncle Leo, a flesh atronach.
==Background==
I've been tasked with finding another book for the Mages Guild. Once again I need to return to the Shivering Isles, to a place called the Chateau of the Ravenous Rodent.
==Quick walkthrough==
#Enter the Shivering Isles (optional: talk to Valaste)
#Talk to Shalidor
#Watch Sheogorath and Shalidor
#Talk to Sheogorath
#Enter the Chateau Guesthouse
#Evict the guest that does not belong
#Enter the portal
#Talk to Sheogorath
#Light the braziers (4)
#Find the maze exit
#Talk to Sheogorath
#Explore the manse
#Light all the heirlooms
#Talk to Sheogorath
#Kill Uncle Leo
#Talk to Sheogorath
#Collect the tome
==Walkthrough==
Once you hit the appropriate level (player level 33, Mage Guild level 4) you will receive this quest from Arch-Mage Shalidor. Speak to him and the following conversation will occur:
"Adept. We need your support once again. Valaste has translated the book you earned in Sheogorath's mad play."
:You know what our next challenge will be? "Aye. She's ready to summon the portal for you. I'll meet you in the Isles. Just... hurry if you please, Adept. I'm worried."
::Where can I find her? "You'll find the Mistress of Incunabula in the depths of the jungle, at the Beandari Trading Post in Malabal Tor. Good luck, Adept."
:::Why did you say you were worried?" "It's Valaste. She's been working night and day to understand these books. Sheogorath has a warped and twisted mind, and I worry that this work is taking a toll on her."
::::Is there anything we can do? "Honestly, Adept, no. Valaste has a singular mind. As long as those books are cursed such that I can't read them, she's our best and only chance. She's almost as smart as I am! Just don't tell her I said that."
After that, head inside the Mages Guild. Once there, look for the Portal to the Shivering Isles. After talking with Valaste, she will open the portal.
"Shalidor found you, excellent. I've puzzled out the hints from that last book ... and I'm afraid the news isn't good. Your next trial is in a particularly nasty part of the Shivering Isles. A place called the Chateau of the Ravenous Rodent."
:Should I recognize that name? "Not unless you've spent your life poring over obscure Daedric tomes. The Chateau is in the darkest part of Dementia, the shadow land of the Shivering Isles. I'm worried about that ..."
:Valaste, are you alright? "I'm ... I'm fine adept. I'm just tired. It's become very draining to translate these tomes. Don't worry about me. I can open the portal to the Isles for you straight away. If you'll allow me?"
::Thank you, Valaste.
Talking to Valaste before entering the portal will have her say the following:
"Uhh ... Xarxes give me strength. I'm alright, adept. I just didn't realize how tired I am."
:Valaste, what's going on? There's something wrong with you. "Let me answer your question with one of my own. Do you know of Dementia and Mania?"
::Sorry? What? "The Shivering Isles, the Oblivion realm you've been exploring on Sheogorath's mad errands, is primarily divided into two spheres. In Mania, the colors are brighter than bright. Beautiful flowers bloom, and creatures skitter through the underbrush."
:::You're not going to answer my question, then? "Dementia has dark shadows, overcast skies, and snarling beasts. Dark stone and rattling chains. That's why I'm so tired, adept. Last night my dreams were of Dementia, and the Chateau of the Ravenous Rodent."
:How did the last tome lead you to the Chateau? "'Uncle Robier's Vegetable Garden' was ... surprisingly calming. But read into the subtext and things quickly become dark. It's the tale of a plantation."
::A plantation? "The book describes a well-appointed guesthouse. A beautiful maze, where you can while away the afternoon. And a sprawling manse with rooms upon rooms. Make of that what you will."
:This is the last book I have to retrieve, right? "Auri-el make me truthful, I think so. Sheogorath speaks madness and breaths insanity, but when a Daedric Prince strikes a deal they... tend to keep their word."
::They 'tend' to? "Well, think about it. He didn't have to give you any of the books if he didn't want to. If he's gone this far with his little game, why would he stop now?"
After hearing what Valaste has to say, enter the portal and find Shalidor. The following conversation will occur.
"Welcome back to the Isles, adept. We must be wary. This part of Sheogorath's realm is twisted and corrupt."
:Well met, Shalidor. Do you have any sense of what we might face here? "I'm not sure. I've never been to this part of the Shivering Isles before. We're after the final tome, though, so we have to assume he has something truly perverse waiting in the wings. Certainly Valaste has suffered enough."
::You were right. There's something wrong with Valaste. "Yes! it is as I said. She has worked herself night and day. And Sheogorath's dark intellect is focused through those tomes. They are like a strain on her mind. I think we have to... wait. Do you feel that?"
:::Feel what?
Just as you finish talking, Sheogorath will make his appearance.
Sheogorath: "Not so fast there, Shalidor. Only invited guests at the Chateau. We have standards, you know."
Shalidor: "Damn you, Mad God!"
Sheogorath: "Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Shally. Annnnd... off you go!"
Just as Sheogorath finishes talking to Shalidor, he makes him disappear, turning to the Vestige to talk.
"Just the two of us. Now we can talk in peace."
"Ahh, my little mortal. I'm a man of many personalities, but I tell you what? They're all very fond of you."
:What's the game this time, Sheogorath? "The game is a foot. Or a leg. In fact, all manner of severed limbs. But don't worry about that! I've brought you here because I've been watching you. You work too hard! You need a nice little vacation."
::A vacation? "Of course! This is my chateau! It's me family's estate. Gets handed down from me to myself, and so on, and so on. I think you'll love it here. Or hate it. Or one of the two, certainly."
:::All right. What's first? "Up the road behind me is our guest quarters. But, silly me! All three rooms are already occupied. Frankly, they've overstayed their welcome. One of them, though. Hoo! Just not fitting in. Could you do me a favor? Could you tell them to shove off?"
::::What's the catch? "Catch? Such an untrusting soul. If there were a catch, I'd say it's that two of my guests are murderous cannibals. My advice? Don't let anyone eat you. If anyone tries to kill you, kill them right back!"
:::::I'll keep that in mind. "And remember, try to relax!"
After the brief dialogue with Sheogorath, he will disappear, and you will have to enter inside the Chateau guesthouse. Right after doing so, the following can be heard:
Shalidor: "Be wary. Talk to these 'guests' carefully before you try to throw anyone out."
Sheogorath: "I can hear you, Shally! Don't bother my guests!"
Shalidor: "You're the only one that thinks you're funny, Mad God!"
You have to find the guest that does not belong, after hearing what each one has to say. The guest behind the first door will complain about the skittering noise. When she hears about an eviction she will start rambling, claiming that she prefers to stay inside and away from the gaze of others. Choosing to evict the first one, a Madwoman will exit the room and attack you.
"Hello? is someone there? I can hear you moving!"
:Are you enjoying your stay? "No, not at all! There are things skittering around in here."
::I'm supposed to evict one of Sheogorath's guests. They're not fitting in. "Hmm? Oh, don't evict me. As long as I ignore the noise, it's quite nice in here. You can't see the poetry of my soul from behind a door. You can't look into my eyes, and know that my mind is my own. You can't see the intensity of my truth!"
:::That's it. You're out of here.
:::Enjoy your stay.
The man behind the second door, unlike the madwoman, seems eager to leave the room and becomes very aggressive once informed about the eviction. Choosing to open this door will have the madman burst out and attack you.
"I can hear someone out there! Hello?"
:Are you enjoying your stay? "Yes! Wait, no! Is the Master playing his games again?"
::I'm supposed to evict one of Sheogorath's guests. They're not fitting in. "Yes, yes! Evict me! Open the door right now, or I'll peel off your face and wear it like a mask! I'll claw through this wood and tear out your succulent throat with my teeth."
:::That's it. You're out of here.
:::Enjoy your stay.
When, talking to the man behind the third door you will quickly discover that he is not the one fitting in and should be evicted, as he does not appear as insane as the other two. When you inform him of the eviction, his response is the most logical out of the three, saying that if he is thrown out, he will drag the Vestige to court.
"Hello? Is someone there? I sent for room service hours ago."
:Are you enjoying your stay? "Yes, actually. It's very pleasant. Some odd things, here and there, but overall ... look, are you room service or not?"
::I'm supposed to evict one of Sheogorath's guests. They're not fitting in. "What? Well, no throwing me out. Throw me out and I'll have my advocate drag you before the Alinor courts. We'll strip you of every coin you've ever earned. And every coin your sons will ever earn!"
:::That's it. You're out of here.
:::Enjoy your stay.
After he is kicked out he will storm out of the room.
Noble: "Fine then! My advocate will be contacting you about this! I'll show myself out. But I'm not taking that dreadful portal!"
Sheogorath: "That's a perfectly good portal. I should know, I made it!"
After that short exchange, enter the portal and talk to Sheogorath.
"It's been so long since we had guests. You would have loved my old uncle Leo, back in the day. Charming dinner conversation, when he wasn't bringing up old girlfriends. Literally. Regurgitating them. Nasty habit."
:I evicted your guest. What's next? "Well, let's see. Now that you're settled in, you should tour the grounds. We have this lovely maze at the chateau. You simply must see it."
::So I have to navigate a maze? Why? "Why do I need a reason for everything? Mortals, mortals, mortals! Always needing a reason to do things. For example: people like to think light chases away the shadows! I prefer to think that without a few lights, there'd be no shadows to enjoy."
:::So the maze will be dark, then? "Jolly good, you're getting it! I knew if we spent enough time together, you'd start to think like me. I have that effect on people. It's a bit too dark, actually. Why don't you light a few braziers as you go? Improve the ambiance."
::::Whatever you say. "Mind what bumps in the night now!"
Sheogorath will then disappear and leave you to light the braziers. Enemies called Bump in the Night can be found scattered throughout the maze, making the task harder than it would seem. As soon as Sheogorath leaves you to complete your objective, Shalidor will interfere trying to advise you.
Shalidor: "You've faced darkness before, adept. Remember your training."
Sheogorath: "No cheating, Shalidor! Don't ruin this for me."
After lighting the second brazier player can hear the following dialogue:
Shalidor: "Only two more to go. This trial is child's play."
Sheogorath: "I'm going to bind you to haunt a little old lady in Wayrest! Does that sound fun, Shally?"
After lighting all four braziers, find the exit and then talk to Sheogorath.
"So ... what did you think? What was your favorite part? No, don't answer that. I can see by the look on your face how happy you are!"
:I made it through. What's left? "Such confidence! Braggadocio! Gumption! I like that! This last place I'd like you to visit is our humble little manse. Just behind me."
::That's a mansion? "I want you to meet the family! So many fond memories. There was that one time, with the scalpel? And all of your family dinners, hah! And of course, you'll get to play with the family heirlooms!"
:::Heirlooms? "Aye! We have an old rhyme about them. Ahem: 'Four lights in a row, poke one to make it glow.' No, that's wrong. Maybe it was 'Four lights in a trough, poke one to turn it off?' Hmm. Something like that!"
::::I'll be sure to remember that. "Remember, vacations are about enjoying the little moments!"
After finishing his talk, Sheogorath will again disappear. Following that, enter the manse. As soon as you go inside the first room, the following exchange can be heard between Shalidor and Sheogorath.
Shalidor: "Those poor souls. Sheogorath's family'"
Sheogorath: "How do you keep getting back in here? I blame Haskill."
Shalidor: "Apparently, not everything is under your control!"
Sheogorath: "Not yet, anyway."
Explore the manse crawling with madmen and madwomen, and light all the heirlooms in the correct order. To solve the light puzzle from left (1) to right (4), the correct order of the heirlooms is 1, 4, 2, 3, 1. After that, talk to Sheogorath.
"Isn't it beautiful? The most beautiful part of the chateau. You can see why I've held onto the place all these years."
:It's great. Can I have the book now? "Now just hold on there. Haven't you been wondering why it's called the Chateau of the Ravenous Rodent?"
::I guess? "Well, you should! And before I give you the last tome - before I reward you and Shally for all your hard work - you need to meet one more member of my family. Let me tell you the story of old Uncle Leo ..."
:::Can i have the short version? "Spoilsport. Suffice it to say that old Uncle Leo has quite the history with the ladies. Ever since his last lady love, he's preferred the company of squeakers to speakers. And I turned him into a Flesh Atronach."
::::Uncle Leo likes rats. Got it. "Ehh... too much, I'm afraid. To be honest, it's become an embarrassment to the family. So... as the final act of a courteous guest. Go kill Uncle Leo, will you?"
:::::Let's get this over with. "Give the old lug my love before you rip his skull open, will you?"
:::This sounds entertaining. Go on. "Ahh, a mortal after my own heart. Well, Uncle Leo was quite the ladies man back in the day. He had a beauty in every town, from Windhelm to Stormhold. As the years went by and his looks began to fade, it got harder and harder to ... y'know."
::::Yes, I know. "Right. Well, not getting the attention of the ladies, the way he use to ... it started to drive Leo a little batty. And that's when I stepped in. Can't have someone as well loved as Leo all lonely, right?"
:::::I suppose? "So I offered him a little deal. I game him back his looks, his youth. All he had to do was promise never to bed a maiden more than once! Simple, really, and he took the deal with gusto! Heh heh heh. Then, a few years later, he meets Mjoll."
::::::He fell in love? "Cheese for the smart skeever! Leo couldn't resist her. Thought he'd have an out on our deal if they got married. Nope! His flesh melted like wax on his wedding night. Became an Atronach of my very own. Now? All his girlfriends are rats."
:::::::You turned him into a Flesh Atronach and now he loves rats? "Ehh ... too much, I'm afraid. To be honest, it's become an embarrassment to the family. So ... as the final act of a courteous guest. Go kill Uncle Leo, will you?"
::::::::Let's get this over with. "Give the old lug my love before you rip his skull open, will you?"
Sheogorath will disappear again after the talk with him finishes. After that, enter the Master Bedroom, where Uncle Shep can be found. When he is killed, talk to Sheogorath.
"Well done! The family would be so proud, if you hadn't already murdered most of them."
"Always sad to see a good man die. Leo's death, just now? Hilarious! Hah."
:I've toured the Chateau. May I have the book now? "I should make you fight narwhals on the open ocean. I should make you run a gauntlet of angry Argonian concubines! But I won't. Book's yours."
::Thank you. "Yes, yes. Well, I'm sure you and Shalidor will be very happy with your new book. Of course, Valaste has been the one doing all the reading, right? Send her my best. And tell her to read real close on this last one."
"Give Valaste my best!"
After you collect the tome, talk to Valaste.
"You'be returned! Do you have the book?"
:I do. "You've done it! We have them all. Now I just need to closely study the books, together as a set. And we should be able to find Shalidor's island!"
"Wish me luck, my friend. I'll need it, this time around."
:You're looking a little better, Valaste. "Yes, adept. I recovered quickly after you left. I'm just ... I'm feeling a little weary. This business with the books you've been collecting. It's taken a lot out of me."
::You said that before. What do you mean? "These books are like word labyrinths. There are layers of meaning upon meaning, endless research avenues. He's laden these things with oblique references that only someone with my mastery of lore would be able to understand. It's very tiring."
:::You seemed nervous when you were talking about the next book. "Like I said, just a little weary. Don't worry adept. I'm up to the challenge. I'm one of only a handful of people in the world of Tamriel that could have puzzled these out, in fact! We'll see it done."
==Rewards==
*Uncle Leo's Choker
*146–604 
==Trivia==
*This quest can be completed before the recommended level, however the enemies will be a minimum of level 33. If the Vestige's level is higher, enemy levels will scale accordingly.
*If the Vestige decides to kill the cannibals during the conversation, they are not going to be let out of the door, but they simply will materialize on the Vestige's side of the door.
==Appearances==
*
fr:Le château du Rongeur affamé
Category:Online: Mages Guild Quests
Category:Online: Alik'r Desert Quests
Category:Online: Eastmarch Quests
Category:Online: Malabal Tor Quests