Dark Clouds Over Solitude

Dark Clouds Over Solitude is a quest in the main questline of . An assassin has infiltrated the Blue Palace and murdered the queen. The Vestige must help Lyris Titanborn bring the assassin to justice and uncover the Icereach Coven's sinister intentions.
==Background==
The Icereach Coven and its allies can call down devastating and unnatural harrowstorms on Western Skyrim. Fennorian thinks these storms can turn people into harrowfiends and mindless harrowed. We need to inform Solitude.
==Objectives==
#Return to the Blue Palace
#Find Lyris Titanborn
#Investigate the scene of the murder
#Follow Lyris Titanborn
#Speak to High King Svargrim
#Speak to Svana
#Search Solitude for a witness who saw the assassin
#Speak to Lyris Titanborn
#Locate Fennorian
#Speak to Old Mjolen
#Gather the reagents for the divination spell
#Use the enchanted medallion
#Investigate the assassin's camp
#Search Chillwind Depths for the assassin
#Speak to Fennorian
#Examine the items left by the assassin
#Speak to Lyris
#Search the Silversnow Mine for the assassin
#Investigate Dusktown
#Question Galuf and Rola about the whereabouts of the assassin
#Destroy the witch pikes to the east and northeast of Dusktown
#
==Walkthrough==
After successfully completing "The Gathering Storm," Lyris will brief the Vestige on what steps they will be taking next in their quest to stop the Icereach Coven:
"Queen Gerhyld needs to hear what we discovered at Kilkreath Temple. Hopefully, that will be enough for her to get us an audience with High King Svargrim."
:Do we have enough evidence to convince the king and queen of the danger? "The queen seemed reasonable. She'll believe us. As for Svargrim, who can tell? I haven't met the man, but everything I've heard describes him as prideful, arrogant, and hard-headed. Even with the queen's help, there's no guarantee."
::So what do we do if High King Svargrim refuses to see us? "I'd like to knock down the palace door, grab him by the throat, and shake him until he listens. That would probably start a war, though, and Jorunn specifically asked me to avoid that. For now, let's bring our evidence to Queen Gerhyld."
:::Let's go see the high queen. "If there's anything else we need to discuss, let's get it out of the way now, before we return to Solitude."
::::Why do you think the Icereach Coven wants to turn people into harrowfiends? "Hey, you and Fennorian came to that conclusion, not me. Still, it makes as much sense as anything. As to why, I have no idea. This connection to vampires, though. That's troubling. We should keep Fenn away until we get into Svargrim's good graces."
:::::Fennorian is going to seek help from a clever woman in Morthal. "A clever woman? Out here? Nords are extremely distrustful of magic, especially Nords from Western Skyrim. I'm surprised the people of Morthal tolerate her presence. If anyone can help Fenn figure out the coven's ritual, though, it would be her."
::::::Should we help them with their research? "Our priority remains getting an audience with High King Svargrim. We need to convince him that the Icereach Coven is a threat to his kingdom and get him to help us stop them. Let's return to Solitude and present our findings to the queen."
:::::::What's a clever woman? "Clever men and women are Nords with an aptitude for magic, though most use the term to refer to practitioners of the old ways. They're rare. Not the usual adepts found at the Mages Guild. Distrust of magic runs deep in Skyrim, especially out here."
::::::::Why do the people of Skyrim distrust magic? "Could be that the Elves our ancestors fought soured our taste for magic. Or maybe there weren't enough skalds singing about wizards going to Sovngarde. Might be that Nords just prefer their natural talents. Either way, magic isn't popular here."
After which Lyris will promptly depart for Solitude. The Vestige must now make their way to Solitude to join Lyris there in attempting to gain an audience with High King Svargrim. When the Vestige enters the courtyard of the Blue Palace, however, they will immediately be made aware that something terrible has happened by the panicked screams from frightened servants. 
After the Vestige makes their way up to the upper floor of the palace the situation becomes apparent: Queen Gerhyld has been assassinated by an unknown assailant. Outraged, High King Svargrim refuses to listen to Lyris' calls for reason:
High King Svargrim: "Have Jorunn's lackeys come to gloat?"
Lyris Titanborn: "We came here to warn you, your highness."
High King Svargrim: "And yet my wife lies dead!"
Lyris Titanborn: "If you had listened to us …."
High King Svargrim: "Like she did? If I determine Jorunn had a hand in this, there will be war! Someone take care of my wife!"
The High King will then leave the room, accompanied by Swordthane Uthlet. Distraught, Lyris speaks to the Vestige:
Gods … what a disaster. The queen's been assassinated and Svargrim still refuses to listen to reason. We need to find a way to set things right.
:How did an assassin get that close to the queen? "Good question. The guards should have been able to handle a run-of-the-mill assassin. This could be connected to the Icereach Coven. In fact, I'd wager my axe that it is."
::So what do we do now? "Look around. See if you can find any indication of how the assassin got in and out of the palace so easily. Maybe even turn up something that ties the murderer to the coven. I'll make sure the princess is all right."
Now that Lyris has tasked the Vestige with investigating the scene of the murder, the Vestige must look around the room for any clues indicating how the assassin gained entrance to the palace. A window in the corner of the room appears to have several shards of glass missing, and upon further inspection an Icereach Coven Medallion can be salvaged from the pile of broken glass on the floor in front of it. 
After taking the medallion to Lyris, she will note the medallion looks familiar to her; she has seen them before on the Reachmen near Kilkreath Temple and on the witches in Icereach. Now that they have a clear indication the assassin is in league with the Coven, Lyris asks the Vestige to join her in confronting the High King with some hard truths:
"Does Jorunn think me so weak that he believes his half-giant can twist my arm and fill my head with lies? I am not so easily duped, outsider."
:It's not Jorunn you need to be concerned with. It's the Icereach Coven. "Reach witches? They pose no threat! We've beaten back those wild dogs time and time again while our brothers to the east bow down to a poetry-writing milk-drinker! I will not be lectured on such matters by the likes of you!"
::Have you heard about the harrowstorm that struck Kilkreath? It turned your people into harrowfiends. "Tales told around campfires to scare the children! Storms happen here all the time, and none of them spawn monsters. The last spy who spoke of such things … well, he no longer speaks of such things. I am the Wolf of Solitude, I know my enemies."
:::Queen Gerhyld asked us to bring you proof. That might be why the coven killed her. "You dishonor my wife's name by letting it pass through your treacherous lips? Away with you! And pray I don't find evidence that ties you to the queen's murder. That would not go so well for you."
The High King refuses to believe the Vestige and Lyris and demands they leave him at once. As Lyris obliges and the Vestige follows her, they will be approached by Svana as they exit Svargrim's chambers:
"My mother … she told me she gave the mighty Lyris Titanborn an important task. Tell me. What were you doing for my mother?"
:We were gathering evidence to convince the high king of the threat to your kingdom. "Threat? What threat? And do you think this is why someone came into the palace and killed her?"
::The Icereach Coven has come to Western Skyrim. It looks like they killed the queen. "And did you tell my father all this? Is he rallying the soldiers? Alerting the other holds?"
:::The high king won't listen to us. He thinks this is all some plot of the Skald-King. "My father sees Jorunn's plots everywhere, even in his spicy venison stew. Well, I won't let my mother's death be for nothing. She trusted you and so will I, my father be damned. Please. Find whoever did this and stop them."
:We'll do what we can, your highness. "I saw the assassin. He moved fast … unbelievably fast. He leaped through the window after stabbing my mother. By that time the guards had gathered, so I guess he decided to flee. Try to follow his trail. Someone outside must have seen something."
::Did you get a good look at the assassin? "He was fast, that's for certain. Here and gone before the guards could even draw their swords. Other than that, I didn't get a good look. The inside of his hood was nothing but shadows."
:::Could you talk to the high king about this threat? He might listen to you. "My father, listen to me? When horkers fly, maybe, but probably not even then. He gave up on me a long time ago. I'm sorry. I'm no use to you. No use to anyone."
::::I heard what your mother told you. She didn't believe that and neither should you. "I'm not my mother. Never will be. But I swear I'll do whatever I can to help you. You have my word on that."
:Are you going to be all right? "No. My mother …. The last time we spoke, I hurled a mug at her. But I came when she summoned me, just in time to see her murdered. I—I need to pull myself together. She asked me to watch over my father … the kingdom. I can't let her down."
Now that princess Svana wants them to keep looking into the threat to Western Skyrim, the Vestige must look around Solitude for anyone who might have seen the assassin. The first person they will encounter is Tysvald, leaned over the corpse of his wife. He will explain that during the commotion at the palace, while everyone was heading that way, one man headed in the opposite direction. He describes him as wearing an eye-patch, covering a bestial face. The man dragged Tysvald's wife along, then tossed her aside. He notes the assassin ran towards the Hall of the Dead without batting an eye. 
When the Vestige arrives at the Hall of the Dead, they will find High Priest Ingurt praying over the bodies of two dead townsmen. He will tell the Vestige the following:
"Will you pray with me for these poor souls? Cut down and bound for the Hall of the Dead much too soon."
:Tell me what happened here. "It was a monster … a vampire. I have seen such creatures before, but this one wore an eye patch. It moved like a shadow and took sustenance from these poor souls. I called upon Arkay's grace and the vampire fled before his sacred presence."
::Which way did the vampire flee? "Toward the main gate. I pray the guard finished off the depraved creature before it took another innocent life."
At the main gate of the city, the Vestige will once again encounter Shield-Corporal Thjol bent over the body of a fallen city guard. He is still wary of the Vestige, as becomes apparent when they speak to him:
You again? Didn't I warn you about putting your nose where it doesn't belong?
:A priest said a vampire came this way. Is that what happened here? "A vampire? I don't know what you're talking about, but whoever it was tore out Sonolia's throat and fled through the gate before I could stop him. What do you know about all this and why is it any of your business?"
::The vampire assassinated Queen Gerhyld. Princess Svana asked me to track him down. "The queen's … dead? What about the high king? He'll have my head for letting the assassin slip away."
::: 
 
Lyris will meet the Vestige at the city gate to discuss their findings. After explaining the situation to her, Lyris proposes to fight fire with fire: As the assassin was a vampire, she suggests they get Fennorian involved to assist them in hunting the assassin. The last time they spoke, Fennorian told the Vestige he would seek out a local clever woman to stay with for the time being. 
As promised, Fennorian can be found southeast of the city in the marshy swamps surrounding the countryside alongside Old Mjolen, a clever woman. 
Fennorian welcomes the Vestige to his remote corner of the world, and tells them the following:
"Welcome to the middle of nowhere, my friend. You must be freezing. Warm yourself by the fire and tell me how your audience with the high king went."
:Not well. The Icereach Coven assassinated Queen Gerhyld. Now Svargrim distrusts us even more. "A bold move, even for them. Old Mjolen and I have been comparing notes and we've made some progress studying the harrowstorm ritual. What happened to your large friend with the axe, by the way?"
::Lyris stayed behind to safeguard Princess Svana. I need your help. The assassin is a vampire. "We knew that vampires were working with the coven. And Old Mjolen and I can say with certainty that the feral harrowfiends are byproducts of harrowstorms. You think the assassin was one of the vampires in league with the coven?"
:::I know it was a vampire. He wore an eye patch and dropped this medallion when he fled. "An eye patch? That's uncommon. And this insignia. I've seen it before. It's the same as the symbol that decorates the urns smuggled out of Bangkorai. If it belongs to a vampire bloodline, I'm not familiar with it. I suggest you ask Mjolen."
An eccentric woman, Old Mjolen has the following to say to the Vestige:
"Local wisdom dictates that only the very brave or the very foolish seek the counsel of vampires and old crones. Which are you, I wonder? Well, out with it. What can Old Mjolen do for you?"
:What can you tell me about this medallion? "A grim talisman. It bears an enchantment of some kind, though the symbol upon it holds no significance that I'm aware of. I can help find the owner of this medallion, but I need some specific items to cast such a divination."
::What do you need? "Bring me the bones of a wolf and a deathbell plant pulled up by its roots. I need the plant alive. The wolf, not so much. With those reagents, I can conjure a divination that will lead you directly to the last person to wear this medallion."
:::I'll gather the reagents and return soon. "Deathbell grows throughout the bog. You should have no trouble acquiring it. Wolves are plentiful in the wilderness around Morthal as well, but be cautious. Many seem afflicted by a strange curse. I would hate for you to run afoul of it."
::::What kind of curse? "An icy rime clings to the wolves, sapping the heat and life from their bodies until only a frigid, shambling corpse remains. You are safe from them here, but be mindful out in the wild."
For Old Mjolen to cast the spell that will direct the Vestige towards the owner of the medallion, she will need deathbell and wolf bones. The Vestige will have to travel east of the camp, where they will find said deathbell underneath a tree. It is, however, guarded by two Great Bears who will have to be defeated before the deathbell can be acquired. The wolf bones are located due south, on a sandbank of a small riverbed. Once both items are acquired, the Vestige must return to Old Mjolen so she can cast the divination spell. 
After Old Mjolen has enchanted the medallion, the Vestige can now use it to track down the assassin. Using the medallion will show the Vestige a vision of a vampire in a small camp. The magic indicates they should go west to find it.
After discussing the ritual with Fennorian, he agrees to follow the Vestige on his journey west. Once they arrive at the camp, a backpack containing a tattered cloak can be discovered leaning against a tree. The cloak has seen better days and contains several glass fragments, surely it belonged to the eye-patched assassin. On the other end of the tree is one of the vampire's recent victims. Using the enchanted medallion again shows a cave west of the camp. Fennorian has the following to say about it:
"Is it wrong to find these visions so intriguing? This one showed your assassin again, eye patch and all, by a cave near a waterfall. And the ball of magicka drifted toward the west again. I suggest we go that way as quickly as possible."
:What about the victim we found here? "There's nothing we can do for her. The vampire assassin drained all the blood from her body. He took his time with her, I think. Probably needed to recover his strength after the events at the palace.\n\nLet's get after him before the trail grows cold."
Following this, the Vestige must head over to Chillwind Depths, the cave the medallion showed in its vision. After entering the delve, Fennorian will appear and quickly casts an invisibility spell to swiftly sneak past the hostile creatures within.
==Reward==
*
==Journal==
==Gallery==
==Appearances==
*
Category:Greymoor: Main Quests