A Blade in the Dark

Blades

 * Talk to Delphine
* Locate the dragon burial grounds
* Kill the dragon Sahloknir
* Talk to Delphine

> “
> Delphine believes that dragons are coming back to life and that only the Dragonborn can stop them. It turns out that she was right. Near Kynesgrove, we saw a dragon Shouting another one back to life. After we killed the dragon and I absorbed its power, Delphine accepted that I was the Dragonborn as she had hoped, and revealed that she is one of the last members of the Blades, an organization dedicated to protecting the Dragonborn and stopping the dragons.
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> — Dragonborn
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## Walkthrough

The Dragonborn finds the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller at Ustengrav replaced by a Mysterious Note instead. The note mentions a meeting place at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, where the Dragonborn is supposed to rent a room.

### Talk to Delphine

As it turns out Delphine is one of the last members of the Blades, dragonslayers. Now that they have found the Dragonborn and the dragons are back it is time to find out what is behind the sudden dragon appearances, and the Dragonborn is the only one to permanently kill them by absorbing their dragon souls. Delphine has a marked map of ancient dragon mounds, and she is convinced she knows where the next dragon will be resurrected.

### Locate the dragon burial grounds

This happens to be in Kynesgrove and she asks the Dragonborn to accompany her to the site. The two arrive just in time to witness as a powerful dragon named Alduin resurrects another dragon named Sahloknir.

### Kill the dragon Sahloknir

As Alduin soon leaves and the Dragonborn must face off against Sahloknir.

### Talk to Delphine

After absorbing Sahloknir's soul, Delphine is convinced that the Dragonborn truly is the one worthy of Blade protection. Their next task is to find out who exactly is behind all these happenings. She suspects the Thalmor, and plans to infiltrate their embassy with the Dragonborn's help.

## Dialogues

Talk with Delphine at end of the quest:

Dragonborn
*Who are you and what do you want with me?*
Delphine
*A very long time ago, the Blades were dragonslayers, and we served the Dragonborn, the greatest dragonslayer. For the last two hundred years, since the last Dragonborn emperor, the Blades have been searching for a purpose. Now that dragons are coming back, our purpose is clear again. We need to stop them.*
Dragonborn
*The Blades? Who are they?*
Delphine
*Exactly. Nobody even remembers our name these days. We used to be known across Tamriel as the protectors of the Septim Emperors. Those days are long gone, though. For the last two hundred years, we've been searching for the next Dragonborn to guide and guard, as we are sworn to do. But we never found one. Until now.*
Dragonborn
*What do you know about the dragons coming back?*
Delphine
*Not damn thing. I was just as surprised as you to find that big black dragon here.*
Dragonborn
*It was the one that attacked Helgen, when Ulfric escaped from the Imperials.*
Delphine
*Interesting. Same dragon... Damn it, we're blundering around in the dark here! We need to figure out who's behind it all!*
Dragonborn
*What's our next move?*
Delphine
*The first thing we need to do is figure out who's behind the dragons. The Thalmor are our best lead. If they aren't involved, they'll know who is.*
Dragonborn
 *Remind me... who are the Thalmor?*
Delphine
 *The faction that rules the Aldmeri Dominion. The ones who almost destroyed the Empire during the Great War, thirty years back. There's no worse enemy to humankind in Tamriel. The Empire barely survived the last war. The Thalmor don't intend to lose the next one.*
Dragonborn
*What makes you think the Thalmor are bringing dragons back?*
Delphine
*Nothing solid. Yet. But my gut tells me it can't be anybody else. The Empire had captured Ulfric. The war was basically over. Then a dragon attacks, Ulfric escapes, and the war is back on. And now the dragons are attacking everywhere, indiscriminately. Skyrim is weakened, the Empire is weakened. Who else gains from that but the Thalmor?*
Dragonborn
*Why are the Thalmor after you?*
Delphine
*Before the Great War, the Blades helped the Empire against the Thalmor. Our Grand Master saw them as the greatest threat to Tamriel. At the time, that was true. Maybe it still is. So we fought them in the shadows, all across Tamriel. We thought we were more than a match for them. We were wrong.*
Dragonborn
*So we need to find out what the Thalmor know about the dragons. Any ideas?*
Delphine
*If we could get into the Thalmor Embassy... it's the centre of their operations in Skyrim. Problem is, that place is locked up tighter than a miser's purse. They could teach me a few things about paranoia...*
Dragonborn
*So how do we get into the Thalmor Embassy?*
Delphine
*I'm not sure yet. I have a few ideas, but I'll need some time to pull things together... Meet me back in Riverwood. If I'm not back when you get there, wait for me. I shouldn't be long. Keep and eye on the sky. This is only going to get worse.*