Happy adventuring!
~Pandora

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Updated 4/8/07 Posting the nearly-finished walkthrough of the Main Quest. I say nearly-finished because I'm something of a perfectionist when it comes to my writing, and I want everything to look right.

Important for all PC users: Shivering Isles updates the Oblivion.esm (master file) to a higher executable than the old Construction Set can load, meaning that Construction Set 1.1 won't be able to load anything. http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_utilities.htm. I've been advised to tell everybody that, just to be on the safe side, prior to installing Shivering Isles you should make a copy of Oblivion.esm and name it something like Oblivion_1.1.esm or something like that.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Shivering:Reference_Bug <----- PLEASE LOOK HERE
In response to the above issue, known as the Reference Bug, Bethesda has released a Shivering Isles Beta Patch... you can find it http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_patches.htm. Be sure to read the http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_patchnotes12.htm before downloading and installing.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v318/JetpackAngel/Oblivion%20Shivering%20Isles/?action=view¤t=SI_Map3.jpg, made with screenshots and MS Paint.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Image:V7_Shivering_Isles_Map.jpg. Much more colorful than mine.

Known Glitches
"The Lady of Paranoia" quest: Sometimes this quest gets a glitch where you have to spy on a conversation (undetected) between Ma'zahhda and Nelrene, and the two of them just stand there and don't talk, and/or you can't speak to Herdir and tell him to stay behind.
You can: 1) try again another night, 2) reload a save, or 3) quit and restart the game to try and fix it. If that doesn't work, try attacking one of the conspirators and either go to jail or pay the fine, and try again.
Failing that, PC users can open the console and type "setstage se05 70"?, minus the quotation marks. You'll miss out on the conversation, but at least the quest will move forward.

"The Coming Storm"? quest (originally posted http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=668669 by Ingmar): If you ever bribe the Bosmer named Fimmion with sweetrolls for quest information, make sure you at least exit dialogue after you've gotten info for each quest. Ingmar reported that he gave Fimmion sweetrolls for the "Falling Awake" quest and again for "The Coming Storm" (I'm assuming both were in the same conversation), and ended up with two pairs of Calming Pants. As you all know, if you ever receive two copies of the same Quest Item, the NPC that sent you for them will not recognize that you have them, and you can't drop them, which means that you're hosed.

"The Fork of Horripilation" quest: I don't know why (yet), but every now and then, some of the citizens of Bliss seem to attract the attention of the Golden Saints? and every now and then, Big-Head ends up dead. Try to take on this quest early on, to increase your chances of actually finishing it.

Don't climb the ladder into the Private Gardens from Xirethard (originally posted http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=671945 by Flame Imperishable). Apparently, if you do so after beating the Main Quest, you get stuck. Solution: cast Protection of Sheogorath, summon something, and have that creature kill you, at which point you'll revive in Sheogorath's Palace.
Alternately, and much easier, if you're on the PC, go to the door, open the console, select the door by clicking on it and type unlock, press enter and close the console. The door will be open now. (Thanks, proweler!)

And away we go...

The Main Quest
After Shivering Isles is installed, once 1 in-game day has passed, your journal informs you of a strange island that has sprouted in the middle of Niben Bay. Head to Bravil, and go swimming.

What greets you is indeed a tiny island. On it are Gaius Prentus (a Bravil guard), a skittish Khajiit named S'fara, and a psychotic Dunmer named Belmyne Dreleth. Walk up to the trio, and watch as Dreleth freaks out royally and starts attacking Gaius. S'fara just runs around scared.

Help either one, or just stand back and watch. Gaius is Essential (and regenerates health quickly), so Dreleth should go down after a little bit. After Gaius warns you that everyone who passes through that door goes insane, you hear a voice boom out about "unworthy mortals." This voice, with an accent like a stage Irishman, is none other than Sheogorath. Stand there a moment, listen to what he has to say. It's rather interesting, especially the fact that his accent changes after every sentence.

After you get bored with that, pass through the gate to The Fringe. You emerge in a small room with a man named Haskill seated at a stone table. On the table are a ticking metronome (which you can't do anything with), and The Madness of Pelagius. Haskill steeples his fingers and invites you to "please, have a seat" in his best English Butler voice.

Hmm? a wannabe head-shrinker. Not what you'd expect to find in the Realm of Insanity, now is it? Don't be fooled; underneath the therapist's detached behavior, this guy's just as screwy as everybody else. And that's the crux of Shivering Isles: everybody is a nutcase. What differs from person to person is what kind of specific nutcase they are. You have your paranoids, your obsessive-compulsives, your psychopaths, and every phobia under the sun (and then some). The place is just one big Asylum, with the Prince of Insanity reigning over it all.

Haskill is the Chamberlain (sort of a cross between a manservant and a steward) to Sheogorath. Why's the Strange Door there? Why, because Sheogorath put it there, of course. Why did Sheogorath put it there? Well, the daM doG (Mad God, backwards and jumbled) already told you: he seeks a Champion.

Inform Haskill that you'll pass through the Gates of Madness. With all the enthusiasm of a guy waiting for a root canol, Haskill expresses delight and stands to open the door. The metronome stops, Haskill disappears, and suddenly your world explodes in a cloud of butterflies.

When the butterflies disperse, so does the room. Take a moment. Blink. Look around and get oriented. You find yourself still seated at the table, but around you stretches a very strange land. New ingredients abound, so alchemists ought to have a blast with this place.

Follow your compass to the town of Passwall and eventually you will come upon a snobby Dunmer named Felas Sarandas and very egotistical Redguard named Shelden, the Mayor of Passwall. They're talking about watching the Gatekeeper mob a group of adventurers, and advise you to go watch.

Head up the hill to see a massive creature laying into a whole crowd of armored adventurers. This is the Gatekeeper, and you can't hurt him. Stand back and watch as the desperate crowd gets pulverized, and then have yourself a chat with Felas and Shelden. Either one can point you to Jayred Ice-Veins, who says he's planning on trying to kill the thing. Jayred is, unfortunately, just as crazy as everybody else, but his plan actually makes sense. He says he needs you to pick the lock at the Gardens of Flesh and Bone, and he'll collect bones from the dead Gatekeeper in the courtyard to make arrows. He gives you a single lockpick and takes off.

At the Gardens, you'll have to pick the pitiful lock before you can tangle with the Shambles on the other side. Be warned, they explode with Frost damage when you kill them, so either keep your distance or get some sort of Resist Frost. When they're dead, Jayred grabs his bones and tells you to find him in a few hours.

This'll give you some time to explore Passwall. Talk to the permanent stand-in proprietor of The Wastrel's Purse, Dredhwen, to learn that Relmyna Verenim (who is staying upstairs), is the only person that can stand near the Gatekeeper without it trying to kill her. Hmm?

Head up the stairs. As you prepare to open the door, a voice warns you that "you'd better have a good reason for disturbing me." Pay no attention to the sickle upon the table?or the blood and body parts on the floor, for that matter?and have a talk with this charming lady. She is the Gatekeeper's creator, and she informs you that unless you have been blessed by Sheogorath, the Gatekeeper isn't going to let you through.

After this brief and fairly disturbing conversation is at an end, be sure to take a peek at the "Letter to Sheogorath" sitting on her table. It turns out, she visits the Gatekeeper every midnight, and your journal informs you that this would be a worthwhile thing to watch. Since it's probably not time to see Jayred yet, your next visit should be to Relmyna's apprentice, Nanette. If you can get her to like you enough, Nanette spills the beans: the Gatekeeper's only flaw is that the tears of its "mother" (ugh) agitate the Daedra spirit trapped inside its body.

Hmm? let's go see Jayred, shall we? If it's not time to talk to him about the arrows, have a look around his house. He's got some interesting stuff. Don't touch his bones, though, as he's rather fond of them. If nothing else, have a look at the books Bark and Sap, and The Predecessors (upstairs), which give you a little preview of things to come.

An hour or two before midnight, speak to your bone-crazed friend. Jayred gives you 20 Bone Arrows and keeps some for himself. Tell him to follow you, and head up the hill to the Gates of Madness.

Relmyna walks up the steps to the gate at exactly midnight. Have Jayred stand back just a bit, and get close enough to hear what Relmyna has to say (but far enough away to avoid attracting the Gatekeeper's attention; the steps at the edge of the platform are perfect). When she's done crying, she drops a handkerchief full of tears. Make a suicide rush at the Gatekeeper's feet to grab it?which automatically gives you 3 vials of Relmyna's tears?and rush back to Jayred so he can give you some support. Poison your next shot with the Tears and nock your Bone Arrows, and the Gatekeeper should fall with little trouble.

Pull the two keys off the Gatekeeper's body: one to Mania, and one to Dementia. As you're pondering the implications of this, you're interrupted by the ever-cheerful Haskill. He tells you that you can only open one of the two doors. Mania, the door on the left, is a brightly-colored land, while Dementia (on the right) is a bit darker. Both are equally nuts, though.

Once Haskill does a fade-out, it's time to choose your door.



Passing through the Gates of Madness
Mania
Upon entering the gate, you are blessed with the "Blessing of Mania" greater power, which gives you a mid-level Frenzy spell. Comforting thought.

It's pretty countryside. The grass is green, the flowers are colorful, and while the enemies both here and in Dementia are the same, here they come in bright colors. If you stay solely in Mania country, you'll be taking the long way around Shivering Isles to meet with Sheogorath, but you'll be better for it in the end. While wandering around, you may run into some Golden Saints. Don't attack them; unlike in Morrowind, they're peaceful. They are the Imperial guards of the Isles. Also, don't be put off at the fact that their facial expressions say they can't stand the sight of you. They don't like anybody that's not a Golden Saint.

One of the first landmarks you should hit is Longtooth Camp, which is inhabited by Heretics. These spellcasters (much like the conventional Conjurers of Cyrodiil) attack you on sight. Once you off one, be sure to grab his or her robe and hood, as well as the book Heretical Thoughts from the top floor of the "treehouse." One useful thing about the robes: wearing them will help you blend in with other Heretics, and they'll leave you alone? in theory. You'll need to be wearing both the hood and the robes for this to work.

Dementia
Passing through the Gate to Dementia gives you a free greater power: "Blessing of Dementia," which is a mid-level Demoralize spell. Well, isn't that cheerful?

You're faced with rotting swamps, dying trees, and more fog than you can shake a stick at. The enemies here are identical to those in Mania but for their coloration. The roadways are patrolled by Dark Seducers, Demetia's answer to the Golden Saints.

You may also run into Zealots, the Demented counterparts to Mania's Heretics. The same works here, as well: wear the robes and the hood, and that will at least get you close enough for you to whack them at close range.



A Better Mousetrap
Enter the Palace of New Sheoth, and you'll find the ever-bubbly Haskill standing in attendance to the man on the throne. As you approach, the daM doG starts clapping as though you're the greatest show in Mundus (or the Isles). Honestly, I was going to say the same thing about him. You've got to hand it to Wes Johnson, who does the voices of Lucien Lachance, the Prophet of the Knights of the Nine, and Dyus of Mytheria (later in the Shivering Isles Main Quest); basically all Imperial males except Martin are voiced by him. In his performance as Sheogorath, his revolving door of accents is even funnier than the dialogue itself.

If you can sort through Sheogorath's ramblings, you'll learn that he wants Xedilian reactivated. Apparently the place was designed to attract those pesky adventurers into one place and, well? the quest is called "A Better Mousetrap." Figure it out.

Anyway, Xedilian isn't working, and he wants you to fix that. The fort itself is in Dementia, down Pinnacle Road.

The ruin itself is fairly straightforward, at first. Whack your way through the Grummites until you find the Shaman. The "staff" you pry from its cold, dead hands is powered by one of the Focus Crystals you need. Place the crystal in the Judgment Nexus nearby, and continue on through the ruin.

Eventually you'll come to a spot with a button underneath one of those busts (armless head-and-torso statues), and a locked gate on either side. You're in for a nasty surprise: the door that opens is right under your feet. Once you're done swearing at the surprise, repeat the previous steps with the Grummites until all three Focus Crystals have been brought back to their proper places. From there, it's a cakewalk to head to the large Resonator of Judgment (black crystal formation) and whack it once with your glorified Tuning Fork (excuse me, the Attenuator). Once that's done, head for the portal to your right.

Baiting the Trap
Are you thinking that this is way too easy? Well, you're right.

On the other side of the portal, you're met by a Dunmer named Kiliban Nyrandil. He rambles about the history of Xedilian, and eventually mentions that normally the teleport pad should've taken you back to the entrance. Since it didn't, there must already be adventurers running around in Xedilian. Here's where your Manual of Xedilian?courtesy of Haskill?comes in handy. For those with weaker stomachs, I'm sorry, but you have to run a cycle of adventurers through the dungeon.

In other words, by the time you're done, all those people are either going to be dead, or qualified to enter Sheogorath's realm. And it'll be your hands pushing the buttons.

Mania
The first two chambers are relatively mundane. Creating a Giant Gnarl in the first chamber is rather amusing to watch, and causes the Rogue to go insane.
In the second chamber, dumping hundreds of keys on the floor quickly adds the Mage to Sheogorath's faithful.
The third one's a little twisted. Trick this Warrior into thinking he's dead without even getting a chance to fight and get killed properly, and Insanity shall welcome him with open arms.

Dementia
Choosing to unleash a pack of Gnarls on the adventurers claims the Rogue's life in the first chamber.
In the second chamber, tripping the fire trap takes out the Mage.
In the third chamber, choose to raise the dead and the Warrior buys it.

When that's over with, Kiliban says he's recovered a "most unusual" weapon from the Warrior. This is Dawnfang/Duskfang (henceforth known as Fang for the sake of my typing speed). During daylight hours, the weapon is Dawnfang, and has a fire enchantment. At night, Duskfang carries a frost enchantment. Either way, it's also got an interesting little effect called "Nourish Sword." What does it do? Well, you're about to find out.

No sooner do you start heading for the entrance that you're stopped by what looks like a crowd of Shiny Concrete golems. These are the Knights of Order?be sure to loot the Heart of Order off each body, as you'll use them later. As you kill them, noticed that the corner of your screen says your Fang has "extinguished # lives." Once you extinguish twelve lives during either day or night, once that day/night is over, Fang "levels up." So long as Fang takes 12 lives every 12 hours, at the time-switch it will become/stay "----Fang Superior." Dawnfang Superior gets an added boost of Absorb Health, while Duskfang Superior gets Absorb Magicka.

For now, Kiliban tells you to run, not walk, to Sheogorath and tell him that the Knights of Order are back.



Understanding Madness
After another round with the incredibly entertaining Prince of Madness, you're granted a new spell: Summon Haskill. Yes, you read that right. His Nuttiness even urges you to "try it out right now! I'll wait!" regardless of the fact that Haskill's standing right behind you. Humor him.

With all the excitement of a sloth with a hangover, Haskill proclaims it simply wonderful. That's not all, though? Sheogorath says "again! Again! He loves it!"

Once that's over with, the mood suddenly dampens (well, your mood, anyway) when out of nowhere, Sheogorath proclaims that you're here to defeat Jyggalag and stop the Greymarch.
Jyggalag: The Daedric Prince of Order. Or biscuits. No, pretty sure it's order.** None of the other Daedra princes like him very much. Come on, MALACATH is more popular at parties? and Malacath is not popular at parties.
The Greymarch: Jyggalag's unimaginative, incredibly destructive, and completely boring (in Sheogorath's eyes) rampage through the Realm of Insanity. It happens at the end of every era.
Now What?: Now, you get to "get your feet wet," as the daM doG puts it. You're going to speak to the Duke of Mania and Duchess of Dementia, and get a deeper taste of how the Realm of Insanity really works? if the human mind is even capable of understanding such a thing.

**Actually, I thought that Order was Peryite's sphere. :shrug: Then again, Peryite is the Taskmaster. Jyggalag's more of a bone-cleaving sword type of guy.

Understanding Madness: Addiction (The House of Mania)
Head into the House proper, outside to the Halcyon Conservatory, and wait outside the Duke's Chambers for Thadon to appear. This guy's nearly as incomprehensible as Sheogorath himself. Try to keep up with his ramblings long enough to hear him speak about the Chalice of Reversal. Abruptly Thadon comes down with a migraine, and sends you to "find somebody else to tell you the story."

You're looking for the aptly-named Wide-Eye, Thadon's Argonian Steward. Do try to avoid staring as you ask her about the Chalice. It turns out, Thadon's been eating an extremely poisonous and extremely addictive hallucinogen called Felldew. Now it's your turn, just as soon as you make your way to Dunroot Barrow, southwest of Highcross.

There should be a single Elytra wandering around outside the Barrow. Kill it and ingest the Felldew you find on its corpse in order to enter the Barrow. Poison gas traps abound in this place, but that's not your biggest problem.

Wow? this is some really hot stuff. Check out your Active Effects magic menu. However, you have to keep eating it (and I highly recommend you do, for now, as the withdrawal symptoms are quite nasty). Felldew is instantly addictive, and you're not going to be able to break yourself of it without the Chalice. Don't take time for strategy; cut a bloody swath through the barrow?it's a great way to level up your Fang sword?in your search for "the stuff" and the cure. When it's time for your next fix, look for Elytra with a green glow: they're the ones carrying it.

As time goes on and you go longer and longer without Felldew, the withdrawal eventually grows to the point of sapping your health, so get moving. Beware of the exploding mushroom traps on the second level as you race through in your search for crack, and later, some sort of squeaky tube-thing-with-teeth that sprouts from the wall.

In the Bramble Halls, your path is blocked by some roots that you can't do anything with. You'll have to go the long way around. Make your way to the Sanctum of Decadence, which is peopled with fellow Felldew Addicts. For the most part they're wasted and even less dangerous than most of the traps you've encountered thus far. They also carry bulk quantities of Felldew, so enjoy. Unlike its inhibited inhabitants, the room is lavishly decorated, and has more Cheap Wine than you can shake a stick at.

Grabbing the Chalice instantly cures you of Felldew addiction and withdrawal, thank the Madgod. Time to take the Chalice back to Thadon.

Upon your exit into the Realm of Sheogorath, notice another large black Crystal formation (they're called Obelisks) a short distance away. Like the Resonator of Judgment back in Xedilian, it's glowing with lighting. It's also being guarded by a few Knights (and perhaps a Priest or two) of order.

Beware, once a Priest of Order goes down, a barrier made of lightning springs up that prevents you from looting its corpse. It will also get back up in roughly one minute, so get hopping. **I've heard somebody say that they once managed to kill a Priest permanently by stealing their clothing, but it's only happened once, and by accident, and they had no idea how they pulled it off** Don't worry, you'll learn how to permanently whack them later.

Make your way back to the House of Mania and hand the Chalice to Thadon. In return, he grants you the title of Courtier of Mania, with all its entitlements. "Which is to say, none."

Understanding Madness: The Lady of Paranoia (The House of Dementia)
Nobody expects the Demented Inquisition! Sorry? just had to get that out of my system.
In other news, this quest has been known to glitch. Please see the "Known Glitches" section at the top of the page for information.

Don't even try talking to Syl; she isn't called the Lady of Paranoia for nothing. If you track down Kithlan, he tells you that she holds audience during the day? and she's been concerned about her own safety lately?you mean she hasn't been all this time?!?so don't be surprised if she, ah, reacts. Play it safe, tell her you were sent to find her.

Those who have played the "Paranoia" quest in vanilla Oblivion (out of Skingrad) will find themselves in familiar territory: it's Glarthir all over again, on a much larger scale. The only difference here is that there actually is a conspiracy against her. She tells you to speak with Herdir at the room to the south of her throne room. Once you inform him of your new role as Grand Inquisitor, he'll follow you throughout Crucible and torture any citizen you might point a finger at as you root out these traitors and conspirators.

Hey, the Lady said Inquisitor.

Start with those closest to Syl: the Redguard Kithlan and Breton Anya Herrick. Have Herdir "persuade" Anya and she spills the beans: a Khajiit named Ma'zahhda had told her that Syl needed to be removed, and that Anya should get close to the Lady.

*Note: when having Herdir torture people, try to walk around and position yourself so that when Herdir casts his spell, he hits only one person at a time.

Your best place for information is Sickly Bernice's Taphouse, where the locals gather for a sort of "fight club" on the rooftop every evening around 8:30. Ma'zahhda is one of those people. Instruct Herdir to do his thing, and the Khajiit tells you to do your worst. You have no evidence against him. Other citizens on the rooftop can be "persuaded" to tell you that Ma'zahhda meets with a middle-ranking Dark Seducer named Nelrene every midnight.

Stake out the spot just to the west of Brithaur's house. Sure enough, at roughly midnight, Nelrene and Ma'zahhda meet up. Eavesdrop on the meeting (you'll need to get close to them without being detected), and question Ma'zahhda again when it's over. Go easy on him, and he tells you that if you'll meet him at his house the next night, he'll try to have some names for you. In the meantime, catch up with Nelrene.

You still don't have enough to pin it on her, so at the very next midnight, break into Ma'zahhda's house. He's been killed, so pull the keys off his body and head upstairs to his cupboard. Inside you'll fine Nelrene's ceremonial shortsword and a note.

You now have enough to confront Nelrene, who tells you that Muurine is behind it. Muurine gives a haughty confession, which you can then take directly to Lady Syl. Once you do, Syl invites you to meet her in the torture chamber. Muurine's already in a cage, and Syl pushes the button to one side, flooding Muurine's cage with lightning.

For your reward, Syl not only makes you a member of her court, but also gives you the bow known as Ruin's Edge. Take care when firing that bow, as it's a bit? unpredictable.

Now that you've been made a Courtier of both Houses, it's time for another visit with Sheogorath.



The Cold Flame of Agnon
To this point, I'm still not sure how Sheogorath thinks this is going to work.

According to Sheogorath, since it's one of the Rules that he's never in his realm when Jyggalag walks, you're going to become Sheogorath (or at least a version of him, powerful enough to stop Jyggalag). And if you fail, "I'll swallow your soul and vomit you into the Everfilling Chamberpot of the Ageless."

Great.

Your next task is to head to Cylarne, on the Isle of Flame at the northwest corner of the map, and bring back the Flame in order to light the Great Torch that should be burning over New Sheoth. Be careful, as apparently in their desire to please Lord Sheogorath, the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers are forever fighting over the ruin.

You are given a helpful tip, though: remember those Priests of Order, that sprout shells of lightning that prevent you from looting their corpses, and then get back up again? Well, there is a way to put them down permanently: if you have enough Hearts of Order that you pull off the corpses of the Knights of Order, you can put three into an Obelisk and shut it down, which in turn shuts down the Priests' shock-shells. You'll probably have more than one chance to put this new information to work as you make your way to the Isle of Flame.

As you enter the courtyard of Cylarne, on one side stands the Golden Saint Chuuna. On the other, you'll find the Seducer Vika. Sheogorath wasn't kidding when he said that the Saints and Seducers were brawling over the place. You'll have to choose sides in what is essentially Sheogorath's version of Capture the Flag.

By this time, you've probably discovered a preference within yourself for either Mania or Dementia, and now's the time to put it into practice?and if you don't have a preference, pick one anyway.

Mania (the Golden Saints)
Speak to Chuuna, and tell her that Sheogorath sent you. She gives you the key, and tells you that the Flame cannot be relit until the Saints take the Altar of Despair out of the hands of the Seducers. Head through the gate she opens to see a whole crowd of Golden Saints, including their commander, Aurmazl Kaneh? and a male?! Listen into their conversation, and speak to Mirel when they're done arguing.

Mirel is convinced that if Kaneh would launch an attack from the Underdeep, the Saints could take the Altar of Despair from the Seducers. Kaneh wants to try a frontal assault, which Mirel says will fail, because they always go that way, and it always fails. Once you speak to Kaneh, she laughs at Mirel's idea, but applauds your own if you wish to "scout the enemy camp." Basically, this lets you get a taste of the "other side."

Go talk to the Seducer leader, Gakedrig Ulfri, to learn that the Seducers are expecting the Saints to come down the Main Passage, as they always do. If you wish to ally yourself with the Saints, tell her that you don't want to get involved, and sneak off to do a little reconnaissance. If you can sneak past the Seducers guarding the Altar of Despair on Cylarne's lower level (don't even think of trying to touch all those urns on the top platform just yet), you can make your way into the Underdeep.

Unlike the Main Passage, which is teeming with Seducers, the Underdeep can only boast one or two guards, patrolling singly. Sneak past them (you'll be bringing reinforcements here in a bit), and emerge on the other side of the Underdeep, right in the middle of the Saint encampment.

Make your argument, and Kaneh is convinced. Suddenly you and a whole crowd of Golden Saints dive into the Underdeep. Stay out of their way if you encounter a Seducer, or you'll wind up with a faceful of lightning. Instead, either run ahead and pick them off, or stay to the side and round up any stragglers that make it past the first line of offense.

Up at the Altar of Despair, the fighting's brutal. As before, try to keep to yourself and pick off solitary Seducers, in order to avoid friendly fire. If you survive, Kaneh tells you that the Saints will hold the Altar. It's up to you to go finish the job.

When everything's cleared out, speak with Kaneh. She's already selected a candidate to light the Flame of Rapture, and she herself shall light the Flame of Despair. As you're pondering the implications of this, Kaneh steps into the center of the altar, waves her arms, and explodes into a pillar of green flame.

Don't feel too bad about it. Kaneh's a Daedra, and Daedra can never really die. Honor her sacrifice by heading back out into the main courtyard of Cylarne and stepping into the Flame of Agnon. Don't worry, it won't hurt you. It only sets you on fire.

No, really, it doesn't hurt. Nice visual effects, though.

Dementia (the Dark Seducers)
Speak to Vika, and she gives you the key to Cylarne and advises you to speak with the Gakedrig Ulfri?the Dark Seducer leader in Cylarne?for assistance with lighting the Flame of Agnon. On the way down to speak with Ulfri, you're stopped by Stela. Tell her you're here on official business, and she tells you a little more about Despair and Rapture, the two Altars of Cylarne. You can ask to speak to the Saints, or say you don't want to get involved, to leave freely. If you pledge yourself to the Seducers, no sooner has the conversation ended than a pack of roughly ten Golden Saints piles in through the Main Passage. They're packing Shock spells, heavy armor, a couple of bows, and lots of swords.

Find a good spot to defend yourself that also has several allies around, but make sure you don't get caught in the middle of a spellcaster duel. Once they're toast, make your way to the Altar of Despair.

The Dark Seducers are gathered around it, and Ulfri approaches you. She's going to sacrifice herself to light the Flame of Despair; another of her subordinates has already lit the Flame of Rapture.

When Despair is lit, head back out into Cylarne's main courtyard and step into the green-and-orange Flame of Agnon. Gives new meaning to the term "passing the torch," doesn't it?



The Ritual of Accession
Once you're properly aflame, head back to New Sheoth and into the Sacellum Arden-Sul.

If the last battle hasn't rubbed it in, it's plainly obvious now: Mania, or Dementia? Pick your side, and either Dervenin or Arctus will lead you to an alcove, into which you step to light the torch. Once that's finished, speak to your respective priest and get a little reward. On your way out of the chapel, a single figure sits on one of the back pews, applauding. Sheogorath, who else?

Now, you get to become a real ruler (of sorts). Sheogorath tasks you to displace either the Duke of Mania or the Duchess of Dementia, and take his/her place. Speak to both priests to learn your options.

The Accession of Mania
Why am I not surprised? As the key to replacing Thadon is "suicide by lethal hallucinogen," this should be a cakewalk.

The Accession of Dementia
Straightforward and to the point: Find Syl, cut out her heart, and bring it back to Arctus. Simple, right?

Once you've decided, inform Sheogorath of your choice. There's no turning back now.

Choosing Sides
Mania
You're advised to start with the people that Thadon spends most of his time with. Needless to say, the best place to get information on a ruler is from their steward: in this case, the Argonian Wide-Eye. Butter her up a bit, and she tells you that Thadon actually eats a bit of Greenmote every day in his food. Wide-Eye knows where the secret Greenmote Silo is hidden, but refuses to tell even if her disposition is at 100. She does mention that she runs a "special errand" at noon every day. It would probably be helpful to follow her.

At roughly noon in the Palace Grounds, keep your distance and notice Wide-Eye standing in front of an ordinary-looking statue. This is the activator that opens the secret Greenmote Silo. Everybody down here has a pathetic Sneak score, but it still doesn't hurt to be Invisible, as the place is crawling with Golden Saints. Go straight until you find Wide-Eye, and follow her. At the far-right side of the map, you emerge into a hexagonal room with a massive pile of Greenmote in the middle (which you need at least two portions of), and urns of Unrefined Greenmote scattered about. Unrefined Greenmote is utterly perfect for alchemists of the poisoning-inclined, with Drain Fatigue, Drain Health, Drain Magicka, and Drain Intelligence.

Once you're loaded, high-tail it out of there. You have until 8PM to slip Greenmote into Thadon's food and wine. If by some chance you don't make tonight's meal, you can try again, just as many times as you have two portions of refined Greenmote.

Your next job is to break into the Duke's Quarters (off the Halcyon Conservatory), duck the Saints patrolling the halls, and slip one portion each into Thadon's next meal and wine. Thadon's (Last) Meal is laid out on a huge silver tray, and his wine is the biggest bottle on the shelf. Slip it in, and head to the Dining Hall. You have a dinner appointment that you don't want to be late for.

Your best vantage point is right at the foot of the table. Once 8:00 hits, you're rooted in spot and forced to listen as Thadon, feeling especially joyous tonight (wonder why?), decides to recite his latest Soliloquy. It doesn't last for long, though. In a sequence that would make Shakespeare proud, he clutches his chest and falls to the ground. Rush over to the body (Gundlar and Wide-Eye don't say anything) and activate his body to grab a vial of Tainted Blood. From there, it's back to the Sacellum Arden-Sul.

Pour the blood into the Altar and take a moment to admire the little flame column. The fire goes poof, and Dervenin proclaims you Duke or Duchess of Mania. Sheogorath is in the process of congratulating you when Lady Syl crashes the party, along with two Dark Seducers. The Lady of Paranoia is running on overdrive, and accuses Sheogorath of trying to destroy the Shivering Isles. He tosses her out, but not before she defects to Order.

He lets her go, because although his people have defected to Order in the past, never has a Duke or Duchess done so. It's different so he wants to see how it turns out. In the meantime, he gives you the Ring of Lordship, and also the power to Summon a Golden Saint.

By the way, the Golden Saints in the Palace, city, and countryside still don't like you. Duke/Duchess of Mania you may be, but unfortunately you're still not a Golden Saint.

Dementia
You don't have to go far to learn a bit about Syl: Speak to Arctus, the High Priest of Dementia, to learn that Her Ladyship rarely goes out in public. You've already met the people you need to talk to: the Redguard Kithlan and the Breton Anya Herrick.

Anya remembers your dirty work from the "Lady of Paranoia" quest, but if you can get her disposition high enough (really, really high), she'll agree to distract a couple of the Dark Seducer guards who attend Her Ladyship in her private chambers. Similarly butter up Kithlan, and he provides a key to the locked doors in the House of Dementia.

Perfect.

Despite your holding the key, you still need to be a pretty good Sneak to get through Syl's private gardens and into the Duchess' Quarters. If you came late at night, you'll notice Syl's body laying on the bed.

Or at least, it looks like Syl's body. There's no heart for you to cut out, at least. Kithlan comes dashing up and informs you that Her Ladyship has escaped through a secret tunnel in the Private Gardens, and warns you of an ambush. As you head back out into the Gardens, the Dark Seducers begin tearing into you and Kithlan (don't worry, he's essential). As a matter of fact, from now until you bring Syl's heart back to Sacellum Arden-Sul, all Dark Seducers will attack you on sight. Duck them as best you can as you activate the switch that opens the secret passage into Xirethard.

Be careful in here. No sooner have you rounded the first two corners than you're faced with a long hallway and incoming fireballs. All you can do, for now, is duck into the little alcoves as best you can to dodge, and hope you have some sort of Fire Shield. Starting from the first intersection, go right, right, left, left, and make a suicide rush for the button at the end of the hall (which will shut off the Hunger statues). Upon entering the next chamber, three Dark Seducers are waiting in ambush. Three more are hiding behind secret doors to the east.

In the Depths of Xirethard, Syl makes her final stand. Tables and chairs have been knocked over to not only block the door to her chambers, but also to form a sort of barricade, from which two Dark Seducers take potshots at you. Once they're dead, look around at the Statues of Sheogorath: all are looking down, but one. On the one that looks up, there's a button on the right side. Follow the passages and ice more Seducers until you reach the final chamber.

Syl's wearing Dark Seducer armor and flanked by two Dark Seducer Royal Guards. All three are very, very tough. When the Ice Queen finally buys it, yank the heart from her corpse (and pick up Nerveshatter while you're at it), and find your way back out.

Run the gauntlet of Dark Seducers looking to nail your hide to the wall as you race through the House of Dementia, out into the Palace Courtyard, and through the streets of Bliss. You want to run through Bliss, because the Golden Saints will actually slow down your pursuers.

Once back in the Sacellum Arden-Sul, two more Seducers await you; don't worry, they won't hurt you. You made it back to the Sacellum alive, meaning that all you need to do is place Syl's heart on the Altar to make your Accession complete. Why not do so now?

No sooner are you speaking to Sheogorath about the next step when Thadon barges in. He's still as muddled as when you met him earlier, as he tells Sheogorath that he's defecting to Order. Sheogorath lets him go, because this has never happened before, and he wants to see how it turns out. For now, however, you get the Ring of Lordship and the power to Summon a Dark Seducer.

You're also sent out on your next task: Retaking the Fringe.



Retaking the Fringe
Henceforth, depending on which House you joined, the Golden Saints of Mania and the Dark Seducers of Dementia shall be referred to as Your Troops, to save time and eliminate the need for separate sections. It's pretty much identical from here on out, anyway.

The forces of Order have taken over the Fringe, the area where you first entered the Shivering Isles. You're going to help Sheogorath's armies take it back. Unfortunately this means that until you do, you're stuck in Shivering Isles with no way back to Cyrodiil.

As you pass through the Gates of Madness once more, you're confronted by dozens of inactive Obelisks. The landscape is bleak, gray, and otherwise completely boring. As you begin to make your way down into Passwall, on the horizon it's impossible to miss the Spire, the great stone beacon glowing with Order-Lightning-Purple light.

In Passwall, there's a crowd of Your Troops, some of them dead. The Leader of the group dashes up to you and confesses that they're outnumbered and outgunned. She's lost so many of her troops, she's the only female left, if that tells you anything. Ask her about the Spire and the Knights, and put two and two together: it's a giant Obelisk, and you've got to shut it down.

You've got a choice to make, here. You can let the Leader of Your Troops command them (recommended), or you can do it yourself. Basically, you're just putting them in strategic positions. Whichever you choose, you've scarcely ended the conversation when the first wave of Order approaches. Get them out of the way, and the group falls back. Take time to cast beneficial spells on yourself and Your Troops before telling the Leader that you're ready to rumble.
I should probably mention here that if you Summon a Troop and one of your allies accidentally hits her, she'll turn on your forces. This is a bad thing, as the Troop's area-effect spells can turn the whole mess into a friendly-fire free-for-all.

Don't let yourself get bogged down in either of the spawn points. When you've killed all that appear, loot the bodies for every single Heart of Order you can find, and then speak to the Leader again. The Leader tells you that she and her forces shall hold Passwall as best they can, and draw the attention of the Knights. You, on the other hand, are going to slip into the nearby ruin of Xeddefen and shut it down.

If you explored Xeddefen at the beginning of the questline, before you passed through the Gates of Madness, you may have assumed it to be a simple Grummite lair with an odd-looking black crystalline structure at the bottom. You now know this to be an Obelisk.

You'll encounter no opposition until you reach the edge of the ruins, at which point you'll get mobbed. This time, though, there's no allies to get in your way, so feel free to unleash all those large-scale Destruction spells you've been holding in.

Once you make your way down a few levels to the Great Chamber, a secret wall opens up. It's your old pal Sheldon, the Mayor of Passwall! His ego's still bursting at the seams as he whines about Felas defecting to Order and leaving Sheldon behind. Have him join you, or leave him behind?your choice, although he's not only essential, he makes for an excellent decoy?and start pumping those Hearts of Order into the Obelisk. At the third one, the Obelisk crumbles? and so does Xeddefen.

You need to get out. Now. Ignore the Knights; they'll get squashed by the same falling ceiling panels that you will. You need to watch the ceiling just as much as you watch where you're going, as well as the fact that some of the Hunger statues have been knocked over and are going haywire. In order to open the remotely-operated gate in Felles, backtrack to the bottom of the stairs and go to the southern dead-end; the button's at the end of that hall.

The gate slams shut behind you, but don't worry about Sheldon. When you make it into the Fales section, he screams at you from the opposite side of yet another remotely-operated gate and takes off. You've got bigger fish to fry at the moment, though: it's raining cinderblocks, so get moving.

When you emerge outside the ruin, the battle's still going, but the citizens of Passwall are now wading in to help. Dispatch the few remaining Knights of Order and speak to the Leader of Your Troops. She praises you up and down, and suggests that you pay Sheogorath another visit.

By the way, the Door to Cyrodiil still functions. The table and the metronome are gone, though; it's just a swirling blue glow amid a field of Obelisks.



Rebuilding the Gatekeeper
Remember Relmyna Verenim, the 'mother' of the Gatekeeper, and the lady that's utterly in love with Sheogorath? You're going to Xaselem to seek her help in building another one. With another Gatekeeper in place, and Xedillian up and running, you shouldn't have to worry about anything else getting into the Isles. What's already here is a different story.

At any rate, head to Xaselem. Once inside, you'll face Hunger statue-traps (not unlike Dark Welkynd Stones in Cyrodiil's Ayleid ruins). Roaming in the ruins, you'll find Shambles and Skinned dogs and Hungers, (oh my!), and perhaps a Flesh Atronach or two. If you take the crumbly tunnel off to the east side, be prepared for a nasty surprise as you gaze at a pile of "failed experiments." Let's just say? I will now shoot arrows or a fireball at every pile of corpses I come across while in Xaselem.

In the largest chamber, the room is ringed with Hunger statue-traps, so run like the mad-person you are to the door in the northwest corner of the room. The button's on your right.

Onward to the Experiment Chambers. This place is huge and scattered with small chambers dedicated to various experiments in Viceromancy (basically, flesh-altering and a bit of Necromancy in dead and not-quite-dead subjects). Scattered throughout many of these chambers are buttons, which you can press to perform Relmyna's experiments. You don't gain any infamy for pressing them, or fame for not pressing them. You're accountable only to your own conscience.

Upon your entrance into the Chamber of Vivisection, the first thing that greets your ears is screams of agony. You can't kill Relmyna; you need her. All you can do is talk to her to stop her for a bit.

For best results, speak respectfully, and she'll give you the key to both her Sanctum (meaning you can use the Secret Entrance) and to the Gardens of Flesh and Bone. That is, speak respectfully until you get around to asking about her victims.

For those pure of heart, you can offer to suffer in her victims' stead. If you survive the spell she'll cast at you, she will no longer torture this particular set. The spell is called 'Exalted Pain,' by the way. Speak to her again once you've recovered and ask her about it, and she'll give you the Manacles of Pain.

Before you leave, notice another familiar face: Relmyna's apprentice, Nanette, has moved in, and refuses to speak to you because of your blabbing to Relmyna back in the beginning of the questline (whether you actually did or not). In any case, you are now free to get the hell out of this place.

Pass through the Gates of Madness once again, and head for the Gardens. In the initial large chamber, beware of falling ceiling tiles the size of cars. You can find the Osseous Marrow (just pull the big skeletal finger hanging from the ceiling in the southeast) and Dermis Membrane (blood-red flowers, northwest of the Marrow) in the Conservatorium Corpusculum. In the Caverns of Susurration, the twisting maze-like halls are full of floating green clouds, and are also full of Hungers.

Notice something: the floating green clouds are actually moving. With the sound of every "breath" this area makes, you can see the green air moving. As it would be impossible to give you directions in this frayed-knot of a maze, and overlapping passages don't map worth a damn, just follow the clouds as best you can to?you guessed it?the Essence of Breath.

Nice job. Now you have to get back out of here.

Kidding. Your previous route is blocked, and a new one has opened up. Welcome to the Natatorium of Wound Bled Tears. This area's packed with various Flesh Atronachs, and more falling ceiling tiles. In the bottom chamber you'll see an altar with a chest, and three buttons on the south, east, and west side of it. The South button opens the door. The other two are just Relmyna's idea of a sick joke.

Once you've gotten all four, pass through the Gates and head back to Xaselem's secret entrance. Now you get to pick what you want to go on your Gatekeeper. You have a selection for each appendage, and each has a different bonus. Make your selection (I recommend the Head of Power, the Arm of Shock Shielding, the Legs of Fortitude, the Torso of Life, and whichever weapon arm you prefer) and bring them to Relmyna.

Thank the gods you don't have to escort her. She'll meet you there, at the place where you slew the first Gatekeeper.

What follows is her reciting a long speech about the five elements relating to various parts of the flesh, interspersed by you dropping in specific ingredients at specific times. When you've dumped in all the ingredients, she advises you to step back, over beside her. Go her one better: step waaaaay back. Very, very far away from the platform (it gives you a better view, anyway), unless you're just dying to get knocked flat on your rump.

No sooner does the Gatekeeper walk again than Relmyna notices Knights of Order approaching. Stand back, and watch your new creation go to work. It's vastly satisfying to see the Gatekeeper send the Knights flying? as well as a certain Priest of Order named Felas Sarandas. Once they're all dead, it's time for another audience with the daM doG.

Oh, and by the way, you now have the power to summon Flesh Atronachs. I don't know what's worse? the fact that you still can't kill Relmyna, or the fact that she refers to the Gatekeeper as "our" child.

**Note: Once the Gatekeeper is remade, walk up to him and try to talk to him, and you will recieve one greater power based on one of the body parts you chose for him. "Talking" to him again will remove that power, and give you a different one. You can cycle through the powers until you find one you want to keep.



The Helpless Army
Or maybe what's worst of all is Sheogorath rubbing it in. He's barely finished ribbing you when a messenger from The Other House comes rushing up. Order has attacked the Soldiers of the Other House stronghold (the Seducers at Pinnacle Rock, and the Saints at Brellach), and he (or she) is begging for your help.

At this point, if you haven't figured out what's going on yet, the daM doG spells it out for you: Sheogorath is Jyggalag. It's a split personality; chaos and Order, insanity and boredom, two sides of the same coin. What's different this time is, Sheogorath wants to make Jyggalag go away permanently. Once every thousand years, Sheogorath becomes Jyggalag and wipes out his own realm. When the Graymarch is over, Sheogorath comes back to himself, "and I will be left a mad god, ruler of a dead Realm. Again."

No wonder he's nuts.

Back to the Army. On arrival at the Stronghold, you are greeted by a Sub-Commander of the Other House, who tells you that Order has taken control of the place, and the Captain has been imprisoned by the ex-Leader of the house. If you're Mania, that would be Syl. If you're Dementia, it's Thadon. The Sub-Commander volunteers that if you should follow the waters of the Wellspring, that should help you find the Captain's prison.

When you do find the Captain, she asks you to ring the Chime. Follow your compass, activate the Chime, and the prison will shatter. Once free, she explains to you that the Ex-House-Leader is intent on helping Order sever the Wellspring.

Golden Saints and Dark Seducers are Daedra. When their physical bodies die, their spirits travel to Oblivion. The Wellspring is what guides that specific type of Daedra to that specific place. If the Ex-Leader severs that link, that type of Daedra will be wiped off the Shivering Isles.

You've barely reached the Hall of Devotion when your non-Captain companions suddenly turn to stone. The Captain blurts out that you must unstop the Wellspring, before she, too, is turned. Ring the nearby Chime to smash the barrier before you.

In the Font of Rebirth, the Wellspring has been encased in Obelisk crystal. Eliminate the opposition in the room, and ring the four chimes in the four corners of the room to shatter it. The Troops will immediately revive, at which point you should speak with the Captain. She teaches you a spell to Summon one of her kind (so now you can summon both), as well as giving you a set of the Armor of Her House.



Symbols of Office
There's something different, when you reach the throne room. Sheogorath isn't on his throne, or even on the platform. He's off to one side. He's also disturbingly coherent, for the most part.

Time has run out. He'd intended to give you his staff, the Symbol of his Office, but all the power has gone out of it. Suddenly he breaks off and cowers. His voice distorts as he cries out, "The Realm is dead! Sheogorath is dead! All shall crumble before Jyggalag!" He stands and begins glowing? and growing.

You don't get to see his final form before he vanishes.

Now would be a good time to talk to Haskill. He says that if you were to remake the Staff of Sheogorath, you would be able to sit on the throne. As long as someone sits on the throne when Jyggalag storms the Palace, Jyggalag loses. That will, hopefully, be you.

Haskill points you to Knifepoint Hollow, west-northwest of Bliss. You meet with little-to-no opposition within the ruin. When the Ancient Door crumbles before you, you come face to face with a man so pale as to literally be white. His name is Dyus of Mythera, and he's been waiting for you.

Ask him about his own history, and that of Knifepoint Hollow, and then get down to business. He can create the physical shell of the staff, but he needs two very rare and sacred artifacts to do so: Ciirta's Eye from the Howling Halls of Mania, and a branch of the Tree of Shades, from Milchar. As for the divinity of the staff, well, that's your problem.

This guy rivals Haskill in his utterly bland and somewhat snooty attitude, but his point is well taken: nobody has done this before, ever, so even if you can pull it off, it won't be easy.

The Eye of Ciirta
Make your way to the Howling Halls, southeast of the Dementia town of Deepwallow. Once inside, this can play out in one of two ways: you can go in swinging, or choose the path of subtlety.

If you want to be sneaky, then make sure you whack the first three Apostles you come across, and take their daggers. Once that's done, put on the Apostle Robe, and other would-be enemies will leave you alone. In the Congregation Chambers, talk to Ra'kheran, and he offers a proposition: give him the three daggers you've picked up, and he and two of his cronies will whack Ciirta for you.

Once you give him the daggers, follow him (the guy can move), and witness him giving his friends the weapons. After his little speech, the group makes a beeline for your target. Ciirta doesn't go down easy, but it's just her and her Luminary attendant versus you and your three allies. When she's dead, pluck her eye from her body (and her robes and staff, if you'd like). As long as you keep those robes on, nobody else in the Howling Halls will attack you, and you can help yourself to the loot scattered throughout the place.

Now, it's time for the fun part.

The Tree of Shades
At the Mania town of Hale, head south-southeast to Milchar. Once inside the Nexus, it's a fairly short trip to the Grove of Reflection. Before you approach the pool with the small white pillar sticking out of the water, stop. Save your game. It's going to get interesting.

You get to fight yourself.

It's a perfect copy. Anything you can do, it can do, too, though maybe not "better." Your spells, your armor, your scrolls and potions, and all your skills are now wrapped in a nice, neat package and being thrown right at you. As far as weapons go, though, unless you've got a bunch of Bound Weapon spells, your clone will use a nice two-handed sword called Shadowrend, which you can keep, provided you survive this encounter.

For best results, try to drain as much of your Clone's fatigue as possible, which will make them a lot easier to knock down (and thus, unable to attack you).

Once your Clone goes down, grab Shadowrend and follow your compass to the roots of the Tree of Shades. Activate it to grab the Screaming Branch, and begin heading out. On the opposite end of the hallway from where you entered is a stone wall with a button. Behind that is a warp pad that will send you back to the Nexus.

From there, it's back to Knifepoint Hollow. Dyus constructs the physical shell of the Staff of Sheogorath. It's up to you to soak it in the Font of Madness in Sheogorath's Palace to tap fully into its powers.



The Roots of Madness
Speak to Haskill; you've got problems. The Font of Madness, the little stream that circulates in Sheogorath's throne room, has been blocked off by the same crystals that make up the Obelisks. Haskill suspects that the Ex-Leader of the Other House has poisoned the Fountainhead beneath the Tree of Madness, slipping some Order into the very heart of the realm's Insanity.

Tucked into the rear of the tree supporting the Throne of Sheogorath is the door to the Fountainhead. Head down there now, and you'll see two things: firstly, a Root Door with crystals to keep it from opening, and what looks like a pulsating bell with teeth. Activate the Gnarl Chrysalis to spawn a Tame Gnarl. It will immediately go to work on those pesky crystals.

At a minor Pool of Madness to the east, whack the Priest of Order and grab the Shard of Order off his corpse. This little gem will open one crystal-covered Root Door, or one crystal-covered Hollowed-Out Stump. You should also notice that whenever you cleanse one of the minor Pools of Madness on this level of the Fountainhead, all the nearby Gnarls should become peaceful. The Gnarls you have to worry about are the Verdant ones, which have been tainted Order gray.

At both Pools of Madness (Mania and Dementia), you'll find three Order Priests who need a good cleansing. At the last one you visit, you'll find the Ex-Leader of the Other House. Kill him/her, too, and take the unique item from the body. If you just iced Syl, you'll find a Blunt Weapon called Nerveshatter. If it was Thadon that just earned a few new holes, then have yourself a merry little Diadem of Euphoria.

Make your way back into the Throne Room, and do what you originally came to do: dip the Staff of Sheogorath into the Fountainhead. No sooner is this done than one of Your Troops comes dashing into the Throne Room. Her commander, also inside the Throne Room but by one of the Palace Grounds doors, needs to speak with you now.

Once again, you've got problems. Big problems.



The End of Order
Try to contain your shock as the Commander smiles respectfully and even says she's glad to see you! You won't stay happy for long, though; an Obelisk has popped up right outside the Throne Room, and Your Troops are engaging it. You can lead the attack yourself (recommended), or sit back and watch. Either way, you're gonna have to go out there.

Pump the usual three Hearts of Order into the Obelisk, and no sooner has it shut down than another one springs up. Overload that one, too.

As soon as all of Order's troops in the courtyard are dead, the fallen Order soldiers suddenly hum and glow. In the center of the courtyard, a blinding light falls from the heavens, and a giant Knight of Order makes a landing.

Say hello to Jyggalag. Sheogorath wasn't kidding: Jyggalag is the bone-cleaving-sword type of guy, and he knows how to use it. He also favors spells of Paralysis, Shock, and Frost, so keep your distance.

Once he goes down for good, his disembodied head floats above the courtyard and speaks to you. I for one was quite interested by what he had to say.



The Prince of Madness
Note: All Daedric 'gods' are called Prince or Lord, even the female ones.

Speak to your faithful servant, Haskill, and he explains what happens next. You get benefits, true, but you also have responsibilities.

Responsibilities: Check with Haskill periodically, and see if there are any threats to the Realm that need to be dealt with. If there are threats, you can either deal with it yourself, or send your armies to do it.

Benefits: Speak to the Escorts flanking the Throne, and they will follow you anywhere at your command. You can control the weather in the Shivering Isles. You have a Court Healer that will heal you any time you ask her to. Whenever you're in danger, you can cast "Sheogorath's Protection" and revive in the Throne Room if you've been killed. You can sit on Sheogorath's throne (and by the way, Sheogorath's unique outfit is folded neatly on the seat, free for the taking).

And, you can summon Entertainment.

Yeah.

By the way, these new powers/responsibilities, your new escorts, and your ability to summon good ol' Haskill will only work in the Shivering Isles. Your weapons and armor (and Summon [not Haskill]) will function just fine in Cyrodiil.

Congratulations? Lord Sheogorath.


***********************************************
Miscellaneous Quests
The Fork of Horripilation (Bliss, New Sheoth)
I'm sure by now, you've heard of an Argonian named Big-Head that's searching for the Fork of Horripilation. Find and talk to him, and he gives you a fork-shaped charm that will allow you to speak with Bolwing in Crucible.
**If you've already beaten the Main Questline, you can understand Bolwing automatically? although due to the irritability of the Golden Saints, it would also be a miracle of Big-Head's still alive by now.

You've probably met Bolwing already, and you probably couldn't understand a word he said. Well, now you can?and aside from Haskill, he's probably the sanest-sounding person in the Shivering Isles. He tells you that lately the Heretics and the Zealots have been fighting over it, and points you to Longtooth Camp, almost directly north of Passwall.

Heretics and Zealots are fighting over it, and there's a bunch of them. Once you've knocked them dead, the Fork is in the jewelry box in the treehouse. Dash back to Bliss and return it to Big-Head. He offers to teach you a little secret, and will raise either your Blade, Sneak, or Alchemy skill.

Falling Awake (Bliss, New Sheoth)
Enter Bliss from the Mania countryside and it shouldn't take you too long to run into Amiable Fanriene. What should grab your attention is that this guy is constantly sneaking around. Talk to him, and learn that he's too tired, but he can't find anywhere he feels safe sleeping because a wall or statue might fall on him. He asks you to find him a place outside to sleep.

Head just down the street and find a beggar named Uungor. He's tired of sleeping outside, and oh what he wouldn't give for a nice, warm bed.

Can it really be this easy? Sure. Mention Fanriene's predicament, and if Uungor likes you enough, he offers to switch?and if you can't raise his disposition enough, bribe the beggar Fimmion with a sweetroll and he'll give you Uungor's Glass Graqes to bribe him with. Relay the news to a joyous Fanriene and receive a very nice scroll called "Burst of Might." It's exactly what it sounds like: a very powerful, yet very short-lived burst of Strength, Endurance, and a Shield spell.

A Liquid Solution (Crucible, New Sheoth)
Anyone who's stayed at Sickly Bernice's Taphouse in Crucible knows she's sick. She's also offering a reward for whoever will go and fetch the cure for her. Those who choose to take her up on it are pointed to Knotty Bramble, which is almost perfectly set between Xedilian and the Hill of Suicides.

Speak to Bernice further to learn that one of her regulars told her that if she'd let him stay there for free, he'd tell her about the cure. Sounds fishy to me. You're looking for a bubbly pool of something that Bernice called "aquanostrum." Poke around in Knotty Bramble long enough, and you'll eventually find a pool of water with a statue of a Grummite standing in it. This is Aquanostrum, and you have only to step into the water to fill your flask.

Take it back to Bernice for your reward: the Circlet of Verdure, which has a nice set of enchantments for the health-conscious.

From that point on, the only change in Bernice's condition seems to be her skin taking a more healthy color. She's still depressed, coughing and wheezing.

Probably a hypochondriac.

The Great Divide
Head for the city of Split, almost directly northeast of Longtooth Camp. It's a bit odd, to say the least: half lies in Mania, the other in Dementia. This is not reflected in just the architecture.

One of the, ah, interesting things about Split is that it's literally a mirror-image town. There's two of everybody. Talking to Manic Horkvir Bear-Arm reveals that this is due to the folly of a mage who thought that everyone had a Manic side and a Demented side, and decided it would be a good idea to give both sides a voice. Thus, the Split. The Manic people are decidedly friendlier than the Demented? if you could call it "friendlier."

Horkvir Bear-Arm says he'll make it worth your while if you'll get rid of all the Demented doubles. If you talk to Demented Horkvir and you've caught him on the rare occasion that the lazy sod isn't asleep, he'll make you the same offer.

Don't just go wading in, though. These "doubles" aren't hostile, which means that mowing them down is murder. Those who entered the Isles through the Gate of Mania have an out: the Blessing of Mania, which is a Frenzy-effect spell.

Once one set of doubles is down for good, speak to whichever Horkvir is still living for a reward of gold, tuned to your level. It ought to help you with the fines you no doubt just racked up.



Tips and Tricks
If you're wandering around and you ever see what looks like a cloud of glowing particles (may be blue or red-orange), take a moment and look around. These hang around deposits of Amber Ore and Madness Ore, which you can use to craft your own weapons and armor in the city of New Sheoth. Also, Grummites frequently carry Madness Ore, and higher-level Elytra often carry Amber.

Also, keep your eye out for anything that says "Matrix"? at the end of it. Find one, and you can use it along with your Amber or Madness Ore to craft enchanted weapons and armor. I've heard that they can frequently be found on higher-level Grummites.

Whenever you fight a Knight of Order, be sure and loot the body for a "Heart of Order," as they become very useful later. If you encounter a Priest of Order and you kill it, attempts to loot the body will shock you. They will also get back up in roughly one minute. Later on in the Main Quest, you'll learn how to use the Hearts of Order to put the priests down permanently.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Shivering:Ghosts_of_the_Hill_of_Suicides.

The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal's "other identity" function does not work in the Shivering Isles.

Safe Storage in the Shivering Isles
The following locations were scouted via the Construction Set, and were found to have non-respawning containers.
Anybody else know of any more, let me know!
New Sheoth, Duke/Duchess quarters in the Houses of Mania and Dementia, respectively, after you become the head of one of the houses (**Note: There is one cupboard in the Duke's quarters that respawns)
New Sheoth, Bliss, Ornithal's House: two cupboards
New Sheoth, Bliss, Thaedil's House: three cupboards
New Sheoth, Crucible, Ma'zahhda's House upstairs: the cupboard
New Sheoth, Palace Grounds: the two Obelisks, after the Main Quest is beaten (not verified)

Crime and Punishment
While roaming around the Isles, you will eventually meet the Golden Saints (Mania) and Dark Seducers (Dementia). These function like the Imperial Guards of Cyrodiil. The same fines apply for crimes here as in back in the homeland.

If you select "go to jail"? as your reparations for crimes committed, in the lands of Mania you"ll find yourself in the Aichan prison. In Dementia, it's Corpserot Passage. There's a bedroll and a large stone chest (looks more like an urn) that's got one Blade and one Blunt weapon, and a couple of bits of food. It's advised to simply serve your time. Doing so will have you emerge in the city of New Sheoth with all your stuff. If you're going to try to break out, you're in for one hell of a fight. However, if you do make it out alive, your crimes are forgiven.

In Aichan, it's a pretty straightforward place, although infested with Grummites (above) and Scalons (below), and be sure to stay away from anything that's growing out of the wall. In Corpserot Passage, beware of Grummites and a few Elytra, and trapdoors that open under your feet.

At the end of both dungeons, your stuff is in an Evidence chest, guarded by a Turnkey. If you can beat her, you're home free.

Rough Bestiary (still unfinished, I know)
Grummites: come in Melee, Archer, and Spellcaster versions. 50% resist Frost, 25% weakness to Fire, water breathing, and (if I'm reading this right), they regenerate health if they're rained on or go underwater. Shamans have 65% Spell Absorption, and the ability to cast Invisibility.
Gnarls: Capable of casting Silence spells, and also have a minor Shock spell
Shambles: 100% Resist Disease, Paralysis, and Poison, 70% Resistance to Frost. They are known to give off a cloud of Frost damage upon death, so ranged attacks or some means of Frost Resistance are a plus.
Flesh Atronachs: 100% Resistance to Disease and Poison, 30% Resistance to Fire, 30% Weakness to Shock, higher-level versions have 25-30% Spell Absorption and Spell Reflection. Higher-level versions can also cast fireballs.
Skinned Dogs: 100% Resistance to Disease and Poison, 30% Resistance to Frost, 50% Weakness to Fire

Armor and Weapon Stats
Looked at with the Construction Set. Since there are varying levels of Amber and Madness Armor (Impure, Lesser, Regular (no modifier on name), Fine, Grand, and Perfect) and Amber and Madness Weapons (Impure, Unpolished, Lesser, Regular (no modifier on name), Fine, Very Fine, Grand, Perfect), these are stats for the regular-level Amber and Madness items, and the Matrix-given Enchantments on the regular-level Amber and Madness items.
Amber armor and weapons are forged by Dumag Gro-Bonk at The Missing Pauldron in Bliss, New Sheoth.
Madness armor and weapons are forged by Cutter at Cutter's Weapons in Crucible, New Sheoth.
In order to forge them with a Matrix, simply request an item forged as usual, and among your list of options you should see one of the items along with "Matrix."

Amber Armor (light armor)
(name, armor rating, weight, health of item, Amber required, Enchantment gained with Matrix)
Amber Boots: 3.25, 3, 190, 2, Fortify Acrobatics 6pts
Amber Cuirass: 8.25, 10, 160, 5, Fortify Agility 6pts
Amber Gauntlets: 3.25, 2, 190, 2, Fortify Marksman and Hand-To-Hand 4pts
Amber Greaves: 5, 6, 280, 3, Fortify Speed 6pts
Amber Helmet: 3.25, 2, 190, 2, Fortify Intelligence 6pts
Amber Shield: 9.75, 4, 280, 2, Reflect Spell 7%

Amber Weapons
(name, damage, weight, health of item, Amber required, Matrix enchantment gives Damage Health 10pts)
Amber Arrow: 12, 0.1, N/A, 1
Amber Bow: 13, 15, 240, 2
Amber Hammer: 21, 62, 440, 4
Amber Mace: 17, 29, 360, 2
Amber Sword: 17, 34, 360, 3

Madness Armor (heavy armor)
(name, armor rating, weight, health of item, Madness Ore required, Enchantment gained with Matrix)
Madness Boots: 5.25, 12.8, 500, 2, Fortify Athletics 6pts
Madness Cuirass: 13.25, 42.5, 1000, 5, Fortify Strength 6pts
Madness Gauntlets: 5,25, 8.5, 500, 2, Fortify Blade and Blunt 4pts
Madness Greaves: 8, 25, 750, 3, Fortify Endurance 6pts
Madness Helmet: 5.25, 8.5, 500, 2, Fortify Willpower 6pts
Madness Shield: 15.75, 17, 750, 2, Reflect Damage 7%

Madness Weapons
(name, damage, weight, health of item, Madness Ore required, Matrix enchantment gives Damage Health 10pts)
Madness Arrow: 12, 0.1, N/A, 1
Madness Bow: 13, 15, 240, 2
Madness Axe: 15, 26, 316, 2
Madness Claymore: 19, 41, 440, 4
Madness Longsword: 17, 34, 360, 3


Golden Saint and Dark Seducer weapons and armor stats (on a leveled list so the Armor stats are for Level 20)
Golden Saint armor and weapons (heavy armor)
(name, armor rating, weight, health of item)
Reward Armor: 45, 126, 5400
Reward Helmet: 7.5, 12, 1000
Shield: 22.5, 24, 1500

(weapon name, damage, weight, health of item)
Regular Golden Arrow: 10, 0.1, N/A
Bow: 10, 12, 180
Longsword: 22, 44, 572
Shortsword: 15, 16, 330
Mace: 14, 23, 252
War Axe: 8, 12, 112

Dark Seducer armor and weapons (light armor)
(name, armor rating, weight, health of item)
Reward Armor: 30, 31.5, 2750
Reward Helmet: 5, 3, 500
Shield: 15, 6, 750

(weapon name, damage, weight, health of item)
Regular Dark Arrow: 11, 0.15, N/A
Bow: 11, 14, 220
Longsword: 14, 28, 252
Shortsword: 7, 8, 98
Mace: 22, 39, 572
War Axe: 16, 28, 352

How to find Matrices (or at least Amber ones... thanks, JDFan!)


Items Marked "Unplayable"
In other words, unless you have the PC version and the Construction Set, you cannot do anything with these items. If you whack the people carrying them, the items won't show up in their inventory? kinda like Imperial Palace Armor back in Cyrodiil.
Haskill's Suit
Sheogorath's Cane
Syl's Dress
Thadon's Robe
The Golden Saint Officer and Dark Seducer Elite helmets
Golden Saint and Dark Seducer armor (you're given a set as a reward after the end of "The Helpless Army" quest, depending on which House you chose)
Knights of Order armor (the helmet is part of the armor set)

pls help!!!! i am stuck at that part...where u described.. "Whack your way through the Grummites until you find the Shaman. " i encounter some grummites, killed them but no shaman ; except me is none :mellow: I see 2 gates in different locatians but they are opened elsewhere....What can i do????

there should be a shaman detect life or something that should help you locate him.

The four cupboards in Tove's house don't respawn (not for me anyway) and I've been storing stuff in there for about 8 game weeks.

Where is Tove's house?
I need somewhere to stay in SI. I've been storing items in that dead Boliwag when you first go down the path after entering SI.

List to be added: where to find the dagger of friendship/Two headed Septim/Soul Tomato/Hounds tooth key/mixing bowl/ring of disrobing
all have a 2% drop rate.
Clothes cupboards:
Second floor Crucible:
Brithaur's house
Caldana Mounrius's House
Cutter's weapons
Hirrus Clutummnus's house
Things Found
Sickly Bernice's Taphouse( one in each guest room)
Bliss section:
COMING LATER!
chests:LATER
Coffins:also later
hallowed stumps:waaaay later
urns:Still confirming some.

hey dont help them this waas an easy story line my lvl 1 got threw it with out a scratch

its in bliss . when u go there talk to him he will give u a quest to collect calipers and tongs

I've arrived at the end of Xiethard, yet Syl isn't there... I've looked in every part of the place and still nothing, so I'm assuming this is a glich. Could you possibly tell me if the SI beta patch mentioned at the top will remedy this? I'm running the GOTY Oblivion version, with OBSE, deadly reflex, and a few other item adding mods. I don't know if they are causing this or not??

I found a soul tomato in the Duke's quarters, so you can probably find the other collectibles there.

i found a soul tomato in the bliss smith's priavate area in one of his cabinets.

i killed juggalad in one hit with umbra. it was a fun questline but to easy and short.

The shaman is a grummite, he just also has a staff.

PAUK182 - the room is hidden. Go to the room with the debris blocking the door, and look for a switch in that room.

i found the hounds tooth key in vitharn

I'm stuck at the part where I have to poison the Mania Duke's dinner before 800 PM. Where is the food that I need to poison? I've looked all over that place for a silver dinner tray from 200 PM until 800 PM. Every bit of food and every wine bottle just gives the option to steal.
I followed the arrows on the map which appear to direct me to two small tables in a back room with large kegs but where is his dinner?
I've tried sneaking past the guards and killing them to make life easier.
I'm on the 360 version. If any one can help I would be very grateful!

I can't activate the standing stone, all this talk of meeting my maker in Milchar, Me, Myself and I, and move on with the quest, but I can't activate it. So I cannot move on. Halp?

Hi mate, I don;t know if anyone has already tried to explain this to you already but, there is a lever to the left of the room, in a sectioned part of it, it is hidden behind a box if I remember correctly. If this isn't the part what you were talking about, then I guess the MODs probably did do something to your file. Hope it is sorted for you though =).

Strange, when you come to the place where there is wine etc, there should be a silver tray on one of the tables i think, and the items on the tray cannot be moved as it all counts as one object or NPC. I don;t know why it is doing that for you tho. It should definitely be in that area somewhere. Sorry if I haven't helped.

I Finished the main quest on shivering isles some while ago, and when I go to the smith who smiths the Amber weapons he says something like "now is not the time for bussiness" well, when the **** is "time for bussiness"!?

and also, how do i use the matrix ores and matrixes?

I found Vitharn, I've been all around it. The only door I found needs a key. Where do I get this key?

Can you use the gate to cirodiil whenever you want?

sure, any time you want to get back to cyrodill ^_^

Yayzers! Dawnfang, here I come!

By the way, do you guys think golden saint or dark seducer looks best on a male imperial?

Never put the Dark Seducer armor on a male Imperial unless you want to suffer nightmares. *shudder* Golden Saint armor is marginally better.