Arena:The Imperial Palace

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1 Quick Walkthrough
2 Detailed Walkthrough
- 2.1 Imperial Palace
- 2.2 Notes

You thought it would end with the Staff, but no. There's still one more piece of the puzzle left to reclaim.^edit

Quest Giver: Ria Silmane
Location(s): Imperial Province (AA Cyrodiil)
Prerequisite Quest: Dagoth-Ur
Next Quest: none
Reward: You are named Eternal Champion

The Imperial Palace at night

[edit] Quick Walkthrough

Sleep one last time to receive the last message from Ria (but see first Note below).
Travel to the Imperial City in the Imperial Province and infiltrate the palace.
Reach the bottom palace dungeon and battle Jagar Tharn for the Jewel of Fire.
Touch the Staff of Chaos to the Jewel of Fire to release its power and bring back the Emperor.

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

[edit] Imperial Palace

Thanks to Jagar Tharn taunting you, you realize that to finish the job you've started, you'll have to go to the Imperial Palace and beat him.

The Imperial Palace is in, of course, the Imperial City, which is in the center of the continent. The central province is known as the Imperial Province. When you arrive at the Imperial City, head due south and keep going until you can go no further. That's the palace. Click on it to enter.

The palace is, for the most part, a straight dungeon crawl. There are quite a few more monsters than in any other dungeon, and they are many more of the very tough ones (liches, vampires).

On the first level, there are three ways down. One is in the northwest corner, another is in the northeast corner, and there is one close to the entrance in the west central section. If you have Passwall you can cut through the bedroom walls to the west of the throne room pools and quickly get down to the next level. If you do not, it's a slightly longer journey to the way down; the northwest way down is the easiest to get to, but if you want the quickest way down, you're better off looping around to the west to get to the west central way down.

On the second level, if you took the west central way down, you will find a way down that is very close to you. Immediately head east, then north through the first door. There is another way down in the southeast corner.

On the third level, there are two ways down along the west wall, both pretty much central north-south-wise. The easier one to get to is the north one: go north at the first corridor, go west through the next two doors, and go down.

On the last and fourth level, if you have Passwall, you can avoid running a gantlet of liches if you wish. Head as far south as you can go, then cut through the wall south and east till you see an east-west corridor (you may have to loop a bit back west). Otherwise, you'll have to head north, then east, then south, then back west through that last corridor, fighting a veritable horde of liches and a few other miscellaneous monsters.

Go through the door at the west end of that last corridor. Tharn has outfitted the bottom of his palace with a lake of lava to protect the Jewel. It is sitting in a cell on an island in the center of the lake. The Jewel's cell door is magically locked and needs a mithril key to open it. You can open the Jewel cell without delay if you have Skeleton's Key. If you don't have Skeleton's Key, you can find the mithril key on a platform at 26,25. Tharn will hurl all manner of magic at you to try to stop you, and you can fight him if you like, but ultimately the Jewel is what matters; you can't kill him because...well, you'll see. If you do manage to drain him to the point he can no longer battle, you can loot him for the mithril key as well.

Open the mithril key door (21,24) and take the Jewel of Fire (20,24). Enjoy the closing cutscene. Talin is proud of you!

[edit] Notes

There is a theoretical last message from Ria, but a bug in the 1.06 version of Arena (and possibly the other versions, too) causes the game to not show you that message. It's Tharn's taunting that brings you to the palace, if anything does. If the game did give voice to Ria, here's what she would say: "I had expected that with all eight pieces together, the Staff of Chaos would activate and free the Emperor. None of this has occurred, and I finally know why. Held by Tharn is a gem of the rarest qualities. Legend has that it is a star fallen from the sky, for it glows with an inner flame. This is the Jewel of Fire, and the crucible of Tharn's life force. It is also the thing in which Tharn has suffused all of the energy of the Staff. If you can touch the Staff to this Jewel, the release of that combined energy may be enough to destroy the Staff of Chaos and open the gate between worlds. If you are successful, Tharn will no doubt be destroyed as well. There is only one way to get this Jewel. You must make your way into the Imperial Palace and find wherever Tharn has hidden it. Be warned, once inside Tharn will throw the full might of the Palace Guards and those creatures made to resemble the Imperial Guard against you. They are but puppets of Tharn's machinations. Have mercy on them, for they know not what they serve. With Tharn however, such care need not be taken. If you are successful a dimensional door should open, freeing the Emperor. With the Jewel drained of energy Tharn should also perish. There is a problem however with this course of action. Tharn, in his fear, has made the Imperial Palace inaccessible. If you have been there you already know the Guards are under orders to turn all who approach back. I think that I can circumvent this with a Spell of Altering but it will mean the last of the energy holding me in this form. I will gladly sacrifice myself however, so that Tharn can pay for his betrayal. The spell I cast will alter other's perceptions of your appearence. The Guards posted outside the Imperial Palace should be fooled and allow you entry. I only hope it will be enough. You have done more than a hero could be asked. This is the final step of a long journey. Take heart and go forward with my blessings. I thank you, in the Emperor's name."