Shivering:Retaking The Fringe

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Contents 1 Quick Walkthrough 2 Detailed Walkthrough 2.1 The Fall of the Fringe 2.2 Defending Passwall 2.3 Commander in Chief 2.4 A Trustworthy Lieutenant 2.5 Deactivating the Obelisk 2.6 Victory at Last 3 Notes 4 Bugs 5 Journal Entries

Defend The Fringe and stop the attackers.  edit Quest Giver: Sheogorath at New Sheoth Location(s): The Fringe, Xeddefen Prerequisite Quest: Ritual Of Mania or Ritual Of Dementia Next Quest: Rebuilding the Gatekeeper Reward: none ID: SE08

Golden Saints helping to retake The Fringe.

[edit] Quick Walkthrough

1. Travel to The Fringe.
2. Speak with the commander of Sheogorath's forces.
3. Defend Passwall from the Knights of Order.
4. Enter Xeddefen and deactivate the obelisk
5. Escape and return to Sheogorath.

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

[edit] The Fall of the Fringe

Travel to The Fringe and you will discover that it has been completely overwhelmed by the Forces of Order. The general architecture is untouched, but the color of the surrounding area is bleak, the vegetation is dead, and large Order Crystals have burst from the ground. As such, you will have to rediscover all the locations in the area, such as the gate to Cyrodiil. This does not mean these areas are inaccessible, only that they are no longer automatically available on your map.

Make your way to Passwall and speak with either the Golden Saints or the Dark Seducers, depending on your choice during the Ritual of Accession.

[edit] Defending Passwall

Talk to either the Saints' commander, Aurig Desha or the Seducers', Grakendo Udico, and you will be informed of the events prior to your arrival. Despite their best efforts, the forces of Sheogorath are all but exhausted, and the Forces of Order continue their unrelenting assault. The majority of the female warriors are dead, and you are offered command of what troops remain. You have two options for the upcoming order of battle:

• Take control of the forces and give them command directly.
• Trust your commander and allow her to position the forces as she sees fit. (This is the easiest option)

[edit] Commander in Chief

If you choose to control your troops, talk to each soldier and tell them where they should position themselves. You are provided with four soldiers. If your allies are Dark Seducers, two are by default equipped with Worn Dark Maces and two with Worn Dark Shortswords. If you are commanding Golden Saints, one has a Worn Golden Shortsword and three wield Worn Golden Maces. However, when you give any soldier his orders for the battle, his equipment is adjusted depending upon the orders and all equipment other than what is specified by the orders is removed from the soldier. Your options for each of the four soldiers are:

• Ready your bow and head to the rear: Soldier is equipped with a bow (Worn Dark Bow or Worn Golden Bow) and arrows (30 Dark Arrows or 30 Golden Arrows). Fighting style is set to "archer". According to the commander: "Those who you assign as archers will head to the rear and keep their distance when the enemy draws close."
• Ready a sword and outflank them: Soldier is equipped with a longsword (Worn Dark Longsword or Worn Golden Longsword) and shield. Fighting style is set to "flank". As the commander will say: "Those with blades and shields will hold the flank. When the enemy draws near, they will close in and attack."
• Ready an axe and hold your ground: Soldier is equipped with a waraxe (Worn Dark Waraxe or Worn Golden Waraxe). Fighting style is set to "heavy". In the word of the commander: "The front line will arm themselves with axes of war. They will hold the line against the enemy's charge."

[edit] A Trustworthy Lieutenant

If you delegate leadership to your commander, she will position her troops as follows:

• Three are told to position themselves in the front line and equip themselves with axes.
• One is told to be an archer and equip himself with a bow.

You can subsequently talk to any of the soldiers and override her orders if you prefer.

Once you are prepared for battle, speak with your commander again. Several waves of Knights will enter Passwall from the northeast. Defeat them and speak with your commander once more. She will propose a plan to retake Passwall: you are to infiltrate the ruins of Xeddefen while she stays on the surface and performs a holding action against the Knights. You will need to locate the Obelisk within Xeddefen that is powering the Order Spire and deactivate it.

[edit] Deactivating the Obelisk

Follow your map marker to Xeddefen and enter. Eliminate any Knights that you come across until you encounter a Priest of Order with an entourage of Knights. Kill them and retrieve the key from the Priest's body. This key will unlock the two doors to the north. Alternatively, simply pick the locks.

Make your way through the ruin, battling any Knights you encounter. Fight your way into the second zone, Xeddefen Fane, and then into the final level: Xeddefen Great Chamber.

At the center of this zone is the Obelisk of Order, which is powering the Spire on the surface. As you approach the Obelisk room, you will encounter Shelden, who was previously hiding inside a room concealed behind a fake wall. He will inform you that Felas Sarandas has defected to the Forces of Order and requests that you escort him to safety. You can either have Shelden follow you or stay put.

Enter the Obelisk chamber and kill the Priests present, as well as any Knights that get in the way, and shut down the Obelisk. It is a standard Obelisk; so simply place three Hearts of Order inside to deactivate it.

As soon as the obelisk is deactivated, Xeddefen begins to collapse around you. You'll need to escape quickly since the falling rubble and pillars are considerably dangerous, to both you and Shelden. The route you used to arrive here is blocked, so make your way through two new zones and a large closed gate. The button to open the gate is in the room on the left, guarded by one Knight of Order. Shelden can easily take care of himself. Once the gate is open, continue through. The gate will close behind you, trapping Shelden, who will then make his own way out. Leave the mayor to his fate and follow the quest arrow out of Xeddefen.

[edit] Victory at Last

Return to Passwall and speak with either Desha or Udico. She will thank you for your assistance in liberating Passwall and send you back to report the success to Sheogorath while her forces remain in The Fringe to eliminate any remaining Knights. Shelden and the other remaining denizens of Passwall will reappear shortly after.

Return to New Sheoth and report your success to Sheogorath. Pleased with your progress, he will assign you a rather interesting task.

[edit] Notes

• The various weapons used by the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers are unique to this quest. If you are interested in collecting certain weapons, you may wish to deploy your troops to maximize those weapons. In the ensuing battle, it is likely that at least one of the soldiers will be slain, allowing you to recover his weapon. Should no soldiers perish in the battle, you can simply kill them yourself.

• When asked to follow you, Shelden will use a fallen Knight of Order's sword rather than his fists.

• When you return to Passwall, any Knights of Order that you didn't kill in the ruin will be fighting what's left of your saints or seducers. Sneaking through Xeddefen is therefore not recommended, as you may be faced with twenty or more knights at once when returning to Passwall.

• Once this quest starts, the entire Fringe region is replaced with a new, "Ordered" version of the Fringe. This version remains in place until you complete the main questline. You will need to once again re-explore the Fringe, in order to make the various map markers reappear. One minor difference between the two versions of the Fringe is that the map symbol for the Door to Cyrodiil changes from the "landmark" symbol to the "Ayleid Ruin" symbol. ( This bug is fixed by the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.)

• If you choose to escort Shelden, he will become stuck on the other side of a gate that closes immediately after you pass through it. He will yell at you and find another way out of the ruin, eventually appearing outside Xeddefen when you have escaped.

• It is possible to lead Shelden out of the trap door if you tell him to wait next to it and push him through before yourself. He will not, however, respond to any talk options, including yield if you hit him! He will not follow you past that room and continue with his preset script. For all intents and purposes, forcing him to safety is useless.

• To open the two metal gates that you cannot open in Xeddefen Fane, you can lure the Priest of Order or any of the Knights of Order towards them, and they will open as soon as one is near.

[edit] Bugs

Occasionally after completing the quest, Sheogorath is nowhere to be found. On the PC version, enter the following into the console while in front of his throne to get him back:
PRID 13641
enable
If he's still not there: moveto player
If he's finally back but invisible: saa 1

• This bug is fixed by the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.

[edit] Journal Entries

Retaking The Fringe (SE08)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
0		(Disables Syl)
1		(Disables Thadon)
4		(Acts as the entry point to the quest from SE07A/B)
5		(One of these two options will appear depending on whether the player is the ruler of Mania or Dementia) Angry over Thadon's replacement as the Duke of Mania, Syl has betrayed Sheogorath and joined with the forces of Order. According to Syl, Order has already taken the Fringe. I should travel to the Fringe and investigate her claims. or Angry over Syl's replacement as the Duchess of Dementia, Thadon has betrayed Sheogorath and joined with the forces of Order. According to Thadon, Order has already taken the Fringe. I should travel to the Fringe and investigate his claims.
10		I've arrived in the Fringe to find that it has been completely conquered by the forces of Order. Passwall may have been attacked. I should take a closer look.
20		(Used to control the timing of the battle)
25		(One of these four options will appear depending on whether the player is the ruler of Dementia or Mania and whether he chose to place the guards personally or not) I've talked to Grakendo Udico about what has happened in Passwall. Order has been attacking the town non-stop. She's asked for my help in protecting the Passwall. I must place the Dark Seducers in the best positions possible to prepare for the attack. When I am satisfied, I should speak to the Grekendo. or I've talked to Grakendo Udico about what has happened in Passwall. Order has been attacking the town non-stop. She's asked for my help in protecting the Passwall. I should provide what aid I can and speak to her when I'm ready. or I've talked to Aurig Desha about what has happened in Passwall. Order has been attacking the town non-stop. She's asked for my help in protecting the Passwall. I must place the Golden Saints in the best positions possible to prepare for the attack. When I am satisfied, I should speak to the Aurig. or I've talked to Aurig Desha about what has happened in Passwall. Order has been attacking the town non-stop. She's asked for my help in protecting the Passwall. I should provide what aid I can and speak to her when I'm ready.
26		The forces of Order are advancing on Passwall. We must defeat them all.
30		(One of these two options will appear depending on whether the player is the ruler of Mania or Dementia) The force of Knights attacking Passwall have been eliminated. I should speak to Grakendo Udico about the situation. or The force of Knights attacking Passwall have been eliminated. I should speak to Aurig Desha about the situation.
35		(One of these two options will appear depending on whether the player is the ruler of Mania or Dementia) The Dark Seducer commander Grakendo Udico has a plan to retake Passwall. I need to slip through the gate into the ruins of Xeddefen while her Dark Seducers distract the knights. They will continue to hold the line at Passwall. I have to use this opportunity to slip into Xeddefen and find Order's source of power. or The Golden Saint commander Aurig Desha has a plan to retake Passwall. I need to slip through the gate into the ruins of Xeddefen while her Golden Saints distract the knights. They will continue to hold the line at Passwall. I have to use this opportunity to slip into Xeddefen and find Order's source of power.
40		(One of these two options will appear depending on whether the player is the ruler of Mania or Dementia) The counterattack on Xeddefen has begun. Kiskella Udico and her Dark Seducers will distract the knights. While the Dark Seducers fight, I need to slip past the gates of Xeddefen and locate the source of the Spire's power. or The counterattack on Xeddefen has begun. Aureg Desha and her Golden Saints will distract the knights. While the Golden Saints fight, I need to slip past the gates of Xeddefen and locate the source of the Spire's power.
45		I've made my way into the ruins of Xeddefen. I must seek out the spire's source of power and find a way to deactivate it.
50		I've discovered the source of Order's power -- an obelisk is having its power amplified by the spire that leads to the center of Passwall. I must find a way to shut down the obelisk.
60		(Set once the player has talked to Shelden)
70		I've overloaded the obelisk and collapsed the spire. The caverns are now coming down around me and I must escape before I'm trapped.
80		(One of these two options will appear depending on whether the player is the ruler of Mania or Dementia) I've survived the collapsing ruins of Xeddefen. I should seek out Grakendo Udico and ask her how the battle above ground went. or I've survived the collapsing ruins of Xeddefen. I should seek out Aurig Desha and ask her how the battle above ground went.
90		(Seems to be unused)
100		Passwall has been liberated and the forces of Order have been defeated. I should speak with Sheogorath.
200		(Makes Saint/Seducer captain unessential; other cleanup)

Notes

• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in random order.
• If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
• On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage SE08 stage. Where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages. See SetStage for more information.

Prev:  Ritual Of Mania or Ritual Of Dementia

Up: Main Quest

Next: Rebuilding the Gatekeeper