Shivering:Ghosts of Vitharn

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Contents 1 Quick Walkthrough 2 Detailed Walkthrough 2.1 Investigate the Ruins 2.2 Learn of Vitharn's Curse 2.3 Find and Return the Supernatural Items 2.4 Defeat the Fanatics and Lift the Curse 3 Notes 4 Bugs 5 Journal Entries

Set things right for the ghosts of a fallen castle. edit Quest Giver: Count Cirion at the Vitharn Keep Location(s): Crucible, Bliss, Vitharn Prerequisite Quest: None Next Quest: None Reward: Count Cirion's Helmet ID: SE32

The sealed entrance to Vitharn.

[edit] Quick Walkthrough

1. Hear rumors of the haunted settlement of Vitharn
2. Travel to Vitharn and discover the ghosts fighting one another
3. Find your way into the Vitharn keep, and speak with Count Cirion's Ghost
4. Explore the keep, collecting the supernatural items
5. Enter the bailey, and carry out the tasks so the three defenders can hold in the fight
6. Speak to the Count again, and receive his helm
7. Return to the bailey and defeat the final raider to prevent the gate opening
8. Speak to the Count one final time to lift the curse and receive your reward

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

[edit] Investigate the Ruins

Ask around in New Sheoth to hear rumors of the ruins known as Vitharn. A map marker will be placed on your in-game map, due south of Fellmoor. When you reach Vitharn, you will stumble across two groups of ghosts fighting each other. One group is tinged with blue (these are the non-hostile ghosts) while the other group is tinged with green and appear to be wearing a form of Madness armor (these are the hostile ghosts). Upon reaching the main door to Vitharn, you will see it is chained to the ground; attempting to enter brings up the text "The door is held shut by a supernatural force."

To the left of the door, underneath a large tree, is a door leading to a set of tunnels underneath Vitharn. The tunnels are fairly linear, and you will encounter 2 or 3 respawning ghosts before you reach a smaller chained door. Once again, to the left of the door is a tunnel which you can follow to reach another entrance, similar to the first two, but not chained. This door leads to Vitharn Keep.

[edit] Learn of Vitharn's Curse

Entering here, you will encounter Count Cirion of Vitharn. He explains that you are trespassing and asks you what you have to say in your defense. Say that you meant no offense and he will reply with "wisely answered". He will then go on to tell you that his people are in need of help. Long ago, Fanatics invaded Vitharn and his soldiers failed to hold the gate and were destroyed. The ghosts now live in a cycle of torment, re-living the mistakes they made during the invasion by the Fanatics. The count asks you to walk among his people, looking out for what they did wrong and correcting it to release them from the cycle. He also explains that no ghost will lay hands on you while you walk within the walls, not even Fanatics.

[edit] Find and Return the Supernatural Items

Explore the rooms within the keep, keeping an eye out for several supernatural items you will need. One is Desideratus' Doll, which is found on a bedroll in the barracks area. Another is a Dagger of Depletion, found in a secret room within the chapel (push the button on the structure at the corner to reveal it). It is also possible to find a ghostly Welkynd Stone inside the mausoleum. It is directly across the hall from the entrance on a high ledge. This can be used as a substitution for the dagger. The third item is Althel's Arrows, which are found in the Armory. In order to get them, you will have to pick a lock (or use a key, provided you found it earlier) and sneak behind the Orc to grab them. Once you have obtained all three of these, go out into the bailey by any door.

In the bailey, you'll find several nameless Vitharn soldiers and three named ones, Althel (a female elf), Hloval Dreth (a priest) and Desideratus Annius (a soldier). Speak to Althel and give her the arrows. Speak to Hloval and give him the dagger or the Welkynd Stone. If you give him the dagger, he will hit you with it to restore his magicka. For Desideratus, you can give him the doll, but doing so causes him to run inside so he can protect it from the Fanatics. You'll have to go retrieve the doll from the bedroll again if you do this. Instead, burn it in the brazier either by the main door or within the mausoleum, or put it on one of the invaders. This will make him stay at his post instead of looking for his doll. The scene of the attack replays over and over here; if you can't complete the tasks in one attack, don't worry. Just wait for the next attack and speak to those you must speak with. Eventually, when all tasks are done, these three people will kill three out of the four raiders who opened the main gate. You will be notified that one always makes it through and that you should speak to the Count. Head back inside.

[edit] Defeat the Fanatics and Lift the Curse

Speak to Count Cirion. After a short conversation, he'll say that he also failed his duty that day by running and hiding; that you can take his helm and thus take his place in the defense of the city. While you wear the helm, however, you will also suffer the curse and be unable to leave the city until you lift the curse completely. The helm will be automatically equipped. Go back out into the bailey and position yourself on the raised platform where the archer stands, by the main gate wheel, looking back down towards the door to the reservoir. When the next attack comes, one of the raiders (the Devoted Ghost Fanatic, a ghostly Nord marauder) will head towards you; defeat him in combat to lift the curse.

When the curse is lifted, the Count will appear and thank you. He will let you keep his helm, Count Cirion's Helmet, which replaces the cursed version in your inventory. All of the ghosts will vanish from Vitharn and all the sealed doors are unsealed.

[edit] Notes

• If you have already completed the Shivering Isles' Main Quest before starting this quest, when you first encounter Count Cirion he will angrily ask if you are there to mock them. You still get the same set of options for replying to him.
• The key to the armory is located on a small table in the hallway where you first entered from Vitharn Reservoir.
• It is possible to use the armory door for security training, as the guard in the armory will re-lock the door each time you are spotted within the restricted area.
• Although Althel's arrows are initially unequippable, they can be recovered if any of her shots miss. Aside from a unique appearance, the arrows function exactly like steel arrows.
• If you wish to explore the Mausoleum, do so before finishing the quest. When the supernaturally sealed doors become opened, the Mausoleum doors lock with an unpickable lock.
• During the final battle, the doors to the keep are locked and unpickable. You cannot reenter the keep until the quest is completed.
• Some raiders have a Madness Longsword. The Devoted Ghost Fanatic drops a leveled enchanted Madness Longsword.

[edit] Bugs

• If you burn Desideratus' doll, do not pick it up again on the next day. It will permanently remain in your inventory unless you use the console to remove its quest designation.
  • This bug is fixed by the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.

• An error in the check on the brazier's script will allow Desideratus' doll to be burned before the player has it or even knows of it. This causes a near game-breaking glitch: the Fanatics' leader never shows up for the final battle, making it impossible for you to kill him. Since you are prevented from leaving Vitharn until the quest is completed, this means that you are permanently stuck. To fix this:
  • On the PC, you can use the Console and type setstage SE32 160 to advance the quest. The count will exit and congratulate you, ending the quest. When you exit the keep, the Fanatics should attack in short order.
  • Otherwise, you must load another save game.
  • This bug is fixed by the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.

• If you use the Ring Of Disrobing wearing Count Cirion's Helmet (the cursed version), it will cause the game to crash immediately.
  • This bug is fixed by the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.

[edit] Journal Entries

Ghosts of Vitharn (SE32)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
1		I have eliminated one of the four Fanatic raiders that came in from the dungeons. Only three to go.
2		I have eliminated two of the four Fanatic raiders that came in from the dungeons. Only two more to go.
10		I heard a rumor about the fortress of Vitharn in the far south of the Shivering Isles. Someday I should investigate it.
11		There are ghostly warriors fighting in this place. Their battle cries lead me to believe this place is named Vitharn. Something strange is going on here. I can see the fortress keep, but there is no obvious entrance. I'll have to search around for a hidden way in. Even then, I'm not sure what I'll find.
20		The ghost of Count Cirion has told me a tale of tragedy. The people of Vitharn were overrun by invaders centuries ago. Four defenders in the bailey failed in their duties. Now cursed to relive the last moments of the invasion over and over. Count Cirion has begged me to put the shades of his people to rest. I have no idea how to do this. Maybe the ghosts themselves can tell me.
25		Desideratus took his "beloved" and ran off. Obviously that isn't going to work. Hopefully he just put the doll back where I found it. I should go check. There must be some other way to use that doll to get him to stay and fight.
30		The ghost of Desideratus Annius told me he must get back home to protect his betrothed. Tragically, by leaving his post, they both perished. There must be something I can do to get him to stand fast.
40		It seems that Desideratus "betrothed" is actually a child's doll. I'll have to think of some way to keep him from obessing about the doll.
45		This ghostly doll is very odd. I have a feeling I should keep it with me for a while.
50		I've burned the doll in the ghostly flames. I don't know why I was able to do that, but there must have been some purpose.
55		Somehow one of the ghostly invaders accepted the doll from me. I don't know why, but there must be some purpose to it.
60		Desideratus did not take it well when I told him what I did to his betrothed. However, he is now motivated to stay at his post and fight the invading Fanatics.
70		Althel the archer on the parapet has no arrows. She won't accept normal arrows. I'll have to find her arrows somewhere. She is perfectly positioned to fire into the Fanatic raiders.
80		Bat gro-Orkul is the warden of the armory. He refuses to give anything out. No wonder this place couldn't defend itself! I need to find a way to get those arrows for Althel.
90		These ghostly arrows are quite strange. I am unable to nock them though.
95		Althel was grateful for the arrows. She is sure to bring down some of the invaders with them.
100		The priest, Hloval Dreth, doesn't have nearly enough magicka to support the soldiers defending the gates. I need to find something that will boost his magicka. He won't take my earthly items, so it will have to be something in his spirit realm.
110		I found a ghostly Dagger of Depletion. For some reason I am unable to wield it though.
120		I found some ghostly welkynd stones. I can't seem to use them myself.
130		Hloval Dreth was grateful for the help. He is able to attack the Fanatic raiders now.
140		I have changed the actions of three of the defenders. Yet one of the Fanatics still gets past the defenders. There is nothing more I can do here. Maybe Count Cirion can help me.
150		Count Cirion has given me his helm. With it, I can take his place and do battle with Devoted Fanatic. Only then will the curse be lifted.
160		I have defeated the Devoted Fanatic. The curse of Vitharn has been lifted.
190
200	0	The ghosts of Vitharn have been laid to rest.

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 quest stage. Where quest is the internal name of the quest, and 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.