P03B:
Diplomatic Immunity

Diplomatic Immunity

Your first step is to meet Delphine in Riverwood again, where you find her playing her role as Innkeeper at the Sleeping Giant.  You follow her back into her secret lair -- and by the way, you can take a lot of the stuff that is in this room, so if there is anything you see you think is useful, like potions and such -- and it is not marked with red, go ahead and take it!

Talking to Delphine reveals that she actually does have a plan of sorts -- evidently the Embassy is Party Central, and she can get you an invite -- so it is time to head to Solitude!  We need to meet her contact at the Winking Skeever Tavern in Solitude, and then meet Delphine later.

Once you have exhausted the speech options with her and taken what you want, fast travel to Solitude.

--== Welcome to Solitude ==--

In addition to being the seat of higher learning for the region, Solitude is actually a pretty cool town if maybe a little too cold!  Before we continue on with the story, we should check on the different quests you can get here since adding money and levels to your character is never a bad idea...

Quest Givers
-- Angeline Morrard: Misc Quest -- Ask Aldis for information about Angeline's daughter
-- Captain Aldis: Misc Quest -- Bring one The Mirror to Aldis
-- Corpulus Vinius: Misc Quest -- Head to the Solitude Court
-- Corpulus Vinius: Misc Quest -- Investigate the man wandering the streets near the Bards College
-- Corpulus Vinius: Misc Quest -- Talk to Jaree-Ra about possible employment
-- Dervenin: Side Quest -- The Mind of Madness
-- Evette San: Misc Quest -- Convince Vittoria Vici to release the Spiced Wine shipment
-- Falk Firebeard: Side Quest -- The Man Who Cried Wolf
-- Greta: Misc Quest -- Retrieve Amulet of Talos off of Raggvir
-- Jaree-Ra: Side Quest -- Lights Out!
-- Noster Eagle-Eye: Misc Quest -- Find Noster's Helmet inside Steepfall Burrow
-- Octieve San: Misc Quest -- Talk to Irnskar about Octieve
-- Sorex Vinius: Misc Quest -- Deliver the Stros M'Kai Rum to Falk Firebeard
-- Svari: Misc Quest -- Speak to Greta about going to the Temple of the Divines
-- Sybille Stentor: Misc Quest -- Kill the leader at the Pinemoon Cave
-- Taarie: Misc Quest -- Speak to to Elisif with Taarie's outfit on

Many of these quests are easy and quick, so if you want to pick up extra XP go ahead and do them now...

Note: If you do the quest given by Sybille Stentor to clear out the Vampires in the cave make certain to check that you were not infected by one of the Vampire.  If you were, use a Cure Potion right away to get rid of the infection before it sets in, because if it takes hold the process of getting rid of it is long and involved.

Uncovering what the Thalmor Know

Uncovering what the Thalmor Know

--== Back on the Story ==--

The Winking Skeever Inn is the first building on the left when you enter Solitude through the main gates, and your contact is waiting inside.  He tells you he can smuggle in some kit for you -- what I suggest you give him is a good weapon, some Healing Potions, some Invisibility Potions, and some lock picks -- you really should not need more than that...

Before he leaves he tells you to meet him at the party -- so why not head on over to the embassy now and meet up with him?  You do that by meeting Delphine at the stables outside of town, where she will trade you your party clothes and the invitation for EVERYTHING you have.  I hope you picked a good weapon to give to Malborn.

After she gives you the kit wear it and talk to her again, all your stuff is removed, and you get into the wagon that takes you to the party.  When you arrive you will be stopped to show your invitation -- one thing you may want to know is that that sword I told you to get early on, Red Eagles blade?  Yeah, THAT you get to keep going in!

--== At the Party ==--

When you enter you meet Elenwen the Ambassador and make small talk.  Take some time to chat up the other guests as you can hear some interesting information in the process -- but when you are ready your next step is to make a distraction.  The easy way to do that is seek out and talk to Erikur the Merchant.  Exhaust his first set of chat options then talk to someone else until you hear him comment about the serving girl, at which point you should chat with him again.

Tell him you noticed his attention in her direction and offer to be his wingman.  Talk to her, then tell him she really wants him and he should sneak up to her room.  He immediately goes to put the moves on her and creates the distraction that you need -- head over to Malborn now!

After you get your kit out of the chest go through the door in this room and you are now on your own, as Malborn has returned to his duties.  Kill the two guards and the mage in the next room and take their kit for your own!  Armor up and then loot the place -- why not?  It is not like they cannot afford to donate to your relief fund!

Now exit the building into the courtyard outside and take out the mage and two guards out here.  The mage is a Conjurer, and he will summon some nasty beasts so you need to make him your first and primary target and kill him quickly, and only then take out the guards.  The logic is that killing the Conjurer eliminates his summoned mobs.

Go inside and hide to hear the conversation and if you are lucky -- I was not -- you will hear it all before the guard finds you and it is time to do battle!  Kill the guard, the wizard and his informant, and then loot the place, being certain to read and take the following documents:

-- Dragon Investigation Report
-- Thalmor Dossier: Delphine
-- Thalmor Dossier: Ulfric Stormcloud

Go ahead and read all three now, as they tell you a lot about what the enemy knows, and maybe some things you do not know...

Now head down to the Interrogation Room and kill the Soldier there, then search the nearby chest for another document:

Thalmor Dossier: Esbern

Now before you head to the Interrogation Chamber you have the option of freeing some of the prisoners but when you do you will be attacked by guards and Malborn's cover is blown.  It seems that his getting blown may not be entirely your fault since they brought him down here with them and told you that they caught your spy...  Not sure who they actually think we are, but there is nothing for it but to kill them and have your escape, right?

Your exit is the trapdoor on the other side of the room -- but be warned that once you go through that door you do NOT want to try to go back into the dungeon because there is a bug that will lock up your game and that can mess up the last save.  So do everything you need to do in the dungeon before you use the trap door, right?

Inside the passage you will battle a Frost Troll on the way to the exit -- look for a Skill Book here that will add a level to your Illusion Skill and read it before you leave.  Once you reach the exit you will be presented with no real option to save the prisoner or Malborn as they simply run off.  For your part you should fast travel to Riverwood to meet with Delphone and report in -- once you have done that get all your stuff out of the chest in her secret lair and equip it -- yeah, it is good to be back in our armor after wearing that borrowed stuff!

Delphine is clear on one thing: you have to get to Esbern before the Thalmor do!  Well, now you know what your next mission is!

You now unlock the Achievement "Diplomatic Immunity" (20 GS) for completing this run of the story line.