8: Lost Histories

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Guide - Thieves Guild

8: Lost Histories

Sell 400 gold worth of stolen good to a fence to unlock this quest. Once you have reached the required amount, travel to Bravil and speak to S'Krivva there. This time, you're tasked with retrieving a book, entitled 'Lost Histories of Tamriel.' Theranis, another thief, had been sent to find it, but he hasn't been heard from since. You'll need to find Theranis first.

Fast travel to Skingrad, locate a beggar there, and select the 'Theranis' dialogue option. Give the beggar some gold coins if necessary, and you'll learn that Theranis was arrested and taken to the Skingrad Dungeon. Fast travel to Castle Skingrad and enter the courtyard. Head up the first set of steps that you see, move to the end of the walkway at the top, and proceed through the door there to enter the dungeon.

See Shum Gro-Yarug about getting a job in Castle Skingrad.

Locate the Skingrad Dungeon Jailor and offer him 50 gold coins to open the door. He will refuse and threaten to throw you in prison. Speak to him again and select the 'Work in Castle Skingrad' option. He'll point you to Shum Gro-Yarug, who is looking to hire.

Shum Gro-Yarug visits the West Weald Inn at 10:00AM each day, and the Colovian Trader at 12:00PM. Depending on the time, make your way to either the West Weald Inn or the Colovian Trader. If you have Lost Histories set as your active quest, the arrow on your map and compass will indicate where Shum Gro-Yarug is currently. Use the wait menu to pass as many hours necessary for Shum Gro-Yarug to appear. When you've located the Orc, select the 'Work in Castle Skingrad' dialogue option while speaking to him.

Once you have the job, return to Castle Skingrad, enter dungeon, and speak to the jailor. Select the 'Open the door, I'm the slop drudge' dialogue option, and the jailor will get up and open the door for you. Inside, speak to Larthjar the Laggard, who should be in the first cell you see. Agree to free him, and then select the 'Theranis' dialogue option. He'll tell you that Theranis was taken out of his cell, along with an Argonian who put up a fight and was bleeding a lot.

Follow the blood stains in the Skingrad Dungeon to a Strange Candle. Activate the Strange Candle to reveal a secret passage.

After speaking to Larthjar the Laggard, follow the blood stains on the floor to the end of the prison cell block. Activate the Strange Candle at the right end of the wall to open up a secret passage. Press on and you'll come to a wine cellar. Move to the opposite end of this room and look for another Strange Candle on a pillar smeared with blood. Activate the Strange Candle and one of the barrels will open, revealing another secret passage.

Cautiously proceed down this tunnel, and you will soon spot a woman standing in the distance. She is hostile, so don't bother waiting for her to attack and try for a sneak attack. When she is dead, remove the keys from her corpse. When you have the keys, look around for Amusei, who's locked in a cell. Speak to him and ask about Theranis. In exchange for a message from Theranis concerning the Lost Histories of Tamriel, you'll need to free Amusei and escort him out of Castle Skingrad.

Agree to help Amusei out of Castle Skingrad and open the cage. If you didn't remove the key from the Pale Lady's corpse, you'll have to pick the lock. With Amusei in tow, head through the passage to the left and exit out to the dining hall. Cautiously move to the right, through the open doorways, until you reach the door out to the courtyard. Once in the courtyard, head down the steps and through the door in front of you. Once out of the castle, cross the bridge until you are notified of your escape.

Helping Amusei escape from Castle Skingrad.

The Lost Histories of Tamriel is under a bush behind Nerastarel's House. When Amusei departs, fast travel to Skingrad and locate Nerastarel's House. Look next to the bush behind the house and pick up the book and bring it back to S'Krivva, she will give you a nice amount of gold coins for completing this task.