- Mephala

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Guide - Daedric Shrine Quests

Mephala

Location: Northeast of the Imperial City, under the first 'a' in 'The Heartlands' text on the world map.
Requires: Nightshade
Level Requirement: Level 15
Reward: Ebony Blade

Mephala's Shrine is located northeast of the Imperial City. If you at the world map, the shrine is just under the first 'a' in 'The Heartlands' text. Fast travel to the Imperial Prison Sewer and continue northeast from there. When you reach the shrine, locate and speak to Dredena Hlavel there. She tells you to leave Mephala an offering of Nightshade between midnight and dawn to summon her. Your character must be at least level 15 to begin this quest.

Nightshade can be found in the Arcane University Mystic Archives. Enter the Mystic Archives, and take the stairs up to the second level. On the second floor, look around for a small sitting area; there is a Nightshade at the end of the table here. Or, you can purchase a Nightshade from the 'All Things Alchemical' shop in Skingrad; the proprietor should have one in stock. Once you have acquired a single portion of Nightshade, approach Mephala's Shrine between 12:00AM and 6:00AM and offer the ingredient at the altar to summon her.

Offer Nightshade at Mephala's Shrine between 6:00AM and 12:00AM to summon Mephala.

Mephala wants you to travel to the Bleaker's Way settlement, where you are to start a feud between the family of Dark Elves and the family of Nords living there. Murder both of the family leaders and plant evidence on their bodies to make it appear that the other family is responsible. Of course, you mustn't be seen doing this.

Bleaker's Way is a small settlement northwest of Mephala's Shrine. Have 'Mephala' set as your active quest and follow the arrow on your compass to reach Bleaker's Way. If it isn't nigh time, use the wait feature to pass enough hours so it is dark out and everyone in the settlement is asleep. The two families living on the Bleaker's Way settlement are the Ulfgars and the Dalvilus. Hrol Ulfgar and Nivan Dalvilu are the family leaders.

Start by entering Hrol Ulfgar's House; as always, be certain that you are in Sneak Mode before entering. If it's night, Hrol Ulfgar should be fast asleep. Make your way up the steps to reach the loft where Hrol's bed is. It might be tough to kill him in one strike, depending on your character's level. If you have some sort of poison in your inventory, apply it to a weapon or arrow to make your initial strike more effective. Silently approach Hrol while in Sneak Mode and hit him for a sneak attack. If the first strike doesn't kill him, continue to attack him until he dies. Once Hrol is dead, return to the previous area. The Ulfgar Family Ring is on a table by the stairs, so collect it before leaving the house.

Bring strife to Bleaker's Way.

Next, locate Nivan Dalvilu's House. Ensure that you are in Sneak Mode, pick the lock, and enter the house. Nivan should be fast asleep. Apply some poison to a weapon or arrow if you have some, and hit him with a sneak attack. If he survives the initial strike, continue attacking him as he attempts to rise.

Once Nivan is dead, plant the Ulfgar Family Ring on his corpse. To do this, search Nivan's corpse and press LT/L2 to switch over to your inventory. Then, look for the Ulfgar Family Ring in the Armor section and press the A/X button move it into his inventory. Before leaving the house, take the Dalvilu Ceremonial Dagger that's on the table near Nivan's bed. With the dagger in your inventory, return to Hrol Ulfgar's House and plant it on Hrol's corpse.

Once both Hrol Ulfgar and Nivan Dalvilu have been killed and evidence suggesting that the other family is responsible has been planted on each corpse, all that is left to do is find someone in the Bleaker's Way settlement and tell them that you saw the two attack each other. A good person to tell is Kirsten, the innkeeper at the Bleaker's Way Goodwill Inn. If it's still night time, she will be sleeping behind the counter.

Plant evidence on the corpses of the family leaders to implicate the other family as the culprits.

Once you have told someone about the deaths, you are free to return to Mephala's Shrine to collect your reward. Before setting out, however, consider sticking around to watch the ensuing battle between the two families. Return to Mephala's Shrine when you're set and summon her. She will reward you with the Ebony Blade for completing the task. The Ebony Blade has Silence and Absorb Health effects, making it an effective weapon if your character primarily uses Blades.

Causing strife in Bleaker's Way.