11: Ritual of Dementia

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Guide - Shivering Isles

Quest 11: Ritual of Dementia

Speak to Sheogorath in Sacellum Arden-Sul once you've made your choice. Your task is to kill Syl, the current ruler of Crucible. Enter the House of Dementia and locate Syl's servant, Kithlan. He should be in the House of Dementia during most times. Ask him about Syl, and then select the 'Replaced' dialogue option. He won't discuss the subject if his disposition is below 70. Either persuade or bribe Kithlan to raise his disposition to at least 70, and then try the 'Replaced' dialogue option again. Kithlan will hand over the House of Dementia Key, allowing you to access all areas of the House of Dementia.

Next, seek Anya Herrick, who will be either wandering the Palace Grounds or seated in a chair next to the throne in the House of Dementia. With 'Ritual of Dementia' set as your active quest, the arrow on your compass will point to her, allowing you to easily locater her. As with Kithlan, Anya's disposition must be at least 70 before she will tell you anything. Provided her disposition is high enough, Anya will agree to create a distraction in Syl's wing of the palace to draw the Elite Dark Seducers out. Follow Anya into the Private Gardens area, and then unlock the door to the Duchess' Quarters. Exam the corpse on the bed; it's not Syl, so the Ritual of Dementia is not yet over. Kithlan tells you that Syl must have used her escape tunnel to flee from the palace.

The corpse in Syl's room is a decoy.

Return to the Private Gardens and turn left. Activate the Bust of Sheogorath to reveal the secret entrance to Syl's escape tunnel. Xirethard is a very large area, but luckily the arrow on your compass is pointing to Syl. Hug the wall in the initial area to avoid the projectiles from the statues. Refer to the local area map if you get lost, as the compass can be unreliable here due to twisting hallways. There are Dark Seducers sparsely placed throughout the halls, so remain vigilant. Eventually you'll reach a metal door to the 'Xirethard, Depths' area.

In the Xirethard Depths, you'll eventually come to a large, circular room. When you reach this room, turn left and look on the right side of the second statue along the wall to spot a Push Button. Activate the Push Button to open a new path. Follow this path to reach Syl. She is sided by a couple of Dark Seducer Royal Guards. The Dark Seducers will attack as soon as they spot you, so duck out of there to avoid facing them all at once. When the Duchess has fallen, search her corpse and remove Syl's Heart. Be sure to pick up the Nerveshatter warhammer that she was using as well.

Find the secret entrance to Xirethard, locate Syl in the Xirethard Depths, kill her, and remove her heart.

With Syl's Heart in your inventory, return to Sacellum Arden-Sul and activate the Altar of Arden-Sul. Speak to Sheogorath once you have done so. After the short scene, speak to Sheogorath again to be given the Ring of Lordship. This ring adds the Resist Poison and Chameleon effects, and fortifies the Endurance attribute.