Skyrim:Crypt of the Heart

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Investigate rumors of a ghost that haunts the Karth River. Quest Giver: Started by reading Crypt of the Heart - Draft at the Silver-Blood Inn in Markarth Location(s): Silver-Blood Inn, bridge next to Reachcliff Secret Entrance, grave west of Dushnikh Yal, Karthspire Camp Reward: Full set of Ebony Spell Knight Armor (enchanted, version dependent on quest completion), iron Spell Knight armor, steel Spell Knight armor; ability to craft each armor set ID: ccEDHSSE002_Quest Added by: Spell Knight Armor

A Breton ghost is known to haunt the banks of the Karth

Quick Walkthrough

1. Read Crypt of the Heart - Draft in the Silver-Blood Inn.
2. Travel to the bridge next to Reachcliff Secret Entrance and follow the Ghost Knight to his grave.
3. Defeat the Forsworn at the grave and read Forsworn Shaman's Note.
4. Locate the Beldama Witches at Karthspire Camp and take the Corrupted Human Heart.
5. Return to the knight's grave and make a choice:
   • Place the corrupted heart in the grave and defeat the knight's corrupted spirit in combat, then loot his grave for a set of Ebony Spell Knight Armor.
   • Use the Shrine of Mara to cleanse the knight's heart, then return it to his grave to be given a set of Ebony Spell Knight Armor by the appeased spirit.

Detailed Walkthrough

The Order of the Crypt

A lone flower marks the site of the ghostly apparitions

This quest will automatically begin upon installing the Spell Knight Armor Creation. You will be directed to visit the Silver-Blood Inn in Markarth to seek out rumors that might have crossed the border from High Rock. Once at the inn, your quest marker will direct you to a guest room containing a book named Crypt of the Heart - Draft. Reading it will reveal the story of the Order of the Crypt, a knightly order from Shornhelm, and the tragic tale of a knight named Simon Rodayne who fell in love with (or was tricked by) a witch of the Beldama Wyrd named Daenella. Their relationship brought the order into conflict with the witches, driving the coven further and further east. It is said that Simon's ghost haunts the banks of the Karth River, below his hilltop tomb.

You will then be directed to investigate these ghost sightings by travelling to a bridge that crosses the Karth River just next to Reachcliff Secret Entrance. On this bridge, you will find a lone red mountain flower; when approached, a Ghost Knight will appear behind you and will wander off to the south, towards Dushnikh Yal.

Follow the ghost as it makes its way up the slope. It will guide you to a grave west of Dushnikh Yal, which is surrounded by three hostile Forsworn. Kill the attackers and loot the Forsworn Shaman's body. She will be carrying a Forsworn Shaman's Note, which you must read to progress the quest. It reveals that the Beldama Wyrd has come to the Reach in search of Daenella in order to punish her for her betrayal. They have taken Simon's heart from his grave and have brought it to Karthspire Camp to defile it. Surrounding the grave, you will find the bodies of two Knights of the Crypt who had been sent to the Reach to track down and kill the Beldama witches. If you wish, you can loot their bodies for a full set of Iron Spell Knight Armor and Steel Spell Knight Armor.

Daenella and her lover's heart

A Stolen Heart

Journey to Karthspire Camp and prepare for a fight; the campsite is swarming with Forsworn, and with this Creation installed you will have to deal with the added threat of Beldama Witches and a hagraven called the Beldama Ward Mother. They are located on the eastern side of the camp.

Once you've subdued the many enemies at the campsite, approach the sacrificial altar where the Beldama witches are found. On it, you will find the corpse of Daenella, who had been captured by the witches and killed with the knowledge that the Ward Mother planned to corrupt her beloved's heart and return it to his grave tainted, damning his soul for eternity. Sure enough, you will find a Corrupted Human Heart on a pedestal in front of the altar. Take it and return to the knight's grave.

A Choice

Lovers reunited

A set of ebony armor is your reward

Once you have the heart, you will be instructed to return it to the knight's grave, with the optional step of first purifying the heart of corruption.

If you choose to place the corrupted heart within the grave, the corrupted spirit of Simon Rodayne will appear and attack you for damning his soul. He wields a bound sword in combat. Once you banish the ghost, you will be directed to loot his grave for a full set of enchanted Ebony Spell Knight Armor in order to complete the quest. This set has enchantments focused on offense (see Spell Knight Armor items).

If you instead wish to purify his heart, you must first activate the Shrine of Mara found at his tomb. Once this is done, place Simon Rodayne's Heart within his grave. This will cause a brief apparition of Simon and Daenella, finally reunited in death. The ghostly lovers will then disappear, and in their place a full set of enchanted Ebony Spell Knight Armor will materialize above the grave. This set has enchantments focused on defense. Take the armor to complete the quest.

Regardless of which option you choose, you will now be able to craft Spell Knight armor from iron, steel, and ebony at any forge, provided you have the necessary skill perks.

Notes

• The name of this quest (and the related book) is a reference to the Crypt of Hearts, which the Order of the Crypt is sworn to protect.
• It's not necessary to find or follow the Ghost to his grave, you can go straight to his grave to update the quest. ^{[verification needed — does this work before reading the book at the Silver-Blood Inn?]}
• Once the Crypt of the Heart-Draft is read at Silver-Blood Inn you can head straight to the gravesite of Simon Rodayne circumventing the bridge ghost.
• The Beldama coven can be attacked directly without going through Karthspire Camp by heading southwest from Soljund's Sinkhole and approaching the altar from above.
• At Karthspire Camp, the dead giant on the altar and the giant's toe will be absent during this quest, replaced by Daenella and the Corrupted Human Heart.

Bugs

• The Knights of the Crypt may not spawn around Rodayne's grave.

Quest Stages

Crypt of the Heart (ccEDHSSE002_Quest)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		The inns of Skyrim are a good place to look for rumors. Being on the western border, Markarth is one of the busiest holds in Skyrim. I should head to the inn there and see what I can find. Objective 10: Investigate the Silver-Blood Inn
20		I found a book at the Silver-Blood Inn that mentions the ghost of a Breton knight named Simon Rodayne. According to the book, he haunts the river below his tomb, south of Markarth. I should investigate the area and see what I can find. Objective 20: Look for the knight's ghost in the area south of Markarth
25		I found a book at the Silver-Blood Inn that mentions the ghost of a Breton knight named Simon Rodayne. According to the book, he haunts the river below his tomb, south of Markarth. At the river, I found the presence of a ghost who wandered off further south. Objective 25: Follow the ghost
30		I found a book at the Silver-Blood Inn that mentions the ghost of a Breton knight named Simon Rodayne. According to the book, he haunts the river below his tomb, south of Markarth. At the river, I found the presence of a ghost who wandered off further south. I followed the ghost up the hill when it vanished. The knight's tomb must be somewhere in the surrounding area.
40		I found a book at the Silver-Blood Inn that mentions the ghost of a Breton knight named Simon Rodayne. According to the book, he haunts the river below his tomb, south of Markarth. After following the ghost and climbing up to the top of the mountain, I found a tomb surrounded by three Forsworn. Objective 40: Defeat the Forsworn
50		I found a book at the Silver-Blood Inn that mentions the ghost of a Breton knight named Simon Rodayne. According to the book, he haunts the river below his tomb, south of Markarth. After following the ghost and climbing up to the top of the mountain, I found a tomb surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. Objective 50: Search the Forsworn Shaman
55		I investigated the area south of Markarth and was confronted by a ghost. After following the ghost and climbing up to the top of the mountain, I found a tomb surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that may provide additional clues. Objective 55: Read the Forsworn Shaman's note
60		I investigated the area south of Markarth and was confronted by a ghost. After following the ghost and climbing up to the top of the mountain, I found a tomb surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. Objective 60: Search Karthspire for the stolen heart
70		I investigated the area south of Markarth and was confronted by a ghost. After following the ghost and climbing up to the top of the mountain, I found a tomb surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. At Karthspire, I found two hagravens conducting a ritual with the heart at its center. I retrieved the heart and can now return it to the knight's tomb. Objective 70: Return the heart to the knight's tomb Objective 80: (Optional) Purify the heart at the altar
80		I investigated the area south of Markarth and was confronted by a ghost. After following the ghost and climbing up to the top of the mountain, I found a tomb surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. At Karthspire, I found two hagravens conducting a ritual with the heart at its center. I retrieved the heart and returned it to the knight's tomb.
90		I found a knight's tomb in Markarth surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. At Karthspire, I found two hagravens conducting a ritual with the heart at its center. I retrieved the heart and returned it to the knight's tomb. The heart was still corrupted, however, and the knight's ghost turned hostile as a result. Objective 90: Defeat the Corrupted Knight
95		I found a knight's tomb in Markarth surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. At Karthspire, I found two hagravens conducting a ritual with the heart at its center. I retrieved the heart and returned it to the knight's tomb. The heart was still corrupted, however, and the knight's ghost turned hostile as a result. I defeated the knight and can now retrieve his armor from the tomb. Objective 1000: Retrieve the knight's armor
100		I found a knight's tomb in Markarth surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. At Karthspire, I found two hagravens conducting a ritual with the heart at its center. I retrieved the heart and returned it to the knight's tomb. Objective 2000: Retrieve the knight's armor
1500	Finishes quest	I found a knight's tomb in Markarth surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. At Karthspire, I found two hagravens conducting a ritual with the heart at its center. I retrieved the heart and returned it to the knight's tomb. The heart was still corrupted, however, and the knight's ghost turned hostile as a result. I defeated the knight and took his armor for myself.
2000	Finishes quest	I found a knight's tomb in Markarth surrounded by three Forsworn, and defeated them in battle. On the shaman I found a note that implied they defiled the tomb and took the knight's heart to Karthspire. At Karthspire, I found two hagravens conducting a ritual with the heart at its center. I retrieved the heart and returned it to the knight's tomb. After purifying the heart, I saw a visage of the knight and the witch reunited once more.

Notes

• Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the Radiant Quest system, and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.
• 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 any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.
• 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 ccEDHSSE002_Quest stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages, but it is possible to clear all stages of the quest using resetquest ccEDHSSE002_Quest.