The Blue Palace (also called Castle Solitude in older textbooks), is located in Solitude, the capital city of Skyrim. Solitude’s awe-inspiring landmark is its ornate palace, where the newly appointed Jarl Elisif the Fair resides. It is built on the ruins of the old palace, which was destroyed by a fire. There is only one entrance: from the cloisters at the end of the Avenues District.
Interior
Entrance Staircases
Through the Receiving Hall is a pair of impressive curved staircases and guards dotted around. To the right (southwest) is a chest and a door to the Pelagius Wing, which is firmly sealed due to "strange things happening". To the left (northeast) is a corridor to the kitchens and private staircase.
Kitchens
A large array of food is stocked here, presided over by Odar the chef. There’s a storage corridor to the northwest leading to wine barrels and a servants’ bedroom.
Large Bedroom
Close to the private steps, there are two large beds in here but little to steal.
Pelagius Wing
This part of the palace is sealed off and uninhabited, filled with cobwebs and poorly lit. This wing is where Pelagius the Mad lived before becoming Emperor and is said to be cursed. No one will set foot in there. If starting the Daedric Quest: The Mind of Madness, upon obtaining the key from Falk Firebeard, a journey into the depths of the long-dead ruler's mind itself is granted.
Cellar
Head down the private steps to a chamber of beds and a chest.
After completion of the Stormcloak questline: any of the Original Jarls that sided with the Imperials, such as Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, along with their housecarls, children and siblings will stay here.
Jarl’s Throne Room
Atop the curved stairs (or the private ones) is the main chamber where Jarl Elisif the Fair resides and listens to the news of the day and any worries her subjects may have. She is guarded by Bolgeir Bearclaw, her Housecarl. She is flanked by Sybille Stentor (Court Wizard), Falk Firebeard (Steward), and two Thanes, Erikur and Bryling.
Northeast Corridor
To the left (northeast) is a corridor where one will find a book named Lost Legends on a low table (read it to start the Forbidden Legend quest). The corridor leads to the Court Wizard's bedroom. There's an Arcane Enchanter and some impressive staffs, potions, and books on show here. To the north is Falk's small bedroom and the Jarl's bedchamber. This impressive room has a small alcove with the Speech skill book Biography of the Wolf Queen and an Unusual Gem on the bedside cabinet.
Notable items
- A Stone of Barenziah on the bedside cabinet in the Jarl's room.
- Biography of the Wolf Queen - Speech skill book.
- Surfeit of Thieves - Lockpicking skill book can be found at the bottom of the Pelagius Wing.
- There are several alchemical ingredients that can be harvested or stolen inside, as well as many food items that can be stolen.
- The Wabbajack can be obtained by completing "The Mind of Madness".
Quests
- The Man Who Cried Wolf
- Kill the Vampire
- No Stone Unturned
- The Mind of Madness
- The Wolf Queen Awakened
- Scoundrel's Folly
- Tending the Flames
- The Dainty Sload
- Elisif's Tribute
- Fit for a Jarl
Buying and selling
- Sybille Stentor sells Spell Tomes.
- Falk Firebeard sells property and upgrades for property after the Dragonborn completes Elisif's Tribute.
Gallery
Trivia
- A secret tunnel entrance leading straight to the Queen Potema's bedchambers is mentioned in "The Wolf Queen, Book VIII".
- It bears features typical of a French or early Italian Renaissance building. It also has Romanesque features and some Gothic.
- The food and harvestable plants are tagged "steal" until the completion of the quest The Man Who Cried Wolf, at which point they become tagged "take".
- If the Dragonborn decides to side with the Stormcloaks, each Imperial Jarl and their followers will reside here after each province is taken. They will insult the Dragonborn if approached, though they will still offer quests and radiant bounties if one were to interact with them.
- The same thing would apply to the removed Stormcloaks Jarls in Windhelm, though they seem to use less aggressive words and does not insult the player as much.
- Despite being an Imperial Jarl, Maven Black-Briar is not relocated here if Riften was seized. This is likely due to her political connections.
- If the Dragonborn sides with the Stormcloaks, gets far enough through the Thieves Guild questline, gets caught pickpocketing from one of the prisoners/residents in the basement and then bribes the guard, the pickpocket's target may accidentally harm another person. This causes a fight to erupt between all the jarls and their courts. There don't appear to be any particular sides, and Elisif the Fair's court will join in. While this can be entertaining, it does make purchases from Falk Firebeard for Proudspire Manor difficult, and it is extremely difficult to stop the fight, since the Jarls' housecarls immediately rush to their masters' aid. Eventually, everybody in the Palace gets caught in, without any casualties except for the guards, since everyone involved is marked as essential. Except for the use of Voice of the Emperor or Calm, there is no way to stop them fighting.
Bugs
This section contains bugs related to Blue Palace (Skyrim). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- 360 The bedrooms at the eastern and northern ends of the building have a bug with their double doors. Although they appear to be in their jambs, as normal, they actually exist a couple of feet into the corridor when shut, and in the middle of the doorway when open. This means the Dragonborn might be trapped behind these invisible obstacles if they close the doors after leaving the room, or bumps into them when walking through the doorway.
- 360 Rarely and randomly the front door of the blue palace may appear locked (expert). Every time the Dragonborn leaves the palace, the front door will be locked again, resulting in repeated lockpicks every time the palace needs to be entered.