Diplomatic Immunity is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in which the Dragonborn must infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy to investigate the appearance of the dragons and their possible connection with the Thalmor.
Background[]
It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. She's going to talk to her contacts about how we can infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy.
Objectives[]
- Meet Delphine in Riverwood
- Meet Malborn in Solitude
- Give Malborn any equipment to smuggle into the Thalmor Embassy
- Meet Delphine at Katla's Farm in Solitude
- Create a distraction and get away from the party
- Retrieve the Dragonborn's gear (optional)
- Search for information about the dragons returning
- Escape the Thalmor Embassy
- Talk to Delphine
Walkthrough[]
Delphine thinks that the Thalmor know something about, or are even responsible for, the dragons' return to Skyrim. She has a plan to get the Dragonborn into the Thalmor Embassy, to gain access to their secret documents in an attempt to find out more about the situation at hand. She will acquire a legitimate invitation to a reception being held by the Thalmor ambassador, Elenwen. Find the Bosmer servant who spies for the Blades, Malborn, at the Winking Skeever tavern in Solitude.
When arriving, Malborn will agree to smuggle some equipment into the back-rooms. Malborn can bring an unlimited amount of gear with him, while the only gear the Dragonborn will have during the beginning of the mission will be what has been given to Malborn.
There is only one chance to give him gear. Nothing else can be given to him once the trade dialogue closes, and remember nothing else can be taken inside; give it to Malborn. Give him some lockpicks, since there will be locks to pick.
Afterwards, the Dragonborn will meet with Delphine at the Solitude Stables at Katla's Farm to pick up the invitation and party disguise, and then drop off everything else on hand with Delphine; everything given to her will be stored safely until reclaimed after the mission. Delphine will store the inventory in a chest in her hidden office in the Sleeping Giant Inn back in Riverwood.
Once at the party, the Dragonborn will be approached by ambassador Elenwen and will become engaged in conversation. Malborn interrupts the conversation, causing the ambassador to walk off. The Dragonborn then has the opportunity to speak with Malborn and ask him for a drink.
Distracting the party guests[]
Ambassador Elenwen greets the Dragonborn upon entering the Thalmor Embassy. After speaking with her, the Dragonborn will need to create an opening to slip out of the party; tell Malborn when ready, and he will wait by the door behind the bar for the Dragonborn's next move:
- Should one talk to Razelan (he is on the bench nearest to Malborn), he will ask for a drink. Malborn can conveniently provide the Dragonborn with a Colovian Brandy to give to Razelan, who then offers to do the Dragonborn a favor in return. Getting a drink from the Bosmer servant, Brelas, and giving it to Razelan will also work. Tell him to create a scene, and he will make a grandiose announcement, distracting everybody.
- Alternatively, if the Dragonborn is acquainted with Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone and has previously assisted her, such as becoming Thane of Hjaalmarch, she may be asked to cause a distraction, as "an old woman can get away with anything." She will then begin harassing Razelan and making a commotion, which provides the necessary cover to slip away.
- Otherwise, if the Dragonborn is a Thane of Falkreath, then Jarl Siddgeir, assuming that he is indeed at the function, may be asked to cause a distraction. He will start rambling to Razelan about Ulfric Stormcloak.
- Another option is to overhear Erikur unsuccessfully trying to flirt with the Bosmer servant Brelas. Speaking with Erikur afterward will make him mention his weakness for Bosmer women, and the Dragonborn can therefore offer to speak with her on his behalf. Speaking with Brelas reveals her dislike for guests like Erikur, and asks that he be persuaded to leave her alone. Speak to Erikur once again, and any speech option chosen will cause Erikur to lose his temper and accost Brelas, thus diverting everybody's attention. (Brelas will end up in the dungeon, but can be freed later in the quest)
- If on good terms with Ondolemar, the Thalmor Justicar seen in Understone Keep in Markarth, the Dragonborn may ask him to create a distraction (after a persuasion check), whereupon he begins accusing Razelan of insulting the Thalmor.
- Provided that Bound Until Death has not been completed, if the Dragonborn has a high Speech skill and Vittoria Vici is in the room, she can be persuaded to cause a distraction.
- If the quest for Orthus Endario has been completed, the Dragonborn may ask him to make a distraction, in which he will accuse Razelan of insulting the Thalmor.
- If the Dragonborn has become the master of the Thieves Guild, then the Dragonborn may request Maven Black-Briar to cause a distraction. However, she may not be in attendance if she has become Jarl of the Rift beforehand through capturing Fort Greenwall during the Skyrim Civil War quests.
- Other people the Dragonborn has done favors for might be in attendance, including other Jarls. Some might be persuaded to make a distraction. This distraction, like that caused by Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone, will likely involve making a scene at Razelan's expense. This has been observed with Igmund and Elisif the Fair, among others.
Once there is an opening, go to the door behind the bar and follow Malborn. Go through the kitchen to a pantry, where Malborn will blackmail the Khajit cook to pretend she never saw them, retrieve the smuggled equipment from a chest, and go through a door into the next hallway. Malborn will lock the door behind the Dragonborn, completing this phase of the mission, while he heads back to the party before Elenwen grows suspicious of his disappearance.
Thalmor espionage[]
As Malborn locks the door, two Thalmor Soldiers can be heard in the room past the door on the left:
Thalmor Soldier 1: "Did you see those robes march in this morning? Who're they with? More of the Emissary's treaty enforcers?" Thalmor Soldier 2: "No. They're high mages, just in from Alinor. I guess Herself is finally getting worried about all the dragon attacks." Thalmor Soldier 1: "Ah, good. I was wondering how we were supposed to defend this place from a dragon." Thalmor Soldier 2: "If a dragon does show up, maybe we'll get lucky and it will eat the mages first. Might give us enough time to kill it." Thalmor Soldier 1: "Ha! I'd like to see those arrogant bastards taken down a notch. Always looking down their noses at us lowly footsloggers." Thalmor Soldier 1 and 2: "[hearty laughter]" Thalmor Soldier 1: "Well, I guess we should get back to our rounds."
After talking, both will return to their duties in the room the Dragonborn will have to pass through to continue. Behind the bar are stairs leading up to a Thalmor Wizard. Kill them (or wait for them to move out of the way and sneak past them), and then either go through the ground floor exit or turn left at the top of the stairs. Kill or sneak around the mage, and then turn left again to enter a room with access to a second floor exit. This will open to an exterior area with more enemies to kill or avoid. The two guards can be avoided, but a mage guards the door and will alert the guards if he is attacked. It is, however, possible to go through the door with a sufficiently high Sneak level without alerting the wizard, by sneaking as close to them as possible (within Pickpocket range), targeting the door and activating it. If a general alarm is raised, additional guards will come from the barracks. Once clear, enter the only door into the ambassador's offices (Elenwen's Solar).
If the Dragonborn is an Altmer and is wearing hooded Thalmor Robes, they may walk past all the guards without incident. Walking is essential, as running, even as an Altmer and wearing Thalmor robes, will cause the guards to become hostile. Even if the Dragonborn is an Altmer, the Thalmor wizard at the door to the Solar will ask why they are not at their post. At this point, the option to persuade the wizard that Elenwen wants to see them inside becomes available. If this persuasion is successful, the wizard will say to "take his post" and say not to let anyone in, at which point he should leave the area, but appears to stay where he is. Either way, once inside the Solar, any disguise will no longer work and everyone inside will become hostile on sight.
Inside, either kill everyone or sneak over to the chest the quest arrow is pointing to, and grab the needed items. Read the documents taken to activate the next arrow. If Rulindil and/or Gissur are not killed, they will have to be fought later (when exiting the Embassy, and in a follow-up quest in the Ratway, respectively).
There is a locked display case in Rulindil's office, containing two elven daggers, a gold and ruby circlet, and a gold and emerald circlet. There is also a gold ingot in one of the upper rooms, along with more loot, but one will have to slip by the lone Thalmor soldier that patrols the stairs or kill them to be able to loot the upper floor.
After recovering the quest items from the office, the quest arrow will lead down into the dungeon, where Etienne Rarnis is being kept captive. If Rulindil was killed in his office, the only other person in the dungeon will be a guard patrolling outside the cells. If Rulindil was allowed to walk down the stairs, he will also be there, sitting at a desk (taking notes) while the guard tortures the prisoner to get him to confess the information the Thalmor are seeking regarding someone they are looking for of great interest.
Etienne: "Stop. Please. I don't know anything else. Don't you think I'd have told you already?" Soldier: "Silence. You know the rules. Do not speak unless spoken to. Master Rulindil will ask the questions." Rulindil: "Let's begin again." Etienne: "No... for pity's sake... I've already told you everything..." Rulindil: "You know the rules." Etienne: "Noooooo!!!" Rulindil: "Start at the beginning, as usual. If you persist in this stubbornness I'll have..." Etienne: "No, wait! I was just... catching my breath... why wouldn't I tell you again? I don't even know anything... There's an old man. He lives in Riften. He could be this Esbern you're looking for, but I don't know. He's old and seemed kind of crazy. That's all I know." Rulindil: "And his name is...?" Etienne: "I don't know his name. Like I've told already a hundred- Ahhhh!" Rulindil: "You know the rules. Just answer the questions. And where can we find this nameless old man?" Etienne: "Like I said, I don't know! I've seen him down in the Ratway. Maybe he lives down there, but I don't know for sure." Rulindil: "That will be all for now. I must say I continue to be disappointed in your lack of cooperation. I hope next time you will do better." Etienne: "What else do you want from me? I've already told you everything. Listen, if you let me go I can take you to Riften, show you where- Gaaaaah!!!" Soldier: "Silence, prisoner!"
Information about Esbern is needed to proceed. This can be done in three ways:
- Pretend to be an interrogator and order the prisoner to repeat what he told the Thalmor.
- Release the prisoner and ask if he has any useful information.
- Open the chest located behind where Rulindil sits to take notes and read the documents inside.
Whichever method is used, learning about Esbern triggers a scripted event leading to the next stage of the quest.
Escaping[]
After the Dragonborn learns about Esbern, two Thalmor guards will enter the dungeon with Malborn in custody, his cover blown. The guards hold the key to the trapdoor, so they have to be killed. If the Dragonborn is an Altmer dressed in full Elven Armor the guards will not be hostile, allowing them to get within the range of melee weapons. If they are not dead yet, Rulindil and the guard that had been torturing Etienne will assist with attacking Malborn and the Dragonborn, so they will all have to be killed before escaping into the Reeking Cave through the trapdoor with the key looted from the guards' bodies. Note that at this time, if Brelas was imprisoned, would be the time to free her.
Once through the trapdoor, a frost troll will be waiting, as well as any followers that might have been left before entering the party. Under the stone ledge is a necromancer's body, an Illusion Skill Book called Before the Ages of Man, a Stone of Barenziah, and some loot. The Stone should be best seized now, for there is no other method of accessing this place upon quest completion.
Exiting the cave will allow seeing off anyone that was saved. Return to Riverwood to reclaim any gear from Delphine's chest. If Etienne survived, he can later be found in Riften among the Thieves Guild. If Malborn survived, he can be found in the New Gnisis Cornerclub in Windhelm, and he will give the Dragonborn another quest to find and kill a Thalmor assassin who is keeping him from leaving Windhelm and Skyrim. If the distraction done at the party led to Brelas being incarcerated and she is rescued with Malborn and Etienne, if she survived, she will flee with Malborn to Windhelm, and then flee with him back across the Skyrim-Morrowind border once Malborn's quest is completed.
Potential guests[]
The following is a list of all the potential guests who may be found during the party.
- Balgruuf the Greater, after completion of the "Battle for Whiterun"
- Proventus Avenicci
- Orthus Endario, upon completion of "Rise in the East"
- Elisif the Fair
- Vittoria Vici
- Ondolemar
- Siddgeir
- Igmund
- Idgrod Ravencrone
- Maven Black-Briar
- General Tullius, after completion of "Message to Whiterun"
- Erikur
Journal[]
Diplomatic Immunity – MQ201 | |
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ID | Journal Entry |
30 |
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40 | It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. She's going to help me infiltrate the Thalmor ambassador's manor and find out what they know about the dragons. I should meet with her contact, Malborn, in the Winking Skeever Inn in Solitude.
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50 |
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70 |
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100 | It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. I met with her contact, Malborn, who is going to smuggle some of my equipment into the Thalmor ambassador's manor. I'm going to infiltrate the manor posing as a guest at the ambassador's party. Once inside, I need to meet up with Malborn and figure out a way to slip away from the party without being caught.
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110 |
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140 | It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. Her contact, Malborn, smuggled some of my equipment into the Thalmor ambassador's manor. I infiltrated the manor posing as a guest at the ambassador's party. Now I need to search the ambassador's office to find out what the Thalmor know about the dragons.
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160 |
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170 |
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190 |
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210 | It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. With the help of her contact, Malborn, I infiltrated the manor posing as a guest at the ambassador's party. I've now learned that the Thalmor are just as in the dark as we are - in fact, they're searching Riften for a Blade named Esbern, who they believe knows what the return of the dragons means.
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230 |
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250 | It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. With the help of her contact, Malborn, I infiltrated the manor posing as a guest at the ambassador's party. I learned that the Thalmor are just as in the dark as we are - in fact, they're searching Riften for a Blade named Esbern, who they believe knows what the return of the dragons means.
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255 |
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Conversations[]
During the quest, the present Jarls can have a variety of conversations:
- Stormcloaks
Jarl 1: "We've got our hands full dealing with the Stormcloaks. What about you?" Jarl 2: "We've had the same troubles." Jarl 1: "With any luck, a worthy hero will step forward and solve our problems, just like in the tales of old."
- Dragons
Jarl 1: "Are the dragons frightening your people as much as they're frightening mine?" Jarl 2: "I've spent many hours in council meetings lately grappling with that problem." Jarl 1: "We must keep faith in ourselves and the Divines."
- Provisions
Jarl 1: "Have you found it difficult to get provisions lately? I can scarcely feed the staff in my palace." Jarl 2: "I've spent many hours in council meetings lately grappling with that problem." Jarl 1: "These are troubling times, indeed."
- Coffers
Jarl 1: "Between the dragons and the Stormcloaks, my coffers are running dry." Jarl 2: "I've spent many hours in council meetings lately grappling with that problem." Jarl 1: "These are troubling times, indeed."
There's also a variety of generic topics which can be overheard.
First line:
"I heard Elenwen say she's going open a bottle of her best Firebrand Wine later. I can hardly wait." "These Stormcloaks are nothing more than an armed mob. This war won't last much longer." "I hope they'll serve the roast venison with bittergreen sauce that we had at the last party. That was delicious." "This war has taken a toll on the merchants of Skyrim. Let's hope that it ends soon, for their sake." "I look forward to the day when this rebellion is put down, and we once again have peace." "The Gray Quarter in Windhelm is little better than a slum. It's shameful that the dark elves are made to live that way." "With the soldiers all fighting in the war, there's nobody to hunt down the bandits. Travel has become dangerous of late." "It's been a brutal winter. I can't remember the last time it was this cold, and for this long."
Responding line:
"Yes, I agree with you. Have you heard any news from the other parts of Skyrim?" "You speak truly. Have you heard any interesting rumors of late?" "I'll not argue that. Heard any interesting gossip lately?" "I couldn't agree more. By the way, have you heard any interesting rumors lately?" "I couldn't have said it better myself. It's been some time since I've had news from elsewhere in Skyrim. What have you heard?" "I know just what you mean. Heard anything interesting lately? Any news or gossip?"
Closing line:
"Well, I did hear that the Argonians have been banned from living inside the walls of Windhelm. They're only allowed on the city docks now. Most of them sleep together in one building, and they're as poor as wretches." "Have you visited Rorikstead lately? No matter how harsh the winter, the crops that grow there never falter. Even when every other farm in the hold is barely scraping by, the harvest at Rorikstead is always bountiful. Is it good fortune? The blessings of the Divines? Who knows?" "Now that I think on it, I did hear something rather interesting the other day. Apparently, the Red Wave has been docked in Solitude for well over a month, and with no sign of shipping out any time soon. Some say the ship suffered damage to her hull when she struck an iceberg, and Captain Safia can't afford the repairs. Of course, she would never admit such a thing. Captain Safia is far too proud a woman for that." "Well, there might be nothing to it, but I've heard that the feud between the Gray-Manes and the Battle-Borns in Whiterun has grown ugly. Fralia Gray-Mane is convinced that the Battle-Borns have abducted one of her sons." "I'm not sure that it's news, but lately it seems like every blacksmith in Skyrim is out to prove that he's the equal of Eorlund Gray-Mane. It's not really a fair comparison, if you ask me. After all, Eorlund works the Skyforge. How is any smith going to compete with that?" "Well, I did see something interesting not long ago. There were several Khajiit camped outside the walls of Whiterun. Seems they've been traveling around the whole of Skyrim peddling their wares. You've got to admire their courage, doing something like that with dragons on the loose and a war going on." "I heard those mages up in Winterhold have been trying to figure out how many dragons there are in Skyrim. They seem to think it's at least a dozen, but I'm sure they're exaggerating. They're probably trying to scare us into giving them more money and influence, so they can save us from the dragons threat." "Well, I did hear that Ulfric Stormcloak was slain while defending Windhelm against a dragon, but it sounds too good to be true. I'll wager it was Ulfric himself that started the rumor. Maybe he thought it would bolster recruitment."
Trivia[]
- It is not possible to go into sneak when the party is first entered. Sneaking becomes possible only after Malborn has opened the door allowing the Dragonborn to leave the party.
- If the embassy is returned to following this quest, the gates will be able to be opened through normal lockpicking, whereas before the quest they required a key to open. However, the embassy building itself will be locked and requires a key. The rest of the grounds can be explored via exploiting a bug with the embassy's walls. See the page for the embassy for more details.
- The wizard found after exiting the kitchen has hooded Thalmor robes which will act as a disguise, making it easier to sneak around. Imperials, Bretons, Nords, and Redguards can avoid detection at a distance, Dunmer and Bosmer can get closer, and Altmer can stroll around without question. This only works if no weapons, spells, amulets/necklaces, or rings are equipped. It does not work for Khajiit, Orsimer, and Argonians, regardless of any other circumstances. If a vampire, the disguise will not work, and the Thalmor will attack on sight.
- Although Ondolemar is in the party (provided that Markarth was not invaded by the Stormcloaks), if the miscellaneous quest of giving him Ogmund's Amulet of Talos is not completed before the quest, it cannot be completed during the party.
- People who provide distraction options (aside from Razelan himself and Erikur) will always make a scene about humiliating Razelan.
- A dragon may appear right after giving the Dragonborn's equipment to Delphine. This may prove a challenge as they will have no weapons or armor—aside from quest items (e.g. Ulfric's War Axe) and cannot speak to Delphine and board the carriage for the party until the dragon is dealt with.
- The Dragonborn is are able to hear gossip about the party around Skyrim: Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone and Maven Black-Briar will talk about the Grey Quarter and rumors that Ulfric Stormcloak was slain when defending his city against a dragon. Maven humorously said that Ulfric himself started the rumor to get more recruits. Idgrod and Erikur speak about what made Rorikstead a great beautiful harvest. And Idgrod and Maven also speak about Khajiit Caravan camps outside the walls of the city and that Idgrod speaks highly of them for their courage in the war and against dragons, while insulting the Stormcloaks by being an armed mob.
- It is possible to begin this quest by wall glitching into the embassy and stealing the papers.
- Quest items cannot be given to Malborn, and will not be confiscated by Delphine, making it potentially possible to bring extra equipment in, such as weapons and armor.
- Although an Altmer in hooded Thalmor robes can walk around without hostilities, one cannot loiter in one spot for too long (about 15 seconds), or backtrack to another area, or the Thalmor in that area will become hostile.
- If the Dragonborn does not want to wear the party clothes and boots during the actual party, they can talk to Taarie about going to the Blue Palace where she will give them Radiant Raiment fine clothes. As long as the clothes are not worn in front of Elisif the Fair (thus completing part of the misc. objective), they can then change out of the Party Clothes after arriving at the Embassy and into the Radiant Raiment clothes, as they are still marked as a "quest item" and thus are not removed from the inventory.
- Like many other achievements in Skyrim, the icon depicts something associated with the completion of the particular achievement. In this case, it is the design of the belt buckle for the mage robes worn by Thalmor mages.
Bugs[]
This section contains bugs related to Diplomatic Immunity. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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Quest preparation and completion[]
Giving and getting back items glitches[]
Glitches during the quest[]
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Achievements[]
Diplomatic Immunity Complete "Diplomatic Immunity" | |
Points | 20 |
Trophy |
Appearances[]
Skyrim Main Quests | |
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Act I | |
Act II |
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Act III |