No One Escapes Cidhna Mine

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No One Escapes from Cidhna Mine
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Prerequisite	The Forsworn Conspiracy
Quest Giver	Markarth Gaurds
Location	Markarth
Rewards	Silver-Blood Family Ring
Quest Objectives
Locked Up Borkul the Beast Find a Shiv Madanach's Cell Option 1: Kill Madanach Option 2: Jailbreak the Forsworn Option 3: Play Both Sides

Wrongfully imprisoned by the cities guards, framed for murder, you have been sentenced to a life of manual labor at Cidhna Mine. You must escape!

Lore

Criminals in their own land, the Forsworn where the first to settle in the area but when the Nords came they where enslaved & worship of their gods was banned. Some of them refused to submit and held onto their old ways in the hopes of being able to create a kingdom of their own. They seek vengeance and are willing to spill blood to achieve their freedom. During the uprising, they where on the verge of taking Markarth and had drove the Nords out, but their leader Madanach was captured, quickly tried and sentenced to death. Yet his execution never came, Thonar Silver-Blood had stopped it. He had a devious plan to manipulate the Forsworn into doing his bidding by using their incarcerated leader as leverage. So.. Madanach has played along with Thonar's plans patiently waiting for his opportunity to make a move.

Walkthrough

While returning to the Shrine of Talos with the evidence from the quest The Forsworn Conspiracy you are arrested by some corrupted Markarth Gaurds. Hopefully before this you saved your game outside the shrine prior to being arrested and made your companions/followers wait outside too. The quest starts off with you spawning naked in your cell, all your gear will be returned if the quest is completed correctly.

There are two endings to this quest be forewarned and make sure you have a save before choosing either path. You can side with the Silver-Blood family & also the city of Markarth or alternatively the barbarians the Forsworn. Choose wisely.

Locked Up

When you come to, you will find yourself in a cell with a guard. If you take a look at your quest log you will see that you need to find Madanach. Jump down to the main room with the campfire, speak to Uraccen who will be sitting down next to the fire. He will tell you in order to speak to Madanach you will have to get past the gate and the orc guarding it.

I should also note that the mine is full of ore deposits and you can easily find a spare pickaxe laying around.

Borkul the Beast

Borkul the Beast, a cold blooded murder holds the key to the gate that leads to Madanach room. There are two ways of getting the key, complete his miniquest by finding a Shiv or if you have high enough Speechcraft you can brawl; if you choose to brawl him and if you win he will immediately offer up the key.

Find a Shiv

Go down the right corridor, Speak to Grisvar the Unlucky about getting a Shiv, he has one but will ask for you to find him Skooma first. Find Duach, persuade or intimidate (brawl) him for the Skooma; you can also pickpocket it? Return to Grisvar to make the exchange. Then continue on, back to Borkul, offer him the Shiv and in-turn he will unlock the gate.

Madanach's Cell

This is where the alternative options for the quest split; Make sure you know which option you wish to peruse and save before entering the cell! work in progress...

Option 1: Kill Madanach

Immediately kill him or when talking select the "Lets start with revenge!" option. Loot Madanach Note and Key off his corpse. Exit through the locked gate that you pasted on the way to Madanach's cell. Thonar will pardon any crimes committed. work in progress...

Option 2: Jailbreak the Forsworn

When you first speak to Madanach select the option "I want my freedom" and He will tell you that even if you did escape that you would still not be exonerated for the framed murders and that you are one of them now. Select the next dialogue option "Understand? How?" to continue on this alt. quest path. He will send you to learn the sob story of Braig. Find and speak to Braig, but before he tells you his story, he will ask you a few questions about your own.

Eventually, He will tell you that when he was arrested as a Forsworn agent, His daughter Aethra pleaded to the Jarl to take her fathers place at the chopping block. A request that was obliged, they made Braig watch as his daughter was executed right in front of him and then threw him into the mine anyways.e He says his story of suffering isnt unique and that every family in the Reach has a story like his. "There are no innocent onlookers in this struggle, just the guilty and the dead."

Return to Madanach and tell him you heard Braig's story. He will test your loyalty by asking you to kill Grisvar the Unlucky who he regards him as a theif and a snitch. Ask for a Shiv, then go back to Grisvar, inform him that "Madanach says hello" and kill him. Return once again to Madanach who will welcome you as a brother into the Forsworn but first things first everyone needs to escape! The locked gate that requires a key on the way to Madanach room will be opened, follow the gang through there to Markarth Ruins. Through the tunnels and pass spider(s) you will come to a large room their are two dwarven spheres are in here, they can prove to be very quiet hard. Continue on to the end of the tunnel at the door leading to Markarth wait here until Kaie returns all of your gear and Madanach gives you four pieces of Armor of the Old Gods: Helmet of the Old Gods, Armor of the Old Gods, Gauntlets of the Old Gods, and Boots of the Old Gods.

Once you are ready, exit to Markarth, you will step out into a scene of carnage. Madanach will kill Thonar and the Forsworn will run through the city slaughtering guard after guard all the way through to the gates and onward to freedom.

Option 3: Play Both Sides

work in progress...

Notes

work in progress...