Beyond Skyrim:Cyrodiil/A Stormcloak in Chains

Help or hinder a captured Stormcloak. Quest Giver: Legate Precilius Varro Location(s): Fort Pale Pass Next Quest: Within the Ruins (if sided with Legate Varro) Reward: Leveled gold or 500 gold (amount choice-dependent) ID: CYRFortPalePassMS01New

A sullen Bjarni

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Legate Precilius Varro about his interrogation worries.
2. Interrogate Bjarni Shatter-Stone.
3. Beat back the Stormcloak assault and decide whether or not to hand Bjarni over to the Penitus Oculatus.

OR

1. Break Bjarni free from his cell and lead him outside.
2. Slay the Legate and the Penitus Oculatus agents and escape the fort.

Detailed Walkthrough

A Sullen Stormcloak

Upon arriving at Fort Pale Pass, you will witness a soldier delivering a report to Legate Precilius Varro: the recently captured Stormcloak prisoner has not been cooperating with interrogators. Ask the Legate about this and he will reveal a Stormcloak was caught crossing the border from Skyrim but that he has proved utterly cooperative under questioning. If he can't get the prisoner to talk soon, the Penitus Oculatus, who are on their way, will. He asks for your help and sends you off to the prison with a Letter of Permission.

Once you arrive at the prison, the guard will check your letter and then open the door for you. All exterior doors leading outside will now be locked right across the fort, the main entrance door being the only exception. Head inside and make your way to the cell holding Bjarni Shatter-Stone, the Stormcloak prisoner. From here, you can take two routes: either helping Bjarni escape or aiding in his interrogation.

Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

Off to Blue River Prison

When first speaking to Bjarni, his cooperation will depend on how you approach the conversation. If you claim to be part of the Legion he will brush you off. You can then choose to either persuade, intimidate or use Illusion on Bjarni to get the information. To be successful you will need to pass an Average Speech challenge for the first option; have a combination of a Speech skill above 40 and at least level 12 for the second; and an Illusion skill above 50 for the third. You can also get him to spill the beans by simply tricking him into thinking you're a Stormcloak. Either way, he will confess his plan: invade Cyrodiil and strike at the Imperial City, the heart of the Empire. At this point, the jailer approaches and asks for a quiet word in his quarters: he wants you to keep pressing the prisoner to find out who sent him and how many accomplices he has.

Extracting both pieces of information will require even higher levels of Speech or Illusion to persuade or mind-read: passing a Hard Speech challenge or having a minimum skill of 75 for the first bit of information, and passing a Very Hard Speech challenge or having a minimum skill of 100 for the second. Intimidation skill and level requirements remain the same. Eventually, Bjarni will admit he's part of a splinter group, the Stormcloak Breakaways, and that he made his way through the Serpent's Trail along with six other companions. Report back to the jailer, and you will hear a commotion in the cells; rush back to find a Stormcloak soldier trying to free Bjarni. Dispatch him and head back into the fort to warn the Legate, battling your way past four more Stormcloaks.

Once outside, help the Legate defeat the Stormcloak assault party and witness the arrival of two Penitus Oculatus agents, who will ask you to share all your information with them. If you refuse, they will attack you. If you agree, they will reward you with some leveled gold (see below). Bjarni will then be brought out in front of them and plead to you to rescue him. If you decide not to intervene, the agents will teleport away with the prisoner; alternatively you can attack the agents. In both instances where you fight the Oculatus agents, the fort garrison will not take sides. Regardless of your choices, Varro will reward you with some leveled gold (see below).

Pale Pass Redemption

I'm not angry, just disappointed...

If you instead decide to help Bjarni, which you can do so at any point until you report back to the jailer on the final set of interrogation questions, he will ask you to either pick the Master lock on his cell or to steal the key to the cells from the table in the jailer's quarters and open his cell door. Once he is free, he will immediate fight and kill the jailer. You can now choose to either attempt a sneaky exit from the fort, or go for a full-blown prison break.

If you choose the former, it is better to wait until nighttime, when most of the fort will be asleep, and to avoid freeing the other prisoners. If you're going for the rampage option, then freeing the three other prisoners and providing them with equipment from the nearby armory is advisable. Regardless of either option, breaking into the Legate's private quarters and blowing his warhorn from the top of the fort tower is also recommended, as it will provide you with a reinforcement of three Stormcloak soldiers to aid you in the final confrontation. To reach the tower, keep going east past the main entrance of the fort and follow the stairs upwards.

Once you step outside the fort, you will be met by the Legate and two Penitus Oculatus agents, flanked by a number of other soldiers. The Legate accuses you of being a traitor and will then proceed to attack you. This is a tough fight, with the Legate and the agents in particular providing stiff resistance, so having the extra reinforcements and the other prisoners can be of great value. Once the Imperials are all dead, Bjarni will say his goodbyes and ask for your name. If you give it to him, about four days later you will be approached by a courier with a letter from Bjarni and 500 gold.

Reward

Both Varrus and the Penitus Oculatus agents will reward you with the same leveled amount of gold:

Levels	Reward
1–9	400
10–19	600
20–29	800
30–39	1,000
40+	1,200

Notes

• While the quest objective will simply tell you to escape the fort in the event you choose to stage a prison break, simply running away won't do - you will need to kill all Imperial soldiers before the quest can be completed.
• If you chose to help Bjarni, after the quest is complete the Skyrim Border Gate will be staffed by Stormcloak soldiers, rather than Imperial ones.
• If you fought the Penitus Oculatus agents, Varro will mention he is now worried that an investigation will lead to him being relieved of command soon. However, this doesn't come to pass and after a few days you will still receive the couriered letter which starts Within the Ruins.

Bugs

• Once you've freed Bjarni it is possible he will attack and kill the jailer, but won't do the same to the other Imperial soldier nearby, who instead will simply loiter around. ^?
• If you attack the Penitus Oculatus agents once Bjarni has made his final plea, after they are dead Bjarni will simply walk back to his cell instead of making a run for it. Once he reaches the cell he will loiter around without any bindings. If you then speak to Varro and return to the cell, Bjarni will have resumed his previous kneeling and bound position, and won't have any dialogue options. ^?
• If you fight the Penitus Oculatus agents, you will continue to hear combat music for days even after killing them. ^?

Quest Stages

A Stormcloak in Chains (CYRFortPalePassMS01New)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
5		The commander of the Imperial forces stationed at Pale Pass to watch the Cyrodiil-Skyrim border, Legate Precilius Varro, has hit a dead end with his interrogations of a recently-captured Stormcloak prisoner. He offered to reward me if I'm able to get useful information out of him. Alternatively, I could, of course, free the prisoner... But first, I must present my letter of permission to the prison guard before I can enter the prison wing.
6		The commander of the Imperial forces stationed at Pale Pass to watch the Cyrodiil-Skyrim border, Legate Precilius Varro, has hit a dead end with his interrogations of a recently-captured Stormcloak prisoner. He offered to reward me if I'm able to get useful information out of him. Alternatively, I could, of course, free the prisoner... Objective 5: Interrogate the Stormcloak prisoner in Fort Pale Pass Objective 10: Get intel from the Stormcloak prisoner Objective 11: (Optional) Help the prisoner escape by unlocking his cell Objective 102: Talk to the jailer in his quarters Objective 110: Find out who sent the prisoner Objective 111: Find out if the prisoner had any accomplices, and how many Objective 112: Report to the jailer once you've extracted all the information you can
200		At the behest of Legate Precilius Varro, I've successfully interrogated Bjarni Shatter-Stone, the Stormcloak prisoner held in Fort Pale Pass's jail. The jailer is hearing sounds coming from the jail. I'd best take a break from speed-writing journal entries to check it out. Objective 200: Investigate the disturbance in the prison
210		After interrogating the prisoner, a Stormcloak appeared in the jail and began an ill-fated attempt to rescue Bjarni Shatter-Stone, the prisoner I interrogated. While the rescuer has been slain, the threat is not yet quelled - it appears that Stormcloaks have breached the fort. I need to fight my way to the front and report back to Legate Varro. Objective 200: Find and warn Legate Precilius Varro
231		I fought my way through Fort Pale Pass and reached Legate Varro, who was commanding the forces from the courtyard. While we've broken the immediate threat, Legate Varro warned us all to stay on alert. Objective 230: Observe what is happening
250		After crushing the Stormcloak attack on Fort Pale Pass, the Penitus Oculatus appeared. Legate Varro had feared that the Penitus Oculatus would extract the prisoner and subject him to their particularly brutal interrogation techniques if I wasn't successful. However, I was successful - and so it now falls to me to choose what information to divulge to the agents, and what information to keep to myself.
251		I complied with the Penitus Oculatus in their demands for information, at least to a point. The garrison troops are currently escorting the prisoner, Bjarni Shatter-Stone, out of the jail, to the Penitus Oculatus.
252		I complied with the Penitus Oculatus in their demands for information, at least to a point. The prisoner is pleading with me to free him and not allow the Penitus Oculatus to take him. The choice now falls upon me - do I intervene and save him from untold hours of torture, even if it means endangering Cyrodiil, or do I stand by and allow the Oculatus to interrogate him their way?
255		The Penitus Oculatus have successfully teleported the prisoner away - my choice has been made for me. It's now time to debrief with Legate Precilius Varro. Objective 252: Observe as the prisoner departs Objective 255: Speak with Legate Precilius Varro
400	Finishes quest	After being contracted to help interrogate a Stormcloak prisoner at Fort Pale Pass, I was able to successfully extract the information requested. However, when the time came, I refused to allow the Penitus Oculatus to hand over the prisoner. They attacked me, and I was forced to defend myself. The Imperial commander of the fort, Legate Varro, refused to attack me, explaining that while he regretted my choice, he understood my reasons. Objective 253: Slay the Penitus Oculatus agents to secure the prisoner's freedom Objective 254: Kill the Penitus Oculatus agents
410	Finishes quest	After being contracted to help interrogate a Stormcloak prisoner at Fort Pale Pass, I was able to successfully extract the information requested. When the time came, I chose not to intervene - I allowed the Penitus Oculatus to take the prisoner into their custody. The Imperial commander of the fort, Legate Varro, rewarded me for my efforts.
500		The commander of the Imperial forces stationed at Pale Pass to watch the Cyrodiil-Skyrim border, Legate Precilius Varro, has hit a dead end with his interrogations of a recently-captured Stormcloak prisoner. He offered to reward me if I'm able to get useful information out of him. The jailer is now dead, so I have no other options than leaving quietly, hoping the Legate doesn't notice, or freeing the prisoner.
513		The commander of the Imperial forces stationed at Pale Pass to watch the Cyrodiil-Skyrim border, Legate Precilius Varro, has hit a dead end with his interrogations of a recently-captured Stormcloak prisoner. He offered to reward me if I'm able to get useful information out of him. I chose to start a prison break instead. Objective 12: Help the prisoner escape by unlocking his cell Objective 10: Get intel from the Stormcloak prisoner
515		The commander of the Imperial forces stationed at Pale Pass to watch the Cyrodiil-Skyrim border, Legate Precilius Varro, has hit a dead end with his interrogations of a recently-captured Stormcloak prisoner. He offered to reward me if I'm able to get useful information out of him. I chose to start a prison break instead, and now I must escape from Fort Pale Pass. Objective 515: Escape Fort Pale Pass Objective 516: (Optional) Keep Bjarni Shatter-Stone alive
532		The commander of the Imperial forces stationed at Pale Pass to watch the Cyrodiil-Skyrim border, Legate Precilius Varro, has hit a dead end with his interrogations of a recently-captured Stormcloak prisoner. He offered to reward me if I'm able to get useful information out of him. I chose to start a prison break instead, and now I must escape from Fort Pale Pass. We blew the horn to call in more Stormcloak reinforcements. Objective 521: (Optional) Investigate the Captain's Quarters before exiting the fort interior Objective 525: (Optional) Reach the tower and blow the horn to summon Stormcloak reinforcements
549		The commander of the Imperial forces stationed at Pale Pass to watch the Cyrodiil-Skyrim border, Legate Precilius Varro, has hit a dead end with his interrogations of a recently-captured Stormcloak prisoner. He offered to reward me if I'm able to get useful information out of him. I chose to start a prison break instead, and now I must escape from Fort Pale Pass. When I exited the fort with the prisoner I was confronted by the Legate and two Penitus Oculatus agents. I should talk with the Legate.
580		After being contracted to help interrogate a Stormcloak prisoner at Fort Pale Pass, I chose instead to free him. The prisoner, Bjarni Shatter-Stone, and I mounted a daring jailbreak that culminated in the death of Legate Precilius Varro, the Imperial commander of the fort. Objective 550: Talk to Bjarni Shatter-Stone when out of combat
600	Finishes quest	After being contracted to help interrogate a Stormcloak prisoner at Fort Pale Pass, I chose instead to free him. The prisoner, Bjarni Shatter-Stone, and I mounted a daring jailbreak that culminated in the death of Legate Precilius Varro, the Imperial commander of the fort. Bjarni thanked me for my aid and promised that, while he was unable to reward me immediately, he would set right his debt to me in time.
9998	Fails quest	The Legate has died.
9999	Fails quest	The jail guard died before she could open the door to the jail wing for me. With a bad first impression such as this I doubt the Legate would let me go inside the prison, so I will take my leave.

• The following empty quest stages were omitted from the table: 0, 1, 2, 3, 10 , 20, 90, 100, 102, 110, 112, 190, 201, 205, 215, 230, 235, 277, 280, 415, 510, 511, 512, 520, 521, 522, 523, 525, 530, 531, 550, 560, 565, 570, 575, 601.

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 CYRFortPalePassMS01New 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 CYRFortPalePassMS01New.

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