A Night to Remember (Skyrim)

A Night to Remember
The Misty Grove where Sam Guevenne and his party are waiting.
Quest Giver	Sam Guevenne
Location	Markarth Temple of Dibella Morvunskar Misty Grove Rorikstead Whiterun Witchmist Grove
Prerequisite	Level 14
Reward	Sanguine Rose
Type	Daedric quest
Quest ID	DA14Start DA14

For other uses, see A Night to Remember.

"You look like someone who can hold their liquor. How about a friendly contest to win a staff?"

―Sam Guevenne

A Night to Remember is a Daedric quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Sam Guevenne has a drinking contest with the Dragonborn and promises a staff to the winner.

Background

I have awoken in the Temple Of Dibella in Markarth. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. I have no idea how I got here but a priestess has told me I trashed the Temple. The priestess might tell me what happened to Sam and the staff if I pick up the place.

Objectives

1. Participate in a drinking contest with Sam Guevenne
2. Find Sam Guevenne
3. Find the staff
4. Help clean up the Temple of Dibella (if the priestess was not successfully persuaded or bribed)
5. Apologize to the Priestess of Dibella (if the priestess was not successfully persuaded or bribed)
6. Ask about Sam and the staff in Rorikstead
7. Find Gleda the Goat (if Ennis was not successfully bribed, persuaded, or intimidated)
8. Bring Gleda the Goat back to Ennis in Rorikstead (if Ennis was not successfully bribed, persuaded, or intimidated)
9. Talk to Ysolda in Whiterun about the staff
10. Find the wedding ring in Witchmist Grove (if Ysolda was not successfully bribed, persuaded, or intimidated)
11. Take the wedding ring (if Ysolda was not successfully bribed, persuaded, or intimidated)
12. Return the wedding ring to Ysolda in Whiterun (if Ysolda was not successfully bribed, persuaded, or intimidated)
13. Head to Morvunskar
14. Search Morvunskar for Sam and the staff

Walkthrough

Sam Guevenne challenges the Dragonborn to a drinking competition.

Upon reaching level 14, it is possible to encounter a man named Sam Guevenne in any random tavern in Skyrim. The first entered upon reaching that level will be where he spawns. He offers the Dragonborn a chance to join a drinking contest and win a staff.

"You look like someone who can hold their liquor. How about a friendly contest to win a staff?"

A drinking contest? You don't stand a chance! "Ha! We'll see about that. This is a special brew, very strong stuff. Let's get started. Your turn."

Here we go. "One down, my friend. One down. And another one for me. And how about you?"

A second drink. Easy enough. "So says you. I think I've hit my limit on these things. Tell you what, one more and you win the contest."

One more. No problemsh. "Wow. You've really done it. The staff is yours."

Thrash grape!. "You know, you're a funny person to drink with. I know this great little place where the wine flows like water. We should head there. Hey, you don't look so good..."

After three drinks the Dragonborn will be rendered unconscious and subsequently awaken in the Temple of Dibella in Markarth, which is now trashed.

Temple of Dibella

The priestess Senna tasks the Dragonborn with picking up several seemingly meaningless items, including a giant's toe, two bottles of wine, a Hagraven feather, and a confusing note from Sam. These items, as well as similar items obtained, will be marked as quest items until the end of the quest.

The clean-up duties may be skipped with a high enough Speech rating, meaning the items will not be marked as quest items. This will be the case at each step of the quest, allowing you to skip any errands in order to win people's favor. After the temple is clean and the Dragonborn apologizes to her, the priestess will mention Rorikstead.

"Wake up! That's right, it's time to wake up, you drunken blasphemer!"

Where am I? "Of course! You don't remember getting here."

Blasphemer? "I see. So you don't remember fondling the statuary, then?"

Unh, my head. "Yes. Your head hurts and you don't remember where you are. I'm guessing you also don't remember coming in here and blathering incoherently about marriage or a goat. Which means you don't remember losing your temper and throwing trash all over the temple."

I'm sorry, I don't even remember how I got here. (Persuade)

• "Well, you were deep in your cups when you got here. You were ranting but most of it was slurred. You said something about Rorikstead." (Success)
• "Oh, I'd love to help you figure it out, but I'm so busy cleaning up the mess you made of our temple... Now if you were to help tidy up and perhapse apologize afterwards... I might be able to help you." (Failure)

Tell me how I got here and I'll pay for the damages. (<bribecost> gold)

• "Well, we can always use your contributions. You were ranting when you got here but most of it was slurred. You did say something about Rorikstead. Maybe you should take a look there." (Success)
• "Oh, you must be nobility or something. Running around partying and paying others to clean it up. I don't think so. Clean up your own mess." (Failure)

Was a man named Sam with me? "Dibella teaches love and compassion, but that doesn't mean we're just going to tell you what you want to know and let you walk away from this. Pick up your mess, then apologize, and if we think you're sincere we'll consider lending you aid."

I really do apologize. I think I've picked up everything. "I suppose that'll do. Dibella teaches up forgiveness, after all. Even for a drunk like you."

So do you remember anything I said when I got here? "You were ranting when you got here but most of it was slurred. You did say something about Rorikstead. Maybe you should start there."

Rorikstead

Upon arrival, an angry Redguard named Ennis will rebuke the Dragonborn, claiming that the night prior, the Dragonborn had seized his goat Gleda and sold it to a giant named Grok. Retrieving the goat can be skipped if a persuasion, intimidate or bribe challenge is passed.

"You! You've got a lot of nerve showing yourself in this town again. What do you have to say for yourself?"

I'm sorry? "Sorry's not good enough! Not while my Gleda is still out there, alone and afraid. You kidnapped her and sold her to that Giant."

I have no idea what you're talking about. "Is that so? Does the name Gleda ring a bell? The star beauty of my farm? Kidnapped by a drunk and sold to a Giant? You'd better remember her right fast, before I call the guards and have you hauled away."

That sounds pretty bad... "You're damned right it does. I'll never breed another prize-winning goat like Gleda! And don't you think of coming back to Rorikstead until you get her back from that Giant."

Did I say anything about where I left a staff? "You mentioned something like that... when you where running off with my goat! Tell you what - you bring back my goat, and maybe I'll give a damn about your staff."

Help me retrace my steps and I'll pay you for the goat. (1000 gold)

• "Fine, but I'll still be missing my Gleda. Doubt I'll ever have a prize winning goat again. Most of what you said was gibberish but you left a note. The only bit I could read was "after repaying Ysolda in Whiterun."" (Success)
• "There's not enough money in the world to replace Gleda." (Failure)

Tell me everything and you won't end up like your goat. (Intimidate)

• "Okay, okay. Most of what you said didn't make sense but you left a note. The only bit that I could read said "after repaying Ysolda in Whiterun." That's all I know." (Success)
• "Do what you have to do, I'm not giving up on Gleda." (Failure)

I need to find Sam and the staff, in order to get Gleda back. (Persuade)

• "I suppose that makes sense. You didn't mention a Sam and nothing you said about the staff made sense. You left a note but it was mostly gibberish, the only bit I could make out was "after repaying Ysolda in Whiterun."" (Success)
• "You didn't seem to need either to sell Gleda to the Giant in the first place. I think you'll figure it out." (Failure)

It is also possible to retrieve the goat simply by approaching it and leading it back to the hamlet. If there is a follower present, they will attack the offended giant and the latter might have to be killed to save the follower, unless the character accompanying the Dragonborn is essential. Once one of these requirements is met, Ennis will point the Dragonborn to Whiterun and Ysolda.

Here's your goat. Now can you help me retrace my steps? "Gleda! And not a scratch on her! Happy day! I still can't figure out why you stole her. You left a note explaining it, but half of it was gibberish and the rest had mead spilled on it. Only bit I could make out was "repaying Ysolda in Whiterun," and even that's mostly scribbles. Guess you could try there."

Whiterun

Upon finding Ysolda in Whiterun (or in the Dragonborn's house, if they are married to her), she will mention the price owed her for a purchase of a wedding ring. She also mentions that the Dragonborn's spouse-to-be was met in Witchmist Grove, and the wedding was called off.

"So, you're finally back. Look, I've been patient, but you still owe me."

Okay, how much do I owe you? "It's not about the money, really. I wouldn't have given you the wedding ring on credit if you weren't so obviously in love. But if there isn't going to be a wedding, the least you can do is give the ring back. That was one of my best pieces."

Yeah, I've been getting that a lot. "Aw, what's wrong? Did the engagement fall through? Look, how about we call it even, as long as you bring back the wedding ring? That's really a shame - I was so looking forward to the wedding. You said you'd have all the most interesting guests."

Do you know what I did with it? "You went right to give it to your fiancée! Don't you even remember where you left her (or "him" if the Dragonborn is female)? And after you told me that sweet story of how the two of you met in Witchmist Grove! I can see why she (or "he") left you."

Seriously, let me pay you for the ring. (2000 gold)

• "Decided to go through with it then? I knew you couldn't have forgotten about your fiancé. You spoke of her so glowingly. I don't know much about Morvunskar but it sounded like a lovely place for the ceremony. Congratulations." (Success)
• "I think I would prefer my ring back. I put a lot of time into making it and you just gave it away as a joke." (Failure)

I don't care about the ring! Tell me what else I said! (Intimidate)

• "All right, all right. You're mean when you're sober. You said the ceremony was going to be in Morvunskar. You said you friend Sam was going to be your best man." (Success)
• "You think you can bully me. I grew up with five brothers. Go... Get... My... Ring." (Failure)

I just need to get to the wedding. Please. (Persuade)

• "You must have had a wild night if you can't remember that. But I suppose everyone gets the jitters before their wedding. And I did say you could take a bit of time paying me back. You said the ceremony was going to be at Morvunskar. Don't forget..." (Success)
• "I'm sure your bride-to-be will tell you where the ceremony will be. If she still wants to marry you when you tell her you can't afford the ring." (Failure)

Finding the ring can again be skipped if the Dragonborn passes a persuasion, intimidate, or bribe challenge. If the player elects not to skip this, however, in Witchmist Grove the Dragonborn finds a Hagraven named Moira. She will become jealous of an Esmerelda that has "dark feathers" and attack.

"Darling! I've been waiting for you to return, to consummate our love!"

Um... Actually, I was hoping to get the ring back. "What? You want it for that hussy Esmerelda, with the dark feathers - don't you? I won't let her have you!"

Either way, when talking to Ysolda again, she mentions the Dragonborn getting married to someone in Morvunskar.

Here's the ring. "Excellent! Sorry it didn't work out with you and your lady. I know how excited you were for the wedding. You kept saying it would be a huge ceremony at Morvunskar. You said you even had some magic staff that that would handle all the guests."

Morvunskar

Sam Guevenne is a phonetic anagram of "Sanguine."

Morvunskar is a ruined fort, now inhabited by hostile mages. Within the ruin is the entrance to Misty Grove, occupied by Sam and several dinner guests, just labeled "Commoners." When conversation is initiated with Sam Guevenne, he suddenly undergoes a dramatic transformation without warning, revealing that he is, in fact, the Daedric prince Sanguine, whose sphere is hedonism, debauchery, and drunken revelry. He presents the Dragonborn with a Daedric Artifact—the Sanguine Rose.

"You're here! I was beginning to think you might not make it."

It was quite a trip. Where are we? "I thought you might not remember your first trip here. You had a big night. I think you've definitely earned the staff."

I have all the things needed to repair it. "Oh, the Hagraven feather and so on. You can throw all those out. You see... I really just needed something to encourage you to go out into the world and spread merriment. And you did just that! I haven't been so entertained in at least a hundred years."

So all of this was just a prank? "Just a prank? Just a prank? The Daedric Lord of Debauchery does not deal in mere "pranks". This may have begun as a minor amusement, but it wasn't long before I realized you'd make a more interesting bearer of my not-quite-holy staff."

Who are you? "I am Sanguine, Daedric Prince of Debauchery! I know, I know, how could I lie to you? Well, how could I trust you until we've shared a few drinks? But it wasn't long before I realized you'd make a more interesting bearer of my not-quite-holy staff than this waste of flesh."

Why did you choose me? "Let's be honest, here. I don't always think my decisions through. But you... you're going places. Maybe a little influence from your old uncle Sanguine could help adjust your course a bit..."

Thanks, I guess. "My pleasure. But I think it's time for you to go. No fun keeping you locked up in here with the staff."

The Dragonborn is then teleported back to the tavern where Sam was first encountered. Any items collected in the temple will no longer be marked as quest items.

Journal

Participate in a drinking content with Sam Guenvere [sic] [Do not change this to Guevenne. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.] – DA14Start
ID	Journal Entry
20	Objective 20: Participate a drinking contest with Sam Guenvere [sic] [Do not change this to Guevenne. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.]
70	Quest complete
A Night To Remember – DA14
5	I have awoken in the Temple Of Dibella in Markarth. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared.
10	I have awoken in the Temple Of Dibella in Markarth. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. I have no idea how I got here but a priestess has told me I trashed the Temple. The priestess might tell me what happened to Sam and the staff if I pick up the place. Objective 10: Find Sam Guevenne Objective 12: Find the Staff
20	Objective 20: Help clean up Temple of Dibella
30	I have awoken in the Temple Of Dibella in Markarth. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. I have no idea how I got here but a priestess has told me I trashed the Temple. I have cleaned up the Temple, if I apologize to the priestess she might tell me what happened to Sam and the staff. Objective 30: Apologize to the priestesses of Dibella
40	I have awoken from a night of debauchery with no idea what happened. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. The priestesses of Dibella have told me to ask about Sam in Rorikstead. Objective 40: Ask about Sam and the staff in Rorikstead
50	I have awoken from a night of debauchery with no idea what happened. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. Ennis in Rorikstead will tell me more about what happened once I return the goat I stole from him. Objective 50: Find Gleda the Goat
75	I have awoken from a night of debauchery with no idea what happened. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. Ennis in Rorikstead will tell me more about what happened once I return the goat I stole from him. Objective 75: Bring Gleda the Goat back to Ennis in Rorikstead
85	I have awoken from a night of debauchery with no idea what happened. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. A note of debt I gave to Ennis in Rorikstead has directed me to Ysolda in Whiterun, she might be able to direct me to Sam. Objective 85: Talk to Ysolda in Whiterun about the staff
100	I have awoken from a night of debauchery with no idea what happened. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. Ysolda in Whiterun will give me more information about Same [sic] [Do not change this to Sam. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.] once I return the ring I borrowed from her to give to someone in Witchmist Grove. Objective 100: Find the wedding ring in Witchmist Grove
115	I have awoken from a night of debauchery with no idea what happened. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. Ysolda in Whiterun will give me more information about Same [sic] [Do not change this to Sam. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.] once I return the ring I borrowed from her to give to a hagraven in Witchmist Grove. Objective 115: Take the wedding ring
125	Objective 125: Return the wedding ring to Ysolda in Whiterun.
135	I have awoken from a night of debauchery with no idea what happened. Sam and the staff he promised me have disappeared. Ysolda in Whiterun has told me to look for Sam in Morvunskar. Objective 135: Head to Morvunskar
150	Objective 150: Search Morvunskar for Sam and the Staff
200	"Sam" turned out to be the daedric prince of debauchery, Sanguine. He spurred me on during a drunken night of revelry that crossed all of Skyrim. I've acquired the Sanguine Rose for my troubles. Quest complete

Gallery

Meeting Sam Guevenne.

Sanguine's Rose, the reward for completing the quest.

Gleda the Goat, that was sold to a giant.

Trivia

• There are a number of ways to bypass parts of the quest.
  • Prepare your character with a speech level of at least 50 before this quest to skip the meaningless tasks.
  • Right after blacking out and arriving in the temple, one can go straight to Witchmist Grove and loot the wedding ring off Moira, with no significant ramifications.
  • Furthermore, rather than getting the information from Ennis, one can travel directly to Ysolda.
  • It is also possible to alternatively travel to Morvunskar directly after leaving the temple and elicit the reward from Sam, therefore skipping the entire quest.
    • If this is done, then Moira is killed later, her corpse has the wedding ring but it has no value.
• If the Dragonborn is married to Ysolda, she will be at her marital home, but the legend will state that she is in Whiterun.
  • Being married to Ysolda does not appear to glitch the quest, as she will have her normal spouse dialogue available during conversation, and not be at all bothered about the attempted marriage to another.
• If Ysolda is given gold to pay for the ring, it does not show up in her merchant gold.
• Random world encounters can occur after the quest is completed with characters asking payment for bets/pranks made during that night, like Deep-In-His-Cups.
• Sam's true identity is foreshadowed throughout the quest.
  • The name Sam Guevenne sounds very similar to Sanguine, with two added vowel sounds.
  • The Dragonborn's night involves various pranks, a favorite pastime for the Daedric Lord.
  • Sam invites the Dragonborn to a drinking contest, fitting for a god of drunkenness and debauchery.
• There is a long dinner table with several seated guests near Sanguine in the grove. This, and his mention of a prank over one-hundred years ago could be a possible reference to the Sanguine quest in Oblivion, in which the Hero is tasked with ruining a dinner party in Leyawiin Castle.
• The Repair Supplies note asks the Dragonborn to obtain a Giant's Toe, Holy Water, and Hagraven Feathers. Of these, Holy Water cannot be obtained, yet the Dragonborn says he has the items needed to repair the staff.
• If the player is female, Ysolda will refer to their fiancée as him/he despite Moira being female. Ysolda will also refer to Moira as being the player's "fiancé" despite the word being the masculine form.
• After completion of this quest, Sanguine can be found in Morvunskar on a return visit.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to A Night to Remember (Skyrim). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

Click to show

Resolved Bugs The player will not black out after a third drink, simply receive a "Completed" notification. This is caused by killing Ysolda before beginning the drinking contest, since without her, you cannot find out where Sam went. However, you will not receive a "Quest Failed" notification upon killing her, meaning the quest cannot be started. Marrying Ysolda may fix this. (Resolved With Skyrim Patch 1.5) It was originally possible to kill Ennis before starting this quest, causing problems with quest progression. This has been fixed as of Skyrim Patch 1.5. It was originally possible to kill Senna before starting this quest, causing problems with quest progression. This has been fixed as of Skyrim Patch 1.5. Others  360   If the Dragonborn speaks to Moira about the ring before speaking to the NPC at Rorikstead then his dialogue will be stunted and it will not be able to be continued. When the player attends the drinking contest and the Markarth-Forsworn questline is still active, and/or Markarth town guards are hostile towards player, the player will be waken up by guards instead of Senna. After the dialogue with guards is triggered, they will then proceed to eventually attack/arrest the player. This causes that automatic dialogue with Senna is not triggered, and player may now continue "A Night to Remember" quest from, for example, talking to Ysolda—talking to Senna and Ennis is not requested. If the Dragonborn chooses not to meet those characters, it will not have any negative effect on quest completion.  360   Upon completion of the quest, if the player returns to Morvunskar, they may find Sanguine waiting near the portal to the Misty Grove. He will not have dialogue, just brief responses. The portal to the Misty Grove is still active, however, and if the player enters, they will have no way to return since Sanguine is no longer inside to transport the player out. If the player entered the portal without defeating the mages in the area, upon returning, Sanguine will be fighting with the remaining mages, using his fists.  360   PS3   Sanguine will not appear in the grove with just a blank quest marker at the spot he should be at. The only way to get out of the Grove is to reload a previous save. Another way that might fix the above bug, is simply to pause the game for a few seconds. Then, when the Dragonborn has exited the pause-menu, Sanguine appears and finishes the conversation.  360   If the Dragonborn speaks to Ysolda about her ring before meeting with the character in Rorikstead, they will not be able to enter dialogue with him and continue his quest to retrieve the goat. Talking to him will only prompt random statements. Cleaning the temple will cause picked up items to become quest items, meaning they will be stuck in the inventory. They cannot be turned because that portion of the quest has already been completed. This is a pain if one is trying to use Giant's Toe in alchemy recipes because it will not allow their usage. A way to avoid this is to choose the pay option; Senna will give details without cleaning anything. If the location is returned to after the quest is over, it is possible to pick up those items and they will act as regular items.  360   PS3   Sometimes there will be no items where the arrows say they should be, having sunk into the floor, and the player cannot clean up the temple to continue the quest. To get to the next part of the quest would be to bribe priestess of Dibella.  360   When trying to retrieve the goat, the goat and giant might not be anywhere to be found.  PS3   After meeting Ysolda and using the Persuade option to get further information on the ring, going to Witchmist Grove and meeting Moira the witch may not give any speech options. Only option it seems is load earlier save point, and return to Ysolda and purchase the ring for 2000g and continue with the quest (PS3) Patch 2.01  PS3   If one has Ysolda set up marry when one initiates the quest, and rushes to the Temple of Mara rather than cleaning the temple, the quest conversations will be available. Then, finishing the part of it in Witchmist Grove will auto-complete, helping clean up the temple.  PC   360   PS3   When persuading Ysolda, it is possible to move on and finish the quest. After finishing the quest, Moira can be visited and will not attack. After killing her, the item "Wedding Ring" can be looted from her, a miscellaneous item which is still marked as a Quest item. It cannot be dropped.  PC   360   PS3   Being a Stage Four Vampire while in Misty Grove will result in Sam Guevenne (not turning into Sanguine) to become hostile using various spells. He is immortal, since he is a part of the quest. Only way to fix this is to reload a save and feed before going to Misty Grove.  PC   360   PS3   Sanguine will be hostile if the Dragonborn is in their Beast form if they are a Werewolf. An easy way to fix this is to reload a save and wait for an hour to transform back.  PS3   There is a possibility to skip many of the steps in this quest. Occasionally, if one is unable to persuade or pay off the priestess when waking up after drinking, the quest will not move on despite all items that she wishes picked up being picked up. At this point, it is possible to exit the temple and go to Ysolda in Whiterun and speak to her about the quest. Saying the "I don't even care about the ring..." option will convince her to give away Sam's location, allowing the Goat and Hag portions of the quest to be skipped. The player also will not blackout and received the "Completed" notification if the Priestess of Dibella is killed before beginning the drinking contest.  PC   Once Sam transforms at the quest's ending, sometimes Sanguine will not replace him, rendering the character unable to leave the Grove. Sometimes before even starting this quest, Moira will send Hired Thugs after the Dragonborn for no reason.  NX   Sanguine can occasionally be seen exploring Morvunskar, and will even help the player fend off enemies, when the quest is complete.  PC   If the Dragonborn has already married Senna, she will not be at home and instead be present in the Temple of Dibella with no change in quest dialogue, including the bit about marriage and a goat. Interacting with her after that produces the normal spouse dialogue.

Achievements

	Daedric Influence Acquire a Daedric Artifact
Points	10
Trophy