Laid to Rest is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This is a quest that takes place in the city of Morthal. Prior to the quest, Hroggar's House burned down, killing Hroggar's wife and child. The townsfolk, including the Jarl, are suspicious because Hroggar took up with a new love, Alva, the day after the fire. The Jarl will pay the Dragonborn to investigate.
If The Elder Scrolls V: Hearthfire is installed, completion of this quest is necessary before Windstad Manor can be purchased.
Background[]
A mysterious fire killed Hroggar's wife and child. Hroggar took Alva as a lover immediately after the fire, and many in town think he did it. The Jarl might pay me to investigate.
Objectives[]
- Ask Jonna about the fire in Moorside Inn or talk to the Jarl
- Investigate the burned house
- Tell the Jarl about Helgi (optional)
- Find Helgi after dark
- Ask around about Laelette
- Ask Thonnir about Laelette
- Investigate Alva's house
- Show Alva's Journal to the Jarl
- Kill the master vampire
- Return to Morthal's Jarl
Walkthrough[]
This quest can be started by speaking with the Moorside Inn innkeeper, Jonna, who will mention the burned down house nearby. Alternatively, Idgrod Ravencrone (or Sorli the Builder if the Dragonborn sided with the Stormcloaks during the Civil War) can be asked regarding the subject. The Dragonborn may also speak to any of the guards in Morthal to initiate the quest, as well as the Imperial Legate inside of Highmoon Hall. Initiating the quest through Jonna, the guards, or the Legate, will all result in the first objective being to speak with the Jarl anyway.
Note that the Dragonborn may have to "enter" the burned down house in order for the innkeeper to have the dialogue option to speak with the Jarl.
Talk to the Jarl[]
- "Hroggar's house fire? He lost his wife and daughter in the blaze. My people believe it to be cursed now. Who am I to gainsay them?"
- ―Idgrod Ravencrone[src]
When asked about the burned down house, the Jarl will indicate that the house had once belonged to Hroggar, and that one night the house had burned down while he was away. Unfortunately, Hroggar's wife and daughter, Helgi, perished in the blaze. Rumors around town claim that Hroggar had set the blaze himself so that he could be with another woman, Alva. The Jarl wishes to know what really happened: accident or murder.
Investigate the burned house[]
Upon entering the burned out house, Helgi's ghost will be waiting in the corner. She recounts what little she knows but promises to reveal more after a game of hide and seek. She wants to wait until nightfall, however, as "the other one" will be playing too and only comes out at night.
Find Helgi After dark[]
Speaking to Jonna at Moorside Inn about the ghost will cause her to ask the Dragonborn to speak to the Jarl. The Jarl reveals Helgi's location if the Dragonborn asks about it. Waiting until dark will allow the quest to continue.
Above and to the right of the burned house (over the rocks), large piles of stones surround a grave site with a Child's Coffin unearthed. Laelette, the missing wife of Thonnir, will appear and attack the Dragonborn when approached. When she is killed, it is revealed that she was a vampire. The Child's Coffin can then be activated to speak with Helgi's ghost. Helgi explains that Laelette was supposed to burn her and her mother, but had a change of heart and tried to turn Helgi beforehand and keep her forever. Although Helgi had then contracted Vampirism, Laelette had waited too long and the fire killed Helgi regardless.
Ask Thonnir about Laelette[]
Thonnir will happen upon the grisly scene and be hysterical at the sight of his dead wife, particularly that she was a vampire. When asked about the circumstances of Laelette's disappearance, Thonnir will state that he had believed that she had run off to join the Stormcloak rebellion. However, he also remembers that she had been spending a lot of time with Alva who, just the week prior, Laelette had despised. In fact, she was supposed to meet Alva the night of her disappearance but Alva had said she never showed up. Given the circumstances, it is presumable that Alva is, in fact, a vampire as well. Thonnir will refuse to believe it, however.
Investigate Alva's House[]
Hroggar is staying in Alva's house. If you proceed directly to the house, it will be nightime, and he will likely be there. If he is there, he will be immediately aggressive on entry to the house, so a high Sneak skill, invisibility, a calming spell, or some other such tactic may be employed if an armed confrontation is to be avoided. Alternatively, you can wait until he is not there. Waiting until it is day to break into Alva's house, he is likely avoidable. Alva's coffin can be found in the basement and in it, Alva's Journal. Alva may or may not be present depending on whether it is day or night. The journal goes into great detail of her plans and reveals that Movarth, a master vampire, plans on turning the town into what equates to a blood farm for his coven of vampires. If Alva is there when the journal is recovered, she awakens and flees town for Movarth's Lair.
Show Alva's journal to the Jarl[]
Upon returning to the Jarl with the journal and telling them that Alva was responsible for the fire, they will reward the Dragonborn. However, the Jarl will then ask that the master vampire, Movarth, be dealt with.
Kill the Master Vampire[]
Movarth in his lair.
Upon leaving Highmoon Hall, a mob with Thonnir in the lead has assembled to assist in taking retribution on the Vampires. To the northeast is Movarth's Lair where Movarth Piquine lies in wait. The townsfolk can either be told to stay, as they will likely die, or Thonnir may come. Vampire thralls serve as guardians to the small coven of vampires. Movarth can be found sitting at a large banquet table. Alva, after fleeing town, is found in a back room with several bedrolls. She will usually be slain by the female vampire patrolling that area due to having no protective armor and only her Vampiric Drain spell and dagger.
Strategies[]
To kill the Master Vampire, one method is to retreat through the cave. There is a point where the Master Vampire and his Thralls do not go past – the room with the dead Nord and Redguard in an open grave is safe. Retreating to this point will allow the Dragonborn to heal themselves. The Nord, Redguard, and Vampire's Thralls (once killed) may sometimes be brought back to life temporarily by Movarth or other thralls and will start attacking, not stopping until they or the ones who resurrected them are killed. Alva can be resurrected as well after the vampires kill her. The vampire thralls are too powerful for the Raise Zombie or Reanimate Corpse spells, however, they can be pre-emptively raised with Revenant to prevent Movarth from doing the same.
If the Dragonborn has a high sneak level, it is possible to sneak up on a ledge to the left when entering the cave where Movarth sits. From up there, he and the Vampire Thrall can be shot with a bow. If the Dragonborn has selected the quest as active in their journal, there will be a quest indicator above Movarth's head during the fight. The indicator remains visible when Movarth turns invisible, making it easy to target him.
It may be easier to visit Movarth's Lair before starting the quest and clearing it out. This way, when going after Movarth, one only has to deal with him alone, and he will only have whatever raised dead he conjures to back him up.
Once Movarth has been killed and on the way out of the cave, the Dragonborn will see the ghost of Helgi. She will thank the Dragonborn, say she is ready to sleep, and disappear.
Return to Morthal's Jarl[]
Once Movarth has been dispatched and his coven eradicated, reporting back to the Jarl yields a reward. In addition to the gold, the Jarl will offer the title of Thane of Hjaalmarch provided that three people in the hold are assisted with their troubles. If "The Battle for Fort Snowhawk" was previously completed, the title will already be available to the Dragonborn. If Hearthfire is installed, Windstad Manor can be purchased from the Jarl's Steward for 5000 
.
Reward[]
After giving Alva's Journal to the Jarl:
| Level |
|
|---|---|
| 1–9 | 250 |
| 10–19 | 400 |
| 20–29 | 500 |
| 30–39 | 600 |
| 40+ | 750 |
After returning from Movarth's Lair:
| Level |
|
|---|---|
| 1–9 | 400 |
| 10–19 | 600 |
| 20–29 | 800 |
| 30–39 | 1000 |
| 40+ | 1200 |
Journal[]
| Laid to Rest – MS14 | |
|---|---|
| ID | Journal Entry |
| 20 | A mysterious fire killed Hroggar's wife and child. Hroggar took Alva as a lover immediately after the fire, and many in town think he did it. The Jarl might pay me to investigate it.
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| 30 | Morthal's Jarl has asked me to investigate the fire that killed Hroggar's wife and child. Hroggar took Alva as a lover immediately after the fire, and many in town think he did it.
|
| 35 |
|
| 40 |
|
| 50 |
|
| 60 |
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| 70 | Morthal's Jarl has asked me to investigate the fire that killed Hroggar's wife and child. Hroggar took Alva as a lover immediately afterward. I suspect she may be a vampire, but I need proof for the Jarl.
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| 95 | Morthal's Jarl has asked me to investigate the fire that killed Hroggar's wife and child. The vampire Alva enslaved Hroggar and had his family killed in a house fire. Alva's master in Movarth's Lair plans to enslave the entire town.
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| 100 | Morthal's Jarl has asked me to investigate the fire that killed Hroggar's wife and child. The vampire Alva enslaved Hroggar and had his family killed in a house fire. Alva's master in Movarth's Lair plans to enslave the entire town. The Jarl now wants me to destroy Movarth and put an end to his plot.
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| 120 |
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| 200 | Morthal's Jarl asked me to investigate the house fire that killed Hroggar's wife and child. The vampire Alva enslaved Hroggar and had his family killed in a house fire. Alva's master in Movarth's Lair planned to enslave the entire town.
|
Trivia[]
- If Alva's house is entered before assaulting Movarth's Lair and during the day, she might be in her coffin in the cellar. If the Dragonborn's Sneak skill is high enough, she can be killed in her coffin before she attacks. The rare tavern clothes may then be taken.
- If Alva is killed but Hroggar is left alive during the break-in, subsequent attempts to speak with Hroggar will cause him to become outraged and immediately attack.
- If both Alva and Hroggar were killed during the break-in, stealing from their house, even without witnesses, can earn a visit from hired thugs with a contract put out by a dead Hroggar.
- It is possible for both Alva and Hroggar to survive after completion of the quest. This can be done if the Dragonborn pickpockets Hroggar when he is working to acquire the house key and breaks in Alva's house at night, so Alva is absent, and then avoids killing Hroggar. This is possible with a high level of Sneak and waiting for him to be facing away from where the Dragonborn needs to go. Alternatively, it is possible to wound Hroggar to the point where he is yielding and kneeling. Also, by using Vampire's Seduction on Hroggar or a calming effect on both of them, for example the Imperial's "Voice of the Emperor," will make them non-hostile, so any method will give enough time to swiftly retrieve Alva's diary in the next room and exit the house. Hroggar should not pursue, and Alva will stand in Morthal until the journal is handed to the Jarl, after which she will run to Movarth's Lair and either take sides with the vampires there or be killed by them. Hroggar will even thank the Dragonborn once the quest is successfully completed and will remain non-hostile as long as Alva did not die at the hands of the Dragonborn during the penultimate stage of the quest.
- If Alva is not killed before the assault on Movarth's Lair, then it is possible to find her there, if the assault occurs at night. However, she is treated as a traitor by Movarth and his group, and is easily killed by them if discovered, making nearly impossible to save her unless the vampire that patrols the area is killed quickly. Alternatively, saving the game after she flees from the house and reloading that save will reset the fleeing state, so she will walk all the path to Morvath's Lair following normal schedules. Then running before her, killing the other vampires, but avoiding contact or sneaking around her, since she will become hostile if she sees the Dragonborn, may give her a chance to survive.
- Another strategy to keep both Alva and Hroggar alive is to clean Morvath's Lair before entering Alva's house. This will leave only Morvath to deal with after giving the journal to the Jarl, since Morvath's presence is activated only after that.
- If Benor is the Dragonborn's follower during this quest he will still join the mob. He will rejoin the Dragonborn after the sequence outside Movarth's Lair. If Movarth's Lair is entered before talking to the mob outside, he will not follow. The Dragonborn must exit the lair and speak to the people of the mob before he will follow again.
- If Thonnir is spoken to outside Movarth's Lair, the dialogue will have the option of having him join the Dragonborn, including any follower, in the assault on the lair. The other members of the mob return home.
- The item Jessica's Wine is supposedly associated with Laid to Rest[1], but it seems to have no usage in it whatsoever. The wine can be found inside Jorgen and Lami's House near the Lumber Mill in Morthal.
- If Thonnir is hit by the Dragonborn by accident, he will begin to attack back.
Bugs[]
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This section contains bugs related to Laid to Rest. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ In the Creation Kit the ID of Jessica's Wine is MS14WineAltoA.