The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Game Guide/Walkthrough
Into The Shivering Isles
When you first load up your copy of Oblivion with the Shivering Isles installed, not much will really seem different. You may, after a bit of warping around, get a quest marker, though, pointing you towards a strange door which has appeared in Nibon Bay, near Bravil. If you look on your map, you should see the marker just north of the L in "Bravil" there. If you don't get the quest to go investigate, feel free to head out into the water and look around for yourself. Finding the island will allow you access to the new content.
When you do reach the strange door, speak to the guard outside and wait for him to kill the man who exits. After that, a few sentences will come out of the door's mouth, at which point you'll be able to enter it.
Into The Fringe
After speaking to the man at the table and agreeing to help his lord, Sheogorath, you'll enter The Fringe. You'll need to pass through the Gates of Madness to complete the first part of your eventual quest.
Now, when you hit the trail, you're going to be able to explore as much as you like. There are some new monsters in your path (whose toughness will likely scale to your level), as well as plenty of new alchemical ingredients. There are a couple of dungeons nearby, as well as a small town, called Passwall, which is populated by people who entered the Fringe with the hopes of bypassing the Gates of Madness, but who have never been able to do so.
Quest: Through The Fringe of Madness
Your goal here is to get beyond the Gatekeeper and through the gates to reach the true Shivering Isles. Unfortunately, the Gatekeeper is a hideous beast that kills a group of adventurers as you approach it. You won't be able to bypass it yourself, in your current state. If you question the gentlemen standing nearby, you'll learn of a man named Jayred who might be able to help. If you question some of the townspeople, you'll also be referred to Relmyna Verenim, a sorceress who lives in the Wastrel's Purse inn.
Relmyna should be the first person you talk to. She has some interesting things to say about your tongue, but if you walk into her room, you can read the letter she's written to Sheogorath, which sits on her desk. Apparently Relmyna is the creator of the Gatekeeper, and visits it every day at midnight. Relmyna will also tell you about her apprentice, Nanette Don, who apparently wanders the outside of the village in the morning. If you can find Nanette, and either bribe or persuade her above a 70 point relationship, she'll make more explicit the inference you should've gained from Relmyna's letter: Relmyna's tears agitate and harm the Gatekeeper.
Jayred Ice-Veins has another approach in mind. He wants you to get him into the Temple of Flesh and Bones, where he can see the body of a previous Gatekeeper. He believes that making arrows out of the Gatekeeper's brother will allow him to harm it. You're going to need both those arrows and some tears of Relmyna if you want to take down the Gatekeeper.
Tears of Relmyna: To obtain the tears, simply show up at the Gatekeeper's position shortly after midnight. You'll see Relmyna speak to the beast, then walk away. She'll leave a handkerchief on the ground. Pick it up will net you a few vials of poison; poison that will only work on the Gatekeeper.
Bone Arrows: You can obtain the bone arrows by speaking to Jayred and guiding him into the Temple of Flesh and Bones. After picking the lock, help him kill off the skeletons in the area, and Jayred will then make a few Gatekeeper Bone Arrows after you wait for a few hours.
When you have both items, tell Jayred to follow you and head up to the Gatekeeper. If you're an archer, you can dose your arrows with Relmyna's Tears and start firing away; otherwise, poison a melee weapon with the Tears and hit him to start a poisonous reaction that will soon kill the beast. Grab the Key to Dementia and the Key to Mania from the body.
At this point, you can choose which door you wish to enter through, either the door to Mania or the door to Dementia. This doesn't affect too much, although you will not immediately be able to move from one side of the island to the other. You do, however, get a new Greater Power, depending on your choice. If you get the Blessing of Mania, it will let you cast Frenzy on a group of foes in front of you, but it might not affect enemies if you're already too high of a level. Blessing of Dementia, on the other hand, will let you Demoralize enemies and attempt to cause them to run away. Neither of these are particularly overpowerful, but they may be helpful at some point.
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