The castle in the town of Skingrad is different from the rest of the castles inThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Though just as grand in its structure, the interior is noticeably emptier. When the player first enters, they’re met with a large, empty chamber with nothing but a few tables and chairs as well as a staircase leading to the upper floor. In contrast, the castles in other settlements have resplendent throne rooms, where the count and their spouse sit to converse with the townsfolk about everyday matters.
Skingrad is a town inOblivionthat can be found southwest of the Imperial City. Its castle is detached from the town proper and stands atop a hill, overlooking the town. There, the player can start to uncover the many things Castle Skingrad is hiding from the public eye.
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The Reclusive Count of Skingrad
Janus Hassildor is the Count of Skingrad. Despite this, he’s rarely out in the open, and anyone who wishes to speak to him has to arrange a meeting with the steward. InOblivion, there are plenty of quests that require the player to speak to the count. Thus, it isn’t too difficult to pull him out of the inner chambers of the castle. But as soon as he steps into the main hall, the reason for his reclusiveness becomes clear. Count Janus is one of the manyvampires in the world ofThe Elder Scrolls.
The count’s emaciated face and piercing red eyes are clear giveaways toany experiencedOblivionplayer. However, the rest of the residents of Skingrad simply believe him to be a very private person and a powerful sorcerer who’s devoted to his work. Additionally, none of the count’s subjects have any qualms with how he chooses to run Skingrad.
Despite his political standing, the count is a troubled man.He detests other vampiresthat take up residence in Skingrad, as they draw in vampire hunters who threaten his safety. This is all the more dangerous because his wife, Rona Hassildor, is also a vampire. Unlike Janus, she was unable to accept what she had become. She refused to feed and, as a result, fell into a coma that she hasn’t woken from since. InOblivion, the player can find her asleep in one of the castle’s secret chambers.
The player can even help the count with his predicament by setting out to find a cure for his wifein the “Vampire Cure” quest. Once the player has finished the long process of acquiring the cure, the count will give it to his wife. The two will then speak for a moment before Rona ingests the potion and dies. The count is, of course, saddened by his wife’s death, but is still content that she no longer has to suffer. He continues to rule Skingrad as the vampire count.
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The Pale Lady of the Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
That said, Count Janus isn’t the only vampire in Castle Skingrad. Directly connected to the castle dungeons is a hidden passageway connected to yet another secret chamber. Residing there is another vampire, a dark elf nicknamed the Pale Lady. Though the jailor calls her Mina. The player encounters her in the quest “Lost Histories” which isa part ofOblivion’s Thieves Guild questline.
In this quest, the player is tasked with finding a bookfor the Gray Fox ofOblivion. Another member of the guild, Theranis, was sent to retrieve the book, but he hasn’t returned. Thus, the player must find both the book and the missing thief. Theranis’ trail begins in Skingrad. There, the player finds out that the thief had been babbling about his heist, so he ended up in the town’s dungeon.
Regardless of how the player chooses to infiltrate the castle dungeons, they’ll find that Theranis isn’t in any of the cells. One prisoner will thenexplain that the Pale Ladytakes the prisoners away seemingly at random, and when she takes someone for the third time, they won’t be coming back. Theranis was, unfortunately, on his third round but was taken very recently. The player must then follow a blood trail, revealing secret passageways on their way down to Theranis’ location.
At the end of the trail, they’ll find the Pale Lady in her chamber. She will attack immediately, forcing the player to kill her. After she’s taken care of, the player can get a better look at her lair. It’s a small room with a bloodied floor and very little furniture, save for a coffin and some tables and chairs. The most notable items are the bottles of blood sitting on one of the tables.
Theranis’ dead body will be lying across the floor. However, the player will also find Amusei, anold friend from an earlierOblivionquest, in the lair’s prison cell. With the Pale Lady defeated, the player must escort Amusei out of Castle Skingrad. After, he will reveal where Theranis hid the book. Claiming it and returning it to the Thieves Guild completes the quest.
Why Was the Pale Lady in Castle Skingrad?
Castle Skingrad is home to a host of powerful vampires. Count Janus, in spite of his hidden agenda, seems to be an upstanding person, but the Pale Lady doesn’t seem to fall in the same moral category. When in combat, she will sometimes cry out, “I will feed the mistress your blood!” This suggests that the Pale Lady is in Castle Skingrad to collect blood and feed it to Rona.
This would also suggest that Count Janus is aware of the Pale Lady’s actions — how she tortures the prisoners of the dungeon and collects their blood. If this were the case, it would surely taint his image as the good ruler of Skingrad. There’s no escaping the fact thatvampires require human blood to live. However, taking in a violent vampire to do one’s dirty work is far from benevolent.
Given all this, it would seem Count Janus isn’t that good of a vampire as he appears to be. Though he is a good ruler andan ally ofOblivion’s Mages Guild, he’s not below hiring a sadistic vampire to do his dirty work. Unfortunately, the player isn’t given the option to confront the count about the Pale Lady, bringing her story to an abrupt end.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionis available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
