>Main Quest: Sovngarde

Terror in the Shadowed Vale

You have crossed the threshold of the living and entered the afterlife, the realm of Aetherius. Alduin’s presence is powerful here; indeed, you can see the dragon in the distance, below the red glow of the eternal sunset. Follow the pathway down (north), passing between the mammoth tusks and the monolithic cowled statues and into the valley of mists—the Shadowed Vale.

The mists—created by Alduin—begin to thicken, impeding your path and vision. Use the Clear Skies Shout to clear the fog back for a few moments. Look at the winding path through the misty valley, which is interspersed with runic stones and blue torchlight that indicates the main route to take. Soon you make out a figure, a Stormcloak Soldier, lost and terrified. He pleads with you to turn back. The fellow splutters out a riddle: “vain is all courage against the peril that guards the way.” You surmise he’s talking about Alduin.

He tells the tale of his own demise but is even more terrified of Alduin, whose hunger is insatiable. The dragon hunts the lost souls snared within this shadowed valley, feasts upon them to regain his power, and returns to Tamriel. The soldier pleads with you to take him to Shor’s Hall, where the heroes of old await their eternity in safety from Alduin’s hunt. Answer him in any way you wish. Perhaps you might seek some help inside this Hall of Valor?

Execute the Clear Skies Shout once more to spot the Hall of Valor silhouetted against the gloomy skies in the distance to the north. Venture farther into the valley, and the path splits, continuing around both sides of a central rock outcrop. You can climb the steps cut into the outcrop. Watch Alduin as he swoops about in the middle distance, plucking souls lost in the fog and devouring them. Atop this central outcrop, above the fog, you can also view the entrance to the Hall of Valor, a gigantic whale skeleton that spans a bottomless chasm void.

Seeking Valor

Return to the path below. No matter which path to the whalebone bridge that you take, expect to encounter two or three lost souls caught forever in the fog. Expect both Stormcloaks and Imperials here, along with those you may have dispatched during your adventure. Along the left-hand path, you can also meet High King Torygg, whose death at the hands of Ulfric Stormcloak plunged Skyrim into civil war. All fear the World-Eater. Emerge from Shadowed Vale and approach the steps leading to the whalebone bridge, where a mighty figure stands before you.

Approach Tsun. If you’ve studied your Tamriel history, you’ll know he is a hero of ancient times, the brother of Stendarr, shield-thane to Shor, and a warrior of supreme quality. To Nords, he is revered as the greatest warrior who ever lived. As you approach, he asks what brings you to Sovngarde. You can:

• Ignore him and attempt to cross the bridge without his permission. It takes but a moment for Tsun to catch you in this maneuver, and lightning is summoned from the skies. It strikes you repeatedly, forcing you to stop, die, or leap from the bridge and to your death.
• Speak to Tsun. When you ask, he tells you that he judges those fit to join the fellowship of honor inside the Hall of Valor. After further posturing, inform Tsun that you seek to enter the Hall and that you have a right of birth; you are Dragonborn.

Tsun greets you with a series of verses. This warrior poetry is filled with illuminating, rugged beauty. You receive a separate response if you’ve achieved any (or all) of the following:

• Become the leader of the Companions.
• Become the head of the College of Winterhold.
• Achieved the status as the head of the Dark Brotherhood.
• Achieved the status as the leader of the Thieves Guild.

Tsun agrees to let you into the Hall, but only after you pass the warrior’s test. Tsun unsheathes his two-handed battle-ax and advances upon you!

This battle need not be difficult. You may utilize any of the Shouts that you’ve learned that damage foes in combat (Fire Breath is a good choice). Back these ranged attacks with your favored offensive weaponry. Once you wound Tsun enough, he halts the attack, judges that you fought well, and steps aside, allowing you to cross the Whalebone Bridge. Don’t fall off the bridge as you cross!

The giant doors to the Hall of Valor appear before you. Push one open and enter the grand hall. Heroes from Tamriel’s recent and distant past walk this Hall, which is dominated by mead and meat: A banquet, including a huge spit-roast is underway, and Shor’s subjects make merry, awaiting his summons to the last battle. You are greeted by the mighty warrior who adapted Nordic writing from the elves, Ysgramor. This revered ancestor of the Companions tells you that three warriors stand ready, awaiting your word to loose their fury upon the perilous foe. Their names are Gormlaith the Fearless, Hakon the Valiant, and Felldir the Old. You may remember them as the Nordic warriors you saw in your Elder Scrolls vision. Seek them out among the other heroes of Sovngarde.

The following heroic fighters from yore are among the honored guests in the Hall of Valor:

• Erlendr the Quick, a friend of Ulfgar, who was turned into a stone pillar by a mage named Grimkell.
• Jurgen Windcaller (“The Calm”), the founder of the Way of the Voice. The Greybeards honor him.
• Hunroor the Agile, a companion of Ulfgar, who was turned into a stone pillar by a mage called Grimkell.
• Ulfgar the Unending, a Nord barbarian who has finally found his way home, along with his brethren.
• Olaf One-Eye, a first-era king who helped capture a mighty dragon named Numinex and housed him in Dragonsreach.

Quest Conclusion

When you’re done wandering among the heroes, locate the three Nordic warriors who defeated Alduin the first time around: Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Hakon One-Eye, and Felldir the Old. Gormlaith is raring to seal Alduin’s doom, but hold council before the battle begins. They agree that Alduin’s mist is more than a snare; it is his shield and cloak. With the four voices of the heroes and Dragonborn joined in unison, the mist can be removed and Alduin brought to battle. The World-Eater fears you, Dragonborn!

Postquest Activities

Once the Nordic heroes agree to fight Alduin, Main Quest: Dragonslayer begins.