Summary
- Oblivion is praised for its thrilling quests and plotlines, as well as its unintentionally hilarious moments with unpredictable NPCs.
- The game includes unsettling and creepy details that may go unnoticed by many players, such as strange behaviors of certain characters and haunted houses.
- The expansion pack, The Shivering Isles, introduces dark and disturbing elements like human sacrifices and the twisted origins of music according to the Daedric lord Sheogorath.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is a game that has almost everything. Action-packed fights, unintentionally hilarious meltdowns with its unpredictable NPCs, thrilling and stunning twists across many of its quests and plotlines - all of these things and so much more make up this fantastic RPG.
Furthermore, it certainly knows how to deliver unsettling scenes, not to mention slip in some uncomfortable details that only eagle-eyed players will unearth. It could be stray lines of dialogue or discussions, peculiar locations, or NPCs being genuinely creepy with their habits and the like. Some of these creepy details may have gone under a number of players’ radars... But that’s going to change.
1 Falanu Hlaalu’s Strange Behavior
Skingrad, At The Store "All Things Alchemical"
Falanu Hlaalu is a very odd Dunmer. Formerly of House Hlaalu from Morrowind, she now resides in Skingrad in the alchemy story "All Things Alchemical." When asked about herself, she’ll mention that she can’t go back to her home, before “just asking” about the fine for… to put it subtly, a heinous crime involving dead bodies.
If the player answers, she’ll cheerfully retort “That’s nothing compared to Morrowind, thanks.” In fact, Skingrad’s denizens may comment on how she’s often seen at night around the graveyard “with a strange smile on [her] face.” There’s no further information to find out about this twisted individual. Perhaps it would be better to keep it that way.
2 A Poor Little Dead Troll
Beneath A bridge In The Water, Southeast Of Bravil
Trolls can be devious opponents to fight. They’re quick, can heal their wounds, and can withstand a fair amount of damage. However, one particular dead Troll can be found floating below a bridge located southeast of Bravil. On its person is a bottle of wine and a note with terrible spelling.
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The note is poorly written, so, if one was to correct the spelling and transcribe it, it would read: “me worst troll ever nobody pays bridge toll me not scary enough me get drunk and kill self troll drown.” For a Troll to be able to actually write is unexpected, yet the fact that the poor creature decided to take its own life because he wasn’t frightening enough is nothing short of morbid.
3 Adamus Phillida's Bodyguard Ends His Life
Leyawiin City Watch Barracks After The Quest "Permanent Retirement"
Adamus Phillida is scheduled for elimination by the Dark Brotherhood after progressing further in their quest line. The Imperial Guard captain proves to be an ongoing threat to the guild of assassins and eventually commissions the player to kill him. During this mission, he’s followed by a personal bodyguard.
Naturally, the bodyguard will be distraught upon speaking to him shortly after Phillida’s murder, lamenting how he failed his employer and everyone around him. A few days later, his corpse can be found in the Leyawiin City Watch Barracks along with a suicide note, calling himself “an idiot, and I haven't amounted to anything.” It’s seriously bleak…
4 How Sheogorath Invented Music
Found In The Book "Myths Of Sheogorath"
In The Shivering Isles expansion pack for Oblivion, several books can be found across the land, including "Myths of Sheogorath." This is a storybook detailing certain legends of the Madgod. One of them is called ‘Sheogorath Invents Music’, which touches upon how, “in the earliest of days, in a time when the world was still raw,” the Daedra lord walked among mortals in the guise of a cane-wielding gentleman.
Wanting to make the lives of mortals more interesting, he takes note of a woman commenting on how beautiful the birds sound. As a result, he butchers and mutilates her on the spot, turning her body parts into various musical instruments as gifts for everyone, “and thus Music was born.” It’s debatable if it’s true, but it sounds perfectly in character and ghastly for the Prince of Madness.
5 Nerastarel's Haunted House
Located In The Northeast Part Of Skingrad
Anvil may be home to a haunted house that is tied in with a quest in Oblivion, yet it’s not the only home with undead lurking inside in Cyrodiil. Nerastarel’s House in Skingrad can be broken into, only to discover ghosts and skeletons roaming inside.
Creepily, its owner is not present in the game, and there are no hints or information as to why the undead are in this house. One could clear them out, but they’ll respawn weekly. A jewelry box in the bedroom is the only noteworthy container that can be emptied, containing random loot, which almost makes up for the lack of explanation as to what happened here.
6 The Pale Lady’s Disturbing Taunts
Castle Skingrad’s Torture Chamber
The Thieves’ Guild had a dark mission with some minor details that would make anyone shudder. In "Lost Histories," the player must find a way into Castle Skingrad’s dungeon to find an imprisoned thief, Amusei, who knows the location of an important book that must be acquired.
Inside a secret torture chamber is a caged Amusei. Alongside him is The Pale Lady, a Dark Elf vampire interrogator and torturer. When attacking, she may exclaim: “You will be sweet, bloody nectar for the lady,” and “I will feed the mistress your blood!” The "mistress" in question is the wife of Count Hassildor, both of whom are also vampires. In the quest "Cure For Vampirism," the countess is revealed to be in a deep coma because she refuses to drink blood. The blood-filled vials may have been for said noblewoman, possibly in hopes of reawakening her from her nourishment-deprived slumber.
7 A Rotting Corpse Of A Pining Lover
West Of Fort Nikel
Bobbing in the water of a lake west of the bandit-ridden Fort Nikel is a corpse and a detached skull. Oddly, it has a name: Nath Dyer. On his person is a love letter, which reads: “You don't know me, but I see you every day. Every day my heart skips a beat as you walk past. I am writing to you in hopes that you will let me court you. When you next venture into town, I will be the one holding a primrose.”
True to his word, he’s got a Primrose Leaf in his possession. It’s not known who this was directed at, or who exactly took his life. Either way, it looks like the poor victim never had a chance to deliver that final letter to whoever he admired before his gruesome demise.
8 Human Sacrifices In Fain
Fain, North Of New Sheoth
The Shivering Isles is divided into two parts: Mania and Dementia. Heretics that disavow Sheogorath exist in the bright, glowing side of Mania, though the dungeon known as Fain is hardly reflective of the vibrant setting it’s located in. Upon progressing further inside, one can find the Pit of Fain, an incredibly deep drop into a pool where a supposed sleeping deity known as Gyub exists. It’s also where willing sacrifices are dropped to their death.
At the bottom, there is no deity to be found, only Scalons. These are part of the wildlife, so they certainly can’t be Gyub. Still, it’s clear to see that the Heretics are none the wiser about the being they are worshiping and hoping to resurrect does not exist. In a realm founded by a Daedric god of madness, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising, but it is still dark.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Released
- March 20, 2006
