

In Sleeping Giant Inn, she will be talking to two Thalmor agents, who exit upon your arrival. Upon reading the note, you may choose to go back to Riverwood to talk to Delphine. Exiting the inn will make Malborn disappear. Reading the note while still in the inn will make Malborn impossible to interact with. The note says that Malborn is working with the Thalmor and to not trust him. Before exiting the inn, the high elf woman approaches you and says that you’ve dropped a note which looks important. You’ll leave the rest of your gear there.
#Esbern not at sky haven temple driver
Telling Malborn about the mutual friend who sent you will lead him to explain what you have to do: give him all the gear you want to be smuggled, then meet a carriage driver at the Solitude Stables. At a table, there is a high elf woman who cannot be interacted with. Malborn waits for you at the Frostfruit Inn. In addition, she warns you not to disclose her identity since Malborn doesn’t know exactly who she is. Delphine gives you the invitation and some fine clothes and says that Malborn will take care of the rest. She assures you that he is not a dangerous character but as far as she knows he can be trusted with the mission. She points you to a contact of hers who is waiting in Rorikstead- a wood elf named Malborn whose family was butchered in the Great War.

Going down the lines of questions about the Thalmor will bring about the objective to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy and search for proof that the Aldmeri Dominion is behind the dragon attacks. It is up to you to prove you have the leadership skills to make the Blades something worth remembering. But in reality, she sees in you a means to an end, a banner she can rally behind.

She “trusts” you with her identity because you are Dragonborn and, according to her, “the Blades serve and guide the Dragonborn”. Her belief is that she’s the last surviving member of the Blades, so everything that might reveal her identity to the world will also endanger what the Blades have stood for. She lets you know that she is hunted by the Thalmor and needs to take every possible precaution. At this point, she will reveal everything you need to know about who she is. Along the questline of the Blades, your relationship with Delphine will impact whether or not you get to make a difference in Skyrim with this organization. Starting this quest will also start Delphine’s relationship counter which is at 0. You won’t be able to progress to Diplomatic Immunity otherwise. Additionally, you will need to complete The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. After defeating the dragon in Kynesgrove, Delphine will tell you to meet her at the Sleeping Giant Inn. You can go to Kynesgrove or to Ustengrav. She asks for your help in going after the dragon in Kynesgrove and assures you that if she had any kind of bad intentions she could have acted when you exited High Hrothgar or whenever she shadowed you before. When the Dragonborn tries to ask about personal details, she derails into her belief that the Thalmor might be behind the dragon attacks and that she tracked down the next assault. She is aware that you are now Dragonborn and also knows that you will have to go after the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller but is not willing to disclose any more about herself. The initial dialogue will change based on whether or not you have previously entered and/ or spoken to Delphine in Sleeping Giant Inn or Dragonsreach. She has shadowed you all the way from Whiterun (where she was present at the time Mirmulnir attacked). A Blade in the DarkĮxiting High Hrothgar after the ceremony will put you in dialogue mode with Delphine. You can screw it up and end up in dark places, or say the right things at the right time and become the Grandmaster of the Blades, effectively rebuilding an organization and giving it a purpose, one that goes beyond killing a few dragons. In Alternative, your relationship with Delphine dictates the progression of the Blades. In the original quest, Delphine was always too cold and forceful, disrespectfully ordering the Dragonborn around just to advance the story.

It’s you, Delphine and Esbern fighting impossible odds to defeat the World-Eater, expand the organization and try to not get killed by the Thalmor.
