The Whispering Door

Mephala's sphere of influence is not quite known, the only common theme being interference with mortal affairs. She has a tendency to create intricate and intertwining plots between them, believing that all of their lives are also intertwined in some way. It is because of this that she is considered the sibling of the Daedric Prince of knowledge, Hermaeus Mora. She was essentially the prime founder of the secret group of assassins known as the Morag Tong before they changed loyalties to Vivec. It has also been suggested that the Night Mother the Dark Brotherhood follows is none other than Mephala herself. While she is generally known as female, Mephala may also take on the form of a male depending on her target. Her Daedric artifact is the Ebony Blade, which absorbs a portion of health from any wounds inflicted, starting at ten points and ending with thirty.

This quest is perhaps the shortest of the Daedric quests and one of the shortest in the game. It starts by hearing a rumor in the local inn, The Bannered Mare, about the Jarl's children. upon further investigation by talking with the Jarl, he will tell you how they have became somewhat estranged as of late, especially his youngest son Nelkir. He describes him as "brooding" and "violent" and wants you to talk to the lad. The boy will come straight forward and reveal secrets about his family, such as his father's hatred of the Thalmor, illegal worship of Talos and his own being born of a different mother than his brothers and sisters. When questioned about the source of his information, he tells of a whispering door in the basement that might talk to you as well.

Go down the stairs to what appears to be a servant's quarters to find what the bow spoke of. A voice will speak to you as if from behind the door, revealing herself to be the voice Mephala. She says that a piece of her power lies beyond the door she speaks through and was waiting for someone more worthy to than the boy to retrieve it for her. To access the area, talk to Nelkir. He shows his further knowledge of the castle by telling you only two people hold the key to the door: Jarl Balgruuf and the court mage, Farengar Secret-Fire. While he does not state it outright, he makes the implication that the court mage "would not be missed." Kill Farengar or pickpocket the key from him, then return to the door and open it. Grab the Ebony Blade and, if you want, read the warning text laid before it. Mephala will speak to you one last time. According to her, the blade must be recharged to full strength with the "blood of deceit" by killing those that you gain the trust of.

(Note: The original absorption is ten points. Each viable person killed will increase the absorption by two up to thirty points, upon which Mephala will inform you that the Blade is back at full strength.)