No One Escapes Cidhna Mine: Complete Skyrim Quest Walkthrough & Choice Guide (2026)

The Forsworn Conspiracy quest in Skyrim dumps you in one of the game’s most notorious prisons, Cidhna Mine, and there’s no obvious way out. Unlike most quests where the path forward is clear, “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine” forces you into a genuine moral choice with lasting consequences. You’re stripped of your gear, locked up with Forsworn terrorists, and given two wildly different escape routes.

This isn’t a quest you can brute-force with a stealth archer build. The decision to help or betray Madanach, the King in Rags, determines your rewards, faction standing, and even which NPCs survive. And if you’re dealing with the infamous inventory glitch or Madanach refusing to talk, you’re not alone, this quest has plagued players since 2011.

This guide breaks down both paths, step-by-step, with exact consequences, rewards, and fixes for the most common bugs. Whether you’re roleplaying a Nord nationalist or just want the Armor of the Old Gods, you’ll know exactly what to expect before you make your choice.

Understanding the Cidhna Mine Quest: How You End Up in Prison

“No One Escapes Cidhna Mine” is the direct sequel to “The Forsworn Conspiracy,” and there’s no way to avoid it once you’ve started investigating Eltrys’ murder mystery in Markarth. The quest begins automatically after you’ve uncovered the conspiracy, and the city guards will be waiting.

Getting Arrested During the Forsworn Conspiracy

Once you read Eltrys’ note in the Shrine of Talos and complete your investigation, head to the Shrine of Talos as instructed. The moment you enter, you’ll find Eltrys dead on the floor and several Markarth guards waiting to arrest you. The game doesn’t give you a stealth option here, the guards are scripted to confront you regardless of your approach.

You have three dialogue options, but they all lead to the same outcome: arrest. The guards claim you murdered Eltrys and half the city, and you’re sentenced to Cidhna Mine without trial. This is Markarth’s corrupt justice system at work, controlled entirely by the Silver-Blood family.

Your gear is confiscated immediately. Everything, weapons, armor, quest items, even stolen goods, gets stripped and placed in an evidence chest. Remember this detail, because retrieving your items becomes critical later, especially if you’ve been carrying unique or enchanted gear.

What Happens If You Try to Resist

You can attack the guards instead of submitting to arrest, but it’s a trap option. Killing the guards in the Shrine of Talos gives you a bounty in the Reach that can spiral into thousands of gold. More importantly, it doesn’t stop the quest, more guards will spawn, and eventually you’ll either die, flee the city, or submit to arrest anyway.

If you leave Markarth without getting arrested, “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine” remains stuck in your quest log indefinitely. The only way forward is to return and let the guards arrest you. Some players try using console commands on PC to bypass this, but it often breaks the quest chain entirely.

Once you’re arrested, there’s a brief loading screen, and you wake up inside Cidhna Mine wearing nothing but prisoner rags. The quest officially begins here, and the game saves your progress. No turning back.

Surviving Cidhna Mine: First Steps Inside the Prison

Cidhna Mine is a labor camp carved into the rock beneath Markarth, and it’s crawling with Forsworn prisoners. You’re unarmed, unarmored, and surrounded by NPCs who’ve been locked up for years. The first few minutes are disorienting, but the quest structure is surprisingly linear once you know where to go.

Meeting the Forsworn Prisoners and Key NPCs

As soon as you spawn inside, an Orc named Grisvar the Unlucky approaches and offers to sell you a shiv for a single bottle of skooma. Don’t buy it yet, you’ll find better ways to get a weapon. Grisvar is mostly a distraction, though killing him later becomes relevant if you choose the betrayal path.

Nearby, you’ll meet Uraccen, a Breton prisoner who warns you to stay out of trouble. He’s not essential to the quest, but talking to him gives you context on the mine’s hierarchy. Duach, another prisoner, hangs around the southern section and can provide minor dialogue.

The mine itself has two levels. The lower level is where most prisoners work and sleep. The upper level, accessible via a ramp, leads to Madanach’s private cell. You’ll also notice Borkul the Beast, a massive Orc blocking the entrance to Madanach’s area. He’s the gatekeeper, and you can’t proceed without dealing with him.

One critical NPC is Odvan, a Breton who offers you a shiv in exchange for a bottle of skooma. You can get skooma from Grisvar by pickpocketing him or buying it from him. Alternatively, you can skip the shiv entirely and use magic or fists if your character build supports it.

Finding Madanach, the King in Rags

Madanach is the leader of the Forsworn and the mastermind behind the conspiracy. He’s locked in a private cell on the upper level, guarded by Borkul. According to walkthroughs on IGN, Madanach is one of the most important decision-point NPCs in the base game, your interaction with him determines the entire outcome of the quest.

To get past Borkul, you have three options:

1. Brawl him. If your unarmed damage and health are high enough, challenge Borkul to a fistfight. Win, and he lets you pass.
2. Bribe him with a shiv. If you have a shiv (from Grisvar or Odvan), you can hand it over. Borkul accepts this as payment.
3. Use Speech. A Speech check (around 60-70) convinces Borkul to let you through without violence or payment. This is the cleanest option if your character is built for dialogue.

Once you’re past Borkul, Madanach will be waiting in his cell, reading a book. Talk to him, and he’ll explain his vision for the Forsworn and offer you a way out, but only if you help him first. This is where the quest branches into two distinct paths.

The Two Paths: Escaping With Madanach or Betraying Him

This is the core decision of the quest, and it’s not reversible once you commit. Both paths offer unique rewards, and both have permanent consequences for Markarth’s political landscape.

Path 1: Help Madanach escape. You complete a series of tasks for him, gain the trust of the Forsworn, and participate in a full prison break. This route rewards you with the Armor of the Old Gods, a unique light armor set, and the Boots of the Old Gods. You’ll also gain Madanach as a temporary ally and earn the gratitude of the Forsworn, though Markarth’s Silver-Blood family becomes your enemy.

Path 2: Betray Madanach. You kill Madanach inside the mine, claim a key to escape, and align yourself with Thonar Silver-Blood. This route rewards you with the Silver-Blood Family Ring (grants 10% better prices) and a small amount of gold. You’ll also earn the favor of Markarth’s ruling family, but the Forsworn will remember your betrayal.

The key difference: Path 1 is combat-heavy and lore-rich. Path 2 is faster and loot-focused. Neither is objectively “better”, it depends on your character’s build, roleplay, and which reward you value more. Some players argue the Armor of the Old Gods is more useful for stealth builds, while the Silver-Blood Family Ring is a long-term economic benefit.

One important note: if you’re following a completionist playthrough, you can exploit a glitch to get both rewards. This involves killing Madanach after he escapes but before he reaches the Shrine of Talos. We’ll cover that exploit later in the glitches section.

Path 1: Helping Madanach Escape (Forsworn Route)

This is the “canonical” path if you’re sympathetic to the Forsworn or want to oppose the Silver-Blood family’s corruption. It’s also the longer and more involved route, with multiple objectives and a climactic escape sequence.

Completing Madanach’s Tasks and Gaining Trust

After your first conversation with Madanach, he asks you to prove your loyalty by gathering information from other prisoners. Your first task is to talk to Braig, an elderly prisoner who has a personal vendetta against the Silver-Bloods. Braig is located in the southern section of the lower level.

Braig tells you his story: Thonar Silver-Blood had his daughter killed. This dialogue is entirely scripted, you just need to listen and return to Madanach with the information. Report back, and Madanach will give you your next task: obtain a shiv from Grisvar the Unlucky.

Here’s where it gets messy. Grisvar won’t hand over the shiv willingly. You have two options:

• Kill Grisvar. The simplest approach. Attack him, loot his body, and take the shiv. None of the other prisoners will turn hostile, they ignore the murder entirely. This is Bethesda logic at its finest.
• Pickpocket him. If your Pickpocket skill is high enough (around 40-50), you can steal the shiv and a bottle of skooma without killing him. This is the “clean” option, though it’s harder to pull off.

Once you have the shiv, return to Madanach. He’ll take it, then hand you a special Shiv (a slightly better version) and a Madanach’s Note. He explains that the Forsworn have been digging an escape tunnel through the ruins beneath the mine, and it’s almost complete. He tells you to rest and wait for the signal.

The Prison Break: Fighting Your Way Through the Ruins

After a short wait (you can sleep on one of the prison beds to speed this up), Madanach and the Forsworn prisoners initiate the breakout. The locked gate to the Markarth Ruins opens, and the group charges through. You’re expected to follow and fight alongside them.

The Markarth Ruins are a small Dwemer dungeon filled with Frostbite Spiders and a single Dwarven Sphere. If your character is low-level or lacks gear, let the Forsworn prisoners tank the enemies, they’re surprisingly durable. Madanach himself is essential and can’t die during this sequence, so he’ll draw aggro.

The dungeon is linear. Follow the path, clear the spiders, and disable or destroy the Dwarven Sphere. Near the end, you’ll find a chest containing your confiscated gear. Open it and re-equip everything. This is critical, if you leave the ruins without your gear, you’ll have to return later or lose it permanently.

Once you exit the ruins, you’ll emerge outside Markarth, near the city’s entrance. Madanach and several Forsworn prisoners will be waiting. Here’s where things get complicated.

Consequences of Siding With the Forsworn

As soon as you exit, a group of Silver-Blood mercenaries and Markarth guards will attack the Forsworn. Thonar Silver-Blood ordered the hit, and the fight is scripted to happen. You don’t have to participate, but if you help the Forsworn, you’ll gain a small amount of favor with Madanach.

If the Forsworn win the fight, Madanach will reward you with the Armor of the Old Gods (light armor chest piece with a Fortify Magicka Regen 50% enchantment) and the Boots of the Old Gods (muffle enchantment). These are unique items and can’t be obtained any other way. Madanach then leaves for Druadach Redoubt, a Forsworn camp in the Reach.

The downside: Thonar Silver-Blood becomes hostile, and you may receive a small bounty in Markarth depending on how the fight plays out. Also, some players report that guides on Game Rant note Madanach’s survival can cause minor dialogue bugs with other Forsworn camps, though this is inconsistent across playthroughs.

One final detail: Kaie, Madanach’s second-in-command, and Braig both survive the escape if you don’t interfere. They’ll follow Madanach to Druadach Redoubt and can be found there later in the game.

Path 2: Betraying Madanach (Thonar Silver-Blood Route)

This path is faster, more straightforward, and rewards you with different loot. It’s the preferred route if you’re roleplaying a law-abiding Nord, want to side with Markarth’s establishment, or just don’t care about the Forsworn.

How to Kill Madanach in Prison

To trigger the betrayal route, you need to kill Madanach while still inside Cidhna Mine. This can happen at any point before or during the prison break. The easiest method is to attack him in his cell after your first conversation.

Madanach isn’t particularly tough, he has around 100-150 HP and no armor. A few power attacks with a shiv or a barrage of destruction spells will do the job. The other Forsworn prisoners (Borkul, Duach, Uraccen) will turn hostile if you attack Madanach in their line of sight, so either fight them all or use stealth.

Once Madanach is dead, loot his body to obtain Madanach’s Key. This key unlocks the door to the Markarth Ruins, allowing you to escape without completing his tasks. You can also loot his unique enchanted Armor of the Old Gods from his corpse, though this version is weaker than the one he gives you in Path 1.

Escaping After the Betrayal

With Madanach’s Key in hand, unlock the gate to the Markarth Ruins and proceed through the dungeon. The layout is identical to Path 1, spiders, a Dwarven Sphere, and your confiscated gear in a chest near the exit.

The major difference: the Forsworn prisoners don’t accompany you. You’ll have to clear the dungeon solo or with a follower (if you had one before arrest). This makes the escape slightly harder for low-level characters, but the enemies aren’t scaled high enough to be a serious threat past level 15.

Once you exit the ruins, you’ll emerge outside Markarth as usual. But instead of a fight with Silver-Blood mercenaries, you’ll find Thonar Silver-Blood waiting to thank you. He’s pleased you killed Madanach and rewards you immediately.

Rewards and Consequences of the Betrayal Route

Thonar hands you the Silver-Blood Family Ring, an enchanted ring that grants 10% better prices with all merchants across Skyrim. This is a permanent economic buff and stacks with other price-reduction perks like Speech tree bonuses or the Blessing of Zenithar. For players who trade heavily or run merchant-focused builds, this ring is more valuable long-term than the Armor of the Old Gods.

You also receive a small gold reward (around 300-500 septims, depending on your level) and a pardon for any bounty you accumulated in the Reach. Markarth’s guards will no longer be hostile, and Thonar becomes a permanent ally.

The downside: the Forsworn hate you. If you visit Forsworn camps like Druadach Redoubt or Red Eagle Redoubt later in the game, named Forsworn NPCs may have unique hostile dialogue referencing your betrayal. This doesn’t affect gameplay mechanically, but it’s a nice touch for immersion.

One exploit: if you reverse-pickpocket a Fury or Frenzy poison onto Madanach and let the other prisoners kill him, you can sometimes avoid the hostility penalty while still obtaining his key. This is inconsistent and may break the quest, so save beforehand if you attempt it.

Quest Rewards: Armor of the Old Gods vs. Silver-Blood Family Ring

Let’s break down the rewards objectively so you can decide which path suits your build.

Armor of the Old Gods (Path 1 reward):

• Light armor chest piece
• Base armor rating: 23 (scales with Light Armor skill)
• Enchantment: Fortify Magicka Regen 50%
• Unique appearance (Forsworn-style hide armor)
• Cannot be disenchanted

Boots of the Old Gods (Path 1 reward):

• Light armor boots
• Base armor rating: 6
• Enchantment: Muffle (100% noise reduction)
• Unique appearance
• Cannot be disenchanted

The Armor of the Old Gods is best for hybrid builds, battlemages, spellswords, or anyone who uses magicka-heavy combat. The 50% magicka regen is substantial, especially if you stack it with the Mage Stone, the Alteration perk Mage Armor, or enchanted jewelry. The muffle on the boots is great for stealth archers or thieves, though you can replicate it with the Muffle spell or enchanted gear.

Silver-Blood Family Ring (Path 2 reward):

• Ring slot
• Enchantment: 10% better prices (buy and sell)
• Stacks with Speech perks and other effects
• Permanent economic benefit

The Silver-Blood Family Ring is a quality-of-life item. 10% better prices doesn’t sound like much, but over a 100-hour playthrough, it saves thousands of septims. If you’re playing a merchant character, a build that relies on buying soul gems or training services, or just someone who likes hoarding gold, this ring pays for itself.

From a min-max perspective, the Armor of the Old Gods is more “powerful” in combat, but the Silver-Blood Family Ring has broader utility. Most veteran players recommend Path 1 for first-time playthroughs (better story, more memorable) and Path 2 for subsequent runs or gold-focused builds.

Common Bugs, Glitches, and How to Fix Them

“No One Escapes Cidhna Mine” is infamous for bugs, especially on older versions of Skyrim. The Special Edition and Anniversary Edition (2021/2022 updates) fixed some issues, but several persist even in 2026.

The Inventory Glitch: Recovering Your Confiscated Items

This is the most common bug. After escaping the mine, some players find their confiscated items missing from the evidence chest in the Markarth Ruins. The chest appears empty, or only a few random items are inside. This usually happens if you had a large inventory (100+ items) at the time of arrest.

Fix attempts:

1. Reload a save from before the arrest. Drop non-essential items in a safe container (like your house in Whiterun) before letting the guards arrest you. This reduces the chance of the chest bugging out.
2. Check the evidence chest in Markarth’s Guard Barracks. Sometimes items are duplicated or moved to the barracks evidence chest instead of the ruins chest. Fast travel to Markarth, sneak into the barracks (it’s trespassing), and search the chest near the cells.
3. Use console commands (PC only). If you know the item IDs, open the console (~) and use player.additem [item ID] 1 to spawn replacements. This doesn’t fix the bug, but it recovers your gear.

Prevention: Many strategy guides on Twinfinite recommend saving before you read Eltrys’ note and entering the Shrine of Talos. If the chest bugs out, reload and try again with a lighter inventory.

Quest Won’t Complete or Madanach Won’t Talk

Some players report that after escaping, the quest marker remains active or Madanach becomes unresponsive during the escape sequence. This is often caused by killing Madanach at the wrong time or letting him die to enemy attacks outside the mine.

Fix attempts:

1. Wait 24-48 in-game hours. Fast travel to a distant location (like Riften or Solitude), wait 48 hours, then return to Markarth. Sometimes the quest updates after a delay.
2. Talk to Thonar Silver-Blood. If you sided with the Forsworn but the quest won’t complete, try entering the Treasury House and speaking to Thonar. He may have dialogue that triggers the completion.
3. Reload a save from inside the mine. If the bug is severe, reload a save from before the escape and try the sequence again. Avoid looting Madanach’s body or attacking him after he rewards you, this sometimes breaks the script.

On PC, you can force-complete the quest with the console command setstage MS02 100, but this may cause issues with related quests or faction standings.

Other minor bugs:

• Borkul the Beast becomes invincible: Rare, but if Borkul won’t die during the prison break, reload a save.
• Forsworn prisoners respawn inside the mine: If you return to Cidhna Mine after completing the quest, sometimes generic Forsworn enemies spawn. This is cosmetic and doesn’t affect gameplay.
• Duplicate Armor of the Old Gods: If you loot Madanach’s body after he rewards you, you can sometimes obtain two copies of the armor. This is an exploit, not a bug, and it’s been patched in Anniversary Edition.

Tips and Strategies for Both Quest Routes

Here are some advanced tips to optimize your playthrough, whether you’re siding with the Forsworn or the Silver-Bloods.

Best Character Builds for Each Path

For Path 1 (Forsworn Route):

• Stealth builds benefit most from the Boots of the Old Gods. The muffle enchantment is top-tier for sneaking, and the Armor of the Old Gods works well for light armor stealth archers or assassins.
• Battlemages and spellswords love the 50% magicka regen. Pair the armor with the Atronach Stone or Alteration perks for maximum sustain.
• Heavy armor builds can still use the armor for its enchantment, but the low base armor rating means you’ll want to supplement it with strong gauntlets, boots, and a helmet.

For Path 2 (Silver-Blood Route):

• Merchant or thief builds get the most mileage out of the Silver-Blood Family Ring. If you’re focused on gold accumulation, this ring is a must-have.
• Pure warrior builds don’t rely on the quest rewards as much, so Path 2’s speed and simplicity make it a good choice. You’re in and out fast, with minimal dungeon crawling.
• Completionist builds might prefer Path 2 if they’ve already obtained similar magicka regen or muffle gear from other sources.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

There’s a famous exploit that lets you get rewards from both paths, though it’s been partially patched in Anniversary Edition. Here’s how it works:

1. Complete Path 1 (help Madanach escape).
2. After he rewards you with the Armor of the Old Gods, wait for the fight with Silver-Blood mercenaries to start outside Markarth.
3. Kill Madanach after he’s exited the ruins but before he reaches the Shrine of Talos. Loot his body for the Silver-Blood Family Ring (which he carries even though he’s not supposed to give it to you).
4. Talk to Thonar Silver-Blood, who will reward you again as if you completed Path 2.

This exploit is inconsistent and may fail depending on your game version. On PC, some players report success with mods like the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch disabled. On console (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

|

S), results vary.

If you’re not interested in exploits, just pick the path that matches your roleplay or build. Both rewards are useful, and neither makes or breaks a character.

Other tips:

• Save before talking to Madanach. This gives you a clean save point if you want to test both paths or if a bug occurs.
• Don’t attack NPCs randomly inside the mine. Killing prisoners like Braig or Uraccen can break quest progression.
• Bring a follower before getting arrested. If you have a follower like Lydia or Serana, they’ll wait outside the mine and rejoin you after you escape. This gives you backup during the Markarth Ruins section.
• Loot everything in the ruins. The Markarth Ruins have some decent Dwemer loot (gears, scrap metal, soul gems). Since you’re already there, clear it out for extra gold.

Conclusion

“No One Escapes Cidhna Mine” is one of Skyrim’s most memorable quests because it actually respects player choice. Whether you side with the Forsworn and fight for their cause or align with the Silver-Bloods and uphold Markarth’s power structure, the consequences stick. The rewards are distinct, the paths are mechanically different, and the roleplay implications matter.

If you’re stuck on the inventory glitch or Madanach won’t cooperate, the fixes in this guide should get you moving again. And if you’re still deciding which route to take, consider your build and playstyle, stealth and magic users lean toward the Forsworn, merchants and warriors lean toward the Silver-Bloods. Or, if you’re feeling bold, exploit the quest for both rewards and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Either way, Cidhna Mine is one of the few prisons in Skyrim that lives up to its reputation. Good luck, and may your escape go smoother than most.