You know that feeling when you're playing an RPG and you just want to be the bad guy? Not the "I stole a loaf of bread" bad guy, but the "I have a secret cave under a swamp where I feed prisoners to my pet cattle" kind of bad guy. Most games don't actually let you do that. They give you a nice cottage or a castle. But Oblivion The Vile Lair—or Deepscorn Hollow, if you're fancy—is different. It's weird. It’s dark. Honestly, it’s probably the most specialized piece of DLC Bethesda ever released back in the day.
If you’re revisiting Cyrodiil in 2026, maybe through some modded-to-hell version of the original or just a vanilla nostalgia trip, you’ll realize that this DLC was ahead of its time. It wasn't just a house. It was a lifestyle choice for the Dark Brotherhood enthusiasts who felt that the Cheydinhal sanctuary was a bit too "communal living" for their tastes.
Finding Deepscorn Hollow: A Swampy Mess
Deepscorn Hollow is located in the absolute middle of nowhere. You have to travel to the southeastern tip of Cyrodiil, right where the Blackwood region starts to get really soggy. It’s south of Leyawiin, tucked away in the marshes. You don't just find it; you usually inherit it through a quest called "A New Lair."
Greywyn Blenert. That's the name you need to remember. He was a member of the Crimson Scars, a splinter group of the Dark Brotherhood that tried to take over the guild from the inside. They were vampires. Naturally, it didn't end well for them. Greywyn fled to this damp, miserable hole in the ground to hide and find a cure for his vampirism. When you show up, he's long gone, and the place is a wreck.
What Makes This Place Actually Useful?
Most player homes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are just storage containers with beds. Benirus Manor has a ghost problem, and the Skingrad villa is just expensive for the sake of being expensive. Oblivion The Vile Lair actually does things.
First, let's talk about the Font of Renewal.
If you've played Oblivion as a vampire, you know it sucks. Literally. You start burning in the sun, people won't talk to you because your face looks like a dried raisin, and finding a "safe" person to snack on is a chore. The Font of Renewal is a Purging Salt basin that just... cures it. Instantly. No insane "Vampirism Cure" quest involving soul gems and bloodgrass. You just touch the water. It’s a literal lifesaver for players who accidentally got turned while fighting in a cave and don't want to deal with the mechanics anymore.
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Then there's the Garden of Venomgrowth. It's the only place in the game where you can find Chokeberry plants. These aren't for making a nice jam. You use them to create deadly poisons or, better yet, you put them in a target's inventory to "reverse pickpocket" them. They eat the berry, they die. Simple.
The Dark Minion: Your Personal Errand Boy
One of the coolest/creepiest things you can buy for the lair is a Dark Minion. You spend some gold at Rowley Eardwulf—the sketchy guy hanging out at the Wawnet Inn—and suddenly you have a hooded subordinate living in your basement.
You can literally order him to go out and "murder in the name of Sithis."
He leaves for a few days. He comes back. He dumps gold and random loot into a chest for you. It’s passive income, basically. It makes the lair feel lived-in. Most player homes feel like museums. Deepscorn Hollow feels like a headquarters.
The Cattle Cell (Yes, Really)
If you choose to stay a vampire, the "Vile Lair" becomes a five-star resort. You can purchase a prisoner. Well, a "cattle." This NPC just sleeps in a cell indefinitely. You can feed on them whenever you want to reset your vampirism stages without having to break into someone's house in Bravil and risk getting caught by the guards.
It's grim. It’s dark. But for a role-playing game, it's incredibly immersive. It acknowledges that your character is a monster.
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Why Rowley Eardwulf is the MVP
You can't just fix the lair yourself. You have to buy "upgrades" from Rowley Eardwulf at the Wawnet Inn (just outside the Imperial City). He’s a merchant who only sells to you if his disposition is high enough, and he carries some of the best stealth gear in the game.
- The Ichor of Infusion: This is used to revive the Font of Renewal.
- The Living Quarters: Adds a bed, some storage, and makes the place look less like a murder-hole and more like a fancy murder-hole.
- The Laboratory: Gives you an Alchemical Sorter. This was a huge deal in 2006. It automatically organizes your ingredients. It saves so much time.
Comparing the Lair to the Other DLC Homes
Bethesda released a bunch of these "official plug-ins." You had Wizard’s Tower (Frostcrag Spire), Fighter’s Stronghold (Battlehorn Castle), and Thieves' Den (Dunbarrow Cove).
Honestly? Frostcrag Spire is probably "better" for gameplay because of the spell-making altar. Battlehorn Castle is better if you want to feel like a lord. But Oblivion The Vile Lair has the most personality. It fits a specific niche. If you’re playing a stealth-based character or an assassin, nowhere else feels right.
Dunbarrow Cove is okay, but it’s a bit too big. It feels empty. Deepscorn Hollow is claustrophobic and intimate. You’re underwater, surrounded by the bones of failed assassins, brewing poisons that will kill a king. It’s peak Elder Scrolls.
The Secret Shrine of Sithis
There is a massive statue of Sithis in the main chamber. If your Infamy is higher than your Fame, you can pray to it. It heals you. It buffs your stats. It’s the evil version of the altars in the Great Chapels.
This is what people often miss about Oblivion. The game was designed around the idea of a binary alignment. If you were a "good" guy, the world loved you. If you were a "bad" guy, the world—and the gods—hated you. Deepscorn Hollow provided a sanctuary for those players who were tired of being shunned by the Nine Divines.
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Technical Stuff You Should Know
If you're playing the Steam version or the GOG version, this DLC is usually included in the Deluxe Edition. However, there's a notorious bug where the quest won't trigger if you have too many other mods installed that mess with the Blackwood region.
Also, a pro tip: don't store unique items in the "un-upgraded" containers. When you buy a room upgrade, the game basically swaps out the old cell for a new one. Sometimes, items in the old containers can get deleted. Always upgrade the room first, then move your stuff in.
Maximize Your Lair Experience
To get the most out of Oblivion The Vile Lair, you really need to leans into the roleplay. Don't just use it as a fast-travel point.
- Get your Infamy up. The Sithis shrine is useless if you're a hero. Go do the Gray Fox quests or the Dark Brotherhood questline first.
- Stockpile the Chokeberries. They are a finite resource in the sense that they take time to regrow. They are essentially a "delete" button for NPCs you don't like.
- Use the Alchemical Sorter. It’s one of the few places in the game that helps you manage the absolute mess that is the Oblivion inventory system.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you want to experience the Vile Lair the right way, follow this path.
First, head to the Wawnet Inn early. You don't need to be high level to buy the upgrades, just have the gold. Second, complete the "Darkness Eternal" quest if you want to be a vampire, as the Lair makes that playstyle actually fun rather than a chore. Finally, make sure to read Greywyn’s Journal found inside the lair. It provides a massive amount of lore regarding the Crimson Scars and the internal politics of the Dark Brotherhood that you won't find anywhere else in the game.
The Vile Lair isn't just a house; it's the mechanical heart of an "evil" playthrough. It turns Oblivion from a standard fantasy romp into something much more interesting and specialized. It’s the best 500ish megs of content you can add to your load order.