The Cyrodiil wilderness is a lonely place. You spend hours trekking through the Great Forest, dodging Will-o-the-wisps and listening to that same hauntingly beautiful Jeremy Soule soundtrack on loop. Then, you see it. Just north of Skingrad, tucked away in the dense brush, is the shrine of sanguine. It’s not as imposing as Boethiah’s or as terrifying as Molag Bal’s. It just looks like a place where things might get a little weird.
Sanguine is the Daedric Prince of debauchery, lust, and "creative" indulgence. He’s basically the guy who shows up to a funeral with a keg and somehow makes everyone feel better about it. In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, his quest is legendary. It isn't about saving the world or slaying a dragon. It’s about ruining a very fancy dinner party.
Where Exactly Is the Shrine of Sanguine?
Finding the place is half the battle if you aren't using a fast-travel map marker from a previous playthrough. If you head out of Skingrad’s main gate and trek almost directly north—maybe a tiny bit to the northwest—you’ll eventually stumble upon it. It sits in the West Weald region. Look for the stone pillars and the group of worshippers who look like they’ve been awake for three days straight.
You can't just walk up and start chatting, though. The Daedra are picky.
To speak with Sanguine, you need to be at least level 8. If you’re a low-level scrub, his followers will just tell you to buzz off. If you meet the requirements, you need an offering: Cyrodilic Brandy. Don't go looking for cheap ale. This is a high-class god of low-class behavior. You can usually buy a bottle at The Main Ingredient in the Imperial City or find one in the wine cellars of Castle Skingrad if you’re feeling thievish.
The Quest: "Stark Reality"
Once you hand over the brandy, Sanguine gives you a task that is peak Oblivion humor. He’s bored. Specifically, he’s bored with the Countess of Leyawiin, Alessia Caro. She’s known for being a bit of a stick-in-the-mud and, frankly, a bit of a bigot toward Argonians. Sanguine wants you to liven up her dinner party.
How? By casting a spell called "Stark Reality" on the guests.
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Crashing the Party
You have to travel all the way down to Leyawiin. It’s a long walk or a fast ride. Once you’re there, you have to get into the castle's private quarters during the evening meal. The guards aren't just going to let some guy in iron armor wander into a state dinner. You usually need to be wearing fine clothes to get past the guard, or you can just sneak in if your Agility is high enough.
Honestly, the easiest way is to wait until about 6:00 PM and talk to the guard at the door. If your personality is high or you bribe him, he'll let you in because he thinks you’re an invited guest.
What Happens Next Is Pure Chaos
When you walk into that dining room, you see the Countess and her snooty friends sitting around a table laden with food. You cast the spell.
Poof.
Every single person in the room—including you—loses their clothes. Instantly.
The "Stark Reality" spell strips everyone down to their undergarments. It also strips away all the enchantments and armor you’re wearing. The guards immediately freak out. Since "casting a spell on the Countess" is technically an assault, you get an immediate bounty.
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The most jarring part? Your inventory is gone. Not deleted, but gone from your person. You are standing in a room full of angry guards, naked, with no weapons and no way to fight back effectively.
The Great Escape
This is where players usually panic. You have a few options here. You can try to pay the fine, but the guards will take you to jail, and you still won't have your stuff. The intended "fun" way is to bolt. Run out of the castle, out of the city gates, and back into the woods.
It feels ridiculous. You're running through the marshes of Blackwood in your loincloth, dodging mudcrabs and praying a Daedroth doesn't spawn on the road.
Getting Your Stuff Back
The biggest misconception about the shrine of sanguine quest is that your items are lost forever if you get arrested. They aren't. But Sanguine is a prankster, so he doesn't just hand them back.
Once you return to the shrine after the prank is "complete," Sanguine will be laughing his head off. He thinks you're hilarious. As a reward, he gives you the Sanguine Rose, one of the most iconic Daedric artifacts in the franchise. It’s a staff that summons a leveled Daedra to fight for you. In Oblivion, it’s a bit unpredictable because the summoned creature will sometimes attack you if you aren't careful, but it's a powerhouse for a mid-level mage.
Your gear? It’s in a chest at the shrine. Open it up, re-equip your glass armor or your Mage’s Hood, and try to forget the shame of being tackled by a Leyawiin guard while wearing nothing but a smile.
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Why This Quest Still Holds Up in 2026
Modern RPGs often take themselves way too seriously. Everything is "the fate of the galaxy" or "the end of all life." Oblivion understood that sometimes, you just want to be a magical nuisance.
The Sanguine quest works because it hits that perfect "emergent gameplay" sweet spot. Maybe you cast the spell and accidentally hit a guard who wasn't at the table. Maybe you use an invisibility potion you had tucked away to escape the room. Maybe you decide to punch the Countess while she's stunned.
It’s a sandbox moment.
Also, it provides a nice bit of lore regarding the Countess herself. If you pay attention to the dialogue in Leyawiin, she’s not a well-liked person. Seeing her humiliated is a weirdly satisfying bit of poetic justice for the way she treats the local beastfolk.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- The Bounty: If you have a high bounty in other cities, the Leyawiin guards might be extra aggressive. Clear your name before trying to party.
- Leveling: Don't do this quest the second you hit level 8 if you're playing on a high difficulty. Running through the wilderness naked is significantly harder when the wolves have 200 health.
- Inventory Weight: When Sanguine gives your stuff back, it all goes into your inventory at once. If you were close to your carry limit before, you might become overencumbered immediately.
Technical Details for the Completionists
| Detail | Requirement/Value |
|---|---|
| Required Level | 8 |
| Offering | Cyrodilic Brandy |
| Artifact Reward | Sanguine Rose |
| Quest Name | Sanguine (or "Stark Reality") |
| Location | North-Northwest of Skingrad |
The Sanguine Rose itself has about 40 charges. It’s worth quite a bit of gold (around 3000), but you’d be a fool to sell it. It’s one of the few ways a non-conjuration build can get a Xivilai on their side during a tough fight in an Oblivion Gate.
How to Prepare for the Sanguine Quest
If you're planning to head to the shrine of sanguine tonight, do yourself a favor and prep.
- Stash your gold. If you get caught and decide to pay the fine, it’s based on the assault. If you resist arrest and then get caught, it gets expensive.
- Speed is key. If you have "Fortify Speed" potions or spells, use them right after you cast the prank spell. It makes the run to the city gates much less stressful.
- Check the time. The dinner party only happens between 6 PM and midnight. If you show up at noon, the room is empty and the spell won't "trigger" the quest completion properly.
The Sanguine quest remains a highlight of the Daedric questline because it asks the player to be vulnerable. You spend the whole game building a powerhouse character, and for five minutes, the game takes it all away and tells you to run. It’s brilliant, it’s frustrating, and it’s exactly what a god of chaos would want.
To wrap this up, head to Skingrad, grab a bottle of the good stuff, and get ready to ruin a dinner party. Just make sure you're wearing clean socks—you're going to be seeing a lot of them. After you finish Sanguine's little prank, you'll find the Sanguine Rose is one of the most reliable "get out of jail free" cards in your inventory for the rest of the game.