This page details the Diplomatic Immunity main story quest in Skyrim, including where to find Malborn in Solitude, how to enter the Thalmor Embassy and create a distraction, where to find information about the dragons returning, and how to escape the Thalmor dungeon.

Quest Overview¶

1. Meet Delphine in Riverwood.

2. Meet Malborn in Solitude.

3. Give Malborn any equipment to smuggle into the Thalmor Embassy.

4. Meet Delphine at Katla’s Farm in Solitude.

5. Create a distraction and get away from the party.

6. (Optional) Retrieve the Dragonborn’s gear.

7. Search for information about the Dragons returning.

8. Escape the Thalmor Embassy.

9. Talk to Delphine.

Where to Find Malborn in Solitude¶

Once you’ve spoken with Delphine in the hidden room of the Sleeping Giant Inn at Riverwood, you’ll need to make your way to the city of Solitude, located in the northwest of Skyrim. You’re looking for the Wood Elf named Malborn, who can be found at the Winking Skeever Inn. The inn is located immediately to your left as you enter Solitude from the main gates, so you can’t miss it. You’ll find Malborn sitting alone in a corner to your right once you enter.

When you speak with Malborn, he’ll offer to sneak some essential equipment into the embassy for you. This is essential if you want to stand a good chance of defeating various Thalmor once you’re inside, so be sure to give Malborn the gear that you’d normally use when adventuring in the world. You can also give him some health / stamina / magicka potions to be on the safe side. Once you’re at the party you won’t have any of your other gear, so give Malborn everything that you think you’ll need. You might want to give him some lockpicks if you plan on thoroughly looting the embassy, too.

Meet Delphine at Katla’s Farm¶

After speaking with Malborn and giving him the gear that you think you’ll need inside the embassy, you’ll need to meet with Delphine at Katla’s Farm, which is located just outside the main gates of Solitude. Don’t worry about not bringing any clothes for the party, she’ll give you some when you speak with her. She’ll also give you an invitation to the party, which is essential to keep if you want to get inside without any trouble.

Once you’ve got your party clothes on, speak with Delphine when you’re ready to travel to the Thalmor Embassy.

Infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy and Distract the Guards¶

Upon arriving at the embassy, you’ll be greeted by a fellow guest named Razelan. This person will be the key to distracting the Thalmor guards once you’re inside. Approach the Thalmor near the steps and present your invitation when questioned. You can now enter the embassy. You’ll be greeted by Ambassador Elenwen as soon as you enter, but it doesn’t matter what you say in response to her questions. Thankfully, Malborn is nearby and will distract Elenwen before she learns too much.

Now that you’re inside, you can take some time to speak with all the guests if you wish, and listen in to their conversations. If you’re not bothered with any of that, just speak with Malborn at the bar and ask for a drink. You can now give this drink to the guest you met outside, Razelan, and ask him to cause a scene in return. When Razelan enters the centre of the room and attracts the attention of the guards, that’s your time to head behind the bar and follow Malborn.

Once you’re with Malborn he’ll lead you through the kitchen to the inner chambers of the embassy. Here you’ll be able to find your gear in the nearby chest and equip it. From here, after you enter the hallway, you’ll be locked inside this part of the building. From now on, you’ll need to fight your way through and defeat numerous Thalmor guards. The first that you’ll encounter are two soldiers and a wizard in the room to your left. After dealing with them and looting the area, head out through the door at the end of the hall, leading to the courtyard.

In the courtyard you’ll find more Thalmor guards. Focus on killing the wizards first to prevent them from summoning additional enemies, and try to fight the Thalmor one at a time if you can. You’ll be able to use the stone barriers in the courtyard to give yourself time to heal if necessary. When all the guards are dead, head through the door into the next building from the courtyard. This is more of an official chambers, where you’ll find guards patrolling throughout. Kill the guards and take any loot you can carry.

Enter the Thalmor Dungeon and Free Etienne¶

After the generic looting, you’ll probably already have the documents from the chest behind a desk, including Dragon Investigation: Current Status, Thalmor Dossier: Delphine, and Thalmor Dossier: Ulfric Stormcloak. You’ll should also have the Interrogation Chamber Key, which you’ll need to progress through the quest. With the documents and key in hand, make your way to the dungeon and listen to the guards for a bit. You can then kill them and speak to the prisoner named Etienne Rarnis, who can be found chained in a nearby cell.

You can extract some information from Etienne before freeing him, then kill the other guards who enter the room. You should loot these guards for the Trap Door Key, which is your ticket out of this awful place. If you killed the guards quickly enough, you should have both Etienne and Malborn following you out of the dungeon. To leave, just open the Trap Door with the key from the guards.

However, you’re not done yet! Before you leave the icy cave you’ll encounter a powerful Frost Troll. You should attack the troll as soon as possible to ensure that it doesn’t hit Etienne or Malborn. They should run out of the cave then, but if they don’t and somehow get themselves killed, you can always reload if you care about their survival. Once both of them are out of the cave, you can deal with the troll alone (a tough fight since it hits like a truck!), or just flee the cave with them. Either way, you can loot an illusion skillbook named Before the Ages of Man from the cave before you leave.

Once you’re out of the cave you’ll have the ability to fast travel again. Your companions will now take their own paths. All that remains for you is to return to Riverwood and speak with Delphine. After speaking with her remember to loot your gear from the chest inside the hidden room at the Sleeping Giant Inn. Completing the quest unlocks the Diplomatic Immunity achievement.