

Now, the above guidelines are given under the assumption that players either haven't finished Skyrim's Civil War questline or they finished it in favor of the Stormcloak rebellion. The choice, ultimately, depends on what players are seeking most throughout their game either way, the path to Thane will then be unlocked for the Pale. After battling their way to the bottom of this dungeon, players will be faced with a choice: let Erandur cleanse the temple and destroy the artifact or kill Erandur and claim the Skull, taking up the mantle of Vaermina's champion. The specific cause of the nightmares stems from the waning power of a spell, which set the other cultists and her Daedric artifact – the Skull of Corruption – into a comatose stasis.

The dungeon was once the center of her worship in Skyrim, and during the quest's plot, Erandur reveals himself to be a reformed, former follower of the Prince. Still, the particular Daedric Prince players will be going up against this time around is Vaermina, the god of dreams and nightmares (and subsequently, the cause of Dawnstar's recent slew of ceaseless night terrors). Fortunately, it's not among the longest, but it'll still be a lengthier trek than the usual dungeon delving. The Waking Nightmare quest, aside from being necessary to opening the Pale's path to thanehood, is also one of many Daedric quests in the game.
