- Talk to Farengar Secret-Fire.
- Start the quest The Golden Claw.
- Retrieve the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow.
- Return to Farengar.
During the final stages of the quest Dragon Rising, you will be tasked with a trip from Riverwood to Whiterun to tell Jarl Balgruuf about what happened in Helgen. Make your way to the Dragonsreach palace, where you will be stopped by the housecarl Irileth, who will demand a good reason to interrupt the jarl. Tell her about the dragon, which will net you an audience right away. Deliver the tragic news to Balgruuf, who will order troops to be sent to Riverwood at once and hand you a reward. He will then remember another job suitable for one with your talents and lead you to court wizard Farengar Secret-Fire, who has been researching dragons. Farengar wants you to fetch the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow, an ancient tomb near Riverwood. When you ask him how he knows about all of this, he will keep his reliable sources a secret.
As the concurrent quest The Golden Claw runs simultaneously with this quest, travel to Riverwood and enter Riverwood Traders. Talk to the proprietor, who will tell you that a precious item was stolen from the main trading room, which will trigger the quest. Locate the ancient barrow and fight the many bandits protecting the entrance. Bleak Falls Temple starts with a giant chamber with dead skeevers scattered about and the voices of two bandit inhabitants audible from the back of the room, discussing something of great importance. If you have not yet triggered The Golden Claw, it will trigger now, due to the subject of the conversation:
Either use ranged attacks on them from afar or battle them normally and look around the area for loot, including a locked chest. Proceed through the empty tunnels until you arrive in a puzzle room where another bandit is attempting to pull a handle but is instantly killed by darts. Look around the room and towards the upper level to see the right combination for the movable pillars. The first one is on ground level next to the lever and the two others are on the above ledge. They should be read from left to right, starting with the one on the ground, in order to find the combination: Snake, Snake, Whale. Position the movable pillars and pull the handle. The iron gate will swing open, allowing access to a room with a soul gem, a potion, a chest and a copy of the Pickpocket skill book Thief. Locate the spiral staircase and head underground, and beware of a few skeevers guarding the steps.
At the foot of the stairs, everything is covered in cobwebs, hinting at things to come. As you move around, you will notice a voice calling out from somewhere. Follow the sound and you will land in a huge chamber guarded by a wounded frostbite spider. After the battle, examine the western tunnel where Arvel the Swift is hanging in the webs, completely unable to move and obviously kept for a later meal. Talk to him and he will reveal that he knows how to use the golden claw and will make great promises to you if you free him from the web. Attack the webs surrounding Arvel and he will be free; unfortunately, he will also betray you and take off at a running pace deeper into Bleak Falls Barrow. Let him run, as he is too weak to survive the upcoming draugr-infested catacombs. Run past two rooms and gather a small amount of loot along the way, including a soul gem. When the dead start to rise, dispose of them and beware the pressure plate and the corresponding spike wall. Be on the lookout for Arvel the Swift, who will likely fall prey to either the spiked wall or the following leveled draugr enemy. When you find his body, loot the golden claw and, for a bit of help on how to solve upcoming puzzles in the barrow, his journal. When you claim the claw, you will receive a quest update for the corresponding quest, and will be told to discover the ‘secret of Bleak Falls Barrow’.
Proceed forward and kill the three draugr in the next room, then dodge the swinging blades in the eastern tunnel. In the catacombs ahead, use the oil slick on the floor to your advantage or kill the attacking draugr normally. Follow the path until you arrive in a large chamber with a waterfall and more enemies. Activate the chain and head downstream along the underground creek and beware the long fall when the creek turns into a waterfall through a hole in the eastern wall. Take the narrow tunnel leading south. You will emerge on a bridge halfway down the waterfall for a fight against another draugr. Head all the way down to the bottom for some minor loot in a locked chest, then return to the bridge and head north. The final room is protected by a leveled draugr, so pick the fight and head through the door to Bleak Falls Sanctum.
It opens to a huge chamber, complete with waterfalls, birds and a word wall. Before entering the area with the wall, investigate behind it for a hidden, locked chest. Take a look opposite the word wall for a suspicious-looking sarcophagus and a chest with a good number of valuable items. Approach the word wall to learn the secret of the barrow, a word for the Unrelenting Force shout. After learning the word, the sarcophagus will crash open and a boss-level draugr overlord will crawl out and attack. Fight him and then examine his corpse for the Dragonstone, the item for Farengar Secret-Fire. Finally, climb up the ladder and activate the handle, which will elevate the stone wall and bring you to an alternative exit from Bleak Falls Barrow.
In his quarters inside Dragonsreach, provided you started this quest before clearing out Bleak Falls Barrow ), Farengar Secret-Fire will be accompanied by Delphine, the innkeeper from the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood. She is obviously his 'reliable source', as the conversation reveals quite an extensive knowledge about the dragon situation.
At this point, Farengar will notice your presence and lift the Dragonstone from your inventory with his thanks. Delphine will treat you with less respect but will still be impressed with your efforts. After this acknowledgment, Delphine will return to studying the copy of Holdings of Jarl Gjalund while Farengar will point you to Jarl Balgruuf for your reward. After this, the quest Dragon Rising will initiate and you will have to wait a few moments for your reward…
