Skeleton Key
The Skeleton Key (also called the Skeleton’s Key) is a Daedra artifact created by the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. In appearance it doesn’t always take the form of a skeleton key, and sometimes manifests as a lockpick instead. In its key form, it can be used to unlock any lock. The two limitations placed on the Key by wizards who sought to protect their storehouses were that the Key could only be used once a day and it would never be the property of one thief for too long, eventually disappearing. As a lockpick, it is nigh unbreakable and can get past even the toughest locks. The artifact acts a tool for “unlocking” all things, including portals, hidden potential, and other unknown possibilities. Its normal function is to unlock and hold open the Ebonmere, a portal to Nocturnal’s realm, Evergloam, located in the Twilight Sepulcher of Skyrim. The Nightingales are tasked with guarding the Sepulcher and retrieving it should it be stolen. Unfortunately, the Prince is said to allow the Skeleton Key to be stolen or lost constantly, whether by purpose or apathy.
The Skeleton Key was uncovered during the Imperial Simulacrum by the Eternal Champion in either Valenwood or Summerset Isles (reports vary). In the events leading up to the Warp in the West, an unknown agent of The Blades was tasked by Nocturnal to kill a mage in his stronghold. The agent was then gifted the Key by a worshipper of the Prince. The Key later came into the possession of Gentleman Jim Stacey, leader of the Thieves Guild in Vvardenfell. The Key was passed on to the Nerevarine in 3E 427, although how Stacey came to lose it is unclear.
Circa 3E 433, an artifact known as the Eye of Nocturnal was stolen from Nocturnal shrine in Cyrodiil’s Blackwood region. Nocturnal tasked the Champion of Cyrodiill with recovering it. The thieves, an Argonian couple in Leyawiin, hid it in a flooded cave in Topal Bay. The Champion returned it to Nocturnal and was rewarded with the Skeleton Key.
Stats
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Lockpick |
| Qualities | Auto-Pass (Non-Magical Locks) |
Special Qualities
Auto-Pass (Non-Magical Locks): The Skeleton Key is a lockpick that automatically allows the user to pass Subterfuge skill tests made to pick non-magical locks.