The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has plenty of interesting side quests for the player to find. One such quest can be found in the city of Solitude, entitled “The Man Who Cried Wolf.” This quest reveals a dark ritual taking place in a nearby cavern — one that seeks to bring a malevolent Wolf Queen back to life.
To trigger this quest in Skyrim, the player must head to the Blue Palace in Solitude and speak to the steward, Falk Firebeard. He’ll comment about how he has no time to devote to the ruckus in Wolfskull Cave, but if the player offers to do so for him, he’ll gladly accept.
‘The Man Who Cried Wolf’ in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
When the player arrives at the Blue Palace of Solitude in Skyrim to talk to Falk, they might also overhear a conversation between Varnius Junius, a farmer from Dragon Bridge, and Jarl Elisif the Fair. Varnius pleads for the jarl to send help to Dragon Bridge, as there are “unnatural magics” coming out of the nearby Wolfskull Cave.
Elisif immediately obliges, only to be stopped by her court wizard, Sybille Stentor. The powerful Skyrim mage, along with Falk, heavily suggests that a less radical course of action is required. To this, Elisif changes her mind, asking that more guards be stationed by Dragon Bridge instead. Still, she assures Varnius that someone will be sent to investigate Wolfskull Cave.
This is where the player comes in. Speaking to Falk and agreeing to investigate the cave will trigger the quest “The Man Who Cried Wolf,” prompting the Last Dragonborn of Skyrim to travel to Wolfskull Cave and investigate the “unnatural magics” themselves. It doesn’t take long to see that Varnius was right. Deeper into the cavern, the player will hear the chanting of voices, all calling on a person named “Potema” or the “Wolf Queen.”
Nearing the ritual site, the Last Dragonborn will have to face a band of Skyrim necromancers. All the while, those engrossed in the ritual will continue to chant, a strange blue light floating above a runed platform. They’re attempting to summon the Wolf Queen and bind her to them, so that she does what they ask.
The Wolf Queen, however, is appalled by what the necromancers are trying to do, exclaiming that such “ants” have no power over her. The player must then put a stop to the ritual by defeating all the necromancers, causing the blue light as well as the Wolf Queen’s spirit, to disappear. Thus, the player can return to Falk and claim their reward. However, this isn’t where the story of the Skyrim quest ends.
‘The Wolf Queen Awakened’ in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
“The Wolf Queen Awakened” is a quest that can trigger a few days after the Last Dragonborn defeats the necromancers near Dragon Bridge. It’ll officially start after a Skyrim courier hands the player a letter from Falk, detailing that new information has come up since they finished the job. He then asks the Last Dragonborn to return to Solitude, where he’ll explain that the Wolf Queen has escaped from her bindings in Wolfskull Cave. The player must help stop her before she grows too powerful.
To do this, Falk directs the player to Styrr, a priest of Arkay, who explains a bit about the Wolf Queen’s past and how she might be stopped. After, the player must head down into the catacombs beneath Solitude and defeat the Wolf Queen. The ancient spirit, however, thanks the Last Dragonborn as it was them who released her from the shackles of the necromancers. Even so, she has no problem raising hordes of undead to defeat the player before they can face off against her.
Once the Wolf Queen’s minions have been defeated, the player must face off against her themselves, and she’s one of the most powerful bosses in Skyrim. She’ll be a blue, ethereal specter with powerful necromancy abilities, allowing her to resurrect fallen draugr to attack the player. Once she’s defeated, however, the Last Dragonborn can then collect her skull and bring it to Styrr. After, the player can speak to Falk again and claim their reward.
The History of Potema Septim
In the Skyrim quests mentioned above, the Wolf Queen is regarded as a force of evil, and one that could potentially wreak havoc throughout Solitude. A look at the history of The Elder Scrolls confirms this as the Wolf Queen was Potema Septim — the granddaughter of former Emperor Uriel Septim II, who likened her in infancy to a “she-wolf about ready to pounce.”
Potema was born in Year 67 of the Third Era to an absentee family. Thus, she spent her time picking locks and stealing documents that she could use to blackmail the members of her family. By the age of 14, she was married to King Mantiarco of Solitude in Skyrim, who loved his young bride and gave her all the power she wished. Though the two suffered through multiple miscarriages, Potema eventually gave birth to a child named Uriel, whom she wanted to become the next Emperor.
To do this, she led Mantiarco to believe that his eldest son, whom he had with his late wife, was but a bastard child, rendering Uriel the legitimate heir to the Solitude throne. After the current emperor died and her brother, Antiochus, took the role, she contested this too. Though, ultimately, Antiochus did not concede the crown. Potema did the same when her brother died, allowing another Septim, but not her son, to assume the throne. This was the last straw, and the Wolf Queen decided to try and take the ruling position by force.
This led to the War of the Red Diamond, wherein Potema and her son, Uriel, took up arms against the current Empress Kintyra II, supposedly a bastard child. This conflict lasted for decades, resulting in countless deaths, including Uriel’s. Despite this, Potema continued to fight against her own family. She was a powerful necromancer and, thus, managed to resurrect dead and even summon daedra to Skyrim to fight for her.
Finally, in Year 137 of the Third Era, was finally defeated. However, some believe she passed some sort of curse onto Pelagius III, who had become the Jarl of Solitude and then the next emperor. This made him go insane, thus his title “Pelagius the Mad” in Skyrim. Clearly, however, her soul is not at rest as she returns around the same time as the Last Dragonborn. Defeating her, however, will hopefully quell any of the Wolf Queen’s hopes for rebellion.
Skyrim is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.