Skyrim talk:Blood on the Ice/Archive 2

This is an archive of past Skyrim talk:Blood on the Ice discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page, except for maintenance such as updating links.

No Further Quest Updates Triggering

Approaching the house of Viola Giordano doesn't trigger a journal update. Nither does entering the house. Inside the house, there is no blood trail, and the chest holds nothing but 18 septims. No quest updates occured beyond after speaking to the embalmer in the Hall of the Dead, with the quest log reading "Examine the Crime Scene" and "Get Assistance From Jorleif". What is there I can do to fix this accursed quest? This seems to be the single-most broken quest in Skyrim, and almost no aspect of it seems to be working right >_>. Play Station 3 console, by the way, so I can't setstage. I read all of the other comments, but nothing seems to answer how to fix this, and while I realise the goal is to find the cause, IS THERE any current work-around for non-PC users? If so, please tell me, it would be greatly appreciated. If not, thanks for your time, and I apologise for using it. Roleplayer242621 02:23, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

First of all, you have no business in Viola's house whatsoever - the blood trail leads to Hjerim and is not accompanied by a quest marker. Assuming this is a typo, you need to talk with the guard at the crime scene and give him an update to receive a new one, right after talking to Jorleif for the first time. Make sure you speak pointlessly with Helgird before following the blood to Hjerim. As soon as you approach the front door, the objective "Examine the crime scene" will disappear. Oh, and please save often! --Krusty 07:10, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

THE SOLUTION TO THE BUG/GLITCH IN TRIGGERING

Warning by doing this fix you will be able to buy the house and both quests will be competed but you will not experience them. 1. PROBLEM: There isn't any body in the cemetery. It's impossible to complete the mission "Blood on the Ice". SOLUTION: Open a console (press ~ key below ESC), type "completequest ms11" and press ENTER. Next type "completequest ms11b" and press enter. Mission completed! 2. PROBLEM: "Blood on the Ice" is completed, but I still can't buy a house. SOLUTION: Open a console, type "setstage a7b33 10" and press ENTER. House was purchased. 3. Buy furnitures and clean house. BUY CLEAN THE CRIMINALS MESS FIRST OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BUY IT LATER 4. PROBLEM: In the house are fog, broken glass, etc. Type "df492.disable" and "df495.disable" in your console.

PC ONLY! — Unsigned comment by 108.66.108.111 (talk) at 22:26 on 31 December 2011

Solution to get the quest done for pc users

By doing this fix you will be able to buy the house and both quests will be completed.

• Complete the quest: Type "completequest ms11" and "completequest ms11b" in your console.
• Buy the house: Type "setstage a7b33 10" in your console.
• First buy "clean up that murderer's mess" and then the rest of the home decoration or type "df492.disable" in your console.
• Clean the fog, broken glass, etc. in the house: Type "df495.disable" in your console.
• Get the Necromancer Amulet: Type "player.additem c891d 1" in your console.

— Unsigned comment by 94.215.27.154 (talk) at 22:55 on 17 January 2012

Please help a fellow adventurer!

So I was playing the second part of the quest (where you find out the Mage isn't the murderer) after I helped the Imperials fight over Windhelm. He said to patrol the streets at night (this was at night) and that objective immediatly and told me to confront the murderer. The murderer went into Hjerm and went into the secret room (please note that I never found that room or amulet when investigating the house) where he just stands there and and occasionally fights me but never actually dies (just kneels), I heard that just doing a few more quests will fix this and it didn't and the save before that was three hours before so is there a way that I can fix this without reverting a save (XBOX btw) Thanks 174.24.253.92 09:32, 1 January 2012 (UTC)

I'm having the same issue on the PS3. Anyone know what's going on with it? — Unsigned comment by 174.27.72.148 (talk) at 13:14 on 3 January 2012

I am also having this exact problem! I have no idea what to do! I was told to pickpocket him and go to the house of curiosity and open the chest to get his journal but I cant pickpocket him. He just stands in that room! very frustrated!! — Unsigned comment by 72.175.62.225 (talk) at 18:26 on 9 January 2012

Problem should be solved now (see this section) - I'm afraid there's not much any of you can do, but do me a favor. Check Candlehearth Hall and see if Luaffyn is still alive. If yes, then something is wrong with my theory. Oh, and at no point are you supposed to pickpocket Calixto. That has nothing to do with the quest at all, and there's a chance it can break the quest as well. --Krusty 19:40, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

I had this problem, and I just checked for you - Luaffyn is indeed still alive while Calixto is essental inside Hjerim. — Unsigned comment by 66.219.229.100 (talk) at 11:36 on 25 January 2012

I killed Calixto in Hjerim

This is the buggiest quest ever. Anyway, i completed the quest, but killed him in the house itself. Then i chose the option to "Clean up the mureder's mess" which was fine, cobwebs and human flesh gone. But Calixto's dead body is still inside the house, ruining the ambience somewhat.

Will he disappear? Or do i need to restart again? (Amulet glitch) 92.28.230.197 01:52, 2 January 2012 (UTC)

It takes time for quest bodies to dissappear.Br3admax 02:43, 2 January 2012 (UTC)

Should disappear in about one in-game month. — Unsigned comment by 69.142.200.238 (talk) at 04:27 on 29 January 2012

Enter the city four times?

Unless it's a random glitch in my game, the idea that the city needs to be entered four times is incorrect. I started a new game, went there early on, before starting either the civil war or DB quests, the first visit people mentioned the murders, the second, which was just after 2am, the murder scene was in graveyard and the quest kicked off. Bwilderbeast 21:53, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

There was a fair bit of discussion about this requirement in the archived page, and if I remember correctly, one user mentioned that even visiting the nearby stables can add to the count as well without actually having to go through the city gate. It's also been pretty darn well established on the archived page that the count must be at 4 or greater, so you might have a look at that as well, since this new talk page is a fraction of the original discussion. Amadeus 22:02, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Really? Can you retrace your steps and figure out how to do that? --Krusty 22:10, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

I can't speak for anybody else, but here are the steps I have used to get the quest to trigger on my second entry into Windhelm on two different games:

• Both times, I travelled (walked - I don't use fast travel for anything other than dumping loot) to Windhelm to deliver the message from Darkwater Crossing.
• After speaking to Quintus, I got the White Phial quest from Nurelion.
• I spoke to Hillevi, and got the quest to deliver the extract to Wuunferth, which I then proceeded to do.
• I went into Candlehearth Hall and spoke to Captain Lonely-Gale about the murders.
• I rented a room for the night and slept.
• The following day, I headed out to Forsaken Cave (following the road) and retrieved the White Phial.
• This quest was triggered upon my return to Windhelm.

My initial thought was that you needed to (a) hear about the murders, (b) talk to Captain Lonely-Gale about them, (c) deliver Hillevi's extract to Wuunferth, and (d) sleep in Candlehearth Hall. However, having read the archived discussion, it looks like it's all down to the erratic increasing of MS11EnteringWindhelmCount and the time of day. Both times when I returned from Forsaken Cave, it was around 8 or 9 in the evening. In an earlier game, I didn't arrive in Windhelm until I was on the Kynesgrove part of the MQ, and during my stay in Windhelm, I never found myself entering town after dusk and never triggered this quest. :::--Gaebrial 14:18, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

Calixto's Sister?

No where in the game is it mentioned that Lucilla is Calixto's sister... I'm curious as to where the writer discerned this information or if it can be confirmed. — Unsigned comment by 81.136.132.198 (talk) at 09:03 on January 4, 2012

WRONG! If you take the tour that Calixto offers to player, you will hear how they have traveled and collected oddities. He also has personal journal ( where it says that her sister's name indeed is Lucilla) in his chest. You need to take the key from Calixto to open it. — Unsigned comment by 84.248.192.31 (talk) at 12:57 on 9 January 2012

Got quest on first visit and I never got the quest at all

My female elf character level 52 was never able to get this quest. My male level 20 Brenton got this quest on the FIRST visit. I'm absolutely sure about this as it just happened. I had traveled all the way to the stables around level 15 but never entered the city (because I had a found a wandering horse). When I came back at level 20, I discovered "Windhelm", talked to Ulfric (I've already joined the legion though) and left and check for the dead girl.. and she's right there. I always doubted the quest walk though that stated you needed to visit 4 times from different holds, how was this verified?! Dragonalumni 12:23, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

The "4 times" requirement has been disputed by other users, I think it needs to be removed from the main page. The whole assumption (from other holds 4 times) sounds ridiculous anyways.Dragonalumni 13:25, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

No it doesn't. It's been confirmed several times in the archive that you have to meet certain requirements for the quest to start. This is backed up by the official Game Guide, and even if it is not the most trustworthy book in the world, I can trigger the quest each and every time using the technique stated on the article. If you want to help out, please locate some lvl 1 save, before ever visiting anything near Windhelm, then trigger the quest the first time you enter. If you can find a recipe (including stables, horses or whatever) and make it work twice in a row, we can call the "4 times requirement" ridiculous. Until then, it's the most valid technique we've got. Oh, and I just tested the technique you described. It didn't work for me. --Krusty 21:57, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Just because I don't know how it works doesn't mean I don't know how it doesn't work. It doesn't activate just because you visit 4 times. I know this because at first I had a character who entered the city over 20 times at different times and it never activated and secondly because I was able to active it on the first visit with my most recent character. Lots of other people have stated similar things. Unless you can ANY person trigger this quest using your 4 visit method, than such a hypothesis is unproven!Dragonalumni 13:25, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm not so sure about the 4 visits either. My latest character got the quest on the third visit (arguably even the second since I had a bounty and was hauled off to the Palace of Kings, and thus did not enter the cell under usual circumstances). The prerequisite of having been to 4 other hold cities is way off too. I've only been to Whiterun and Windhelm, and the quest still triggered. I also entered Windhelm via the dock gate, not the main gate. However, since I have no idea what the exact prerequisite of the quest is it might be better to leave it as it is now, since that seems to be working for most people. Wolok gro-Barok 13:37, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Its not a prerequisite to visit 4 other different holds. You can basically travel back and forth between Windhelm stables (or maybe even another place in the hold) and Whiterun a few times, then the quest will trigger. It is virtually impossible to test, but I know what works for me. Dragonalumi, what I don't need is people calling the information ridiculous when they're not even remotely capable of providing an explanation - or interested in doing an investigation. At least I tested your info and found that it didn't work. You're still talking about stuff you "seem to remember" - that first character of yours could easily have overlooked the scenario on the graveyard until it was too late. Now, unless someone can come up with something useful, we're sticking with the existing info. --Krusty 15:45, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Krusty don't make this a personal thing, I know your edits are all over the wiki and I respect your work. But this line "The quest will initiate after you entered Windhelm four times from another hold city " is false. I did it on the first try. Others have reported 2 times, 3 times, or never. I'm not talking about stuff I "seem to remember", I've got the save files, I've gone back to test them again to make sure I was right. In short, don't discount every report except your own. Dragonalumni 18:01, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Sorry if I sounded harsh, but I have spent too much time trying to figure it out - and I basically came to the conclusion that there's too much weirdness surrounding this quest to actually provide a proper description. Problem is, we need a description, so that is why I think we should stick with the existing one until... well, maybe the CK can solve it, even if I'm unsure. Like you, I can trigger the quest each and every time, but I can't do it with my "test save" - a save made right after Helgen in Riverwood, unless I do some fast traveling back and forth. I'm more than willing to do all the testing we can think of, though - but we seriously need some game files wizard to come up with suggestions; otherwise, we'll keep guessing. --Krusty 18:20, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

I can just confirm that ms11enterwindhelmcount=4 is truth. Couldnt trigger it on old char no matter what, created new char, went to windhelm, all times during the 9pm or later, 1st time=initial scene with dakr elf girl, 2nd-3rd times = nothing, 4th time = greaveyard scene, its exactly 4 times and its not myth.

First of all you didn't sign your comment, secondly we know that 4 times often works. But it doesn't always work. This is the problem. I also did it on the first discovery of windhelm. Dragonalumni 15:32, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

Dammit, how I hate we can't solve this thing. Just talked to another person on IRC and he triggered it on the first visit as well. I'll see if I can test a few things, even if I'm not sure where to start. ms11enterwindhelmcount=4 IS a valid package, but something screws it up - I wish I knew how to screw it up, so suggestions are still more than welcome! --Krusty 15:53, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

well is there a console command to query this variable? Dragonalumni 01:42, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

Just an idea about the first-visit thing.. did the elf appear? Perhaps if the initial scene with the elf is unavailable for some reason (elf dead/stuck etc?) then it skips right to the 4th visit. (Btw sorry if this message is messed this up, it's my first time contributing & I'm still trying to figure it out)... Ryshu 06:06, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Just got it yesterday without even trying to get it. I fast-traveled to Windhelm from Fort Neugrad (doing the Stormcloaks missions) and arrived at 5:15 PM local time; I neither entered through the main gate nor at night. Sold some loot to the blacksmith, rounded the corner on the way up to the palace, and lo and behold there was the crime scene for the first time ever in 7 playthroughs of this game. 35 in-game days passed, 21st of Heartfire, character is a level 19 Nord. No idea how many times I'd been in and out of Windhelm, but it had been several. I wonder if the calendar is a factor since Wuunferth mentions it if you go to him with the evidence. He said his range of expected dates for the next killing ended in Heartfire, and it was the 21st of Heartfire. If so that would be really out of place, since nothing else that I'm aware of is ever keyed to the calendar.

I had the same issue where the quest trigger appeared to be bugged. I had to monkey around with the console (can't remember the command at the moment) but the quest would not auto trigger. And no visiting 4 times did not trigger it. My ms11enterwindhelmcount=547, without the quest triggering. In my case I completed the main quest and civil war in favor of the imperials first. This may be the cause of the bug out or possibly the trigger requires more than just visiting 4 times. The quest never triggered so I didn't bother with it. Instead I completed every other quest in the game; at last every other quest documented by this wiki. 75.80.97.155 11:38, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Daytime or Nighttime, or Day of Week doesn't matter.

Using a save file that is able to trigger this quest on "discovering" Windhelm I've tried various things. Every time I enter the city the 2 nords are arguing with the darkelf at the entrance and I get the "discovered windhelm" message. I've entered at 2am, 8am, and 2pm and 8pm and 1 day later, every time it's exactly the same, the girl is dead and I can pick up the quest. I also entered the city and left it for 4 days and came back and the quest was still able available. — Unsigned comment by Dragonalumni (talk • contribs) at 14:06 on 6 January 2012

Viola missing

I have been playing through the blood on the ice quest to unlock the house in winhelm, but cant seem to find that Viola women that i supposed to talk to. I've already bought the place for 12000 big ones and i dont wanna see that go to waste. I have searched entire city over and over, i even got so desprate that i broke into her house.(she wasent there) I've never killed her or even seen her for that matter so that cant be the issue. Any ideas? Could i be doing somthing wrong in the quest? Any insight would be great thanks! :-] — Unsigned comment by Flamehairednordwomen (talk • contribs) at 05:28 on 7 January 2012

Necromancer's Amulet

How to get it? I have understood that it has to be sold to Calixto because of the bug, but how/when to get it back? — Unsigned comment by 84.248.192.31 (talk) at 13:01 on 9 January 2012

As mentioned on the article, just sell it to him when he makes the offer (during the follow up on the Hjerim clues part of the quest) - then follow the walkthrough and he will have the restored Necromancer Amulet on him after the grand finale. --Krusty 19:16, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

Invincible Calixto bug solved!

Okay, I think I’ve solved the “Calixto is invincible”-bug, at least part of it. It’s actually really easy to trigger. As soon as Wuunferth asks you to investigate the Gray Quarter at night, Calixto will move to the market, and so will an unsuspecting female ‘victim’ – referred to as ‘witnesses’ in the game files. This will happen day and night, it doesn’t matter – packages are a bit screwed up as mentioned here. Now, go kill the poor girl instead of Calixto and he will run back to Hjerim, forever invincible (essential is a better word though) and the quest will be broken. What is really important about this stage of the quest is that Calixto will lose his essential status as soon as he gets to sneak up on the victim, meaning there has to be a victim present and he gets to go into sneak mode. So far so good, and it is obvious that this quest will bug if there are no witnesses for him to sneak up to. Problem is – who are they? Who do we need to keep alive for this quest to succeed?

After a lot of additional tests, I came up with the following: IF you choose to go directly to Wuunferth after speaking to Viola, Arivanya will be spared for her scripted death as opposed to what happens if you go to Jorleif. However, she will be the first victim to head for the market and a potential kill for the stalking Calixto. If Arivanya is dead, however, because of your choice to have Wuunferth arrested, then Luaffyn will show up as the next potential victim. If both victims are dead however, the bug will be triggered: Talk to Wuunferth and hear his annoying calculations on when the killer will strike next, then watch the quest update prematurely to “catch the killer”. Leave the palace and see Calixto run away from something he didn’t do and hide in Hjerim, now completely essential, because he never made it into the “stalk” mode – and the quest will be broken. This bug (and probably 80% of the bugs mentioned and complained about) is all about killing NPCs – or getting them killed because of the war quests. Unless someone objects or comes up with new info, I’ll add this discovery to the page tomorrow. The “lost” Viola bug is up next – but, admittedly, I can almost not be bothered to kill her and start the quest – because it is incredibly obvious that she died for whatever reason, and that will break the quest. Ah well. --Krusty 19:06, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

I really don't get how it can bug. I just follow Calixto since I have known that he is the killer since 1min I got to Windhelm because I pickpocketed his key and stole his journal,watch him kill the girl, wait that it says to capture him , try starting conversation( he keeps running) and when that fails, kill him . How can this bug?? are you people trying to save the girl? — Unsigned comment by 84.248.192.31 (talk) at 19:26 on 9 January 2012

Pickpocketing that journal before you are supposed to know of its existence is another possible cause of bugs, that still needs testing, but never mind that for now. No, saving the girl is not important - what's important is to ensure there IS a girl so he can enter sneak mode - and of course be very careful not to kill her yourself, mostly because killing NPCs is the most bug-inducing factor this game has to offer - and because you're supposed to kill Calixto only. After reading your post, however, I did a quick test: you NEED to have Calixto draw his knife and sneak towards the girl before you attack him - until then, he is essential. Oh, and trying to skip quest stages is not a good idea with this quest. Not a good idea at all. --Krusty 19:37, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

Tried your way. Killed both Arivanya and Luaffyn. It just took longer for Calixto to kill Suvaris Atheron. About the Journal, I have done all possible routes having The Journal from the beginning, but none without having it. — Unsigned comment by 84.248.192.31 (talk) at 19:48 on 9 January 2012

Just spent an awful lot of time testing the victims (you know, kill Arivanya, see what happens - then kill Arvanya and Luaffyn, see what happens) and, regardless of what I do, the quest will update to "catch the murderer" if they are both dead when you speak to Wuunferth. Tested with both methods (Wuunferth in prison, and Wuunferth in his room) and I can't trigger anything but "catch the murderer". Worthy of note is that if you kill both of them, then go to Wuunferth directly with the evidence, Calixto will flee to Hjerim. If you kill both of them after turning Wuunferth in, Calixto will lock himself up in the museum. I have no idea what to do next, so I hope you can point me towards a technique for making Suvaris appear in the market. Thanks in advance. --Krusty 22:08, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

Okey started from the beginning.

1. I have the Journal and the key

2. I go to the Crime scene and interrogate witnesses.

3. I ask Jorleif's permission

4.I follow the blood rail to Hjerim and take Strange amulet and an note from the self and both notes from the blooded chest.

5. I talk to the guard, visit Hall of dead to speak to the priest, give amulet to Calixto

6. Then I talk to the Viola, kill her(for fun), Arivanya and Luaffyn

7.I speak to the Wuunferth and go to the market

8. I wait that time is 8pm and Calixto arrives.

9. He takes his dagger out, enters sneak mode and goes behind Suvaris Atheron.

10. Don't know if he bugs or just waits the right moment, but it takes him longer to shove the dagger in her back. If you don't care to wait,I have always talked to the Suvaris, which seems to make Calixto attack her after stopping the conversation.

11. I wait that it says to catch the killer and then I just kill him.

12. I loot the Necoromancer's amulet and go to Jorleif to finish the quest.

I have done giving the amulet, visiting the priest,speaking to Viola and investigating Hjerim in different order too, but didn't change anything. I did kill all 3 women without getting a bounty. Suvaris Atheron is also killed in the very same spot as the other two candidates. — Unsigned comment by 84.248.192.31 (talk) at 06:21 on 10 January 2012

(←) In my case Arivanya was dead and Luaffyn was alive when I got this bug. Resurrecting Arivanya with console (prid 1b144, resurrect, disable, enable, moveto player) before talking to imprisoned Wuunferth fixed the quest successfully. But there is still no solution found to fix the quest at the point when immortal (essential) Calixto is already waiting in Hjerim. --Dearokon, 14 January 2012

Sorry, but you should never use the console for anything, in particular when you have Luaffyn alive and well. A fact that is not present on the quest page (yet) is that Arivanya will actually die "twice" if you choose to send Wuunferth to jail. Therefore, if Luaffyn is alive you should have absolutely no problems with the quest. I know it's tempting to think everything a bug and use the console for this and that, but - with Arivanya's double death in mind, you can easily resurrect what is supposed to be her "dead" body and destroy the quest that way. --Krusty 08:27, 14 January 2012 (UTC)

Despite the fact that Luaffyn was alive in my case, I still got this bug, the quest prematurely switched to “catch the killer” status right after talking to imprisoned Wuunferth and Calixto became immortal. So Luaffyn's death doesn't seem to be the only trigger for this bug. In my opinion the victim is randomly chosen by script during conversation with Wuunferth, and if it is already dead then the bug is triggered. --Dearokon, 14 January 2012

Same here. I got the bug with Luaffyn alive. Killing her doesn't help either... Only hope is the coming patch 1.4 (Artem1s 18:11, 23 January 2012 (UTC))

Also got the bug with Luaffyn alive. I had managed to skip the step involving selling the amulet to Calixto. Reviving Arivanya through the console before talking to Wuunferth stopped the instant completion of the 'Patrol the streets' segment, Calixto went to the market and entered sneak mode and so was killable (even though he had nothing to kill since I had neglected to move Arivanya out of the 'dead' room). Not a perfect fix, but it seems to be holding up okay so far. 212.49.215.2 12:49, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Missing Viola tested

I just tested the whole thing with Viola gone missing and all the strange map markers underneath Candlehearth Hall etc. Conclusion is, Viola simply NEEDS to be alive for this quest. If she is dead, you are lost. The mysterious map markers are easily explained as her dead body will be moved to the Hall of the Dead after a while, and the map marker will not point to the door but somewhere underground, which happens to be the Hall of the Dead. What bugs about this is that Viola’s death closes Calixto’s museum as well. I have no idea why this happens, but it does. You can still sell him the amulet if you go the Candlehearth Hall during his dinner (6pm-8pm) but it will not advance the quest, nor will talking to Jorleif. Sorry, she is needed for the quest and that’s all there is to it. When I’m done with all of this research, I’ll compile a list of “needed NPCs” a smack it right on top of the quest page. --Krusty 20:27, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

Calixto not appearing

I am told to go to the stone quarter and wait for the murderer to strike wich doesn't happen Calixto never shows up at night and the stone quarter isn't devoid of people. — Unsigned comment by 82.74.58.224 (talk) at 18:11 on 11 January 2012

First of all, after being told to patrol the district at night, you'll have to make the map marker disappear - then go to the Market where you will find Calixto. If Calixto is not here, check your journal - if the Catch the Killer update is already there, the quest has glitched and Calixto will A) Be inside his Museum, or B) Will be inside Hjerim. Both possibilities destroy the quest as he will be essential. --Krusty 00:41, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Seems I am the only one who has experienced this version of the bug:

I bought Hjerim after completing the Stormcloaks quest (Clear Out Fort Whatever). I didn't buy any furniture, and the quest triggered when I entered Hjerim. I investigated everything, but didn't actually find the amulet. Spoke to a guard, they sent me to Viola, told her what I had found, she sent me to Jorlif, and the only option I had was to accuse the wizard - even though I hadn't found the amulet, I used that as evidence against him. He was arrested, and the quest was completed. After seeing that there should be another murder, and that I should then be able to talk to the Wizard and pick up the quest again, I waited around Windhelm for about 3 days, entering and exiting the whole time. During this, I found the body of Suzanna in the grave yard, but it still lies there, and I cannot mention the amulet to Calixto.

So effectively, it seems the wizard is going to be stuck in his cell, because I didn't find the amulet, and couldn't go to calixto.

Of course, my last hard save was before completing a whole bunch of quests. I know, I know, save every 5 minutes when playing a Bethesda game...

Anyone who knows of a way to fix this, please help - any console commands to move on to the second murder would be great.

Cheers.

````prince_machiavelli

Edit:

Ok the second murder happened. Never thought I would be so happy to see a dead elf. I travelled to Markarth, waited 72 hours, came back to Windhelm, waited until 3am, and Ariyana was lying there dead. Quest picked up again.

Edit:

This link provides a discussion on how to remove the strange amulet...and add the Necromancer's amulet if you feel you earned it :)

http://forums.uesp.net/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=26193 — Unsigned comment by 124.186.72.44 (talk) at 02:28 on 13 January 2012

Wrong NPC killed

I was bored so I loaded up an old save and discovered this quest was still broken 22 game days in. Interestingly enough I didn't notice at the time but what happened is Calixto killed the wrong NPC. You have the same crowd gathering and the guards come up and talk to you; the location however is different. Captain Lonely-Gale was killed during his usual route circling the Candlehearth Inn. The dialog option that triggers the quest with the guard is missing presumably because the NPC does not match. I know this is a Calixto kill for two reasons: the body magically appears with other townsfolk around it and the guards do not question you if you kill a NPC yourself; I also verified this by killing other NPC including Susanna. Also none of the fixes suggested in the opening topic help. ms11preessentializing script does nothing except protect a group of 6 NPC from being killed. In fact you can't even console mod their essential status unless the ms11preessentializing script is stopped. I experimented with a plethora of console commands and combination of waiting and fast traveling several dozen times without effecting the quest. Resetting Calixto does not appear to reset his scripted quest behavior. Most likely what needs to happen is his "quest" script needs to be reset.

Since Lonely-Gale was killed my thoughts on why this quest is bugged stems from the Radiant AI. I assume Calixto is not preassigned a NPC to kill and will simply chooses base on a pool in the script; and possibly from other interactions from scripts running for other NPCs. We know this happens later in the quest chain, and it may also account for why the quest is so inconsistent. In the case where resurrecting previous kills fixes the quest may also support the hypothesis that interaction between different NPC is necessary to create the preconditions necessary for the kill. Personally I see no reason why Bethesda should be trying to show of their AI instead of simply making the interaction a simple trigger like 4 visit = one dead body. 75.80.97.155 08:27, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Glitch not mentioned in any other section...

I've gone through the beginning of the quest now, and I'm now stuck on the "follow up on the clues" part of the quest. Jorleif has nothing to say about the quest, but that's where my only quest marker is. I've already sold the amulet to Calixto, and I have both journals as well. The quest line "get assistance from jorleif" never got marked as done although I did talk to him at that point and he told me to go talk to the guard and help out if I wanted to. I've tried watching Calixto and Wuunferth and nothing is working. I picked up a pamphlet when I took the amulet in the house, but I can't find Viola anywhere to talk to. So should I try just being in the market at night after a couple game days have gone by? Because I can't get my quest to update trying anything else. Oh and I am on the PS3 console also btw.

I think you need to load a previous save. It sounds a bit to me like you have done the stages out of order (could be wrong though). If Viola is dead, however, you can say goodbye to this quest for your current character. --Krusty 13:40, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

I had the same issue on XBOX where I got as far as "follow up on the clues" and when I first talked to Jorleif after selling the amulet, Viola's quest marker appeared as if she were on top of Candlehearth Hall, outside. When I left and came back, it was gone along with her. The only two things that happened during the quest that probably shouldn't have were when I pickpocketed the Hjerm key then got caught stealing the unusual gem in the next room (i paid my fine but the key was gone and I couldn't find it anywhere and had to pick the lock anyway) and after getting the clues from Hjerm, I went straight to Calixto without stopping to talk to a guard. Other than that, I did everything else I was supposed to but now the only quest marker is Jorleif's and he just tells me to speak to Viola. This was after completing Mage Guild questline and having entered Windhelm only once before to inquire about the murders. — Unsigned comment by 64.139.55.186 (talk) at 18:46 on 24 January 2012

Yet Another Problem...

Not sure if anyone else has this glitch. but after i went in the palace of kings to talk to the wizard he sent me out to the stone quarter. as soon as i stepped out the door the quest updated to catch the murderer. i chased calixo to My house (Hjerm) and he sits in the back room and is hostile whenever i come in. and he cannot be killed he just goes down on a knee and gets up and becomes passive until i walk in again. its really starting to make me mad and hes stealing some of my weapons. can anyone please help im on a PS3 and got over 60 hours of gameplay i dont wanna start over. — Unsigned comment by 72.13.179.168 (talk) at 00:37 on 20 January 2012

For clues on how it (probably) went wrong, please see this section. --Krusty 01:12, 20 January 2012 (UTC)

Viola won't trigger

Okay, so here's another new one...

Viola has a marker, as does Jorlief, and I've already checked the place for the murder and have his two journals. Now, whenever I go to either of them, I can't start a conversation. Interestingly enough, I've already done the war (Imperial, killed Ulfric) and own Hjerim, but I cannot decorate it. So the quest is stuck right there and I cannot initiate any sort of conversation between the two and the house looks completely awful. This is on the PS3. Over 100 hours in and level 42. 72.241.125.63 04:01, 25 January 2012 (UTC)Dannyboy

Did you pick up the pamphlet as well? Without that, you can't progress the quest. --Krusty 08:03, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

patch 1.4 notes (pre-release notes from bethesda)

Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly. In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm Dragonalumni 10:01, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

Quest is now triggering properly, even if the player joined the Imperial Legion and captured Windhelm before starting it. It seems that they have added Imperial Legion soldier corresponding to Windhelm guard responsible for triggering the quest. Confirmed on PC, quest triggered (first time I visited the city after applying the patch) despite the fact I've already visited Windhelm over 50 times (or even more, I'm not sure) and got 100 hours of play. --Theurge 10:41, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

Still doesn't work for me with v1.4. Captured Windhelm for the Imperials and have traveled to and from the city multiple times. Forcing a quest stage through the console does nothing either. The quest is stuck at stage 0. --Liquid Ocelot 21:56, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

Have you made sure, that the first time you entered the city AFTER applying the patch, was at night? I'm almost certain that's the reason, because the first time I entered the city after patching the game, was during the day, so nothing happened and subsequent attempts were fruitless regardless of their number (they were made at night). Load a save before entering Windhelm after patching, come in at night and post some info if it works ;)--Theurge 22:53, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

It is not necessary, that the quard have to appear to give you the second quest stage. It is not even necessary acutally "find" the womans corpse. For Bug-solution, see two posts below. Paramania 14:57, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Broke Quest

I was given the quest, then finished the civil war with the imperials, then i question the witnesses, but the guard is not longer there, just a quest indicator pointing to the ground. What can i do? — Unsigned comment by 216.36.167.56 (talk) at 00:12 on 26 January 2012

With a quest like this, it's always a bad idea not to do it right away. Your problem, however, should be fixed by patch 1.4, which should be released in a few days. --Krusty 00:29, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

Trigger-Bug for Queststage 2 SOLVED

(Patch 1.4 beta) I finally found a solution for this bug (on another elderscrolls wikia). If you complete the imperials questline in windhelm and after you imprison wuunferth, it is possible to get the second queststage (MS11B) to trigger. First after Quest MS11 is finished, wait 3 days outside of Windhelm. This is necessary to trigger the death of a new vitcim. Right after the first dead body appears after Wunnferths imprisoning (and in case no guard give a damn about another dead womans body in the city), talk to Wuunferth in his Prison Cell about something like "the murder has striked again" and he will give you the second stage of Blood on the ice quest instead of the guards. He will tell you to patrol in stone district at night (after 2 AM) and the quest will proceed as normal. Hope this helps you guys to catch the buffalo bill of Windhelm after so many trouble (tested several times on PC). Paramania 02:47, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Clean up Hjerim

Jorlief no longer offers the option to have Hjerim cleaned up. Is there a way to receive this option so my house doesn't have blood and bones in the alchemy/enchanting lab?

You have to clean the house before all other upgrades or it become glitchy Paramania 18:22, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

After solving the various glitches on the "Blood on the ice" quest, I'm left with a house full of blood stains, bones and an alter that blocks access to part of my Alchemy room. After having spent so much gold on all the decorations, it would be great if all that crap would vanish so I can make use of the room.

If you are a PC user (and you should always mention on which system you play the game), you can try to type "df492.disable" in your console. As stated a few posts above, this should remove the murders mess, if you already buy this upgrade and in case it did nothing. Also please sign your messages, so everybody knows who asks the questions. Paramania 13:24, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Question

If the Dark Brother quests requires you to kill someone for the quest. whats the id for them so i can use to console for reviving

if you need the ID, open the console and click on that person. The ID should show up in the upper middle of the console window. Paramania 01:22, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

if you have already killed them see Section 1 for info on resurrecting, however depending on the state of your game this may not help. ItMustBeLove 02:01, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

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