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The batting rat is an obvious reference to the winking skeever. the cousin is Faida who works in Dragon Bridge. The creatures of the night and their mother are the Dark Brotherhood. The place is where one left their spoon is Ivarstead (Wylandriah's spoon). I'm having difficulty decoding the rest but I'll make a guess.

Grelod the Kind?

Dawnstar?

OK, we have some hits and misses here. The hits will not make sense until you work out the structure of the riddle, so let me confirm and deny:

"The batting rat is an obvious reference to the winking skeever."

Yes

"the cousin is Faida who works in Dragon Bridge."

Yes

"The creatures of the night and their mother are the Dark Brotherhood."

One miss, one hit.

"The place is where one left their spoon is Ivarstead (Wylandriah's spoon)."

Yes.

"I'm having difficulty decoding the rest but I'll make a guess. Grelod the Kind?"

No

"Dawnstar?"

This is not the answer to the riddle...

So the way I think this riddle works is that each verse is a different location and when all four are found we connect 1st and 2nd by a line and 3rd and 4th together and where the line crosses is the answer.

So the 1st verse says Dawnstar to me but the line about the Batting Rat has been confirmed as Faida from Dragons Bridge. But here’s my take on it.

Start at a hidden home. – The Abandoned Shack, where you are initiated to the DB
You will find little to do here, - Nothing interesting here.
Except for creatures of the night – Dark Brotherhood uses this Shack
And those who serve its mother – Again they use the shack
You will know me if you find
The cousin of the owner of a batting rat - Faida from Dragons Bridge
Or a butterfly of the night. – I’m not sure who this is

So this leads me to believe that the answer to verse 1 is somewhere between the Abandoned Shack and Dragons Bridge.

The 2nd verse is Ivarstead evidenced from the lost spoon line which is Wylandriahs and the brother destined for disappointment is almost definitely Narfi, who's sister is dead.

The 3rd verse I believe is Cloud Ruler Temple.

Begin again.
To where the blade is renewed – Blades are reformed here
Souls are lead to new allegiances – Followers can be brought here to be recruited
Where the betrayal of a traitor may be plotted–To betray Parthurnaax, betrayer of Alduin
Where futures are set in stone – Alduins Wall, made from stone and tells the future

Now this fourth verse I am struggling to think what it is referring to but I am leaning towards Dawnstar/Falkreath Sanctuary

And walk again, as before
To a home to misfit psychopaths – They are murderers i.e psychopaths
A witch who is not a witch – Babette, that’s all I’ve got
And a curator convinced that evil is pure. – Makes me think of Cicero, curator of the Night Mother

But looking at the map, if all these are right than the lines do not connect leaving me to think Dawnstar may be wrong. I do not know the exact location mentioned in verse 1 but Folgunthur is between them soo maybe that’s is it.

Anyway just my musings on the riddle to help out.

Well done, but you didn't get stanza four wrong, you got stanza one wrong. It seems to be the hidden home that is sending you the wrong way. Get this right and you should be able to draw a fairly straight line. If it make it easier, I used the Game Banshee map.

The final stanza actually does give you a clue that should confirm this if you got it right.


***Edit***

You have the right location for Stanza three, even if you haven't identified all the clues correctly...

*** EDIT TWO ***

SORRY, I MEANT THE FOURTH VERSE!

Butterfly of the night...a moth?

Could be the grove with all the ancestor moths in.

Yes



No, all locations appear on the regular map.

And walk again, as before
To a home to misfit psychopaths
A witch who is not a witch
And a curator convinced that evil is pure.

This is definitely the Orphanage that you go to in Riften that you kill Grelod the Kind.

To where the blade is renewed
Souls are lead to new allegiances
Where the betrayal of a traitor may be plotted
Where futures are set in stone

This sounds like the Falkreath Sanctuary which is where Astrid betrays the Brotherhood.

But I do not know what the last verse means...yet. So is it Cicero?

Couple of my thoughts on this one:

A witch who is not a witch - I thought this meant the Hag's Cure as Bothela is believed to be a witch but isn't.
And a curator convinced that evil is pure - Thought that might also be Markarth what with the Dwemer Museum but could be Dawnstar with it's Mythic Dawn Museum
To where the blade is renewed - Is that the Skyforge as Eorland reforges the broken axe for the companions.
Souls are lead to new allegiances - Underforge where werewolves are created.

No, it's definitely not. This stanza has already been solved, even though the individual parts have not been solved.

This has already been solved as well.



No



No.



Yes



No



No


I sincerely recommend some parts of this riddle have already been solved. In particular, I recommend reading Mr. Argonian's post, has he has solved most of the riddle and the structure that ties the riddle together. The only thing he got wrong was the first stanza, which put his solution wrong.

Is the answer Dead Mans Respite, I still can't figure out the first stanza but after connecting Cloud Ruler Temple and Dawnstar, and Ivearstead and Dragons Bridge, Dead Mans Respite was smack bang in the crossroads.

You are so incredibly close, Mr Argonian. You have the right location, but I am not looking for a place in the final stanza.

King Olaf?

King Olaf's Verse, or Svadnir?

Frost Mage was the first to call it, but I've got to give the prize Mr. Argonian, as he did all of the heavy lifting.

I lie in the center

This was to get you to create the 'x'

Start at a hidden home.
You will find little to do here,
Except for creatures of the night
And those who serve its mother
You will know me if you find
The cousin of the owner of a batting rat
Or a butterfly of the night.

This was all meant to give you Dragon Bridge. The hidden home was a reference to the Penitus Oculatus outpost (in retrospect, not the clearest clue). The "creatures of the night" is a reference to vampires, and "those who serve the mother" the Dark Brotherhood. Aside from radiant quests, these are the only quests involved with Dragon Bridge. The cousin is Faida and the butterfly of the night the moth priest.

Now walk as the crow flies
To a city that is low to the high
Home of a Geist of a scoundrel
A hopeful brother destined for disappointment
And a spoon that one forgot.

Walk as the crow flies was there to get you to draw a straight line. The "low to the high" is a reference to its connection to High Hrothgar. The Geist of a scoundrel was a reference to the Lifting the Shroud quest. The hopeful brother was Narfi and the spoon was Wylandriah. All this happens in Ivarstead.

Begin again.

So you don't end up drawing another line.

To where the blade is renewed
Souls are lead to new allegiances
Where the betrayal of a traitor may be plotted
Where futures are set in stone

The blade was the Blades, souls to new allegiances is a reference to followers joining the Blades, the betrayal is a reference to Paarthunax. The future set in stone is Alduin's Wall. All of this happens at Sky Haven Temple.

And walk again, as before
To a home to misfit psychopaths
A witch who is not a witch
And a curator convinced that evil is pure.

The misfit psychopaths are, of course, the Dark Brotherhood. The witch who is not a witch is Vaermina (her curse is blamed on a witch). The curator is Silus Vesuius. All of this is in Dawnstar.

I lie in the center of the crossroads,
Follow my path
And name my name.
I lie at the end
As they lie about me.

This, as Mr. Argonian explained, gives you four points on the map, that cross at Deadman's Respite. The next trick is "I lie at the end" - meaning the boss of the dungeon and "As they lie about me", a pun referencing the Draugr, but also Svaknir, who lies about him.

Congrats, and good luck.

Congratulations Mr.Argonian! I would have had no clue without you basically doing the work for me.

Wait, he didn't guess right, but still won? How is that right?

As long as the next question is as difficult it's all good.

Well I'm flattered that you would still consider me the winner, but Frost Mage rightfully won, and even so I made the riddle just before edgukator's.
So the next riddle is hand balled off to Frost Mage.

Eh, sure, I feel like a riddle. Thanks!

Is it Gaius Maro?

EDIT: sorry I meant to post this earlier but I'm at work so didn't realize that it had been solved

Not sure how to play but here goes...
Who is the first npc to see you when you enter the city of whiterun... Hint I sit alone above the streets in my chair..... "your not looking to cause any trouble in whiterun are you"...

@ Danny: A guard? And also, the last riddle should be answered before you post a new one, but you weren't to know.

I'm thinking the skillbook The Mirror.

I belong to a few

Can be found in three different places in Skyrim

A keeper of old

Old knowledge

The wonders of one are the ones that I hold.

Tells the story of Mindothrax, an old warrior

We hold a great power, mysterious, it may be.

It's a skillbook

Perhaps you can help me see what you see...

Which is why I think it's "The Mirror" in particular.