Infiltration is a fort-clearing side quest in the Rift. Stalleo and his men left Treva’s Watch to help with the war, and bandits seized it in their absence – with Stalleo’s family supposedly still inside. Their own assault failed, so now it is your turn: slip in the back way and open the front gate.
How to start
- Find Stalleo and his two bodyguards at a small camp outside a cave entrance, east of Treva’s Watch.
- Talk to him. He takes you for the reinforcements he was promised and explains that the front gate is locked, so you must use the mine entrance (the escape tunnel) behind his camp.
- Agree to help. Ask what’s in it for you and he adds that you may keep whatever you find on top of the posted reward.
Stalleo blames a rogue mage named Brurid, who defected at the start of the war; Stalleo turned him in, but he apparently escaped.
Walkthrough
The escape tunnel
Inside the tunnel, a staircase has three bandits at the top and a fourth off to the right. A neat trick is to blast the three with Unrelenting Force into the oil pot hanging from the ceiling, then ignite the spilled oil. Check the area to the right of the stairs for two chests.
Mind the bear trap as you leave this area. Up the next flight of stairs, a bandit is busy at an anvil – a good target for a sneak attack. Smiths will find iron ingots opposite the anvil. The other room here contains two dead Nords and an Imperial soldier. They may be Stalleo’s family, but the game never confirms it.
The bandit hall
Through the next door and up another staircase, two bear traps sit right at the start of the corridor; triggering one alerts the two bandits at the top. If you are quick you can even lure them onto the traps. Beyond waits the main hall with seven bandits, including the bandit chief with a battleaxe. Either dodge his swings while thinning out the rest, or take him down first.
Afterwards, pick the adept lock on the door to the sleeping quarters and loot the chest inside. Continue along the tunnel: there is a shelf of weapons and armor before the right-hand turn, and the room on the left after it holds a Bound Sword spell tome.
To the courtyard
Pass through the dining area to a wooden door. Turn left after it and watch for the floor trigger that swings a spiked gate around the corner. Further on, the tunnel splits: a large staircase to the right and a passage straight ahead. You can clear the dungeon area along the forward passage first so nothing follows you, or simply climb the stairs. The room at the top contains a Courage spell tome and the skill book Twin Secrets. At the far end of the exit tunnel there is one more chest, guarded by two traps.
Open the gate
The tunnel exits into the courtyard, with the gate lever right in front of you. Depending on whether you already cleared the fort, there may be bandits outside. You can pull the lever either way – Stalleo and his bodyguards will then rush in to help with any remaining fighting.
Meet Stalleo
Talk to Stalleo in the courtyard. He asks whether you saw his family; your only answer is no, and he says he will start searching after a quick restock. He then hands over your reward.
Rewards
- Detect Life spell tome
- Everything you loot in the fort, including the Bound Sword and Courage spell tomes and the Twin Secrets skill book
Tips and notes
- You can get into the fort without the quest by jumping up the rocks it is built against. The bandits inside are not tied to the quest, so you can still accept it later and finish it by pulling the lever.
- Bear traps reset when you move between areas, even after the fort is cleared.
- If you approach Stalleo as a werewolf, he and his men stay passive; the quest still works normally.
- Stalleo can die in the courtyard fight, which makes the quest impossible to complete, so open the gate with care if bandits are still outside.
