Oblivion:Sideways Cave

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OB-mapicon-Cave.png
Cave:
Sideways Cave
(view on map) (lore page)
# of Zones 3
Occupants
Monsters
(2 boss-level Monsters)
Important Treasure
1 boss-level Ayleid Coffer
1 boss-level Ayleid Reliquary
Console Location Code(s)
SidewaysCaveNEW, SidewaysCaveNew02, SidewaysCaveNew03
Region
Waterfront
Location
Northeast of the Imperial City, on the island side of the lake
Sideways Cave

Sideways Cave is a medium-sized cave northeast of the Imperial City containing monsters. It contains three zones: Sideways Cave, Sideways Cave - Hidden Lake (a large subterranean lake and waterfall), and Sideways Cave - Lost Abagarlas (the ruins of an ancient Ayleid city, Abagarlas). Abagarlas is completely hidden deep underground and can only be reached through the secret underground lake.

Notes[edit]

An Ayleid tablet
  • In all three zones of the cave you will find remains of previous, unlucky, explorers.
  • In the ruin and around the lake you'll find Ayleid tablets which suggest that the city was destroyed by a "child of Meridia", probably by the flooding and extraordinary plant growth in and around the city. At the end, in the Abagarlas throne room, is the recently deceased body of a wealthy Altmer scholar who was most likely responsible for the tablets.
  • Picking up each tablet causes a message to pop up stating that "A hasty translation is scrawled here". The three translations are:
    • "Stone-Settlers (builders?) not rest (wake?) Meridia. Terror of the Most Terror. Haste to safehome."
    • "Fourth Star Hour (time?) Terror-of-the-Most-Terror of Meridia come (came?)."
    • "Meridia-child, Earth root power, sea wave like (earth like a flood?). People-out (escape? present tense? imperative?)."
  • A half-collapsed shrine to Meridia can be found in the Ayleid Ruins.
  • The official Prima guide lists Sideways Cave in its Freeform Quests section as one of the more interesting dungeons and has this to say about the tablets: "Can you put it all together? The big picture is that, long ago, Ayleid settlers stumbled onto this grotto. They made it their own--in the end, too much their own. In doing so, they uncovered a forgotten shrine to the Daedra lord Meridia. Meridia's vengeance for this violation was swift: She crushed Abargarlas [sic] with her stone roots and, incensed that some survivors escaped, buried the grotto almost entirely."
  • This cave contains 3 Cairn Bolete plants and 19 Wisp Stalk plants.
  • "Abagarlas" translates as "Forbidden Cavern" in Ayleidoon.
  • Abagarlas also appears in ESO.
  • This dungeon was re-made at some point as the internal names of the cells are all suffixed with "New". Two of the original cells still exist in the files: "Sideways Cave", internally just known as "SidewaysCave"; and "Sideways Cave - Muttering Pool", internally known as "SidewaysCave02". The third used cell is also called new, but there is no earlier iteration of it to be found.

Exterior[edit]

Key to Maps
Map of Sideways Cave Exterior
  • The exterior is located at coordinates: Tamriel 12, 19
  • This location's map marker (M on map) is named Sideways Cave (editor name SidewaysCaveMapMarker). The entrance door is SSE of the marker, 50 feet away.
  • 0-1 Monster is near the entrance
  • 0-2 Mud Crabs are near the entrance
  • 1 Wilderness Creature (Plains variety) is near the entrance
  • The following plants can be found near the entrance: 1 Foxglove plant

Zone 1: Sideways Cave[edit]

Sideways Cave
Sideways Cave

Sideways Cave resembles any other cave for its first section, with the corridor leading to a room with a large chasm. The plateau across the room can be reached by descending into the chasm (either by jumping below or walking down a formation of rocks). From there, a corridor leads to a room with a cave-in trap to the west and an opening to the east, which leads to two paths. The path on the northern side of the room leads to a dead deer, while the path to the east splits into two more corridors; one leading to the second plateau and the other to Sideways Cave - Hidden Lake. Follow the path to the plateau and you will find a corpse of a treasure hunter. Continue on to the plateau where a chest to the south lies buried underneath a heap of skeletons. Once done here, head on to Hidden Lake.

Occupants:

Treasure:

Traps:

  • 2 Cave In traps at location T on map

Doors and Gates:

  • There are two doors in/out of this zone
  • 4 Rock Walls (opened remotely) at F, G, H, and I

Other:

Zone 2: Sideways Cave - Hidden Lake[edit]

Sideways Cave - Hidden Lake
Meridia's shrine
Abagarlas entrance

While the previous section is unremarkable, Hidden Lake opens up into a fairly linear narrow chasm filled with shallow water. Broken boats and remnants of an Ayleid ruin litter the flooded chasm. The chasm soon becomes less narrow as it opens up into a large cavern with Ayleid arches and more ruins. On a large stone ring on the southern wall of the cavern is a cask and two skeletons (one of them underwater). Another cask lies in the middle of the cavern and another in the far northwestern corner of the cavern (mostly hidden by water; an Ayleid tablet lies a short way from the cask). Near this cask is a rock-covered statue of Meridia. The plateaus above are not meant to be reached and contain nothing of interest, but it is possible to get up there by way of a long root near the southwestern door to Sideways Cave - Lost Abagarlas (though high acrobatics might be necessary). A door leading from Lost Abagarlas is on a ledge overlooking the middle section of the chasm.

Occupants:

  • 1 boss-level Monster at location A on map
  • 3 Monsters

Treasure:

Doors and Gates:

  • There are three doors in/out of this zone
    • 1 door (at C) leads to the zone Sideways Cave
    • 2 doors (at D and E) both lead to the zone Sideways Cave - Lost Abagarlas

Other:

  • First Ayleid Tablet at location F on map: "[A hasty translation is scrawled here...] Meridia-child, Earth root power, sea wave like (earth like a flood?). People-out (escape? present tense? imperative?)."

Zone 3: Sideways Cave - Lost Abagarlas[edit]

Sideways Cave - Lost Abagarlas
Lost Abagarlas

The southwestern door from Hidden Lake opens into a partly destroyed corridor, where a second Ayleid tablet lies on the ground near a skeleton. The corridor then splits into two. The room to the south holds a few potions, but a cave-in trap prevents one with low Acrobatics from going up the stairs. The room to the north holds enemies and goes on downstairs to a pathway destroyed by roots. The pathway goes on, with stairs going up to a room which continues to the room with the cave-in trap. The last corridor, guarded by gates that open as you approach, leads to the last room, where a few casks, another Ayleid tablet, and a dead scholar can be found. A short corridor at the back of the room leads to a door which takes you back to a ledge in Hidden Lake.

Occupants:

  • 1 boss-level Monster at location A on map
  • 2 Imps
  • 2-5 Monster Enemies (each 80% probability Monster, 20% Rat)

Treasure:

Traps:

  • 1 Cave In trap at location T on map

Doors and Gates:

  • There are two doors (at E and D) in/out of this zone, both leading to the zone Sideways Cave - Hidden Lake
  • 4 Iron Gates (opened remotely) at F, G, H, and I

Other:

  • Second Ayleid Tablet at location J on map: "[A hasty translation is scrawled here...] Fourth Star Hour (time?) Terror-of-the-Most-Terror of Meridia come (came?)."
  • Third Ayleid Tablet at L on map: "[A hasty translation is scrawled here...] Stone-Settlers (builders?) not rest (wake?) Meridia. Terror of the Most Terror. Haste to safehome."
  • 1 Dead Scholar at K
  • 5 bedrolls at b