Skyrim lets you drink a barrel of mead without a wobble. Then a friendly stranger named Sam Guevenne buys a round, and you wake up in a temple in Markarth with no memory and a priestess yelling at you. A Night to Remember is Sanguine’s quest, and it is the funniest Daedric errand chain in the game.
Plot twist, for anyone who has not said the name out loud yet: Sam Guevenne is Sanguine, the Prince of Debauchery. Let me break this down for you, stop by stop, so you retrace last night without wandering the whole province.
A Night to Remember at a Glance
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Daedric Prince | Sanguine, Prince of Debauchery |
| Level needed | 14 |
| Quest giver | Sam Guevenne, at an inn |
| Stops | Markarth, Rorikstead, Whiterun, Witchmist Grove, Morvunskar |
| Reward | Sanguine Rose (staff that summons a Dremora) |
Lore Drop: Bethesda hid the Prince’s identity in the most obvious pun in Tamriel, and it still catches people every playthrough.
How to Start the Quest
Sam appears in a tavern or inn once you are level 14 or higher. You cannot find him on the map, so just keep visiting inns until a man in plain clothes challenges you to a drinking contest.
- The Bet: Sam offers you a staff if you can out-drink him.
- The Contest: keep accepting drinks. After a few rounds the screen fades out.
- Save First: take a manual save before you accept. The blackout is the whole point, but it is nice to have a clean point to return to.
A Night to Remember Walkthrough
Your night is a trail of bad decisions. Here is the route in order.
- Step 1, Markarth: you wake up in the Temple of Dibella. Senna, the priestess, is furious because you trashed the place. Pick up the mess scattered around the temple and apologize. She mentions you were raving about a goat and Rorikstead.
- Step 2, Rorikstead: talk to Ennis. You apparently stole his goat, Gleda, and sold her to a giant. Get Gleda back from the giant’s camp nearby, and he tells you that you were talking about Ysolda in Whiterun.
- Step 3, Whiterun: Ysolda remembers you well. You owe her for a wedding ring, and she says you went off to Witchmist Grove to get married. Settle up with her to move on.
- Step 4, Witchmist Grove: your bride is Moira, a hagraven. Yes, really. Get the ring back, by talking your way out of it or by fighting, and she points you to Morvunskar.
- Step 5, Morvunskar: fight through the mages in the fort to reach Sam. He opens a portal to Misty Grove.
- Step 6, Misty Grove: step through. Sam reveals himself as Sanguine, laughs about the whole night and hands you the Sanguine Rose before sending you back.
The Math: five locations across four holds for one staff. Unlock as many of these spots as you can beforehand and most of the trip becomes fast travel.
Where People Get Stuck
- The temple: the conversation with Senna does not move on until you clean up. Look around the floor and shelves for the scattered items.
- The goat: Gleda is with a giant, so either sneak in and lead her out or deal with the giant first. Do not fight a giant at low level.
- Moira: she is a hagraven, and a fight goes better with fire or arrows.
- Morvunskar: the fort is full of hostile mages. Bring magic resistance or potions.
The Sanguine Rose
The reward is a staff that summons a Dremora to fight for you for 60 seconds. That is a free, tough melee ally on demand.
- Summon: one Dremora per use, and it hits hard for an early level summon.
- Charge: like any staff it runs on charge, so keep soul gems around to refill it.
- Followers: you can give it to a follower, who will use it in fights.
- Leftovers: the temple junk you picked up stops being a quest item afterwards, so sell or drop it.
Hot Take: it is not a game breaker, but if you are still ignoring summon staves because they feel weak, we need to talk. A spare Dremora that costs no magicka is great on a warrior or an archer. Conjurers will get more out of their own spells, which our Conjuration build and necromancer build cover.
Is Sanguine Worth Siding With?
Here is the funny part: this is one of the few Daedric quests where nobody important dies and you never have to betray anyone. Sanguine is chaotic, not cruel. The worst damage is to your reputation in Markarth and to one poor goat owner’s patience. If you are playing a good character who refuses the darker Daedric quests, this is the one you can do with a clear conscience, and the Rose still counts toward the 15 artifacts for the Oblivion Walker achievement.
A Night to Remember FAQ
How do you start A Night to Remember?
Reach level 14 and visit inns until Sam Guevenne challenges you to a drinking contest. Accept it.
Who is Sam Guevenne?
He is Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of Debauchery, in disguise.
What does the Sanguine Rose do?
It is a staff that summons a Dremora to fight for you for 60 seconds.
Do you have to marry the hagraven?
No. You only need the ring back from Moira, and you can talk your way out or fight her.
Actually Do This: check your level. If you are 14 or higher, walk into the nearest inn, take a save and accept that drink. For more quests and builds, head to the Skyrim hub or the Skyrim locations guide, and see how many fellow drinkers are online on our Skyrim Special Edition player count.
