First-time players ofThe Elder Scrolls, particularlyOblivion, will know the Gray Fox as an elusive thief and the leader of the Thieves Guild. They’ll see wanted posters everywhere in the Imperial City, denouncing him as a public menace who should be captured. However, should the player undertake the Thieves Guild questline, they’ll learn that the Gray Fox’s identity is not as clear-cut as it initially seems.
InThe Elder Scrollsfranchise, the Gray Fox is not one single character, but a persona. As such, many people have become the Gray Fox and then passed the title on to the next worthy thief. Though players are first introduced to this persona inOblivion, the Gray Fox originates from a much earlier time. It all starts with the theft of Nocturnal’s Gray Cowl.
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The Supposed Origins of the Gray Cowl
OblivionandSkyrimplayers come across a book called Purloined Shadows as they explore the world. Its author was Waughin Jarth, a prolific Breton writer known for his books that take inspiration from historical figures. Some of his most notable works include A Dance in Fire and The Wolf Queen. Purloined Shadows tells the story of a young thief girl who breaks into a Master Thief’s stronghold and asks him to teach her his ways. The Master Thief agrees, telling the girl that their final test will be to steal the cloak of the Daedric Prince Nocturnal.
After training for some time, the girl and the Master Thiefhead out on the Eighth of Hearthfireto watch a coven of witches perform a ritual for Nocturnal. The young thief concealed herself among the crows on the branches of the tree, while the Master Thief hid somewhere she did not know. The girl watched as the witches cried their strange chants, watched as Nocturnal stepped into their world to revel in the ritual, then she started inching towards the Daedric Prince.
As she closed the gap between her and the Daedra, she wondered where the Master Thief was, only to be surprised when a man’s voice cried, “Mistress! A thief! Behind you!” The witches screamed, and asNocturnal caught the young thief in her sights, she unleashed her lethal power on the girl. As the Daedric Prince’s shadows enveloped the young thief, she saw that Nocturnal’s cloak was gone, and realized that she’d been nothing but the Master Thief’s distraction.
It is believed that the stolen cloak would become the Gray Cowl,the Daedric hood that cursed any who wore it. Whether this story tells the true origins of the Gray Fox is unknown, but, as of late, it’s the only text that seeks to explain the legend.
Another text found in the Temple of the Ancestor Moths inOblivionfurther elucidates the nature of the Gray Cowl. It’s said to shroud its wearer’s face in shadow — so much that neither light nor magic could illuminate it. Moreover, the note says thatNocturnal could easily reclaim the Gray Cowl, but that she thought it more fitting to lay the curse on it. Thus, the ultimate consequence of donning the Gray Cowl is to have one’s identity be stricken from all memory and history. Its wearer shall then be known as the Gray Fox, never as the person they used to be.
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The Gray Fox in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Should the playerpursue the Thieves Guild questline ofOblivion, they’ll come face to face with the current Gray Fox, who is also the Guildmaster. After climbing the ranks, he will have the player collect a number of unique items, like the Arrow of Extrication and the Boots of Springheel Jak. After which, the Gray Fox will send the player on the ultimate heist, where they must steal an Elder Scroll.
Once the player acquires the Elder Scroll, the Gray Fox will ask them to go to Anvil, where they must give a wedding ring to Countess Millona Umbranox. The Gray Fox will be there when the player delivers the ring and will use the Elder Scroll tolift the Gray Cowl’s curse. This allows him to finally take off the hood and reveal that he was Count Corvus Umbranox of Anvil. When he took the mask off in the past, even his own wife failed to recognize him, and to the player, he registered as “The Stranger.” Now that the curse has been lifted, the Count renounces his role in the Thieves Guild and hands it over to the player.
Interestingly enough, the Count also names an “Emer Dareloth” as the first Gray Fox. And once the quest is complete, the player will gain access to Dareloth’s House, the new lodge for the Thieves Guild. Additionally, should the player opt toread the diary of Springheel Jak, they’ll find that he was actually a vampire who changed his name to Jakben, and that he personally knew Emer Dareloth. Though his entries reveal Nocturnal’s curse at work as he could no longer recall his fellow thief’s name.
The Gray Cowl in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Much later, theGray Cowl would return inSkyrimvia the game’s Creation Club. In The Gray Cowl Returns! quest, players can learn of what happened to the Daedric hood after the events ofOblivion. The quest involves following a series of notes written by “A Stranger” and following each note’s instructions. These tasks are meant to be a test for the player as completing everything proves to the stranger that they’re worthy of donning the Gray Cowl.
Should the player complete all the stranger’s tasks, they’ll be directed to the Riften graveyard, where the Stranger’s Journal will be found. It reveals that the current Gray Fox used the hood to escape his own family and pursue his own ends. But now that only his young nephew remains alive, he’s realized that he needs to pass on the Gray Cowl and attend to the child. After reading the journal, the player will begreeted by the Gray Fox himself, who takes off the hood, revealing that he is Pjofr Ice-Blade. Pjofr thanks the player, gives them the Gray Cowl, then leaves.
It’s worth noting that content from the Creation Club is generally regarded as notquitecanon, but rather as lore-friendly stories inThe Elder Scrollsfranchise. As such, the Gray Fox’s quest inSkyrimmay not be part of the series’ canon storyline. Still, it makes for an engaging adventure. PerhapsThe Elder Scrolls 6can spread more lighton the Gray Fox and their many identities.
