I stumbled upon an abandoned shack that requires a key to open. I had to fight and kill a dragon flying around this area. I cannot open the shack without a key. I searched the forum and understand that there is a quest to get in this shack. I'm a mage/thief at level 13 and its possible the quest has not popped for me but would appreciate verification of this.

Would someone please let me know how this quest begins and if there is a level or pre-quest requirement? Thank you.

It's a house for the Dark Brotherhood. You'll need to go around Windhelm and look for a kid doing the Black Sacrament.

I got there by mistake. I usually don't sleep. Just "Wait." I had done the "Innocence Lost" quest to kill the lady in Rifkin who had kidnapped kids. It was supposed to be a DB quest. One night, I did sleep in a bed . I woke up in the Abandoned Shack, where Astrid, head of DB, had spirited me. Interesting quest.

Thanks so much for the responses. I've gotten the Innocence Lost quest and plan to kill the old woman running the orphanage. I've not killed the woman yet but have a feeling there is no good ending for those orphans. Wish I could have found someone "good" to take over orphanage prior to killing old woman. Thought the boyfriend of that Scottish sounding woman that says she protects the people in Windhelm would have been a good choice. Or, maybe the guy with the [censored]y wife that keeps donating to the charity.

There have been some storylines that could easily have been more interesting but instead I've been left feeling that the quest is incomplete. The more details, the more real it feels. Allowing a player to choose the ending is what RPGs are about.

You're criticising the storyline without even doing it? Do the quest, you'll notice there is someone who practically takes over the orphanage after the hag kicks the bucket.

so i have to sleep to activate the abandoned shack quest after killing the woman in riften?

After killing Grelod (there's no bounty worry, either), return to the kid in Windhelm and receive the "family heirloom". Go about your business as usual, and somewhere, day or night, a courier will show up with a message along the lines of, "we know what you did in Riften". The very next time you sleep, regardless of the amount of time chosen, you will wake up in the shack with Astrid and three prisoners. I killed Astrid.

yay i never sleep and its been like 6 days in game since i got that letter lol now i will.

after you kill Grelod you'll have to sleep and see for yourself how you get there and what's up

1. save your game
2. go to sleep
3. choose to kill Astrid and start a questline or do as she says and start the Dark Brotherhood questline

decide before you get there and know that you can't go back without a previous save.

"well done." she says with her last breath.

Skyrim is not a RPG. It's a sort of Grand Theft Auto in a fantasy setting

Said this, don't feel bad for the orphans. Kill Grelod and see their reaction... I won't spoil it for you!

I agree, the kids are better off without their unkind mistress... as to the other bit here... umm... Skyrim is definately an RPG and is not GTA #anything... lets not do this in an unrelated thread and you can start a thread about why it is or isn't somewhere else? I'm sure we'll all rise to the occasion.

Well I didn't like having to kill the old lady (I was looking for other options).

I then went about my business and eventually got married. On my wedding night I slept with my wife, woke up with the spouse perk, and found myself in the shack. Talk about a shocker.

I killed the DB woman, released the prisoners, then went on the quest to wipe out the DB. I was playing a good person so I did it gladly.