Game Skyrim Forum

I just completed the first quest of the bard college where I retrieve the lost verse of King Olaf from Dead Man's Respite. I brought it back, gave it to Viarmo and he read it to the Jarl, and then I talked to Jorn to start the festival after 8pm. Everyone went outside to the effigy of King Olaf and Viarmo started to light it. However he hasn't stopped lighting it. He just lights it, turns and lights it again, forever. I tried to stand exactly where the quest arrow points to, tried to talk to him, tried to talk to others there, tried lighting the effigy (nothing to click), tried lighting it with firebolt... tried to shoot him and return to the scene after paying my fine. He's now hammering the effigy...

I guess I am going to just use the cheat on this page to finish the quest http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Tending_the_Flames, but I don't like using cheats and I don't know if this will nullify any achievements on Steam. Did I mess up the quest by missing something or is this a random bug?

Update #1: using setstage MS05 300 didn't work. Viarmo is still perpetually lighting the effigy and lots of people in Solitude are tied up in this quest and are unable to talk.

Update #2: I fixed the issue. I reloaded a previous save and this time I didn't talk to anyone at all during the ceremony. I think last time I ran up to Viarmo to talk to him because the quest marker was indicating him as a point of interest. Maybe that broke his dialogue/quest train and caused the bug. I just reloaded and didn't interact with anyone between Jorn and the burning of the effigy, and that worked out. I hope that helps anyone else who is having this problem.

I'm having the same problem. Viarmo says "With the lighting of this effigy ..." and then lights it, time after time, after time etc. It doesn't stop and he never finished his sentence.

Not talking to anyone didn't help the the problem. Waiting for days, going away and coming back etc didn't work either.

Anyone who had this and can help me? I have a save just before talkinng to Jorn in the Bard's college.

I have the same problem too, I am hoping for an answer! If somebody finds it please let me know.

my olaf festival also bugged, except with mine 2 people randomly fell from the sky to their deaths causing everyone at the festival to go into mass hysterics as viarmo lit, and lit, and lit the effigy.

your problem sounds less...comical than mine

Bahaha, I thought I was the only one! The quest didn't bug out on me but I DID have a Thalmor elf fall from the sky right in front of me! It was awesome!