The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Mages Guild Guide (walkthrough)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Mage Guild Guide Written by: Nick Bartosic This file is Copyright (c)2006 Nick Bartosic. All rights reserved.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Table of Contents +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. About Me 2. The Guide 3. The Game 4. Joining the Mages Guild 5. Teekeeus's Quest 6. Adrieene's Quest 7. Carahil's Quest 8. Dagail's Quest 9. Kud-ei's Quests 10. Falcar's Quest 11. Jeanne's Quest 12. The Arcane University 12. Miscellaneous 13. FAQ 14. Credits 15. Copyright Notice 16. Contact Information
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ About Me +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is my second FAQ I'm writing for GameFAQS, and also the second FAQ I've written period. With that said, any help would be greatly appreciated ( constructive criticism that is ). I'm a recent Software Apps and Programming graduate from ITT Tech, and it was actually my professor that first got me interested in the Elder Scrolls games by introducing me to Morrowind. Since I heard about Oblivion, I was very eager to get my hands on it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This Guide +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Version 1.0 March 28, 2006 Filled in introductory info Added information for joining the Mages Guild Added quest information for Teekeeus, Adrieene, Carahil, and Dagail
Version 1.1 March 30, 2006 Added quest information for Kud-ei, Falcar, and Jeanne
Version 1.2 March 30, 2006 Added the beginning quest for the Arcane University Added a tip in the FAQs section about the Dragon Tongue and Redwort
Version 1.3 March 30, 2006 Added another quest to the Arcane University, small update =P
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This Game +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Version 1.0 March 21, 2006 Bethesda releases Oblivion for the PC
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Joining the Mages Guild +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*****Quest: Joining the Mages Guild*****
There isn't much you really have to do to become a part of the Mages GUild. If you stop in any of the major towns on your map, if they have a Mage's Guild there, you should be able to join. For purposes none other than my own, I'll start with the Mages Guild leader Teekeeus in Chorrol. Find him inside the Chorrol Guild Hall, and ask him about the Mages Guild. He'll ask if you're interested in joining, in which case you should reply with a yes. Boom, you're already a part of the Mages Guild, no contest you have to partake in like the Thieves Guild, heh heh.
You become an Associate within the Mages Guild, and now can begin accepting quests from the Guild leaders in the other towns. You cannot enter the Arcane Library in the Imperial City though. You need to solicit the recommendation of each Guild leader in the towns on your map, when that is done you'll gain access. Teekeeus will give you a Mages Guild charter, read it if you wish. Theres a lot of info in there, but nothing out of the ordinary. Basically if you commit crimes against the guild, you'll be suspended and may only be readmitted to the guild if the big-wigs allow it. It also has a list of which Guild Halls have specializations in which branches of magic. They're listed as follows:
If you wish, you can now ask Teekeeus about getting his recommendation for the Arcane University. Obviously he won't give it to you without doing something for him first, so he'll give you a quest (See the next section).
When you ask Teekeeus about getting a recommendation to the Arcane University, he decides he wants you to run an errand for him first. It appears a former member of the Mages Guild is wandering around town, and it worries him greatly. Apparantly this Earana likes to spread lies about Teekeeus and the Mages Guild, and it seems that Teekeeus and Earana have a bit of a history if you ask the other Guild members. Anyway, Teekeeus wants you to find out what shes doing snooping around town, and find a way to make her leave. Make sure this is your active quest, then follow your quest marker to find Earana in town.
When you speak to her, ask her about the Mage's Guild and all that, and eventually she'll spill the beans why shes there. Apparantly theres a book with some very valuable information to her nearby, to the north of Chorrol. The book is known as The Fings of the Mountain, and was spotted on top of Cloud Top, which is up in the moutains/hills. If you retrieve the book for her she'll be satisfied and reward you, so go ahead and accept. She mentions that you shouldn't mention your encounter to any of the other Mages Guild members... you don't have to though. If you tell Teekeeus right he'll tell you not to return the book to her. He believes the book is too powerful, and is worth more than the petty squabble he is having with Earana.
When you're ready, start heading north into the hills. You should have a marker on your map now pointing out Cloud Top, but you won't be able to instantly travel there yet. Its not too difficult to find, you'll be able to follow pathways to get there easily. Just keep following your quest marker and you'll come to Cloud Top. Near some pillars you should see a charred boy of a man, on the body you'll find the Fingers of the Mountain you were looking for. Take a look at the lovely scenery from on top of the mountain, then click on Chorrol on your map and instantly head there.
You now have 3 options as to what you can do with the book. First, you can do what Earana said and give her the book. She'll give you instructions on how to use one power described in the book (After you wait 24 hours). If you told Teekeeus about the book, you'll HAVE to give him the book...but there is a third option. If you told Teekeeus about the book, you can give Earana the book first, let her study it for a day, then when she gives you the reward head back to the Gray Mare in town and you'll find the book locked in her room at the inn. Take the book, give it to Teekeeus, and the quest is done.
Any way you decide to finish this quest, you should get Teekeeus's recommendation for the Arcane University. You should be done with Chorrol now when it comes to the Mage's Guild. You can skip to any of the Mages Guilds in the other towns outside the Imperial City. If you want to continue following this guide in order, lets check out Skingrad, home of Destruction magic, hee hee.
When you get to Skingrad, scope out your map to find the Mages Guild. If you haven't already joined, talked to Adrieene Berene to join the guild, just look at the information I posted in "Joining the Mages Guild" section to figure out what you need to say. When you ask her about getting a recommendation for the Arcane University, she wants you to take care of a little matter for her (Go figure). As it seems, there was an incident...with a member of the Mages Guild. Basically a Scamp summoning spell that went awry. As a result, this Mage named Erthor was kicked out of the Guild Hall. He still comes back twice a week to check in, but he hasn't been back in some time and Adrieene needs some notes he has. She'll tell you to talk to Sulinus Vassinus to find out a little more information.
Find Sulinus in the Mages Guild Hall, and he'll elaborate a little more about this Erthor fellow. He'll also mention that he is currently living out of a place known as Bleak Flats Cave. Sulinus won't know exactly where the location is, but if you ask Druja the Argonian she'll give you an exact location and pinpoint it on your map. She'll tell you to talk to Adrieene once more to remind Adrieene that Erthor was banished to the Bleak Flats Caves. If you mention this to her, she'll give you a Weak Fireball spell for free, and send you on your way.
Bleak Flats Cave is north by north-west from Skingrad's Western Gate (Hows that for directions?). If you talked to Druja, you should have a quest arrow you can follow to find your way there. Prepare for a few battles inside, I ran into 8 or 9 Deranged Corpses/Zombie things which packed a real punch. I was even wearing Heavy Armor at the time. I used this cave as a way to begin training up my Destruction and Conjuration abilities, as well as Restoration when I needed to heal. I'm sure the monsters within the cave will be scaled to your level, so you should be able to take them down one at a time if you're smart. I picked out my targets, used my new Weak Fireball spell, then began walking backwards while I casted some more. Eventually if I ran out of Magicka, I moved my way back toward the entrance where I could either step out to heal, or move in a circle while I waited for Magicka so I could blast a zombie. The cave itself is very linear, you can't screw it up. There is only only path to get to Erthor, the other way is currently blocked by a large boulder. Make your way through the cave blasting zombies, eventually you'll find the guy you're looking for. He'll thank you for coming to his rescue, and he'll ask for an escort back to the Mage's Guild. Go ahead and accept, then head out using the western most path (Toward the boulder blocking your path from before). You'll notice a lever that raises the boulder, hit it and you can take a semi-short cut. Make your way to the entrance, head back to town, and take Erthor to see Adrieene. Once shes convinced hes unharmed, talk to her and she'll thank you for a job well done. If you ask her about the recommendation, she'll mentions that she'll send it to the Arcane University soon.
Another recommendation in the bag, five more to go! You're done with Skingrad now, I suggest picking up some of the Destruction spells here before you leave though, I'm sure they'll come in handy later. If you don't have the cash, the Thieves Guild is a good way to make a little extra coin (Check out my other FAQ). You can also do some random dungeon crawls by wandering through the wilderness. You also might want to train your skills up a bit so you're prepared for the future quests. When you're ready to move on, lets make the long trek to Anvil, home of the Restoration magic masters.
When you get to the Guild Hall in Anvil, you'll meet with Carahil, the Guild Leader in this town. She won't beat around the bush with you at all, she'll probably already know you're looking for a recommendation and mention something about it. Ask her what she wants you to do already, and she'll explain. The Countil of Mages has entrusted her (Shes putting it off on you) to investigate a string of murders along the Gold Coast. Appranantly a Rogue Mage has been slaughtering merchants traveling up and down the road, the frost burns on the victime give him away. The Council won't stand for this, so you must track down the Rogue Mage and bring him to justice. You're first location to check out is the Brina Cross Inn which is north of Anvil, and seek out Arielle Jurard there. If you continue to pester Carahil some more, she'll probably give you some frost resistance scrolls. Take them, I have a good feeling we're going to need 'em. When you run out of topics to ask her about, make your way north to the Inn. Be on your guard, however, Carahil mentioned the Brina Cross Inn was the only link in all of the murders, so it could be a staff member there that is involved with the homicides.
Make your way to the inn, when you get there look for Arielle. She'll whisper that you should talk to the inn keeper and rest for a moment until she comes for you to discuss the plan. Do as she says, speak to the inn keeper and hear a little more about the recent deaths. Rent your room, go on up and rest for a few hours. When you look up, Arielle will be there. Speak to her and she'll unveil the plan. You are to rest up, then in the morning you'll make your way east down the Gold Coast road. Everyone in the area seems to have heard you're a merchant, so hopefully you'll be sufficient bait. Arielle and another Battle Mage will be tailing you, remaining out of sight. If and when the murderer presents himself, Arielle and her partner will come to your aid while you try to seek justice. When you've gotten all the information, rest until 8 or 9AM and head outside. Arielle will already be waiting for you, but don't try to talk to her or the Battle Mage. Whenever you're ready, start heading up the road. You won't have to go far before you see a familiar face...use the scroll Carahil gave you in Anvil right away, and speak to the person in the middle of the road. A battle will ensue, but since you have some backup it shouldn't be too rough. When justice has been served loot the body, then make your way back to Anvil. Speak to Carahil and she'll thank you for bringing peace to the Gold Coast, if only for a short time. She'll also mention that she'll sign off on your recommendation, so if you've been following my guide you should be 3/7 done now. Moving on, lets hit Leyawiin to the east, and we'll work our way north to the other two Guild Halls. Leyawiin is home to lots of Mysticism magic, so whenever you're ready begin the long trek to Leyawiin.
When you get to Leyawiin, look for the Guild of Mages south of the Chapel. This Guild Hall is a little...strange and disappointing to say the least. It doesn't seem to be a powerful Guild Hall. Nevertheless, begin talking to Guild members and get up to speed on the situation. It seems the current Guild Leader, Dagail, is getting a little senile. She once was a great mage that saw visions, but now shes fruit loops. If you speak to her (Well, I wouldn't call it speaking, its more like crazy talk) she'll make mention of an amulet. Speak to Agata to find out more about it. It seems Dagail has had these visions for some time, and she always had an amulet she kept with her to keep herself in control. She has lost the amulet though, so now shes a rambling fool. Agata wants you to ask the other guild members if they've seen the amulet. Talk with a few, be sure to ask Kalthar though. He'll make some mention of Dajail's father, who was also able to see visions and went slightly insane. Kalthar seemed to have a lot of info...better keep an eye on him.
Go talk to Agata again and she'll make sure to keep an eye on him. Agata wants to know more about Dagail's father and if he might have had an amulet on him that we could use to replace Dagail's old one. Speak to Dagail and you'll find out that her father was once stationed in a fort nearby. Your map should now update, prepare for the long trek, and bring your bashin' sticks and spells. The fort has been overrun with bandits and marauders which are scaled to your level. You could get some good loot from this quest, but you'll also be fighting lots of enemies with armor and sharp pokey things. Take whatever precautions are necessary, check out Rindel's Staves in the Imperial City, if you don't have a nice Staff of Fire, or something equivalent, pick one up.
The fort is located south-east of Leyawiin, about the same distance from town as your previous three quest stops. There will probably be a bandit outside, he should be a good test to see if you'll be able to handle what lies below. I pulled out my Weak Fireball spell again and blasted him, always moving backwards while I cast, and if I ran out of magic occasionally I'd turn my Staff of Fire on him to finish him off. Theres not much to this dungeon, you just have to take your time and try to kill them one at a time. If you get into a jam, pull out a Staff for some quick damage to save your skin. Try to rely on your own spells though, you need to increase your skill levels so you can get to better spells. When you enter the fort you'll notice a large metal gate to your right. You can't open this yet, so don't worry about it. You can use it to escape the dungeon once you're done. Work your way through the fort, heading towards your quest arrow. The location of Dagails father's tomb is in the Halls of the Fort. While you're in there you'll eventually come to a room where there are several caskets and probably a nasty Minotaur and Will-o-wisp. I treated both these fights just as the previous ones, blasting them while I walked backwards. The Minotaur was tough, but no more so than a bandit for me.
When you've cleared the room, loot the caskets and you'll find the amulet you've been searching for. Don't celebrate just yet though, make sure you heal up and then have full Magicka. As you're leaving the tomb area you'll run into none other than Kalthar. It seems he was the one that stole Dagail's amulet, to work his way up in the guild. He gets rather angry that you foiled his plans, and he decides to take him on. This fight may be a breeze for you, it may not. I fought Kalthar at level 16, and I don't think he was scaled to my level. I wasted him pretty quick and didn't even bother with the pet he summoned. When you finish him off, loot his body for some items, then leave the tomb area. Remember that gate near the beginning of the fort that was locked? If you keep heading in a northern direction from the tomb you'll end up there, another semi-short cut to get you out.
Head back to Leyawiin and check in with Dagail. As soon as you hand her the ring she regains her sanity and begins making sense again. She'll leave you with a few prophetic words of wisdom, then says she'll sign your recommendation for the Arcane University. As you know, that means we're done with Leyawiin now, on to the next wonderful side quest. We have three locations left to check out, hit Bravil since its the closest.
When you get to Bravil, the Mages Guild will be south of the Chapel. Not much to do with the other guild members, so go straight to the head of the chapter, Kud-ei. If you've spoken around town at all, you might have heard in rumors that Kud-ei was in desperate need of some help. You can't ask her about a recommendation yet, shes much to worried about her friend, Henantier. Agree to help her out, because it seems no one else will and we need her recommendation. Speak to her about Henantier, and eventually she'll come out and say that her friend isn't missing, she knows exactly where he is. As it turns out, her friend was a study mate with her in the Mages Guild, and he likes to perform experiments in his own home, which is against the rules of the Mage Guild. He has never been one to follow the rules, so even though hes on the brink of being thrown out, hes gotten into a jam once again. Tell Kud-ei you'll help her, then follow her to Henantier's house.
When you get inside, you'll find Henantier upstairs asleep...or so you think. Henantier is actually trapped in a Dreamworld, he got there by creating a magic amulet that would let you control your dreams, and take all the skills from the real world with you. Basically he wanted to use this place as a training ground to hone his skills. Your mission is to take the amulet, head into this uncharted Dreamworld yourself and rescue Henantier. Kud-ei can't go because only a stranger will be able to get through to him, otherwise he'll dismiss anyone he knows as figments of his imagination. So, when you're ready, Kud-ei will remove the amulet from Henantier and give it to you. Place the amulet on yourself and go to sleep on the other bed in the room. Make sure you make a fresh save before going in, and a few while inside.
When you come to, you'll be in Henantier's Dreamworld, or a nightmare to be correct. It seems hes gone slightly made inside, and he has no idea why hes there, how he got there, etc. If you notice, when you arrived in the Dreamworld you came naked and can't cast any of your spells. Talk about crippling a character! Henantier lost some items (Like his mind) and so we need to go around his Dream house and go through a series of tests before we can get out of there. Know that if Henantier dies while you're in the Dreamworld, you will die too!
I began with the Test of Perception, located on the same floor you begin on. Take a look at the window, and you'll notice the gate there which should be this test. Go inside, and you'll be in a large cavern-like area with a floating stone walkway. To your left you should see a container called Perception with a torch inside, go ahead and grab it (You don't have anything else anyway). You must follow the glowing red crystals to get to the purple orb you see floating up to your left. There will be many traps and such as you progress through this place, and you can get hurt so watch your footing. The first thing you'll notice is swinging blades to your right. Time your movements so you avoid getting hit, then slide ahead to the next task. There will be two things on the floor ahead, one springs a trap of falling boulders and one is a device that spews out harmful gas. Stay away from both of these as best you can. The next section you'll have to be very careful, large guilotines will drop down from the sky! Wait for them to drop, then as they raise back up move on through. Be careful though, as you get to the last one there will be another trap on the ground that drops boulders. The next section will have several buttons that will trigger a crystal to fire on you when you step on them. It should go without saying that you should avoid these too =) Finally you'll get to the end where the orb is, grab the Perception and you'll be taken out of this first test and back to Henantier. He doesn't seem too perceptive yet, so we'll have to move on to the next test. If you got hurt at all during this test, you can go downstairs in Henantier's house and grab some healing potions from a cupboard that says "Heal Yourself."
Go ahead and do the Test of Courage next, this one is easier than you might think. This test is downstairs on the first floor, through a wooden door to your right once you get downstairs. This test involves a lot of swimming, and you may get disoriented while you do it, so make sure you make a fresh save before you go down just in case. When you first get inside you'll find a box to your right, grab the Potion of the Sea inside. Head forward and you'll find a waterway that eventually gets deeper and you'll have to dive below. This waterway will travel straight ahead at first, and gradually will shift direction so you're swimming straight downward. You can drink the Potion of the Sea before you dive in, or you can wait for your air to expire a little bit before you take a sip. About halfway down you'll find another container with another Potion of Sea inside, grab that on your way down, you may or may not need it. Keep diving down and eventually you'll find a door that leads to the Grotto of Courage, with a red orb. Grab it, test is done.
The next test I chose was the Test of Patience, or as I like to call it, the Test of Following a Map. This test is back upstairs, its a small door near the bed. When you get inside there will be another container for you, this one will hold a Mysterious Scroll. This will be your map so to speak for the traps that lie ahead. It does in order of the traps you find, so the first diagram will be for the first trap, second diagram = second trap, etc. The key to using the diagrams is to figure out which symbol is the "safe" symbol. Up ahead you'll notice several pillars and tiles on the ground. If you look at your diagram, you'll notice there are as many tiles as there are symbols on your scroll. The key for the first trap is to look for the symbol on your scroll that looks like a backwards comma ( , ). If you don't laugh at my ASCII map here, I'll show the path you need to take along the tiles:
The next set of tile traps is a little farther ahead, and this one is a little more difficult. The symbol for this one looks like a "4." Heres another map:
Alright, you should be able to see the orb in front of you now, only one more obstacle to tackle! This set of tiles will have you going all over the place, and theres a few pillars in the middle of this one. If you happened to run your way through the last two traps, chances are you won't have the health to make it through the 3rd, heck, you probably can't make it through anyway. The safe symbol for this one is one that kinda looks like a + sign with a crown or flower upon it. Heres the map for this one:
If you have some amazing jumping power, you probably could take some short-cuts through a few of these, but I just thought I'd put up the easy safe routes for you. Anyway, once you're through the final maze you'll be at the orb. Grab it and the 3rd test is done. You'll be wisked back to the crazy Henantier, one test left to go. Downstairs is the ominious Test of Resolve.
This test is rather simple, well, all of these tests aren't too bad compared to the last one in the fort. When you get inside this test, look for your friendly container. Inside you should find some very good armor, there will be full sets of both Ebony and Elven mail for you, choose which ever you're most skilled with ( Heavy or Light armor ). There will also be some weapons, choose whichever you're most suited with. I picked up the Staff of Lightning for some quick, powerful blasts from a distance. Don't worry if you can't carry all of this, you'll lose it all when the Dreamworld is over. Be sure to equip all your gear, then head through the gate into a Colliseum like atmosphere. Inside you'll find two Dreamworld Minotaurs, shouldn't be too tough. If you have a staff, move backwards and blast them into Oblivion. If you don't use the staff you'll have to stand toe-to-toe with them, something I decided against. When you're finished with them, a set of stairs will move up, leading you to the Orb of Resolve. Rather easy, eh? If you've collected all the orbs at this point, speak to Renantier and he'll regain full memory of what has happened. You will both wake up then, the nightmare being over. Henantier will thank you for everything you've done, and although he doesn't have any coin he'll give you a few scrolls. If you speak to Kud-ei again, she seems to have some more odd jobs for you before she'll prepare your recommendation. Speak to her again, and she'll give you a quest.
*****Quest: Bravil Recommendation*****
So Kud-ei has some more problems. I'm not positive, but you may not even have to help her with the Henantier quest. If you haven't heard around town that Kud-ei has a problem ( Meaning you haven't asked people about any Rumors ), you may be able to skip right to this quest. As it turns out, one of the Guild girls, Ardaline, is getting pestered by a man named Varon Vamari. Hes gone so far to steal her Mage's Staff. Shes a little shy and doesn't know how to talk to people, so Kud-ei wants you to approach Varon and take the staff back for her. Just keep asking Kud-ei about Varon, the Mage's Staff, and Aradaline and she'll fill you in on all the information you need. She'll also give you a Charm scroll to use on Varon, that way you can persuade him to give you the staff back.
Once you have the quest and the scroll from Kud-ei, check the quest arrow on your map or radar to find Varon. Hes probably in Silverhome on the Water, but if not just follow the quest arrow. When you find Varon you can persuade him to raise his disposition, you can use the charm scroll Kud-ei gave you, and/or you can do a combination of both. Either way, talk to him about Ardaline and her staff, and you'll find out what happened. Varon likes Aradaline very much, but whenever he talks to her about it she won't say anything so it made him angry and he stole her staff. To make matters worse, he didn't know how to go to her and apologize and return it, so he sold it instead! What a great way to show your affection. Anyway, he says he sold it to his friend Soris Arenim in the Imperial City, in the Talos Plaza district. Go back and talk to Kud-ei and she'll give you a few more charm scrolls before you leave. Head straight to the Talos district or wherever your quest arrow points for Soris. I tried to persuade and charm him, but it seems he paid good money for the staff and he wasn't willing to part with it. Looks like we'll have to do this using my preferred way, steal it. Find a way into Soris's basement, either by sneaking or wait till hes not watching. You're going to have to pick a few locks, so either have a spell or scroll handy to do so, or hopefully you're handy with a pick. The staff will be in a dresser with a Hard lock, open it up and grab the staff. When you're finished, head back to Bravil and present the staff to Kud-ei. She'll make sure she passes the staff along to Ardaline, and she'll thank you for all the work you've done. She'll also give you a low level Charm spell you can use, not a bad way to boost a magic skill. She'll also say you've earned your recommendation, yay! If you've been following along with the guide, there should be only two more recommendations to seal before we're through, so pack your bags and get ready to hit Cheydinhal.
This quest is pretty easy and won't take too much explanation, so I'll make it quick. Find the Mages Guild south-east of Cheydinhal's Western Gate. You're looking for Falcar, the head of this particular chapter. He may not always be accessible, sometimes hes down in his room in the basement, behind a door that is locked by a key. Wait around till morning or midday and you'll find him. He doesn't seem to keen on signing a recommendation, but tell him you're ready and he'll give you a task anyway. Falcar wants you to return a ring to him that another Associate happened to lose, but this isn't just your ordinary ring, this is a Ring of Burden Falcar was experimenting with. He thinks the Associate that lost the ring did it on purpose and threw the ring in the well behind the Mages Guild. He wants you to return the ring, and tells you to talk to Deetsan if you want a key to the well.
Go find the Argonian, Deetsan, wandering around the Guild Hall. If Falcar is still in the immediate area she won't give you the key, so just wait around till he goes back downstairs, or Deetsan moves somewhere else. Shes rather surprised Falcar gave you this task, as the last Associate to attempt this never returned. Deetsan warns you to be careful, and try to find out what happened to the other Associate, Vidkun. She'll give you a scroll or spell that helps you to water breath, as well as an added bonus of a Feather spell so the ring doesn't have as much of an affect. I should warn you that if you don't have at least 150 lbs. free in your inventory, you should make room anyway. If you can't cast the spell yet, you'll need the room to carry the ring because its heavy! After Deetsan gives you the key, head around back to the well and jump in. Use the spell she gave you if you can, then begin looking for a floating body. Looks like we found our Vidkun, he must have gotten encumbered and couldn't swim anymore and drown! Nab the ring off him, grab the alchemy room in the other corner of the well if you're collecting it, then return to the stairs you came from to exit the well.
When you return to Deetsan (Falcar isn't around) she'll let you know something bad has happened. It looks like Deetsan approached Falcar about the task he gave you, because she felt it was too dangerous and Falcar has been a real jerk lately anyway. He started spouting some gibberish and told her that the Guild was all going to pay, then he stormed off. She wants you to check out his room and look to see if he wrote your recommendation and look for anything unusual that migth be down there. Head downstairs, Falcar's room will be the door on the left among the two. Inside you won't find a recommendation, but you will find a locked dresser. Open it up and you'll find two Black Soul Gems...hmmm. Take them to Deetsun, she'll be very worried about this. She says in lieu of what has happened, she will write your recommendation, it should be enough to convince the Council. She'll also include the mysterious Black Soul Gems. One more recommendation to go, now we just need to head to Bruma.
OK, there was one recommendation I was going to overlook, the one in Bruma. I figured you only needed the six from the towns that specialized in the six forms of magic. Anyway, go head out to Bruma and find the Mage's Guild in the northern part of town. Talk to Jeanne Frasoric here, the current Guild Head for this chapter. She'll seem a little different than previous Guild members, she doesn't seem like the bookworm type. Anyway, she'll be happy to help you with a recommendation, but first she wants a small task from you. This quest doesn't take long either, believe me. She wants you to find a Guild member named J'skar. It seems he disappeared a few days ago, and if she doesn't find him soon and a Guild representative shows up, it won't look good on her. She suggests asking around the Guild Hall to find out what you can.
You can speak to the alchemist, Selena Orania. She'll know about a trick J'ksar is playing on Jeanna it seems, and she also knows that Volanaro is involved somehow. Go seek out Volanaro, and if you look beside him you'll probably see an invisible J'ksar standing there. You're going to have to boost your disposition with Volanaro if hes going to fess up anything, so do some persuasion and/or use a Charm spell or scroll on him. Eventually he'll admit that he'll help you find J'ksar, but first he wants you to help him play a prank. He wants you to go upstairs to Jeanne's room and look a Spellcraft book from her desk. Agree that you'll help, and head off to Jeanne's bedroom. The book is in her desk, protected by an easy lock. Pick the lock or cast a spell on it and grab the book. If you check it out, it seems to read like "The Idiot's Guide to Spellcrafting." Head back to Volcar and give him the book in the Living Quarters after 10PM. He'll thank you, then J'ksar will remove the spell of invisibility he had on. It seems the two Guild members hate the way Jeanne lords over them when her knowledge of spellcraft is rather limited, so they like to play pranks on her to make up for it. Since they had to end their current prank, they decided stealing her Spell book would be a great way to start a new one. In any event, you're done now, go talk to Jeanne again and let her know J'ksar is visible again. She'll thank you and provide you with your recommendation.
If you've been following the guide, Booya! We should have all of our recommendations now. Time to check out what goodies the Arcane University has in store for us. Make a trip to the Imperial City, you'll find the Arcane University in the south-eastern part.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Arcane University +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When you get to the Arcane University, you should have recommendations from all 7 Guild Halls throughout Cyrodiil. Head into the Arch Master's Lobby and look for Raminus Polus. He should acknowledge right away that you've received all your recommendations. Speak to him about the Recommendations and he'll give his congraduations and welcome you to the Arcane University. You are now able to make your way around the place, but you have something to do first. Raminus gives you the Robe of the Apprentice and promotes you to Apprentice for getting this far (About time we got a promotion, heh heh). He also tells you that every good Mage carries a staff, so its now time for you to get yours. He points out a place called the Wellspring Cave, which is due north-east. He says you should seek out Eletta and Zahrasha there, they tend to the place and will have an unfinished staff for you to collect. Once you have one, you'll be able to enchant it with whatever you wish.
*****Quest: A Mage's Staff*****
Head to the Wellspring Cave, and be prepared for a fight. If you haven't picked up an attack staff of any sort, like the Staff of Fire at Rindar's in the Market district of the Imperial City, you should probably get one. Inside the cave you'll find Zahrasha's dead body, and a Necromancer next to it! The Necro will waste no time attacking, so pull out whatever attack magic or weapon you have and lay into him/her. You're going to have to contend with lots of Necroes here, so that means lots of fights where its you against 2 or more attackers, so be prepared for dodging and try to focus on bringing the Necroes down quickly, don't worry about the pet. If you get low on Magicka and can't melee attack, run around the room a bit to avoid the Necro and his pet while your Magicka builds back up. Once you finish off the first Necro, be sure to loot Zahrasha's body once to get a quest update, then again to receive a key off her. There will be 5 or so other Necroes in this cave, kill them all and then heal up.
At the end of the cave you'll find a locked door that requires the key you got. Make sure you're prepared for another fight, this time you'll probably have to fight two Necroes at once, as well as any pets they summon. If you have spells that target a radius area, you may be better off using those, or a staff with a strong attack. By the way, try to avoid falling off the side of the island, as there seems to be no way you can get back up if you do wander off it. If you do happen to fall, you'll have to run all the way back to the Wellspring Cave again. There will be one other Necro outside when you finish off the first two, kill it and you should receive a quest update. Make sure you check out Eletta's body, then look at the stone chest in the middle of the island. You should find the unfinished staff you were looking for. You should be done here, return to Raminus in the Arcane University and give him the bad news.
Raminus is rather shocked the Necromancers have made such a bold move lately, and hes sorry to hear of the murders of Eletta and Zahrasha. He'll tell you that you should go ahead and get your staff enchanted, so he tells you to see Delmar in the Chironasium. If you enter the door to the Arcane University area (Previously inaccessable to you), the Chironasium will be the second door from the right. Go there and talk to Delmar. This is where you get to do some enchanting, sweet. Talk to Delmar and he'll be ready to enchant your staff for you. He'll ask what kind of staff you want, the choice is up to you. I went ahead and compiled a list of what staves he can make you, you can thank me later, heh heh:
School of Destruction Staves Staff of Fire - 80 Fire Damage to Target - 40 Charges Staff of Frost - 80 Frost Damage to Target - 40 Charges Staff of Lightning - 80 Lightning Damage to Target - 40 Charges School of Illusion Staff of Paralysis - Paralyze Target for 8 seconds - 40 Charges Staff of Charm - Charm 25 pts for 25 seconds - 40 Charges Staff of Silence - Silence a Target for 15 seconds - 40 Charges School of Mysticism Staff of Soul Trap - Soul Trap a Target for 40 seconds - 40 Charges Staff of Telekenisis - Use Telekenisis 40 feet 40 seconds - 40 Charges Staff of Dispel - Dispel Target 40 pts - 40 Charges
Choose whichever staff you which, I went with a Staff of Lightning, mainly because I already had a weaken Staff of Fire. Call me childish, but that 80 damage and 40 charges was just too much to pass up. Granted, when your staff runs out of charges, its going to be very costly to repair (Or require some serious Soul Gems), but I thought it would come in handy for some fights. Wait 24 hours and Delmar will have your staff done, he'll put it in the cupboard behind him. Take it, and the quest will be done. Go talk to Raiminus to continue on.
*****Quest: Ulterior Motives*****
When you check back in with Raiminus, he'll have another task prepared for you. If he hasn't already, he should make you a Journeyman, congrats. He wants you to head to lovely Skingrad and speak with Count Janus Hassildor. If you are unfamiliar with Hassildor's nature, hes a well known vampire (A true to life Count Dracula, eh?) Anyway, Raiminus wants you to collect a book from him that the Arcane University gave him awhile ago and he hasn't returned. Raiminus will probably also mention that Mercator Hosidus is the Count's steward at the castle, so you should look for him first when you arrive in Skingrad.
Head off to Skingrad, which you'll find west of the Imperial City. Head up the trail to the castle, and look for Mercator in the Skingrad Castle County Hall. My, this guy is a bit arrogant and rude, isn't he? He'll see that you're from the Mage's Guild, and will be less than thrilled about it. He'll mention that the Count doesn't want any visitors, but he'll try and convince him otherwise. He'll then ask you to return in one days time. If you want, plop a squat right there in the County Hall and wait for 24 hours. When a day has passed, Mercator should still be in the room. He'll approach you and say the Count has agreed to visit with you, but he'll only see you after 2AM, and he wants you to meet him outside the West Gate of town, north of the Cursed Mine...hmm...meet a vampire outside at 2AM away from the guards...sounds like fun. Just make sure you're not late.
I showed up at 1:30AM, just wait by the quest marker if you feel like it. Shortly after 1:30 I noticed Mercator approaching me, with two black robed figures coming behind him. This doesn't look good. Mercator will tell you he never intended to contact the Count about your meeting, and that Mercator was in league with Necromancers, which obviously don't care for the Mage's Guild too much. He then lets you know that he'll dispose of you now, but he'll make sure to use your corpse as a pet later. How wonderful! Well, its going to be 3 on 1, not counting any pets the Necroes summon, be prepared. Mercator will start swinging at you first, I suggest summoning a Scamp or something to keep a few of your enemies preoccupied. Sometime during the battle a man will come to your aid, and by some surprise its the vampire Count himself. I suggest watching where you swing/cast your spells in this battle, I've been able to hit the Count a few times and get away with it, but I'm sure he won't be so happy if you stab him a few hundred times. This can be a tough battle, I mostly ran around the general area, trying to break up the necroes and Mercator so I could finish them off one at a time without hitting the Count (who doesn't seem to help you much). I summonded Scamps and Zombies to help do some damage and tank for me, and when I had any spare Magicka I healed. Use your new Mage's staff if you have to, one with damage will help greatly in this battle, one with Paralyze or Silence can also be useful.
When you finish off all three enemies, the Count will speak with you. As it turns out, thie was never about some "book" to begin with, if you didn't already figure that out. The Mages Guild wanted you to check in on the Count because there were rumors of Necroes in Skingrad. The Count will explain a little more, convinced that you had no idea why you were really there to begin with, and you should be convinced he wasn't working with Necroes. You will then part ways, and head back to the Arcane University.
Speak to Raiminus again and let him know what happened with the Count. He'll apologize that he didn't let you know exactly why you were going, but it seems the Mages Guild has an alliance of sorts with the Count. The Count may be able to hide the fact from most people that hes a vampire, but the Mages Guild can see through him. To protect himself, the Count struck up an accord with the Guild so both parties could mutually work together. Its a shacky alliance, so when word of Necromancy in Skingrad was heard, the Council of Mages wantede to make sure the Count was still on the up and up. Anyway, Raiminus will give you a nice new necklace you can wear, a Spelldrinker Amulet which will provide you with a constant 18 pts. of Spell Absorption as you wear it, sweetness. On top of that, he'll promote you to Evoker if you ask him, we're movin' on up in the world! He'll have another task for you, so speak to him whenever you're ready.
Q1) Help! I've been suspended from the Mage's Guild and I need to collect 20 Dragon's Tongues and 20 Redwort Flowers! Where can I find these?
A1) Wow, I'm getting A LOT of questions about this, and I haven't even finished the guide yet! What are you people doing to get kicked out of the guild like this? I strongly suggest to use your Save/Load features =) Anyway, I haven't been able to dig up much, but hopefully this will be helpful.
I've looked through the Oblivion boards, and it seems you can find Dragon's Tongue around Fort Redwater near the Black Marsh border. They can also be found north-east of Leyawiin. Supposidly theres some in the West Weald area, between Skingrad and Bravil as well.
Redwort Flowers are found south-east of the Fieldhouse Cave by Leyawiin, near the Black Marsh border again. Some more is found near the Ayleid Ruins of Wendelbek and Morahame, along the eastern coast of Niben Bay, along the Panther River. Some may be scattered about the West Weald.
I've also seen that you can by a few of these in Skingrad in the shop called All Things Alchemical. For those of you that don't care about cheating, the console commands for PC are below, but I encourage doing the quest yourself since you got yourself into this mess, heh heh:
