TABLE OF CONTENTS ========================================== 1: Hints, Tips and General Info 2: Joining the Guild, recommendations and the Arcane University 3: Bruma Reccomendation 4: Chorrol Reccomendation 5: Cheydinhal Reccomendation 6: Skingrad Reccomendation 7: Anvil Reccomendation 8: Bravil Recommendation 9: Leyawiin Recommendation THE ARCANE UNIVERSITY 10: A Mage's Staff 11: Ulterior Motives 12: Vahtacen's Secret 13: Necromancer's Moon #On Black Soul Gems FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CREDITS CONTACT ME COPYRIGHT NOTICE ================================================ 1: HINTS, TIPS AND GENERAL INFO -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As always, SAVE before you start each mission. It'd be a shame to start a quest and find a bug before you complete it. ALWAYS KEEP A PREVIOUS SAVE!! I can't stress that enough. A previous save can save your game. Better a few too many save files than miss your chance at gaining entry to the Arcane University alltogether. If you want your save games easier to identify, while in game, open the console and type this: SAVEGAME YOURTITLEHERE This will create a save game with that name in your save/load menu. For example: savegame whoguru -I'll now have a savegame titled "whoguru" in my menu. keep your armor and weapons in good repair. They afford less protection and do less damage when in need of repair. Keep your armor and weapons in good repair. They will not do as much damage or offer as much protection if they're in need of fixing. Use your journal! Sometimes, your journal may provide a hint you weren't given in conversation. If you're stuck, your journal is a good way to figure out where you went wrong. ================================================= 2: JOINING THE GUILD, RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE ARCANE UNIVERSITY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joining the Mages Guild is simple. Pick a city and go to the Guildhall. All you have to do is ask. Getting into the Arcane University, however, is not so simple. To gain entry here, you must first complete a quest for the Head of each Guildhall in each city. Some are very simple, others a little more complex. Those playing true Mages will want admittance to the University as it's the only place you have access to altars of Spellmaking and Enchanting. Well, almost. You can also get the Wizard's Tower mod which will give you the altars, but first you'll have to buy the furnishings for the Tower. You also will not gain ranks in the Mages Guild until you reach the Arcane University. Until then, you'll remain an associate. Don't neglect your Alchemy skill. You're a mage and Alchemy will allow you to raise your Intelligence, which raises you Magicka pool, very quickly. It's also a great way to make money. Once you've reached Master level and have Master Alchemical equipment, you can make health potions that will make you near invincible. Alchemy is your freind. You can pick up alchemical equipment in any guild hall free of charge. =============================================== 3: BRUMA RECOMMENDATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeanne Frasoric needs your help finding J'skar. He's disappeared and she wants you to speak with the other mages to find him. She's a brown nose but we need her. Find Volanaro. Make sure he likes you enough and ask him about J'skar. He'll offer to tell you how to find him, but only if you help him pull a prank on Jeanne. Well, since we're all for that, agree to help. You need to steal Jeanne's Manual of Spellcraft from her desk. Her room is up the stairs to the left of the entrance. Go in during the day and you can be sure Jeanne wont wander in on you. You can either pick the lock or use the Minor Latch Crack spell Volanaro gives you. Take the Manual and return to Volanaro. He happily takes the book and asks you to meet him in the Living Quarters after 10 pm. Head downstairs at 10pm and you'll find him in one of the rooms. Speak with him and he'll cast a spell, revealing J'skar. He's been there the whole time, just invisible. Irritating Jeanne seems to be a hobby for these two. Head back upstairs and tell Jeanne you found J'skar. Though distracted by the mysterious loss of her Manual, she'll agree to send on your recommendation and ask that you remember her when you're important. Brown nose. ================================================ 4: CHORROL RECOMMENDATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fingers of the Mountain - Part 1 Teekeeus has a task for you. A woman called Earana has been hanging around the guild and he wants you to find out why. During the day, you'll find her in the plaza outside the hall and in the evening's in the Grey Mare. Earana is looking for a book called "Fingers of the Mountain" and she'd rather Teekeeus didn't know about it. Since we're good little mages, head back to Teekeeus and tell him. He'll send you to Cloud Top, giving you a map marker, and ask you to retrieve it for him. He doesn't want Earana to get her hands on a book that powerful. Head up to Cloud Top, just NNW of Chorrol. Leave from the North Gate and you can follow the dirt path all the way up. At Cloud Top, a ruined pillar, you'll find a charred body. Loot the remains for the book and return to Chorrol. NOW. You can give the book to Teekeus, but you'll only have to steal it back. Since stealing from a fellow Mage gets us booted, we'll wait on him. Fingers of the Mountain - Part 2 Find Earana and give her the book. She's ecstatic. She'll ask you to return in a day's time after she's had a chance to study the book. Wait 24 hours and go to her. Earana will give you a translation from the book and tell you to read it and return to Cloud Top for your reward. You'll need a Welkynd Stone and a Shock spell. Make sure you have a Welkynd Stone in your inventory. Doing this without one can get you killed if you don't have enough Hit Points. Head back to Cloud Top, stand next to the pillar and cast your shock spell. You will take a little damage, but not lethal. You will recieve the "Fingers of the Mountain" spell. It's leveled and near impossible to cast at higher levels due to the Magicka Cost. Getting in your early teens seems to be the best time. Now, return to the Grey Mare. Head upstairs, last room on your left, and steal the book from Earana's chest behind the door. Return to Teekeeus. The first time you speak with him, he's angry you gave the book to her and tells you to get it back. Speak to him again and you can give him the book. Now he'll write your recommendation. ================================================ 5: CHEYDINHAL RECOMMENDATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speak with Falcar. He's a putz but we need him. He'll agree to write you a reccomendation but you need to do something for him first. He wants you to retrieve a ring from the well behind the guild hall. Seems he sent another associate back there but he lost it. He'll warn you it's difficult to carry and send you to Deetsan to get a key. Deetsan, upon hearing what Falcar has asked, worries. She's uncomfortable talking while Falcar's around though. You'll have to wait until he goes down to bed around 8 pm. Speak to her again and she'll worry for you. Vidkun, the other sucker, I mean associate, never returned from Falcar's task. She'll give you the key, a bouyancy spell and ask you to tell her if you find out anything about Vidkun. Head to the well behind the hall. There is no air down here, it's a well. You have plenty of time and air if you move fast enough. Once inside, go to your right. You'll see the body of poor Vidkun floating near the ceiling. Loot his corpse for the Ring of Burden. You're now over-encumbered. Don't panic. Just drop the ring, you don't need to bring it back once you've gotten the journal update. On you're way out, check the other short passage for a Nirnroot. Head back into the hall and find Deetsan as Falcar is nowhere to be found. Deetsan, overcome with worry for you, confronted Falcar while you were gone. He flew into a rage and left, it seems without ever writing your recommendation. She asks you to search his room for it and anything of interest you find bring to her. Head down to the Mages Guild Basement. Falcar's room is at the back. In the Drawers, next to his bed, you'll find two black soul gems. Take these and return to Deetsan. She's shocked and takes the gems, promising to send them and your recommendation to the Arcane University. ##If you left the well before getting the ring and Vidkun's body is now gone, use this code to add the ring to your inventory, giving you the journal update. PLAYER.ADDITEM 0002E5AC 1 You can drop it on the ground once your journal updates. ================================================ 6: SKINGRAD RECOMMENDATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speak with Adrienne Berene. She needs you to find another mage, Erthor, so she can speak with him. He's gone missing. Mage's seem to make a habit of this. Ask Druja about Erthor and she'll tell you Adrienne sent Erthor to Bleak Flats Cave and has obviously forgotten. Ask about the cave to receive a map marker. Druja also asks you to remind Adrienne that she's the one who sent him there in the first place. Talk to her before you leave so she knows it's her fault he's missing. Bleak Flats Cave is just NW of the city. Inside, you'll find the Undead patrolling the tunnels. Erthor is in the farthest chamber. Make sure to kill all the zombies in the caves, Erthor wont move until you do. Once you've cleaned the place out, ask Erthor to follow you. At the back of his living cavern is a short passage leading to a rock wall. Pull the lever and the wall will drop, giving you a short cut back to the entrance. You can fast travel back to Skingrad with Erthor. Once he and Adrienne have had thier little reunion, speak to her and she'll agree to send on your recommendation. ================================================= 7: ANVIL RECOMMENDATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to Carahil. It seems merchant's are being attacked by a rogue mage on the Gold Road. She needs you to go to Brina Cross Inn and meet one of her mages there, Arielle Jurard. Follow the Gold Road north and east and you'll find Brina Cross Inn. Arielle is inside. She'll tell you to get a room and if anyone asks, you're to say you're a merchant. Get a room from the innkeeper. As you head upstairs, Caminalda will stop you and ask if you're a merchant. Say yes. She'll praise your bravery at travelling the roads when they're this dangerous and you wish you luck. Uh huh. Head up stairs and wait for Arielle. She'll instruct you wait for morning, then head out east along the Gold Road, toward Kvatch. She'll be following with a couple battlemages to watch your back. Head to bed and sleep until morning. Leave the Inn and follow the road east. You wont have long to wait. Just down the road from the Inn, surprise! Caminalda is waiting for you. She's the rogue mage and jumps you. Deal with her yourself or let the battlemages do it for you. Once she's dead, return to the Anvil Mages Guild and Carahil for your recommendation. ================================================ 8: BRAVIL RECOMMENDATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Find Kud-ei and ask about your recommendation. She, of course, has a task for you. Varon Varmori has been pestering one of her mages, Ardaline, and stolen her staff. Kud-ei gives you a charm scroll and asks that you convince him to return it. Follow your map marker to Varon. I found him at Silverhome on the Water in the evening. Cast your charm spell and ask about Ardaline. Varon has a crush on her and stole her staff to get her attention. Typical boy. When it didn't work, he was too emberassed to give it back and sold it to a friend in the Imperial City. Head back to Kud-ei and let her know. Time for a trip to the Imperial City. Kud-ei sends you to see Soris Arenim and try to convince him to give you the staff. She'll give you three more charm scrolls. Even with his disposition maxed at a hundred, you're still going to have to pay to get the staff back. Cough up the two hundred gold and he'll give it to you. Now back to Bravil and Kud-ei. She'll take the staff, write your recommendation and teach you a new spell, Captivate. ================================================== 9: LEYAWIIN RECOMMENDATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dagail has problems tuning out the voices in her head. She had an amulet that allowed her to control her visions but it has gone missing. She's pretty loopy at this point and asks you to speak with Agata to find out more. Agata has been caring for her since it's loss and is afraid the University will find out and fire Dagail. SHe asks that you speak to the other Mages to see if any of them have a clue where to look for it. Talking with the others will reveal that Kalthar knows quite a bit about it's disappearance. Time to talk to him. He doesn't like Dagail and doesn't think she should be in charge. He thinks her father was better than she was even though he had visions too. He wants Dagail out of the picture. Head back to Agata and tell her what he said. She'll send you to Dagail to ask about her father. Back to the looney lady. She rattle off some crazy prose and ask that you find where her father is buried and retrieve his amulet. You'll receive a map marker for Fort Blueblood at this point. It's South East of Leyawiin. Inside Fort Blueblood, you'll find bandits and marauders. Keep your eyes on the floor for booby traps, there are a couple in here. Mostly mace balls dropping from the ceiling. Follow these halls back and enter the Fort Blueblood Halls. In the Halls, in the second large chamber, cross the bridge and kill the Orc. Be sure to loot the Fort Blueblood key from his corpse. Now go through the Old Wooden Door at the back of the room. You'll find Dagail's dad's coffin in here, Manduin's Coffin. Take the Amulet from the coffin and head back up the stairs. As you round the corner, Kalthar will jump out at you. He stole the amulet from Dagail and isn't about to let you ruin his plans. Be sure to let him hit you first, you wouldn't want to get booted from the guild for attacking a fellow mage. Now that he's thrown the first punch, return to Leyawiin and give Dagail her father's amulet. The passage on your left is actually a short cut back to the entrance, remember that gate you couldn't open? Back in Leyawiin, Dagail will gladly send on your recommendation now that you have helped her silence the voices. ================================================ THE ARCANE UNIVERSITY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that you have all your hard earned recommendations, you now have full access to the Arcane University. You'll find the mages here sell powerful spells. You'll also find two of the more useful items here: The Altar of Enchanting in the Chironasium and the altar of Spellmaking in the Praxographical Center. You'll find a wealth of Alchemical Ingredients growing around the University grounds and you can sleep in almost any bed. In the Lustratorium you'll find the resident Alchemist. She carries some rare ingredients you can't buy anywhere else. First thing, you must remember to ask for advancement after each task. If you don't, you'll stay a lowly associate. Go the Arch Mage's Lobby at the Arcane University and speak with Raminus Polus. He will be giving you all your tasks and advancement for now. He can always be found in the lobby during the day. ================================================= 10: A MAGE'S STAFF -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As your first task, Raminus Polus will send you to acquire your very own Mage's staff. The Arcane University has a Grove on an island in Lake Rumare where they grow the trees used to make the staffs. To get there, you'll first have to find Wellspring Cave. It's tunnels lead out beneath the lake and up into the Grove. When you arrive, Elette and Zahrasha will help you choose your staff. You'll find Wellspring Cave East of the Arcane University across Lake Rumare. Inside, Necromancers have taken over and the body of Zahrasha lies in the first chamber. Loot her body for the Wellspring Cave Key. You'll need it to reach the grove. Make your way through the caves, whooping necromancer's on your way to the exit. As you enter the Grove, you'll arrive just in time to watch the necromancers kill Elette and then ambush you. Ignore the summoned creatures and kill the necromancers instead. In the center of the Grove, you'll find a stone chest. Take the Unifinished Staff from inside and return to the Arcane University. Once you've told Raminus about the Grove, he'll send you to Delmar in the Chironasium to finish your staff. The Chironasium is the second to last building on your right outside. Delmar will ask you to choose which school of magic and which of three spells you'd like your staff enchanted with. The strength of the enchantment is leveled to match you. Here are your choices: DESTRUCTION - Fire / Frost / Shock ILLUSION - Charm / Paralyze / Silence MYSTICISM - Soul Trap / Telekinesis / Dispel Once you've made your choice, he'll need twenty-four hours to complete it. Return the following day to pick up your new toy. Now return to the Lobby and Raminus. Ask about Advancement and you'll be promoted to Journeyman. ================================================ 11: ULTERIOR MOTIVES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Raminus Polus needs you to retrieve a book from Janus Hassildor, Count of Skingrad. It will help the guild learn more about Necromancers and he feels the Count may recieve you well where he'd be angry if someone of higher rank were to ask. Head to Skingrad and the County Hall in the Castle. Speak with Mercator Hosidus about seeing the Count. Seems he's in no mood to recieve guests and Mercator asks you to return tomorrow, when you may have better luck. Wait 24 hours and speak with Mercator again. The Count has now agreed to see you but, oddly, only outside the city and not until Two in the morning. Go prepared since we're the suspicious sort. Head outside the city's West Gate and make your way over to the Cursed Mine. Don't go in, you're meeting outside. Wait until two am. Mercator, not the Count, will arrive at two with a couple robed and hooded friends. Mercator never told the Count of your arrival and wants to make sure noone from the Mage's Guild interferes with his plans to kill the Count. He and his Necromancer buddies will jump you. Just do your best to hold your own for a couple minutes and Count Hassildor himself will come to your rescue. He knew Mercator was up to something when he tried to hide your arrival. He also enlightens you as to Raminus's real motives in sending you out. Janus Hassildor is a Vampire. Though he has coexisted peacefully with the Guild for some time, they were obviously worried about his motives and used you to suss out his loyalties. He assures you he's loyal to the council and sends you packing. There never was any book. Return to Raminus at the University and give him the news. Thanks to you, they're no longer worried the Count is allied with the necromancers. At this point, if you ask, Raminus will advance you to the rank of Evoker and reward you with the Spelldrinker Amulet. =============================================== 12: VAHTACEN'S SECRET -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Raminus is going to give you a break from Necromancer's for a while and tells you to speak with Irlav Jarol about exploring an Ayleid Ruin. Irlav's team is exploring the ruin of Vahtacen and have come upon a puzzle they can't solve. He'd like you to head over and see Skaleel about figuring it out. The entrance to Vahtacen is actually a cave. You'll find it SSE of Cheydinhal on the shore of the Reed River. Inside, head through the tunnel to your left and you'll enter the first chamber of the ruin. Skaleel is in here. She's a bit antisocial but will grudgingly accept your help. In the room below, a pillar is blocking the way deeper into the ruin. It reacts to magic and she suggests asking Denel about it if you want to know more. Head through the gate on the other side of the room and down the stairs. You'll find Denel just outside the pillar chamber. Ask him about the pillar. He thinks the four tablets in the room are directions to move it but he can't read them. Skaleel has a book which might help but you'll have to ask her for it. Head back upstairs and get the book from her. She'll whine but hand over the Ayleid Reference Text. Now back down to Denel but first, go into the pillar room and click on each of the four tablets. Now go give him the book and he'll offer to translate the writing for you. The spells you'll need are Fire, Frost, Damage Magicka and Fortify Magicka. Behind Denel is a chest containing scrolls for all the spells you need. Take them and go to the pillar. Now, SAVE before you cast anything. The pillar is tempermental. Saving first will keep you from having to track down more scrolls, not to mention each time you get it wrong, the pillar zaps you for a hefty amount of damage. Don't bother casting from the corners of the room, it doesn't really matter. Get right up next to the pillar and cast your spells in this order: FIRE - FROST - SEVER MAGICKA - ELEVATE MAGICKA The pillar will open and reveal a door into the Vahtacen Lorsel. Head into the Lorsel. In the first room, avoid the center of the floor as it drops onto spikes and get through the opposite door quickly. There are four Ayleid Magic Traps in here that shoot at you every few seconds. They look like black crystals until they shoot at you, they're Dark Welkynd Stones. Keeping your distance keeps them from firing. Through the gate, step on the pressure plate to drop the wall in front of you. Go through into the next chamber. In here you'll find four more Dark Welkynd Stones and the center of the room raises up to a spiked ceiling. Step carefully through the swinging blades, follow this passage around and down into the largest chamber yet. Cross to the other side and up the stairs. You'll find a blue switch on your right as you reach the top. This will raise the stairs on either side of the central platform. As you reach the top, ghosts will spawn below. Hit the Blue switch to raise the cage and reveal an Ancient Elven Helm. Once you pick up the helm, a wall will drop up the stairs at the South end of the chamber, where the first switch was. Head up there and follow the stairs. Step on the pressure plate at the top and the wall will drop, letting you out next to the door back into Vahtacen's main floor. OR, if you were able to pick the lock, go through the gate on north side of the chamber. This passage will take you straight back to Denel, revealing a hidden area with a few Ayleid casks and coffers. Now that you have your prize, go find Skaleel so she can tell you to go back to Irlav at the Arcane University. He'll praise you for solving the riddle, take the helmet and send you back to Raminus. =============================================== 13: NECROMANCER'S MOON -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ask Raminus for advancement and you'll be promoted to Conjurer and receive the Robes of the Conjurer. Raminus wants you to further their knowledge of Necromancers. Head over to the Mystic Archives and speak with Tar-Meena. Tar-Meena, overworked and cranky, can't tell you anything until you've read the library's copy of Necromancer's Moon. The book is on a table next to the door. Grab it and talk to her again. She says the one thing worth note in the book is a reference to the Shade of the Revenant and sends you packing. Head back to the lobby and Raminus. He thanks you for bringing the book and tells you to ask Bothiel about the Shade of the Revenant. She should be in the lobby as well. She remembers that Falcar, you remember the bad tempered head of the Cheydinhal mages guild, was here asking about the same thing not long ago. On his way out he dropped a hastily scrawled note. Read it and you'll find locations of four Necromancer Altars. Take the note to Raminus. He knows the location of Dark Fissure and will give you a map marker, SE of Cheydinhal. He wants you to go and see if you can find out anything about the Shade of the Revenant. He'll also warn you not to put yourself in danger is possible. Head to the cave. Just inside, you'll find two necromancers. One of them, the Worm Anchorite, has a handwritten note. Kill him and take it. This is the evidence you'll need. Return to Raminus at the Arcane University and give this to him. He will thank you for your hard work and promote you again to the rank of Magician. ##ON BLACK SOUL GEMS: For my fellow enchanters, the Altar outside this cave is your best freind. Once each week, for an entire day (24 hours) a light will shine down upon these altars. You will need EMPTY Grand soul gems and a soul trap spell. When the light is shining, place your empty Grand gem inside the altar and cast soul trap on it. When you open the altar, you'll have a black soul gem. Why do we want these? They are the only gems capable of trapping the sould of NPC's and they afford you the highest charge when enchanting. The light appears as a pale, pink spotlight, shining down from the sky and is easier to see at night. I suggest standing a few feet away from the altar and looking up. Just wait 24 hours at a time until you find the right day. Remember, it shines ONCE each week from Midnight to Midnight. ================================================ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ================================================ Coming Soon! ================================================ CREDITS ================================================ Many thanks to my husband for testing all my directions and instructions. He keeps me from sending anyone off a cliff. Many, many thanks to the Avid Alchemist's Alcove, who's wonderful Obliv-O-Map keeps me from wandering the countryside for days. Thanks to the ElderScrolls forums. A great bunch of ES addicts that can answer just about any question, no matter how stupid. Thank You NinjaMonkie for telling me what Dark Welkynd Stones are called! I had no idea, though I still like Magickal Traps. =) =============================================== CONTACT ME =============================================== Please contact me at whoguru@hotmail.com with any questions, corrections, suggestions, additions, etc... When you send an email, please put "Mages Guide" in the heading so I'll know it's not spam. ================================================ COPYRIGHT NOTICE ================================================ This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. _________________