P05C:
Elder Knowledge

P05C: Elder Knowledge

Our task is to learn the location of the Elder Scroll, and that path begins with the Mages at Winterhold, but before we go there head back to Sky Haven Temple and speak with Esbern about this quest --  

When you arrive at the College follow the marker to Urag gro-Shub and talk to him -- he threatens you and then asks what you want -- when you tell him he treats you like an idiot...  You get some background on the Elder Scroll, at least what Urag knows about it anyway, and once you tell him you are the Dragonborn he fetches the books that he actually has.  When you read Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls you flag the quest Discerning the Transmundane, while the book Effects of the Elder Scrolls just gives you some background on them.

Talk to Urag again to advance the quest we just flagged, telling him that the book is incomprehensible.  You learn that there is an expert still alive who might be able to help you -- Septimus Signus!  It is time to leave and go in search of this scholar...

The Outpost is not far away, and when we reach it he is there -- but before he will help us he wants us to do something for him -- he is a bit hard to follow but basically what he wants us to do is go to a Dwarven facility and use a machine there to translate the Elder Scroll into a book.  You can ask what to do with the things he gives you but what he says does not make that much sense.  We are going to have to wing it.

Follow the coast until you reach the marker and then head inside -- you will need to be careful as you work your way through this facility since there are lots of mechs and other things to deal with -- but work your way through following the marker to the end.  When you start to encounter Falmer you are getting close.

The Elder Scroll

The Elder Scroll

-- Alftand Cathedral --

Once you reach this area you are nearly there -- inside your way will be barred by, well, bars!  Head up the stairs here and use the lever to raise them and then go in and kill the Centurion, making sure to loot the lift key off of him. 

Activate the mechanism and then head down the stairs it reveals next to it and enter Blackreach!  There are some mechs and Flamer to be killed here, and the Field Laboratory to explore.  Inside in addition to Alchemy ingredients you can grab is a Crimson Ninroot that triggers a Side Quest called Back to Your Roots.  You can do that if you want to but it is not a central quest...

When you are happy that you have taken what you want from the Laboratory, leave and continue to follow the marker to the building over a pair of bridges and go inside, where you will find a lift to the Tower of Mzark.  Go on up!

There is some good looting up here -- do that until you are happy with what you have -- and then be sure that you read the book Armorer's Challenge as it will give you a point (if you are not maxed already).

At the very top of the machine are the controls -- place the book that the old man gave you into the slot and then hit button three four times so that it unlocks button two -- then hit button two two times so that button one is unlocked, and then hit button one and the machine will release the Elder Scroll!  Go take it from the now open pod!

This completes the quest and unlocks the Achievement "Elder Knowledge" (20 GS) so good on ya!  Well done!  Make sure that you grab the Lexicon Book from the machine before you use the lift to leave the area and return to Skyrim!  We are now headed back to speak with the Greybeard's Master and use the Elder Scroll to go back in time!  No worries, we will come back to the Lexicon Quest later...