Oghma Infinium (Skyrim)

Summary
The Oghma Infinium (Plural: Oghmas Infinium) is a powerful Daedric artifact belonging to the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. It is an ancient tome of knowledge written by Xarxes, the wizard sage and scribe also known as "The Ageless One." The Oghma Infinium is given to Hermaeus Mora's champion upon completion of a specific task or quest. Once read, it disappears, returning to Hermaeus Mora's realm in Oblivion.

Characteristics
The cover of the book is made from the skin of the different Elf races: green for Orsimer, tan for Bosmer, light for Falmer, yellow for Altmer and darkest gray for Dunmer. Upon closer inspection, there are in fact six pieces (the tiny dark scrap on the upper left, above the yellow Altmer hide, presumably the skin of a Dwemer).

Acquisition
The Oghma Infinium is obtained through the quest "Discerning the Transmundane" given by Septimus Signus, who is found north of the College of Winterhold, at Septimus Signus's Outpost. The quest will only be offered if the Dragonborn is level 15 or higher. The quest can not be started until the Runed Lexicon is returned to Septimus; if the Dragonborn is under level 15, Septimus will then say that he needs time to decipher the meaning of the Lexicon. The Dragonborn will then have to wait until level 15 before receiving a letter from a courier, stating that Septimus has deciphered the Lexicon and wants the Dragonborn to return to him.

A locked Dwemer box must be opened by collecting the blood from each of the races of Mer. This includes: Orsimer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Altmer, and Falmer. This blood mixture will approximate the blood of the Dwemer, and provides access to the Dwemer puzzle box.

Effects
When the book is read, only one of three paths may be chosen. After reading the book, the option to choose a path will not be given again.

Trivia

 * Skill levels attained from using this book contribute towards level gain as if the skills had been attained by any of the other regular means, easily leveling most characters at least once.
 * Using the book before acquiring all Daedric Artifacts will not break the Oblivion Walker achievement. It will still count toward the 15 required.
 * This book does not count as a skill book, therefore, it does not contribute to the Reader achievement.
 * The Oghma Infinium may be a reference to:
 * The Forgotten Realms deity Oghma who is worshipped as a god of lore and knowledge.
 * A character in Gaelic mythology: Oghma (along with his sister Brighid) is one of the twin gods of wisdom and enlightenment. He specifically rules over literature and poetry.
 * The short story The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges features a tome with seemingly infinite pages, without a beginning or ending. In the short story the book had characters that were completely incomprehensible and page numbers that constantly changed.
 * The hide cover of the tome maybe a reference to the Necronomicon, a tome of tremendous dark magical powers that appeared in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Reading it presumably grants the reader with extreme knowledge.
 * The book has six different colors on the front and back of the book that match. However, the binding of the book only has five colors, from five different skins.
 * Dropping the book after using it instead of closing your inventory means it can be picked up and doesn't disappear.
 * It is possible to go to Septimus Signus before returning the Runed Lexicon and use no-clip to go through the Dwemer door. The book will be present, but cannot be picked up or read.

Bugs

 * The Oghma Infinium can be exploited to gain levels as desired.
 * Fixed with Patch 1.9.
 * If at least one skill tree in a desired path is not able to get five skill points, the book may not have any effect in its intended use. Attempting again with a different choice in path seems to work without this issue, but it is still unclear if the first path choice can still be used.
 * There is a small chance that dropping Oghma Infinium will cause it to disappear forever. This has been observed once inside Lakeview Manor.
 * If you activate a bookshelf, then go to the Oghma Infinium and read it you can then go and place it on the bookshelf and it will not disappear. You can then take it back and press "do not read," then you will get it back and you can repeat the process as many times as you like. This seems to be the most efficient way of gaining levels.
 * Fixed with Patch 1.9.
 * If the Dragonborn reads the Oghma Infinium and drops it after they have read it, it will remain in the inventory.