Chasing Echoes

Background
"Serana has indicated her desire to locate her estranged mother, Valerica, who has fled Castle Volkihar with one of the Elder Scrolls. She believes that Valerica may have left a clue to her whereabouts somewhere in the courtyard of the castle. In order to avoid detection by the castle's vampire, she's decided to utilize a hidden entrance on the back side of the island."

Objectives

 * Speak to Serana.
 * Explore Castle Volkihar's Courtyard.
 * Investigate the Moondial.
 * Explore Castle Volkihar's Ruined Tower.
 * Locate Valerica's Journal.
 * Enter the Soul Cairn.

Walkthrough
Volkihar castle can be infiltrated via a disused dock on the western side of the island. The platform will be guarded by several armored Skeletons. After defeating the skeletons, proceed into the underfcroft.

Castle Undercroft
The undercroft is guarded by Death Hounds, armored Skeletons, and a Feral Vampire who has been banished to live here. Her Journal Fragment gives a little more insight. Fighting through the enemies leads to a canal with a raised wooden bridge. Serana will comment that her mother installed various security measures throughout the castle for her own saftey. To lower the bridge proceed to the left and up the stairs - the lever is guarded by a Giant Frostbite Spider. Once the lever has been pulled, return to the bridge that will lead to the courtyard.

Courtyard
The courtyard garden lies in a decripit state and Serana comments that her mother would never have allowed it to fall into such a state. In the center of the courtyard is a moondial with various phases on the moon depicted around it. Serana mentions that there are some pieces missing. The three missing pieces can be found scattered around the courtyard: Once all the pieces are placed around the moondial, a secret entrance to another part of the castle will open.
 * Piece 1: In the small lake.
 * Piece 2: On the raised balcony.
 * Piece 3: In the fenced off garden area.

Gargoyle lair
This part of the castle is blocked off from the rest. It's in a very poor state and is teeming with armored Skeletons and Gargoyles. After proceeding through the castle, a room with a large fireplace and several Gargolye statues will seem to be a dead end. Serana will comment that should be secret entrance somewhere. The entrance can be found turning a candle stick by the back wall, near the fireplace.

This room is fairly sparse with the exception of the Royal Vampire Armor that can be found on a shelf. Following the hallway leads eventually to Valerica's Laboratory.

Valerica's Laboratory
The laboratories most prominant feature is the large stone dial in the center of the room. Serana asks the Dragonborn to located Valerica's Journal to give any insight into her whereabouts. The journal can be found on the bookshelf to the right among several other books.

After reading it, Serana mentions that three ingredients are required to open a portal to the Soul Cairn. All three ingredients can be found within the well stocked laboratory.


 * Finely Ground Bone Meal - On the table with the skulls near the entrance, in a large silver bowl.
 * Soul Gem Shards - Atop a wardrobe just past the stairs on the right, in a large silver bowl.
 * Purified Void Salts - On the last shelf on the balcony, in a large silver bowl.

Once all the ingredients have been found, place them in the challice overlooking the stone dial. Serana will add her blood to the mixture and the dial will begin to rotate to eventually reveal a portal.

The choice
Proceed towards the portal. If the Dragonborn is not a Vampire the portal will begin to leech some health. Serana comments that this is because the conditions to enter the portal are such that there are only two options.


 * Either allow Serana to transform the Dragonborn into a Vampire Lord.
 * Allow her to trap part of the Dragonborn's soul into a soul gem, but to do so will reduce the Dragonborn's health, stamina and magicka by 45 points while in the Soul Cairn.

Bugs

 * If other the Frost and Fire Salts are positioned too near the silver bowl of Purified Void Salts, the option to pick up the Void Salts may not appear, it fix this simply pick up anything near the silver bowl.

Chasing Echoes