Revealing the Unseen (Skyrim)

Revealing the Unseen
Arch-Mage Savos Aren has requested that the Dragonborn speak to Mirabelle Ervine, who may have some knowledge regarding the Staff of Magnus. She may be found wandering the Hall of the Elements, in the exterior courtyard within the College, or occasionally sitting in the Hall of Countenance.

Ask her about the staff, and after a few roundabout conversations, Mirabelle recalls that some Imperials from the Synod were interested in it and came to the College to question them.

Leaving empty-handed, it appears they had a secondary plan: to head toward the sprawling dwarven ruins of Mzulft, which apparently has a derelict observatory that would somehow help locate the staff.

In the foothills by the edge of the mountains that carve through Eastmarch Hold, south and a little east of Windhelm, the ancient carved stone columns, archway entrances, and a spectacular stone-and-pipework facade with steam still hissing from the hillside can be found. It's possible to open the huge golden door and step inside.

Slumped to the right of the second interior door is an Imperial named Gavros Plinius. He was ambushed while attempting to reach the Oculory, where another member of the Synod, Paratus, is holed up.

Before collapsing, he murmurs something about a crystal being stolen. Search his robes for a couple of important items: a key that will aid in the entrance to Mzulft and a Research Log. Reading the log reveals who exactly was here (an attendant on behalf of the First Adjunct Oronrel) and what he was doing (delivering a new Focusing Crystal to the Oculory). Fortunately, a crystal may be found on a Falmer in Mzulft Aedrome. Now the key may be used to open the second door.

Mzulft
Soon Dwarven Spiders and two huge gold doors are encountered. The doors on the left are visibly booby trapped so it's best to stand to the right of them when opening them. Inside the room is a vein of moonstone ore and a chest. Then the other doors can be entered to find a more natural cavern with elements of dwarven architecture still visible.

In the natural rock cavern there is more Moonstone Ore that can be mined before having to engage with the first Chaurus. If desired, the wooden scaffold can be used to escape it during this war of attrition. The third and fourth dead Synod Researchers are found here, at the foot and the top of the ramped scaffold. There is also more ore that can be mined.

Continuing on, beware of a trip wire that would release a pile of rocks while moving through into a second, much taller cavern with a mammoth skeleton, more Chaurus, and an arched granite entrance. Enter another ramped corridor and expect Dwarven Spheres to transform and attack at the top. An Adept-level gate can be unlocked for some nice loot.

Then continuing up, it will be necessary to dispatch Dwarven Spiders along a mechanical corridor. In a sunken chamber with stone steps (and Alchemy Lab) an Expert-level gate can be unlocked at the end containing meager loot. Backtrack slightly, and enter the doors, where more dwarven creations will attack, and pipes spring from walls that can knock a person into another sunken area. Climb up and enter the next hall, past the chest, corpses of dead Falmer, and dead Dwarven Spiders. At the top of the ramp, just before the doors, to the left is a chest containing minor loot hidden behind some rocks. Finally, go through the gold doors leading into the Mzulft Boilery.

Gaining Focus
The upper chambers inside the Boilery are less tall and have had periodic rockfalls in the past, where ferns now grow. Falmer roam these halls. Dispatch them. Continue into a hub room with cage doors. Go through the open doors to the east, across a raised platform, and through a gap in the wall caused by Falmer tunneling. This path continues past a chest; expect further Chaurus and Falmer encounters. Battle (or sneak past) a small Falmer camp. Disarm the tripwire to the hall behind the first camp, through the second, and ascend further up through another broken wall. Step back into dwarven-built chambers. Ahead is a Master-locked room with a skeleton and a chest visible through the barred opening. Beside the skeleton is the Alteration skillbook The Lunar Lorkhan.

The ceilings are higher and the chambers more impressive as a huge gallery with a flooded sunken central area is reached. Falmer are swarming about in this location. On the opposite side, at the south end, a trap door leads to a room with a Chaurus and some nice loot. Search any chests desired but be sure to head up the steps in the west wall and into one last corridor. The doors at this corridor’s end lead to the Mzulft Aedrome.

The Aedrome is comprised of three giant chambers connected by corridors of ornate pillars and snaking pipes (the Master-locked door to the north ends abruptly with a Falmer chest and a moonstone ore vein).

The central chamber has numerous Falmer Helmets, but one is especially important: a Centurion Sphere Master (Skyrim) boss, or a Falmer Shadowmaster that carries a focusing crystal (be sure to loot this as it will be needed soon (Falmer cannot be pickpocketed). After getting the crystal, head east down a long corridor (check the minimap) into a dead-end chamber dotted with Falmer corpses and a Dwarven Centurion (sometimes, depending on level, it will be necessary to fight a Dwarven Spider Guardian that uses Shock). Open the door in sneak mode and smash him with the most powerful arrows/spells/staff available. Or hover around the door and hide while he casts and peek out to keep hitting him with long range attacks, or storm in and attack with a sword, depending on skill and health. If he gets too close, simply retreat and close the door. Take care to not get too close to his steam and short ranged attacks. There is an important chest here: a semi circular shape on the back wall; it contains the key that will open the important chambers on this level.

Oculory
Paratus Decimius is behind a closed door up the western corridor ramp, accessed via the key. He has been expecting Gavros Plinius (the Synod Researcher that was found dead at the entrance) and is displeased by someone else's arrival. Once he is informed that the Crystal has been brought along, Paratus strolls along the corridor leading to a giant Dwarven Armillary.

Paratus isn’t sure what the dwarves called this huge focusing globe, but from the Synod’s research, the machinery appears to have been made to collect starlight for an as-yet-unknown purpose. Paratus replaced one of the elements with his crystal, after months of perfecting it. Using the focusing crystal will allow the Synod’s research to continue. It will be necessary to activate the giant, tumbling machinery!

After following Paratus into the Armillary chamber (and optionally speaking to him about related matters), he requests that the Oculory be approached, with the giant series of lenses atop the Armillary, and the Dwarven Armillary activated.

Upon gazing around the curved observatory chamber, a series of circular blue focusing mirrors can be noticed on the ceiling panels around the chamber. Directly above the center of the Oculory are three focusing lenses.

During the daytime, a stream of bright light bounces off them, onto the ceiling. Some of the blue focusing mirrors are lit with starlight, as is the main circular mirror in the center of the ceiling. After heading up either ramp and looking to the stone table, a number of valuable items can be found:

Items Gained

 * Antecedents of Dwemer Law
 * Dwemer Cog (3)
 * Dwemer History and Culture
 * Dwemer Inquiries Vol I
 * Dwemer Inquiries Vol II
 * Dwemer Inquiries Vol III
 * Spell Tome: Flames
 * Spell Tome: Frostbite

Puzzle Solution
If the Frostbite spell is not already known, the Spell Tome: Frostbite sitting on the desk behind the control panel up the stairs needs to be read. Move around on top of the curved upper surface of the sphere, casting Flames and Frostbite (use ONLY these novice spells, apprentice or higher leveled spells will move mirrors differently) at the blue circles on the centre of the ceiling and also cast them at the centre of the ring where you place the crystal until each beam of light above is focused on the center (vertically) of a separate rotating ring around the ceiling.

Each of the Dwemer pedestals atop the ramp will rotate one of the three ceiling panels. Press the button on each pedestal until the blue mirrors each line up with their respective light beam and all beams are reflected back into the center. Once all three beams/mirrors are aligned go and speak to Paratus again.

As a map of the northern part of Tamriel is projected onto the wall underneath the buttons, Paratus is initially excited to watch the results of his months of work. However, this is tempered slightly as the results come in: Something is creating a huge amount of interference, something at Winterhold.

Speak to Paratus (and be as honest or as cagey as desired), but he is highly suspicious of the mages. He angrily wants to know what has been done at the College or what the College has to cause such an interference. Whether or not he is told about the Eye of Magnus, the conversation needs to be turned to the Staff of Magnus’s location. Paratus finally reveals its location: Labyrinthian!

While leaving the Oculary room, Nerien, another representative from the Psijic Order, appears from a side corridor to say that trying times are ahead. It is imperative that a return be made to the College immediately. Swift action must be taken, and capabilities must be proven. He believes the Dragonborn will prevail.

Using the Mzulft Observatory Key, the pair of doors Nerien was standing by can be used to exit the hallway and step outside into the inclement weather. To avoid a precarious descent, Fast-Travel back to the College.

After arriving at the college, visit Savos Aren in the Hall of the Elements, who refuses to talk about the Staff of Magnus because the Eye of Magnus has been taken over by Ancano, who has also barricaded himself inside the room. Savos and Mirabelle hit the barrier with Sparks and Frost, respectively, and to destroy the barrier it must be hit with fire to complete the trio. Be careful not to hit Mirabelle; otherwise, she will not speak to Ancano, and the quest cannot continue without reloading a previous save. Once in the room with Ancano, a short cutscene unfolds where Savos attempts to speak to and stop Ancano, and everything goes white.

Tips

 * Be certain that the Oculory puzzle is attempted during the daytime. At night there is no beam, an issue that has been mistaken as a bug.
 * When fighting the Centurion Sphere (Master), it might not get through the door because of its size, which can be used to an advantage. Stay back and attack him with a bow, spell, or summon creature.
 * Make sure to check the falmer because they can have gold{depending on level] that ranges from a simple 2 coins to a 33 gold stack
 * It can be useful for mages to do the quest Out of Balance for Drevis Neloren at the College of Winterhold, because of the bug that can sometimes give you a two hour incredibly fast magicka regeneration, and can be extremely useful against the dangers of Mzulft.