Waking Nightmare

Background
"I've overheard two citizens of Dawnstar complaining about horrible nightmares. They seem to be relying on a priest of Mara named Erandur for assistance. Erandur has assured me he can end the nightmares, the source of which seems to be within Nightcaller Temple, a place of worship for Vaermina. I have agreed to assist him in this endeavor and we are now on our way."

Objectives

 * Follow Erandur to Nightcaller Temple.
 * Speak to Erandur.
 * Follow Erandur.
 * Follow Erandur to the Library.
 * Speak to Erandur.
 * Locate "The Dreamstride".
 * Speak to Erandur.
 * Follow Erandur to the laboratory.
 * Locate Vaermina's Torpor.
 * Drink Vaermina's Torpor.
 * Release the Miasma.
 * Disable the Magical Barrier.
 * Speak to Erandur.
 * Follow Erandur to the Skull of Corruption.
 * Defeat Veren and Thorek.
 * Speak to Erandur.
 * Wait for Erandur to dispel the barrier.
 * Murder Erandur or Allow Erandur to complete his ritual.
 * Take the Skull of Corruption (optional).

Walkthrough
This quest is given to you when you visit the Hold of Dawnstar and speak to Erandur, who is in the Windpeak Inn. All the townsfolk are suffering the same nightmares and Erandur knows how to get rid of them. He wants you to travel with him to Nightcaller Temple, which is just a short distance east of Dawnstar, to stop the nightmares.

You should be aware that the entrance to Nightcaller Temple is a known spawning point for frost trolls, so prepare to fight around 3 trolls. You may have to fight 3 snow bears or ice wraiths instead, depending on your level. A good tactic while fighting is to let Erandur fight upfront (he will use a leveled mace with fire spell) while you pick off the targets with a ranged weapon.

Upon entering, Erandur will need to cast a spell upon the wall to proceed. In the next room you will face Invader Orcs, which vary in strength according to your level. When you reach the barrier, Erandur reveals himself as a former priest of Vaermina who ran away during a long-ago attack on the Temple by vengeful Orcs. He became a priest of Mara and now wishes to resolve loose ends in the Temple.

In order to pass through the barrier you will need to go to the Library to find the book The Dreamstride. Along the way and inside the Library, you will face Vaermina Devotees. Upon locating the book, Erandur informs you that there is a way to pass the barrier, but it requires Vaermina's Torpor, a potion that allows you to re-live the memories of another.

Your next stop will be the Laboratory, where Vaermina's Torpor should be stored. There are some more Invader Orcs and Vaermina Devotees that will need to be dealt with as you go along. The Torpor is located on the shelf in the corner of the laboratory. It is next to three lit candles on the wall. When Vaermina's Torpor is located, Erandur instructs you to drink it and upon doing so, you become Casimir, a Vaermina Devotee during the Orc raid on the temple. You are instructed to release the Miasma to protect the Skull.

After releasing the Miasma by pulling a large ring on a chain on the wall just to the left of the barrier, you will find yourself on the other side of the barrier, where you must collect the Soul Gem powering the barrier. Erandur remarks about what happened, and then you proceed to the inner sanctum.

As you approach the inner sanctum, Veren and Thorek, the two Vaermina Devotees that told Casimir - the player in the dream - to release the Miasma come out and after some short dialogue revealing Erandur to be Casimir, they become hostile. After the battle, Erandur casts a spell to destroy the Skull of Corruption.

Here you can kill Erandur as Vaermina commands and take the Skull of Corruption for yourself, or let him complete his spell to destroy the Skull. If you let him live, he can be your follower for no charge.

Notable Loot

 * There is a large amount of Alchemy ingredients (including 2 Daedra Hearts) that can be found in the Laboratory. (Be careful, as if you leave the dungeon after completing the quest, you won't be able to get back in to the Laboratory.)
 * High level potions scattered in the temple.
 * Most of the Vaermina Devotees carry Alchemy Ingredients as well.
 * In the Laboratory, there is the Skill Book "Mannimarco, King of Worms".
 * There is an expert level chest behind a wooden door in the Library.
 * In the final room, there is a treasure chest on the right hand side of the stairs leading to the skull.
 * Outside, there is a chest on the backside of the tower (2nd tier) and a Moonstone Ore deposit on the left side at ground level.
 * The first room entered in the temple has a novice level chest on the right of the magic sealed door of Vaermina.
 * Unique Vaermina Robes, worn by the Vaermina priests in the temple.
 * Unique book "The Dreamstride".

Trivia

 * If you are trying to get both the Oblivion Walker achievement and Erandur as a follower, save this artifact for last and create a save game prior to Erandur's ritual to destroy the staff. This is so that once the achievement is obtained through one save game, you can revert back to the older save file and have Erandur as a follower.
 * Additionally another reason the Skull of Corruption should be saved for later is because, if you first obtain the Ebony Blade and then decide to take the skull, you have an elegant, convenient way of both powering up the Blade and getting the skull.
 * This is a great area to obtain Orc Blood for the quest, Discerning the Transmundane.
 * Using Conjuration spells to resurrect the Priests and sic them on an Orc will generate unique dialogue lines.
 * Jumping in front of Erandur when he uses flames against the wall and stoping the flames for hitting the wall will still cause it to become able to walkthrough.

Gallery
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