The Break of Dawn

Overview

 * Prerequisites: You must be Level 12 or higher.
 * Quest Giver: Meridia
 * Intersecting Quests: None
 * Locations: Statue to Meridia and Kilkreath Ruins, Kilkreath Catacombs , Kilkreath Temple
 * Characters: Meridia
 * Enemies:  Imperial Soldier (Ghost), Malkoran , Stormcloak Soldier (Ghost)
 * Objectives: Bring Meridia's beacon to Mount Kilkreath, Replace the beacon, Guide Meridia's Light through the temple, Destroy Malkoran, Retrieve Dawnbreaker.
 * Reward: Dawnbreaker
 * Reputation Gain: N/A

Walkthrough

 * 1) The Beacon will spawn in a random chest after you reach level 12, hence it has no set location. You can use Clairvoyance to find the beacon. Alternately, you can go the Statue to Meridia and speak to Meridia to begin the quest. (This will set a way point to the Beacon)
 * 2) Bring Meridia's beacon to the Statue to Meridia at Mount Kilkreath. Mount Kilreath is located west of Solitude.
 * 3) Replace the beacon into the hands of the statue.
 * 4) Guide Meridia's light through the temple, activating the beacons to direct the light. Temple is guarded by Corrupted Shades.


 * 1) Destroy Malkoran, a slightly powerful wizard. You will have to kill Malkoran twice once while he is mortal and once as a shade.
 * 2) Retrieve Dawnbreaker. This is a one-handed Sword that has a powerful enchantment against undead

Beholding the Beacon of Light
Once you reach Level 12, you may discover this strange gem in one of the large and ornate treasure chests you open. This gem occurs randomly; it's not in any fixed locations.

Meridia's Beacon
Take this beacon, and as you exit the interior location, and every day thereafter, you hear a voice inside your head. It becomes increasingly alarmed at you lack interest in helping the Solar Daughter, Meridia. When you wish to start this quest (if only to rid yourself of Meridia's alarming cranial lurking), find the Statue to Meridia.The other way this quest can start is you trek to Mount Kilkreath, in the mountain range west of Solitude. Try to spot a prominent statue of a woman with her arms raised to the sky, on the southern slopes just above Dragon Bridge. As you approach, you hear a voice commanding you to find and return with her beacon. Locate the object, and return to begin the quest.
 * Objective: Bring Meridia's Beacon to Mount Kilkreath
 * Objective: Replace the beacon
 * Target: Statue to Meridia

Once you set the Beacon on the cupped arms of the small statues at the feet of Meridia's effigy, you are caught and whisked into the clouds. An aspect of Meridia appears. She tells you that a necromancer named Malkoran is planning to raise the dead of Skyrim's Civil War and wage open war on the living, using the energy of a powerful artifact in her shadow-filled shrine. You are to enter her shrine and shine the brilliant beam of light throughout the dungeon; it will open the way to the inner sanctum, where Malkoran is defiling her Daedric artifact, the Dawnbreaker.


 * Objective: Guide Meridia's Light through the temple
 * Target: Kilkreath Temple, below the Statue of Meridia



Shining Light in the Dark Temple
You descend back to earth. Locate the Iron Door below the statue plinth and descend into the temple. In first large chamber, approach the pedestal in the center, which has a beam of light hitting it. Activate it. A beacon gem rises from the pedestal, ricocheting the light up and into a second gem contained in the mouth of a carved dragon. Then exit via the doorway underneath, into a second chamber where the ghosts of Imperial and Stormcloak Soldiers, controlled by Malkoran, attack you.

Retaliate (and search the remains, as there's usually gold to be scavenged), and then activate the pedestal on the central steps.

The wooden doors atop the main steps lead to a blocked area, so head south, along a side tunnel, where the beam pierces the wall. Engage in more ghostly combat, before heading to a third main chamber, where you encounter more soldiers. Climb the wooden steps, and go to the upper stone bridge leading to the next pedestal. Activate it, and head south to the door leading to Kilkreath Balcony.

This balcony is outside, overlooking the forested valley below. Cross the bridge, fighting more ghostly foes, and quickly enter the door on the opposite side, leading to Kilkreath Ruins. At the main chamber, you face more spectral foes. Head up the steps (as the doors on the ground are sealed), and activate the pedestal at the top. Then navigate the corridors on the eastern side of the upper area, investigating any chests and urns you wish. Enter the caged bridge, then jump to the upper pedestal on the raised island. Head west through a previously sealed door.

This leads to another open chamber. Dispatch the ghosts before climbing the side wooden steps on the chamber's eastern side and following the corridor around and back to the room with the caged bridge. You are now above the bridge and can access the third pedestal, which unlocks the double doors in the south wall. Open them, and head down into the Kilkreath Catacombs.

Destroy Malkoran
You are close now; descend and enter an antechamber with the draped corpses of soldiers and a pedestal surrounded by candles. Activate the pedestal, which opens the double doors. Then descend to the main altar chamber, where Malkoran and a ghostly quartet of soldiers are ready to expel intruders. Attack these foes; consider backing up the corridor and steps you just descended so you aren't surrounded. Then fend off the attacks from Malkoran, bringing him down with superior combat and cunning.


 * Objective: Retrieve Dawnbreaker

===Conclusion=== Approach the pedestal that holds the defiled Dawnbreaker, and wrench the sword free. Your view fills with light to the realm of Skyrim. The dead sh all remain at rest, and you are to keep Dawnbreaker NOTE: Don't take Dawnbreaker immediately after defeating Malkoran, as this will cause you to be teleported out immediately. Instead, loot the many "desecrated corpses" around the area, as each holds 20 - 100 gold (often upwards of 50 gold) and there are many so you can probably gain 1000 - 2000 gold from them.

and use it to purge corruption from the dark corners of the world. Wield it in her name (or agree to simply keep the weapon). *Word of Power: Elemental Fury
 * Dawnbreaker

Postquest Activities
Carry Dawnbreaker and wield it for Meridia, whether you told her to find someone else to spread her religion or whether you're a firm believer.

Followers
Note: If you have a follower with you in this dungeon, when you complete it and are teleported out, they may be left behind and require rescuing from the bowels of the dungeon!

Bugs
Ocassonaly, when Meridia brings you into the sky a dragon will spawn and attack her. You weapons are disabled during this time so you cannot kill the dragon to fast travel. Meridia herself will not respond with dialouge options if the dragon spwans, making the player stuck in the sky. Meridia herself seems to be invincible.

Sometimes, when Meridia talks to you a second time and then drops you back down to the map, the game will count it as a fall, killing you instantly. The cause of this bug is unknown, it doesn't seem to help if you're wearing light clothing either. Since Dragon Shouts cannot be preformed while falling, the Ethereal Shout ability will not help.

If you enter the Kilkreath Temple with a follower they may become indefinitely lost to you once Meridia pulls you back into the sky after aquiring the Dawn Breaker. She takes you out of the temple and into the sky causing your companion to be stuck within the temple itself. Even after revisiting the temple they will not show up. Any carried loot will be lost along with them. (Try immediately fast traveling to a town and your companion should appear.)*


 * A fix on pc only: Go to the unlockable iron door then type "~." Select the iron door with your cursor then type "unlock." This is a console command to unlock any door.

Reference

 * The Official Game Guide of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by Prima Games.