The Black Star (Quest)

Overview

 * Prerequisite: N/A
 * Quest Giver: Aranea
 * Reward: Azura's Star/The Black Star
 * Reputation Gain: N/A

Although there is no required level it is recommended that you do this quest early on because the daedra won't be as hard and you can get the maximum benefit of azuras star

Background
"Aronea, a priestess of Azura, says I am destined to find an elven man, who can turn the brightest star as black as the night. 'She believes he is in Winterhold (City).'"

Walkthrough
To receive this quest you need to talk with Aranea Ienith at the Shrine of Azura. She will tell you that the goddess Daedra has chosen you as her champion, and you must find an elf who can turn the brightest star in the darkest night. You can find this elf in Winterhold's The Frozen Hearth inn.

Talk to Dagur and ask him about the elf. He will tell you that the elf is called Nelacar and that he has a rented room.

Talk to Nelacar and you can persuade, intimidate and blackmail the necessary information from him. He will tell you that his mentor, Malyn Varen was experimenting with Azura's Star, and the last known location was Maylyn Ilinalta's Deep.

Ilinalta's Deep is west of Riverwood, there is a trap door on the side of the hill leading underground.

Ilinalta's Deep Walkthrough
Upon entering you will see a crucified skeleton, go past it and enter into a room flooded with a partially open doorway on your left, you go through the passage and entered a hallway.

Following the hallway you will find a small room where you will be waiting a skeleton and a magician. Take all the loot the room and open the next door. In the next area are two mages; kill them and then you have two paths, take the first left that leads to a room protected by a single skeleton and who has great loot all over the room and then open the right door and follow the path.

After passing through the hallway you will enter a room with a flooded area (if you swim under water there is a hallway leading to a flooded room, a Skill book called "water breathing" floating to the ceiling and a chest with minor loot) on the left and the right one passage, the passage is protected by a magician, a wolf and a skeleton archer. After killing them, on the left wall of the room there is an underwater passage that leads to a room flooded with 2 chests with great loot, however the path is too small. Go to the back door, and you will face a skeleton warrior.

Continue along the path left and you will face three necromancers. Continue on and you will find an alchemy table to renew potions and a table of enchantment to improve a weapon. From this room you must go through the passage on the left to get some more loot and the right has a locked apprentice level door. Inside the room is a chest with Spell Tomes, potions, gold. After all exploration follow the corridor ahead. Continuing down the hall you'll come to a room guarded by two skeletons warriors. The middle of the room will be flooded and another part on the bottom while diving you'll see a locked door, behind which is a chest with some more loot. Cross the water and then open the left door. Following the hallway you'll find a closet with little loot, continue down the hallway and you'll see a locked door to your right, do the same process to save and enter the door, grab the loot and continue down the hall open the door and find the next passage the continuation of Ilinalta's Deep.

Follow the path and you'll find a room guarded by two wise men, kill them grab the loot, then go for a right hand door open it and grab the loot potions, then go down the hall to the left, and you take the passage come to an aisle of cells guarded by a magician and a skeleton warrior, kill them and go through the door ahead. You then arrive at a partially flooded room with an altar guarded by mages and skeletons, kill them, followed by the right staircase flooded loot in two skeletons and left you come to a room full of skeletons in the ground and one on a chair, there is no danger in this room grab all the loot and exit the room by the staircase that goes to the ceiling.

Now you have two options to fix the Broken Azura's Star; give the star to Nelacar or to Aranea Ienith.

Turning in to Nelacar
If you decide to go to Nelacar at the The Frozen Hearth in Winterhold (City), he warns that if he tries to fix it, only black souls will be able to enter the star from now on. When he tries to fix the star he finds out he needs Malyn Varen's soul dead, so he has the brilliant idea of ​​sending his soul into the star and get you out of it when you kill the soul of Malyn Varen. By agreeing to the idea he will suck your soul and place it inside the star, there you will find Malyn Varen that will attack you and then run away, to go after him you will come across three Daedra mages (sort depending on level) who use strong melee attacks and powerful fireball spells. After you kill them, loot them and go after Malyn Varen who is a lot weaker than those Deadra. Delacava will repair the star and give it to you.

Turning in to Aranea Ienith
If you decide to deliver the star to Aranea Ienith, go to the Shrine of Azura and speak with Aranea Ienith and deliver the star to the goddess Azura for her concert star. After a moment she'll ask you to talk to Azura, who will tell you that the soul of Malyn Varen is inside the star and she needs to send you into it to kill Malyn Varen. By agreeing to the idea she will suck out your soul and place it inside the star. There you will find Malyn Varen, who will attack you and then run away. Go after him and you will come across three Daedra mages, (sort depending on level), who use strong melee attacks and powerful fireball spells. After you kill them, loot them and go after Malyn who is much weaker than the Deadra. Take all the loot and kill him. Azura will then pull you back to your body, thank you, and give you Azura's Star.

Always keep this item because this is certainly one of the best items in the game. It works as a re-usable Soul Gem that fits any size of souls, and never disappears from your inventory.

==Reward (Differences) == Bringing the star to Aranea Ienith will create a restored Azura's Star which can only trap creatures, and the option of Aranea becoming your companion.

Bringing the star to Nelacar will create The Black Star (Item) which can only hold human(oid) souls but will NOT get you another optional companion. In addition, Aranea will become hostile towards you.

Bugs
If in werewolf form while leaving the spirit world within the star, and are killed on arrival; when the game loads the autosave within the star, it will crash.

The Black Star, while stated to capture only "Black" (i.e. humanoid) souls, can capture any soul.

If you kill Malyn while to Daedra are still alive, Azura will talk to you and you can be killed by the Daedra. The game will then reload and you will appear at your last auto save but when you go to try the quest again it has already been completed and the star remains broken and you cannot use it.