College of Winterhold (Skyrim)

"You know, if you have the aptitude, you should join the Mage's College in Winterhold."

- Farengar Secret-Fire

The College of Winterhold is a faction and location that appears in. It is a guild of magic-users similar to the Mages Guild of and.

Savos Aren serves the college as Arch-Mage, with Mirabelle Ervine serving under him as Master Wizard. The College is located in the northern section of the city of Winterhold, in northern Skyrim. Teachers of each magical discipline reside within, offering training and various magical wares.

Outsiders view the college with indignation, believing its members to be the cause of the cataclysmic, "Great Collapse". The event left Winterhold in ruins.

Upon visiting the college, it can be joined by passing a test of merit, which typically requires the casting of a spell. The college must be joined during "Elder Knowledge" in order to progress the main quest. Joining the college opens a questline consisting of eight main quests and eight side quests, one of which is radiant. Because three followers are associated with the guild, completing their three personal quests allows them to become potential followers.

Three unique achievements can be unlocked by completing tasks for the college.

Admittance
Before entering the college, the gatekeeper Faralda wishes to see a demonstration of magical powers. She requests to see a spell appropriate for the Dragonborn's level before gaining passage. These spells include:


 * Firebolt
 * Fear
 * Fury
 * Magelight
 * Healing Hands
 * Conjure Flame Atronach
 * Conjure Familiar
 * Fireball

Although she does not state it explicitly; some spells, e.g. Fear, must be cast at the emblem on the ground or she ignores it. If the spell she requests has not yet been learned, she offers to sell it for 30 gold. The gate beyond the bridge does not open until the proper spell has been demonstrated for Faralda.

Bypassing
A persuasion check bypasses this test. Additionally, revealing one's Dragonborn-identity to Faralda causes her to ask for a Thu'um demonstration. Successfully using it bypasses the spell-casting test. This option can only be used if the Dragonborn heeded the call of the Greybeards and headed to High Hrothgar to be instructed in Thu'um.

Rules and expulsion
Killing a student causes other college members to refuse speaking with the killer, starting the Rejoining the College quest. Stealing items from college members is also considered a crime.

Architectural design
The College of Winterhold is located north of Winterhold on a large cliff. A narrow bridge in a state of disrepair connects the city to the college.

The central courtyard is dominated by a statue of the first Arch-Mage of the College, Shalidor who is also the supposed founder of the city; this is the hub of the facility, offering access back out to the bridge and into the three Halls. The exterior windows offer exceptional views of the coastline.

The courtyard branches off to the three halls of the college. The Hall of Attainment, the living quarters for mage apprentices, is off to the left upon entering the college, while the Hall of Countenance, the living quarters for more advanced mages, is off to the right. Straight ahead lies the Hall of the Elements, the lecture hall of the college.

From the Hall of the Elements, the Arch-mage's quarters branches off on the left while The Arcanaeum, the college's library, branches off on the right.

The Midden, a prison or storage area beneath the college, houses an Atronach Forge, the Augur of Dunlain, and the Daedric Relic. Ice Wraiths and Draugr inhabit the halls of The Midden. A tunnel here leads to Skyrim just outside of the college.

Historical documents
Papers kept in the College's library are meant to prove its age, reportedly dating back 700 years. However dialogue with Serana reveals it to be much older as she recalls the college from before she was entombed in the First Era.

The first recorded evidence of the College's existence is Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Skyrim. Arguably, the documents in the College are not meant to date the institution's age. As noted in the Pocket Guide to the Empire, the College became home to an older library of documents, the Ysmir Collective.

Relation to the Mages Guild
As the College is independent from the Mage's Guild, Necromancy was never made illegal by the College, unlike the Arcane University in Cyrodiil. The practice is generally regarded as a tool, not a weapon, although practicing it outside of the College is advised against by Phinis Gestor. Like Cyrodiil, there are still wandering groups of Necromancers that do not function alongside the College. Because the College is independent of the jurisdiction of the Mages Guild, it was unaffected by the Necromancy Ban of 3E 431 and the subsequent eradication of that ban which led to battles against Mannimarco.

Distrust
The College is often blamed for the Great Collapse of 4E 122 and is therefore widely distrusted. It is often believed that it was activities at the College that caused the disaster; the proof of this is that only the College remained untouched. The College has since been cautious as to avoid provoking the population of Skyrim. Many nationalistic Nords also do not trust the College because of the fact that the immigrant Dunmer make up the vast majority of the members within the faction. Additionally, most Nords view magic and its practitioners as spineless and weak, as stated quite humorously by a pair of feuding siblings upon entering Winterhold.

The only positive relation the people of Skyrim have to the College of Winterhold are requests for various items to be enchanted for them. Segius Turrianus explains that enchanting services are the only connection between the College and the people of Skyrim. Occasionally, he will have his students travel to a specific location in Skyrim to pick up an item from a person who made a request to the College to have it enchanted.

Lectures
Lectures are held in the Hall of the Elements during the day. These cover a wide range of subjects and the Dragonborn is welcome to listen, provided the college has been joined.

Main quests

 * Elder Knowledge

College of Winterhold quests

 * First Lessons
 * Under Saarthal
 * Hitting The Books
 * Good Intentions
 * Revealing the Unseen
 * Containment
 * Staff of Magnus
 * The Eye of Magnus

Side quests

 * Arniel's Endeavor
 * Daedric Relic
 * Aftershock
 * Out of Balance
 * Finding Tolfdir's Alembic
 * Fetch me that Book!
 * Shalidor's Insight
 * Lost Apprentices

Follower quests

 * J'zargo's Experiment
 * Onmund's Request
 * Brelyna's Practice

Members

 * Savos Aren
 * Mirabelle Ervine
 * Tolfdir - Scholar of Alteration (Skyrim) magic
 * Colette Marence - Scholar of Restoration (Skyrim) magic
 * Faralda - Scholar of Destruction (Skyrim) magic
 * Drevis Neloren - Scholar of Illusion (Skyrim) magic
 * Phinis Gestor - Scholar Conjurer
 * Sergius Turrianus - Scholar Enchanter
 * Urag gro-Shub - Librarian and Scholar
 * Nirya - Scholar
 * Enthir - Scholar and Black Market trader
 * Brelyna Maryon - Student
 * Onmund - Student
 * J'zargo - Student
 * Ancano - Not an actual member of the College but is an advisor from the Thalmor.

Former Members

 * Falion
 * Festus Krex
 * Calixto Corrium
 * The Caller
 * Orthorn
 * Nelacar
 * Malyn Varen

Trainers

 * Colette Marence - Expert Restoration trainer
 * Drevis Neloren - Master Illusion trainer
 * Faralda - Master Destruction trainer
 * Sergius Turrianus - Expert Enchanting trainer
 * Tolfdir - Master Alteration trainer
 * Phinis Gestor - Expert Conjuration trainer

Master-level spell quests

 * Alteration Ritual Spell
 * Conjuration Ritual Spell
 * Destruction Ritual Spell
 * Illusion Ritual Spell
 * Restoration Ritual Spell