Arniel's Endeavor is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in which the Dragonborn must assist Arniel Gane, a fellow member of the College of Winterhold, in an experiment he is conducting to reveal the mystery behind the disappearance of the Dwemer.
Background[]
"Arniel Gane has asked for help with a special project he's working on. Although he won't tell me what they're for, he wants me to bring him a number of Dwarven Cogs."
Objectives[]
- Deliver ten cogs to Arniel Gane
- Speak to Enthir
- Acquire the Staff of Tandil
- Deliver the staff to Enthir
- Talk to Arniel
- Place the warped soul gem into a Convecter
- Heat the Convector
- Retrieve the soul gem
- Place the warped soul gem into another Convector
- Heat the Convector
- Retrieve the soul gem
- Place the warped soul gem into a final Convector
- Heat the Convector
- Retrieve the soul gem
- Deliver the soul gem to Arniel
- Talk to Enthir
- Find the courier
- Deliver the package to Arniel
- Observe Arniel's experiment
Walkthrough[]
- "The Dwemer, they were uhh, masters of magic in a way we can't even begin to conceive of. Their greatest achievement, however, has also been their greatest, shall we say... Mystery."
- ―Arniel Gane[src]
After completing the quest "Hitting the Books," the Dragonborn will have the option to ask Arniel Gane if there is anything he can be assisted with. Doing this will start the quest, which has four phases. Speaking to Arniel, who is located in the College of Winterhold, will reveal that he is working on a secret project and requires the Dragonborn's help.
Part one – Dwemer Cogs[]
A Dwemer Cog.
Arniel will first ask the Dragonborn to find ten Dwemer cogs. Initially, he will not say what he wants them for. This quest may be started either prior to receiving the quest "The Staff of Magnus," or after that quest has been completed. After obtaining the cogs head back to the College.
- The Dwarven storeroom, which is located just outside Mzulft, has four inside.
- Mzulft itself, accessed in the quest "Revealing the Unseen," has many more than ten. Some are in containers or on tables, while others can be looted from defeated automatons.
- The Dwemer Museum in Markarth (Understone Keep) has roughly fifteen. Head right as soon as the museum is entered. There are four under a novice locked case and another ten just lying around.
- Six cogs can be found in the Tower of Mzark. Five are behind the device used during "Discerning the Transmundane." The sixth is in the room that connects to Blackreach on a shelf.
- There are eight cogs in Raldbthar.
This part will become available after the quest "Good Intentions" has begun. Before that, he will not speak about the Dwemer cogs at all.
Part two – Warped Soul Gem[]
The warped soul gem for Arniel's experiments.
After turning in the cogs to Arniel, he requests that Enthir be asked about delivering some purchased goods. After a discussion with Enthir, the Dragonborn is tasked with finding the Staff of Tandil at a random location (some are listed below), and returning it to Enthir as payment for a warped soul gem that is warped beyond the ability to be able to capture a soul.
Known locations of the staff include:
- Ansilvund
- Boulderfall Cave
- Brittleshin Pass
- Cragwallow Slope
- Falkreath Watchtower (crossroads)
- Fellglow Keep
- Harmugstahl
- Hob's Fall Cave
- House of Clan Battle-Born in Whiterun (behind the locked door)
- Ilinalta's Deep
- Morvunskar
- Movarth's Lair
- North Brittleshin Pass
- Rannveig's Fast
- Southfringe Sanctum
- Sunderstone Gorge
- Yngvild
Part three – Dwemer Convector[]
A Dwemer Convector for the warped soul gem.
This part of the quest cannot be started until the quest "The Eye of Magnus" is complete.
Upon speaking to Arniel again, it is discovered that his project is going terribly. He claims to have forgotten to take into account the heat gain and has consequently destroyed his only working model.
It is at this point that he reveals he is attempting to discover how the Dwemer disappeared "instantly, and completely" by recreating the event. The parts the Dragonborn helped recover were made into a Dwarven convector, which broke during his last attempt to recreate the event. When asked if he wants to build another, he says that he would rather have the Dragonborn find the convectors, scattered throughout Skyrim, made by the Dwarves themselves. Arniel then teaches the spell required to heat the convectors (a novice Destruction spell). Three seconds of burning with the spell is all that is needed to heat the soul gem. Arniel postulates that by doing this, the Dwemer may possibly be contacted again.
The locations of Dwemer convectors are marked on the map. Some convectors are in locations that can be fast traveled to, and some are not.
- Two northeast of Markarth.
- One just north of Deep Folk Crossing, just beyond the north gazebo and over the hill.
- One due east and across the river from Druadach Redoubt.
- Two near Mzulft.
- One is in the Dwarven storeroom south of the arrival point when fast traveling to Mzulft.
- The second is inside Mzulft, in the first room after the hall on a table.
- One west of Shor's Stone and north of Autumnshade Clearing.
- One south of Ivarstead.
- One at the Ruins of Bthalft.
Upon completing this part of the quest and returning to Arniel, the Dragonborn is thanked and told that the final piece will be arriving soon.
Part four – Keening[]
After leaving the College of Winterhold for a few days after dropping off the modified soul gem, conversing with Arniel again will reveal that once again Enthir is giving him trouble. When Enthir is asked about it, however, he claims that this time it is not actually his fault. He says he did not keep close tabs on this package because Arniel set up the delivery himself. Enthir suggests searching for the courier, and directs the Dragonborn to one of the following radiant locations:
- Autumnshade Clearing
- Broken Helm Hollow
- Cragslane Cavern
- Cragwallow Slope
- Cronvangr Cave
- Darklight Tower
- Darkwater Pass
- Faldar's Tooth
- Gallows Rock
- Lost Knife Hideout
- Mara's Eye Den
- Mistwatch
- Morvunskar
- Pinepeak Cavern
- Tolvald's Cave
- Treva's Watch
- Uttering Hills Cave
- Redwater DenDG
- Wreck of The Winter War
Once the Dragonborn retrieves the package, which turns out to be the dagger Keening, and returns to the College and gives it to Arniel, he will give a brief monologue about what he is attempting to do, and then proceeds to hit the soul gem with the dagger. Eventually, there is an explosion of energy, and his body vanishes—similar to when the Dwemer vanished after Kagrenac used Keening and the other tools on the Heart of Lorkhan. This leaves Keening on the floor, completes the quest, and gives the Dragonborn a Conjuration spell to summon Arniel's shade.
Journal[]
| Arniel's Endeavor (Part 1) – MGRArniel01 | |
|---|---|
| ID | Journal Entry |
| 10 | Arniel Gane has asked for help with a special project he's working on. Although he won't tell me what they're for, he wants me to bring him a number of Dwarven Cogs.
|
| 200 | I've given Arniel Gane the Dwarven cogs he asked for, and he was quite grateful. He's suggested that there may be more I can help with in the future.
|
| Arniel's Endeavor (Part 2) – MGRArniel02 | |
| 10 | Arniel has asked for more help with his project, though this time the request is very different. Enthir is apparently refusing to follow through on a trade; something Arniel needs for his work. He's asked that I go speak with Enthir on his behalf.
|
| 20 | Arniel asked me to deal with Enthir, who was supposedly refusing to complete a business arrangement. Enthir insists that he hasn't been paid, but will consider the deal done if I acquire a staff for him from <radiant location>.
|
| 30 |
|
| 40 | I've managed to complete the trade agreement between Enthir and Arniel, and have the object Arniel was interested in. It's some sort of soul gem, though Enthir believes it to be useless. I should deliver it to Arniel.
|
| 200 | I've successfully completed a deal between Enthir and Arniel that is somehow related to Arniel's special project. He claims to be making progress, though I have no idea what that means.
|
| Arniel's Endeavor (Part 3) – MGRArniel03 | |
| 10 | Arniel has finally revealed to me that his secret project deals with the disappearance of the dwarves, though he hasn't been clear about how his work relates to it. He's given me a warped soul gem, and asked me to find several Dwarven Convectors in the various ruins around Skyrim. I'm supposed to place the gem inside a convector, and then heat it using a spell Arniel has taught me. When I've done this several times, I should return the gem to Arniel.
|
| 20 |
|
| 30 |
|
| 40 | I've successfully altered Arniel's warped soul gem, and should return it to him. It is somehow critical to his project regarding the disappearance of the dwarves; perhaps he'll explain exactly what he's up to.
|
| 200 | I've once again helped Arniel with his secret, and very vague, project relating to the dwarves. He implied that he's waiting for something else, and then finally maybe I'll see what this is all about.
|
| Arniel's Endeavor (Part 4) – MGRArniel04 | |
| 10 | Arniel has once again asked me to speak to Enthir, who was supposed to deliver something else relating to Arniel's project.
|
| 20 | Arniel was convinced that Enthir was refusing to complete the trade the two of them had arranged, but it turns out that this time Enthir never received the item in question. The courier bringing the item never arrived. If I want to help Arniel finish his work, I'll need to find the courier myself.
|
| 30 | Arniel was distraught over being unable to finish his project, believing that Enthir was refusing to complete a trade the two of them had agreed upon. Instead, the courier that was supposed to deliver the item never arrived. I've tracked him down (sadly he did not survive) and have the package Arniel wanted. I should make sure it gets to Arniel as soon as possible.
|
| 40 | I've helped Arniel with the final piece of his project, by tracking down a missing courier who was supposed to be delivering an item from Morrowind. That item is Keening, a dwarven dagger that Arniel claims is very important. With it, he says he's able to finish his experiment and has asked that I observe what happens.
|
| 200 | Arniel's experiment is over, but I'm not entirely sure what has happened. He has vanished, leaving behind the dagger Keening. I may never know whether he succeeded in his work.
|
Trivia[]
- Arniel's shade may appear in the College as if he were still alive; he sleeps, talks and walks around as a shade.
- It is possible to find the courier before taking the fourth part of Arniel's Endeavor quest; and if the Dragonborn has done so, one has an option to give Keening to Arniel after Enthir reveals the location of the courier.
- Keening was a major weapon in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It was used in conjunction with Sunder and Wraithguard to destroy the Heart of Lorkhan and thus also destroy Dagoth Ur and his construct, Akulakhan.
- Arniel Gane's disappearance is implied to have a similar effect to Kagrenac's work on the Heart, each of which resulted in the person's ceasing to exist in Nirn.
- Unlike many quests like "Stoking the Flames" which involve getting some number of something, part one of this quest does not track the number of cogs in inventory.
Bugs[]
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This section contains bugs related to Arniel's Endeavor. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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Appearances[]
| College of Winterhold Quests | |
|---|---|
| Main Quest | |
| Side Quests | |
| Master Spell Quests | |
| Radiant Quests | |
| Other Quests | |