Arniel Gane

Not to be confused with Amiel, Aniel, or Anrel.

Arniel Gane is a Breton mage and senior member of the College of Winterhold and a researcher of peculiar magics. He wears Adept Robes of Alteration.

Background[]

"I don't think anyone here truly understands how useful my work will be."

―Arniel Gane^[src]

File:Arniel.ogg

He leads an excavation at the tomb of Saarthal and will hope to experiment with Kagrenac's tools, the latter of which he is highly secretive of. Arniel is located in the first room on the right on the second floor of the Hall of Attainment.

Interactions[]

Under Saarthal[]

After the Dragonborn's first lessons as a new student of the college, Tolfdir and the other apprentices venture to Saarthal to assist Arniel with his excavation. Upon arriving, the Dragonborn is tasked with collecting three Enchanted Rings and an amulet. Performing the errand ends with the Dragonborn being imprisoned behind iron bars. Upon being freed, Tolfdir and the Dragonborn investigate a hidden tunnel in the tomb, eventually coming in contact with a member of the Psijic Order. After discovering the Eye of Magnus in the rooms below the tomb, the Dragonborn returns to inform Savos Aren. Any time after this event, the Dragonborn can give the Enchanted Rings to Arniel, but it is not required.

Containment[]

Arniel helps the Dragonborn and Faralda defend Winterhold against Magic Anomalies in Containment. During the battle, he will not personally use magic to attack, instead relying entirely upon unarmed combat. However, he will reanimate characters who die during the battle as zombies for further assistance.

Arniel's Endeavor[]

As part of a secret experiment, Arniel tasks the Dragonborn with retrieving ten Dwemer Cogs. After finding the artifacts, the Dragonborn must then contact Enthir about a Warped Soul Gem Arniel wanted from him. Enthir was reluctant to provide the item to Arniel, but relents if the Dragonborn retrieves a staff Enthir accidentally sold to a necromancer. Enthir surrenders the gem after the staff is returned to him. This eventually allows the Dragonborn to use the Warped Soul Gem in a Dwemer Convector three times, along with Arniel's Convection.

Fate[]

Arniel disappears as a consequence of his research with the Warped Soul Gem. However, the Dragonborn gains the ability to summon his shade in battle. Arniel Gane's shade can be seen wandering the area around the College of Winterhold after his quest line has been completed. Besides simply not being around, Arniel's disappearance has little, if any, effect on the rest of the mages at the College.

Dialogue[]

General[]

What do you know about Ancano? "He's asked far, far too many questions about my research. I think the Thalmor are trying to steal my work! I haven't told him anything, of course. What I'm doing is far too important. Can't breathe a word of it."

Under Saarthal[]

"I'll be amazed if we find anything useful here."

Tolfdir sent me to help you. "What? Ah, yes. You. I remember you. You're going to help? That's fine. Just... Just don't make a mess of my work. I've only looked through a portion of this section. You, uh, you can look around in the chambers just north of here. Try and be careful, all right? We don't want to damage anything."

What did you need me to do? "Just round up the rest of the magical artifacts so that I can catalog them."

I found this amulet. It might be important. "You found what? Hmm. Well now. This is all very fascinating, but I don't recall asking to you to touch anything in here. I suppose you'd better show that to Tolfdir nonetheless. And please, ask before tampering with anything else."

After finding the four artifacts:

"Well, certainly none of this will benefit my research..."

This was all I could find. "I see. It probably doesn't even matter now, what with the mess that's been made in here. I'll add this to the rest of the items. I don't think there's anything further I need from you."

I found this amulet. It might be important. "You found what? Hmm. Well now. Yes, this might actually be something interesting. You'd better show that to Tolfdir right away."

Containment[]

"What's going on? What happened in there?"

Something went wrong. Winterhold may be in danger. Can you help? "That's certainly an understatement. I've never seen anything like this! Well, I suppose we can't just stand here. We'd better do something."

There's no time. We need to make sure Winterhold is safe. "I'll go with you, but when things are back to normal I want an explanation." or "We'll go with you, but when this is all over I want an explanation."

Arniel's Endeavor[]

Show: Arniel's Endeavor
Is there any College business I can assist with? "You mean the official sort of business? Hmm, well... no. No, not really. But... I can't help but notice that you're doing quite well for yourself, rising through the ranks and all. It may not be "official", but there is a, uhh, project I've been working on. I wonder if perhaps you could assist with it." Are you involved in something dangerous? "What? No, no. Goodness, no! At least, I don't think so. No, it's just... It's just something I'd prefer to keep to myself." Can you tell me more about this project of yours? "Ah, yes. Umm, no. No, I don't think so. Not at this point. It's just that, well I'm not even really sure it's going to amount to anything just yet. All theoretical right now, you understand. But the implications are quite intriguing, I think. I simply need some experimental results to confirm my suspicions." "Just... Just bring me some Dwemer cogs. I need to examine them for the methods used in forging them. Ten of them should be enough for me to get a better understanding of how they were crafted. That's all I need, all right?" What did you need me to do for you? "I simply need more pieces of Dwemer equipment to study. It's nothing dangerous... At least, not necessarily. And please, let's just... Let's keep this between us." After bringing him the Dwemer cogs: I've got the cogs you asked for. "Ah, that's excellent news. This will be most helpful in furthering my research. I'm afraid I can't offer you much right now, but please take this. And perhaps, if this is all successful... Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's too early to be getting excited. Still, this is most encouraging. Thank you again. If I require anything else, I shall be sure and let you know." Did you need any more help with your project? "What? Oh, no. No, no. I need more time to research the dwarven machinery. Thank you for offering, though." After visiting him when he is ready: Did you need any more help with your project? "As a matter of fact, there is something you can do for me. I had retained Enthir's services in, uhh, acquiring something specific. But now he's refusing to deliver. Could you perhaps speak with him, and see if we can come to some sort of arrangement?" After bringing him the Soul Gem: I've got the Soul Gem you were after. "Do you? Wonderful. I was afraid I'd have to give up, and when I'm so close... Thank you for this. I have a great deal of work ahead of me." After visiting him at a later time: How is your project coming along? "Terrible, just terrible. I vastly underestimated the heat transfer necessary, and have destroyed my only working model. I'm at a loss." Did you account for the, uh, extra coefficient introduced by... umm... "Don't patronize me!" I have no idea what you're talking about. "Look, it's all very simple. 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." Haven't they been gone a long time? "Precisely! What could be worth studying about a long-lost civilization?" And what mystery is that? "Their disappearance, of course! Instant, unexplainable. The stories have fascinated me... Ever since I was young, I wanted to know what really happened. After years and years of work, I'm closing in on a way to investigate what happened through experimentation. Only now... Well, it's simply a disaster." What went wrong? "Without boring you with the, ahh, details, I am attempting to re-create the circumstances of the event. The dwarves were very clever, tapping into and drawing power from the Heart of Lorkhan itself. Lacking the heart of a dead god myself, I was attempting to substitute a rather specific soul gem. The ahh, the one you helped me acquire." And that won't work? "Well, yes. I mean, no. That is, it might, but I'm not completely sure. I'm no tonal architect, I've only read their writings. Scraps, really. The soul gem by itself isn't enough, you see. It needs to be altered, purified. The dwarves had machines for this sort of thing. I attempted to build my own, based on designs and using parts you helped to provide. My very own Dwarven Convector. It worked, but not fully. And the uhh... The device was destroyed in the process." Can you build another? "Hmm? No, no. No! I'm too close now. Can't take the time. Though... Perhaps there's another option. I, umm, I may require further assistance from you." What's in this for me? "Well, I... Don't you see? Unlocking this mystery... The story alone is worth more riches than you can even imagine. And perhaps... well, I don't wish to speculate, but... What if we could contact the dwarves? What if they're still out there? Imagine!" What do you want me to do? "Well, yes. The designs for my Convector were based on real dwarven machines, so there may still be some in existence. I'd go looking myself, but uhh... Yes, there are calculations to double- and triple-check. Many calculations. Perhaps you could seek out these Convectors in Skyrim ruins? I can even teach you the spell to heat them. It's very particular, and very important." Teach me your spell, and I'll see what I can do. "Wonderful, just wonderful! I knew I could count on you! Now this spell is not for defending yourself, but it's just right for heating the Convector. At least three seconds' burn is necessary. Just place the soul gem inside, and heat the Convector. At least three seconds. You'll almost certainly need to find multiple Convectors. I suspect it may be due to the nature of the soul gem versus the crystals this was intended for. Destroys the equipment in the process. But, ahh... It's effective. Three times, and the crystal should be ready for the next step. Isn't this exciting?" After finishing his task: I have your gem. "It worked, then? Let me see! Goodness, that's it, isn't it?! Yes! It's not perfect, but it's a close enough approximation that it should certianly suffice for initial tests! You've done excellent work here. Truly excellent. There's only one thing missing now, and that should be arriving shortly. I'll begin preparations. Thank you again so much for this." After visiting him again: Have you unraveled the mystery of the dwarves yet? "No, and at this rate, I never shall! Enthir is once again holding out on me. He refuses to deliver yet another item absolutely essential to my work! I am close, so close! You must force him to see reason!" What do you want me to say to Enthir? "I don't know, I don't know! I've already agreed to pay him quite handsomely for the... well, the item in question. Just... Do whatever it takes to get him to stop lording this over me." After speaking with Enthir: Enthir really doesn't have whatever it is you asked him for. "What? I... I don't understand. Where is it?" It left Morrowind, but never arrived here. "No, no no no. This can't be happening." The courier never arrived with it. "He has some simple-minded courier delivering it?" "It can't be lost. It just can't! It's irreplaceable, do you understand? Without it, I cannot finish my work. All these years, so much time, so much energy... You must find it! It cannot end this way! Not after I've worked so hard!" What is this thing that's so important? "It... It's very valuable. Critical to my work, and one-of-a-kind. That's all I care to say for now." Were you looking for this dagger, by any chance? "How in the name of Akatosh... How do you have that? You didn't touch it did you? Well no, of course you must have! Did you attempt to wield it? And you're not dead? Gods, it's a wonder it's in one piece!" Didn't you tell Enthir this was valuable? "Have you lost your mind? Think, please, just for a moment, about what he would do if he knew its true value. Do you really believe he would honor our agreement, or go running off to the highest bidder? Please, you must set this right. I'm begging you." After returning with the dagger: I have the dagger you wanted. "The dagger...? By Akatosh, they didn't even wrap it correctly? You didn't touch it did you? Well no, of course you must have! Did you attempt to wield it? And you're not dead? Gods, it's a wonder it's in one piece!" What's the big deal about this dagger? "This is not just a dagger! This is a dwarven artifact beyond nearly all value. A singular instrument of immense power, a tool of impossible import. Keening, and its counterpart, Sunder. Used by the tonal architects of the Dwemer to tap into the Heart of Lorkhan." So you have everything you need now? "I do... I do indeed. Keening, one of the great tools of Kagrenac himself, is finally in my possession. I don't think I really believed this day would come." So what's next? "Now... Now we see whether my theories are correct." "I apologize if I have not been clear about my work. I didn't want to discuss it for fear this moment might never come. Everyone knows the dwarves disappeared. No one knows why. This little experiment is a first step in recreating the events of their disappearance in an effort to unravel that mystery. Lacking the heart of a dead god, I am substituting the crystal you helped craft in its place. I also lack Sunder, the counterpart to the dagger Keening. I am reasonably, confident, however, that this will still work. I certainly don't expect it to have quite the same results. I'm no tonal architect, of course! Well, I suppose it's time, isn't it? Let's see what happens. You, uhh... You may want to stand back a step or two. But please, don't leave. You've been instrumental in this process. I'd like you to see the results first-hand. Right, then... Hmm. That... That didn't really do anything, did it? Perhaps a little harder? I don't understand. This should produce some notable effect. Work, damn you!"

Conversations[]

Containment

Faralda: "Come on, Arniel. Let's go." Arniel: "Do we have to? They'd never lift a finger to help us."

Quotes[]

"Perhaps we can go another few decades without a disaster. That would be nice."
"I'm working on some very important research, I assure you."
"The exact nature of my research is a secret, I'm afraid, but it really is quite valuable."
"When I've finished what I'm working on, everyone will understand its significance."
"Don't touch anything!" — During "Under Saarthal."
"It's going to take forever to sift through all this." — During "Under Saarthal."
"What have we gotten ourselves into now?" — During "Containment."
"Well, this certainly won't help our image." — During "Containment."
"I hope you know what you're doing." — During "The Staff of Magnus."
"I can't lose all my research. There has to be a way to save the College." — During "The Staff of Magnus."
"I'll be amazed if any of us survive this." — During "The Eye of Magnus."

Trivia[]

Arniel's Shade does not benefit from the Twin Souls perk, making it impossible to summon two of the spells at once.
At the Saarthal excavation site, Arniel cannot be killed. This makes it possible to max out the Sneak skill within an hour, simply by attacking Arniel while remaining crouched and hidden.
Despite being considered a conjurer, Arniel seems fond of engaging enemies in unarmed combat instead of using magic. He has been known to even attack dragons in this manner should one attack the College; and can be seen fist-fighting the Magic Anomalies during the quest, "Containment."
If one executes player.moveto 1C1AB after Arniel's disappearance, it will take the Dragonborn back to the room where the experiment occurred, facing the Warped Soul Gem. This would imply that he soul trapped himself, resides inside the gem similar to how Malyn Varen was inside of Azura's Star, or transported himself to the Soul Cairn having powered Keening's enchantment with his own soul.

Appearances[]

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim