Skyrim:Revealing the Unseen

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Learn the Location of the Staff of Magnus. Quest Giver: Mirabelle Ervine Location(s): College of Winterhold, Mzulft Prerequisite Quest: Good Intentions Next Quest: Containment Reward: None ID: mg06 Suggested Level: 16

The Oculory's readings

Quick Walkthrough

1. Speak with Mirabelle at Winterhold College.
2. Find the ruins of Mzulft.
3. Find the Synod Researchers.
4. Find the Oculory.
5. Activate the Oculory.
6. Learn the location of the Staff of Magnus.
7. Report to Savos Aren at Winterhold College.

Detailed Walkthrough

Obtaining the Quest

Ask Mirabelle what she knows about the Staff of Magnus and its whereabouts. She will direct you to the Dwarven (Dwemer) ruin Mzulft because members of a mystical group—the Synod—recently questioned her about it.

Find the ruins of Mzulft

Mzulft is a sprawling Dwemer ruin. Mirabelle will mark its location on your map: southeast of Windhelm. If you have not discovered a nearer place, you may reach it by traveling on the road south from Windhelm Stables toward Riften.

Find the Synod Researchers

As you enter Mzulft's interior, you will find a Synod researcher, Gavros Plinius, uttering his final words, "Crystal... gone.... Find...Paratus...in Oculory...".

Find the Oculory

Take the Mzulft Key from Gavros's corpse to unlock the adjacent door. He also carries a Research Log indicating he was sent here by the Synod Council with a "focusing crystal" needed to pursue some mysterious effort.

Travel through the extensive ruin to find a curious device called the Oculory. Mzluft contains a wealth of Dwemer items and multitudes of the hostile creatures and machines that typically populate Dwemer ruins. After a lengthy and adventurous journey (a detailed guide to which opens in the table below), you'll find in the third interior zone, Mzluft Aedrome, a large room containing four Falmer. You will need to obtain the focusing crystal carried by one of them.

Getting to the Oculory Room-By-Room, Battle-by-Battle

Proceed through the door into a room containing a number of Dwemer metallic items which can be sold or smelted into ingots necessary for smithing Dwarven weapons and armor. Ascend a ramp at the far end of the room. Around the corner, a pressure plate on the floor activates a ceiling spike trap. Beyond this, the body of another researcher lies on the floor. At the entrance to the next large room, you will encounter two Dwarven spider workers. Battle these and continue on. Two more spiders, including one Dwarven spider guardian, will attack in the room at the top of the next ramp. Two doors open from this room. The door to the north is guarded by a floor spike trap, injury from which can be avoided by either lockpicking the tension cable trigger or opening the door while not standing on a spike hole. This opens into a room inhabited by another spider, a chest, and a moonstone ore vein. The other door takes you toward your objective, up a ramp and into a room where a Spider Guardian will spring from its port at the far end. From here, continue through the door and into an area illuminated by natural light. A leveled chaurus feasts on another researcher near the far end of the first cavern. Passing that, a tripwire activates a falling boulders trap in a passage; at the far end of this lurk two more Chaurus (one of them leveled) in another cavern. Specific Battle Strategy for the Chaurus A chaurus reaper squashed by boulders The trap can be turned to your advantage: After saving your game, stand just in front of the tripwire and attract the two chaurus awaiting you in the next chamber with some arrows or noise-making spells. Then use the tripwire to release the rocks onto the approaching creatures. This requires perfect timing, but it's possible to crush at least one of the bugs in this way. Continue onward, into an artificially-built structure once again and open the door. At the top of the ramp around the corner, you will see a locked door to a room that contains some valuables. To the right of this are two ports. When you get close enough to these, a Dwarven sphere will drop from the left of the two ports. After battling the Sphere, move up another ramp and through another door. Beyond this awaits another spider, and beyond that another sphere at the end of the hall, from a port to the right. Moving further into the ruin, a spider will climb up the stairs from a small lowered area which offers access to some valuables. After you explore this, return to the upper level and open the next door. Steam piston Trap, floor pressure plates If you take an immediate right at the entrance to the large chamber here, you can descend into another lowered area in which you'll meet two spiders. The noise from fighting them may attract a sphere from above. If not, you will encounter it when you return up to the main level where you will travel on a narrow ledge rigged with the pictured steam piston trap. This will cause you no problem except possibly knocking you back down to the lower level, and if the sphere in this area is coming toward you, you can try firing at it from where you are and wait to see if the trap knocks the sphere down onto the lower level when it approaches you. If so, you can shoot at it several times before and after it falls, and then again as it climbs the stairs to approach you again. The next stretch of the ruin contains the remains of some Falmer and spiders who all appear to have destroyed each other. Open the door into Mzulft Boilery. A strong, leveled Falmer roams the area at the top of the ramp beyond. You will also find another dead researcher and a moderate bounty of valuables on this level before heading up the next ramp. At the top of that, fight another powerful leveled Falmer, and then two more in the room through an open doorway to the north. At least one of these is likely to use destruction spells against you, and at least one of them is likely to strike at you with a poisoned weapon. You'll find some vials of poison in this room, a difficult locked gate to the west which opens into a room containing a number of defunct automatons, a gate to the north opening into an empty room, and a way forward to the east. One type of Dwemer ruin chest Heading east, enter into a naturalistic area. When you enter a fairly lengthy tunnel, prepare to meet a leveled Chaurus before its end. Near the end of the tunnel is a small chamber to the right with Chaurus egg sacs, moonstone ore, and a chest (pictured). Note that the next few battles can be intense and occur in confined areas, a situation that carries a fair danger of losing a follower if you have one, especially if you use spells that cause destruction over an area. It can be a useful place to save often. Exit the tunnel through a narrow opening to your left. You will then see to your right the opening to a cavern illuminated with a slightly bluish light. If you wait and watch, you may see the occupants of this cavern walking around: A leveled Falmer attended by a chaurus. Once you become engaged with them, you may or may not draw into the fray another chaurus who lives a little further on. Inside the cavern is a teepee, and just past the teepee is a claw trap which swings out from the left wall and is activated by a tripwire. This trap can deal a lot of damage and can be lethal if your health is already compromised or if you have not yet met the second chaurus, who generally spends its time immediately past the trap. If this second chaurus was part of the battle you just finished, it will probably have deactivated the tripwire on its way to meet you. Continue to the west and north. You will then pass some patches of glowing mushrooms. There is another dead Synod researcher next to the second of these, and if they hear you, you might encounter two more Falmer here, one of which will be the highest-level variant you can encounter at your level, and the second will likely be nearly as strong. If you don't see them at this point, you will by the time you take your next left and enter into a cavern containing another teepee. If you become disoriented in this room, you can find the way forward by placing yourself south of the teepee. Then face north, pass to the right of the teepee onto the slightly elevated area, and then look for the passage to the north, which may be hard to see. It is just prior to the burning torch. Pass through this to deal with another Chaurus in the next cavern. At the far (western) end of this, before you turn up and to the right, there is a chest on the left. Move onward, up into the interior of the structure ahead. There you face a high-leveled Falmer in the first room. A difficult locked door from here leads to a chest and the book The Lunar Lorkhan, which provides you a lesson in Alteration. On the table is a key that will open a difficult door just ahead. Traveling onward to the north and then to the west from this area, there is another difficult locked door to the right (opens with the key found on the table a moment ago). It contains a chest guarded by a leveled chaurus. Then you will enter into a large rectangular hall divided by a shallow pool. On the far side of this await two leveled Falmer. A leveled chaurus guards a chest behind a trap-rigged door in the southwest corner of this room. Proceed through the door in the northwest corner of the room, around a corner, and enter into Mzluft Aedrome. Ascend the ramp; near the top you will find a leveled Falmer and a chaurus. Continue toward a large, multi-leveled room that can be accessed through either of two open doorways. Inside prowl four leveled Falmer, including one of the stongest variant you will find at your level, and one that will be carrying the focusing crystal mentioned in Gavros's Research Log. You need to obtain this to complete the quest.

Although your objective marker will point westward from here, you should first obtain a key you will need. To do so, leave the room through the doorway to the east and descend the ramp. Open the door at the bottom.

Cross the room and open another door leading eastward.

Proceed until you reach a room containing two dead Falmer. Beyond the next door to the east awaits a Dwarven automaton of the strongest type you can confront at your level. If you attract its attention, the machine may break open the door. Whether this occurs or whether you open the door first, the Centurion on the other side will not be able to fit through the door to attack you up-close. However, it can direct its steam breath ranged attack at you. Keeping a distance makes it easy to dodge these attacks and pick at the machine with ranged attacks. After destroying it, obtain the Mzulft Observatory Key from the chest on the east side of the room. Retrace your steps westward, back into the large room where you battled the four Falmer.

There is a door to the north with a Master-level lock; this opens into a room containing some valuables. To proceed toward your goal, climb the stairs to the west and open the door there with the Observatory Key. Beyond this there is another locked door which you cannot open. When you try to do so, however, you will hear a voice from the other side, and the door will be opened by Paratus Decimius, a Synod member who is expecting Gavros, the dying man you met upon entering the ruin.

Paratus will be suspicious of you; but whatever the course of your conversation, when he finds out that you have the focusing crystal, he will agree to work together with you and ask you to follow him. You will note in your journal that you have reached the Oculory, and that your plan now is to follow Paratus to investigate further.

Follow Paratus

As he leads you forward, Paratus will explain that the Synod happened on this machine created by the Dwarves for unknown purposes, and that the Synod now intends to try to use it toward some different end. When you begin to ascend a curved ramp along a giant sphere, be careful not to fall off, as doing so can cause you to become stuck.

At the top, Paratus will marvel at the magnificence of device there, and ask you to place the crystal into the central apparatus.

Place the Crystal into the Oculory

Insert the Crystal into the gap at the bottom of the large ring

Stand as shown (photo), and place the crystal by activating the "Dwarven Armillary".

When you have done so, the ring will rotate so that the focusing crystal is positioned at the top. Your objective will become to "focus the oculory". You will now have two objective markers: one pointing at the device in the center of the room, and another at an elevated control console at the southeast part of the room. You can ask Paratus what to do next.

Focus the Oculory

Paratus will indicate that you should direct some fire and frost spells onto the crystal to change the way that it bends the light beams projected by the device.

If you look upward, you will see that the device receives one beam of light vertically, and splits it into three beams projected in various upward directions. The ultimate goal is to converge all of the beams into a pattern that will project an image on the wall below the control console.

Puzzle Solution

You may wish to save your game before taking the following steps: If you do not have both the Flames and Frostbite destruction spells, you can climb the ramp at the southeast point in the room and obtain one or both spell tomes from the table there. Only the Frostbite spell is required. Return to same position you assumed when placing the crystal. Notice that there are three horizontal blue bands circling the upper portion of the room, each with a round reflector positioned at some point around it. Direct a Frostbite spell into the middle of the ring where you placed the Crystal. When the beams move, cast a second Frostbite spell. When the beams move again, cast a third Frostbite spell. Note that other combinations of the Flames and Frostbite spells may also work. Do not use other spells. Step 5: Beam configuration after using spells Ensure that each of the three beams of light are now pointing into the middle of each blue band (none of the beams should point to the horizontal gold rims that separate the bands). You will need to move around to check all three beams. The photo indicates a correct configuration as viewed from the control console at the top of the ramp. A focused oculary Walk up the ramp at the southeast point in the room and use the buttons to rotate the bands until the round reflector on each band aligns with a light beam. The left button controls the top band, so press that until the beam aimed at the center of the top band meets the reflector. Then use the middle button to do the same for the middle band, and the right button to do so for the lower band. A sequence that will result in the proper alignment is: Activate the left button once. Activate the middle button six times. Activate the right button five times. When the oculory is correctly focused, it will appear as shown.

When the oculory is correctly focused, Paratus will be initially excited, but then begin to exclaim with distress that there is something wrong. He will communicate that the map should show more, and speculate that there is some kind of interference coming from Winterhold. He may accuse you of attempting to stall his work and suspiciously ask if you knew what they were trying to do. Approach him to see what he's talking about.

Talk to Paratus

Paratus will be looking at a map projected onto the wall under the control console. Speak to him and he will accuse you of trying to sabotage the Synod's efforts and demand that you explain yourself.

Whatever the course of the ensuing conversation, Paratus will ask if—or assume that—you have something "powerful" at your college. He will be suspicious about this and toward you, stating that he will be reporting the information to the Synod Council. You'll learn that the Synod intended to use the device to scan the continent for powerful sources of magic, "for the good of the Empire". One way or another, Paratus will let you know that the map indicates that the Staff of Magnus is in Labyrinthian.

You must now report this information to the Arch-Mage, Savos Aren.

Report to Savos Aren

You may now take a shortcut exit or return the long way back through the ruin.

To take the shortcut, leave the room containing the oculory. A short distance ahead, just past the barrels in the hallway, there is an exit door to the right. If you turn toward it, Nerien, the Psijic Order member who appeared to you in Saarthal, will visit you in another apparition. He will warn that you will encounter difficulties ahead, but assure you that you are on the right path and that you will prevail. He will urge you to return to the college immediately.

You will not receive Nerien's visit if you leave through the main entrance, but this will not impact your progress through the quest.

Ancano casting a spell on the Eye of Magnus

As you enter the Hall of the Elements, you'll find Arch-Mage Savos and Mirabelle in a panic. The door to the Eye of Magnus is blocked by a barrier that Mirabelle will speculate is some kind of ward, and they implicate Ancano in possibly creating it. They will cast destruction spells at the barrier. If you speak to Savos, he will ask your help in destroying the barrier, and say that they need to know what Ancano is doing in there.

You can help break down the barrier with destruction spells, but whether you do or not, the door will eventually open, and they will rush in. Savos will approach Ancano, who is casting a spell at the Eye, and command him to stop. Mirabelle will warn Savos not to go near Ancano, but Savos will begin casting a spell at him. At this point, all will go white, and the next thing you experience will be awakening just outside the building with Mirabelle asking if you are all right and saying that she needs your help.

When you reply that you think you feel well, the quest will complete and the quest Containment will activate with the objective of finding the Arch-Mage, as Mirabelle requests of you.

Achievements

One achievement is unlocked when you complete this quest:

• Revealing the Unseen (10 points/Bronze)

Bugs

Speaking with mirabelle and accidentally exiting talking before she finishes talking about the staff of magnus will forever take that talk option away

• If you leave the Mzulft Aedrome after inserting the crystal in the armillary but before focusing the Oculory with the spells, it won't respond to them on your next visit, making the quest unsolvable; this may also occur if you save, quit and reload after placing the crystal. ^?
• Mirabelle's second dialogue option in stage 99 of Revealing the Unseen may not advance the quest. Additionally, Mirabelle may be stuck on a rock outside the College wall; however, she can be accessed by jumping down toward her. ^?
• If the beams of light do not show up after placing the crystal in the Oculory, try exiting out of the game and restarting. ^?
• At the end of the ruin, when you are in the Oculory, Paratus will sometimes "be busy" or will not have any new dialog after you tell him you have the focusing crystal and again after you align the lights. You can go out of the Oculory room and take the right corridor to an exit door to Skyrim. Go out the door and re-enter and try to talk to Paratus in the Oculory. Either Paratus will respond with new dialog or a quest message will appear stating the stage has been completed. The audio for the conversation about the Labyrinthian may not play, but the follow-up stage to "go tell Savos Aren at Winterhold" will become active. ^?
• If you chose to take a nap just prior to adjusting the mirrors and that nap triggers the Dark Brotherhood quest (you've killed Grelod), then returning to complete the quest can/will result in a bug such that the mirrors don't adjust and pressing the buttons has no effect [PS3, as of 1.2 patch], rendering completion of this quest impossible. ^?
• Once you've cleared Mzulft Aedrome (final stage of the quest on "reach the oculory") there is a master locked door at the bottom of the room, leading to a chest. It is possible to enter the top of the locked room and become stuck permanently, requiring you to reload your last save. ^?
• The Mzulft map marker isn't added by the quest as the scripting for it wasn't set up properly. Also Gavros will not be in the entrance to Mzulft to give you the key. Updating the game to a newer version will not solve the problem for existing saved games.
  • This bug is fixed by version 1.0 of the Unofficial Skyrim Patch.
• After getting the journal entry which leads you to the College of Winterhold and exiting the dungeon from the nearby door, it is possible that the marker will not point you to the College of Winterhold, but rather back into the dungeon. You must retrace your steps all the way back to the original door for the marker to point at the College. ^?
• After returning from Mzulft, it is possible that none of Savos Aren's dialogue options will complete the objective Report to Savos Aren and give the next objective Reach Ancano. However, the scene continues and the quest completes as normal, but Containment (the next quest) never starts, rendering continuation of the College of Winterhold quest line impossible. ^?
• After meeting Paratus and the journal entry changing to "Follow Paratus," he may not move and only repeat the previous dialogue asking who you are. A solution to this is kill him and resurrect him through console commands (PC). ^?

Quest Stages

Revealing the Unseen (mg06)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
0
10		I've been asked to speak with Mirabelle Ervine to follow up on the Staff of Magnus. (Objective is assigned): Speak with Mirabelle Ervine
20		Mirabelle has told me that members of the Synod recently visited the College, mentioning the Staff of Magnus. They were last known to be heading towards Mzulft; they may know more about where to find the staff. (Objective is assigned): Find the ruins of Mzulft
25		(Objective is assigned): Search for Synod researchers
30		At Mirabelle's suggestion, I entered the ruins of Mzulft searching for the Synod researchers. I found one man who died, and suggested that more people may be inside at something called The Oculory. I should head further into the ruins to see what's going on. (Objective is assigned): Reach the Oculory
32		At Mirabelle's suggestion, I entered the ruins of Mzulft searching for the Synod researchers. I found Paratus Decimius, who appears to be the only surviving member of the Synod expedition, and who has insisted that a "focusing crystal" is necessary to finish his experiment but was stolen by the Falmer. (Objective is assigned): Find the Focusing Crystal
35		Exploring Mzulft while looking for information about the Staff of Magnus, I've encountered Paratus Decimius, the sole surviving member of a Synod expedition. I've found the focusing crystal he needs to finish his experiment, and should return it to him. (Objective is assigned): Return the Crystal to Paratus
37		(Objective is assigned): Follow Paratus
40		Paratus Decimius may know the location of the Staff of Magnus, but has asked for my help in completing an experiment in Mzulft. I need to follow him to the top of the ruins. (Objective is assigned): Place the Crystal into the Oculory
50		Paratus Decimius may know the location of the Staff of Magnus, but has asked for my help in completing an experiment in Mzulft. I need to use magic to attenuate Paratus' focusing crystal, and then manipulate the dwarven machinery to line up the beams of light. (Objective is assigned): Focus the Oculory
55		(Objective is assigned): Talk to Paratus
60		Traveling to Mzulft in search of the Synod, I found Paratus Decimius who helped me learn that the Staff of Magnus is located in Labyrinthian. This information needs to get back to Savos Aren at the College immediately. (Objective is assigned): Report to Savos Aren
70		After traveling to Mzulft and learning that the Staff of Magnus is located within Labyrinthian, I returned to the College to give the news to Arch-Mage Aren. Aren, however, is more concerned with the Eye of Magnus at the moment, since Ancano has locked himself in the Hall of the Elements with it. I need to help the Arch-Mage reach him at once.
99		The room explodes, Mirabelle is on the floor. After a short conversation she orders you to look for where the arch-mage has been blown to. (New quest): Containment
200		After finding the Synod in Mzulft, I learned that the Staff of Magnus can be found in Labyrinthian, and brought this news to the Arch-Mage.

 

Notes

• Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the Radiant Quest system, and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.
• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.
• If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
• On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage mg06 stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages, but it is possible to clear all stages of the quest using resetquest mg06.

Prev: Good Intentions

Up: College of Winterhold

Next: Containment