Arniel's Endeavor

Arniel's Endeavor
Quest Giver	Arniel Gane
Location	College of Winterhold
Prerequisite	Completion of Hitting the Books
Faction	College of Winterhold
Reward	Summon Arniel's Shade
Type	Side Quest
Quest ID	MGRArniel01 MGRArniel02 MGRArniel03 MGRArniel04

Background

After completing Hitting the Books, asking Arniel if there is anything you can assist with will begin the quest. This quest has four phases. Speaking to Arniel Gane of the College of Winterhold will reveal that he is working on a secret project and requires the Dragonborn's help.

Walkthrough

Part one – Dwemer Cogs

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.

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

File:Warped Soul Gem.jpg

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 a staff (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:

• Boulderfall Cave
• Brittleshin Pass
• Fellglow Keep
• Ilinalta's Deep
• Cragwallow Slope
• Morvunskar
• Falkreath Watchtower (crossroads)
• Harmugstahl
• Yngvild
• Rannveig's Fast
• Boulderfall Cave
• Ansilvund
• North Brittleshin Pass
• Hob's Fall Cave
• Southfringe Sanctum
• Movarth's Lair
• Sunderstone Gorge
• House of Clan Battle-Born in Whiterun (behind the locked door)

Part three – Dwemer Convector

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 Gane then teaches the spell required to heat the convectors (a novice Destruction spell). Three seconds burn 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, and can be fast-traveled to.

• 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 Den^DG

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) leaving the Dragonborn with a completed quest and 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. Objective: Deliver ten cogs to Arniel Gane
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. Quest complete
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. Objective: Speak to Enthir
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>. Objective: Acquire the Staff
30	Objective: Deliver the staff to Enthir
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. Objective: Talk 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. Quest complete
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. Objective: Place the warped soul gem into a Convector Objective: Place the warped soul gem into another Convector Objective: Place the warpred [sic] [Do not change this to warped. This misspelled word is how it appears in-game.] soul gem into a final Convector
20	Objective: Heat the Convector
30	Objective: Retrieve the soul gem
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. Objective: Deliver the soul gem to Arniel
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. Quest complete
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. Objective: Talk to Enthir
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. Objective: Find the courier
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. Objective: Deliver the package to Arniel
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. Objective: Observe Arniel's experiment
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. Quest complete

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's possible to find the Courier before taking the fourth part of Arniel's Endeavor quest, then you have 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 to destroy the Heart of Lorkhan and stop Dagoth Ur from destroying Morrowind, or, rather, all in Morrowind who weren't Dunmer.
• If the player collects 10 Dwemer Cogs before talking to Arniel to get the first part of his quest, there is no option to ask what he wants them for, which is the dialogue option to start the quest. Instead, the option will be "I've got the cogs," and as Arniel takes them, the game announces that the "Arniel's Endeavor" quest is finished, even though it wasn't even started.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Arniel's Endeavor. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

Click to show

Keening can fall through the floor and appear in the room below.  360   In part two, when attempting to hand in the staff, the staff stays in the inventory even after handing it over. The warped soul gem will be given and Arniel will give thanks and say he has much to do. The quest will finish but the next part in the quest chain will not start. In some cases, though, the quest chain will continue. (The next quest starts after 'The Staff of Magnus' quest is finished.) Sometimes the quest for Arniel's Endeavor begins even after completion. The reason for this is unknown. But if this occurs the quest is impossible to complete.  360   PS3   The above bug can occur with no consequences whatsoever, apart from the Dragonborn being left with the staff as a non quest item. This still happens as of Xbox Patch 1.9.  PC   360   PS3   A bug occurs in part two where the staff does not appear where the quest marker indicates.  PC (Fix)   Type player.additem 0006a093 1into the console to receive the staff. Then type setstage MGRArniel02 30 into the console to advance the quest forward one stage to where the staff is given to Enthir. Give the staff to Enthir, and the rest of the quest will progress as if the bug never occurred. A bug may occur if the staff is put on a weapon rack instead of giving it to Enthir. Even if it is put back in the inventory, the quest won't continue.  PC   360   PS3   In part three, the warped soul gem may not heat up when Arniel's convection spell is used.  PC (Fix)   This console command will fix it: setstage MGRArniel03 20. This will allow heating the warped soul gem in any convector.  PC   360   PS3   In part three, if there are duplicates of the warped soul gem, they can be deposited into a Dwemer convector to remove them from the inventory. Keeping one is advised. Once the extras have been dealt with and the other Dwemer convectors have been used, return to Arniel to progress the quest.  PC (Fix)   Using the console command to remove duplicate warped soul gems from the inventory until one is left should solve this: player.removeitem 0006a10a 1. If that ID code does not work, one of the following will: 0006a106 / 006a107 / 0006a108 / 006a109/ 0010e44b.  PC   360   If stuck on the first convector used in part three of this quest, constantly seeing the message to "place the gem in the final convector," this indicates that the quest is bugged. The only workaround is to keep trying until the duplicate soul gem bug is encountered. Even though the message to use the 'final' convector will appear, it will be possible to use a second convector and continue to a third.  360   Try using very short bursts of Arniel's convection when heating as opposed to constant flow as a possible solution when receiving the message to place the gem in the final convector after only performing the mission in the first convector. Regular quest updates for second and third convectors should appear. Fix: after heating the soul gem in the first convector, try retrieving the soul gem by using the take all function instead of taking the soul gem as an individual item.  PC (Fix)  : place warp gem into convector use console command setstage MGRArniel03 20. Game will go to part four.  360   PC   When dual wielding the convection spell on the convector, the quest will glitch, saying to go to the final convector, making it impossible to complete the quest.  PC (Fix)  : Using the console command to add a duplicate warped soul gem into your inventory using: player.additem 0006a10a 1. Place both warped soul gems into a convertor and heat them. Take out one gem from the convector and the quest should update (you can take the second one but it will destroy the first one). In part four, if Keening has already been discovered and claimed from the courier's body, the quest marker will be attached to the courier's body, and the quest will not acknowledge possession of the dagger.  PC (Fix)   Use the console command to jump ahead in the quest to where the courier's body is looted (Keening must be in the inventory): setstage MGRArniel04 30  360   PS3   Equip the dagger, then place it in a weapon rack. Taking the item from the weapon rack should trigger the progression of the quest.  PC   After retrieving Keening and returning to the College of Winterhold, the door to the Hall of Elements from the main courtyard becomes stuck ajar so that entering the main building of the College through it is impossible. Go to the balcony level either via the Hall of Countenance or the Hall of Attainment and enter one of the doors to the Arcanaeum to reach the Hall of Elements.  PC (Fix)   The bug fixes itself after a few in-game days. Arniel will be found outside of the college, on the snowbank close to the river. After delivering the dagger, he will attempt to start his experiment but nothing will happen. Using Unrelenting force to push him from where he is standing (down towards the water) should enable him to walk back to the College. Waiting a few hours will not stop his course. It is best to do this before he is given the dagger so he is in the right spot for the end of the quest.  PC   360   PS3   There is a rare bug where after completing the quest and Arniel disappears, none of the quest reward items were left behind. He advises the Dragonborn to step back, but ignore him, and stand beside the crystal. This seemed to work for some. It is possible that Keening won't be received, but the Summon Arniel's Shade spell will. Sometimes, after he explains his experiment, he won't equip Keening and he'll strike the soul gem with his normal weapon. (For the second strike, he also misses with his hammer and hits the wall behind the gem.)  PC   The final objective in part three, "Deliver the soul gem to Arniel", is not properly set as completed by the game. This does not seem to affect game play.  360   Arniel will hit the warped soul gem with his axe, not Keening. However, he will still disappear as though he had used Keening, the difference is purely visual.  360   The first heating of the warped soul gem may repeat on the spot, completing part three. This has no observed negative consequences.  PC   The quest might ask you to put a "warped" soulgem in a convector instead. No known fix except to reload from an earlier point. If the player has 10 Dwemer Cogs in his/her inventory before beginning the quest, speaking to Arniel Gane will give the option to give him the cogs regardless of the fact that he hasn't asked for them yet. Doing so results in a "Quest Completed" notification appearing before the "Quest Started" notification. There are no ill effects from this bug, it's just unusual.