Black Books are tomes of esoteric knowledge found in The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn. There are seven different Black Books scattered through the ruins of Solstheim. These Black Books are Daedric Artifacts of Hermaeus Mora.

Contents 1 Background 2 Reading 3 Books 4 Trivia 5 Bugs 6 Appearances 7 References

BackgroundEdit

Black Books are esoteric tomes that are magical and other-worldly in nature. When read, they present the reader with exceptionally powerful knowledge that comes with incredible powers which mortals could never conceive. They are Daedric artifacts created by Hermaeus Mora to lure mortals into his service. Some appear to have been written in the past, while others appear to be from the future. They are much sought after as they contain hidden knowledge that grants the reader great power.

The Dragon Priest Miraak came into possession of one book that led him into the service of Hermaeus Mora. Eventually this resulted in him learning how to bend the will of Dov. ^[1] The Dwemer discovered another book  in the First Era. Since the acquisition and usage of hidden knowledge was somewhat a specialty of the Dwemer, and they began to study it to reveal its secrets. ^[2]

ReadingEdit

Opening a black book transports the reader into a region in the realm of Apocrypha. Once the region has been traversed, a book awaits on a pedestal. Reading the book grants a unique Power or ability.

However when opening a black book inside Apocrypha, the corresponding region of Apocrypha would not open. Instead the player would be transported back to Solstheim. This can be used to exit Apocrypha at any time without using(reaching) the hidden knowledge book typically set at the end of each Apocypha scenario. This is especially important in the case of reading Waking Dreams without activating the final main quest At the Summit of Apocrypha because after reaching the word wall for Dragon Aspect, there is no visible exit in form of interactive item while the door behind player is locked.

Black Books can only be read in Solstheim. Attempting to read a black book in Skyrim will result in the message: "A vision of Solstheim swims before your eyes and then is gone." When the message is acknowledged, the inventory closes and the surroundings shake briefly.

BooksEdit

Book	Location	Reward
Epistolary Acumen	Found in Nchardak during the quest "The Path of Knowledge".	Dragonborn Force Dragonborn Flame Dragonborn Frost
Filament and Filigree	Found in Kolbjorn Barrow during the quest "Unearthed".	Secret of Arcana Secret of Protection Secret of Strength
The Hidden Twilight	Found in Tel Mithryn, next to the Staff Enchanter.	Mora's Agony Mora's Boon Mora's Grasp
The Sallow Regent	Found in White Ridge Barrow	Seeker of Might Seeker of Shadows Seeker of Sorcery
The Winds of Change	Found in Bloodskal Barrow, during the quest "The Final Descent".	Companion's Insight Lover's Insight Scholar's Insight
Untold Legends	Found in Benkongerike, after the word wall.	Bardic Knowledge Black Market Secret Servant
Waking Dreams	Found in the Temple of Miraak during the main questline.	Skill tree reset in exchange of one dragon's soul.

TriviaEdit

• Some followers react to the Dragonborn reading a black book, making such comments as "I can't believe you do that on purpose", "Not again", "I wish you'd stop doing that", or "That can't be good for you..."
• Neloth can give the locations of Black Books in the quest "Lost Knowledge".
• The books remain as quest items after "At the Summit of Apocrypha" and cannot be dropped.
• A Black Book can be treated as a portable storage container while on Solstheim. Upon re-entering the "Winds of Change" the player is close to a chest and the exit. It is helpful to dump the heavy loot there while exploring, then take it back when near a merchant/permanent storage.
• The Sallow Regent is likely a reference to Robert Chambers' The King in Yellow.

BugsEdit

•  360    PS3  Upon exiting Apocrypha, the sound of paper whirling in the wind will persist. Saving and reloading the game should fix this.
•  360   PS3   Upon exiting Apocrypha from The Sallow Regent or The Hidden Twilight, the burning sound of the darkness will persist. Saving and reloading the game, or going back to Apocypha and returning should fix this.
•  360   If the Dragonborn falls into the water it results in death. When the game reloads the autosave, their health will continuously go down, even though in Solstheim. Loading a previous save is the only known fix.
•  PS3   When you use the perks book to exit out of The Sallow Regent, your health bar continues to go down. On two accounts this was fixed by going back into the book, conjuring a sword, start fighting the lurker while taking damage from the black 'fuzziness' and then falling/jumping down. A message appears on top left of the screen saying 'you cannot fight'. When it autoloads you, your healthbar is returned to normal.
•  PC   If the Dragonborn is stomped on by a Lurker  they can be flung into the air similar to a Giant. When they respawn in Solstheim they can end up unresponsive, walking into the ground or laying on their side. The only known fix is to load a previous save.
•  PC   Upon entering or exiting Apocrypha, any spells, shouts, or powers equipped will be immediately unequipped.
•  PC   The Dragonborn may be unable to leave apocrypha by reading a Black Book. To return to Solstheim, the Dragonborn can "die" by going into the water.
• Sometimes there are two copies of Untold Legends. Attempting to re-enter Apocrypha by reading Untold Legends may not happen, thus permanently locking the player out of that part of Apocrypha. The only known fix is to reload a previous save.
•  PS3   Entering and Exiting Apocrypha with Dragon Aspects active may cause the Dragonborn's facial hair to become invisible.
•  PC   Sometimes reading a Black Book will cause the player to enter into a non-stopping load screen.  Current "fixes" are to simply skip reading them until Bethesda releases a patch.
• Dialogue asking Neloth if he's found anymore Black Books may still be availible even after the Dragonborn has found all five. Neloth will point the Dragonborn towards a location that has already been cleared of the Black Book, thus rendering the quest impossible to complete.

AppearancesEdit

• The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn (First appearance)

ReferencesEdit

Start a Discussion Discussions about Black Books

• 

  Black Book Issues Filament

  2 messages
  • 
    A Wikia contributor
    Hey All. Im running DLC Dragonborn on a PS3 and decided to reread the Filament Book to check on what powers it has... unfortunately when I went... 2013-02-25T04:12:07Z
  • 
    A Wikia contributor
    I actually just went through this myself. I just went back to the location of the last book I used and stepped back into the light. It's m... 2013-05-19T02:17:42Z
• 

  NEVER remove the black books?!!

  42 messages
  • 
    GRAPtastic
    I don't know why you would want to get rid of the Black Books, with those books you can constantly go back and change the perk that ... 2013-04-30T09:59:35Z
  • 
    A Wikia contributor
    he only reason i dont like that i cant remove the black books (and other 'quest related' items) from my inventory is that in my mind it impl... 2013-05-16T06:01:57Z

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