Vaermina (Quest)

Vaermina
Quest Giver	Vaermina
Location	Shrine of Vaermina Arkved's Tower
Prerequisite	Offering of a Black Soul Gem Level 5
Faction	Daedric Princes
Reward	Skull of Corruption
Type	Daedric Quests

For other uses, see Vaermina.

Vaermina is a quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. An offering to Vaermina of a black soul gem is required to begin this quest. The wizard Arkved has taken Vaermina's Orb, and she asks the Hero to retrieve it.

Walkthrough

Obtain a Black Soul Gem. Note that the two found during Cheydinhal Recommendation cannot be used as an offering, but the Colossal Black Soul Gem received towards the end of the Mages Guild questline can be used. Head to Vaermina's Shrine which is southwest of Cheydinhal on the northeast shore of Lake Poppad.

At the shrine

"We meet again, mortal, for we have met before, whether you know it or not. When you mutter in your sleep, you speak to me. When you waken wet with sweat, you've just left my house. I dwell in your dreams; I savor your nightmares. Now, you will serve me. The wizard Arkved has the Orb of Vaermina... snatched from the dreams of my followers and dragged into the waking world. Travel to his tower and retrieve my Orb. Take care, though, mortal. In my Orb, Arkved has found more than he bargained for."

―Vaermina

Vaermina asks the Hero to fetch Vaermina's Orb from Arkved, located in his tower, south-southwest of the shrine. Proceed to the tower.

Arkved's Tower

The external area of the tower, accessible by the stairs, contains several loot chests and no opponents.

Traverse southeast through the first area, Arkved's Tower. In the second room, is the first of many odd furnishings in the Tower, a fully set table attached to the ceiling. Exit at the far end to Arked's Void.

Arkveds Void

This area also contains no opponents and a few minor loot chests. Care should be taken to not fall off the bridges and rocks as the drop is lethal.

Enter the door into Arkved's Lost Hall, where several daedra lurk.

There is a door leading to Arkved's Oasis, but the other side is a short ledge with a long drop below. Jumping down leads only to an empty island around the tower surrounded by lava and a door back to Arkved's Lost Halls. It is simpler to proceed up the stairs and down the hallway and through Arkved's Bedroom to the door to the Hall of Changes.

Inside the Hall of Changes is a room with two leveled daedra and a Dark Welkynd Stone. After defeating the daedra, take the door straight ahead (southeast). The other door leads to a dead end with a skeleton that only contains a sample of bonemeal.

The following room contains six dead zombies, a chest and a trapdoor to Arkved's Retreat. The retreat is a pinnacle in the midst of a void with more dead bodies hanging from ropes. The only accessible thing here is a chest at the bottom of the ladder. The northeast door leads to an empty, dead end corridor. Take the southeast one to another square room with a Dark Welkynd Stone and two daedra. Take the southeast door from this room, the other two lead to dead ends. The short corridor ends in a trap door to Arkved's Rending Halls.

Proceed through the Rending Halls to the ladder to Arkved's Death Quarters. Unusual furnishings in this area include flaming corpses attached to walls and many more dead zombies, each with a sample of Mort Flesh, scattered around the floors.

Arkved's Death Quarters

Arkved's Death Quarters

Inside, one will find Arkved himself, but he's lying on the bed, unconscious. Grab Vaermina's Orb and read the Handwritten Note near it, which sheds some light on the nature of the orb.

Shrine of Vaermina

"My Orb is returned, and Arkved will live out the rest of his days in nightmare. It is fitting. You have proved yourself, mortal. It is fitting, as well, that you should bear my token."

―Vaermina

Go out through the door at the back of the bedroom and return to the shrine. Return the orb to Vaermina, and she will present the Hero with the unique staff called the Skull of Corruption.

Journal

Journal Entry
Update: After talking to Vaermina's followers: Vaermina's followers have told me that an offering of a black soul gem is needed in order to summon the Daedra. [You must be level 5 to begin this quest.]
Update: After offering the black soul gem to the shrine of Vaermina: After I left an offering of a black soul gem, Vaermina's followers summoned the Daedra, who spoke to me. Vaermina told me of an orb that had been stolen by the wizard Arkved. I am to travel to his tower, retrieve the Orb, and bring it back to Vaermina.
Update: After retrieving Vaermina's Orb: I have retrieved the Orb of Vaermina. I should now return it to the shrine.
Update: After returning the Vaermina's Orb: Vaermina was pleased that I returned the Orb of Vaermina. I have been rewarded with the Skull of Corruption. Quest complete

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Vaermina (Quest). 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.

• One cannot pickpocket Arkved, but one can kill him and loot the corpse for his white mage's robes and a small sum of gold. This will not affect the quest and does not count as a murder crime. When the Hero returns to the Shrine, Vaermina still says that he will live out his days in nightmare.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion