Elder Scrolls
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Elder Scrolls

Good Intentions is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is the fourth quest in the main questline for the College of Winterhold.

Background

Urag has asked me to mention the Night of Tears book to Tolfdir.

The mysterious orb found under Saarthal has been brought back to the College of Winterhold.

Objectives

Walkthrough

The Eye of Magnus and the Psijic monk

Good intentions

Quaranir, Ancano and Savos Aren

Tolfdir has returned from Saarthal, and with the help of the Arch-Mage, has moved the giant floating orb of crackling energy into the Hall of the Elements. Tolfdir can be found nearby, studying it.

He can be asked if he has any lower-priority tasks to be completed (beginning any of the College's additional quests). The Dragonborn can also tell him that Urag gro-Shub suggested coming to see him and that a book was found entitled Night of Tears.

He says that he will have to read it, but that he is having difficulty tearing himself away from the beauty of the orb, called the Eye of Magnus. If permitted, he will make a few observations.

He observes that the markings are quite unlike anything he has seen before; not even Falmer runes are a match. The object is also radiating Magicka, and this has caused the Arch-Mage to fully commit to researching the orb.

Tolfdir is about to continue when he is interrupted by Ancano. Tolfdir reluctantly agrees to let the Dragonborn leave with Ancano, who has important information to impart.

Ancano says that someone from the Psijic Order has appeared at the College and is asking for the Dragonborn by name. He can be questionned further.

The quest continues by following him out of the Hall of the Elements and into the Arch-Mage's Quarters. There, a cloaked figure resembling the Psijic Monk, that was encountered during the quest "Under Saarthal," appears again as time pauses for everyone around. He introduces himself as Quaranir.

According to Quaranir, the longer the Eye remains in the College, the more dangerous the situation becomes. They expect dire consequences if the Eye is not banished, but the future is obscure, and the Psijic Order is unsure how the Dragonborn must act. Seeking out the Augur of Dunlain is the next logical step. The monk disappears as the effect of his presence dissipates, Ancano and Savos Aren return to normal.

Augur of Dunlain

Ancano is furious at the Psijic Order's interruption and vows to get to the bottom of this matter.

Looking for answers

Before searching for the Augur, it is possible to gain a little more information about the Augur by asking the College's inhabitants about it:

  • Ancano claims to know nothing about the Augur.
  • Savos Aren is rather annoyed that Tolfdir has been telling stories again.
  • Colette Marence relates a tragic story of an experiment gone horribly wrong; the ghost of the unfortunate College member is said to still roam the halls.
  • Urag gro-Shub has little to say on the subject.
  • Mirabelle Ervine says that the Augur is nothing that needs to be of concern, and remains tight-lipped about whatever was going on, though Mirabelle can be persuaded to reveal the location of the Augur with the Speech skill.
  • Arniel Gane, Enthir, and the other Apprentices say they do not know anything, but suggest speaking to Tolfdir about it.

The Midden

When Tolfdir is asked about the Augur of Dunlain, he will say it has been years since he has spoken with him. The Augur is down in The Midden. The Midden may be accessed by a trap door on the floor of the Hall of Countenance, hidden under the stairs, or through another trapdoor on the north-west side of the College's main courtyard, near the entrance to the Hall of Elements.

The underground system of ancient tunnels known as the Midden runs beneath the College. It consist of a series of passages, stairs and small rooms. The remains of several experiments or rituals are scattered around. A Draugr, Skeletons, Frostbite Spiders and Ice Wraiths roam these gloomy corridors.

The Atronach Forge and the Daedric Relic can be found while searching The Midden. Near the Forge is an entrance to The Midden Dark, where the quest continues.

The Dark Midden

Augur of dunlain

The Augur of Dunlain

Note: the entire monologue must be listened to in a single "session." If the conversation menu is left, the quest stage will not be marked as completed, and the entire conversation will need to be restarted.

As the frozen bridge is crossed, the Dragonborn begins to hear the voice of the Augur, echoing through the tunnels. He says that there is nothing for the Dragonborn here and that perseverance will only lead to disappointment. The sealed door to the Augur's chamber is locked. Trying it will cause the Augur to let the Dragonborn into his oubliette.

The Augur explains it is too late to change. It also says that the Dragonborn is not the only one who has visited the Augur recently, and that the Thalmor, Ancano, has been here too.

Thinking that Ancano was simply here to strengthen his own hand, the Augur neglected to tell him that the Eye of Magnus is extremely dangerous, and a staff of great power is required to mitigate this threat. The Staff of Magnus needs to be found.

The Dragonborn must now return to Savos Aren, who is probably near the Eye of Magnus. Upon telling him that there is important information which he needs to hear, he initially scoffs at the request to find the Staff of Magnus, but after the Dragonborn mentions who gave this information, he is impressed by the Dragonborn's initiative and requests that they should locate the staff. He then adds that Mirabelle Ervine mentioned something about the staff, but it was a while ago. This ends this quest and begins the next, "Revealing the Unseen."

Rewards

Journal

Journal Entry
Urag has asked me to mention the Night of Tears book to Tolfdir.
  • Objective: Speak with Tolfdir
I've mentioned the Night of Tears book to Tolfdir, who seems distracted by the orb from Saarthal, and has some additional thought about it.
  • Objective: Listen to Tolfdir
While discussing the Saarthal orb with Tolfdir, Ancano interrupted and insisted I follow him.
  • Objective: Follow Ancano
Ancano interrupted my conversation with Tolfdir to insist that I speak with someone claiming to be from the Psijic Order, who is waiting in the Arch-Mage's quarters in the College.
  • Objective: Speak with Quaranir
I've been led to the Arch-Mage's quarters by Ancano, who was insistent that I speak to someone claiming to be from the Psijic Order. The monk, named Quaranir, has informed me that the "Eye of Magnus" is dangerous and that to learn how to deal with it, I need to speak with The Augur of Dunlain within the College. I should ask my fellow members where to find him.
  • Objective: Find the Augur of Dunlain
I've been led to the Arch-Mage's quarters by Ancano, who was insistent that I speak to someone claiming to be from the Psijic Order. The monk, named Quaranir, has informed me that the "Eye of Magnus" is dangerous and that to learn how to deal with it, I need to speak with The Augur of Dunlain within the College. He can be found in the Midden, beneath the College.
After speaking with Quaranir from the Psijic Order and being warned of the danger of keeping the Eye of Magnus at the College, I sought out and talked to the Augur of Dunlain, who lives in the Midden beneath the College. The Augur told me that I'll need to find the Staff of Magnus, and to give that information to my superiors immediately.
  • Objective: Report to Savos Aren
After speaking privately with a monk from the Psijic Order, I have been warned that the "Eye of Magnus" is potentially dangerous and must be dealt with. After consulting with the Augur of Dunlain beneath the College, I have brought word to the Arch-Mage that the Staff of Magnus needs to be located.
  • Quest complete

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Good Intentions. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

  1. Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 see the list of bugs encountered
  • At times the monk does not appear, causing the blue time freeze to appear without dialogue.
  • It is possible that, after talking to Quaranir, the door to Skyrim will not open. This can be solved by leaving the entrance and coming back and trying the door again.
  • When the quest says to follow Ancano, sometimes he stands in the corner of the room with the doors that lead to Skyrim, the Arcaneum, and the locked Arch-Mage's quarters. When Ancano is walked up to, he says "I said let's go now" and shows the questions available to ask. Even if all are asked he will remain where he is. There is no known fix.
  • Sometimes after mentioning the "Night of Tears" to Tolfdir, the objective "Listen to Tolfdir" is given, but he does not talk and he just stares at the Dragonborn. Then when Ancano comes to talk he will do the same.
  •  PC   360   PS3   There seems to be an occasional bug that causes this quest line to derail upon the completion of the quest "Good Intentions." In other words, this quest can be completed successfully, but it will be impossible to get the following quests for the College of Winterhold.
  •  PC   360   PS3   It is possible that if Mzulft has been cleared previously, and/or Sergius Turrianus is dead, it may obstruct the quest "Revealing the Unseen" from starting.
  • When using Clairvoyance, the Dragonborn is pointed all around Skyrim, as though some entirely different quest is active.
  • After talking with Augur of Dunlain, if the Hall of Elements is entered to talk with the Arch-Mage whilst a dragon is attacking Winterhold, every one in the College will start attacking thin air, and the Arch-Mage becomes unresponsive. This can be fixed by exiting the hall and killing the dragon. Note that the dragon has a chance of glitching when it lands. After killing the dragon, the Arch-Mage and a few other College members appear at the entrance of the bridge to the College.
  • When the time freeze takes effect, there is an invisible wall blocking the exit to the rest of the world. It is possible to bypass the wall by using a platter or wooden plate to go through one of the walls on the sides and dropping into the staircase below. After succeeding, the Dragonborn can then explore all of Skyrim with the time stop visual effects. However, time will not be actually stopped outside of the Arch-Mage's Quarters.
    • It will require another platter or wooden plate to return for continuing the quest. It can be used to go through the wall between the staircases and opposite from the invisible one. Falling into the void below will teleport the Dragonborn back to where he/she was when the time stop took effect.
  • Sometimes, the "show on map" ability from the journal entry will not function properly between speaking with Quaranir and receiving the information on the Augur's location. It will not affect the quest itself, however.


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