Skyrim- From Calcelmo to Nchuand-Zel: The Downstairs Neighbors

The offshoot quickly deadends into a room that holds two things of note.  First, a considerable quanity of additional Dwemer scrap, strewn about not only the floor but several Dwemercraft metal shelves amongst the steamworks.  In addition, a small side area that appears to be a sort of closet holds an unlocked small stone chest, which you can rummage in for loot.  Returning to the hall and stepping out the large metal doors ends you up on a ledge in the ‘hub’ room of Nchuand-Zel.  Besides granting a different viewpoint on the somewhat-waterlogged room, this also lets you loot a high-value Dwemer metal chest of its contents, and if you really cannot resist leaping into water, a safe point from which to jump into the depths of the hub room.

Head back into Nchuand-Zel Quarters and make your way down the stairs you ignored earlier and you can start the Lower Nchuand-Zel Quarters right by looting even more Dwemer scrap metal.  You are going to have so many ingots of Dwarven Metal when this is all over.

Follow the hallway ahead to a left turn, where you can pick up more scrap, and then do so again at the subsequent right turn.  This last section of hallway leads to some upward stone stairs with a pair of dead Falmer at the bottom.  Approach the stairs and ascend them very cautiously- there are Fire Rune traps at the top, waiting to incinerate you.  Fortunately for you, three curious Falmer and a frostvenom spider are also up there, and with a little luck and some arrows to draw attention you can lure them across their own trap, incinerating and exploding them even as you clear the way for your own passage.  Alternately, showing your face and retreating can draw them into the explosion’s trigger, or even better, you can hurl your own fireball into the area for a chain of fiery death booms.

At any rate, when you reach the top of the stair you will find that this area is not very typical of Dwemer ruins- among other things, there is a live tree growing behind some Dwemer metal fences to the right of the top of the stairs.  The tree, unfortunately, has nothing to offer but the potential for yet another flame rune trap, but you can also spot the body of Stromm here, alongside a table strewn with supplies (and even more Dwemer metal).  In the middle of the table is Stromm’s journal, which mentions that he and some guards stayed here so that he could investigate the living areas and the rest of the expedition went on to other parts of the ruins.  It also mentions the Falmer- apparently, the expedition group was closing off all the areas that they could find where the Falmer might be coming through with rockfalls- and yet the snow elves continued to show up somehow.  Apparently, the waiting took too long, as Stromm is dead, and a number of Falmer were occupying the area until you came in and slew them.