Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Dragonborn Walkthrough (Fate of the Skaal, Cleansing the Stones, and The Path of Knowledge)

The Fate of the Skaal

After emerging the cave, Frea will tell you that her people are in need of help and start to make her way toward her village.  Follow her through the mountains and across a wooden bridge into a very “Skyrim” looking village.

Frea will introduce you to the elders of her village.   Talk to the one called Storn Crag-Strider, who will ask you about being Dragonborn and suggest you travel to Saering’s Watch to learn the Word of Power.

Saering’s Watch filled with Draugr and, even worse, an Elder Dragon.  Battle your way through the Draugr while avoiding the dragon.  If you stay mobile, going from Draugr to Draugr, the dragon should not be able to do much damage.  Once the Draugr are slain, you can go one-on-one with the winged reptile.  After dispensing with the beast, head up the stairs and acquire the Word of Power.

Now you will have the “Bend Will” Shout and need to use it on the Wind Stone   Go the marker on your map to find the objective, The Wind Stone is another structure that is under construction, with many of the Skaal working on it.  Walk to the center of the structure and activate the Wind Stone, the screen will go black and you will find yourself suddenly working on the Wind Stone.  Now use the Dragon Shout, “Bend Will” and a monster called a lurker will emerge.  Kill it and return to the Skaal village.

Upon reaching the village enter the Shaman House and find Storn.  He will thank you for your work and give you two new quests.

Cleansing the Stones

The closest stone to the Skaal Village is the beast stone, located southwest of the Skaal Village.  Head to the marker on your map, If you are traveling from the Skaal Village it is just around the lake and up the mountain past Thrisk Mead Hall.  You will find Reaklings working on the Stone similar to the Skaal working on the Wind Stone.

There are a couple Cultists keeping watch.  Kill them and use the “Bend Will” Shout on the stone.  As before, a Lurker will appear (this one will come from higher on the mountain).  You will find that lurkers are fairly easy to kill if you bait them with minions working the structure, stay behind the lurker, and use the “Slow Time” Shout to finish them quickly. Kill the beast and continue to the Sun Stone on your map.

You can basically make a bee line from the Beast Stone to the Sun Stone with no interruption.  Just go south until the snow turns to sand and look for the stone structure with the glowing green light emanating from it.

Reavers will be working on this stone, babbling in crazy brainwashed talk.  Use the “Bend Will” shout to activate the Sun Stone. Again a lurker will appear, however, this time he has got some company in the form of ash spawn.  Kill the lurker first, then kill its minions and it is time to move on to the Earth Stone.

The Earth Stone is southwest of Raven Rock (the docks you first landed on). Follow the coast north and it will wrap around to bring you to the stone.  The Brasal are working on this one and again you will the “Bend Will” Shout to activate the stone.  Kill the lurker and move on to the Water Stone.

You can follow the coast north and should find the Water Stone fairly easy.  It is being worked on by the Hjalfar.  Walk to the center and use “Bend Will” again.  The last lurker will be a lurker guardian, he is only mildly more difficult.  Kill the lurker guardian and the mission is over.

The Path of Knowledge

Now that you have cleansed the stones, head back southeast past where you activated the Sun Stone and continue south to Tel Mithryn.  The village is a series of giant mushrooms, follow the marker to find Neloth’s home.  Enter the home and float up the tower.  Then find the wizard and talk to him.

Neloth will want to accompany you to the ancient dwarven ruins of Nchardak, where he found another black book.  Exit the wizard’s home and follow the western coast till you see the dome-topped ruins  There are a couple reaver archers and a thug hanging around the front of the ruins.  Try to kite the thug away one-on-one and then tend to the archers.  The towers surrounding the ruins contain reaver mages who will try and do damage from afar.  Try to remain out of cover as little as possible and you should be fine.

After you kill the reavers, Neloth will find you and open a door to the library. Follow him in and Neloth will explain that you need to restore the steam supply to the Dwemer reading room. He’ll open another door, pull a switch and disappear.  Follow him.

Neloth will lead you down into the boiler room where he will activate the pumps in the room to lower the water pressure and tell you to gather three more cubes.  Pick up the cube he just placed on the pedestal and follow Neloth to the door.  Here, place the cube on the pedestal to the door’s left, then enter the door.

In this room follow Neloth to a hallway with a fire trap.  Take the cube from the pedestal to stop the flames.  Once the trap is deactivated, two mechanical spiders will attack you.  Kill them and move into the room with two waterfalls.  Place a cube in the northern pedestal across the bridge to stop the north side waterfall, then destroy the two dwarven spheres and the mechanical spiders on the bottom level of the room.

On the top level of the room there is another mechanical spider and a Dwemer Centurion. Then go back down to the bottom level to a red control pedestal in front of the northern door.  Place a cube on that pedestal to create stairs leading up to the door and go through it.

There are two doors in this room.  The eastern door contains a chest with a couple potions and gold, the western door contains another cube.  Pick it up and kill the three mechanical spiders that attack once its claimed.  When you return to the central room you will see that the water level has risen.  Swim to the cube you placed in the pedestal at the end of the bridge and pick it back up.

Now enter the southern room, here you will find a couple of Dwemer ballistas and a mechanical spider.  Kill them and go to the northern-most nook of the room where you will find the last cube.  Pick it up and the water level will start to rise, releasing a Dwemer centurion.  Swim to the high ground and use any ranged attacks you have to fight the centurion.  Then swim back out to the center room and backtrack to the first room you were in with the boiler controls.

Place cubes in both of the top two pedestals, which will lower the water. Then  kill the mechanical spiders and Dwemer spheres that attack.  Then follow Neloth down the path created by the sinking water level and kill the two ballistas waiting for you.  Then, use the control cube on the pedestal to the left of the door and follow Neloth through.

Descend the stairs and Neloth will tell you that you will have to lower three bridges to reach the pump control.  Above where you entered are the switch and stairs to reach them.  Use the switch to the left first, then the switch to the right, and all three bridges will lower.  Follow Neloth across the bridges, killing three mechanical spiders and three Dwemer spheres.  Once across all the bridges you will find another control pedestal, use it to lower the water.  Neloth will stay behind to grab the last sphere, so leave him and jump down to the bottom floor.  On the west side of the room is another door that can be opened by a control switch.  In this room you have to dodge two blade traps, then use the switch to the right to open the door. Once the door is open, grab the last cube and return to the bridge room. You might want to hurry as the room will fill with water and you will have to swim your way out.

Once back in the bridge room, Neloth will grab the cube you used to lower the water and follow you back into the first room with the boiler controls.  Place two cubes on two of the four pedestals on the lower platform with the boiler controls.  Then return to the two cubes you used to lower the water in this room. Take one from the water control pedestals and speak to Neloth to get the one he recovered from the previous room.  Activate all the boiler controls and a Dwemer Centurion master will attack.  He’s big and powerful, but very slow.  Try to stay behind him and do your damage.

After the boiler is working and Centurion killed go across the bridge the Centurion crossed to get to you and search the chest to find valuable loot.  Then return back up to the reading room with Neloth where he will active the device and reveal the book.  Collect it and complete the quest.