Online:Dark Knowledge

Find and destroy three deadly tomes. Zone: Khenarthi's Roost Quest Giver: Cartirinque Location(s): Khenarthi's Roost Reward: Inducer's Scalpel Average Leveled Gold XP Gain: Standard XP ID: 4667

"Halt! Come no closer!" — A spirit with a warning

A spirit named Cartirinque warned me of dark knowledge sealed in three forbidden tomes. She asked me to find all three and destroy them in a shrine on Khenarthi's Roost.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Find Cartirinque near one of the tomes.
2. Collect the three cursed tomes: (see Notes section regarding location of tomes)
   1. Ritual of Resonance, either west of Eagle's Strand or south of Mistral
   2. Masterwork of the Inducer, either north-northeast of Eagle's Strand or north-northeast of Temple of the Crescent Moons
   3. Journal of Bravam Lythandas, either northwest of Temple of the Mourning Springs or west of Mistral
3. Find the shrine.
4. Speak with Sahira-daro and Cartirinque.
5. Burn the books or give them to Sahira-daro.

Detailed Walkthrough

Cartirinque: "Halt! Come no closer!"

While traveling on Khenarthi's Roost, you may run into Cartirinque, a spirit who warns you to stay away from where she is. Despite her words, you can approach her to see what she is talking about.

"Is this my doom, then? To haunt this island, warning others of a danger I could not defeat? What a miserable non-existence."

What do you mean?

"I paid the ultimate price for my hubris. Three books, each with the same curse. I thought myself strong enough to destroy them. But they are a trap for the weak-minded. Listen carefully. Can't you hear them call to you?"

No, I only hear you.

"But how? Are you strong enough to resist their call? Could you bring them to the shrine, and finish what I did not?
Heed my words. The forbidden knowledge within those books isn't for this world. They must be destroyed!"

Tell me what I would need to do.

"The curse upon each tome is designed to feed souls to Oblivion. But if you are able to resist their pull, you can collect the tomes and bring them to the shrine for their destruction."

Where is this shrine?

"On the shores of Khenarthi's Roost, beyond the town of Mistral. It is lit by an ever-burning flame.
Should you collect all the tomes, bring them to the shrine without delay. No matter how strong you believe you are, I fear the tomes are stronger."

The mage was a victim of the book's curse which led to her death and stopped her mission of destroying it. Due to your unique nature, the books' curse has difficulty working on you. Cartirinque will ask you to collect the book and three others and take them to an old shrine to destroy them before others get hurt.

The three books can be found around Khenarthi's Roost and each book will have alternative locations (see Notes section regarding location of tomes). While you search for the books, you may hear a dark male voice with no discernible source whisper to you as you get close to one.

Unseen Voice: "Knowledge is power."

Unseen Voice: "Revelations await."

Unseen Voice: "Don't believe her lies!"

Naridir defends herself from a Dremora

The Ritual of Resonance can be either be found near crossroads south of Mistral (map) or on a crate from shipwreck debris west of Eagle's Strand (map). As you approach, you will witness a vision of Naridir and her own experience with book.

Naridir is seen crouching over a body:

Naridir: "Whew! Harder than expected. Let's see if it was worth it."

A portal opens behind her and a Dremora steps out of it.

Dremora: "Now you die, mortal!"

Naridir: "Not now. Not ever!"

Naridir and the Dremora will then fight.

Miranya is attacked by daedra

You will find the Masterwork of the Inducer either on some rocks west of the Speckled Shell Plantation (map) or on a tree stump north of the Temple of the Crescent Moons (map). When you pick up the book, you will witness a vision of Miranya and her experience.

Miranya appears sitting while reading the book:

Miranya: "At last! This book had best be worth the price."

A portal then opens behind her and she stands up to look at it.

Miranya: "What? What is that?"

A Watcher appears and glowing green lights surround it. Miranya will then lament.

Miranya: "Wait! I only wanted to make something beautiful!"

The Watcher attacks and the vision ends.

A daedroth attacks Baezad-jo

The Journal of Bravam Lythandas can either be found north of the Temple of the Mourning Springs, on the beach (map); or northeast of the Temple of the Dark Moon (map).

The vision this time will show the fate of the Khajiit Baezad-jo. Baezad-jo is first seen reading the book:

Baezad-Jo: "Finally! Baezad-jo will find this fabled brush."

A portal opens behind him.

Baezad-Jo: "What? What is this?"

A daedroth appears and Baezad-jo begins to beg.

Baezad-Jo: "Please, no! This one will stop looking!"

He is hit by the daedroth, then the vision disappears.

With all tomes in hand, you will need to find the old shrine Cartirinque mentioned. Travel to the northwest section of the island and the ruins south of Windcatcher Plantation. There will be a number of harpies in the area. As you approach, the Unseen Voice will call out to you with a plea.

Unseen Voice: "Pain lies ahead. Turn back, master. This is not the place for us."

You can then search the area until you come across Sahira-daro, a seeker of knowledge. Talk with her to see what she knows about the shrine and her reasons for being there.

"This one does not understand. This shrine is supposed to be lit with an ever-burning flame!
Perhaps Sahira-daro has thrown good money after bad."

Who are you?

"A simple Khajiit, doing what she can to survive.
Sahira-daro came to this shrine for guidance. It's said the flame gives visions to those who seek it."

What do you seek?

"Answers to unasked questions. Mysteries defined by the stars themselves. And if Sahira-daro makes some gold along the way, all the better.
This shrine is key to all of these things."

What's so special about this shrine?

"It's a shrine to Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of knowledge. They say if you stare into the fire, all will be revealed.
But without the ever-burning flame, there's no way to find the lost books."

Lost books? What lost books?

"Tomes, lost to the ages. They're full of secrets from an earlier time, a connection to our past and a bridge to our future.
It doesn't matter what lies the spirit told. Sahira-daro will find those books!"

What do you mean, a spirit lied to you?

"While searching for the shrine, a spirit appeared to me and warned me away. Don't you see? Hermaeus Mora rewards the pursuit of knowledge. The spirit is a test to keep lazy seekers away!"

Choose between Sahira-daro and Cartirinque's wishes

Once you have finished speaking with her, Cartirinque will appear and Sahira-daro will recognize her.

Sahira-daro: "That's her! It's the lying spirit!"

Talk with Cartirinque for her side of the story. She will immediately ask that you destroy the books as you set out to do.

"Don't listen to this fool's words. The forbidden tomes must be destroyed. Place them in the shrine's flame, quickly!"

There's no flame in the shrine.

"What? That isn't possible.
No matter. I'll rekindle the shrine's fire with my own essence, but you must promise to destroy them. You saw what happens to those who possess the tomes!"

Nothing bad has happened to me so far.

"Then that is a blessing. Once the books begin calling to you, there is little time before they ensnare you completely.
Burn the books! Don't let their burden destroy you."

With this, the shrine's brazier has been relit and you have been given a choice. You may either destroy the books, as Cartirinque requests, or give them to Sahira-daro. If you talk with either of them, you can question them further; Sahira-daro will offer to pay you for them, as she places more value in them than you do and, as a Khajiit, she is invested in trade. Meanwhile, Cartirinque will confirm that the shrine is dedicated to Hermaeus Mora and that it was her that conjured the visions from prior events as a warning.

Should you give the tomes to Sahira-daro, the flame will go out, Cartirinque will disappear without a word, and Sahira-daro will begin to wander off after giving you a token of hers and some gold. A moment later, she'll stop.

Sahira-daro: "Hmm. Perhaps Sahira-daro should examine her purchase."

As she reads, an orange ball of magic appears behind her, eventually zapping her with a spark and taking her with it as it disappears.

Will you destroy the books?

Should you attempt to destroy the books, walk over to the brazier. The books will do their utmost to stop you, just work through pain and you will succeed.

<You lift the books toward the fire, but your hand freezes in place. You feel a prickling shoot across your skin. A faint pain blossoms in the back of your head.>

<Walk away without burning the books.>

You are able to change your mind and give the books to Sahira-daro or go back to the fire to burn them. This result will also happen if you back out further on.

<Burn the books.>

<Your hand remains in place, clutching the books. A chill shoots through your body. The pain in your head blooms.>

<Walk away. Protect the books.>

<Ignore the pain. Burn the books.>

<Your hand shakes and your vision blurs, but your fingers do not release their grip on the books. The pain in your head is excruciating.>

<Walk away. Walk away. Walk away.>

<Burn the books. Burn the books. Burn the books.>

<The books slip from your fingers. The flames roar. The pain fades.>

Once you succeed the voice that has been following you will cry out for the final time.

Unseen Voice: "Master, no! The flames burn us! It hurts, it hurts!"

After it is done, Sahira-daro will not be angry but disappointed, so talk to Cartirinque.

"You've done it. The tomes are gone! I can't hear them anymore."

Are you certain?

"I'm certain. But no one else shall fall into their trap.
You managed what I could not. But it is done, which is all that matters."

She gives you the same reward as Sahira-daro's path, and then disappears.

Notes

• The three books presence at the alternative positions depends on which incidence of Cartirinque that the quest was started from.
• Depending on the location where you found Cartirinque, the Journal Entry for the 2nd task can have a different order of Objectives.

Quest Stages

Dark Knowledge
Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
	I should speak with Cartirinque about what exactly she wants done with the books. Objective: Talk to Cartirinque
	I need to locate the three forbidden tomes before someone less capable stumbles upon them. Objective: Collect Masterwork of the Inducer Objective: Collect Ritual of Resonance Objective: Collect Journal of Bravam Lythandas
	I have all three forbidden tomes. I should search for the shrine Cartirinque mentioned when she first appeared. Objective: Find the Ruined Shrine
	I should investigate the ancient shrine and see what must be done to destroy the books. Objective: Search the Shrine
	Sahira-daro, a Khajiit seeking the forbidden tomes, says Cartirinque is a spirit sent to test mortals. I should speak with the spirit and learn the truth. Objective: Talk to Cartirinque
	I must decide whether to believe Cartirinque or Sahira-daro. Complete one: Give the Tomes to Sahira-daro or Burn the Tomes in the Shrine's Brazier
Finishes quest	(If you gave the books to Sahira-daro) After she offered to pay me for the forbidden tomes, I gave them to Sahira-daro. I should see what she has to offer. Objective: Talk to Sahira-daro
Finishes quest	(If you destroyed the books) I destroyed the tomes as Cartirinque asked. I should speak with her and see if there is anything more that must be done. Objective: Talk to Cartirinque

Notes

* Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the game and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.

• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.