- Travel to Labyrinthian
- Kill the Dragon Priest Morokei
- Retrieve the Staff of Magnus
As the Containment quest comes to an end, you will be given the Torc of Labyrinthian, and the location of Labyrinthian will be marked on your map. Bring the Torc with you as it is required to enter the Labyrinthian indoor ruins, and travel to the ruins. Approach the Ceremonial Door and a ghostly after-image of a younger Savos Aren and five companions, Atmah, Girduin, Takes-In-Light, Hafnar Ice-Fist and Elvali Veren, will appear. Apparently, the late Arch-Mage had explored the ruins before; the apparition will replay certain dialogues and events as you progress through the ruins, although the number of companions diminishes until Savos is left as the lone survivor of the group, forcing Atmah and Hafnar ice-fist, the only surving mages, to stay behind and seal Morokei, a Dragon Priest away so he could escape.
The common path through the ruins detailed in the rest of the walk-through leads to an exit hatch located on top of a stone platform, directly southeast from where you arrive when fast-traveling to Labyrinthian, in line with the the circular barrow. This hatch can be reached and entered, allowing you access to a door that is "barred from the other side". However, if you want to get to this place after you've cleared the dungeon for access into the final rooms, use these directions. From the barrow, follow the path with stairs southeast, past the pillar. The platform is on the right, between the broken stone arch and the stone archway. Proceed through the archway and perform some creative jumps to your right to get on top of that stone archway. The hatch will be visible.
The Labyrinthian indoor ruins are fairly straightforward and guarded by a number of undead. The entrance room is littered with Skeleton corpses; at the opposite end of the room, on your right, you should find a random Alteration Spell Tome on an altar. You will proceed through a passage leading to a closed gate opening on a wide room. A lever on each side of the gate can be used to raise the gate, but it will fall down after a few seconds. A number of Skeletons await beyond the gate, as well as a Skeletal Dragon.
As you enter this zone, at the top of the stairs, on your right (west), you can find a chest hidden in the corner of an alcove. At the bottom of the stairs you will enter a room with a blue-glowing ice crystal on your right. Approaching the crystal will trigger Morokei's voice (which drains your Magicka), as well as activating a nearby Draugr and spawning a Frost Spirit. After the fight, you should cast a fire spell on the ice crystal and the wall beyond to open a secret doorway. If you have no such spell available, a Spell Tome: Flames is on a podium nearby.
Next, you will enter the Chasm room, where you will hear Morokei's voice again and you will face a couple of Draugr. The passageway you walk on as you enter the Chasm will spiral downward, but you can enter a side passage after the first turn. This leads to a small room (patrolled by a Draugr) where you will find the corpse of Draugr, the skeleton of a Novice Conjurer, an Arcane Enchanter, an Alchemy Lab, a Spell Tome: Equilibrium, and a variety of ingredients.
Back to the Chasm room, after another turn, the passageway will fork, with a bridge in front of you and a side passage continuing deeper into the Chasm. You will hear Morokei's voice once again, this time in intelligible language, and a Draugr patrolling the side passage may detect your presence.
Both directions (across the bridge and down the side of the Chasm) lead to the bottom of the Chasm. The bridge leads to a room where you will find a couple of Draugr, a few spare potions and some ingredients. Beyond, the cave leads to the river running at the bottom of the Chasm (a small passage on your right as you descend will lead to an Argonian corpse and a chest).
If you descend without crossing the bridge, you will find a Nirnroot. Either way, a door by the river at the bottom of the Chasm leads to the next section of the ruins. Approaching the door will trigger another message from Morokei.
The entrance to this zone is a small semi-flooded room with a Skeleton and a Draugr. Once you eliminate them, you can open a locked (Novice-level) gate on your left to enter a small passage with some additional loot (one Gold Ore, two chests). The passage leads at the top of the next room, which is accessible also without unlocking the gate and taking the right-hand side path, meeting a Skeleton on the way (and, if you check the water pool to your right, picking up 4 Malachite Ores). Note that if you can't reach the ores, hitting them with a weapon will allow you to eventually be able to pick them up.
As you enter the next room, Morokei speaks to you once again. The room is otherwise empty, and leads to a larger room where you will find a few scattered Skeleton corpses and a patrolling Troll. Three grated openings provide a view upon the next room, which is even larger, and is guarded by a group of Skeletons. There is also a lever-controlled gate, beyond which you will find a growing group of Wisps and a Wispmother. Kill the wispmother as fast as possible, as she will summon additional wraiths over time. Avoid using melee attacks as she will remain just past your reach. One method is to use fireball spells (the wispmother has a weakness to fire) while using the slow time shout to harm her while avoiding her attacks. As you approach the gate, Morokei will speak once more.
Past the Wispmother, you will find an area filled with short stone pillars, the coffins nearby hint it is a burial ground. Beyond, a sealed door with a fire burning in front of it awaits. As you approach, you will hear Morokei's voice one more time, and a Fire Spirit will spawn and attack. Once the spirit is dead, you need to cast an ice-based spell to the door in order to open it. If you have none available, you can use the Spell Tome:Frostbite or the ice-based scrolls found to the left of the door.
Beyond this door you will find a short passage and a gate leading into a circular room. As you enter, you will be treated to another vision of young Savos Aren. The next room is guarded by a skeleton, and a pair of ghosts: a Spectral Warhound and a ghostly Draugr Wight. Be careful as you approach them because Morokei will talk one more time, and the room where the ghosts are found has a trap door on the floor that can drop you onto more enemies. Bypassing the trap door, the passage continues into a small room where a pair of ghostly Draugr Wights await. Beyond, a Skeleton awaits, and a passage to the bottom of the trap door, where another pair of ghostly Draugr Wights will attack you. Finally, you will find a door leading to the next zone.
You enter the Tribune area through a tight passageway guarded by a few ghostly Draugr Wights (possibly accompanied by their Spectral Warhounds). Soon you will find a Spell Tome: Steadfast Ward on a podium and enter a corridor with a few Spellcaster Traps set up to cast a combination of Frost Bite, Fireball, and Flames as you enter their range. Frost runes have also been found on the floor of this corridor, and a Ghost Warhound or other guardian may await at the other end.
The passage leads to a ledge on a cave with a pool. From here you can climb up to a room with some additional loot and a couple of ghostly Draugr. Back to the ledge and down into the cave, you will face another ghostly Draugr (there is also a Gold Ore at the bottom of the pool).
At the bottom of the stairs leading out of this cave you will find a skeleton shackled to a wall; as you approach it, you will trigger another Magicka-draining effect from Morokei. To your left, a locked (Adept-level) gate leads to a few valuable items, among which an Honed Ancient Nord Greatsword of Scorching, and a Ancient Helmet of the Unburned sticking out of a brazier. To your right, more steps (and possibly another Magicka-draining trigger) lead to a door.
Beyond it you will find a throne with a leveled Draugr (capable of using the Disarm Dragon Shout), with a Spectral Warhound companion. Once the fight is over, you can approach the Word Wall for part of the Slow Time shout.
After the throne room, you will enter a corridor with a series of columns on each side. Progress with care, as you will trigger another Magicka-draining effect, and activate a group of Skeletons and ghostly Draugr (one of which should be able to conjure a Frost Atronach). Once the fight is over, check the sides of the corridor, behind the columns, for some ingredients and a few Ebony Ingots.
At the opposite end of the corridor, a brief after-image of Savos plays out, hinting that some of his companions have been lost or left behind, but the remaining members are determined to stick together and move forward. The door beyond this room leads to the encounter with Morokei.
As you enter the large room, Morokei is completely protected by an energy shield cast by two mages. Later events (an after-image from Savos' expedition) explain they are two of Savos' companions who sacrificed their lives to keep the Dragon Priest in check. You need to attack the mages for them to interrupt their casting and initiate the fight with Morokei himself. A variety of strategies and techniques can be used to win this encounter; here are the most common suggestions and tips:
- Against the Mages:
- Drainspell Bows (from the ghostly Draugr encountered in Labyrinthian) have been proven to be effective against the mages protecting Morokei;
- The mages can be targeted from the corridor leading to the room, allowing you to replenish your resources before engaging Morokei;
- The mage on the higher platform commands a vantage point within the cave; you may want to take his place;
- Against Morokei:
- Morokei can conjure a Storm Atronach, although it seems he will not summon the Atronach again once you kill it;
- Morokei can Command Daedra, turning your own summoned Atronachs against you;
- Morokei seems to prefer ranged and magical attacks, avoiding close-up quarters;
- The platforms around the walls of the room provide defensible positions that should provide you with an edge in the fight;
- It appears that if you can back him into the small pool in the room, he cannot get out of the water trapping him, but he can still fight back.
- You may be able to use the doorway to the room where Morokei is found as cover by engaging him from the distance and stepping to the side of the door or closing the door: Morokei will not remain within the room giving you the opportunity of recharging your spells and taking aim.
Proceed into the exit path, and you will see one more apparition of Savos, leaving the room by himself and sealing it up to keep the Dragon Priest contained while bemoaning the fate of his companions. As you open a gate to the next room, Estormo, a Thalmor associate of Ancano will appear on your path. Apparently Ancano wants the staff kept safe and you dead.
Once this fight is over, you can check the chest on the side of the room for some valuable items, leave Labyrinthian, and return to Tolfdir.
