SSE 20: The College of Winterhold, part 5 - The Oculory in Mzulf

The Synod is a body of magicians loyal to the empire. Relations between the Synod and the College of Winterhold is cordial, if not exactly warm. They are based off Cyrodiil and had ventured to Skyrim from time to time.

The expedition to Mzulf is therefore not unique. The sprawling Dwemer (dwarven) ruins lie to the far east of Skyrim. The Dwemer were a race of atheistic elves who put greater faith in their knowledge of the world than the Aedra and Daedra. They prefer the underground and had built vast complexes under parts of Skyrim (and beyond) - yet their civilization had suddenly disappeared thousands of years ago, leaving their settlements all but empty, guarded by their cunning and artifice. Probing these places is dangerous but also rewarding. The wealth in dwarves metals alone makes it worthwhile... if one survives.

Things obviously had not gone the way the Synod had planned, though, since I found the research team's leader gasping his last as I entered the ruins.

Mzulf is at least partially taken over by... something. These degenerate-looking elves are blind (which hasn’t affected their combat ability!) and primitive. There are signs of skirmishes still between these primitives and the Dwemer mechanical guards. The Synod had either found themselves prey to either party, or just caught in the cross fire.

I found the sole survivor of the expedition, who had locked himself in a room. When I introduced myself as a member of the College, Decimus Paratus accused the College of trying to take credit for his research... but grudgingly accepted my aid to solve the riddle he had found himself in.

The room he had locked himself in is dominated by a large device of moving metal arms and lenses - an 'Oculory', to use his words. Decimus suspects that the light from the device needs to be focused with a missing central piece - a piece I had unknowingly picked up from one of the Falmer leaders I encountered. Once set on the central frame, the focusing device needed to be tempered by frost and fire spells to the right temperature to focus the beams to the lenses as intended... the lens arranged in 3 concentric rings at the ceiling also needed to be aligned to reflect the beams back down...

... to reveal a map. Whatever this is, it's not the Staff of Magnus. 

I said as much, and Decimus says that this is the first time he heard anyone from the College mention the Staff - he suggested that if I wanted to Staff, I should search the ruins of Labyrinthian, not in Mzulf. Hmm. If the Synod was not looking for the Staff - why did the Arch Mage say they were? Why send me to the wrong place? ...what is he hiding?

Before I could make more sense of this mystery that the Arch Mage had set, I received a message from the Psijic Order - something is happening at the College, and that I was needed there. Urgently.

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