Edited and converted by WalkerInShadows
All information in this file is more or less spoilerish - which means it can also be gathered (or pieced together) by playing the mod quests, reading the book and diaries, and using and exploring all the Steps you can find. I strongly recommend you stick to that, and NOT read this file. Just install the mod, forget it completely, and play Oblivion ... sooner or later you bump into a Stepstone, you pick up and read a book, you find a certain message and get involved in the the intro quest. Once you have completed that, the real fun begins: exploring the Steps Network, searching new Steps everywhere in the landscape and interiors, and sometimes finding new dungeons to explore. That's what the mod really is for - a means to randomly drift through Cyrodill and explore the world, preferably after having completed the Oblivion default quests and after having leveled a to strong and sturdy character. You'll need that.
There seem to be different looking versions of the Step stones. What distinguishes them?
More than half of the Steps have deteriorated. These have a distinct look. The "healthy" Steps always send you to the same destinations. The deteriorated Steps are very unpredictable. They can send you anywhere. Their surfaces look "broken". To aid you in identifying Steps that beam you to Lost Dungeons, these have their own distinctive texture, with little shiny scraps of blue welkynd.
Is this a useful alternative for fast-traveling?
No. Maybe it was for the Ayleids who knew the connections and locations by heart, but nowadays too many Steps are malfunctioning. Also, the Steps were meant to connect Ayleid ruins and Ayleid Wells. You won't find many in the cities or other places that are important for us nowadays. In the Ayleid era the world must have looked very different, given the weird locations where the Steps can be seen.
Is there really a system or logic in the Network?
There was, long ago, when all Steps worked as they should. But now so many have become unreliable that too many links are broken. However, you may notice certain "tendencies": that there are huge concentric circles of Steps covering Cyrodiil in which you're transported in a mostly clockwise direction; that these (remains of) Rings are crossed by Rays - series of Steps that tend to beam you outwards, i.e. away from the IC. Also, the unreliable Steps may send you to random locations, but they're still consistent in a way. Maybe you'll find out, maybe you won't. It doesn't matter really, so taking notes of where you see Steps and where they take you is not very useful. And:
Are there map markers for Steps that take you to Lost Ruins?
Yes. Their names have "(Step)" as a prefix. However, the 2 or 3 entrance Steps situated indoors, and the Steps in the Hub system do not spawn mapmarkers.
Why are there so many undead in the lost Ruins?
Most of the Ruins have been covered by lava floods or by landslides and earthquakes, so that they were effectively sealed and isolated from the outside world. A few, however, have been opened and accessed by beasts and trolls and the like; in those cases you can see an entrance tunnel or hole somewhere, but you can't reach it.
How do I know that a dungeon I've entered belongs to this mod?
1. You can usually only reach them via a Step. All other connections to the outside world are blocked.
2. Hit F4 and check the local map. All of this mod's dungeon names have "Lost" as a prefix. There are some Vanilla locations containing the word "Lost" too, but these always have a regular exit to the outside world.
How do I get out of a Lost Dungeon?
In most cases, go back to the Step on which you came in and activate it. It will send you back to Cyrodiil.
Can I get trapped in an isolated room?
Yes, if you're unlucky. That is, if you try to activate the exit Step with your very last Welkynd and it fails, you're stuck forever. Although every isolated room has at least one welkynd lying around to help you out, it is a good idea to Quicksave your game before using it.
Where can I find more Welkynd stones?
In most Lost Ayleid ruins. Respawning Ayleid coffers with Welkynds were added to many vanilla Ayleid ruins. Several magic-specialized merchants sell them: Alves Uvenim (MG Leyawiin), Angalmo (MG Chorrol), Ardaline (MG Bravil), Calindil (IC Mystic Emporium), Eilonwy (MG Cheydinhal), Felen Relas (MG Anvil), Rindir (Rindir's Staves, IC Market), Selena Orania (MG Bruma), and Ungarion (Warlock's Luck, Bravil).
Many general stores offer some as well: Gunder (Colovian Traders, Skingrad), Norbert Lelles (Anvil Docks), Nilawen (The Fair Deal, Bravil), Suurotan (Novaroma, Bruma), Borba gra-Uzgash (Adventurer's Needs, Cheydinhal), Seed-Neeus (Northern Trader, Chorrol), Gundalas (Best Buys & Guarantees, Leyawiin), Falanu Hlaalu (All Things Alchemical, Skingrad) and finally Jensine (Jensine's "Good As New" Merchandise), Thoronir (Copious Coinpurse) and Tertullian Verus (Three Brothers) in the IC Market District.
The amount of Welkynds in the game is limited. That is why their market price may rise as you use more of them.
Where do I find the Purple Welkynd, and what does it do?
Completing the 2nd quest can get you a special item, the Rechargable Purple Welkynd. A spell comes with it. Use the spell 5 times to fully charge the Welkynd. On activating a Step, the mod first checks for a regular Welkynd stone in your inventory. If there is none, the Rechargeable Purple Welkynd is used (i.e. discharged, it stays in your inventory). Fully charged, it has the same failure rate as regular Welkynds (5-15% with reliable and deteriorated Steps respectively). Partly charged it may work as well, but beware: failure chance for a 20% (one-fifth) charge is no less than 75%.
All quest info is blanked out so you don't accidentally view a quest ahead of the one you're checking - to view a quest's spoiler information, just highlight the text.
1a. Find and read the book The Ayleid Steps, by Annika Caiole. There is one in each of the Mages' Guild halls, except Bruma. The Mystic Archives in the Arcane University have one, too. If you are not a Mages' Guild member, you can enter the MG building in Cheydinhal and search its top floor. Or visit the Foaming Flask in the Talos Plaza district. Someone has left his or her book there.
- and -
1b. Find a Step and try to activate it.
2. Travel to Wellspring Cave, which is east of the Imperial City. On the roadside near the Ayleid well lies a murdered Mages' Guild Messenger. Take her Report and read it. It mentions an Ayleid Key found in the Vahtacen ruin and sent to the Arcane University some time ago. Travel to the Arcane University's Lobby and open a small Ayleid Chest on the Counter. Take the key.
3. The Location with the name starting with Vi is Vilverin. Nearby is Sideways Cave, a large cavern containing an Ayleid ruin (Lost Abagarlas). Enter that ruin and find the Activator room door. Open it, find the Network switch and activate it. The Steps can now be used. Collect the goodies in the room (Welkynds!) and be sure to pick up the diary and read it. It contains important clues to the Steps Network, and you need it to continue the quest.
4. Now to find the Step that provides access to the hideout in the Talos Bridge Tower. The diary mentions "going around the castle" and an "Easterner". So you want to search the surroundings of Cheydinhal castle. Leave the town through the west gate and follow the town wall to the north. The Step is hidden between the northern city wall and a giant rock. Activate it, and enter the hideout.
5. Take and read the second diary; doing this concludes the intro quest. The hideout may be used as a player home. All containers are safe, except the barrel named Waste Bin in the center of the room. It will reset every now and then (when you are not in this room) so you can use it to get rid of any junk you are carrying.
1. The second quest is more a lengthy side quest than a traditional story-driven quest. It is started after you have completed the intro quest, AND you have activated at least 20 Steps, AND when you have a sleep period (sleep for at least 5 hours to allow the quest to kick in). The hero of the intro quest appears in your dream and urges you to go find something he lost. Re-read the diaries! Note: Completing this quest is not necessary to start the version 3 questline (quests III to XII, covered below).
2. Should you not find the lost item, then the quest gives you an extra clue after you have used 20 more Stepstones, again while you sleep: hidden in an inn in the Elven Gardens District is a long lost secret notebook.
3. Go to Luther's Boarding House in the Elven Gardens District. Examine the counter closely, especially the outer upper edge on the corner farthest from the inn entrance. There is a Loose Panel. Open it and take the book. Read it.
4. In the book are 12 clues to the locations of Steps, that can take you to 12 of the Lost Ruins, often via a series of intermediate Steps. The clues come encrypted in codes or riddles and are illustrated with local map sections. Check Section E for the riddle solutions...
5. ...or find the entrance Step locations in the list in Section C. The first 12 are the ones you need to complete this quest. The quest keeps track of the number of dungeons you have found, and is completed once you discovered all 12 lost Ayleid ruins, AND (in the last dungeon) a special artifact, which could come in handy when you run out of welkynd stones.
If you have found some of the Lost Dungeons already with a previous version of this mod, you will have to visit them again to complete the quest.
The version 3+ quests have clear clues and quest compass markers, so we will only cover aspects of them like when and how they are launched, and what to do in specific situations. As above, quest information must be highlighted.
This quest starts after you have activated at least 80 Steps. Several of the general vendors (refer to the list above) who used to trade welkynds start complaining about the stones being scarce. Some of them mention Ungarion in the Warlock's Luck, Bravil. Ask him about welkynds; he will direct you to Gundalas in Leyawiin.
After talking to Gundalas, wait until next Sunday afternoon at 2 AM and watch his shop from the street. Someone in a grayish robe will enter it and reappear after a while. Follow this person and see what happens.
The quest starts 10-12 days after you have finished Welkynd Worries; it is set up while you are in the Imperial City in an interior location. In the Market District center you will find a special edition of the Black Horse Courier lying on the street.
The quest is launched in the final stage of the previous quest, while you talk to Calindil. He directs you to a poster in the Market District. One is attached to the wall next to Thoronir's shop, two others can be seen next to the west and southeast district gates.
A member of the Cheydinhal Fighters' Guild will direct you to a stepstone which serves as the entrance to the Lost Aldaras dungeon. It sits on the seabed beneath the jetty near Nenalata chapel.
The Audacious Argonians starts at least 4 days after completing the previous quest (no setup). When you are in the IC, someone will approach you with a message.
Hal-Neer mentions a stepstone near Vaermina's shrine. Find it east of the Vaermina statue on a slope, behind some boulders. It will teleport you some distance to the northwest, where the entrance Step to Lost Dasqa Cit is. Nur-Deen has made herself a hideout in the second level of this dungeon.
The Dungeon Dabblers is set up at least 4 days later, while you are outside the IC and outside any building. It will start when you show up in the Imperial City; someone will come and talk to you. The watchmen in the dungeon are set to essential, so leading them back to Tamriel should be fairly easy.
General guidelines:
This quest is set up at least 4 days later, while you are outside the IC. When you go there and wait a while, someone will approach you.
The Councillor gives you a task sheet which contains useful clues. Most routes start in the Imperial Palace corridor, but for the damaged Stepstones in there you will have to find the corresponding Step in one of the watchtowers and start from there. Of course, to find reliable sequences you should never use broken stepstones.
If the watchman gets distracted by enemies, go help him or wait for him to return. He should be close to you when you teleport. If you lose him, you have to return to the Councillor and start anew.
During a mapping journey your timescale will be set to 30 (default value). If you had set it to another value, that will be restored as soon as the journey ends (i.e., when the Watchman congratulates you and returns to the IC). Fast travelling is disabled as long as you have the watchman with you.
Walkthroughs for all cities:
1. FROM IC TO CHEYDINHAL:
Enter Imperial Palace, start with 3rd stepstone to your left from the entrance. When you end up near Ft. Urasek, take the step behind and to your right. On the Ayleid Well, activate the step to your right. 6 teleports will land you in some private quarters in Cheydinhal Castle.
2. FROM IC TO LEYAWIIN:
Enter Imperial Palace, start with the 4th Step to your left from the entrance. In Nenalata dungeon, use the Step at 2 o'clock. 6 teleports are needed to end up in the wilderness to the southwest of Leyawiin.
3. FROM IC TO BRAVIL:
Enter the Imperial Palace, start with the 3rd Step to your right from the entrance. In Sardavar Leed dungeon, take the Step at 2 o'clock. This will take you to a well outside the dungeon. Take the Step at 11 o'clock. 3 teleports are needed to land you on the Ayleid Well near Bravil.
4. FROM IC TO BRUMA:
The Step belonging to this route in the Imperial Palace corridor is broken, so start by running to the city's North Watchtower in the Market District. On the coastline near the north sewer exit, take the Step to your right. At the next spot activate the Step to your left. The 5th teleport puts you in the hills north of Bruma. (If you have UL-Snowdale active you cannot easily see that, so check your world map.)
5. IC TO CHORROL:
Enter the Palace, activate the first Step to your left from the entrance. At Sinkhole jetty, use the Step in the middle. In Fanacasecul dungeon, use the Step you are standing on. In Narfinsel, activate the Step in front of you. In Wendir, use the Step at 11 o'clock. 6 teleports in all take you to the wilderness west of Chorrol.
6. IC TO SKINGRAD:
This route's stepstone in the Palace is broken, so run to the South Watchtower (Arboretum). In Vindasel dungeon, use the Step to your right. In Ceyetatar use the Step at 11 o'clock. 4 teleports land you near Skingrad's West city gate.
7. IC TO KVATCH/ANVIL:
Enter the Imperial Palace, start with 1st stepstone to your right from the entrance. In the SW watchtower take the Step at 1 o'clock. On Talos Bridge, take the southern step. On the Ayleid Well, take the Step at 1 o'clock. Near Kvatch, take the step to your right. 5 teleports are needed to reach a Step in the hills north of Anvil.
After you have mapped 3 lines of steps in Mapping Mayhem, the Councillor will halt your work by leaving the city. This quest is then set up 1 day later, while you are outside any building. Wait in the IC, where someone will come to you.
Ingred will direct you to Gottshaw inn; in the well behind the building is the stepstone which teleports you to the hidden tomb.
A secret tunnel in the Ayleid room containing the letters is opened when you walk up to the northernmost part of the room.
After completing Ingred's quest, you can resume Mapping Mayhem some 2 days later, when the Councillor shows up in the Arboretum.
The Vanuasecul Venture is set up at least 4 days after the previous quest is completed, while you are outside the Imperial City. If you then go the Imperial City, someone will approach you. After your conversation with this person, a certain watchman will set out to find you in the city.
The Councillor hands you a note with directions to find the dungeon. Each word "one" in that note should be read as "one Step". Start with the Step in the Arena district, which sends you to the main Hub room. Set the handles according to the code in the note, then activate the illuminated Step nearest the handles. In the next Hub room, take the Step in the compass direction given in the note, and do the same in the third Hub. You'll end up in Vanuasecul.
Visiting the dungeon around midnight will decrease the chance of being caught, as several cultists will be sleeping. Be sure to sneak and use chameleon if possible: failing the mission by being detected will break the quest. Take your time to observe the patrolling cultists. On the first level, leave the first large room by heading south along the ledge corridor; take the stairs to the east and then to the north to find the door to the second level.
The second level is very large; many cultists are on patrol here. Go east, down the stairs and west on the ledge along the pit. Stay near the boulder from where you see the stairs on the other side of the pit, and wait until a cultist shows up, walking through the pit and then back to the northwest. When he is gone, jump off the ledge, climb the opposite stairs, and on the ledge go east to the narrow stairs leading to the third level.
You need the key Aryarie gave you to access the third level. This part is inhabited by undead; no cultists here, so you can fight as you like. Go north, down the stairs and further north; then turn west going through a room with two columns, then north again. At the end of these halls is a Stepstone in the eastern hallway, and a door to the west. Open that door to return to the cultist's level of the dungeon.
You will emerge in another pit in the northern part of this level. Wait a while to observe the cultists patrolling the area. Sneak westward, go north up the stairs and then back east on the ledge to the giant root spanning the pit. Climb it to get to the south ledge, jump on the rock and go to the western end of the ledge where a hallway curves to the southeast. Here is the cultists main room. It is brightly lit, but there is no need to go farther than the table close to where you enter the room. Get the letter off that table. Return to the ledge, jump into the pit, sneak back to the stairs and reenter the third level, where you can activate the aforementioned Stepstone to return to Tamriel.
This is a little side quest, embedded in the Vanuasecul quest. The purple Welkynd is hidden in an Ayleid cask in a secret tunnel in the northwestern part of the third dungeon level.
The True Descendants is set up 4 days after Vanuasecul Venture is completed, while you are outside the IC. When you go there, someone will approach you.
When you get jumped in the crater, part of your equipment is transferred to a large chest in the third Fefandor level, on the eastern plateau with the altar.
On completion of the final quest you can elect to be caretaker of Fefandor.
If you refuse, you are to leave the crater and you can never again visit it; Tertia Aurum's Imperial legion squad will then be guarding it (i.e., they are disabled); you can use the steps when the network is active, but you cannot switch it off or on. The network may be disabled now and then.
If you accept, you have to:
1. Keep the core running by fueling it with filled deathgems. They should be charged with the souls of undead. If the core runs out of deathgems, Bertold will refill it for you so that it runs for another three days, but the Ayleids will be informed that you have failed them. (Deathgems have a capacity for Grand souls, but the Core will not absorb more than 1200 (Greater souls) apiece. The Core capacity is 12000, on which it will run for 30 days. You can also use Deathgems as any other Soulgem for recharging equipment and the like.)
2. protect the crater from intruding enemies. Approximately once in 3 or 4 weeks (only when the Steps network is active) a party of bandits, goblins or the like may invade the crater. If you're not there, you will be notified with a telepathic message. If you don't go to Fefandor within the next 36 hours, you will be informed that you have failed in fulfilling your duties.
If you have accumulated 3 failures, you will be discharged from your duties as if you had refused the task of guardian.
Other events after you have accepted the job of Guardian: Bertold and Elsabeth will emerge in the crater after 3 days, having cleared the mess in Fefandor dungeon and buried their stepson. Talk to Bertold; he will hand you the keys to their house and the Crater passage.
A grave has appeared near the farmhouse.
Elsabeth will be wandering in the Guardian's quarters a few hours each morning, Bertold does the same each afternoon. Both have services to offer. For the remaining hours they have their own schedule. Both travel Cyrodiil once per month for a few days: Bertold on 11th to the 14th, Elsabeth on the 25th to the 28th. On her first journey to Cyrodiil Elsabeth will tell Ingred what happened in the crater. After that, she will happily tell you where Ingred is on each day, should you want to meet her.
The Selatuses may have interesting things to tell you. The topic 'Ayleid Steps' yields many hints to Lost Dungeons.
There is an uncompleted letter lying around in the Fefandor observation room (which can be accessed by activating the wall switch in the Guardian's storage room). Once Elsabeth has made her first trip to Cyrodiil, Ingred will be happy to accept the letter; you'll earn 1 fame point.
The following list is an overview of all "Lost" dungeons with the location of their entrance Steps. The first 12 are the Dungeons related to the 2nd quest. Note that in most cases their entrance Steps are NOT the ones that are described in the notebook riddles! Although the wilderness cell locations are specified, you often have to search hard for the Stepstones. They can be hidden in long grass, between rocks, in the water and so on.
(The cell coordinates can be used this way: open the console with the tilde key, type "sdt 31" (enter) and "tdt" (enter). This forces the game to display your world location in the upper right corner of your screen as you move through Cyrodiil.) Cell coordinates are blanked out for obvious reasons. To view them, just highlight the cell.
| Dungeon | Description | Step Location |
|---|---|---|
| Initial 12 Dungeons (In Order) | ||
| 1. Ontobel | 1 level, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness -47,-10, in Anvil Bay on the seabed, below the eastern ship |
| 2. Nahavindel | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 21,-25, on a small island west of Fort Redman in the Niben |
| 3. Heorcinde | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 41,1, next to a big rock |
| 4. Eutivyle | 2 levels: 1 Ayleid, undead; 1 cavern, vampires | Wilderness -16,40 |
| 5. Iornath | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 26,31, the northernmost Step on the Ayleid Well N of Lake Arrius Caverns |
| 6. Laife | 1 level, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 30,-33, the northernmost Step on an Ayleid Well, east of Leyawiin |
| 7. Morra | 1 level, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness -1,-4, on the slope south of the Isolated House, deep in the West Weald |
| 8. Qualum | Ayleid, 1 level, undead | Francois Motierre's basement, Chorrol. (No map marker added.) |
| 9. Rillim | Ayleid, 1 level, beasts (mostly trolls) | Wilderness 40,9, north of Hame, high on a mountain slope next to a big rock |
| 10. Berevacht | 1 level, Ayleid, vampires | Wilderness -40,9, on a mountain |
| 11. Olisode | 1 level, Ayleid, undead. Tilted 30 degrees. | Wilderness 32,-38 |
| 12. Sutch Arena | 1 level, cavern, vampires | Wilderness -23,21, west of Chorrol, south of the road |
| Other Dungeons (Alphabetical) | ||
| Aldaras | 1 level, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 26,-6, underwater in the Niben, beneath the jetty of Nenalata chapel. Quest-related (The Daring Dunmer). |
| Arembe | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness -12,8, amidst three giant rocks |
| Belhaz | 2 levels: cavern and fort, mean-tempered goblins | Wilderness 1,16, on the narrow beach just north of the Talos Bridge |
| Blackfern | 2 levels: cave w/Ruined village in the lower level, undead | Wilderness 18,-29, SE of Border Watch, SW of Water's Edge, roughly halfway between them |
| Carnivore Cave | 3 levels, cave, mythic beasts. Deepest level has the remains of a submerged castle dungeon | Wilderness 12,23, SSE of the inn, halfway down the slope |
| Chama | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 11,1, SW of the wayshrine |
| Dasqa Cit | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 24,18, north of the lake. Quest-related (The Audacious Argonians) |
| Dedero | 1 level, Ayleid, undead | Cell 6,7. ESE of Fort Homestead, S of the IC, just north of the road |
| Doriun | 2 levels, Ayleid, goblins | Wilderness -20,10 |
| Fafette | 1 level, Ayleid, undead and fish, very small | Wilderness 15,-8, next to the Bravil Stables on the shore |
| Fort Denial | 3 levels, caves and dungeon, goblins | Wilderness 17,16, NE of the Ayleid Well |
| Fort Hardaxe | 4 levels, dungeon, marauders | Wilderness -28,2, west of Shardrock farm amidst a group of boulders |
| Ganaz | 2 levels, Ayleid and cavern, beasts | Wilderness -6,39, high on a mountain |
| Gutmess Cavern | 3 levels: 2 caves, 1 dungeon, vampires; dusty cave with a ruined castle | Wilderness -18,-2, in a little valley SE of Skingrad stables |
| Hatace | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead. Dark and eerie; upper level has a very confusing layout | Wilderness -14,32, west of Sancre Tor |
| Imperial Catacombs | 18 levels, caves, undead. Maze-like, one-way exit to the IC sewer system | Imperial Palace District (graveyard), next to the (northern) city wall |
| Kalanque | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 29,-26, north of the Wayshrine |
| Lost Harbor | 1 level, caves, vampires. Docks in shambles, inside a huge cavern, with shipwrecks | Wilderness -49,-1, W of Lord Drad's Estate |
| Megund Rael | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness -1,9, SW of the wayshrine, across the road behind a large rock |
| Merglynn | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead and fish | Wilderness 4,23, Fort Caractacus exterior, near the entrance |
| Nemice | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness -22,20, SW of Chorrol, just south of the lake |
| Nerasten | 2 levels, cavern (goblins) containing an Ayleid ruin (trolls) | Wilderness 33,-4, near the hilltop north of Fort Flecia |
| Nonac Twyll | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 16,27, high on the slope, near a pine tree |
| Orchard Priory | 6 levels; cavern containing cloister, chapel, undercroft and crypt; mythic creatures and undead | Wilderness -5,23, ESE from fort Coldcorn |
| Pequnze | 1 level, Ayleid, daedra | Wilderness 47,-11 |
| Rantul Vale | 2 levels, Ayleid, vampires | Wilderness -33,-2, behind Shetcombe Farm |
| Siquise | 2 levels: Ayleid and cavern, undead | In the private quarters in Castle Cheydinhal. (No Map marker added.) |
| Stinkhorn Cave | 2 levels, caves, bandits. Lots of mushrooms | Wilderness -11,13, east of the Molag Bal shrine |
| Sutch Sewers | 1 level, vampires | Wilderness -32,-5, on the eastern edge of the road in a group of rocks, NNE of Mortal Camp |
| Thul | 9 levels, Ayleid, undead. Levels form a maze, aka "The Welkynd Burner". Has a secret one-way exit to the mountains | Wilderness 34,30, N of Cheydinhal on a mountain slope. Quest-related (The Dungeon Dabblers) |
| Tocrec | 1 level, Ayleid, daedra | Wilderness 22,10, SW of Arkved's Tower |
| Toqualeque | 1 level, Ayleid. Tilted 45 degrees. I went motion-sick in this one :-) | Wilderness 5,33, SSW of Bruma, north of the road, near the Akatosh wayshrine |
| Varchama | 2 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 5,30, amidst a group of large boulders |
| Varlavale | 3 levels, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness 2,2, east of Fort Roebeck |
| Varthul | 2 levels, Ayleid, mythic beasts. The lower level is rather, uh, deep... what strange rituals were performed here? | Wilderness 39,-19, up on a slope |
| Xoxo | 1 level, Ayleid, undead | Wilderness -13,29 on the slope, west of a big dark grey rock |
Other places of interest:
This is a network of 33 small circular Ayleid rooms containing 8 Steps each. The rooms are located in Ayleid ruins, though not always connected to their dungeons. (If they are, you need the intro-quest key to acces them from the dungeon.) They provide alternate connections to the Ayleid Wells and the Ayleid dungeons - including the Lost Dungeons. The center Hub is situated up in the White Gold Tower in the Imperial City. It can only be accessed by stepping, and has 4 switches which can be set in 16 different combinations. The switches' settings determine where you will be teleported, as follows (settings as seen while standing on the Step):
| Setting | Number-Direction | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| ---- | (00-SSW) | Vindasel hub, connected to Nenyond Twyll hub (isolated) |
| ---1 | (01-SW) | Ceyatatar hub, connected to Garlas Agea hub |
| --1- | (02-WSW) | Talwinque hub, connected to Trumbe hub |
| --11 | (03-w) | Fanacasecul hub, connected to Nonungalo hub |
| -1-- | (04-WNW) | Narfinsel hub, connected to Wendir hub |
| -1-1 | (05-NW) | Lindai hub, connected to Lipsand Tarn hub (isolated) |
| -11- | (06-NNW) | Piukanda hub, connected to Ninendava hub |
| -111 | (07-N) | Sercen hub, connected to Rielle hub |
| 1--- | (08-NNE) | Anga hub, connected to Sedor hub (isolated) |
| 1--1 | (09-NE) | Vilverin hub, connected to Fanacas hub (isolated) |
| 1-1- | (10-ENE) | Belda hub, connected to Kemen hub |
| 1-11 | (11-E) | Nagastani hub, connected to Hame hub |
| 11-- | (12-ESE) | Mackamentain hub, connected to Heorcinde hub (isolated) |
| 11-1 | (13-SE) | Culotte hub, connected to Wendelbek hub (isolated) |
| 111- | (14-SSE) | Anutwyll hub, connected to Olisode hub |
| 1111 | (15-S) | Wenyandavik hub, connected to Bawn hub |
Isolated: Hub rooms not connected to the vanilla Ayleid dungeons with the same name and not reachable by either regular or random Steps. These have most entrances for Lost Dungeons.
If you now activate the Step closest to the switches, it will send you to another Hub room. The entrance Step for the Central Hub is in the IC Arena district, near the southern statue. The outer Step in the Central Hub room will teleport you back to this spot.
I recommend using this network only if you suspect that certain 3rd party mods may have messed up the Steps needed to access the Lost Dungeons, especially the ones that are quest-related. Thus, if you are unwillingly teleported into the hubs you can easily get out by activating one of the "random" (broken) Steps in the room. There's always at least one. A "normal" Stepstone may send you to a Lost Dungeon. If that dungeon is, for example, related to the "Retracing the Steps" quest, the quest will update stating falsely that you have "solved" another riddle, but you will not get a map marker for the entrance Step in Tamriel.
(This Hubs system is based on an idea provided by SkyRanger-1 in the BethSoft mods Forum, and ensures accessibility of all Lost Dungeons, in case their entrance Steps are disabled by other landscape-altering mods.)
1. "In line with colored drink and wolfsound caves between them and east of the towers..."
Word play: Greenmead Cave and Howling Cave. The towers are Fort Vlastarus's. Wilderness -8,2, the first of 4 Steps to Ontobel.
2. "iadnilfohtronagnafotsew"
Written backwards, omitting spaces: West of Anga, North of Lindai. The platform is on a slope at -8,29, hard to find amidst grass and rocks. First of a series of 3 Steps to Eutivyle.
3. "It is well north of Arrius, the midday step".
Read "well" as Ayleid Well; there is one north of Arrius lake, in cell 26,31. Iornath is accessed from the northern ("midday") Step.
4. "Reed this: from the tower to the east, below the left slingshot arm, 3 steps."
"Reed" looks like a spelling mistake but refers to Reed River. On the map its shape resembles a slingshot. The tower is Arkved's. Cell 27,12 , the first of 3 Steps to Heorcinde.
5. "is tan dat awel land be hin data tarism or a ham eisvaht ace nand then or thayle ids te pism yen trance."
This text is perfectly normal but the spaces are displaced. "I stand at a well and behind atatar is morahame is vahtacen and the north ayleid step is my entrance." So if you stand at an Ayleid Well, the three Ayleid locations are "seen" in one line, Atatar being the closest. Only the Well at 30,-33 east of Leyawiin makes this possible. The northern Step brings you to Laife.
6. "jo uif csbwjm gjhiufst hvjme cbtfnfou".
Simple shifting code: b=a, c=b, d=c and so on. 'In the bravil fighters guild basement.' The first of 3 steps to Nahavindel.
7. "thron fo wryesel bredor, hebdin ailodest lingibud, no poles."
All words are anagrams: 'north of elsweyr border, behind isolated building, on slope'. Wilderness 1,-5, the entrance to Morra. The abandoned house may be replaced by an Oblivion gate if your main quest is running.
8. "The house above this basement faces two guild halls behind a tree."
Chorrol, Motierre's house. The Step to Qualum is in its basement.
9. "This is easy: remember this cavern?"
Memorial cave. The map picture in the cluebook is upside down, by the way. The first of 3 Steps to Lost Rillim.
10. "A door, not blessed, not yours; somewhere behind it is a stone."
Word play: 'not blessed' is Cursed; 'not yours' is Mine. Look for the Step behind the Cursed Mine entrance, wilderness -21,1, not IN the dungeon. Refer to the cluebook map, the arrow points at the exact location. The 1st in a series of 4 to Berevacht.
11. "The golden tree, the dead tree, the tower burnt..."
There is a small island in the Niben with exactly these objects in cell 23,-18. 3 Steps to Olisode.
12. "Flanked by waterfalls, where unlit areas remain."
Word play again. "Unlit areas": Shadows. "Remain": Rest. So this is about Shadows Rest (cave) in -11,29. There is a stream with 2 waterfalls, and between those, in the water, is the first of 3 Steps to Sutch Arena.
Now you know everything there is to know.
I warned you.
Ervvin