Synod Report on Kagrenzel

Attendant Mantio to the Synod Council

In an effort to move forward from the failure of the research team in Mzulft, my expedition has taken up further efforts to map and explore more Dwemer ruins in the Velothi Mountains of Skyrim. As ordered our purpose was to locate these ruins and search them thoroughly for items and artifacts than could be of use or interest to the Synod. This also has academic purpose as Dwemer research has all but ceased in the Fourth Era. (Publishing before the College of Whispers is a bonus in of itself.) The Orrery found in Mzulft would have been of great benefit if the expedition there hadn’t fallen prey to poor planning, petty rivalry, and just sloppy execution. I intended to not make the same mistakes. However we have run into problems and had a tragedy of our own. Yet we have pushed forward and have successfully mapped the ruins of Kagrenzel.

The ruins themselves proved difficult to find as mentions of it (and to a lesser extent, its location) are rare. However due to extensive research of Dwemer, Nordic and Dunmer writings, it was evident that another ruin existed higher in the Velothi Mountains. It took us the better part of a month to comb the foothills in the hold of Eastmarch to finally locate a path up the mountains. The hike up this path took two days, but we were rewarded for our efforts by finding a staircase clearly of Dwemer make at the end of the second day. Following this up we finally came to the ruins themselves. It should be noted that this ruin is very high in the mountains, and is perhaps one of the most remote Dwemer locations we have located in Skyrim to date. The years had taken its toll but it was remarkably well preserved, the snow however had nearly completely buried the entrance. The ruins are oriented in a east to west fashion with the entrance facing east towards Morrowind. On the western side there is a short stone tower of sorts topped with a fire that was still burning due to the apparent machinations of the Dwemer. That stood out as peculiar to a few of the researchers. Finally after no small amount of digging, we were finally able to open the main entrance. What we found inside was an empty hallway lit dimly with gas lamps. Further on there was another set of doors that were closed but not sealed in anyway. We were not prepared for what was inside.

While most Dwemer ruins are vast halls of stone plunging deep into the ground, we found a single, yet very large room. We probed the walls for any hidden doors but we found nothing. The ruin simply ended in this room. It was not an empty room however. In the middle between three pillars, a pedestal stood, topped by an a floating orb. A ring on the floor encircled the pedestal itself, extending several feet. It appeared other worldly and we immediately took notice of several dead vagabonds at the foot of this pedestal. This told us that there was danger here and I announced that all should proceed cautiously when further examining anything in here. After several hours we had little to show for the time put into this expedition, the room itself as rubble strew from parts of the ceiling collapsing, and there was little of value to be found anywhere. The orb was the only enigma, and one of our younger members, Novice Silian, asked to try to interact with this orb. I was reluctant but after several months of research and planning, I did not wish to return empty handed. I told him that I gave him no orders and that he may do so of his own accord. I should have stopped him. After ordering everyone to stand clear of the circle encompassing the pedestal, Silian stepped towards it. He then placed his hand slowly inside the orb, and suddenly, darkness. In what seemed like an instant the orb shot up towards the ceiling, following it were bars that emerged from the floor and completely enclosed the area around the pedestal, including Silian. I ran towards the bars and tried in vain to move them, but to no avail. The orb then appeared to float around the enclosure and was accompanied by one of the shrillest trilling noises my ears have ever beheld. This seem to repeat two more times as the rest of the researchers were attempting to move the cage, Silian was panicking and shouting for us to help him. The orb suddenly flew appeared above the area and then flew into the floor at Silian’s feet. All went quiet as a strange blue light glowed, and then, the entire floor shifted to one side, dumping the bodies and Silian (May Arkay guide him to his final rest) down a shaft. The bars fell away immediately and the floor tilted back to its normal position, and the orb reappeared. I ordered everyone away from the pedestal and that we make camp here in the ruin. That is our state so far. I take full responsibility for Novice Silian’s death and will accept the consequences of my actions and any punishment the Council sees fit.

Despite this tragedy, my duties to the Synod and as a scholar still remain. While the lack of artifacts was disappointing, it is still telling, perhaps revealing a truth about this location. It seems as if Kagrenzel was built for a singular purpose, not as a residence or place of research, but for a very specific task. The orb in the center of the main chamber is undoubtedly the key to this location. Yet its function remains a mystery to us. Several of the researchers noted that it seemed to be for lack of a better wording, looking for something after Silian interacted with it. It also must be said that the shaft the floor conceals must be immense for the amount of air that rushed into the room was immense. It’s unknown where it leads or indeed what its purpose was. Was that orb indeed looking for something, or someone? Others have said that perhaps the Dwemer used the orb as a sort of security measure against intruders. The question still stands as to what killed those bandits and if it was indeed the orb, why it dropped Silian only.

If I may put forth a personal opinion, or rather my own conjecture, I would like to note the name of this location. Kagrenzel. It seems to be linguistically related to Kagrenac, the famous Chief Tonal Architect of the Dwemer in Morrowind during the time of the First Council. While this may be purely circumstantial, it is interesting that the closest ruin to Morrowind seems to be named after or for Kagrenac. Now translations of the Dwemer language are few and far between but one of the few words we have gleaned the meaning of is Kagrenac, which translates to “Guide.” The suffix “Zel” also is known to mean “City.” So one could take Kagrenzel and translate it to “Guide City.” This however raises many more questions than answers. If the translation is correct, this ruin is hardly a city, and a guide to what? Perhaps there is more of the ruin that we have not uncovered and we shall continue to excavate the ruins. This location seems to defy normal logic. Why is this ruin so remotely located from all the others? Why the named Kagrenzel, and was it truly a Guide City of the Dwemer? What is the strange orb inside the main chamber and what is its purpose? What would happen if a Dwemer were to use this device? We hope to answer these questions as we thoroughly investigate the ruin.