Morrowind:Skull-Crusher

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This article is about the quest. For the item, see Skull Crusher.

Find this powerful warhammer within the Forgotten Vaults of Anudnabia, east of Sadrith Mora. Quest Giver: Lalatia Varian in Ebonheart Location(s): Omaren Ancestral Tomb, Anudnabia Prerequisite Quest: The Scroll of Fiercely Roasting Reward: Skull Crusher, Foe-Grinder/Foe-Quern Disposition: +10 (Lalatia Varian) Reputation Gain: +2 Reputation +10 (Imperial Cult) ID: IC29_Crusher Required Rank: Acolyte

The Forge of Hilbongard

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Lalatia Varian at the Imperial Chapels in Ebonheart for an Oracle's quest.
2. Talk to a Scout and a Savant Dark Elf to decipher Varian's vision.
3. Travel to Omaren Ancestral Tomb to recover the Skull Crusher.
4. Enter the Forgotten Vaults of Anudnabia and find the warhammer in a chest suspended over a forge.
5. Return to Lalatia to complete the quest.

Detailed Walkthrough

The Skull Crusher

Oracle's Quest

Lalatia Varian at the Imperial Chapels in Ebonheart will ask you to recover the powerful warhammer named Skull Crusher, which was stolen way back in the First Era. Varian will relate to you another strange vision which might reveal the location of the item. She saw a Daedric ruin with a forge of molten stone, sealed by fallen rocks, though the forge can still be accessed through the Halls of the Dead. Varian suggests that you talk to a Dark Elf Scout to find out the meaning of her vision.

Varian's Vision

Find any Dark Elf scout, such as Nalasa Sarothren at the Elven Nations Cornerclub in Vivec's Hlaalu Canton. If you you ask about "sealed Daedric ruin", Nalasa will suggest that you try the ruins of Anudnabia (east of Sadrith Mora). You can also talk to any Dark Elf Savant, such as Llaalam Dredil at the Grand Council Chambers, who will equate the Halls of the Dead with any Dunmer ancestral tomb. Putting the two together yields that you are looking for an ancestral tomb near to Anudnabia.

Skull Crusher

The nearest tomb to Anudnabia (which you cannot actually enter) is actually visible (barely) from the shrine: the Omaren Ancestral Tomb (should be on one of the most eastern islands east of Sadrith Mora). From within the tomb, you can access the shrine and reach the Forgotten Vaults of Anudnabia. Jump onto the anvil to reach the Skull Crusher, which is in a chest suspended over the forge.

Return to Lalatia Varian with the warhammer, which you will get to keep. In addition, if your Blunt Weapon skill is less than 40, you'll receive the magical ring Foe-Grinder. If it is greater than 40 you will receive the less powerful Foe-Quern. This is the last quest you'll receive from Varian.

Notes

• In the Forgotten Vaults of Anudnabia, there is also a rare Daedric Face of Terror on one of the surrounding ledges, so levitation would be helpful. Other loot includes Dwemer Boots of Flying, a Dwemer Jinksword, a rare Scroll of Windwalker and three books that train Armorer skill.
• If your Blunt Weapons skill is over 40 but you still wish to obtain the Foe-Grinder ring, using a brief drain skill spell on yourself right before turning the quest in to Lalatia will allow you to circumvent the requirement.

Bugs

• With the Tribunal Expansion you can obtain the rewarded ring infinite times if you haven't reached Acolyte rank yet. Retrieve Skull Crusher by yourself, then unlock the conversation topic: keep it in your inventory and speak to Torasa Aram in the Museum of Artifacts in Mournhold. Once back in Ebonheart ask Lalatia Varian about it, activating the relative quest, then close the dialogue window. From now on, having Skull Crusher with you will reward you a copy of the ring (which one depends on your Blunt Weapon skill level) every time you interact with her. The reward dialogue is in the form of greetings and offers only the "Goodbye" option, effectively inhibiting this NPC. The quest is already marked as completed in the Journal, but she'll stay in this state unless you reach Acolyte rank or drop Skull Crusher (she'll start giving you the infinite rewards again if you pick it up). ^?
  • This also satisfies the "duties" part for this faction, allowing you to advance to the top if you have the required skills, making any other Imperial Cult quest unnecessary. Drop the weapon so you can freely interact with her again, and speak about "Advancement" as many times as needed. You won't lose the rank up rewards and being Primate rank still allows you to start low rank quests.
  • These two bugs have been reported in OpenMW 0.48.0 so far.^{[verification needed — is this present in the vanilla game?]}

Quest Stages

The following Journal ID and Index codes can be used with the Journal console command to manually update the quest to a certain point.

Skull-Crusher (IC29_Crusher)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
1		The Oracle believes that I am fated to recover the ancient warhammer Skull Crusher. I must discover a sealed Daedric ruin that may be accessed only through the Halls of the Dead. To help me solve the puzzle of this prophecy, the Oracle told me to consult a Dunmer scout and a Dunmer savant. Her vision suggests I must face restless spirits and powerful Daedra to recover the warhammer. If I find Skull Crusher, I must return it to the Oracle so she may free it of its creators' curse.
10		A Dunmer scout told me that the sealed Daedric ruin I seek may well be Anudnabia, a ruin near Sadrith Mora. The lower halls of Anudnubia have been inaccessible since the First Era. And several other Daedric ruins are known to have within their chambers glowing pools of molten stone. Such pools might have fueled the forge of a master weaponmaker and his enchanter.
15		A Dunmer savant told me that 'Halls of the Dead' might refer to any Dunmer ancestral tomb. The ancient Dunmer word for ancestral tomb is 'cardruhn'. 'Ruhn' translates as 'home' or 'hearth-hall'. 'Card' means 'undeparted kin-wardens'. Then to find access to Skull Crusher in its sealed Daedric ruin, I must search for ancestral tombs near the ruin. Perhaps there is an underground passage between a tomb and the sealed Daedric ruin?
50	Finishes quest	The Oracle says she can detect no evil curse upon Skull Crusher. She assured me it is safe, and gave me a special blessing so I might dedicate myself further to the service of the Nine. She has no more quests for me, but she will send word for me through others of high rank in the cult if she needs my help again.

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