Tes5Mod:SWIFT/On the Metaphysics of Moving Bodies

On the Metaphysics of Moving Bodies is the primary quest of SWIFT, and introduces the concept of wayshrine travel. At the end of the quest, you acquire the necessary knowledge to be able to unlock and activate all of the wayshrines around Skyrim.

Quick Walkthrough
# Inspect an enigmatic elven ruin.
# Locate Beredalmo's Shack.
# Search for Mallas in a cave near Irkngthand.
# Investigate the Consortium Caverns.
# Return to Beredalmo's Shack and repair the broken device.
# Escape the Aetherial Rift.

Detailed Walkthrough
A Mysterious Note
Approach and inspect any of the twenty Wayshrine ruins dotted around Skyrim. Easy-to-find wayshrines include the Morthal Wayshrine, beside the main road southwest of Morthal; the Whiterun Wayshrine, just west of the entrance to Whiterun and northeast of Western Watchtower; the Pale Wayshrine, on the road between Dawnstar and Windhelm, just north of the road to Whiterun; the Falkreath Wayshrine, beside the main road south of Falkreath; and the High Hrothgar Wayshrine, right outside the entrance to High Hrothgar.

:As you approach the enigmatic ruins a mysterious note blows through the wind, twirling at your side. Out of curiosity you decide to hold on to it.

Each Wayshrine will be added to your map as you approach, so there is no need at this point to go any closer than the bottom of the steps. When you inspect the ruin, Beredalmo's Torn Journal Entry is added to your inventory. Read the note to progress the quest, and you are instructed to find Beredalmo's dwelling. The final page of the note suggests it is near the Skyrim-Hammerfell border, so head south to Falkreath.

The Abandoned Shack
Beredalmo's Shack is situated just above Halldir's Cairn, on the road from Falkreath to the Hammerfell border. There are steps up to the shack entrance from the northeast side of the building. As you approach the door, Beredalmo's Memoir will be added to your inventory and a Conducive Spirit will appear and lead you to a carriage beside the shack, where you will find a knapsack containing a Rusted Key.

Unlock the door with the key and head inside. The shack itself is small but tricky to navigate around, as there is a fallen tree protruding through the ceiling. Along the northeastern wall you will find some Impaled Remains, which your journal speculates to be Beredalmo himself. Search the remains to find the rest of Beredalmo's Journal, which explains his research into the wayshrines based on the theories of Lord Corvus Direnni.

Your only clue to progress with is the mention of a cave near the ruins of Irkngthand, which Beredalmo had sent his assistant to investigate. The cavern is easily identifiable due to the contamination of the surrounding water from Dwemer pipework, which has turned the water bronze.

The Consortium
Saying the cavern is "behind" the ruins is a bit of a misdirection from Beredalmo and your quest journal, as you are actually looking for Bronze Water Cave, located a ways to the north of Irkngthand near the Windhelm road. Once you have cleared the cave of enemies, a possessed skeleton named Mallas will appear and attack you. On his remains are the Irkngthand Consortium Key and a Note for Mallas. The note further elaborates on Beredalmo's research, and the key provides access to the nearby trapdoor which leads to the Consortium Caverns.

You are now tasked to continue Mallas' original objective and determine the purpose of the caverns. You may need a Torch or light spell inside the caverns, as there are very few light sources. If you do not have one, a torch can be found on the altar to the left just after entering, in front of a Sheine to Arkay. The cave itself is crawling with Frostbite Spiders and Undead Skeletons which you will need to defeat in order to reach the back room. Proceed through three caverns, hacking your way through spider webs, until you reach a small alcove with a dead skeleton and a handle. Activating the handle will open a secret stone door behind a dark banner in the nearby cavern, beyond which a pair of large black doors lead to the Consortium Headquarters.

You now need to search the Headquarters for further clues. When you enter the central chamber, you will see an ethereal vision of a figure making an offering at the ceremonial altar before vanishing. The only enemies in the Headquarters are a pair of skeevers trapped in a pen, so you are free to explore the area safely. Head over to the altar when you are ready to continue and collect the Intact Component. You can now head back to Beredalmo's Shack and complete the device he was working on.

Enter the Rift
Once you have returned to the shack, retrieve the Tampered Dynamo Core from Beredalmo's Chest and collect one of the Dwemer Gears from the table. Along with the Intact Component from the Consortium Headquarters, you now have what you need to repair the Broken Device. Once repaired, press the small button on the front to be whisked away to an Aetherial Rift.

Proceed up the glowing crystal path ahead to once again find the mysterious Conducive Spirit, reading a book in front of a strange podium. As you approach, the vision disappears and the spirit is replaced by the body of Lord Corvus Direnni, with On the Metaphysics of Moving Bodies lying beside him. Check his body for his Final Wish, a plea for anyone who finds him to continue his research into the wayshrines and the Snow Elven technology at their core, and collect the two Grand Soul Gems he was carrying. Next, pick up and activate the nearby book, which will grant you the Salvage Soul spell. Cast the spell to give you the opportunity to salvage souls from soul gems in order to increase your Soul Energy. Salvage the souls from the two Grand Soul Gems you collected from the body, and you will receive enough Soul Energy to activate the Teleport Conduit and escape the Rift. 

Corvus Direnni's Final Wish
This quest completes once you are back in Beredalmo's Shack, but Corvus Direnni's final wish gives hints on what to do next – "what would possibly occur if all wayshrines were active?" This task is added to your journal as the miscellaneous objective "Discover more wayshrines to fulfill Corvus's final wish". Corvus Direnni's Conducive Spirit also appears to give you one final guiding push before disappearing: Architectonic Renditions, a book which describes the locations of many of the wayshrines that can be found in Skyrim.

Quest Stages