Chasing Echoes Chasing Echoes is a quest in . Background . Speak to Serana and ask her what ' s on her mind . She believes she knows where to start looking for one of the missing Elder Scrolls that Dexion mentioned . She believes her mother , Valerica , will know the whereabouts of the Elder Scroll , but she has no idea where she is . The last time Serana saw her , she told her she would go someplace safe where Harkon would never find her . Serana can ' t imagine where this could be , however through some additional dialogue Serana deduces that Valerica is hiding within Castle Volkihar itself . If the Dragonborn has a follower , Serana will refuse to lead them any further than the docks , until the follower is dismissed . Asking the follower to wait at a location away from the castle will not suffice . Walkthrough . Castle Volkihar can be infiltrated via an unused dock on the north - western side of the island . To get there , the player can either climb over the rocky terrain to the dock or swim round . The platform is guarded by several armored Skeletons . After defeating the skeletons , proceed into the undercroft . Castle Undercroft . The undercroft is guarded by Death Hound s , armored Skeletons , and a Feral Vampire who has been banished to live here . Her " Journal Fragment " gives a little more insight . Fighting through the enemies leads to a canal with a raised wooden bridge . Before pulling the lever , there is a Destruction skill book " A Hypothetical Treachery " as well as the book " The Aetherium Wars " on the nearby table . Serana will comment that her father installed various security measures throughout the castle for her own safety . To lower the bridge proceed to the left and up the stairs , where there is a semi - hidden adept level chest , with random loot behind the spiderweb on the right . Proceed forward , where the lever is guarded by a Giant Frostbite Spider . Once the lever has been pulled , go through the door , and straight across there will be another platform with a skeleton on the ground . Use the Whirlwind Sprint shout or Bats Night Power , to get across onto the platform , once there to the left there will be a chest with random loot . Then return to the bridge that will lead to the courtyard . Courtyard . The courtyard garden lies in a decrepit state and Serana comments that her mother would never have allowed it to fall into such disrepair . In the center of the courtyard is a moondial with various phases on the moon depicted around it . Serana mentions that there are some pieces missing . The three missing pieces can be found scattered around the courtyard : Once all the pieces are placed around the moondial , it will rotate and a secret stairway entrance to the Castle Volkihar Ruins will be revealed . Castle Volkihar Ruins . This part of the castle is blocked off from the rest . It ' s in a very poor state and is teeming with armed Skeletons and Gargoyles bursting out from gargoyle statues . Head up the stairs into a dining room where several skeletons will be seated around the table . They will awaken when approached . Once they are defeated , head south up the balcony into a room filled with cobwebs and spiked traps . At the far end of this room the gargoyle statue comes to life and attacks . Once the gargoyle is eliminated , head into the next room to encounter two more skeletons , once they have been dealt with , off to the left will be an adept level door with some lockpicks , gold and gems . Continue up the long flight of stairs , where there will be another gargoyle who will attack . Head up some more sets of stairs , to find another adept level locked door , once picking the lock to the right will be a chest with random loot inside . Proceed up the stairs , and past several armed skeletons where you will come across another smaller dining area . There will be a medium size room with a gargoyle by the back wall . Behind the statue is a chain that needs to be pulled to open the iron gate to the next area . Once the chain is pulled , the gargoyle will attack . Head through the iron gate and up long flight of stairs where yet another armed skeleton and gargoyle will attack . The next choice is to either pull the chain to raise the iron gate into the next area or pick the expert level lock on the nearby door . Either option will lead to the same point , but the door is a shortcut that also gives the option of fighting the next set of enemies in a more controlled manner , rather than all at once . The door also leads to a small armory where a selection of Ancient Nord weapons , and a few enchanted weapons can be taken . Choosing the iron gate route will lead to a decrepit cathedral of sorts . A raised platform is found at the far end where a leveled chest can be found to the left of a ruined statue of Mara which is against the back wall suggesting that this area of the castle once was a temple of Mara . Head through the halls and over the bridge suspended above the cathedral to the next area . This next room is fairly sparse with the exception of the Vampire Royal Armor that is on a shelf to the right , next to two coffins . In addition , there are several Gargoyle statues that will attack when approached . The room will seem to be a dead end , but Serana will comment that there should be a secret entrance somewhere nearby . The entrance can be found by turning a candle stick on the back wall , on the left - hand side of the fireplace . Following the hallway leads eventually to Valerica ' s Study . Valerica ' s Study . The most prominent feature in the study is the large group of circular stone rings in the center of the room . Serana asks the Dragonborn to locate " Valerica ' s Journal " to give any insight into her whereabouts . The journal can be found on the bookshelf to the right among several other books . After reading it , Serana mentions that three ingredients are required to open a portal to the Soul Cairn . All three ingredients can be found within the well - stocked laboratory . Once all the ingredients have been found , place them in the chalice overlooking the stone dial . Serana will add her own blood to the mixture in place of Valerica ' s and the circular stone rings in the center of the room will begin to rotate , eventually revealing the portal . The Choice . Proceed towards the newly opened portal . If the Dragonborn is not a Vampire , the portal will begin to leech some health . Serana comments that this is because the conditions to enter the portal are such that there are only two options .