The Gardener of Men The Gardener of Men is a quest in . Walkthrough . This quest begins after retrieving the " " from Nchardak with Neloth in the previous quest " The Path of Knowledge " . Reading the Black Book in the Nchardak Reading Room will bring the Dragonborn into the realm of Apocrypha . Upon reading the book , Neloth parts with " " Oh good . Be sure to say hello to Hermaeus Mora for me if you see him . " " Once in Apocrypha , activating the scrye will unroll a bridge to an oscillating tunnel . At the other end of the tunnel , the platform against the north wall can be reached . Activating the scrye in that platform causes the bridge leading west to unroll . Stepping back onto the moving tunnel allows the Dragonborn to access the bridge , which leads to a platform on the west edge of the room containing a large book . The book acts as a door to Chapter II . Chapter II . Activating the scrye at the north end of the tunnel unfolds the tunnel to reveal a larger room where seeker s and a Lurker will attack . Once they have been defeated or avoided , another scrye on the east side of the room under a Font of Magicka can be activated . It opens the gate across the room on the west side , which leads up steps to Chapter III . Chapter III . The pathway leads around and up the several sets of stairs , with Seekers along the way . Another Font of Magicka is at the top . After stepping into the oscillating tunnel , a scrye is found that , when activated , opens the gate ahead . A Seeker is at the south end , and then the tunnel turns left ( east ) . This end of the tunnel also oscillates , but can be exited via an unrolling bridge with a Lurker at the other side . Continuing north leads to another oscillating tunnel that exits onto a platform with another scrye . Upon activating it , a gate ahead opens to a circular room with a pool in the middle that contains a whipping tentacle . Continuing on to the south , more Seekers can be found . Chapter IV is at the end of the tunnel . Chapter IV . Activating the scrye in the initial platform unfolds a large housing chamber where the Epistolary Acumen is held . After opening the book , Hermaeus Mora himself will appear in front of the Dragonborn as a mass of eyeballs and tentacles , and greets them : If the quest " Discerning the Transmundane " has not yet been completed , Hermaeus Mora will instead introduce himself with the following line : Next the following set of choices is available : Next the following set of choices is available , unless the " Tell me what you want my lord " choice was taken , in which case this set of choices is skipped : Next the following set of choices is available : The conversation ends with Hermaeus Mora saying : Return to Solstheim . With his parting line , Hermaeus Mora will disappear , and three glowing orbs will appear from the Epistolary Acumen . Activating any of these orbs will present the choice to choose an ability : Once a reward has been selected , read the book again to return to Nchardak . Neloth will approach and ask : Alternatively , should the Dragonborn die within Apocrypha before interacting with Hermaeus Mora , this option is presented instead : Miraak ' s Ambush . Upon exiting Nchardak , Miraak has sent a Dragon named Krosulhah to attack . He hovers above the ruins and bellows : " " Miraak has commanded your death . So it shall be . " " before attacking . After he is defeated , it is possible that , instead of the Dragonborn absorbing the Dragon Soul , a spectral image of Miraak appears . He says , " Did you ever think of the pain ? Of having your soul ripped like that ? " , then absorbs the soul himself before leaving . The quest continues at the Skaal Village by speaking to Storn Crag - Strider . Secrets of the Skaal . Storn can be found meditating outside his hut . If " Cleansing the Stones " has not been completed , Storn will ask the Dragonborn to cleanse Solstheim while he thinks on his course of action . Otherwise , he can be asked about the secrets of the Skaal . He can also be asked exactly what these secrets are . He replies by explaining they are ancient lore , handed down from shaman to shaman since ancient times . They are how the Skaal " talk to the wind " and " listen to the earth " . He explains the only reason Hermaeus Mora wants this knowledge is because it is in his nature to hoard secrets to himself . Their value to him is of no consequence to him , and the fact that the Skaal have kept knowledge from him has only increased his desire to have it . After a discussion of the secrets of the Skaal , Storn will take the Black Book . Frea will plea with him not to go ahead . He will then open the book and begin to read it . Suddenly the book will begin to float and tentacles will appear from the pages and impale Storn . Hermaeus Mora appears as a mass of floating tentacles and gloats : As Storn is killed , the final word of Bend Will is learned . This quest is completed , and the next , " At the Summit of Apocrypha " , begins . Frea will rush to her father ' s corpse and cry out : The whole village will then one by one walk over to the corpse of Storn and say a few final words :