The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Hints

Hermaeus Mora

  • 1 of 13: Hermaeus Mora's shrine is at location 3 on the Jerall and Valus Mountains map, but don't bother going there right away.
  • 2 of 13: You first have to finish *every* other Daedric shrine quest, plus you have to get to the "Blood of the Daedra" quest in the Main Quest series.
  • 3 of 13: Once all that is accomplished, go to sleep in any bed anywhere for any amount of time.
  • 4 of 13: When you wake up, a guy named Casta Flavus will be there to tell you that Hermaeus Mora summons you to his shrine. (That is, he'll show up if you're not due for a visit from a Dark Brotherhood recruiter. If you are, you'll have to rest twice to get Flavus to appear.)
  • 5 of 13: The shrine is way up on a mountain, and is a bit of a pain to get to.
  • 6 of 13: When you finally make it, talk to the giant statue to get the assignment of trapping a soul from each of the ten different races of NPC in the game. (You can use the "Races" section of the game manual as a checklist.)
  • 7 of 13: The way to do it is to cast the special Mora's Soul Trap spell on an intended victim, then kill him within the next 120 seconds (before the spell wears off).
  • 8 of 13: If the race of the victim is one that isn't in the special Hermaeus Mora's Soul Gem yet, you'll get a journal entry saying that you've captured a soul of that victim's race.
  • 9 of 13: The easiest way to collect the souls is to first do the three followers at Hermaeus' shrine, then fast-travel to the other Daedric shrines and find the rest of what you need there.
  • 10 of 13: None of those people will be the least bit significant in any future quest (unless you haven't done the Conjuration Master Training Quest yet), and your bounty usually won't go up for killing them (but do keep a close eye on it).
  • 11 of 13: Once you have all you need and get a journal entry saying so, return to Hermaeus Mora's shrine and talk to the statue to get your reward of the Oghma Infinium, the ultimate skill book.
  • 12 of 13: When you use it, you can choose to read about one of three paths: steel, shadow, or spirit. You can only choose once, since the book will vanish after you choose.
  • 13 of 13: The path you choose will decide which attributes and skills you get a permanent +10 to. You can choose a path that makes you even stronger in your strongest areas, or one to help bolster up weaker areas that you've been wanting to improve.

    Steel: Strength, Speed, Blade, Heavy Armor, Blunt
    Shadow: Agility, Speed, Security, Light Armor, Sneak
    Spirit: Intelligence, Conjuration, Destruction, Restoration