Another chapter of the Mages' Guild questline in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered brings you one step closer to uncovering the reason behind necromancer activity in Tamriel. After they appeared and slaughtered 𝓀the guardians of mage staff knowledge, the quest for knowledge is deeply personal.

With the last mage staff squarely in your hands, you'll be sent on a dangerous quest disguised as a ꩲsimple library errand run. However, playing the fool will be 🥀to your advantage as you pretend to walk into the deadly jaws of conspiracy.

How To Begin Ulterior Motives

For this quest to be available, you must have:

• Completed all Mages' Guild Recommendation quests.
• Completed the Mages' Staff quest.
• Spoken to Raminus Polus about Advancement to Journeyman.

Once you are a Journeyman mage, you can ask Raminus about tasks you can perform. He will tell you about retrieving a book on loan from the count of Sking♏rad.

How To Recover The Book From Janus Hassildor

Travel to Skingrad and speak with Mercator Hosidus, usually found in the ☂County Hall at Skingrad Castle.

He'll tell you to wait until tomorrow for the chance to speak to the count, your real target. You'll have no other choice, so wait 24 hours to talk to Mercator again.

Trustworthy guy that he is, Mercator will tell you on your second try to meet the count and him at 2AM outside the Cursed Mine.

He'll tell you to meet him to the north of the mine. However, the location on the map and in person is actually west (slightly southwest) of the mine, between the mine and the Grateful Pass Stables.

Unfortunately, it appears you cannot sneak into the count's quarters and speak with ꦕhim yourself to warn him o𒆙f Mercator.

In a plot twist surely🍷 no one saw coming, Me𒉰rcator will appear with two necromancers outside the vineyard between 10PM and 2AM.

You can fight them yourself, but the guards happen to be close by. Instead of fighting the necromancers in a 3-v-1 battle, turn around and run back to the gate for the guards' help.

The count himself will also appear to help. However, other people (including the guards) sometimes fight with him after the necromancers are defeated because of his status as a vamꦯpire. To ignore this bug, simply talk to Count Janus after the necromancers are slain so he can be bullied by the guards after you're done.

Once the necromancers are defeated, speak with Count Janus about the ♒real reason the University sent you to Skingrad.

After Janus lectures you about your gullibility and you exhaust all his dialogue, return to the Arcane University to wrap up the quest with Raminus Polus.

Tell him all you've learned and gain your next Advancement: Evoker. With your new rank, you'll be given the Spelldr🉐inker Amulet.