
Use the fallen pipe to reach the ledge and you will find that it is Katria's body. Just above the water is a small ledge with a dead body. She will also mention what's ahead of you: "Well, there's the Falmer, to start with. When asked about the state of the place, Katria will tell you that a huge earthquake hit the ruin and destroyed everything, killing her in the process. The clear blue sky is visible above, along with several ledges, while a waterfall feeds an underground lake below. Take another look around and get familiar with the place.

This will finally initiate the quest and you have a long trek before you. As she obviously knows her way around, there is no real reason to reject her offer, so bring her along. All three opportunities will lead to Katria giving up and offering her help in guiding you through the ruin. You can then persuade her or choose to be friendly or hostile. Mine, not his!" She will then tell you that she died in Arkngthamz and will warn you once again. Not until I find the Forge, until I can prove that it was my discovery. All of it, lost! Stolen by my own damn apprentice! That's how I ended up here. I didn't make it." When you point out the familiarity of her name, she will reveal herself to be the Katria to whom the book The Aetherium Wars is dedicated, although she will angrily add: "That was my theory, you know. Raided ruins like this for nigh on twenty years. When asked, the ghost will reveal herself as Katria: "The name's Katria. Before long, a ghost will appear and actively seek you out, asking you if you are there for the treasure. before it's too late." Follow the tunnel to a very large chamber and look around for a bit. A few feet into the ruin, the whole place will shiver, and an unidentified female voice will echo through the halls, saying: "Please, turn back. As you approach the entrance, the earth will quiver underneath you, hinting at things to come. Or perhaps it, like the secrets of Aetherium itself, still remains to be discovered." The Ghost of Katria Īs soon as you open the book, an objective will be added to your journal, encouraging you to investigate Arkngthamz, a Dwemer ruin located down the path from Dushnikh Yal. It may have been destroyed long ago, by the Nord invaders or the Dwemer themselves. The book ends with a challenge for the adventurer: "But nothing like the Aetherium Forge described in the inscriptions has ever been found within the borders of Skyrim. The weapons created were so powerful that the strong bonds between the four city-states shattered, as everyone wanted to have access to the Forge, with subsequent conflicts weakening the cities enough for them to be an easy conquest for Gellir. Due to their brilliance, the Dwemer actually succeeded. The author suggests that the Dwarves found a considerable amount of Aetherium and started experimenting with forging it into weapons with a newly constructed "Aetherium Forge". The Aetherium Wars is a tome written in the present day by Taron Dreth which details the fall of the four cities and even offers an explanation for the downfall of the Dwarves: namely, Aetherium, an ultra-rare crystal-like matter with a strong, magical aura. The Nords ascribed the destruction of the cities to the strategic genius of High-King Gellir, but many scholars suggested that the cities fell for other reasons-although the mystery was buried along with the cities and merely forgotten. Then, in the midst of the First Era, all four city-states suddenly collapsed within three years. Their purpose remains unknown, but the city-states were undefeatable and held their ground against attacking Nords for centuries. In ancient times, the Dwemer constructed four city-states led by the great research center of Arkngthamz in the Reach.

