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Skyrim modding is wonderful because of the way different mods can synergize together. This also means mods can interfere with one another in negative ways too. The following is meant to help you troubleshoot any issues you may be having, so that I get to spend more of my time building Chapter III:

GENERAL

What could go wrong:

  • Map is purple
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You have a mod that changes the map.
What to do about it:
  • Make your map mod load after this mod.


CHAPTER I

There is no Umbra:

To start the quest:
  • Find the "There is no Umbra" book in common loot, or on Farengar's desk.
What could go wrong:
  • Book is not showing up in common loot.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Mod is not installed correctly.
  • Another loot mod could be overwriting the leveled lists LItemBookClutter or LItemBook0All.
What to do about it:
  • Make sure the mod is installed correctly, and at the bottom of the load order.
  • Make a patch to merge this mod's changes to the formlist above with whatever else is conflicting.
  • Honestly, just pick the book from Farengar's desk :)

  • Book is not there on Farengar's desk.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • A Dragonsreach and/or furniture replacer moved the desk around
  • This mod is not installed correctly.
What to do about it:
  • Check the floor. Maybe an NPC bumped into it.
  • Make sure my mod loads last in your load order. 
  • Get the book using AddItemMenu (or Cheat Engine if in AE).

  • Ask Tolfdir about Ulves Seloth.
What could go wrong:
  • Tolfdir is nowhere to be found.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You're in the final stages of the College of Winterhold questline.
  • Another mod killed him / replaced him.
What to do about it:
  • Advance the College of Winterhold questline.
  • Restore him via console. 
prid 1C1A1
player.moveto
or

moveto player
  • Continue the quest without him by going directly to the Atronach Forge (you should have a second quest marker to it)

  • At the Atronach Forge, which was built by Ulves Seloth, read the Forge Manual he wrote and find the secret message which will tell you which two items to put into the Forge to obtain something he hid there. 
What could go wrong:
  • Manual is gone.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You already picked it up a long time ago.
What to do about it:
  • Check your player houses. You probably stashed it there. 
  • Bring it back via console:
prid 6CE1C
moveto player

  • I don't understand what am I supposed to do with the Atronach Forge Manual or how to go forward with the quest.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You haven't read the last lines of the personal section of the Manual.
What to do about it:
  • Read it. It's not a very hard puzzle, honestly :) 

  • I know I'm supposed to put an Iron Dagger and a Daedric Heart into the Forge box, but when I do that and I pull the lever, nothing happens!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You have a replacer for Iron Daggers, Daedric Hearts, the Atronach Forge, or any combination of the above. The mod only works if these items are vanilla.
What to do about it:
  • Sort my mod to load last.
  • Use AddItemMenu (or Cheat Engine if in AE) to give yourself vanilla versions of Daedric Hearts and Iron Daggers.
  • Use AddItemMenu to give yourself the item the Forge was supposed to give to you, which is Ulves Seloth's journal (or use the console: "player.additem XX0171F1" (the XX is the index of my mod in your load order, in hexadecimal -you can get this from your mod manager, or by using 'help Ulves').

  • Read Ulves Seloth's journal, head to the Altar of Xrib.
  • Read the Epitaph on the stone near the Altar.
  • Head for Sightless Pit.
  • Read the bandit's note "There is no way out" near the entrance.
What could go wrong:
  • The note is not there.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You haven't read the Epitaph, or you read the Epitaph without having read Ulves' Seloth's journal first.
What to do about it:
  • Read Ulves Seloth's Journal, then the Epitaph, in that order.
  • Use AddItem menu to give yourself the note, and read it.

  • Fight your way through the Sightless Pit, reach Daumbra, wake her.
What could go wrong:
  • She's not waking up.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You didn't read the bandit's note. This is meant to prevent people from stumbling into Daumbra while exploring the Sightless Pit without having any idea of who she is.
  • You entered the Sightless Pit through the exit.
What to do about it:
  • Read the bandit's note, see above. 

  • She's not there!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Sometimes when objects fall in Skyrim, they clip through the floor. It's an engine thing.
What to do about it:
  • Type "prid XX014A4C" in the console (replace the XX with the number of my mod in your load order. If you don't know what the load order number is, just type "help daumbra" and grab the first two digits of anything that comes back, that's the load order number of my mod). Then type "moveto player", and that should bring the sword back to you. Activate it and go from there.
  • Use the wait function. Players report this brings Daumbra to them.
  • Type "prid XX014A4D" then "resurrect" and "enable".

  • She's invisible!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Some other mod made her sheathe her sword.
What to do about it:
  • Type "prid XX014A4D" in the console to select her (replace the XX with the number of this mod in your load order, you can learn what that number is if you type "help Daumbra"). Then type "resurrect". She will unsheathe her sword and be visible again.
  • Decide whether to take her in or... 
  • ... Kill her:
What could go wrong:
  • She doesn't die and keeps getting back up.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • She's an immortal Daedric artifact imbued with the godflesh of Clavicus Vile, the Prince of Bargains.
What to do about it:
  • Re-read Ulves Seloth's Journal, the last page, about how to kill her. Go back to the Atronach Forge, build the "Daumbra Killer" blade as per his instructions, then come back and kill her. This ends the questline.

  • You take her as a follower, but she ignores the commands to wait or dismiss.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Your game is missing the "Shared Silence" vanilla line for some reason.
  • The CVR Voices mod is overwriting this mod instead of the other way around.
  • You have another mod that affects followers, such as "Followers as Companions" or any manager like NFF or AFT.
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version that no longer requires CVR and no longer requires "Shared Silence". 
  • Don't use AFT, NFF, etc on her. You can use any follower manager on any follower, just not her. If you use Followers as Companions, you will need to tell her to fall back first before she will acknowledge your wait commands.

  • You take her as a follower, but she lacks every dialogue other than wait or dismiss
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Another mod reduced her relationship rank, usually due to friendly fire
What to do about it:
  • Update to the latest version of this mod, which restores her relationshiprank onload, then try again.

She trusted you:

To start the quest:
  • Talk through her "May I ask you a question?" > "What do you remember of your life as Umbra" to trigger the start of Quest 2.
  • Find Clavicus Vile. If you've already completed the vanilla quest "A Daedra's Best Friend" then you know where to go: to Haemar's Shame cave. If you haven't, then you can start that quest when you're at least level 10 in Falkreath. 
  • Negotiate with Clavicus. If you have ever absorbed any dragon soul, then you are the Dragonborn and can offer him ten dragon souls in exchange for her freedom. If you have never absorbed a dragon soul, then you don't know whether you are the Dragonborn or not: you can ask him to wait, go and become the Dragonborn, and then come back, or you can offer yourself to become his servant right there and then.
What could go wrong:
  • He won't agree to your bargain.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You failed a persuasion check. He's no pushover when it comes to negotiations -he's the Prince of Bargains.
What to do about it:
  • Level up your speechcraft skill (there are trainers in the Bard's College). You need 50 (or 35 with the Persuasion perk).
  • Drink some speech potions.
  • Wear some enchanted speech gear.

  • You can't click on him to initiate dialogue, or the statue is gone.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Daumbra is not in line of sight of the statue
  • A replacer is swapping the Clavicus statue.
What to do about it:
disable
prid e7c4d
enable
Sometimes you click on the location's fog by accident. Keep clicking-and-disabling until you disable the actual statue, then prid e7c4d and enable to bring the vanilla one back.

  • When you click on the Clavicus statue, you pray and receive a blessing instead of initiating dialogue.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You are using the Wintersun mod
What to do about it:
  • Install the compatibility patch from the optional files.
  • You can also choose to kill her yourself or give her away to Clavicus. Both of these choices end the questline.
  • Otherwise, you obtain her freedom and she declares her love for you. 
  • Ask her "May I ask you a question?" "May I wield you with my own hands?" She will say yes and you will be wielding her.
What could go wrong:
  • She disappears.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You have some mod preventing items from being added to your inventory.
  • You have some mod turning on your followers' essential flag.
What to do about it:
  • Figure out which mod is blocking her from being added to your inventory and remove that mod. If you find it, please report it back to me so I can update this guide.
  • Make sure no mod is making her essential -she is not compatible with any follower manager mod. You can use follower manager mods on your other followers, but never on her.
  • She continues to float around instead of appearing in your hands.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You have old scripts from Chapter I baked in your save file (or are using Chapter I).
  • You imported her into NFF or other Follower Manager mod that turned on her "essential" flag.
What to do about it:
  • Install the latest version and try again.
  • Uninstall, clean your save file, re-install the latest version and re-start the quest making sure you only have the latest version of Chapter III installed AND that she has never been imported into NFF nor other Follower Manager mod at any point in the past. Check that she is not marked as essential.

  • You can wield her, but you can't see her special attack animations.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • DAR is not installed correctly (remember there're different versions for AE vs SE).
  • An animation replacer such as PCEA, or another DAR mod is overwriting this mod's DAR animation (SkySA is a frequent offender).
What to do about it:
  • Make sure DAR is installed correctly.
  • Make sure you don't have custom attack animations in PCEA or similar that are overwriting her files.
  • Delete all the 2 handed hkx file from your animation overhaul mod such as SkySA.

  • At this point, you also get the ability to ride on her like a hoverboard. Simply unsheathe, and hit the sprint key to ride.
What could go wrong:
  • You get no hover animation and no extra speed.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Somehow you lost the spell, or some mod broke the spell for you.
What to do about it:
  • Make sure Chapter III has been installed correctly, after deleting or overwriting Chapter II or I.
  • In the console (notice you should replace the "XX" with the correct number in your load order) :
player.removespell XX15EFC8
player.addspell XX15EFC8


  • You get extra speed but no hover animation (character looks like he's running really fast).
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • DAR is not installed correctly.
  • An animation replacer such as PCEA, or another DAR mod is overwriting this mod's DAR animation.
What to do about it:
  • Make sure DAR is installed correctly (remember there're different version for AE vs SE).
  • Make sure you don't have custom attack animations in PCEA or similar that are overwriting her files -specifically, 2hm_sprintforwardsword.hkx


CHAPTER II


There is an Umbra:

To start the quest:
  • The quest starts when an assassin finds and attacks you. 
What could go wrong:
  • No assassin shows up. 
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You're following this guide instead of just enjoying the story :) 
What to do about it:
  • Just play the game normally, and after 24 in-game hours, if you're outdoors, the assassin will show up.

  • The assassin shows up and you kill him, but the quest won't start.
Spoiler:  
Show
Probable cause:
  • Skyrim couldn't fill the aliases this quest requires. This is a vanilla glitch... it just sometimes happens! :( 
What to do about it:
  • Load an earlier save and try again :(
  • Then you read the journal he was carrying. 
  • Read the assassin's journal, talk to Daumbra about it.
  • Pick up his blade, and head to the Atronach Forge
  • Put his blade inside the box, then talk to Daumbra. She will go inside the box. Pull the lever. Daumbra will merge with the assassin's blade.
What could go wrong:
  • You pull the lever and nothing happens, or, there is no lever. 
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You are using a mod that replaces things inside the Atronach Forge (such as UmbraIsland.esp).
What to do about it:
  • Sort this mod below that, or don't use that mod.
  • Pull Daumbra back out of the box, then manually advance the stage, then talk to her:
setstage 0_FloatingSwordQuest03 30

  • Talk to her, then do a test sword throw, by wielding her, unsheathing, then holding down the Activate key (usually "E") for more than one second, then releasing.
What could go wrong:
  • She doesn't fly like a javelin projectile.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You don't have SKSE or it's incorrectly installed.
What to do about it:
  • Reinstall SKSE, make sure it's the latest version (remember there's a different one for AE vs SE).

  • Her dialogue line that allows you to wield her is gone, and the summon Lesser Power does not actually summon her to your hands.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probably cause:
  • A different mod (we're still trying to find out which) reduced her relationshiprank to something other than 4 when she took friendly fire.
What to do about it:
  • Select her in console, then type "setrelationshiprank 14 4", then try again.
  • Update to the latest version of this mod, which restores her relationshiprank onload, then try again.
  • Talk to her and decide to consult with Falion. Or, if Falion already turned you down before, then find someone else to help you.
What could go wrong:
  • You don't know who else to go to other than Falion.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You're following this walkthrough instead of just enjoying the game and experimenting :)
What to do about it:
  • Just wait between 8 and 16 minutes in real life. A magical letter will appear in your pocket.
  • Read the magical letter that appears in your pocket. Head to Purewater Run cave, south of Markarth.
  • Meet sweet, old Naenra. Depending on your dialogue choices, she may give you a side quest to return to the Atronach Forge to have Daumbra's memories erased. She will definitely send you to Windhelm to recover Calixto Corrium's Aldmeri text.
  • Calixto won't give you the documents. But you can get the documents after you finish the vanilla quest "Blood on the Ice".
What could go wrong:
  • You don't know how to get the Aldmeri Text out of his key-locked chest inside his house in Windhelm.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You've been blessed to forget that the vanilla quest "Blood on the Ice" exists, or don't remember Calixto was in it.
What to do about it:
  • Complete "Blood on the Ice". Get Calixto's key from his cold, dead hands at the end of it.

  • Read the heartfelt letter from Calixto's sister to Calixto.
  • Return to Naenra at Purewater Run cave to give her that letter.
  • Naenra is not home. Kill the forsworn invaders instead. Get a note from their leader. Read it. Go save Naenra at the nearby Forsworn stronghold.
What could go wrong:
  • Naenra is not in the cell, even though the quest marker is.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Unkwown! Very rare though...
What to do about it:
  • In the console, type "prid XX0C74C4" (the XX is the load order of the mod). It should select Naenra. Then type "enable". Naenra will appear.
  • Talk to Naenra. Decide whether you want Daumbra to use mind control or not.
  • Decide whether you want Daumbra to have a flesh-and-blood body or not. If not, then know that you're skipping a lot of content -but I respect your decision.
  • If yes, go harvest ten female corpses.
What could go wrong:
  • An error message tells you only beautiful women may be harvested, and you cannot harvest anyone.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • SKSE is missing, or you have the wrong version installed, or you're not launching Skyrim from the SKSE launcher.
What to do about it:
  • Install the latest SKSE, make sure it's the right one for your version (AE or SE) and launch the game from the SKSE launcher.

  • SMP or HDT clothing falls through the ground, particularly the left leg.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • SMP is sensitive to magic effects the harvest spell uses.
What to do about it:
  • Return to Naenra at Purewater Run Cave.
What could go wrong:
  • CTD upon entering Purewater Run Cave.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You have a replacer for Nocturnal's robes which has incorrectly coded physics and would cause CTDs on any NPC wearing it, up to and including Nocturnal.
  • There's something about that cave that your Skyrim hates, and I've never been able to reproduce it.
What to do about it:
  • Delete the meshes and textures from your Nocturnal robe's replacer.
  • Use the in-game wait feature for an hour or two before you walk in the cave.
  • Go right outside the cave and pull Naenra out via console: "Prid XX0F8DFC" then "moveto player". 
  • Learn from Naenra that now Daumbra too can have her own flesh-and-blood body.
  • Go collect ten more female bodies -the 10th one will be the one Daumbra will inhabit. 
What could go wrong:
  • The body you're trying to make Daumbra inhabit is "too ordinary" to host her.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • The NPC is not marked as "unique" in the game, or doesn't have a vanilla voicetype, or both. Most named NPCs are marked as unique, and most generic bandits, forsworn, etc., are not. Only unique named NPCs can be used by Daumbra. You must decide who. (Hint: the Nexus has many followers that meet this criteria).
What to do about it:
  • Cast the spell on an NPC marked as "unique". 
  • DO NOT use the console to clone nor spawn copies of existing named NPCs -if you do, then Daumbra will possess both the clone and the original and it may break other parts of your game.

  • I die when she hugs me!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Bad files from Todd
What to do about it:
  • Install the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP), it fixes this. 
  • If another mod overwrites USSEP's fix, try this workaround: In the console, type "tim" to turn immortal mode on, then "player.kill", then "tim" again to toggle immortal mode back off. 
  • Daumbra goes down in a few hits!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You asked her to, via dialogue, in order for enemies to pick up the sword from the floor and become mind-controlled. 
What to do about it:
  • After she does this once she will not do it again (unless you ask her to again, of course). You can also turn it off in the console, typing "set 0_FloatingSwordWillDive to 0".
  • Remember that once Daumbra makes a certain body hers, she can re-use it an infinite number of times without having to ever harvest for it again. You only ever need to harvest if you want a new body for her, in addition to the one she already has. Also, remember that using the summon spell while Daumbra is already in your inventory will summon her latest flesh body to you, as a convenience.
  • Return to Naenra, after discussing it with Daumbra.
  • Naenra is not home, go find her at Dibella's Temple in Markarth.
  • Naenra tells you her plan to get rid of Clavicus.
  • Daumbra refuses to go through with it -she won't stab you.
What could go wrong:
  • You don't know how to make her stab you.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You're following this walkthrough instead of just enjoying the game and experimenting :)
What to do about it:
  • Pull her out of her current host body, then put her back in using the Harvest spell. Wait 30 seconds. Clavicus will come to visit.
  • Clavicus forces some empathy into Daumbra the only way the jester god knows how.
  • You decide to return to Naenra to evict him at a scenic location she tells you about by mail.
  • Naenra gives you the godflesh, sends you to say your goodbyes to Daumbra.
  • Daumbra cries, and stabs you.
What could go wrong:
  • Crash to Desktop!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Your player character has so many things attached to it (jewelry, tattoos, special gear, etc) that the engine can't handle creating a clone of, for stabbing purposes.
What to do about it:
  • Temporarily drop whatever gear you can live without.
  • Temporarily remove from your character any tattoos or active overlays.
  • Console-skip this scene, via "setstage 0_FloatingSwordQuest03 240".
  • You go inside her soul space.
  • While in her soul space, you should defeat her fears and insecurities, represented by ghostly swords. If you don't, then things will be much harder later.
  • While in her soul space, you should talk to Clavicus. If you don't, then you'll miss out on potential endings (and good conversations!)
  • Either agree to Clavicus' proposal and return to the real world (bad ending), or...
  • ... Replace the godflesh inside Daumbra and return to the real world... as Umbra.
What could go wrong:
  • Upon returning to the real world, you can't move your character.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skyrim engine camera-related quirkiness.
What to do about it:
  • In the console type the following to ragdoll for a second, when you get back up you will have control again.
  • pushactoraway 14 0
  • OR Spend the entire time inside the soul space in 3rd person camera view.
  • OR save, then reload.
  • Upon returning to the real world, you can't unsheathe your weapon.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skyrim engine quirkiness.
What to do about it:
  • Choose a different weapon or spell. Umbra will remember to make you unsheathe her.

  • Talk to a very surprised and frightened Naenra.
  • Travel to Arcwind Point killing everyone in your path. Umbra will not let you use any other weapon. 
  • Talk to Naenra. She asks you to hold on for 30 seconds while she tries to yank Umbra out of your hands. Either kill her, and stay as Umbra forever (bad ending), or wait 30 seconds. 
  • Umbra is yanked out of your hands, and starts fighting you. Defeat her with Naenra's help.
What could go wrong:
  • Umbra is not yanked out of your hands.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Script lag.
What to do about it:
  • Find an earlier save, clean it with Fallrim Tools, load it, and try again.
  • Talk to Naenra. She explains her whole plan for you and Daumbra, and as long as you say you love Daumbra back, then Naenra sacrifices her flesh-and-blood body to give you a chance to rescue her.
  • Daumbra rises. Approach her. You are now back inside her soul space as a literal light. 
What could go wrong:
  • You don't know how to help Daumbra, and she dies to Umbra.
  • You do know that in order to help Daumbra, you need to get your light close to her and heal her, but all the evil ghostly swords are getting in the way.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You didn't kill the ghostly swords when you had the chance.
What to do about it:
  • Run your light towards Daumbra. She's the only sword that's on fire. As long as you are near her, you will heal her, and with your healing, she will beat Umbra, and you'll get the best ending.

  • Talk to Daumbra and enjoy your reunion. You made it to the best ending!
What could go wrong:
  • The conversation with Daumbra continuously ends without you quitting it.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Your version of Skyrim doesn't like the hug animation.
What to do about it:
  • Put her in Naenra's body first (it's free!), then welcome her back.

  • Daumbra can't be activated.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skyrim engine quirkiness.
What to do about it:
  • Try fast travel, then return.
  • And that's it, congratulations! Try putting Daumbra in Naenra's body -she has a few custom lines about it. There are other easter eggs here and there.

CHAPTER III


The Dying Wish:

  • Naenra mails you again, from High Rock. 
What could go wrong:
  • Naenra is taking too long to mail you.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You're following this walkthrough instead of just enjoying the game and experimenting :)
What to do about it:
  • Every time you summon Daumbra, there's a one in twenty chance Naenra will mail you. Spam summon until you get mail.

  • Discuss Naenra's mail with Daumbra. 
  • Walk into any main city to learn from Daumbra that Umbra has escaped.
  • Walk into Solitude with Daumbra wearing a body that is not Naenra's.
  • Get approached by a boy named Hamid. He has a request for you both on behalf of his father.
  • He leads you to his father.
What could go wrong:
  • Hamid gets stuck along the road.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Todd Howard.
What to do about it:
  • Tell Hamid to get a move on. He will follow you for a few seconds, then hopefully pick up the path again.
  • Tell Hamid to just mark the location of his father on your map, then you can lead him.

  • His father asks for a black soul gem and a favor
  • You comply, he goes to say goodbye to his son
What could go wrong:
  • The scene gets stuck -characters stop talking to each other and won't react to your interactions.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skyrim is finicky with scenes sometimes.
What to do about it:
  • Bump the characters 
  • Select them in console and type "disable" and "enable"
  • Save and reload. 


Souls Black As Gems:

Start the quest by talking to Daumbra ("May I ask you a question?") -there will be a new line about wondering whether what Sorald said about Naenra is true. 
  • In search of an expert in black soul gems, you arrive to Nelacar if you knew about him already, else, Tolfdir sends you his way
  • Nelacar agrees to help, asks you for five soul gems, you give them to him
  • He asks for a day to prepare them
  • You get a visit from Thornir
What could go wrong:
  • Wait, I get a visit from who?
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You're fast-travelling a lot, and Thornir can't catch up to you.
  • OR Skyrim started the quest without required aliases. This is not supposed to happen: if the engine cannot fill a required alias, then the quest shouldn't start. But here we are...
What to do about it:
  • Update to the latest version of the mod.
  • Confirm the alias is loaded: type "sqv 0_floatingSwordQuest05" and look for Thornir. If it says "None", then you need to load an earlier save and start the quest again. If it is filled, then just take it a bit slower and wait for him to catch up to you.

  • Nelacar asks you to find five friends to help you with the ritual
What could go wrong:
  • Everyone you ask turns you down!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • They don't like you enough. If that is the case, they will say so. 
  • They do like you, but are essential. In that case, they will say that they wish to help you but can't. This is because Chapter III may end up with their deaths, depending on your choices, and killing essential characters can break other quests. 
What to do about it:
  • Find people for whom you have completed quests for, or with whom you have a previous relationship with (followers, Blades, etc).
  • You can turn off their essential flag, in some cases, via a persuasion check. Do so at your own risk!
  • There are mods that make them essential -you have to temporarily prevent them from doing so. These mods includes several follower managers, and Amorous Adventures, for example.

  • Thornir visits again and volunteers to join -you turn him down
  • You recruit five friends
  • You show up at Arcwind Point
What could go wrong:
  • The people you recruit just stand around, and don't go to Arcwind Point.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Either the alias or the AI package were overridden by some other mod.
What to do about it:
  • Update to the latest version of this mod.
  • Two things to check: alias and package. If you type "sqv 0_floatingSwordQuest05" and the alias for Nelacar, MaleDunmer, MaleOrc etc, is "none", then some other mod blanked them. This is really bad news, because without those required aliases the quest can't continue. Load an earlier save, clean it with Fallrim Tools, then trigger the start of the quest again. Hopefully this second time around Skyrim deemed you worthy of keeping the quest aliases.
  • The second thing to check is that the NPC has the right AI package. For this you will need the "More Informative Console" mod. Using that mod, open the console, click on someone who should be walking to Arcwind Point but isn't, then scroll down to the "Current Package" section. If it doesn't say "0_FloatingSwordFriendWaitAtArcwind" then mouseover it and hit the "Shift" key. A new panel will appear telling you the mod their other package is coming from -whichever mod that is, please let me know because it's causing a conflict -if you sort TINU to load after that, or remove that other mod, then the conflict should be resolved. 
  • If you type "sqv 0_FloatingSwordQuest05" it will list the ref ID of everyone, Nelacar, and your five friends. Then, if you are at Arcwind Point (near the tent at the base of the stairs), for each of the six ref IDs, type "prid XXX" (where the XXX is the Ref ID) followed by "moveto player". That will place all six of them where you are. Sometimes that's all it takes to move things along.

  • Nelacar does the ritual...
What could go wrong:
  • People start to go home and the ritual doesn't continue
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Their aliases got wiped when you got a bad ending, then reloaded an earlier save in the same session. 
  • Some other mod (we're still looking for it) is blanking out the aliases when you load a save.
What to do about it:
  • Update to the latest version of the mod.
  • Load an earlier save. This is a known Skyrim bug. Some fixes exist, such as Clean Save Auto Reloader.
  • Make sure this mod loads last in the load order, regardless of what LOOT or Vortex suggest.


WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD...

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  • Umbra messes with the minds of your five friends
  • They attack you
  • Naenra shows up and asks you to escape (if you don't, you get a bad ending)
What could go wrong:
  • Naenra doesn't show up.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • When Nelacar told you to press a black soul gem against Daumbra... you did it, did you? Yeah. You did it....
What to do about it:
  • Load an earlier save, and when the man who was oddly complimentary of Umbra, tells you to press one of the gems through which Umbra operates, against the woman who has the body Umbra needs... don't do that. It's a bad ending.
  • You wake up in her place at Purewater Run. She wants to show you something
  • She takes you to her real home in the Soul Cairn, gives you a tour.
What could go wrong:
  • She stops talking or moving.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Scenes in Skyrim are a little finicky.
What to do about it:
  • Bump into her, walk in and out of her personal space.
  • OR select her in the console, and type "disable", then "enable".

  • She explains you need at least three out of the five gems from your friends to reach Umbriel
  • She gives you four quests: 
  • "Nature of the Beast" for your Khajiit friend
  • "Gray Justice" for your Male Dunmer friend
  • "Poison Bloom" for your female Dunmer friend
  • "A Loyal Mage" for Nelacar
  • She joins your party, allowing you to use her teleportation abilities
  • You return to Tamriel
  • You complete the friend quests, including an extra one that is added later
  • She gives you the final quest, "Assault on Umbriel".
What could go wrong:
  • Naenra has no dialogue lines even though you completed all the friend quests and have three or more recovered gems in your inventory.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Script lag in your save game prevented the code from sending you to the right stage the moment you picked up your third gem.
What to do about it:
  • Find a save before you pick your third soul gem, and clean it with Fallrim Tools. Load it and try again.
  • Alternatively, type "setstage 0_floatingswordquest05 290" and as long as you're still carrying three gems, that should give Naenra the dialogue to start the final quest.

  • She takes the gems, but the quest doesn't start. Or, if it does start, the portal at Purewater Run fails to teleport you to her place.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • A bug introduced in 1.08 where CK blanked all properties of the "Assault on Umbriel" quest.
What to do about it:
  • Update to the latest version of the mod and try again.

Nature of the Beast:

  • You find your Khajiit friend at Cliffside Retreat and have a chat
  • He tells you he kidnapped Hamid and taunts you to follow him
  • He runs away in all fours and loses you
  • You talk to Naenra, she says she will use her Divination Station to find out where did he go, and teleports away
  • You chat with Daumbra about carts
  • Naenra returns with the location of the Khajiit
What could go wrong:
  • Naenra doesn't return!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • ADHD :)
What to do about it:
  • Wait for 300 seconds in real life. I promise you, she will return.
  • You go there and find Thornir, unless you had already killed him
  • You go through the Dead Fang cave with or without Thornir
  • You confront your Khajiit friend, and either save him, or sacrifice him (if Thornir is with you, he sacrifices him for you).
What could go wrong:
  • The Khajiit disappears once you've decided to save him.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Some mod (I haven't found which) is returning merchant Khajiits to their caravans. A patch will be made once the mod is identified.
What to do about it:
  • Type "sqv 0_FloatingSwordQuest08" and write down the Ref ID for "MaleKhajiit"
  • Then type "prid XXX" where the XXX is the Ref ID you just wrote down
  • Then type "moveto player" and the Khajiit will return to where you can finish your conversation

What could go wrong:
  • The Khajiit doesn't die even though you decide to sacrifice him.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • If you can identify which mod is making the character essential, see if there's a way to undo it. AFT has this option for example, so does Amorous Adventures, and NFF.
  • Otherwise, install "More Informative Console" 
  • Select the character in the console, and write down the base ID (not the same as the Ref ID), found in the top-right corner of the screen
  • Then type "setessential XXX 0" where the XXX is the base ID you just wrote down
  • Then type "kill" and hopefully this kills the friend, finally

  • Crash on save after the Kajhiit dies
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • The vanilla script for body clean-up has always been a little funky.
What to do about it:


Gray Justice:

  • You arrive to Windhelm and start interrogating guards, dunmer and even Viola
  • The third female dunmer you ask tests you to see your intentions
  • She agrees to let you in their racial war plot and tells you to meet at midnight in the New Gnissis Cornerclub
  • To prove your loyalty to the cause, she tasks you with recovering incriminating evidence from Viola Giordano's house
  • You either steal the evidence, or Persuade, Intimidate, or kill Viola to get it
  • You return the evidence at the Atheron residence, and get a key to Calixto's house's basement
What could go wrong:
  • She ends the dialogue without advancing the quest.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You only brought back the hat or the document, but not both.
What to do about it:
  • Steal both pieces of evidence, hat AND document, then try again.
  • You meet Male Dunmer, fight, and either save him or sacrifice him.
  • If you save him, a few days later the Jarl gives you Calixto's house as your property
What could go wrong:
  • The Male Dunmer doesn't die even though you decide to sacrifice him.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • If you can identify which mod is making the character essential, see if there's a way to undo it. AFT has this option for example, so does Amorous Adventures, and NFF.
  • Otherwise, install "More Informative Console" 
  • Select the character in the console, and write down the base ID (not the same as the Ref ID), found in the top-right corner of the screen
  • Then type "setessential XXX 0" where the XXX is the base ID you just wrote down
  • Then type "kill" and hopefully this kills the friend, finally

  • Crash on save after the friend dies
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • The vanilla script for body clean-up has always been a little funky.
What to do about it:


Poison Bloom:

  • You arrive to Markarth and speak with female Dunmer behind bars in Cidhna Mine
  • You either leave her to rot there, or promise to bail her out
  • You either pay her fine to Thongvor, or talk to Naenra about how to break her out
  • If you pay her fine, you meet her outside prison
  • If you break her out, you travel through Dwemer ruins and she has some banter with Naenra along the way
  • Either way she joins your party, or you can send her home on her own
  • Naenra shares her suspicions with you about her
  • You confront her, and either you believe her, or you fight her
  • If you believe her, she waits for the right time to knife you in the back (usually after a tough fight when she feels you're in enough trouble)
  • Once her betrayal is revealed, you defeat her, and either save her or sacrifice her
What could go wrong:
  • The Female Dunmer doesn't die even though you decide to sacrifice her.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • If you can identify which mod is making the character essential, see if there's a way to undo it. AFT has this option for example, so does Amorous Adventures, and NFF.
  • Otherwise, install "More Informative Console" 
  • Select the character in the console, and write down the base ID (not the same as the Ref ID), found in the top-right corner of the screen
  • Then type "setessential XXX 0" where the XXX is the base ID you just wrote down
  • Then type "kill" and hopefully this kills the friend, finally

  • Crash on save after the friend dies
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • The vanilla script for body clean-up has always been a little funky.
What to do about it:


A Loyal Mage:

  • You arrive to Brood Cavern and witness Naenra and Nelacar get into a dick-measuring contest
What could go wrong:
  • You walk up to the magical barrier and nothing happens.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • A trigger you walk into failed to trigger. Skyrim is a fickle beast :( 
What to do about it:
  • Type this in the console to continue: " "setstage 0_FloatingSwordQuest07 20""

  • Nelacar is dead, mauled by bears, trolls, etc. Or maybe he's alive but busy fighting them.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Some other mod is adding enemies to that cave, and protecting them from my attempts to kill them in this mod!
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • Use "More Informative Console" and try to find out which mod is removing the essential flag from Nelacar. Let me know if you find it, so I can warn people in the compatibility section. 
  • The moment the cave loads and before you walk further in, open the console and type "prid 1E7D6" (that's Nelacar), then "disable", then "killall" (this kills all the enemies), then "enable" (this brings Nelacar back). 
  • You leave to find the "Keeper" of Nelacar's barrier
  • After the longest game of hot-or-cold ever, you eventually find the Silent Mist cave near Riften
  • You find Male Orc in a secret room, he attacks, you beat him
  • He explains it was Female Orc who killed everyone, giving you the quest "The Chosen of Kynareth"
  • Then he dies and you take his soul gem. There's no way to save him.
What could go wrong:
  • The Male Orc doesn't die.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • If you can identify which mod is making the character essential, see if there's a way to undo it. AFT has this option for example, so does Amorous Adventures, and NFF.
  • Otherwise, install "More Informative Console" 
  • Select the character in the console, and write down the base ID (not the same as the Ref ID), found in the top-right corner of the screen
  • Then type "setessential XXX 0" where the XXX is the base ID you just wrote down
  • Then type "kill" and hopefully this kills the friend, finally

  • Crash on save after the friend dies
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • The vanilla script for body clean-up has always been a little funky.
What to do about it:

  • You head back to Brood Cavern, Naenra breaks the barrier
  • Massive fight with a whole gang of floating swords
  • Nelacar is defeated, you choose to either save him or sacrifice him, except he had already destroyed his soul gem, so you cannot sacrifice him (it would break the Azura Star quest)
  • Make sure to read both his journals (the one Male Orc carries, and the one in the cubby hole in Brood Cavern)

The Chosen of Kynareth:

  • You arrive to Dushnikh Yal and have a chat with Female Orc
What could go wrong:
  • Female Orc is nowhere to be found once you arrive to Dushnikh Yal, and there's no quest marker for her
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skyrim started the quest without required aliases. This is not supposed to happen: if the engine cannot fill a required alias, then the quest shouldn't start. But here we are...
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • Make sure this mod is loading last in your load order.
  • Find an earlier save, clean it with Fallrim Tools, then load the cleaned up save and start the quest again.
  • Use "sqv 0_floatingswordquest10" to confirm the "FemaleOrc" alias is filled with a ref ID, as supposed to a "none".

What could go wrong:
  • She's not wearing the Armor of Morihaus
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Some other mod is forcing her to wear some other armor.
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • Use "More Informative Console" to look into the scripts and inventory of Female Orc, and see if you can identify which mod is replacing her armor. If you do, please share it so I can warn folks about it, or build a patch/workaround.
  • Alternatively, you can force her to equip it via console, by selecting her in it, then typing "equipitem XX3AD228". She needs to be wearing her armor for the rest of the quest to continue.
  • Upgrate to the latest version of the mod, which tries in multiple ways to ensure she wears her armor despite what other mods may be doing.
  • Fight begins, she is unbeatable because of her wearing the Armor of Morihaus
  • Naenra teleports her away to give you time to come up with a plan
What could go wrong:
  • Naenra doesn't teleport her away!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You're using some spell or attack that bypasses the bleedout stage for that NPC. Some insta-kill spells do this.
  • Some other mod is changing her Variable07 value.
What to do about it:
  • Fight her, knock her down. Every time she goes down, select her in console and type "setav Variable07 1". Naenra will make a comment. After the second comment, you'll be able to teleport the female orc away.
  • Daumbra shares her thoughts
  • You question the folks at Dushnikh Yal for info on Female Orc, learn her mother, Murob, lives near Falkreath
What could go wrong:
  • They attack you on sight!
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • The Keeper was from their stronghold, and you've just murdered him less than 24 hours ago.
What to do about it:
  • Wait 24 hours in game. The aggro will die down and now you can question them.
  • Daumbra shares her thoughts again
  • You find Murob in her hut, and ask for her help
  • She shows you a letter from Female Orc, and fights you
  • Naenra paralyzes Murob, and tries to convince you to use Murob as a hostage to make Female Orc take off her armor
  • If you refuse, Naenra kills Female Orc herself
  • If you agree, Naenra brings Female Orc back and you can Persuade or Intimidate her to take off her armor
  • If you succeed, Naenra subdues her peacefully and you get to choose whether to save her or sacrifice her
  • If you fail, Naenra kills her
What could go wrong:
  • The Female Orc doesn't die even though in the story she should have.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • If you can identify which mod is making the character essential, see if there's a way to undo it. AFT has this option for example, so does Amorous Adventures, and NFF.
  • Otherwise, install "More Informative Console" 
  • Select the character in the console, and write down the base ID (not the same as the Ref ID), found in the top-right corner of the screen
  • Then type "setessential XXX 0" where the XXX is the base ID you just wrote down
  • Then type "kill" and hopefully this kills the friend, finally

  • Crash on save after the friend dies
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • The vanilla script for body clean-up has always been a little funky.
What to do about it:


If you've saved too many people and there are not enough gems left, you remind Naenra of Hamid's gem, which Sorald used. You can go find Hamid at the College of Winterhold, selling his gem to Enthir. Depending on how "The Dying Wish" ended, Hamid is either a push-over, or a confident kid. Either way you get the gem off him. 

If you're still short, you propose Naenra a plan to give a black soul gem to literally anyone and have Umbra take over. She agrees, and you do exactly that. When Umbra takes over you get to have a small conversation. 

Once you have enough gems, you say so to Naenra, and she opens "Assault on Umbriel".

Assault on Umbriel:

  • She takes the three soul gems from you
  • You return to Purewater Run, then use the portal back to Naenra's Hideout in the Soul Cairn
What could go wrong:
  • Naenra is nowhere to be found once you arrive to her hideout in the Soul Cairn, from the Purewater Run portal.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skyrim started the quest without required aliases. This is not supposed to happen: if the engine cannot fill a required alias, then the quest shouldn't start. But here we are...
What to do about it:
  • Upgrade to the latest version of this mod.
  • Load an earlier save, clean that save with Fallrim Tools, load it, and start "Assault on Umbriel" again.
  • Use "sqv 0_floatingswordquest11" to confirm the "Naenra" alias is filled with a ref ID, as supposed to a "none".
  • She does the ritual which makes floating platforms appear all the way to Umbriel
  • She expects you to teleport your way from one platform to another all the way to the top
What could go wrong:
  • You keep falling and starting over.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skill issue.
What to do about it:
  • Git gud.
  • Remember that you can hit the side of a platform and still teleport on top.
  • You reach the top and enter the cave
What could go wrong:
  • Your custom follower is now tiny
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • What custom follower? Why did you bring a custom follower? You were supposed to come only with Naenra and Daumbra!
What to do about it:
  • Select the follower in the console, type "setscale 1" then dismiss them! Hmph!
  • You emerge in Umbriel city and chat with Male Orc
  • You fight and kill him, as he was the Keeper of another barrier
  • You optionally find five memories of Umbra around Umbriel
What could go wrong:
  • You run into invisible people with names after the memories that are playing like little cutscenes
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • It's hard to do disembodied voices in Skyrim. 
What to do about it:

  • You can't find the memories
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Skill issue.
What to do about it:
  • Elhul is immediately to the right after you face Male Orc, before you go over the stairs.
  • Ulves is immediately in front of said stairs, on a platform that resembles the Atronach Forge
  • Old Orc is to the far left, near the wall, before the Orc Stronhold, by a bone fire.
  • Zahrita is immediately to the left of the area after the orc stronghold, in a multi-level building
  • Sorald is right behind Zahrita
  • Vuhon is in the far right corner of the map, past Umbra's castle, past the ghost dragon

  • You go through the Gray Quarter, Daumbra's House of Uncertainties, Justifications Basements, Dibella's Prowl Cave, and re-emerge in the outdoors city
  • You reach the Stronghold and Female Orc confronts you, and you defeat her
What could go wrong:
  • You can't beat Female Orc because the armor keeps healing her
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • You are impatient and came to this guide too quickly!
What to do about it:
  • Wait for Naenra to eventually realize something is wrong. She will ask everyone to stop attacking her. Once you stop attacking her, Female Orc stops healing, and takes damage over time, then dies.

  • You reach Umbra's throne and have a conversation
What could go wrong:
  • She seems to ignore your clicks and won't interact with you. Alternatively, she repeats the same few lines from a scene or is otherwise bugged.
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • There's something wrong with the body she's using.
What to do about it:
  • Try selecting her in console and typing "resurrect".
  • If that doesn't work, load an earlier save before you enter the courtyard, and put Daumbra in a different body. Then pull Daumbra out so she will be in sword form. Then enter the courtyard. Wait, you never gave her a second body?  Ah, type "set 0_FloatingSwordCorpsesCollected to 9". Then type "help iel" (or any other three letter combination likely to result in female names). Pick one NPC from the list, then type "player.placeatme XXX" where the XXX is the base ID of the NPC you just chose. Then "kill" to kill her (hopefully she wasn't essential or protected. If she was, it's safest to try a different NPC). Then cast "Harvest" spell on her, Daumbra will inhabit her. That's your new body. Now walk in the Throne Room and hopefully Umbra will be responsive this time.
  • Select her in console, type "recycleactor". Close the console, wait a few seconds. Open the console again, type "resurrect". 

  • You decide which of the four endings you prefer -each having to do with someone changing forever: Umbra, Daumbra, Tamriel, or yourself.
What could go wrong:
  • There's an invisible "Umbra" (or "Zahrita", "Vuhon", etc) following me around!
Spoiler:  
Show
Probable cause:
  • Script lag: there's probably so much debris in your save that the code that was supposed to disable that invisible speaker never got the chance to run.
What to do about it:
  • Type prid "XX020069" where the XX is the load order of this mod, then "disable". Then do the same for XX02A60F.

And that's it, that's the mod! There are a ton of Easter Eggs I didn't detail, because they're not technically a "trouble" to troubleshoot, but have fun replaying it. For example, did you notice that the Dead Fang cave is designed 'the Bethesda way' where the exit from the final boss room is very near, but inaccessible from the entrance? Except that... is anything really inaccessible when you can teleport? Things like that.

After the Herald ending

  • The people I convert to Umbraism revert to the Umbra dialogue for "Assault on Umbriel"
Spoiler:  
Show

Probable cause:
  • Somehow a variable got changed when it shouldn't have.
What to do about it:
  • Type "set 0_FloatingSwordNPCVictim to 0" in the console.


If you run into any issues not covered in this document, please don't hesitate to come to the help channel in our discord at https://discord.gg/52qUTXu -we'll be happy to help!

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