Discerning the Transmundane is one of the Daedric Prince quests in Skyrim, usually picked up by players towards the end of the Skyrim main questline. In a small shack far north of the College of Winterhold lives Septimus Signus, a mage gone mad from his studies on the Elder Scrolls and an unwitting agent of Hermaeus Mora.
To progress through the questline, players have to collect five types of blood from the Mer races of Tamriel which, when combined, act as Dwemer blood would in unlocking an ancient device. It's easy enough to harvest blood from dead elves, but finding corpses in a decent amount of time is a different story. It's all worth it for the Oghma Infinium, though.
How To Start Discerning The Transmundane
Discerning the Transmundane begins when the player speaks with Septimus Signus, a mage living in an outpost in the far reaches of Skyrim's frozen northern ice fields. To get to this outpost, head directly north from the College of Winterhold for a few minutes – after passing Sky Haven Temple, an icon should faintly appear in the in-game compass to guide you.
Head inside and talk to Septimus Signus, who is standing next to a giant Dwemer cube. He is convinced that the legendary Heart of Lorkhan is held within the cube, and tasks the player to transcribe a Lexicon at the Tower of Mzark, accessed through Blackreach. After discovering an Elder Scroll, players return to Septimus and are given an Essence Extractor with the goal of imitating Dwemer blood by combining the blood of every Mer race in Tamriel.
Altmer Blood Locations
The Altmer, or High Elves, are natives of the Summerset Isles and the main members of the Thalmor. They renamed their homeland Alinor preceding the events of Skyrim to harken back to their past, and tend to harbor a dislike of Men and Beasts as Elven supremacists. Altmer can be found at the following locations:
- Northwatch Keep: Altmer Guards
- Northshore Landing: Thalmor Soldiers
- Shrine of the Talos Massacre: Body near the shrine
- Halted Stream Camp: Body inside a spike trap
Altmer comprise almost the entirety of the Thalmor, so when searching for their blood players can simply confront a roaming Thalmor Patrol (or head back to the Thalmor Embassy) and harvest the blood from their corpses.
Bosmer Blood Locations
The Bosmer, or Wood Elves, are natives to Valenwood and tenants of the Green Pact. This is an agreement between the Bosmer and the enigmatic forest spirit Y'ffre that grants the elves special powers for only taking from animals, never from nature. The best places to find Bosmer in Skyrim follow:
- Bthardamz: Orchendor, an enemy mage
- Liar's Retreat: Body just inside the entrance
- Autumnshade Clearing: Body under an overhang
Bosmer can be found throughout Skyrim as hunters, travelers, scouts, and everything in between. Look for them particularly in the Rift and Falkreath, though Wood Elves can be found in a variety of forts and dungeons elsewhere, too.
Dunmer Blood Locations
The Dunmer, or Dark Elves, are a refugee people from Morrowind that once worshipped three Living Gods. Now refugees following the eruption of Red Mountain and the collapse of the Tribunal, the Dunmer take on jobs in Skyrim as mages, warriors-for-hire, or practice dark magic and thievery. Dunmer blood can typically be found in the following locations:
- Solstheim: NPCs throughout the island
- Knifepoint Mind: The Champion of Boethiah
- Liar's Retreat: Body mid-way in the cave
- Reeking Cave: Body in the entrance
Dunmer can be found throughout Skyrim taking on a variety of occupations. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty (or if you're a die-hard Stormcloak) a lot of Dunmer can be found in the Grey Quarter of Windhelm, too.
Falmer Blood Locations
The Falmer, once called the Snow Elves, are a twisted race of subterranean Mer with a tragic history. They once called the frozen north of Skyrim home, but thousands of years ago the Falmer were forced underground and into servitude by the Nords and Dwemer to devolve. The following Falmer locations should not be explored by an unprepared Dragonborn:
- Forgotten Vale: Deep in the dungeon
- Liar's Retreat: Enemies and bodies throughout
- Darkfall Cave: Enemies throughout
- Blackreach: Enemies throughout
The Falmer can be found in almost every Dwemer ruin in Skyrim, except those on the island of Solstheim where they have been taken over by Rieklings instead. As such, exploring just about any Dwemer ruin can lead a player to Falmer blood eventually.
Orsimer Blood Locations
The Orsimer, known to most as the Orcs, have a history steeped in betrayal and outsiderhood. Their god Malacath, a Daedric Prince, was once the god Trinimac before being ingested and excreted by Boethiah. The Orsimer were created when they rubbed this dung on their skin instead of turning away from their god. Orsimer can be found in the following locations:
- Cracked Tusk Keep: Bandits throughout
- Halted Steam Camp: Bandits at the entrance
- Liar's Retreat: Bandit near the entrance
- The Ratway: Bandits throughout
Orsimer can traditionally be found in their own strongholds that dot the outer wilds of Skyrim, but taking on one of these strongholds is a task easier said than done. Many hunters and bandits are Orsimer, too – just keep an eye out for their characteristic green skin.
Where To Find Groups of Dead Mer in Skyrim
While knowing good locations for Mer blood individually is a good way to get started in Discerning the Transmundane, it's always easier to get things done as quickly as possible. There are not many places in Skyrim where bodies belonging to all five Mer races can be found, but there are a few that hold more than one for a faster harvest.
- Liar's Retreat: Bosmer, Dunmer, Falmer, Orsimer
- Thalmor Embassy: Bosmer, Dunmer, Altmer
- Hob's Fall Cave:Altmer, Dunmer, Bosmer
- Bandit/Mage Encampments: Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Orsimer
The best place to go for multiple Mer blood harvests at once is Liar's Retreat, which leaves the player with just Altmer blood to locate. At the Thalmor Embassy players can find plenty of Altmer as well as a few Bosmer and Dunmer, though most aren't hostile. At Hob's Fall Cave all except Falmer and Orsimer can be found. Otherwise, multiple elven races can often be found in Bandit camps, occupied Forts, and Mage or Necromancer covens.
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