You've spent hours closing gates. You’ve saved Kvatch, navigated the political nightmare of the Elder Council, and maybe even became the Gray Fox along the way. But then you hit level 20. Suddenly, the Daedric Prince of Knowledge decides he wants to talk. Most players remember the Hermaeus Mora quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as that one tedious chore you do right before getting the Oghma Infinium, but honestly, it’s one of the most mechanically bizarre moments in the entire game.
It’s not just about killing a monster. It’s about soul trapping an entire census of Tamriel.
Hermaeus Mora is basically the hoarder of the Shivering Isles’ more academic cousin. He doesn't want your soul; he wants a specific set of data. Specifically, he wants one soul from every single playable race in the game. If you’ve been playing Oblivion since 2006, you know the drill, but if you’re revisiting it in 2026 via a backwards-compatible rig or a modded setup, the "Hermaeus Mora" quest—officially titled Hermaeus Mora—feels like a weird relic of mid-2000s game design. It’s a scavenger hunt that forces you to become a serial killer for a book.
Getting the Invitation
You can't just walk up to his shrine in the Jerall Mountains and start the job. That’s the first hurdle. The game checks for two very specific things. First, you have to be at least level 20. Second, you must have completed all 14 other Daedric Shrine quests.
That’s a massive time sink.
Most people get stuck because they can’t find the shrine itself. It’s tucked away in a snowy crack in the mountains, northwest of Sancre Tor. It’s isolated. Cold. Desolate. If you meet the requirements, a follower named Casta Flavus will eventually track you down in a city to tell you the master is calling. Or, you can just hike up there and interact with the statue if you’ve already done the other 14 quests.
Mora speaks in that slow, booming, gravelly voice that became even more iconic in Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC. He gives you a special soul gem—the Mora's Soul Gem—and a spell called "Mora's Soul Trap."
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Your mission? Go find one soul for each of the ten races.
The Great Tamrielic Census (By Force)
This is where the quest gets morally "gray," to put it lightly. To satisfy the Prince of Knowledge, you need the souls of an Altmer, Argonian, Bosmer, Breton, Dunmer, Imperial, Khajiit, Nord, Orc, and Redguard.
There are no "evil" versions of these NPCs waiting for you in a dungeon. You basically have to go find people.
The easiest way to do this without getting a massive bounty is to target bandits, marauders, and conjurers. Most bandit camps are populated by Nords, Orcs, and Redguards. Conjurers are often Bretons or Altmer. But finding an Argonian or a Khajiit in the wild? That’s where it gets annoying. You’ll find yourself stalking the roads or breaking into lonely shacks just to find that one specific race you’re missing.
I’ve seen players spend three hours just looking for a single Redguard NPC that wasn’t a quest-critical character.
Wait. Don't kill quest-givers. Oblivion is notorious for letting you break things if you’re not careful, though the "essential" tag usually protects the big names. Still, if you murder a shopkeeper in Cheydinhal just to get a Dunmer soul, you’re losing a merchant forever.
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Why the Oghma Infinium is the Only Reason We Care
Why do we do this? For the book.
The Oghma Infinium is arguably the best artifact in the game, purely because it’s a permanent stat booster. When you read it, you choose one of three paths:
- Path of Steel: Boosts Strength, Speed, and Blunt/Blade/Heavy Armor.
- Path of Shadow: Boosts Speed, Sneak, Security, and Alchemy.
- Path of Spirit: Boosts Intelligence, Conjuration, Destruction, and Restoration.
In a game where leveling can feel like a math homework assignment (thanks to the "efficient leveling" problem where you have to track your minor skill gains), a flat +10 boost to attributes and skills is a godsend. It's the ultimate reward for the ultimate completionist.
Common Pitfalls and the "Missing Soul" Bug
Sometimes, the spell just doesn't work. It’s a classic Bethesda quirk. You have to use the specific "Mora's Soul Trap" spell provided. If you use a standard Soul Trap or have a weapon enchanted with Soul Trap, it won’t count toward the quest progress.
Also, the soul gem is "special." It doesn't get used up like a Grand Soul Gem. It just stores the "essence" of the races as you collect them. You can check your progress by looking at the quest journal, which honestly is the only way to keep track of which of the ten races you’ve already harvested.
I’ve heard people complain that they trapped a soul, but the counter didn't tick up. Usually, this happens because the NPC died just after the spell wore off. The window is relatively short, so you have to be quick with the killing blow.
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The Lore Significance You Might Have Missed
Hermaeus Mora isn’t like Mehrunes Dagon. He doesn't want to conquer Cyrodiil. He just wants to know everything about it. By asking for one soul of every race, he’s basically performing a metaphysical sampling of the mortal plane.
There’s a theory among lore nerds—the kind who hang out on the UESP forums or the Elder Scrolls subreddit—that this quest is Mora’s way of "cataloging" the current kalpa (world cycle). By the time we see him in Skyrim, he’s much more focused on the Skaal and the secrets of the Dragonborn, but in Oblivion, he’s still in his "collector" phase.
It’s also worth noting that this is the only time in Oblivion you deal with a Daedric Prince who seems truly indifferent to your existence. Azura cares if you kill her followers. Sheogorath thinks you're funny. Mora just thinks you're an intern.
How to Finish This Fast
If you want the Oghma Infinium but don't want to spend a week wandering the wilderness, here’s the shortcut: Vile Lair. If you have the Deepscorn Hollow DLC, the prisoner there can be harvested. For everyone else, hit the arenas or the various shrines.
- Imperial/Nord/Orc: Head to any bandit camp.
- Breton/Altmer: Check the shrines of Peryite or Vaermina; the followers there are often these races. (Note: Killing followers at other shrines is a bit ironic, but it works).
- Argonian/Khajiit: These are the hardest. Check the waterfront in Anvil or the Leyawiin stables.
Once you have all ten, head back to the shrine. The statue will talk, the book will appear, and you’ll have a permanent advantage over every dremora in the Wastelands of Oblivion.
Actionable Next Steps for Completionists
If you're sitting at level 19 and preparing for the Hermaeus Mora quest, stop leveling your major skills for a moment. Make sure you have the following ready to go:
- Clear your inventory: You don't want to be encumbered while chasing a Khajiit across the Blackwood.
- Finish the other 14 shrines: You literally cannot start this until Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hircine, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Meridia, Molag Bal, Namira, Nocturnal, Peryite, Sanguine, and Vaermina are done.
- Check your "Fame" score: While not a strict requirement for Mora, some of the prerequisite shrines (like Namira) require low personality or specific infamy/fame traits. Knock those out first.
- Save the Oghma Infinium for Level 30+: While you can use it at level 20, the stat boosts are most valuable when your natural leveling starts to slow down significantly.
Go find a cave full of bandits and start your collection. Just try not to think too hard about the fact that you’re murdering ten people for a library book.