Ancient Power is a radiant side quest from the Dawnguard add-on in which the vampires of the Volkihar Clan go bone-collecting. Feran Sadri, the alchemist of Castle Volkihar, wants the petrified pieces of an ancient vampire brought home, because whatever magic still clings to them can be poured into the Bloodstone Chalice. Every part you return makes the chalice’s blessing last longer, so it is one of the more rewarding errands the castle hands out.
How to start
- Be a vampire and a member of the Volkihar Clan, having sided with Harkon.
- Complete The Bloodstone Chalice.
- Ask Feran Sadri at Castle Volkihar for work. The quest is handed out at random alongside other radiant jobs, so it may take a few tasks for Feran, Fura Bloodmouth or Garan Marethi before it comes up again.
Walkthrough
Find the remains
Feran names one body part of the Ancient Vampire and one destination, and the journal marks it on your map. There are five parts in total: the head, the ribcage, an arm, the hands and a leg. The location is picked from a long list of dungeons, caves and ruins across Skyrim, with a handful on Solstheim if the Dragonborn add-on is installed. Examples include Ansilvund, Bloodlet Throne, Folgunthur, Moldering Ruins, Movarth’s Lair, Redwater Den, Valtheim Towers, Volunruud and Yngol Barrow.
Clear your way through the dungeon. The remains are usually stored in a chest, most often in the last room, so expect to fight all the way to the end before you can grab them.
Mind the journal names
A few places appear under a different name in the quest log than on the map. Falkreath Watchtower is listed as Crossroads Watchtower, Sunderstone Gorge as Greywater Gorge, Uttering Hills Cave as Uttering Hills Camp and Valtheim Towers as Valtheim Keep. Trust the map marker if the names do not line up.
Return to Feran Sadri
Carry the body part back to Castle Volkihar and hand it to Feran. Its lingering essence is infused into the chalice, which permanently extends the Blood of the Ancients effect you receive from drinking it.
Rewards
- 3 Potions of Blood.
- A longer-lasting Blood of the Ancients effect from the Bloodstone Chalice. The duration grows with every part returned: 1 day after the first, then 3, 5 and 7 days, up to a maximum of 9 days after the fifth.
If you already have Blood of the Ancients active when you finish, the old version is removed. Simply drink from the chalice again to receive the upgraded one.
Tips and notes
- The source is slightly contradictory: it says the quest can be repeated up to four times, yet it lists five body parts and a five-step reward table. Expect to run it several times either way.
- The Dawnguard counterpart of this quest is Lost Relic.
- Because the job is random, doing other Volkihar radiant quests such as Culling the Beast, New Allegiances or Rings of Blood Magic is the usual way to get it offered again.
- If you are sent to Damphall Mine or another site on Solstheim, you need to have travelled there for the marker to appear.
