Ooh...... that's the "
Calling of the Ancients" questline.... It's a quest to restore the Archmage Tree. It's pretty complicated, requiring extensive use of your calendar.
The standard 7-day week in the Elderscrolls is as follows:
Morndas
Tirdas
Middas
Turdas
Fredas
Loredas
Sundas
The 12-month year is as follows:
Morning Star
Sun's Dawn
First Seed
Rain's Hand
Second Seed
Mid Year
Sun's Height
Last Seed
Heartfire (Sometimes "Hearthfire")
Frostfall
Sun's Dusk
Evening Star
Since the quest is about "rebirth" it is
only active during the "Seed" months: First Seed, Second Seed, and Last Seed. So check your in-game calendar to be sure what month it is before proceeding. Speed of travel is of the essence here. Also, being the Archmage of Winterhold is one of the pre-requisites, you cannot restore the tree if it is not rightfully yours.
"
The Call of the Mystic"
The "calling" you hear near the
Archmage Tree in Winterhold only appears on "Seed" months on Morndas from 12:00am - 11:59am. After hearing the spell "call", you need to quickly travel to Whiterun's Gildergreen for the next "call". This needs to be done on the same day.
"
The Call of the Shadow"
If you have previously restored the
Gildergreen through the "Blessings of Nature" quest (either restored the tree or provided the sapling), you will be able to hear the second "calling". The sound is more melodic, how you would think a fairy would hum maybe. This "call" is only available on Morndas from 12:00pm - 11:59pm. After hearing the melodic "calling", it's on to the next tree. If the Gildergreen is not restored, you need to complete the Blessings of Nature questline first and THEN reset the Calling of the Ancients quest back in Winterhold.
"
The Call of the Blade"
Once you've heard the "call" at the Gildergreen, it is off to the
Sleeping Tree in Whiterun hold. You will again hear a melodic "calling" but it will be several octaves lower, more like a male-version I guess. Use the spigot located on the tree to get the "Sleeping Tree Sap", this is essential for the rebirth of the Archmage Tree. If you don't grab this now, you will be sent back here and depending on your timer, you may have to start over. This "call" is only available on Tirdas, between 12:00am - 11:59am. Now that you've heard all three callings, it's a high speed run back to Eldergleam Sanctuary, the next part has a shorter window of time.
"The Call of Rebirth"
If you arrive back at the
Eldergleam Sanctuary on Tirdas between 12:00pm - 3:59pm, you will need to speak with Asta, one of the caretakers of the Eldergleam. She is usually sitting quietly about midway up the path. As you approach, you will be able to hear her humming the same tune that you heard at the Gildergreen and at the Sleeping Tree.
Dialogue options will appear that allow you to ask Asta to help you restore the tree. You need to tell her that you heard the same "call" at the Gildergreen and at the Sleeping Tree. After some hesitation, Asta explains to you about the different "calls", that the one you heard at the Archmage Tree was the voice of the College of Winterhold's first Archmage. She then asks you to follow her up the trail to the Eldergleam. As you walk up the path, you will start to hear the same "call" in two-part harmony. The "female" voice from the Gildergreen, and the "male" voice from the Sleeping Tree. As you get closer to the Eldergleam, it gets louder.
Once at the Eldergleam, Asta asks you for the Sleeping Tree Sap and kneels down to pray in front of the massive tree. She hums in tune with the Eldergleam's "call" and after a short cut-scene in which she blesses the Sleeping Tree Sap, she returns it to you and tells you to hurry back to Winterhold. The potion is extremely volatile and will not work after a while. You receive the item "Asta's Salve" to take back to Winterhold.
You need to arrive back in Winterhold on Tirdas between 4:00pm and 11:59pm for Asta's concoction to work. Once the tree is restored, it completely lights up the Archmage Quarters and all of the harvestable ingredients at the base of the tree become farmable every 24 hours, great for those of us that do a lot of Alchemy.
Hope you enjoyed that!
... because it's not real. LOL (Sorry).
Hope nobody actually tried this...
