Dreams of the Dead Skyrim: Complete Quest Walkthrough & Rewards Guide (2026)

Waking Nightmares, often searched for as “Dreams of the Dead Skyrim”, is one of the more memorable Daedric quests in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It combines dungeon crawling, lore-heavy dialogue, a trippy dreamscape sequence, and a moral decision that actually affects your reward. The quest ties into Vaermina, the Daedric Prince of Nightmares, and offers the Skull of Corruption, a staff that feeds on the dreams of sleeping victims.

This guide walks through every step of the quest, covers the critical choice at the end, breaks down the Skull’s mechanics, and tackles common bugs that can trip up players. Whether you’re chasing Daedric artifacts for the Oblivion Walker achievement or just stumbled into Dawnstar, this is everything you need to complete Dreams of the Dead without wasting time.

What Is the Dreams of the Dead Quest in Skyrim?

“Dreams of the Dead” is the player nickname for Waking Nightmare, a Daedric quest in Skyrim tied to Vaermina. The quest becomes available after the Dragonborn reaches level 10 and visits Dawnstar, a mining town in the Pale hold.

The premise: the entire town is plagued by horrific nightmares, and no one can sleep peacefully. A priest of Mara named Erandur believes the source is Nightcaller Temple, a ruin northwest of Dawnstar once dedicated to Vaermina. The Dragonborn agrees to help Erandur end the curse.

What makes this quest stand out is the Dreamstride sequence, a narrative-driven segment where you relive a memory, and the final decision: kill Erandur to claim the Skull of Corruption, or let him destroy it and gain him as a follower. Your choice determines the reward.

Completing this quest counts toward the Oblivion Walker achievement, which requires collecting 15 Daedric artifacts in a single playthrough. If you’re hunting achievements, you’ll need to keep the Skull of Corruption, not let Erandur destroy it.

How to Start Dreams of the Dead

Meeting Erandur at the Windpeak Inn

Once you hit level 10, head to Dawnstar. The town is located on the northern coast of Skyrim, directly north of Whiterun. Fast travel to the Dawnstar waypoint if you’ve discovered it, or hoof it from the College of Winterhold or Morthal.

When you enter Dawnstar, you’ll likely overhear townsfolk complaining about nightmares. Walk into the Windpeak Inn (the tavern in the center of town) and you’ll find Erandur, a priest of Mara, standing near the fire or sitting at a table. Talk to him.

Erandur explains that the nightmares are caused by a Daedric influence from Nightcaller Temple, a place he’s familiar with from his past. Agree to help him, and the quest officially begins.

Traveling to Nightcaller Temple

Erandur will follow you as a temporary companion. Nightcaller Temple is northwest of Dawnstar, perched on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Ghosts. It’s a short walk, less than a minute if you head straight up the slope.

The temple entrance is a single wooden door. Head inside with Erandur. He’ll start explaining the backstory as you move through the first chamber. The temple is crawling with Orcish invaders (called “Orcs” in-game) who’ve recently occupied the ruin. They’re hostile, so be ready to fight.

Complete Walkthrough: Navigating Nightcaller Temple

The Library and Reading the Book

After clearing the first wave of Orcs, you’ll reach a locked gate. Erandur says the chain mechanism to open it is on the other side, but there’s another way: access the library through a side passage.

Follow Erandur to the library. Once inside, he’ll direct you to a specific book on a pedestal: The Dreamstride. Activate the book to read it. This triggers the Dreamstride sequence, a memory-based puzzle where you experience events from Erandur’s past.

Entering the Dreamstride Sequence

When you activate The Dreamstride, you’re transported into the body of Casimir, a priest of Vaermina, years before the present day. You’ll wake up in a small chamber with another priest, Veren Duleri, who explains that Orcish invaders are attacking the temple.

Your objective in the Dreamstride:

1. Locate the Torpor, a magical vapor that will put the invaders to sleep.
2. Pull the chain to release the Torpor throughout the temple.

Navigate through the temple corridors. The layout is linear, follow the quest marker. You’ll encounter a few hostile priests or Orcs, but combat is minimal. When you reach the laboratory, activate the chain near the large apparatus.

The Torpor is released, flooding the temple. The memory ends, and you’re pulled back to the present. Erandur explains that the Torpor put everyone, invaders and priests, to sleep permanently, trapping their souls in nightmares. The Skull of Corruption is feeding on those trapped souls and broadcasting nightmares to Dawnstar.

After the Dreamstride, the previously locked gate is now open. Proceed deeper into Nightcaller Temple. You’ll face Vaermina’s cultists (ghostly enemies called “Orcish Invaders” still frozen in stasis) and a few Vaermina Devotees, spectral enemies that can cast frost and fear spells. For beginners unfamiliar with Daedric quests, getting started with core mechanics helps you navigate these more complex questlines.

Push through to the inner sanctum, where the Skull of Corruption rests on a pedestal. Erandur will begin a ritual to destroy the Skull. This is where the critical choice happens.

Obtaining the Skull of Corruption

The Skull of Corruption is a Daedric staff artifact tied to Vaermina. It’s one of the more unique weapons in Skyrim, dealing damage based on how many dreams you’ve “harvested.”

To obtain the Skull, you must reach the inner sanctum of Nightcaller Temple and make the choice at the end of the quest. The Skull sits on a pedestal in the final chamber, but you can’t simply grab it, Erandur must be dealt with first.

The Skull becomes obtainable only if you kill Erandur before he completes the ritual to destroy it. If you let him finish, the Skull is destroyed permanently, and you cannot get it in that playthrough.

The Critical Choice: Kill Erandur or Let Him Destroy the Skull

Killing Erandur for the Skull of Corruption

As Erandur begins the ritual to destroy the Skull, Vaermina (the Daedric Prince) speaks to you telepathically. She reveals that Erandur was once Casimir, a priest of Vaermina who betrayed the temple. She urges you to kill him and claim the Skull.

You have a brief window, roughly 8–10 seconds, to attack Erandur before he finishes the ritual. If you do nothing, he destroys the Skull and the quest ends.

To kill Erandur:

• Attack him with any weapon or spell. He’s non-hostile until you strike first.
• Once he’s dead, take the Skull of Corruption from the pedestal.
• Vaermina thanks you, and the quest completes. You receive the Skull as your reward.

Pros of killing Erandur:

• You get the Skull of Corruption, a Daedric artifact needed for Oblivion Walker.
• The Skull is a unique weapon with interesting mechanics (detailed below).

Cons:

• You lose Erandur as a potential follower.
• You miss out on a small amount of moral high ground (if you care about that).

Letting Erandur Destroy the Skull

If you do nothing, or actively choose not to attack Erandur, he completes the ritual and destroys the Skull of Corruption. The nightmares plaguing Dawnstar end, and Erandur becomes available as a permanent follower.

Pros of sparing Erandur:

• Erandur is a solid mage follower with Destruction and Restoration magic.
• You keep the moral high ground.
• The quest still completes, and you still get experience.

Cons:

• You do not get the Skull of Corruption.
• You cannot complete Oblivion Walker in this playthrough without reloading a save.

Recommendation: If you’re hunting Daedric artifacts, kill Erandur. If you want a mage follower and don’t care about achievements, spare him. Most players kill him for the Skull on their first run.

Skull of Corruption Stats and How to Use It Effectively

Charging the Skull with Dreams

The Skull of Corruption is a staff that deals damage and has a unique charging mechanic. Here’s how it works:

• Base Damage: 20 points of damage per shot (functionally a magic projectile).
• Charged Damage: 50 points of damage per shot when the Skull is “empowered.”

To empower the Skull, you must harvest dreams from sleeping NPCs. Equip the Skull, approach a sleeping person (not enemies, only friendly or neutral NPCs), and use it on them. You’ll see a visual effect as the Skull absorbs their dreams.

Each dream absorbed adds one charge to the Skull, up to a maximum of five charges. Each charged shot consumes one charge, so five charged shots deplete the Skull back to its base 20 damage.

Where to farm dreams:

• Inns and player homes (Breezehome, Honeyside, etc.) are ideal.
• Followers who sleep in your home are fair game.
• Any city at night, enter houses and find sleeping NPCs.

Best Combat Strategies with the Skull

The Skull of Corruption is more of a novelty weapon than a meta choice, but it has niche uses:

• Early-to-mid game mage builds: If you’re running a destruction mage and haven’t found better staves, the charged Skull hits decently hard.
• Crowd control alternative: The base damage is low, but you can spam it. Not efficient for single-target DPS, but fun against weaker enemies.
• Roleplay weapon: If you’re playing an evil or Daedra-worshipping character, the Skull fits thematically.

Limitations:

• No soul gem recharge mechanic. You must harvest dreams to maximize damage, which is tedious.
• Staffs in general scale poorly into late game compared to enchanted weapons or high-level destruction spells.
• The Skull doesn’t benefit from destruction perks, so dedicated mages often skip it.

Verdict: The Skull is fun for variety, but experienced players experiment with different builds where other artifacts or enchanted gear outperform it in raw DPS.

Common Issues and Bugs in Dreams of the Dead

Erandur Not Moving or Quest Not Starting

One of the most frustrating bugs: Erandur refuses to move after you enter Nightcaller Temple, or he won’t initiate dialogue to start the quest.

Fixes:

• Console commands (PC only): Open console (~), click Erandur, type moveto player. This teleports him to you.
• Reload an earlier save: Sometimes Erandur’s AI breaks if you fast travel away mid-quest or enter the temple before talking to him properly.
• Wait 24 hours in-game: Occasionally, waiting resets NPC pathing.

This bug is more common in unpatched versions or heavily modded games. If you’re on PC and running mods, the modding community on Nexus Mods has unofficial patches that address many quest bugs.

Dreamstride Sequence Glitches

Some players report the Dreamstride not triggering, or getting stuck in the memory and unable to return.

Common issues:

• Can’t pull the chain: Make sure you’re following the quest marker. The chain is in the laboratory, and you must navigate to it through the correct corridor.
• Stuck in the memory: Extremely rare, but reloading a save before reading The Dreamstride usually fixes it.
• Invincible Orcs: Occasionally, enemies in the Dreamstride don’t take damage. Reload the autosave from entering the Dreamstride.

Pro tip: Quicksave before activating The Dreamstride book, just in case.

Another reported bug: the Skull of Corruption not appearing on the pedestal after killing Erandur. This is almost always caused by letting Erandur complete the ritual (even partially). If you hesitate too long, he destroys the Skull before you can stop him. If you want the Skull, attack immediately when Vaermina speaks.

Tips for Completing the Quest Efficiently

• Bring a follower: Erandur will fight alongside you, but the Orcs and Vaermina Devotees can overwhelm you if you’re under-leveled. A tanky follower like Lydia helps.
• Stock potions: Frost resistance potions are useful, Vaermina Devotees spam frost spells. Healing potions are always smart.
• Quicksave before the final choice: If you’re unsure whether to kill Erandur, save right before he starts the ritual. You can reload and try both outcomes.
• PC players: use console commands sparingly: If you get stuck, commands like setstage da16 100 can skip to quest completion, but you might miss the Skull. Better to reload.
• Stealth characters: You can sneak through much of Nightcaller Temple. The Orcs have low perception. One-shot backstabs are viable.
• Loot everything: Nightcaller Temple has decent loot, potions, soul gems, gold, and a few enchanted items. The inner sanctum chest has leveled loot worth grabbing.

From a pacing perspective, this quest takes 20–30 minutes if you know the route. First-timers might spend 45 minutes exploring and reading lore. For those looking to round out their general knowledge, guides covering multiple playthroughs offer strategic advice on quest prioritization.

One last note: if you’re achievement hunting, track which Daedric artifacts you’ve collected. Some quests (like Ill Met By Moonlight) have branching rewards, and only specific choices count toward Oblivion Walker. According to guides covering Daedric quests, the Skull of Corruption is one of the easier artifacts to miss if you don’t know about the Erandur kill option.

Conclusion

Dreams of the Dead (Waking Nightmare) is one of Skyrim’s more atmospheric Daedric quests, blending investigation, dungeon crawling, and a genuine moral choice. The Dreamstride sequence remains a standout narrative moment, and the final decision, kill Erandur or spare him, actually matters for your playthrough.

If you’re chasing the Oblivion Walker achievement or collecting Daedric artifacts, kill Erandur and take the Skull of Corruption. If you want a capable mage follower and prefer the “good” ending, let him destroy it. Either way, the quest is worth completing for the lore and the experience.

Good luck in Nightcaller Temple. Try not to fall asleep.