In order to find Serana’s mother, Valerica, adventurer’s must first gain access to the Soul Cairn. In order to do so the Volkihar Undercroft must be discovered and traversed in the Chasing Echoes quest.
How To Complete Chasing Echoes
- Speak with Serana to find the secret entrance to Volkihar Undercroft, located behind Castle Volkihar.
- Traverse to Volkihar Courtyard. Serana will tell the way.
- Once you enter the courtyard, solve the Moondial puzzle. You must find and place the missing crests around the MoondialThere are 3 missing crests:
1 in the pond
1 near the back of her mother’s garden
1 along the path to the right of Volkihar North Tower Door
- Enter Volkihar’s Ruins (Ruined Tower) under the Moondial.
- Work your way to the top to find Valerica’s Journal. You’ll have to pass through multiple secret passages as you work your way to the top. The first is immediately upon entering the ruins, opened with a pull chain. The second is just before the top in a room with multiple gargoyle statues and coffin. Near the back of the room there is a wall with 2 candlesticks. Turn the one on the left to open the secret door.
- Valerica’s Journal is located on one of the bookshelves, located to the right of the door.
- Place ingredients (found throughout the room) into the Portal Vessel, located atop the platform overlooking the Soul Cairn (circle) in the center of the room.Ingredients include:
Soul Gem Shards
Finely-ground Bone-meal
Purified Void Salts
Serana’s blood (she will provide it). - Speak with Serana. She will place her blood in the Portal Vessel.
- Enter the Soul Cairn to complete Chasing Echoes and begin Beyond Death.
Note: Make sure you take Serana with you into the Soul Cairn. She’s necessary for the next quest.
Dawnguard: Players following the Dawnguard path will be given a choice to either become a vampire or have their soul partially trapped by Serana. It’s necessary in order to enter the Soul Cairn. The soul trap weakens a player while inside the Cairn, but it’s very minimal.
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I’m at the part of quest where it says “Enter Soul Carin” but when I do it will not move to next part, to find Serana’s mother. I leave the carin, then re-enter and still it does not move to next step. Is this a Dawn Guard glitch, or maybe a mod glitch?
@Thomas – You cannot enter the Soul Cairn? Or, you cannot locate Serana’s mother? Sorry, a bit confused as to what you’re experiencing.