Apologies for asking a couple of questions for which I could almost certainly find the answers myself, but after ruining Fallout 3 for myself by reading through the wikia obsessively, I'm determined not to do the same with Oblivion.

I'm working my way through the game (haven't touched the main plot), currently in the Thieves' Guild having just completed a first quest for the Grey Fox. I know enchanting is available in the game, but I'm yet to come across any way of doing it - I've played Morrowind and understand the Soul Trap / Soul Gem mechanic, literally just haven't found the service available.

Could someone offer me a small spoiler-free nudge toward how I can get started with enchanting? If it's a case of having to be a member of the Mages' Guild then that leads into my second question...

Are there any problems with being in several guilds at once? Specifically I'm considering the Mage's guild, but would also like a more general answer. Has the game been cleverly designed so that a guild path won't tend to interfere with another?

Thanks. Again apologies for not finding the answers myself, am very much enjoying not knowing what's around the corner.

In the vanilla game, you have to be in the Mages Guild and have access to the Arcane University in order to enchant or create your own spells. That means you must complete the MG Recommendation quests for all the guild halls. The recommendation quests are mostly pretty simple.

It's perfectly all right to be in the MG and TG at the same time.

Perfect, thanks very much.

There are no guild conflicts in the vanilla game. However, if you add KOTN that will introduce a relatively minor conflict.

Mara

You also can get Sigil Stones from closing the Oblivion Gates. The Sigil Stones can be used to enchant clothing or weapons. If you start the main quest and continue until Martin is safe in the Cloud Temple, then the Oblivion Gates will be opening up for you. I don't think you find any until the main quest is at this level.

Enchanting with Soul gems requires an enchanting altar, and the un-modded game only has them at the Arcane University beyond gates that are locked to non-members of the Mages Guild. However, there are a number of house mods for the PC that have homes with their own altars. One of the DLCs has them, so it's not quite PC-only.

There are no NPCs offering any enchanting service, it's strictly a DIY job, unlike recharging, or repairing the enchanted items, where you can pay someone else to do it for you.

Where? Apart from "I thought you were a divine crusader, you proved me wrong" I never found anything that linked the KOTN to the vanilla world at all.

During the KOTN questline, Ohtesse in the chapel in Cheydinhal is killed. She's the one who gives the reference for Restoration Master Training.