So those who have endeavored for Arienal (if his name is wrong, my apologies, it's nearly 3 am) I just wanna speculate about who he contacted and how he got a hold of this immensely historical tool, and how is it Wraithguard is unneeded. Is this the same tool? Was Nereverine his contact? Now I know this is only speculation, but I know that's kinda one of the things we do best in this neck of the lore woods.

Judging by what he says when you deliver Keening, I'd say that it has lost much/most of its power. Whatever he tried to do with it (I'm not sure he understood himself! haha) did not work. Keening could still do something, but nothing on the scale of what it did for the Dwemer, or even what the Nerevarine did with it. This is just speculation on my part, but I'd say that the Nerevarine's use of the tools on the Heart probably broke them or something to that effect.

I don't see how, what the Nerevarine did was break the enchantments on the heart. (S)he did not actually break the tools or the heart in the process. So both could still be used i'd wager.

My guess? It's a convincing copy. There was a Fake Sunder in Morrowind - though it didn't look like Sunder - so why not a Fake Keening as well?

Haven't played the quest in question though, so this is just conjecture on my part.

I'm gonna go with this.

Someone stole it from my nerevarine's Telvanni Tower while he was on vacation.

Wraithguard was necessary to protect against the energies of the heart of Lorkhan.
Keening could have other uses that don't require the same level of protection. Other than just being an immensely important historical artifact.

Or, the DB is super duper special, somehow. Both weapons caused harm when worm without Wraithguard.

I like this.

But if it is a fake, wouldn't it take DB level of sneak of even a hope to steal it from Nerevarine? Wouldn't it take a skyforge high level of smith skill to make it look exactly like Keening? It might seem impossible to fake. Keening not the same beast as Sunder.

The Nerevarine's Telvanni Tower got completely sacked along with the rest of House Telvanni by the Args. Only one scion of that House survives.

I believe this is the real Keening but it's nowhere as near as powerful as it once was. It still possesses power to some extent (absorb magicka, health, stamina), though.

My nerevarine was an argonian. He was away at vacation in Akavir for the last...200ish years. He needed a good break.

An Argonian Nerevarine?

....You disgust me.

Anyway, who says the Nerevarine wouldn't just send it? It's purpose was to break the enchantment on Lorkhans heart, and now that it's done..it's not that useful anymore. Stealing it from the Nerevarine is impossible. That man is the closest thing to a god left on Tamriel.

-Twisted

Correction, an argonian nerevarine Telvanni magister, with his own tower and plenty of slaves. Also a [censored] ton of artifacts, unique items, and plenty of hard to find swag. Could open a museum if he wanted.

Well, my nerevarine went on vacation on Akavir ever since he defeated Hircine, but forgot to pack Keening and left it at his tower. So there, it was stolen, because he also forget to get a house sitter to feed the slaves and forgot to lock up (save for the slave cages).

Heh, at some point my Nerevarine is going to be going to be 'imported' to Skyrim after a 200 year break since Oblivion, and is going to be somewhat puzzled when some mage hands her Keening and its so weakened. She may even make it her main weapon, since it is weakened much like Morrowind and the Empire, and in a way symbolizes the flickerng flame of her people. It is also no longer a temptation as the amazing powers it has have dwindled to simply useful.

However, it might also be bugged. If the same thing happens as the one in the testhall the game tries to add Mortal Wound as an effect, but nothing actually shows up in your active effects. Or it could simply there to scare Morrowind players. Or it could even be used in some future DLC for a mysterious purpose...

Either way, I was pretty happy to see it.

The dude says "oh no, they wrapped it wrong" and then is freaked by you not dying. Maybe the Dovah has a depowering field?

Ayiyoco grew bored with Tel Uvirith and since he had had such great adventures trsvelling east from Summerset, he continued his journey, taking only what he could carry on his body while he lept over the sea of ghosts. Sunder and Keening and wraithguard got bumped down so that he could keep his favorite souls (Vivec, Dagoth Ur, et cetera). He then gave it to master Aryon, who also became the new archmagister.

I thought it made since that Dovahkiin would be special enough to not be harmed by keening, it does make since that keening had lost its power to not be harmful to the touch. Do y'all think that's really how the dwemer dissapeared?

It's certainly the original. Not only does it look identical, and not only does it cause the desired effect (or at least something akin to it), but it also produces a "mortal wound" the first time you use it. Alixen noted this a few posts up and I also noticed the message the first time I equipped it, though I couldn't discern any perceivable effect - it just says 'you have received a mortal wound'.

It is rather odd that it would do anything without Wraithguard, as it's what's supposed to allow the power to imprint on the wearer. Keening itself just shatters tones, granted, you're supposed to use Sunder to emit the tones first. Not much about the situation makes much sense.

Could the dragon blood take a hit for his body so that it doesn't hugely affect him?