I have lurked on this sight for a while now and this post finally inspired me to become a member. This is most likely my favorite piece of lore for the Elder Scrolls, and that is saying something. Amazing and please do more on magic. (if it is possible since you covered so much)

"The whole thought of soul gems really is disturbing."

I agree! I cannot yet make a necromancer or use anyone that traps souls, because I find it so horrifying to imagine trapping someone's (conscious?) essence within a stone and then using them as raw power.

Are people trapped within soul gems conscious of what is happening to them? Is there no defense against being soul trapped, such as divine justice or intervention on behalf of... good souls, or something? It seems so wrong to me that a person could be soul trapped just for getting in the way of someone who didn't like them.

Although once I found the Soul Cairn in Skyrim, I realized that there is an equally horrific price to pay for anyone messing around with souls, because they are NEXT.

"For example, acts of cruelty please Boethiah, thereby making her stronger and her sphere of influence more potent. Daedra or demons can literally be fed by anger and other actions pleasing to them by allowing mortals to draw power from them (King Edward, Book VI). By contrast, the actions completed by the player character in The Book of Love quest for Mara resolve certain ruptures in the fabric of her domain, and allows her Aedric principles to flow more smoothly." Based on this, collecting dreams for Vaermina would make her stronger and her sphere of influence more potent as well. As to how this powers the artifact... "'Daedric artifacts, like Mehrunes Razor and the Mask of Clavicus Vile are examples of long term bindings” (Darkest Darkness). These items do not need soul gems to power them, as they are energized by daedric souls themselves.'" Based on this, the Skull of Corruption would be energized by Vaermina herself. By using the skull of corruption to collect dreams, you are spreading Vaermina's influence, which makes her more powerful. Therefore, due to Vaermina's artifact being energized by herself, the artifact would also grow in power. Just a theory! :)

Kynareth is no longer an active member but if we Shout loud enough, maybe she will hear and return?

The nature of magic and its various applications are more like the theories of real life magic than what is presented in the game series. In Skyrim, for example, it's way too easy to just go skittering about and 'click on a book to learn a spell' and then being able to cast it in a mere matter of seconds. Oh well...

Maybe people absorb the innate magic and knowledge from the book?

Yeah, I guess it's just a matter of roleplaying it in well.

Well this article isn't meant to cover the game mechanics. There is a bit of a discrepancy between lore and mechanics (ie, in lore, spells aren't just instantly learned).