Unlike neighboring Cyrodiil and Morrowind, Skyrim doesn't have a branch of the Mages' Guild from previous games in The Elder Scrolls. The Nords of Skyrim don't have a strong tradition in magic and are largely untrusting of mages and sorcerers, but every Jarl has a court mage and the College of Winterhold still functions as an institution of magic even if it's independent of the Mages' Guild. That independence means freedom from the rules of the Guild, but because of Skyrim's reaction to necromancy and magic, one Skyrim quest reward sticks out like a sore thumb.