Eyes of Azura [Quest]

Text of the Quest:

A priestess of Azura, has long suffered at the hands of Molag Bal. Her pain is so great it has torn a hole between and , an Ayleid ruin in . The Daedric Prince Azura spoke to me! She told me of Vastarie, a wizard who long ago attempted to enter the sealed ruins and recover Culanwe. I should search the for the method she used to gain entry.

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Azura Shrine: Mortal, you stand above the sealed ruins of Laeloria. Within is a gateway to Coldharbour, where my priestess Culanwe suffers at the hands of Molag Bal. Her pain is so great, it has torn a hole between worlds. This injustice must end.
Hero: What are you?
Azura Shrine: I am the Daedric Prince of Dawn and Dusk, who weeps for Culanwe's suffering. I am the Mother of the Rose, who sealed Laeloria away from your world. I am Azura, mortal. And I would have you end Culanwe's endless torment.
Hero: How can I do that?
Azura Shrine: Long ago the wizard Vastarie came to Laeloria. She sought to end Culanwe's suffering. But Vastarie failed, and was lost. Go to Vastarie's tower. Retrace her path into Laeloria. And mortal, set Culanwe's bones to rest.
Hero: I will.
Azura Shrine: Vastarie kept careful records of her struggle to pierce Laeloria's seal. They remain scattered in her tower. Find them. Use them to breach the seal and recover Culanwe.
Hero: What can you tell me about Vastarie?
Azura Shrine: A powerful wizard who built the tower behind you. She studied Laeloria for years, always patient, until finally she found a way through. But despite her preparations, Molag Bal's servants overwhelmed her companions. She was forever lost.
Hero: If you sealed Laeloria, why not open it for her?
Azura Shrine: Laeloria is the mouth of a bottle that floats through Coldharbour. My seal is the cork. Should I release the seal, Molag Bal's servants will pour into Laeloria until they have nowhere else to go but here. Vastarie found a way to slip past the seal. As must you.
Hero: Who was Culanwe?
Azura Shrine: Culanwe was the most beloved of my servants. Her voice bent the world to her will, yet she used her power for selfless works. Until she was taken to Coldharbour. Molag Bal made her song of pain last millennia. But in his distraction, you will recover her.

Tablet: The spidery script upon the tablet seems to flicker when you don't look at it directly.
Hero: I think I'm supposed to say "Irrai."
Tablet: The tablet pulses with power.

Irrai: Greetings, outsider. As the will of my Prince is eternal, I heed your call.
Hero: Who is your Prince?
Irrai: Azura. You know of Azura, don't you? "Irrai the Fleet," she named me. But that was long ago. This shriveled vessel is but a shadow of my former glory. My wings ache to soar the skies of Oblivion once more.
Hero: I'm looking for a way into Laeloria.
Irrai: Vastarie pierced the seal with a relic known as the Twilit Heart. It still stands before the gates of Laeloria, bereft of magical energies. You'll need to feed it souls. And with all these Daedra about, you'll have your pick.
Hero: How would I do that?
Irrai: The wizard Vastarie kept quite the stock of sigil geodes, which I suppose should do. There are still some around. I can smell them from here.
Hero: Do you remember Vastarie?
Irrai: Of course, she was the last to summon me. Together, we opened the ruins of Laeloria. She ventured in with her noble companions. I watched them die in a flood of Daedra. It was all I could do to escape and seal the ruin ... Vastarie's final command.
Hero: Why are you helping me?
Irrai: Ignoring the fact that my Prince's unbreakable will compels me to open the way to Laeloria, despite the unspeakably bloody terror to greet you on the other side?
Hero: Yes.
Irrai: You could be Molag Bal himself for all I know. I'd still help you open the door, Lord of Brutality or not. You aren't him, are you?
Hero: Of course not.
Irrai: Good, good. I'd expect the Harvester of Souls to be taller.
Hero: Why would you help Molag Bal?
Irrai: Try waiting in a rock until someone calls your name. Then, watch them reduced to a smear of viscera the moment you do what they've asked you to do. You try to find joy where you can. The joy of aiding another, of course.
Hero: Do you remember Vastarie?
Irrai: Of course, she was the last to summon me. Together, we opened the ruins of Laeloria. She ventured in with her noble companions. I watched them die in a flood of Daedra. It was all I could do to escape and seal the ruin ... Vastarie's final command.
Hero: Why are you helping me?
Irrai: Ignoring the fact that my Prince's unbreakable will compels me to open the way to Laeloria, despite the unspeakably bloody terror to greet you on the other side?
Hero: Yes.

Vastarie: The sigil geode! Do you still have it?
Hero: Yes, I do. Why?
Vastarie: Touching the Sigil Geode to Irrai's forehead will absorb her soul. It's the only way we'll ever leave this place.
Hero: Why is that?
Vastarie: If she dies outside of that stone, we'll spend the next century counting the tiles in this place. I noted thirty-two thousand seven hundred and eight. But you're welcome to check my figures.
Hero: That doesn't explain why I should trap Irrai.
Vastarie: ln the depths of this ruin is a portal leading straight to Coldharbour. We can only close it from the other side. Once in Coldharbour, we'll have no hope of escape unless Irrai is inside that stone. Quickly, I can't keep this up for long!

Irrai: It doesn't matter what you do to me. You'll be dead, or trapped for a thousand years!
Hero: Why would you betray your Prince?
Irrai: Molag Bal is my Prince, you fool! I let Vastarie believe I was Azura's servant, just as I let you believe. I led you into Coldharbour's grasp. Morsels for the God of Schemes, to pick from between his teeth.
Hero: Imprison Irrai in the sigil geode.

Vastarie: I'm not one to hope any creature suffers, but with Irrai I'll make an exception. She can spend eternity in the sigil geode, for all I care.
Hero: Why was it so important to trap Irrai?
Vastarie: Irrai is bound to her tablet. While she's within the sigil geode, we can use her as a tether to escape from Coldharbour. If I hadn't been so quick to destroy her those years ago, my companions would still be alive. Come, we should retrieve Culanwe.
Hero: Where can we find Culanwe?
Vastarie: At the base of these ruins is the hole her torment tears between worlds. But the moment we enter, Molag Bal's servants are likely to sense our presence. I'd have long ago made the attempt myself, if I had anywhere to flee.
Hero: How can we close the portal?
Vastarie: We must find Culanwe and free her from whatever cruel device causes her so much pain. Doing so should end her torment. When she no longer cries out, the rift between Coldharbour and Laeloria should close. I hope.
Hero: Let's go.
Vastarie: I kept this library clear of Daedra, but the chambers beyond are home to a variety of the creatures. It may be best to avoid them.

Vastarie: We've done it. We freed Culanwe from her torment. It was worth the wait.
Hero: If the portal is closed, how do we get back?
Vastarie: Irrai brought us both through the seal. It's only fitting she bring us back. I can use the sigil geode to trace her soul back, and then it's a simple matter to open a portal. Are you ready?
Hero: I am.
Vastarie: Then prepare yourself. Departing Coldharbour is never easy.

Vastarie: It is good to stand beneath the sky once more. To feel the breeze upon my skin. And I wouldn't have made it here without you. My home is always open to you, should you care to visit.
Hero: How long were you trapped in Laeloria?
Vastarie: Eighty-eight years, three months, eleven days. Thirteen hours. Seven minutes.
Hero: That's very precise.
Vastarie: All right, I'm showing off. I used a simple spell to mark the time. It was the first thing I did when I realized I was trapped. It's not entirely precise, so I had to guess the minutes.
Hero: What will you do, now?
Vastarie: Clear my tower of Daedra, for one. Memorialize my companions who did not return. Organize my effects. Then, I'll find out what has transpired in this world since I left. I have some catching up to do.
Hero: Your companions?
Vastarie: I opened my home to many I met in my travels. A young Redguard swordsman, a scarred Wood Elf hunter, a Psijic outcast... I can still hear their voices. But that was ninety years ago. Those not killed by the Daedra must have fled.
Hero: Will you be staying at your tower?
Vastarie: astarie For a time, though I expect my attention shall be drawn elsewhere soon enough. There was something different in Coldharbour. The air was a little too full, the fires too bright.
Hero: You speak as though you've been there before.
Vastarie: Molag Bal's corner of Oblivion holds many secrets. I plundered several from his halls, a lifetime ago. Did you know, I did it to impress a boy? What a fool I was.
Hero: What boy was worth traveling to Coldharbour?
Vastarie: Telacar. A powerful mage, brilliant, always focused upon his work ... hardly striking, though such things never mattered to me. It took my escapade in Coldharbour to convince him there were adventurous women outside of his books. But that was long ago.
Hero: You have been to Ossuary of Telacar, then?
Vastarie: I have. Why do you ask?
Hero: I found your journal.
Vastarie: Then you know the tale it tells. Did you find anything else?
Hero: I met the spirit of your son.
Vastarie: I hoped that wretched thing would fade away. It was a pale shadow of my son, and nothing more. Calion died so long ago, but my husband couldn't put him to rest. You didn't meet my husband, did you?
Hero: I freed Calion's spirit from Telacar.
Vastarie: That makes no sense. An animated shade would have no desire to escape. It would only approximate reason. Tell me, why did it want to escape?
Hero: He was afraid Telacar would wake up.
Vastarie: Reason, fear, a sense of self-preservation—no, what have I done? You met Calion's true spirit. I spurned it... him ... as a mockery of my son's memory! Forgive me. I will set this right, but I don't care to speak of it right now.

Azura Shrine: A quiet stillness hangs over the shrine, but you feel a sense of anticipations
Hero: Place Culanwe's Bones before the Azura Shrines
Azura Shrine: Culanwe. Beloved of the wild ones. My priestess returns from the clutches of Coldharbour at last.
Hero: Vastarie is here, as well.
Azura Shrine: So I have seen. A mortal has managed what the eternal dead could not.
Hero: Is there anything else I can do?
Azura Shrine: Much, when it is time. You have taught humility to a Daedric Prince, mortal. Tread carefully, for he will attempt to exact his revenge. Now go, with my blessing. When I have need of you, you will know.
Hero: Complete Quest.