Veil of Illusion [Quest]

Text of the Quest:

After the death of Prince Naemon, Vicereeve Pelidil assumed leadership of the Veiled Heritance and stole the Staff of Magnus. Razum-dar has tracked him to somewhere in the area of Woodhearth. I should speak to Razum-dar to find out what hes learned about Pelidils plans.

Yanaril: Razum-dar sent me here to await your arrival. He wants you to join him as quickly as possible. It seems Vicereeve Pelidil came this way after stealing the Staff of Magnus.
Hero: Why did Pelidil come here?
Yanaril: Who can be certain? I suspect he merely seeks to find a ship and flee back to the Summerset Isles. Perhaps he is determined to see Prince Naemon's body laid to rest there? Razum-dar has his own suspicions though, and he seemed quite concerned.
Hero: What does Razum-dar think?
Yanaril: He was unwilling to share his suspicions with me. Whatever his instincts may be though, this time, I will wager that he's on the mark. Undoubtedly, Razum-dar intends to share his thoughts with you. You'll find him in the Thalmor Headquarters.
Hero: Very well. I'll go look for Razum-dar.

Razum-dar: Bah! This Thalmor mage will drive Razum-dar mad! Stand here! Hold this! Everything so exact! This one prefers more flexibility. He is glad another Eye is here who understands, because we must move quickly here if we are to protect the Dominion
Hero: What do we need to do?
Razum-dar: We must find Pelidil, of course. This one tracked his stinking hide here after he stole the Staff of Magnus. He's the boss of the Veiled Heritance now, and he has allies here in Woodhearth—dirty traitors who conspire against Queen Ayrenn.
Hero: What are they planning to do?
Razum-dar: This we do not know yet, but Razum-dar has devised the perfect way to flush these rats from their hidey-holes. If they had an opportunity to assassinate the queen, surely they would take advantage of it, yes?
Hero: The queen is coming to Woodhearth?
Razum-dar: No. Razum-dar will be the queen instead! If this mage does his job, of course We will go soon, so Raz must prepare. Speak to Treethane Fariel. She can tell you more about the traitors who are helping Pelidil.
Hero: Very well. I'll ask Fariel to tell me what she knows.
Razum-dar: This one would ask a favor. If this Thalmor mage turns Razum-dar into a monkey, you must exact vengeance. Oh, and you would need to track down Pelidil on your own. Raz hopes this will not be the case, though.
Hero: Did you learn anything else about Pelidil?
Razum-dar: Hm. Razum-dar thought the vicereeve was a clawless coward. Always going on with "Prince Naemon this" and "Prince Naemon that." So pathetic. But he is more tricky now. All this one knows is that Pelidil is near and that he has the Staff of Magnus.
Hero: What about the prince?
Razum-dar: Last time this one saw Naemon, he was still quite dead, but Pelidil wouldn't drag around the prince's corpse just to make sure he gets a proper burial. Some sort of necromancy must be planned, but why? Naemon can't rule the Dominion if he is undead!
Hero: Why are the Thalmor here?
Razum-dar: You share Razum-dar's ... distaste, yes? We must accept them though. The Thalmor were sent to Woodhearth when the Dominion was formed. This port is critical for trade, and there is concern it could be a target for enemy spies ... or for the Maormer.
Hero: Who sent the Thalmor here?
Razum-dar: Battlereeve Urcelmo issued the orders, but Queen Ayrenn gave her blessing. She prefers not to send the Thalmor to every city in the Dominion, but in this case, she had little choice. Even Treethane Fariel agrees they are needed.
Hero: The Maormer are a threat here?
Razum-dar: Of course. Wherever there is sea, there is the threat of the Sea Elves. They've sought to conquer these shores for centuries, and the rise of the Dominion has only served to provoke them. The Thalmor help boost the city's defenses.
Hero: What spell is this Thalmor mage going to cast on you?
Razum-dar: A perfect illusion, he says, to make Razum-dar look like Queen Ayrenn. This one prefers a regular disguise, but Treethane Fariel doubts that would suffice. You should speak to her so we can get on with this.

Treethane Fariel: So you're the one who's going to accompany the cat on this guar-brained scheme of his? I hope you realize what you're up against. These traitors in our city have sought to stir up rebellion since the day King Camoran joined the Dominion.
Hero: There are Bosmer in Woodhearth opposed to the Dominion?
Treethane Fariel: So you'd think, but we've never caught any of the traitors. They may not actually be Bosmer at all. Our enemies are always one step ahead of us. Oromin doesn't want to believe it, but I think it's obvious there's a spy among the Thalmor.
Hero: Someone here right now?
Treethane Fariel: No. We've gone to great pains to keep Razum-dar's plan secret. The spy must believe that Ayrenn is really here. There've been rumors that the Maormer plan to raid us, so we've put word out that the queen has come to make sure the city's safe.
Hero: And you're expecting the traitors to attempt an assassination?
Treethane Fariel: Yes. Mad as the cat may be, his plan might actually work. The story is that the queen wants to "personally" investigate the old Imperial Underground. You'll escort her there to meet Asteril—a Thalmor officer we suspect may be a spy.
Hero: How many guards are we taking?
Treethane Fariel: Ha! The cat didn't tell you, did he? No, we can't send any guards. We don't know who we can trust. He thinks the two of you can handle it though. I don't know if I'd call that confidence or foolhardiness, but I hope Baan Dar is with you either way.
Hero: Thank you. When do we leave?
Treethane Fariel: As soon as Sanodil gets the spell right and turns your friend into a queen. Assuming this works, you and Razum-dar should leave for the Imperial Underground straight away. Oh. Here we go now. It's about time.

Razum-dar: Raz looks good in this form. But then, Raz always looks good. Queen Ayrenn could maybe learn a thing or two from this one.
Hero: You look like the queen, but you don't sound like the queen.
Razum-dar: Afair point. Raz ... er, I will keep that in mind. You have spoken with the treethane then? You understand my genius plan, yes?
Hero: I'm to escort you to the Imperial Underground.
Razum-dar: Yes. There we will find out the truth about this Thalmor Officer, Asteril. She's quite the beauty, I'm told. But traitors are never what they seem, yes? This one is ... no, I am ready when you are.

Razum-dar: Well... that hurt....
Hero: Can you stand?
Razum-dar: Raz will be fine. A few burns will not kill this one. But, uh, for the moment, he thinks you should press on alone. You must catch Asteril and find out where Pelidil is hiding!
Hero: Where did she go?
Razum-dar: She ... used some kind of magic to escape, but it was not a portal, so she cannot have gone far. She must still be here ... somewhere in these tunnels.
Hero: All right. Tend to your wounds. I'll find her.

Razum-dar: Raz heard sounds of fighting. Did you catch up with Asteril? Were you able to question her about Pelidil?
Hero: Asteril got away. The Veiled Heritance covered her escape.
Razum-dar: Dark moons! If Asteril got away, we will have to track her down. And the Veiled Heritance is here ...? That is troubling. Razum-dar suspected a few might have come, but he did not expect them to be here in any numbers.
Hero: I found orders from Pelidil indicating there was a large force.
Razum-dar: Hm. Some of Razum-dar's contacts warned him that the Veiled Heritance was not putting all its hopes on Prince Naemon—that they had "backup plan." Naemon is dead. This must be "backup plan."
Hero: You think they're planning to attack Woodhearth?
Razum-dar: Possibly. If they cannot rule the Dominion, perhaps they would destroy it by attacking Valenwood. But Raz would not have thought the Heritance could muster enough manpower.... Let us go. We must tell Treethane Fariel what we have learned.

Treethane Fariel: If what Razum-dar says is true, the city of Woodhearth owes you a debt. Of course, if the city's attacked and destroyed, that won't be worth much. Maybe we can prevent that. The cat said you found orders from Vicereeve Pelidil. Can I see them?
Hero: Of course. They're right here.
Treethane Fariel: Damn. This proves that Pelidil is planning something here, something even bigger than killing the queen. I'm glad you brought it to light. I just hope it's not too late for us to do something about it.
Hero: Never mind.