Oblivion:Tears of the Savior

Quick Walkthrough
#Speak to S'drassa at the Leyawiin Mages Guild about Garridan's Tears.
#Go to the Imperial City and talk to Julienne Fanis at the Arcane University.
#Find the First Edition bookshop in the Imperial City Market District and purchase Knightfall.
#Learn more on Garridan's Tears by reading Knightfall.
#Revisit Julienne Fanis and buy some Refined Frost Salts.
#(Optional) Go back to S'drassa and receive some Philters of Frostward to protect you from severe frost within Frostfire Glade.
#Travel to the Frostfire Glade cave.
#Use the Refined Frost Salts to open the sealed door at the back of the Frostfire Glade cave.
#Search the central area of Frostfire Glade for Garridan's Tears.
#Return to S'drassa to collect your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough
S'drassa
A Khajiit named S'drassa at the Leyawiin Mages Guild wants you to bring him rare magical crystals known as Garridan's Tears. He usually jumps at the topic if you agree to hear his story in a little more detail when you speak to him for the first time.

Seeking Clues
thumb|left|You will need a sample of Refined Frost Salts|right|thumb|Frostfire Cave
S'drassa suggests that you begin your search by seeking out and asking Julienne Fanis at the Arcane University about the tears. For the duration of this quest, she will relocate from the Lustratorium, the university's Alchemy center, and can instead be found in the Arch-Mage's lobby all day. In conversation, apart from offering to tell the tale of Garridan himself, Julienne mentions a book called Knightfall she once read, which she believes may be able to give you further evidence on the subject. You should find a copy at the First Edition bookshop in the Market District of the Imperial City.

After reading Knightfall, you learn about Frostfire Glade&mdash;a frozen, unbearably cold area&mdash;which is where the tears are. The glade is entered by opening a magically sealed door at the back of the Frostfire Glade cave. In order to open it, you must have Refined Frost Salts.

Go back to Julienne Fanis, and speak to her about what you have learned. Fortunately, she stocks a few samples of her own self-made Refined Frost Salts, which you can purchase from her. At least one sample is needed to access Frostfire Glade during this quest. If you are a member of the Mages Guild with access to the Arcane University, it is also possible to find one sample of Refined Frost Salts on a table in the back of the Lustratorium. However, taking this sample counts as stealing (which will get you suspended from the Mages Guild if you are caught). The stolen sample is otherwise identical to a purchased sample, and will allow you to continue the quest.

Final Preparations
This step is optional. After you've finished your business in the Imperial City, travel back to the Leyawiin Mages Guild and find S'drassa. Talk to him about what you have read in the book and, perceiving the danger you are exposing yourself to, S'drassa will offer you, free of charge, Philters of Frostward&mdash;5 immensely powerful Resist Frost potions&mdash;to protect you from severe cold within Frostfire Glade or to earn you a good deal of money, should you choose to sell them instead.

 
Frostfire Glade
|right|thumb|Frostfire Glade
Make your way to the Frostfire Glade cave, which is northeast of the Imperial City or southeast of Bruma. A map marker showing the exact location of the cave will be added to your map as soon as you read Knightfall. The cave is like a passage between the outer world and the actual glade. Claw your way through a few wild animals to a secret door. Use the Refined Frost Salts to unlock it and enter Frostfire Glade.

The glade is guarded by a single leveled Frostfire Atronach Glade Guardian who won't hesitate to pick a fight (You can stand on the rock in the center and shoot him without him attacking). As with all frost atronachs, he is immune to frost and poison but weak to fire; be cautious with spells because he has a 15% chance to reflect spells.

Garridan's Tears
After the guardian is slain, proceed to the center of the glade and search the misty area for Garridan's Tears. The icy mist inflicts Frost Damage each second that the player remains within its reach, as you would expect from reading the book Knightfall. Use the 5 bottles of Philters of Frostward that S'drassa gave you or any other spell, potion, or enchantment that provides Resist Frost or Frost Shield protection. Alternatively, use a telekinesis spell to move the tears out of the danger area before picking them up or use Spell Absorption to offer a chance at avoiding the spell. You can also simply use healing spells once you've dealt with the atronach, assuming that you have the magicka and a strong enough healing spell (Heal Major Wounds should be enough).

The locations of all five tears are indicated on the above map with green dots. Note that one of the five tears is actually located on the elevated stone in the middle, hidden under snow. It can sometimes fall in between the nearby rocks. To locate the tears more easily, aim at the ground until you see the cursor showing the hand symbol. Using Night-Eye can aid in finding the hard-to-spot tears, by changing the contrast so that the tears no longer blend in with the ice and snow. Lighting a torch or casting a Light spell may also help by reflecting light off of the tears, making them more easily distinguishable.

Reward
|right|thumb|Tears in the display case
Return to S'drassa for a leveled gold reward (see chart) as soon as you're done. The reward is determined by your level when the tears were collected, not your level when you talk to S'drassa; if you level up in the time between collecting the tears and talking to S'drassa, you will not receive any additional gold.


 

Notes
It is advisable to obtain some form of frost resistance before venturing into the glade:
The Philters of Frostward, which S'drassa gives you, are worth 816 gold each; if you are low level, selling these potions may earn you more gold than completing the quest. You can get the Philters by visiting and talking to S'drassa after you have read Knightfall.
If you are playing as a Nord or Breton, the Frost Damage will be halved in either case.
A Frost Ring will provide 100% protection from frost damage in the glade and from the spells the guardian will cast.
Spell Absorption can be extremely helpful while collecting Garridan's Tears. If you have the Atronach birthsign, any enchanted items with Spell Absorption, or can cast Spell Absorption spells, you will be able to reduce, if not eliminate altogether, the risk of frost damage, because it is implemented as a spell effect.
Any followers you have will not pass through the door to the glade, so don't expect any help when fighting the guardian.
The elevated mass of ice in the middle of the glade actually does contain the body of Garridan and the guardian of the glade as written in Knightfall. For a clearer view, toggle Collision off (using the tcl console command) and step inside the icy mass - he's even holding the Everflow Ewer. 
To find particularly difficult tears, twf mode can be used to show the dense wireframe of the models.
Exercise caution while fighting the Frostfire Atronach Glade Guardian. Casting spells or even moving when near the center of the glade may scatter the tears from their original location. Engaging the Guardian away from the glade center is advisable.
In Frostfire Glade it is possible (if your acrobatics is high enough) to jump out of the glade completely. Around it is a circular bit of land which leads to cliffs with water on all sides. It is an interesting area to explore. Make sure you save however because there is no way to get back up the cliff after you go into the water.
You will not be affected by the glade's frost damage if you are standing on the fallen tree trunk or on the area of the center rock right next to the tree trunk. You can stand on this spot while searching for the tear on the center rock without being hurt.
When you enter the Leyawiin Mages Guild the next time, after finishing the quest, S'drassa will have placed the Tears in a display case. The case is protected by a very hard lock, and opening it is considered a crime; however, taking the tears themselves is not stealing. However, if you pick the lock of the display case open right after receiving your reward for the tears, then leave and come right back in, the display case is still open and you can take the tears with no risk for bounty.
Due to an issue with the GetDistance script function, stage 85 of the quest may not be triggered. See here for more information on this issue.

Bugs
 
 Use the console command   to enable noclip, and check all spots as indicated on the map above.

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