Online:Rulanir

Rulanir is a High Elf Spirit found in the Crypt of Hearts. In life he was a former member of the Fighters Guild until he was kicked out. At his friend's Alanwe's request, Rulanir gained employment as the blademaster of the Agea Relle academy and taught martial skills. Alanwe's husband Nerien'eth became jealous of their closeness, so when he destroyed the school he kept Rulanir's soul for special torment.

His soul is first seen in Crypt of Hearts I in a small room behind the chamber containing Death's Leviathan. Rulanir is being impaled. A vision of him speaking to Alanwe is seen in the hallway between the Ilambris Twins and Uulkar Bonehand's rooms. Rulanir's soul appears alongside Anconath and Faindor after the Ilambris Twins are defeated. His soul is once again briefly captured during Nerien'eth's return in Crypt of Hearts II. He is freed after Nerien'eth is defeated, and he can be spoken to inside the room with the portal.
 

Related Quests


Dialogue
Crypt of Hearts I
thumb|right|Rulanir talks to Alanwe
After you have freed Rulanir's soul from his torment, you may witness a memory of a conversation between Rulanir and Alanwe playing out in the halls.
thumb|left|The torment of Rulanir
:Rulanir: ''"Alanwe, I don't think your husband enjoys my company."
:Alanwe: "They say that when someone professes another's dislike for them, they really mean the opposite."
:Rulanir: "He hisses at me when I walk past."
:Alanwe: "Stop it."
:Rulanir: "It's true! I don't know what you see in him. You realize in the grand scheme of your marriage—he's the one who wins?"
:Alanwe: "I will take that as a compliment, Rulanir. But look around. Look what he helped me to build. The Agea Relle and its students are more beautiful than I ever dreamed. How can you doubt his character?"
:Rulanir: "That is not a reason to love someone."
:Alanwe: "He was my husband before we built the school, Rulanir. And it's not like you haven't gained from his work. Being our blademaster is the first steady job you've held since the Fighters Guild kicked you out."
:Rulanir: "I'll be back on the roads of Tamriel soon enough. And maybe you'll come to your senses and adventure with me, again."
:Alanwe: "Keep dreaming, Rulanir. This school is the world to me, now."
 

Once Ilambris-Athor and Illambris-Zaven are defeated, the freed spirits will appear and the following conversation will be heard:
:Anconath: "I don't know where you found your new friends, Alanwe, but they don't seem to fear death. It's admirable." 
:Alanwe's Soul: "They can speak better of that than I, but they're bested my husband's minions. We owe them everything."
:Faindor: "Indeed"
: 
:Faindor: "By the Empyrean Light—I didn't know Nerien'eth had tortured so many of us. That whoreson dog!"
:Rulanir: "Easy, Faindor. He'll pay when the time comes, but we don't want you rushing off to die. Again."
:Anconath: "Our friends killed his Daedric pets. He may come looking for us, and we need to be ready."

Speak with him before speaking to Alanwe, and he will say:
:"I should have seen him coming—Nerien'eth, I mean. I don't care what spells the Daedra gave him—a blade between his eyes.... I should have stopped him when I could. But I'm glad you did, for all our sakes."

If you talk to him after completing the quest but before you leave, he will thank you.
:"It's easier to form coherent thoughts when I'm not being stabbed. It's been a long couple of years. I owe you a debt, friend. I'll never forget what you did for us. For Alanwe."''

Crypt of Hearts II
After Nerien'eth's defeat and Alanwe's self-sacrifice, Rulanir can be found in the passage leading to the exit.
:''"I feared what it would take to defeat Nerien'eth—feared that he had grown in strength. He isn't the kind to remain idle. Not when he would slay his wife and destroy everything she held dear for power. At least the day is won. You have my thanks."
:Who are you, again?
::"I was blademaster here before the lich made his pact and the school went the way of the Dwemer. No idea what I am now. I'll have to work that out. At least the students are fine. Relatively. Alanwe didn't sacrifice herself for nothing."
::You don't speak like most Altmer.
::"Wasn't raised like most Altmer."
:What happened to Alanwe?
::"When Nerien'eth slayed us, he cast a spell to give us spectral forms. Kept us from truly dying even as his minions spent the days stabbing us with ethereal weapons. Anconath can tell you better, but Alanwe spent that second life to cast her spell."
::What did her spell do?
::"I thought it destroyed that Daedric blade, but Anconath mentioned it just sent the weapon away. She gave her life for a temporary solution."
::You sound bitter.
::"What are you, a sociopath? One of my dearest friends gave her life to save us when I should have been there to help. I think I'm entitled."
:What will you do now?
::"I don't know. I half-expected to leave this plane the moment you defeated Nerien'eth. Alanwe would want the students taken care of. With her gone, I suppose the task falls to me."

Notes
A poem titled The Deepest Cut'' can be found on a tombstone in the room where he is held. It was written by Nerien'eth, and it's about Rulanir's punishment.