Skyrim:Ralis Sedarys

Ralis Sedarys is a Dark Elf who can be found at Kolbjorn Barrow. He came to Solstheim from Mournhold in search of the relics of Ahzidal, but found the barrow buried in ash. He wishes to excavate it to proceed with his expedition. He carries Hoarfrost, a unique ancient Nordic pickaxe, as well as a standard pickaxe, a few potions, an iron dagger, and a small amount of gems and gold. He wears leather armor with matching boots and bracers.

Should you spare him at the end of the quest Unearthed, Ralis will relocate to the Retching Netch in Raven Rock and become available as a follower.  However, when you speak to him you will not get any dialogue options including the option to recruit him as your follower and he will only give generic greetings if you already have an active follower.

 

Related Quests
 
 

Quest-Related Events
Unearthed
If you explore just northeast of the Old Attius Farm, you'll find Kolbjorn Barrow, where Ralis Sedarys stands around some recent excavation work. If you approach him, you'll hear him complain, "Damn it, what am I going to do?" You can then ask him what's wrong with him, to which he'll reply, ''"With me? What's the matter with you? Sorry, I've just had a lot of hork-faced cowards coming by to mock my efforts. ... bah. It probably can't hurt to tell you. You look mostly honest. The name's Ralis. Ralis Sedarys, out of Mournhold. I've got a financier waiting for me back on the mainland. Sent me here in the interests of obtaining some rare antiquities. The 'Relics of Ahzidal.' But this whole thing became a disaster right quick, let me tell you."''

If you ask him what happened, he'll explain, ''"You come out to the northern ashlands, you don't expect things to go easy, you know? But this was something outside my particular expertise. When I first got to Kolbjorn, you couldn't even see it. Buried in the ash, like most other things on this blasted island. Dug out a pile of the stuff taller than me just to find the barrow. Who knows how much to reach the door. Excavating isn't exactly my specialty. Even if it was, the ash storms fill it in faster than you can dig." 

thumb|right|"I'll manage the dig if you can manage the coin."''
After Ralis explains the situation to you, you can then suggest that he hires some miners from Raven Rock, to which he'll reply, ''"You think I've got that kind of money? No, I only get paid on delivery. Can't afford to go out of pocket for a thousand septims on this. Takes money to make money, all that rot. There's a lot of it at the other end, but I can't get there without a little kick to start it off."'' 

You then have two dialogue options. If you tell him you have some money and inquire whether he is seeking a partner, he'll be surprised and respond, ''"What? Are you... are you serious? Well, I think I could make that work.. We can sort out the details of our little arrangement later, but for now, I'll manage the dig if you can manage the coin. Do you have the gold?"'' 

If you ask him about the treasure he is after, he'll explain, ''"You ever hear of Ahzidal? He was the first great Nord enchanter, maybe even the first human to master elven methods. His best work was buried with him, though. A set that my patron calls 'the Relics' are supposed to be down in his tomb. Now, they're old, and they're powerful. A combination like that makes them pretty valuable to certain people, and I happen to know certain people."'' 

If you have at least 1000 gold, you'll have two more options. If you tell him of course you have it and give him the gold, he'll say, ''"Hmm... it's all here. Well, then... looks like I have a good bit of work to start on. I'll head back to Raven Rock and round up some diggers. Once we've got something worth looking at, I'll send word to you. Pleasure doing business with you, partner. I'll see you soon."'' 

If you have less than 1000 gold, only the second option is available—to tell him "Not yet." He'll then finish your sentence for you rudely, ''"'... but I can get it.' Sure, sure. Listen, I've heard this song before and I'm already tired of it. Come back when you're not a waste of my time."'' 

If you have told him you don't have the money at least once or backed out of the conversation during this, for each subsequent greeting he will always say: "Do you have the gold?" and your options will be the same. 

Once you pay him, if you talk to him before he contacts you again, he'll explain: ''"Look, this can be a slow business. Digging takes time. Come around later, and I'll have something more interesting to show." This dialogue is repeated for the same situation throughout the quest.

thumb|left|"Well, unless you want to deal with the draugr, this whole little venture of ours is over."
After a few days a courier will approach you and say, "Got this from a pretty excited looking dark elf around Raven Rock. He said it was important I got it to you as soon as I could."'' 

You can now return back to Ralis at Kolbjorn Barrow and he'll simply comment, ''"Oh, it's you."'' If you ask him what's going on, he'll answer, ''"This isn't good. We only got a little ways in when something managed to wake up the draugr. Before I could blink, all the miners were dead and I was next in line. Don't think anyone else made it out alive. This is what I get for skimping on labor."'' 

If you ask him what to do now, he'll respond, ''"Well, unless you want to deal with the draugr, this whole little venture of ours is over. Might be over either way. It looked like a dead end before the place started crawling. We could have missed something, though. I don't know."'' 

At this point, you are expected to go take care of the draugr problem. If you talk to him before the barrow is clear, he'll ask: "Any luck?" When you tell him it's not done yet, he demands: ''"Just finish the job. If you aren't back in a couple of hours, I'll start packing up."

When the barrow is clear of draugr, Ralis will again ask, "Any luck?"'' When you tell him you've not only defeated the draugr but also found a way past the dead end, he'll reply, ''"Well, perhaps there's some hope for us yet. Now, I'll have to go recruit some more miners... it won't be easy, seeing as none of their friends came back from the first attempt. We'll have to sweeten the pot a bit, this time. I think I'll need... say, two thousand septims to hire replacements."''

If you have the gold, you can respond positively and pay him, in which case he'll take your money and say, ''"I never get tired of that sound. It'll take me a few days to dig up some more laborers, but swing back when you get a chance. See how we're doing."'' 

If you tell him you can't afford it yet, he'll tell you, ''"I hope your luck changes soon, friend. I'll do what I can to keep the ash from burying your investment, but we'll need more to keep going."'' 

If you have told him you can't pay him at least once or backed out of the conversation during this, for each subsequent greeting he will always ask: "Found the money?" until you have paid him the 2000 gold. Once again, you will have to wait until he contacts you via courier. 

thumb|right|"Do you think you could... go back in?"
In a few days, a courier will again run up to you with the message, "Another note from your friend Ralis. I hope everything is all right." 

Upon returning to Ralis he will say, ''"And now you're back. Great, just great."'' When you ask him what's going on this time, he'll answer, ''"Draugr again. I mean... we should have expected it, right? What else do you find in these damn crypts, but waves and waves of draugr? At least six of the diggers are dead. The rest of them ran off, and I don't blame them. You've had some luck with these things before. Do you think you could... go back in? See if anyone's still alive?"'' 

If you speak with him again before clearing the barrow he'll ask, "Any news?" When you say there's none yet, he'll retort, "Then why are you still talking to me?" He will continue waiting for you until you've defeated the draugr.

After finishing your task and returning to Ralis, you can update him by letting him know you've taken care of the draugr and found the missing miners—all dead. He won't be surprised, and will reply, ''"I should have figured. Damn. Well, at least we can get back to work. But hazard pay keeps piling up, and this won't be getting any cheaper. I'm going to hire some mercenaries this time, too. Having some people around who know how to fight should... Well, it'll set the miners at ease. And hopefully keep them alive. But they won't be cheap either. It's going to hit three thousand this time, I'm afraid. Have you got that on you?" 

If you have 3000 gold, you can tell him it better be worth it when you hand over the money, in which case he will reassure you, "We're going to be making this back fifty-fold, partner. Trust me on this. I'll go hire a new crew, and some brawny types to keep them safe. Come back and check in on us. Nothing can stop us this time."'' 

If you tell him you don't have the money, he'll respond, ''"Look, I appreciate your company, but that's not why you're here. You're the money in this operation. And I guess some of the muscle. But for now, I need you to be the money. So come back when you can do your job."'' 

If you have told him you don't have the gold at least once or backed out of the conversation during this, for each subsequent greeting he will always ask: ''"I don't suppose you have the gold yet?" 

thumb|left|"Five thousand."''
This time, when the courier approaches you, he'll express concern as he tells you, ''"Another letter from Ralis. He's starting to scare me a little." When you return to Ralis, he will admit, "Oh... I was hoping I wouldn't see you quite so soon." 

You can comment on some of the miners outside the barrow who are still alive, and he will tell you, "Yes, well, the mercenaries did their jobs. Worth every septim. Of course, they might disagree... the dead ones, anyway. Gods, what a disaster. I feel like we've done this before, but that just means we're getting good at it. You go make the draugr dead again, and I'll keep the rest of these n'wahs from running off."'' 

If you speak to him before you have killed the draugr, he'll simply ask, "Well?" When you explain that you're still working on it, he answers, ''"Well, don't just stand there! Go deal with the Draugr while I try to hold the survivors together."

When you have cleared the barrow Ralis will greet you by saying: "Well?" Telling him all the draugr all dead will result in the reply, "Good. I'm glad I can count on you, at least. I think we're almost to the bottom of the Barrow, but... it's going to be everything I can do to find more miners. We've... developed quite the reputation. But for enough gold... I can do it. Just barely." 

You can then ask Ralis how much and he will say, "Five thousand."'' You can then ask him if he wants 5000 septims, or tell him he can't be serious which both lead to the same reply: ''"I know, you could almost buy a house for that much, but like I said... we've got quite the reputation out here. And coin is the only counterweight for a bad reputation. Have you got the money?" 

You can then tell him you do, to which he will respond by saying: "Good, good. This time, I'll spring for some more experienced muscle. That should do the trick."'' 

If you tell him you don't have the money, he will reply, ''"Aww, don't start holding out on me now. We're so close."'' 

If you have told him you don't have the gold at least once or backed out of the conversation during this, for each subsequent greeting he will always ask, "Have you got the money?"

thumb|right|"Ahzidal, arise!"
For the final time, a stressed courier will approach you and he will say, ''"I've got another letter from Ralis, but this is the last thing I'm delivering for him. That place is just too much for me." 

Upon returning to the barrow this last time, Ralis is nowhere to be seen outside. Reading Volume 23 of his journal will reveal that he has gone into the barrow to see Ahzidal. 

When you become close enough, you can faintly hear Ralis chanting things to arise Ahzidal such as, "Ahzidal! Awaken!", "It is time!", and "Master, arise!" 

When you reach him, he will say, "Ahzidal, arise!" Ahzidal will then awaken, launching out of the center of the platform in the middle of the room with a red beam of light, ragdolling Ralis across the room and making him go unconscious. 

thumb|left|Ralis Sedarys at the Retching Netch
After you have defeated Ahzidal, a shocked Ralis will awaken asking, "Oh, gods... what happened? What have I done?"'' You can then ask him what's going on, to which he will reply with, ''"I... I don't remember. Ever since I got here... to Kolbjorn... I've heard whispers. Voices. Thoughts. Imaginings. They've only gotten louder since I've stayed. Pounding, driving. A couple of times I blacked out. It was... It was just before the draugr woke up." You can then ask him if he killed the miners, to which he will respond, "I don't know. I... maybe? It's what... it's what he wanted. He just needed their energy. I don't know! I hope I didn't. But... maybe I... please, you have to believe me?"''

You have two choices now:

One — you can tell him you believe him, but to never return to the barrow, in which case he'll agree and tell you, ''"Of course! I don't even want to hear the word 'barrow' again. Ever. I'll go to Raven Rock and you... you won't mention this to anyone. If you see me there, just... give a nod and I'll lend a hand if you need it. It's... it's the least I can do. Just... keep this quiet."'' If you choose this option, he can later be found at The Retching Netch. 

Two — if, instead, you tell him you won't let him go unpunished, he will reply with, ''"What? No! You can't... I have his will on my side! He will command all of us!" He will then initiate combat, and may say, "No, please! I don't want to die!"'' At this point, your only option is to kill him.

Notes
Ralis is one of the only two permanent followers who have the Dual Flurry perk (another is Frea), and one of the only three who have Extra Damage perk (Ralis has Extra Damage 2 perk, Celann and Durak have Extra Damage 1.5). These advantages make Ralis one of the most powerful followers in the game, especially when given proper dual-wielding weapons.
Considering that he asks for 11,000 gold during the events of Unearthed, Ralis can be considered the most expensive follower in the game.