Online:Vitellia Laenius

Vitellia Laenius is a former Imperial Battlemage of the  . You will encounter her spirit in a secret chamber in The Dread Cellar.

She will activate a guardian stone each time you visit her, triggering an optional boss fight. You must fight the the Purgator, the Undertaker, and finally the Grim Warden. Doing so will bind these guardians to you, and they will assist in your fight against the Daedra occupying the dungeon.
 

Dialogue
When you first find her spirit, she will be surprised at your appearance:
:Vitellia Laenius: ''"Drat! They've found me—oh! You're not the enemy. Come, come. We must speak."
:Vitellia Laenius: "I was trying to figure out how to restore the prison's arcane defense matrices. It should recognize me—or my soul rather—and allow me to make adjustments needed to escape."
:Vitellia Laenius: "It would also help you clear out these invaders more easily."
:Vitellia Laenius: "You've already begun the process just getting here. Light the braziers by the orange guardian stone and you'll have reactivated its arcane matrix. Once you've done that, I can revise the spell, but we'll get to that matter in a moment."

Speaking to her for further questions before you activate the matrices:
:"Thank the Eight, I though I'd be trapped down here for all eternity. Did the Spire send you?"
:No, but some battlemages hired us to investigate the Dread Cellar.
:"Great, the Spire must have assumed I was killed. Well, I was killed, but that's not the point. I'm trapped here. The spiritual enchantments of the prison's defenses are preventing my soul from leaving the Dread Cellar and lack of body isn't helping."
::Who are you?
::"No sense standing on ceremony under circumstances. You can call me Vitellia. I was the caretaker for the Dread Cellar. The prison's been abandoned for quite some time, so I was assigned to try to keep it from completely falling."
:::What happened to you?
:::"Those Waking Flame cultists and their Daedra happened to me. I managed to kill a few score of them, but they were too many and too willing to suicide charge through my destruction spells for me to fend off. So, here we are."
::What were you saying about the arcane matrices when I arrived? I missed it.
::"I was trying to figure out how to restore the prison's arcane defense matrices. It should recognize me—or my soul rather—and allow me to make the adjustments needed to escape. It would also help you clear out these invaders more easily."
:::What do you need me to do?
:::"You've already begun the process just getting here. Light the braziers by the orange guardian stone and you'll have reactivated its arcane matrix. Once you've done that, I can revise the spll, but we'll get to that matter in a moment."

Once you activate the arcane matrix:
:Vitellia Laenius: "You restored the arcane matrix of that guardian stone. The good news is I can now activate the stone to revise the summoning spell. The bad news is we need to reset it first by summoning the guardian, which will try to kill you."
:Vitellia Laenius: "I'll prepare the guardian stone for activation. You ready some burn salves if you've got them and touch the stone to summon the Purgator."
:Vitellia Laenius: "I'll be just outside the gate if you need me. Give it all you've got."

You can speak to her outside the gate before you face the purgator and you can ask her several questions:
:"The Purgator won't hesitate to destroy you once it's detected you. I recommend destroying it first unless you wish to join me here."
:Why are these defenses shutdown?
:"There was no need to sustain them with all the prisoners gone. Wouldn't have made sense to expend all the resources keeping an empty prison running a high alert."
::But there's still security keeping you trapped here, right?
::"Yes, some of the enchantments meant to contain any spiritual escapees are in place. I saw no harm in letting the enchantments run their course when I was still breathing. I'd prefer not waiting a hundred years for that to happen now that I'm not."
:::Spiritual escapees?
:::"I...really shouldn't get into the details, but prisoners who died in custody or who thought death might be an escape needed to be contained. At least until we could ensure they couldn't cause any harm."
:What is the Purgator?
:"A construct of fire and iron. An instrument of terror and intimidation to pacify any unrest that threatened to compromise the Dread Cellar's security. The idea was its presence would be enough to instill obedience, but it's far more than a scarecrow."
:Do I have to fight one of the prison guardians?
:"All of them, if the entire arcane defense matrix is to be restored, which it has to be if I'm going to free myself. Look, I know I'm asking a lot here, but you're my only hope. If you defeat the guardian, I'll make it so you can summon it yourself."''

When you're fighting the Purgator:
:The behemoth is a product of conjuration, have no concerns about destroying it.

Once you defeated the Purgator:
:Vitellia Laenius: ''"You've subdued it! Excellent. I can reattune this one to recognize you now."

Speaking to her again:
:"I'll have the Purgator's summoning spell updated shortly. You'll be able to call upon it at similar stones placed strategically throughout the prison. We can do the same with the other guardians once you restore their magical matrices."
:How can I do that?
:"The process will be the same as what you've done so far. Find the deactivated arcane matrices and restore them. Doing so will open another entrance to this nexus and you can attempt to subdue another guardian."
:Where can I find these other matrices?
:"Well, who knows what the Waking Flame's done to the place since they've been here—I've heard them undertaking some enormous construction project. There will be one in the dungeons and another down in the pit. Keep an eye out for familiar signs."
:I'll try to find the other inactive matrices.

When you get to the second matrix, she will greet you once again with the same instructions again:
:Vitellia Laenius: "Go ahead and restore the power to that blue stone and we can continue."

Speaking to her before you restore power to the blue stone:
:"With the Undertaker's arcane matrix restored we'll be able to summon it as well. Go ahead and restore the power to that blue stone and we can continue."''

When you restored power, she'll retreat to outside the gate:
:Vitellia Laenius: ''"Everything seems to be in order with the Undertaker's guardian stone. I can prepare it for you to activate whenever you're ready."
:Vitellia Laenius: "I'll see myself out of your way once it's prepared. I'd really refer not to be anywhere near that thing when it appears. Especially in my current state."

Speaking to her about further information about the Undertaker before you summon the guardian:
:"That thing has always given me the creepy-crawlies. I don't envy you having to fight the Undertaker but it's my only hope."
:What is the Undertaker?
:"At one time, a necromancer who abandoned their mortality as a lich. It was stubbornly difficult to keep dead, so it was brought here for imprisonment. Initially it was bound to serve a sort of penance, but there's nothing left of its mortal soul."
::Meaning what?
::"Meaning it's merely the echo of a being who is long gone. It's driven only by instinct and the direction of the summoning spell to carry out its duties. You won't be harming anyone by destroying it. Not that it ever deserved your mercy."
:::What are its duties?
:::"This prison had a propensity for hauntings, so the Undertaker helped shuffle deceased inmates to their final resting place. Though it was dangerous enough to act as a weapon against living threats as well."
::::Couldn't it help you out of here?
::::"I'd sooner haunt this room the rest of my days than entrust my fate to that thing. That's not a way for a Divine fearing soul to go."

Fighting the Undertaker:
:Vitellia Laenius: "While it's technically undead, the Undertaker's living soul has long departed. It's practically a construct."

Defeating the Undertaker:
:Vitellia Laenius: "I'll admit, I took a little satisfaction watching you beat that monster to dust. Now I can ensure it will recognize you."

Speaking to her before you exit out of the area:
:"With that unpleasant business out of the way, I can authorize you to use the Undertaker's stones for yourself. There is, of course, one more guardian that needs to be restored and reset before I can get out of here though."
:Where can I find the last guardian's matrix?
:"Down in the Pit of Despair, but that's where the Waking Flame done most of their construction. We'll just have to hope that they haven't damaged anything."
:I'll search for the last matrix.

When you reach to the area with the last arcane matrix:
:Vitellia Laenius: "With the last arcane matrix restored, you just need to connect it to the remaining guardian stone. We're so close."

Speaking to her before you connect the stone:
:"With the last arcane matrix restored, you just need to connect it to the remaining guardian stone. We're so close."''

When you reconnect the guardian stone, she'll prepare the ritual to summon the Grim Warden:
:Vitellia Laenius: ''"The Grim Warden's guardian stone is reconnected. When you're ready, I'll prepare the stone so you can summon it."
:Vitellia Laenius: "Just make sure you're prepared to face a tempest of blades of the Grim Warden will chop you to chowder in an instant."

Speaking to her about the Grim Warden before you activate the stones to summon the Grim Warden outside the fences:
:What is the Grim Warden?
:"Originally, it guarded the tomb of a Ra Gada prince before being claimed as a trophy by Emperor Reman. Eventually, it was re-installed to serve as a guardian here. Once a tomb guardian, always a tomb guardian, I suppose."
:That's not nearly as frightening as the other two.
:"Ancient Yokudan eternal guardians too mundane for you? Don't let any prior encounters color your opinion. This was restored and empowered by some of the Battlespire's best mages. Underestimate it at your own peril."

Fighting the Grim Warden:
:Vitellia Laenius: "No one has defeated the Grim Warden, but I'm sure you'll do fine!"

Defeating the Grim Warden:
:Vitellia Laenius: "That thing makes such a racket....Well, I can make it recognize you now at least."''

Talking to her after you defeated the three guardians, she'll be eternally grateful to you:
:''"You've done it! Once I've reset the Grim Warden's matrix you'll be able to call upon it yourself, and—more importantly—I'll be able to disable the spiritual wards and leave this miserable place. You have my eternal gratitude."
:What will you do once you're free?
:"Well, assuming I'm not just whisked away to whatever afterlife the Divines intended, I suppose I'll have to find my way back to the Battlespire. Or, perhaps, just to a priest of Arkay who can help a freshly lost soul."
:Good luck, Vitellia.
:"To you as well. I hope the guardians help you kick those Daedra and their bootlicks all the way back to Oblivion. Painfully."''

If you summon any of the guardians during boss fights in the Dread Cellar, she'll have comments:

When you summon the Purgator:

When you summon the Undertaker:
:Vitellia Laenius: "The Undertaker rarely had to deal with Daedric souls in the past, but I promise its powers make no distinction."

When you summon the Grim Warden:
:Vitellia Laenius: "The Grim Warden is at your service."
:Vitellia Laenius: ''"The Grim Warden suppressed many riots in the Dread Cellar with ruthless efficiency. I'm sure it'll do the same now."''

      

Achievements
There are several achievements associated with this NPC:
 

Gallery