Online:Elise Mallon

Elise Mallon a Breton and one of the junior keepers of the Royal Menagerie in Sil-Var-Woad.
 

Related Quests
 

Quest-Related Events
As you explore the menagerie with Talomar looking for Lotus, you'll hear Elise's panicked cries.
:Elise Mallon: "Help! Someone help!"

You find her cornered by lions. Save Elise and she'll express her relief.
:Elise Mallon: "Thought I was a goner … like the others."

Talk to her.
:''"Those lions crept up on me while I was distracted. Thought I was done for. Who are you anyway? Some friend of Talomar's?"
:No. Talomar just asked for thelp finding his indrik, Lotus. Have you seen her?
:"He came back to find Lotus? I know he takes his duties seriously, but that's insane. I think I saw her drinking by the reflecting pool, but she's skittish. Bolted the second she saw me passing by. Good luck catching her."
:You should stick with us. It's dangerous to be alone out here.
:"Uh, no thanks. I appreciate the help, but I'm not sticking around to herd indriks in this mess. I'm getting out of here before I wind up something's lunch. You should do the same."
:I'll be fine.

She then runs off.
:Elise Mallon: "Good luck with your indrik hunt, Talomar. Try not to get killed."
:Talomar: "Elise, wait! We need to stay together! Dammit. Let's hope we have better luck with Lotus."''

After Lotus is found and caught by Conservator Vinelore, and you're ordered out of the menagerie, you can meet Elise again outside.
:Elise Mallon: "Over here! We need to talk!"
:Talomar: "Elise? I thought you already left? What are you doing skulking around here?"

Talk to her.
:''"I didn't want to get you two involved, but I need help and there's no one else I can turn to. I was the one who drugged the animals. The plan wasn't for them to break loose, just stir up a fuss so I could slip into the Conservatory unnoticed."
:What could be in there that would be worth this much havoc?
:"Evidence. The menagerie is a facade. The ugly truth behind Sil-Var-Woad isn't so pretty. There are entire sections blocked off from most of the keepers. Vinelore and her rangers guard them like a vault. The animals they take there never come back."
:That isn't suspicious to anyone else?
:"People who question Vinelore don't last here. If she claims the animal is a risk of some kind, it's just quarantined in the inner paddock, never to be seen again. Something terrible is going on and I mean to expose it. Help me prove that."
:All right. If what you say is true, I need to see it myself.
:"It's going to take a lot more convincing for Talomar, I can tell. I don't know that he'll ever forgive me for the mess I've made here, but maybe you can get him to hear me out?"
::You're more than just a keeper here, aren't you?
:::"I'm a spy, for the Queen. I mean, I was a keeper first, but when the Queen asks you to serve, you serve. She asked me to keep an eye on Vinelore before she left for her coronation, but the Conservator has stonewalled my advancement."
:::Does she suspect you?
:::"To her I'm just some uppity nebarra trying to rise above my station, but once it became clear I wasn't going to get into her good graces I had to improvise. We see how well that turned out."
::::You did really botch this up.
:::::"Hey, we can't all be slick and daring Khajiit of mystery."
::::It's not over yet.
:::::"Yeah. I'm not going to let the Queen down. I gave her my word."
::Have any theories as to what we'll find in the Conservatory?
:::"All I know is healthy animals are disappearing and her story doesn't add up. She could be selling them to wealthy Altmer to line her own pockets, or even butchering them to sell their parts to craft workers."
::There's a lot of blood on your hands. You think you deserve his forgiveness?
:::"I don't know. More than anything I want to make sure it wasn't all for nothing. If I can find the proof that Vinelore is abusing these animals, then maybe it will have been worth it, and Talomar can at least understand why I took the risk I did."

Talomar will reluctantly agree to help.
:Talomar: "All right, Elise. I'll help you. But if we don't find anything unusual in the Conservatory, I'm turning you over to Vinelore myself."
:Elise Mallon: "Deal. If I'm crazy, go ahead and turn me in. But you know there is something going on here, Talomar."
:Talomar:  "Let's just get this over with."''

If you talk to Elise, she'll say:
:''"See if you can find a way into the Conservatory. I'll try to keep Talomar out of trouble."''

After you find the key, she'll ask you: 
:"Did you find a key? I dropped my lockpicks when these lions came after me."

Enter the conservatory. Inside, she'll comment:
:Elise Mallon: ''"Ew. What's that smell? It's coming from over here."

Speaking with her downstairs:
:"I knew they were up to something here. Smells awful. Alchemical. This equipment isn't incriminating enough on its own though. Vinelore could justify it for medicinal uses. We need to find evidence that can't be explained away so easily."
:Any idea what that could be?
:"Samples, records … a test subject. Anything that proves without a doubt that the animals here are being used for something other than conservation. There's probably more upstairs."

Go further into the conservatory, where you discover the source: the missing animals, butchered. Elise will make another comment. 
:Elise Mallon: "Whoa … these poor creatures. Let's find out what Vinelore was doing with them."

Speaking with her here:
:"Start digging through the records. There has to be something here I can use to bring down Vinelore."

Search the records for evidence, and you will find the Serum Infusion Report, which details the animal experiments. Elise will notice you found something.
:Elise Mallon: "Hey, what are you reading over there?"

Talk to her.
:"You found something important, didn't you? I could read it on your face from across the room. What's in those papers?"
:Nothing good. See for yourself.
:"Vinelore, you piece of—this is everything I need to prove she's been abusing her position here. I have to get this to the Proxy Queen."
:What about Lotus and Talomar?
:"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he deserves to know. Let's find him and get out of here before our luck runs out."
:All right.

Now she notices Talomar is missing.
:Elise Mallon: "This should be all I need. Where did Talomar wander off to?"
:Elise Mallon: "Talomar? Don't tell me he took off after Lotus alone. The inner paddocks are through there!"''

Exit the Conservatory to the inner paddocks and witness the confrontation between Vinelore and Talomar, separated by a warded fence. If you talk to Elise, she'll say:
:''"Keep Vinelore distracted. I've got an idea."

Talk to Vinelore to distract her while Elise will break some of the wards to let the indriks loose.
:Conservator Vinelore: "Elise! I should have known you'd be behind this!"
:Elise Mallon: "Good luck containing your experiments. We'll give your regards to the Queen."
:Conservator Vinelore: "This isn't over, mongrel!"
:Conservator Vinelore: "You'll all pay for this."

As she flees, she shoots Talomar with an arrow.
:Elise Mallon: "Talomar!"

Elise will run to the injured Talomar. Talk to her.
:"Vinelore must have been more shaken than she looked. She didn't hit anything vital, far as I can tell.  I don't usually work on people, but if I can stitch up feuding echatere, I can handle this."
:I'm going to find Lotus.
:"You can't be serious. There's nothing stopping Lotus from escaping on her own now. We've got what we need to bring Vinelore down. There's no reason to risk your life."
:I promised Talomar I'd help him keep Lotus safe and I intend to keep it.
:"He's lucky to have found someone as foolish as he is. At least take my ward breaker in case Vinelore reactivates the cages.  I'll get Talomar out of harm's way. Good luck, all right?"

You can talk to her before leaving for more information.
:"Whatever you're planning on doing, do it quick. I have to get word to the Proxy Queen. I won't wait forever."
:How does this ward breaker work?
:"Kinda like a hammer. Just smack it against whatever magical barrier is in your way and it should bring it down … if there's enough power left. It's not meant for subtlety."
:Where did you get something like this?
:"A little gift from the Queen. In case I got caught. Luckily, I never had to use it. You don't want to know how I was supposed to hide it."

As you leave, you can hear Elise telling Talomar:
:Elise Mallon: "Hang on, Talomar. We'll get you out of here."

Defeat Conservator Vinelore. You will find Talomar and Lotus reunited outside the menagerie, to which Elise will worriedly comment:
:Elise Mallon: "Damn it Talomar! You're going to reopen that wound."

If you talk to her, she says:
:"You'd never know he'd just been shot by the way he's acting. He really does care about that indrik more than anything."

Having finished the quest by talking to Talomar, you can talk to her again. If you told Talomar he should stay, she says:
:"I was going to recommend that the Queen shut this place down when I give my report, but if Talomar thinks he can rebuild it into a place where the animals come first, I bet I can make the promotion stick. He was always her favorite keeper."
:What's next for you?
:"I'll head to Alinor to present my findings to the Proxy Queen and send a letter to Queen Ayrenn. After that, I don't know. I'm not really much use to either of them now. I guess a life of tending stables is all I'm really suited for."
::I think you proved yourself here. Things didn't go to plan, but you got the job done.
:::"You think? It was you who wound up doing most of the work, but I guess I did a pretty good job of sabotaging everything. Maybe I have a new calling in breaking things."
::You don't really seem suited to the life of a spy.
:::"I know. If it hadn't been for you and Talomar, I'd probably be dead, Lotus would be a monster, and nobody would be the wiser. It was nice feeling important for awhile, but wow it's stressful."
:::Talomar could probably use your help here.
:::"I suppose I do owe him for the mess I made. Assuming he'll even trust me around another animal, I'll consider it. One way or another I'll get him the help he needs. Promise."''

If you told Talomar to take Lotus and leave, she'll say instead:
:''"I don't think the Queen will mind Talomar taking Lotus away from this place. She couldn't have a better caretaker."
:What's next for you?
:"I'll head to Alinor to present my findings to the Proxy Queen and send a letter to Queen Ayrenn. After that, I don't know. I'm not really much use to either of them now. I guess a life of tending stables is all I'm really suited for."
::I think you proved yourself here. Things didn't go to plan, but you got the job done.
:::"You think? It was you who wound up doing most of the work, but I guess I did a pretty good job of sabotaging everything. Maybe I have a new calling in breaking things."
:::You could always go with Talomar.
:::"I'm not sure Talomar is going to ever trust me like he used to, but roaming the land a while sounds better than being a stable hand. I'll give it some thought."
::You don't really seem suited to the life of a spy.
:::"I know. If it hadn't been for you and Talomar, I'd probably be dead, Lotus would be a monster, and nobody would be the wiser. It was nice feeling important for awhile, but wow it's stressful."''