Online:Duchess Astella Galenus

Duchess Astella Galenus is an Imperial spirit who can first be found in the gardens of Gideon. She was the duchess of the noble Giovesse duchy and Mathen Galenus was her son.
 

Related Quests


Quest-Related Events
After agreeing to help Yisara collect information for her next novel, she'll will want to test her Spirit Lantern to see if it really does call ghosts. She will have heard of a story of a spirit wandering the nearby gardens and so will ask you to meet there. When you use the lantern near the stone slab, an annoyed Duchess Astella will appear:
:Duchess Astella Galenus: "Who intrudes upon my grief? Giovesse is lost. My son is lost. All that remains is sorrow!"
: 
:Yisara: ''"Tava's feathers, I was right! Ha! All right, you talk. I'll take notes."

Speak with the Duchess, she will regale you with her story of curses, woe and tragedy:
:"You … you can see me? It matters little. The miseries of Castle Giovesse bind me here—bind all of us here. We are cursed! Our gardens wither. Our once great walls crumble. And my gentle son feels nothing but heartache."
:Who are you? What brought this curse on the castle?
:"I am Duchess Astella of Castle Giovesse.  As for the curse, it is the work of a vile trollop named Alizinda. Arkay scorn her soul! My darling boy, Mathen, was infatuated with her. And how did she repay his affection? By murdering him in cold blood!"
:Why did Alizinda kill your son?
:"I cannot bear to speak of it anymore! My poor Mathen, I sense his presence sometimes. He's bound to the place where he died. An old cottage northeast of Giovesse—the place where he and Alizinda … trysted."
:All right, I'll go to the cottage and speak with your son, Mathen.

As the duchess disappears, she will plead with you:
:Duchess Astella Galenus: "Help him, help my son … succeed where his mother failed."''

Speaking with Yisara, she will have listened to Duchess Astella's story, and thinks you should seek out Mathen's spirit at the cottage to talk. She will also be concerned as Alizinda was her great-great grandmother's name. When you find the cottage and summon Mathen, he will explain that he was poisoned by a deceived Alizinda on the night he was going to propose, but also that she never placed a curse on his family. Something else did that and he suggests it can be found in the ruins of Castle Giovesse.

When you arrive at the castle grounds, hostile spirits will wander the area and you and Yisara can search the chapel ruins. After finding the Scrawled Incantation for a resurrection ritual, Yisara will suggest using the Spirit Lantern once more. A frustrated Duchess Astella will appear:
:Duchess Astella Galenus: ''"What are you doing here? Why aren't you caring for my boy?"

Talk with her about Mathen and the scrawled incantation. She will admit what she tried to do:
:"Did you find my dear Mathen? Can't I trust you to locate a simple cottage?"
:We found Mathen, but Alizinda didn't place the curse on Giovesse. Someone else did.
:"How is that possible? It had to be Alizinda! When Mathen died, the duchy's light died with him. That Redguard wench cast us into darkness! If I could just have brought him back, I could have …."
:Wait, you tried to bring Mathen back from the dead?
:"Yes. Arkay, forgive me! I wept over his body in this very chapel for three days without sleep or nourishment. My grief was ocean-deep. He was my only boy! So, I cast a simple spell. I tried to draw him back with promises of glory. I failed."
:Tell me more about this spell.
:"I cast the spell over his armor and sword, but … it went awry. I wrote everything down. You can find my notes in my private study beneath the eastern wall. If you find his helm, breastplate, and shield, too, you might be able to set things right."
:All right, I'll look for your notes and Mathen's armor.

Before she disappears, Duchess Astella will have words for Yisara:
:Yisara: "Necromancy? How could she—?"
:Duchess Astella Galenus: "You! Oh, I see you well enough, Redguard! You think I don't notice the family resemblance? You stay away from my boy!"
: 
:Yisara: "Tava's feathers … bit touchy, isn't she?"
:Yisara: "Let's make our way to this private study. Carefully!"''

You can find the hidden study and read the Duchess' notes, she will have buried the pieces of armor beneath clumps of heartsbane. You can search the castle grounds for the armor, during this Mathen will appear and literally whisk Yisara away. When you have found  all the pieces of armor, you can find an appropriate place to summon Duchess Astella:
:Duchess Astella Galenus: "You summon me again? Did you find the armor?"

Ask her what to do next to break the curse:
:"Where is your lecherous friend? Just like her ancestor! Ensnaring her betters. Meddling in family affairs. Mathen should be thanking me for sparing him the pain!"
:Mathen abducted her. What did you mean, "spare him the pain?"
:''"Mathen truly meant to marry Alizinda—a woman with no pedigree, no means, and no great talent. She was a no one! I couldn't bear the idea of him throwing his future—and that of our duchy—away over some childish romance. So I spread a rumor."
:You convinced Alizinda that Mathen meant to marry someone else?
:"I only meant to split them apart! It was for his own good! Typical of low-bred paupers, she overreacted. Mathen died by her hand, not mine! None of this matters. What matters is breaking the curse. I need one last object. The Sword of Giovesse."
:Where is this sword?
:"It is in the mausoleum, beneath the great bridge—guarded by Calvus Vanin, first duke of Giovesse. Retrieve the sword and bring everything you've found to Tavia's Tower. If all goes as it should, we can reverse the spell and set both of us free."
:This ritual had better free Yisara too.

:Duchess Astella Galenus: "I don't want that woman lingering near my son any more than you do. Find the sword and bring it to the tower!"''

Once you have claimed the Sword of Giovesse from the crypt, head into Tavia's Tower. Use the Spirit Lantern and Duchess Astella, Mathen and Yisara will appears as spirits. The reuniting of family will garner different reactions:
:Duchess Astella Galenus: "Mathen, my darling boy! We can finally end this curse!"
:Mathen Galenus: ''"And now I part with the Lady Yisara as well? Is there nothing you won't take from me?"
:Duchess Astella Galenus: "Place the regalia, adventurer. It is well past time we left."
:Mathen Galenus: "Farewell, dear lady. I wish we had more time."

Speaking with Duchess Astella, she is eager to leave the world:
:"What are you waiting for? I don't want to stay in this place even a moment longer!"

Once you lay out the arms and armor, the ritual will begin, though the end result is unexpected:
: 
:Duchess Astella Galenus: "Mathen! Why aren't you—? Mathen!"
: 
:Mathen Galenus: "I'm … I'm still here?"
:Yisara: "My poor Mathen! What went wrong?"''

While Duchess Astella has been freed, Mathen is also tied to the world via the wedding ring. You can convince Yisara to either free Mathen's spirit or let him stay with her as a ghost.