Online:Pandermalion

thumb|right|Pandermalion's previous look from the alpha state of Summerset, wearing a different hairstyle and armor style
Pandermalion is a High Elf found at the Dominion camp near Sea Keep. He was the commander of the keep's defenses, before the Storm Sharks infiltrated and captured it.

 
Related Quests


Dialogue
Speaking to him to start the quest:
:"Best head inland, traveler, far as you can manage. It is only a matter of time before the tempest over Sea Keep moves down the coast, leaving ruin in its wake."
:Is this an evacuation?
:''"I suppose it is, but we were driven from the keep long before the tempest began forming. Sea Elves infiltrated our defenses and slaughtered the garrison. We're all that survived. That storm will finish the job unless I manage to stop it."
:Is that possible?
:"It's no natural formation. The Sea Elves are conjuring it. If I could get within striking distance of their Sea Mage, I could break his hold on the storm and prevent the destruction to come … but that's a desperate hope for one Mer."
:You don't have to go alone. I'll help however I can.
:"I don't need another death on my conscience, but I can't afford to refuse your help. A direct assault on Sea Keep is impossible, but if the Maormer can infiltrate it, then so can we. Meet me at the ruins down by the water. I'll show you what I mean."

After he accepts your help, you can ask him additional questions about the situation.
:What can you tell me about the keep we're infiltrating?
:"Sea Keep is the bulwark that invading fleets dash themselves against attempting to attack Alinor. Impregnable by most means. Our battlemages and siege engines could reduce an enemy fleet to flotsam in a matter of minutes."
::That doesn't sound promising
::"It was made to be unassailable from the outside. Inside, that's another matter. Once we're within the walls we only have the Maormer to fear, though that's little comfort. They are brutal and ruthless opponents. Their war beasts perhaps more so."
:Were you in command of the keep before it fell into the hands of the Maormer?
:"I was, yes. A fortress that has never been breached in thousands of years of fighting was lost in a single night on my watch. The failure is entirely mine to bear."
::How was the keep lost?
::"Unconventionally. They exploited a weakness in Sea Keep I took for granted, but we can do the same. You'll understand when we get to the ruins by the shore."
:Who are the Maormer and why did they attack you?
:"Apologies. It's easy to take our ancestral conflict as common knowledge after so long. Maormer are otherwise known as Sea Elves. Exiles who were banished many centuries ago. Not a year goes by that they don't attempt to wrest Summerset from our grip."
::Every year? Why don't you retaliate?
::"It has been attempted. Their home of   is an isle surrounded by impenetrable mists. All attempts to navigate it have failed spectacularly. All we can do is remain vigilant and endure."

When you are both leaving towards the ruins, he will yell out:
:Pandermalion "Our means of entering Sea Keep is this way. There's no time to spare. I hope you are a strong swimmer, incidentally."

When you reach the underwater passage, he will say:
:Pandermalion "Here. This is the place"

You can then speak to him.
:"See that whirlpool? The currents are being drawn into the flooded ruins beneath Sea Keep. We should be able to follow them inside, just as the Sea Elves did. It's that or we drown. If you want to back out. I understand."
:I'm willing to risk it.
:"Good. I'm glad to have someone at my back. I couldn't ask any of my soldiers to do this."
:Why not?
:"They've suffered enough for my mistakes and … it's just something I have to do. Come on, before the storm decides to sweep us away."
:Let's go.

After talking to him he will dive into the whirlpool:
:Urlsar: "You can't tame the sea!"
:Pandermalion: "Eight, guide us."''

Inside the Underwater Passage, he'll say:
:''"We made it … ah, too many years on dry land. There's a secret door in these ruins that will lead us directly into Sea Keep's dungeon. I can unseal it, but there's something you should know first."
:Go on.
:"I had another reason to come here. One I couldn't share around my troops. The Maormer are holding the woman I love captive. I have to free her before the reinforcements from Alinor arrive."
:Why would you need to keep that from your troops?
:"Because Castire is a Sea Elf. She is—or was, I suppose—the captain of the crew that attacked Sea Keep. Assuming her mutinous crew hasn't already done so, she'll be executed. Altmer don't suffer Maormer."
:What was her role in all this?
:"Bait. These ruins were the only place where Cas and I could see each other. Our secret, safe place. She would signal and I would use the secret door to meet her. Only this time I was met by the sabers of her crew. They had her in chains."
:So you let the Maormer into Sea Keep.
:"Yes. The blood of the garrison is on my hands. I killed them with my secret. I can't take that back, but maybe I can save what's left. The survivors, the keep, and the woman I love."
:All right. We'll find Castire and put an end to this.
:"I last saw Cas in the dungeon. With any luck she's still there … and unharmed."
:How were you able to evade capture?
:"I didn't. The Sea Elves waylaid me and tossed me in the dungeon as soon as I unsealed the hidden passage. They only kept me alive because I was still of use to them."
:But you did escape.
:"I slipped the leash on the battlements, where their Sea Mage was studying the keep's magical defenses. There was nowhere for me to run, so I took a leap of faith straight into the arms of the sea. Barely made it back to shore, but I survived."''

Eventually he'll call out, ''"There's the secret door.  Give me a moment to open the seal."

Upon meeting a bound Castire in a prison cell.
:Pandermalion: "Cas! Are you all right?"
:Castire: "Pan? How did you—nevermind. Get me out of these chains!"
:Pandermalion: "I'll see to her bonds. Cas, I need you to tell me everything you know about what your crew is planning."''

After untying Castire, he'll announce, "I have a suggestion for our next move." Speak to him and he'll say:
:''"Defeating Urlsar won't be as simple as rushing up the battlements and driving a sword through his heart. He has all the power of Sea Keep at his command. It wouldn't even be a contest, but I have an idea to put us on equal footing."
:What do you have in mind?
:"The magic in these Aldmer ruins are the hidden heart of Sea Keep's power. Without them, we'd merely be high walls and harsh words, save a few war machines. Cutting off the flow of magicka to the battlements might give us the edge we need."
:Is there a way to do that?
:"There are fonts that channel the power of magicka through Sea Keep. If we seal them, it should prevent Urlsar from drawing more power into his storm, but the results could be unpredictable."
:Unpredictable how?
:"Sealing the fonts will be like trying to plug a dam with our fingers. At best, we'll staunch the flow enough to weaken him. At worst, the strain brings the whole keep down on us."
:We'll just have to risk it.

Cas will immediately protest:
:Castire: "Pan, your plan's insane. I love it. Where do we start?"
:Pandermalion: "We? No, you have to run while you can, Cas. Even if we stop the storm—"
:Castire: "Stow it, Pan. I'm as much to blame for this as you. I'm not leaving you to fix it yourself."
:Pandermalion: You're okay turning a blade on your own? There's no way to avoid it.
:Castire: They stopped being my own the moment they mutinied.

When you go further into the keep, you have the option of talking to him:
:"The Aldmer fonts are throughout the keep's interior, but we should be able to reach them on our way to the battlements."
:That back door is quite a vulnerability. Why didn't you seal it off completely?
::"It was necessary for us to maintain the Aldmer enchantments in those ruins. If they ever guttered out, we wouldn't have the knowledge to recreate them. No one knew the ruins could be reached from outside. Except Cas."
::You could have prevented this.
::"I told myself the secret would be safe with her. That it would be impossible to circumvent the barrier seal even if it was found out. I was lying to everyone. Even myself. My selfishness brought this about. That fact sticks like a knife in my gut."
:Why keep on meeting in secret? There must have been a better way.
::"We would have had to give up everything to be together. Our families, our status, our homelands. The shame we would have brought our kin would have been disastrous. It seemed the safest way—the only way—and yet this is so much worse."

Upon reaching the first magicka font:
:Pandermalion: "There's one of the fonts."
:Castire: "I don't suppose we could use this to blast Urlsar off the ramparts?"
:Pandermalion: "Sadly, no."
:Castire: "Couldn't enjoy it from down here anyway."

Coming in proximity to the second magicka font:
:Pandermalion: "There's a font here."
:Castire: "Is there any way to tell if this is working?"
:Pandermalion: "Remaining in one piece will be a good sign."
:Castire: "I'm in favor of that."

Approaching the final magicka font:
:Pandermalion: "The last font is just ahead."
:Tenerive: "Too late to right the ship, captain. Nothing left to do but sink with the rest of us."
:Castire: "I'm too stubborn to sink, Tenerive. That's why I was captain."''

After sealing all the fonts, he'll say:
:''"Sealing the last of those Magicka Fonts should have reduced the flow of magicka to a trickle. We should get to the courtyard and see if it's affected the storm."''

In the courtyard, you'll hear:
:Pandermalion:  "The gates are barred. The locking mechanisms are controlled from those two towers."
:Castire:  ''"Easy enough. You two take one, I'll take the other."
:Pandermalion:  "Be careful."
:Castire:  "Aren't I always?"''

Speak to him and he'll tell you:
:''"Once we've unbarred the battlement gates, we'll be able to strike at Urlsar."

Upon finding Rulotar, he will say:
:Pandermalion: "Rulotar? Damn it... I didn't see him escape, but I held out hope. I'm sorry, old friend..."

If you talk to him after finding Rulotar:
:"Rulotar was our ranking battlemage. I served alongside him for more than a century, but I left him to die here. Alone. This should have been his command."
:Why do you say that?
:"He upheld his duty. Fought to the end to hold this fort. I chose, selfishly, to follow my heart. I let down everyone who put their trust in me."
 

Pull the lever, and he'll remark: "That does it. We should meet Castire at the gate."

Upon meeting up with Castire:
:Pandermalion: "This is it, Cas. Last chance to-"
:Castire: ''"Don't try to talk me out of this, Pan."

When you talk to him:
:"Urlsar and his storm lie beyond this gate. No matter what happens, I want to thank you for standing by me. If it weren't for you I might never have gotten to see Castire again. If this is goodbye, at least it'll be one with closure."
:You're talking like it's already over.
:"Charging headlong into the fray was easier when I had nothing to lose, but my courage is intact. I'm with you to the end"
:Tell her that.

After talking to both Pan and Cas, they will speak to each other.
:Castire: "You remember our vows?"
:Pandermalion: "They were the only thing that kept us moored through that miserable storm."
:Castire: "Let's do it again. How often are we going to see a tempest like this in one lifetime?"
:Pandermalion: "You always were the romantic."

As you make your way to Urlsar:
:Castire: "Shouldn't the storm be growing weaker?"
:Pandermalion: "I said it probably wouldn't get any stronger! Damn him! I can barely hold my footing!"
:Castire: "Keep fighting! One of us has to make it!"
:Urlsar: "Cleansing tides, answer me! Rage and drag this wretched place into the deep! You can't tame the sea!"
:Castire: "Pan, your reinforcements—they're here! They can't see me with you!"
:Pandermalion: "Castire, wait!"

After you beat Urlsar:
:Castire: "It ends like it began. The two of us, adrift among the wreckage of our lives."
:Pandermalion: "But alive, and together."
:Castire: "Fortune smiles, with a shark's teeth."''

If you speak to him before speaking to Castire, he'll say:
:''"That look on her face has me worried. She's never this … morose."

If you chose for him and Castire to stay together:
:Castire: "I love you, Pan, but we can't go on like this."
:Pandermalion: "I know, Cas."
:Castire: "We've been fighting against the current for years. It's time to see where it means to take us."
:Pandermalion: "You mean together?"
:Castire: "If you're up for a swim."
:Pandermalion: "Where would we go?"
:Castire: "The storm could have carried us off to anywhere, Pan. Pretend it did."
:Pandermalion: "Let's cast our fate to the wind. "
:Castire: "If anyone asks, we were swept out to sea. Never to return. Farewell."

When you talk to him again, he will ask that you do him a final favor.
:"This is where we part ways, friend. I wish I'd known more people like you in my life. Things might have been different if I had."
:What comes next?
:"The vanguard from Alinor has arrived, not a moment too soon. Tell the battlereeve what happened here, or as close to the truth as best serves you. After today I'm dead to my people. It doesn't matter how I'm remembered."
:I can do that. Good luck to you both.

If you chose for them to part ways:
:Castire:  "I love you, Pan, but we can't go on like this."
:Pandermalion:  "I know, Cas."
:Castire:  "What will happen? When I'm gone?"
:Pandermalion:  "I pick up the pieces. Or I find myself in irons."
:Castire:  "I'm sorry. For everything."
:Pandermalion:  "I'm not."
:Castire:  "The span between us may be as far as the sun and the sea, but you'll never be far from my thoughts."
:She walks to the edge of the cliffs, pauses, and dives off the edge as Pandermalion laments: "The sun and the sea were never so lucky as to have crossed paths."''

Speak to him again, and he'll say:
:''"I don't expect you to keep my secret, but I'd rather pay my penance through action, not rotting in a cell. It's selfish, but it's all I have left."
:What do you propose?
:"I want to restore some of the damage I've caused with my own hands. I have to believe I can find redemption through repentance. Our reinforcements have arrived from Alinor. Tell the battlereeve what you will."
:Very well.'''

He'll run out the main gate where Battlereeve Farwenya will be waiting:
:Pandermalion:  ''"Farwenya. I'm afraid we've left you a considerable mess."
:Battlereeve Farwenya:  "Pandermalion? You're alive?"''

Before speaking to the Battlereeve he'll say:
:"The moment of truth. I will accept whatever you choose to tell Farwenya."

If you told Farwenya that Pandermalion "saved the day", the two will say:
:Battlereeve Farwenya:  ''"You've had a long day. See to your troops and get some rest."
:Pandermalion:  "I'm honored by your consideration, but Sea Keep is my responsibility. I won't rest until it is secure."
:Battlereeve Farwenya:  "As you wish."
He will then assure you: "I have a lot to make up for. More than is possible in a lifetime, but you have my oath that I will do all I can."

If you chose to tell the battlereeve about the affair, the following will play out:
:Battlereeve Farwenya: "Battlereeve Pandermalion, you stand accused of consorting with Maormer agents. I hereby relieve you of your post until these claims can be addressed. I pray they are baseless."
:Pandermalion: "I submit to judgement."''

Speak to him and he'll say:
:"I have a lot to answer for. Justice will be done. Thank you for allowing me to reclaim what little honor I had left before I face my judgement."