The Immortal Coil

**Enemy Level** | PC x 1
 **Quest ID** | ArilwaenQuest

Those familiar with TES lore will have a special appreciation for *The Immortal Coil* as the quest touches upon the metaphysical implications of Talos’ divinity and his connection to Lorkhan on the existence of the mortal plane. Where the races of man see creation as a gift, the elves see it as an obstacle to their own divinity. There are some in Tamriel who hold the belief that the elves were once immortal and the world knew no death, but that was changed with the creation of Mundus by Lorkhan. When Talos ascended to godhood, he inexorably strengthened the mortal plane. So long as Talos is worshiped, the elves have no hope of escaping their mortal constraints… or so it has been said.

Lore aside, the struggle between order and chaos, freedom and security is not a foreign concept. When it comes down to it, one is asked to consider, is a uniformly harmonious society worth giving up one’s individual identity? Is an unchanging universe more desirable than a dynamic but unpredictably risky world?

**Spreading the Divine Word**

Walking around Solitude, the player may hear whispers of Talos worshipers leaving messages near the alter in the temple, activating a miscellaneous quest objective to investigate. Picking up and reading the said note will start the quest for *The Immortal Coil*. Alternatively, head directly to the Temple of Divines in Solitude and read the note next to the Talos shrine to start the quest.

Traveling to the Widow’s Watch Ruins, the player will find a secret refuge for Talos worshipers in the basement. The leader of this group of devotees is an Altmer named Arilwaen, who will be giving a sermon on the concept that the divinity of Talos is keeping time “uncoiled” and thus anchoring the mortal plane in existence. When the player approaches, she will ask for his/her opinion. Regardless of the answer, speak with her and she will ask the player to spread the word of Talos by distributing letters similar to the one the player originally found so other pilgrims may find their way to the refuge. Accepting her offer will activate the quest objectives to place the letters in two locations around Markarth: with the innkeeper at the Silver-Blood Inn, and next to the alter in the Temple of Talos.

Notes:

– The player can ask Arilwaen for money upfront to bribe the Innkeeper, she will give up to 300 gold for the task

– Walking towards the shrine in the Temple of Talos will trigger the letter to be placed automatically, it does not have to be physically dropped from the inventory

– In version 3.05.1, a roaming Thalmor agent has been added to this phase of the quest. The agent will become hostile if either objective is completed with him in the room. An additional objective has also been added to return to Widow’s Watch.

**Hopes of Salvation**

Head back to Arilwaen in Widow’s Watch to inform her that the mission is a success, more pilgrims are showing up to the sanctuary as a result. A courier will run in and inform her that her brother has found the location of certain black soul gems. As Ariwaen reads the message, Froa, who has been sitting in the front rows, questions the credibility of the information. However, realizing that there are no other alternatives, the two decides to pursue the lead. Froa asks the player to go along with her as no guards can be spared from the sanctuary.

The player may speak to Froa to gain some background information on her, Arilwaen, and Arilwaen’s brother, Telthar. Inquiring about the soul gems reveals the Thalmors have trapped the souls of the priests of Talos in hopes of weakening the religion’s influence on the world. Agreeing to help intercept the soul gems will add Froa as a follower temporarily and progress the quest to the next stage. Arilwaen tells the duo the soul gems are being transported by ship from Northwatch Keep. The player may speak to her before setting off to gain some additional context on her and her brother, who is an embedded agent within the Thalmors.

Head to the Thalmor ship near Northwatch Keep. After spotting the ship, Froa will engage the four Thalmor agents guarding it. After defeating all four elves, Froa will suggest searching the ship’s cargo for the soul gems. Pick up the soul gems from within the ship’s chest and speak to Froa about them. A discerning player may notice that the soul gems found are lesser soul gems not black ones mentioned in Telthar’s note.

Notes:

– The player can either go find the Thalmor ship together with Froa or meet her there

**Reclaim the Souls**

The player with Froa in tow, will find the Talos sanctuary in Widow’s Watch sacked and all of its inhabitants, including Arilwaen, dead upon returning. A distraught Froa will leave the player as a follower and mourn over Arilwaen’s untimely demise.

Telthar emerges and Froa will immediately accuse him of being responsible, which he quickly dismisses as it would be unreasonable for him to linger and converse with the two if he is the murderer. He engages the player in conversation, commenting that Thalmor patrols likely stumbled upon the ruins by chance and slaughtered the pilgrims as a message to other Talos worshipers. Telthar’s apparent apathy only aggrevates Froa further. He, however, believes the more pressing issue is the missing soul gems, and offers the player another tip to find them in Chillwind Depth.

Go to Chillwind Depth and fight through the mobs of Thalmor, falmer, and spiders to find the black soul gems on a dead Thalmor agent who evidently attempted to retrieve them from the falmers before falling prey to the twisted elves. Finally with the souls in possession, meet Telthar back outside of Widow’s Watch. Speak with him and follow him to the northern coastline.

**Uncoiled**

Watch as a now calmer Froa attempts to make peace with Telthar. Telthar tells her that when he arrived at Widow’s Watch, he found Arilwaen barely alive, her soul inadvertently became trapped in a soul gem he was carrying. Wait for Telthar to perform the ritual to free the souls from the gems. The ritual seems to be a success as spirits of the ten priests along with Arilwaen appear.

Arilwaen addresses Froa and commends her for completing the task, who will then credit the player for actually following through with most of the quest. Arilwaen will then greet the player and offer her thanks. As the spirits pass on to Aetherius, the quest will be marked as complete.

Froa asks Telthar for his plans. He remarks that while this incident is over, Talos worship is still on the decline and there is more for him to do. Froa then asks the player the same and offers to follow along on any new adventures together.

Notes:

– If the player invited Arilwaen to talk over wine in order to learn more about her before going to the Thalmor ship, an additional dialogue option will be available with her apparition

– Speak to Telthar after he answers Froa and he will give the player the emptied soul gems

– Telthar will return to Solitude and can be found in Thalmor headquarters after quest completion

– Widow’s Watch Dungeon is locked before the quest is activated and after it’s complete