Affairs of a Wizard

Overview
Faction: Dark Brotherhood Quest giver: Dead Drop Orders #1 Reward: 500

Background
You are to kill a powerful necromancer named Celedean attempting to transform himself into a lich. The orders recommend that you attempt to discover a weakness before taking him on.

Walkthrough
The necromancer resides in Leafrot Cave. There are two ways you can kill him:
 * 1) You can find his journal ahead of time which will tell you that Celedaen's weakness is a magical hourglass. When you find him, simply sneak up and pickpocket the hourglass. He will die instantly.
 * 2) You can also fight him the normal way.

Either way, head to Chorrol once you've killed him. Beneath the Great Oak tree is a sack that contains your reward and your next set of orders.

Journal Entries
Upon receiving the quest:
 * I have received my new orders from Lucien Lachance. I must go to Leafrot Cave and kill a Necromancer who has begun the process of transforming himself into a lich. This Necromancer, Celedaen, has not yet completed his metamorphosis but is still incredibly powerful -- possibly too powerful to kill if faced directly. I should search the cave for Celedaen's writings, and try to discover his weakness.

After discovering the necromancer's journal:
 * I have discovered the journal of the Necromancer Celedaen. It appears he has used a magic hourglass called the Sands of Resolve to turn himself into a lich and extend his life indefinitely. The process is not yet complete, however, and the hourglass must remain on Celedaen's person for some time, as it contains his life force. If I could remove the Sands of Resolve from Celedaen's possession, perhaps through pickpocketing, he would surely die.

After killing the necromancer:
 * Celedaen is dead. I must pick up my reward and next contract at the dead drop located in an old sack hidden in the bushes beneath the Great Oak, in the city of Chorrol.