Neloth (Dragonborn)

"Mostly staff's, they're my specialty."

- Neloth

Neloth is a master Telvanni wizard residing in Tel Mithryn. He is said to be one of the oldest and most respected members of House Telvanni. Neloth can also be found in, as himself, a younger member of House Telvanni.

Personality
At first glance, Neloth is a self absorbed tyrannical taskmaster with little to no regard for the safety of his apprentices or that of life in general. Any further glances will only serve to confirm this assertion. Although one could argue that his apathetic approach to others is that he prefers to allow them to maintain their own life, and if they died then it was their own fault, and virtually none of his concern as an end result. He views gratitude as a tool for the weak and foolish but is not above rewarding those who perform their duties admirably. In fact the only thing that seems to garner his attention is when efforts made are not wasted, believing that if a person fails, that is because they simply did not try hard enough. He almost never accepts responsibility for his own flaws, yet is a profound genius at the art of enchanting and many other magical fields, but he has a special skill with enchantment in general, being a staff enchanter himself. Though many view him with disdain, none can deny his mastery over the arcane was a trait that he had earned, entitling him to his arrogance.

Dragonborn
He can be found at the Earth Stone. If approached, he'll ask what brings the Dragonborn to Raven Rock. If asked about Miraak, he mentions that Miraak has been dead for thousands of years. He then suggests the Temple of Miraak may hold some answers.

The Path of Knowledge
Travel with Neloth to Nchardak to find the Black Book: Epistolary Acumen.

Azra's Staffs
Neloth has asked the Dragonborn to retrieve one of Azra Nightwielder's staffs.

Briarheart Necropsy
Neloth requires an examination of a Forsworn Briarheart to see how they use their Briar Hearts. To do this, Neloth places a memory spell on the Dragonborn and asks them to "examine" a Briarheart.

Experimental Subject
The Dragonborn will become a testing subject for Neloth's spell. This spell provides a small boost to health, Neloth will tell you to try it out and find any flaws with it. Either swimming or standing in the rain will reveal the flaw in Neloth's spell, your health is reduced by 25 points untill you return to Tel Mithryn and Neloth takes away the spell.

Heart Stones
Neloth requires that the Dragonborn bring him a heart stone. Prerequisite to Briarheart Necropsy.

Old Friends
Reluctant Steward must be completed first. The Dragonborn is sent to kill Neloth's old test subject and apprentice, Ildari Sarothril, who has been sending Ash Spawns to attack Tel Mithryn. Neloth's experiment has worked, but Sarothril appears to be angry at him for some reason.

Reluctant Steward
The Dragonborn must find Neloth's steward, Varona Nelas, who is on the outskirts of Tel Mithryn.

Telvanni Research
The Dragonborn is tasked with obtaining an Ash Spawn Sample using the Ash Extractor.

Wind and Sand
Neloth needs a copy of the book, Wind and Sand, for spell research, and asks the Dragonborn to retrieve it from a radiant location. After aquiring the book and returning it to Neloth, he will mention using the powers of the book and channeling it into a new spell. The spell in question is called whirlwind cloak, a destruction spell and will be available to buy from Neloths apprentice in roughly a 3 day period.

A Sight for Sore Eyes
Neloth asks the Dragonborn to help with a little experiment.

At the Summit of Apocrypha
Upon returning to Solstheim upon completion of this quest, Neloth approaches and remarks:

"Hold still. Let me get a good look at you."

What are you looking for?: "Incipient madness. Loss of self-awareness. Black spots in the whites of the eyes. Any of the documented indications of Hermaeus Mora's permenant influence. Hm, no, you look fine. At least no different than when I first saw you."

You don't need to worry about me: "I wasn't worried. Just interested. I don't get to observe first-hand many people who've spoken to Hermeaus Mora."

Don't you want to know what happened with Miraak?: "Who? Oh him. Well, I assume you killed him. Or Hermaeus Mora turned on him when you looked like the winning bet. Or a bit of both. Miraak's influence has vanished from Solstheim, so I assumed you had handled things. Why, did something interesting happen?" ''Now all that's left are these Black Books, waiting for another ambitious fool to be lured into Hermaeus Mora's clutches. Speaking of which... I think I've located another book, if you're interested. Here, let me show you.''
 * No, nothing interesting. I just killed Miraak and saved Solstheim: "Well, that is what you hero types do, isn't it? I wasn't expecting anything less."
 * You don't seem very grateful: "I don't recall asking you to kill Miraak. That was your own project. And now I'm not even mentioning the fact that now we'll never know what would have happened when Miraak returned. Although... from all indications he could have proved a serious nuisance. So, yes, I am grateful that you dealt with him."

Morrowind
What can you tell me about Morrowind?:
 * "You are too young to rememeber the Nerevarine. He defeated Dagoth Ur and saved us all from the blight."
 * "When the city of Vivec was destroyed, it took decades for us to rebuild. We are still but a shadow of our glorious past, but some day we will rise again."
 * "There is the big island of Vvardenfell, and the coastal mainland. House Telvanni has it's properties on Vvardenfell. I've never been to the mainland myself."
 * "Red Mountain dominates the island. Every now and then ash and debris from an eruption land on our shores."
 * "It's the homeland of the dunmer. The lesser races call us dark elves. We built great works there, like Vivec and Ald'ruhn. Many of them are destroyed now, either by Red Mountain or the argonian invasion."
 * "The ignorant think it's only a place of ash and lava. It has rolling green plains and swamps and verdant hills too."
 * "It is the only place where silt striders can be found. Although I managed to transplant a few here when I arrived."

Black Books
'''What are these Black Books? Where do they come from?:' "Hermaeus Mora has always tried to seduce mortals into his service with the lure of forbidden knowledge. Where the Black Books actually came from... no one really knows. Some appear to have been written in the past, others might be from the future. Apparently time is more malleable if you're a Daedric Prince of fate and destiny."''

Hermaeus Mora
Who is Hermaeus Mora?: "If you have to ask that, you'd probably be best leaving his books to wiser heads than yours. Like all Deadric Princes, he's not to be trifled with. But he is subtler than most of his ilk, appropriate for the prince of knowledge and fate. Many scholars and loremasters have been ensnared by the lure of learning the secrets that only Hermaeus Mora possesses. But don't worry. I have no intention of joining them in their endless search throught the infinite halls of Apocrypha."

House Telvanni
What does it mean to be a member of your house?: "For now, not much. But in a few decades when I return to Vvardenfell, you would be seen as Morrowind nobility. In the mean time, we would keep a bed and chest here for you."

Trivia

 * If the title Arch-mage of The College of Winterhold has been aquired, Neloth will offer a unique dialogue option when spoken to the first time in Tel Mithryn. He will state that his current apprentice will be done in a decade or two, and when he is with him that he might be able to teach a thing or two.
 * If the Dragonborn has joined The College of Winterhold but not yet received the title of Arch-mage Neloth will offer a unique dialogue option when spoken to in Tel Mithryn, stating that Savos Aren is not fit to be his apprentice after the Dragonborn says that he (Neloth) must be nearly as powerful as Savos.
 * Following this statement Neloth changes his mind telling the Dragonborn that he would allow Savos to be his apprentice for  the right price.
 * If the Oghma Infinium has been read, Neloth will offer a unique dialogue option when spoken to for the first time in Tel Mithryn, explaining that he himself spent many years looking for the book.
 * He refers to the Nerevarine as a "He", though the Nerevarine could have been male or female, like the Hero of Kvatch or the Dragonborn.
 * He appears to have become more generous in his old age, having rewarded the nerevarine with only ten drakes for retrieving a valuable robe worth ten times that price, yet rewarding the dragonborn for fulfilling similar tasks with enchanted gear later during the events of dragonborn.