Lyris Titanborn (Online)

"I feel powerful enough to take on Umaril the Unfeathered, himself! I feel ... like a warrior again!"

―Lyris to the Vestige, after regaining her axe^[src]

Lyris Titanborn is a Nord and partial giant who is a member of the original Five Companions. She is encountered while fleeing from Coldharbour through The Wailing Prison. She points the way towards The Prophet, while later on, she will play an important role in the main questline.

Background

Lyris was born to Gjalder, a Nord man who was a descendant of giants. Due to Lyris' giant blood, she was a considerably large infant and her mother died in childbirth as a result. Lyris was raised by her father in Skyrim, who believed his wife's death was on his hands, but loved Lyris dearly none-the-less. Lyris later left for Cyrodiil and enlisted in the Imperial Legion, enduring constant harassment from her fellow soldiers during her training due to her height. Lyris rose up through the ranks and eventually became one of Emperor Varen Aquilarios' most trusted advisors, forming the Five Companions with him, alongside Councillor Abnur Tharn, Dragonguard leader Sai Sahan, and Battlemage Mannimarco. The Companions set out to find the Amulet of Kings between 2E 580 and 582, as Varen believed it to be the key to legitimizing his rule as Emperor. When they located the Amulet, the Companions initiated a ritual upon the Dragonfires to proclaim Varen as a Dragonborn. However, they were tricked my Mannimarco during the ritual, who used the Amulet to extinguish the Dragonfires and cause a tear between Mundus and Oblivion in an event known as the Soulburst, allowing his master Molag Bal to invade Tamriel and begin his Planemeld. Bal captured Lyris and Sai Sahan, keeping them prisoners in Coldharbour.

Dialogue

Show: Soul Shriven in Coldharbour
In Coldharbour: "Whoa, there! Are you all right? The name's Lyris. I hope you've still got some fight left in you. You're going to need it. Dead. Must have been the runt of the litter. (When spotting the nearby corpse) Keep your weapon ready and stay sharp. This place is full of surprises." After killing the Dremora Kynval: "Keep moving! There are more Daedra on the way!" After killing the second Dremora Kynval: "Let's get out of here, my friend." After talking to the Prophet: "Hold a moment. Come here, we need to talk." "The Prophet! He's a prisoner here, too. It was very dangerous for him to speak to you, even for a moment. He must think you can help me." Help you do what? "Break him out, of course! Believe me, I can use all the help I can get. That blind old man is the only person alive who can help us get back home. Tamriel's a long way from here." Where do we go from here? "These tunnels will eventually take us to the Towers of Eyes. That's where we'll find the Sentinels." What are these Sentinels? "Magical constructs created by Molag Bal to guide his vision in Coldharbour. The Sentinels are connected. If we destroy one, the others will be blinded. With any luck, that will buy us the time we need to free the Prophet." How can we destroy it? "I've no idea. Brute force? We'll find a way. We have to. Be ready for anything. I doubt Molag Bal left the Sentinels unguarded." I have so many questions. "I'm sure you do. And I'll answer them as best I can." Who is this Prophet? "He's a strange one, no doubt about it, but he's the wisest man I've ever met. He sees things. The past, the future." What is this place? Where am I? "You're obviously not in Tamriel anymore. Think of the most miserable, depressing place you've ever been in your life. That's paradise compared to Coldharbour. And to top it off, welll ... there is no easy way to say it. You're dead." Then how are we having this conversation? "I don't know. Once we rescue the Prophet, he can tell you about the Gods and the ways of Oblivion. I don't understand any of it, myself." If I'm dead, who killed me? "A man named Mannimarco. His Worm Cult is doing some kind of ritual back in Tamriel. They sacrificed you, and everyone in this prison, to the Daedric Prince Molag Bal. After you died, whatever was left showed up here. They call you the Soul Shriven." What does that mean? "It means you're a slave and you'll spend the rest of eternity here in Coldharbour, working under the lash of the Daedra. Unless of course, you come with me." Are you dead, too? "No, I wasn't sacrificed. The Prophet and I were brought here ... conventionally, if that makes any sense. But we're prisoners here, same as you." How can we rescue the Prophet? "It won't be easy. The place is watched by magical construct called Sentinels. We won't stand a chance unless we can blind them. I'll tell you more when we get there. And we'll never get there if we don't get moving." "We should keep moving." After leaving the prison: "The God of Schemes can see every part of Coldharbour. We need to distract him." When approaching a Coldharbour Sentinel: "Try to be inconspicious. We just got free of this place. The last thing we need is to get recaptured." "I'll keep watch." After destroying a Coldharbour Sentinel and trying to reach the Prophet's cell: "Herma-Mora's wagging tongue! The door's warded. We'll never get in this way." "Damn it! Destroying the Sentinel must have triggered these wards. We'll need to find another way in. Hmm. Maybe Cadwell can help us." Who's Cadwell? "Cadwell is the oldest of the Soul Shriven. After years of torment, Soul Shriven usually go insane and turn feral, but not Cadwell. He was already insane before he left Tamriel. Mad as a box of frogs, but completely harmless. You'll see." How can a madman possibly help us? "Cadwell sees things as he wishes them to be. To him, Coldharbour is a wondrous place. It's his home. And he knows it like the back of his hand. He's usually down by the river. Let's go find him." After speaking to Cadwell: "Cadwell seems to think this Undercroft is a delightful place. That probably means it's a death trap. We'd better be careful." When in front of The Undercroft: "The sooner you get that door open, the sooner we can get out of here." "This place stinks of death and decay." When approaching the Prophet's Cage: "The Prophet's cage should be just ahead. Quickly, now! We haven't much time." "All right. The good news is, we made it here in one piece and the Prophet looks unharmed. Now the bad news. It's going to be up to you to keep him safe and get him back to Tamriel. I'm not going with you." "There's a trick to opening the cell. The only way for a prisoner to leave is for another living soul to take their place. I need to swap places with the Prophet." There's no other way? "Believe me, I wish there was. But ... I don't see anyone else here with a beating heart, do you? If Molag Bal isn't stopped he'll destroy everyone and everything we've ever loved." I'm ready when you are. "Once it's done, get moving. The Prophet will know where to go, but he'll need your eyes, and your protection."