- "She was a headstrong one. Always pushing Master Neloth to teach her more. Her lust for power was her undoing."
- ―Elynea Mothren[src]
Ildari Sarothril is a Dunmer necromancer who once served as an apprentice of Neloth, the Telvanni wizard who lives at Tel Mithryn on the island of Solstheim. She is encountered in Highpoint Tower during the quest Old Friends.
Background
The Telvanni wizard Neloth had been planning for many years to enhance his magical abilities by replacing his own heart with a Heart Stone, similar to how Forsworn Briarhearts replace theirs with Briar Hearts. Ildari, his apprentice, volunteered to be his test subject before he underwent the operation himself, but she was accidentally killed when Neloth performed the operation incorrectly, a death he describes as "most annoying". At least, that was what he believed — the Dragonborn found her empty sarcophagus, and this led Neloth to suspect she was kept from dying by the Heart Stone still embedded in her chest. From her journals, it becomes apparent during the quest Old Friends that Ildari survived, and greatly resents Neloth's bungled operation — mentioning that he promised her power and glory but gave her only great pain — and that she plans to get her revenge by necromantically raising an army of Ash Spawn to destroy Tel Mithryn.
After escaping her grave, Ildari travelled to Highpoint Tower and was taken in by a group of miners, who believed she was badly injured and nursed her back to health. Through the Heart Stone, Ildari noticed that she had become stronger, could feel the "bones in the ash" calling to her, and had learned how to "bind the spirits to bone and ash and raise a servant to do [her] bidding" (according to volume II of her journal). But, she also started to become paranoid from constantly hearing the bones' voices in her head. The voices told her that the miners wanted her Heart Stone for themselves. Raising her Ash Spawn from the ground, she killed the miners' leader and then imprisoned the others as her own test subjects, though it is unknown what experiments she conducted on them. Highpoint Tower thereby became her base of operations where she could plot her revenge upon Neloth undisturbed.
Ildari's journal in Fort Frostmoth (unrelated to the three volumes found in Highpoint Tower) details her successful attempts at re-animating General Falx Carius from the dead, to use him as a puppet in her plan to get revenge on Neloth.
Interactions
March of the Dead
Her former presence in Fort Frostmoth is attested to by a journal of hers found in the fort's underground crypt during the quest March of the Dead.
Old Friends
Tel Mithryn is under attack by an unknown force. Ash Spawn killed Neloth's previous steward Varona Nelas, and part of his tower mysteriously withered.
After Neloth assigns to the Dragonborn the task of finding him a new steward, and after the withered part of Tel Mithryn is repaired, a third attack causes Neloth to reveal to the Dragonborn his suspicion that the attacks are organized - the same suspicion that Captain Veleth has about the attacks on Raven Rock. Neloth gives the Dragonborn the task of discovering the source of the attacks. After a while, it turns out that Ildari is behind the attacks, in search for revenge.
Notable items
- Telvanni Robes
- Staff of Lightning Bolts
- Heartstone Necklace
- She also authored four journals, found in two locations (none on her person):
- Ildari's Journal – found in Fort Frostmoth
- Ildari's Journal, vol. I (all three found in Highpoint Tower)
- Ildari's Journal, vol. II
- Ildari's Journal, vol. III
Combat
In hand-to-hand combat, Ildari mostly uses a Staff of Lightning Bolts and Shock spells. Unless it is "defused" beforehand, she is also aided by a Magic Caster that shoots fireballs at attackers (a soul gem on a plinth that can be dislodged by a successful ranged attack or by hitting it with a melee weapon). When her health is depleted, Ildari will go down like essential characters, showing how she is kept from death by the heart stone. This is stopped when selecting Ildari, causing a unique animation where the Dragonborn rips out her heart stone.
Trivia
- Ildari's particular Telvanni Robes are slightly altered, as the Heart Stone embedded in her chest is clearly visible while fighting, yet if the robes are equipped, no hole is apparent in the clothing when worn by male characters. If the robes are worn on a female character they will appear exactly as they do on Ildari, with visible harness but without the Heart Stone.
Bugs
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This section contains bugs related to Ildari Sarothril. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- PC 360 PS3 The animation for ripping out Ildari's Heart Stone may not activate after defeating her.