Online:Erudil

Erudil
Home Settlement	Illumination Academy
Race	High Elf	Gender	Male
Health	15,000 39,959 (In the Alinor Royal Palace)
Reaction	Friendly

Erudil

Erudil is a High Elf found inside the Illumination Academy.

Related QuestsEdit

• Illusions of Grandeur: Something is amiss among the students of the Illumination Academy.

Quest-Related EventsEdit

Upon approaching him:

Erudil: "What are you doing? Stop this nonsense right now!"

Erudil: "Unbelievable."

Speaking to him:

"Eye of Magnus, another one …. That's a very convincing costume. What are you supposed to be? Some gallant hero? Trinimac in disguise?
Wait … you're not one of my classmates. You really are a hero, aren't you? Thank Auri-El! I need your help!"

What is going on?

"I may have unleashed a powerful enchantment on the Academy. Quite by accident, mind you!
There's this book you see—the Illuminus. I stole just the briefest of peeks. Barely even a peek, honestly. More like a fleeting glimpse!"

Fine. What did this book do?

"It drove my classmates mad! They were all quite sane before, but now they seem possessed by characters from novels and storybooks. They're snorting like pigs, running from cats … it's lunacy!
I have some ideas on how to fix this, but I need help."

If you are starting the quest with him, you can say:

All right, I'll help you break this enchantment.

"Thank you so much for lending a hand. Honestly, if I had known this tome would cause so much trouble, I never would have opened it!"

What happened exactly?

If you started the quest with Merenfire, you will instead say:

All right. I'll help you break this enchantment. I need more details, though. What happened exactly?

Either way...

"When I opened the book—the Illuminus—there was a great flash of light and a low growl. Or maybe a yawn? Like some great beast just woke from a deep sleep.
Originally it was full of dense text. Now? Just see for yourself."

Yes, let me see this book.

Erudil points at the book:

Erudil: "I set it down over there."

Speaking to him before checking the book:

"Well, there it is. Take a look for yourself."

After examining the book:

"You see? It's empty! It's as if the words just scampered off the page!
I thought maybe the enchantment rendered the words invisible, so I tried to recover them. I used gazing lenses, welkynd revelation-stones—even a bit of lemon juice. Nothing!"

Do we need the contents of the book to solve this problem?

"I'm not sure. I certainly hope not. The words could be dancing around in Oblivion for all I know!
We should focus on the enchantment itself. If we manage to loosen its grip on some of my friends, they might be able to provide some clues."

All right. Let's find your friends.

After following him:

Glardir: "Erudil! Ugh. What are you still doing here?"

Erudil: "Glardir? Where in Tamriel have you been?"

Glardir: "I told you before, Glardir's gone! You're so plain, Erudil! So boring!"

Erudil: "Well there's no need for that …."

When you talk to him:

"I know she doesn't seem the part, but Glardir's my best friend. She was with me when I opened the Illuminus, and now she's … well, frankly I don't know what she is.
Executing this plan is going to be harder than I thought."

And what is the plan, exactly?

"Right. Sorry. As far as I can tell, everyone thinks they're a character from some book or another.
If we can figure out what persona they've taken on, we can trick them into doing something out of character!"

And that will break the enchantment?

"Maybe? It's a start! You can't expect me to know everything. It's only my fourteenth year, for Mara's sake!
I'll start with Glardir—though I must admit, I have no idea what character she's channeling. You should find some of the others."

All right. Who am I looking for?

"Hmm. I think I saw Pavo over by the east wall. He was scrounging around on the ground. Tanelwen was in the lecture garden. Looked like she was interrogating someone. And I heard Selynia yelling from up on the wall. Make sure she doesn't slip!"

Why did you open the Illuminus in the first place?

"Would you believe idle curiosity? No? Fine.
I borrowed it from the Librarium Kamlehal to impress Glardir."

Librarium Kamlehal? What is that?

"The … uhm … Library of Shrieking Terror."

You stole a book from a place called "The Library of Shrieking Terror?"

"Borrowed! I was going to put it back! Honestly, I don't even know why we have a Library of Shrieking Terror! This is a school for Auri-El's sake!
I just wanted to impress Glardir. I thought that if I showed her the book, she'd think more of me."

Can you tell me a little about this place?

"Yes, of course. Goodness, we've barely even had a chance to speak about it.
This is the Illumination Academy—a home for verse, prose, and near-forgotten songs. Our libraries contain all the tales of Summerset. We're caretakers, you might say."

So you're librarians?

"Don't be crude! We don't just organize the tales; we study and transcribe them, breathing new life into old stories. Songs, plays, novels—we cherish them all.
Of course, my classmates are cherishing them a little too much right now."

What do you focus on?

"I focus on lesser-known works. Plays mostly. The works of Tuldinderil, for instance.
They're pretty dense. Lots of hidden narrative. Rich subtext, you know? People tend to avoid Tuldinderil's work. They think it's …."

Boring?

"I was going to say dry, but yes. Boring. They don't know what they're missing.
Tales of adventure and follies are fine, but if you really want to get to the heart of the Altmer condition, you won't find better than Tuldinderil."

If this is a school, where are the professors?

"Where do you think? Fumbling around like the rest of my classmates.
I ran straight to the Headmaster when I realized what had happened. But when I got there I found him standing on his desk, swinging a broom around like an Orcish cleaver."

If it took hold of your professors, why weren't you affected?

"I've been asking myself the same thing.
Truthfully, I'm totally unremarkable. Everyone says so. I can't imagine that I have some special quality that rendered me immune."

Maybe you have a quality you're not aware of.

"I suppose it's possible. My mother always said I was special.
Hmm. I've always been very good with jigsaw puzzles—paper-folding too. Do you think that could have something to do with it?"

I doubt it.

"You're right. I was silly to have entertained the idea in the first place. Jigsaw puzzles … honestly. What good could that do?"

Maybe?

"Remarkable! Everyone always says I'm so dull. But you see? I've got hidden depths!"

Speaking to him again before going to help his friends:

"I don't even know where to start with Glardir. Maybe she's the Gale Player? Or the Masked Madrigal?
It doesn't make a white of sense. Hopefully my other friends, Pavo, Tanelwen, and Selynia can help ... once you break their enchantment, of course."

After helping the first friend:

"There you are! I have wonderful news … maybe! The book—it changed!"

What do you mean it changed?

"I was examining the book again—trying to see if there was anything I missed. Then, lines of text started appearing on the page right before my eyes!"

Depending on who you help first, you can say:

Tanelwen	Pavo	Selynia
I helped Tanelwen recall her true identity. Maybe that affected the book. "I know! She just returned. How did you manage it? I encouraged her to doubt her instincts and second guess herself. "So my plan works! I knew it would. Well, maybe not knew. Strongly suspected. I don't mean to be vain. Oh, never mind. I think the book is responding to what you did, somehow. Just take a look!"	I helped Pavo remember who he was. Maybe that affected the book. "I know! He just returned. How did you manage it?" I convinced him that a Daedric Prince freed him from a terrible curse. "Well, that's oddly specific, but I'm glad my plan worked! It can't be a coincidence. That must be what affected the Illuminus. Just take a look."	I scared some sense into Selynia. Maybe that affected the book. "Scared? Scared how? It wouldn't take much. Selynia's timid by nature." Her persona was brave to a fault. Scaring her with a spider broke the spell. "So my plan works! I knew it would. Well, maybe not knew. Strongly suspected. I don't mean to be vain. Oh, never mind. I think the book is responding to what you did, somehow. Just take a look!"

Speaking with him before checking on the Illuminus:

"Just have a look at the book. I get the feeling it's not all that happy about our progress."

After examining the book speak to him again. Once again, depending on the order of friends, he'll say:

Tanelwen	Pavo	Selynia
"Glardir's persona seems tied to the Illuminus in a more explicit way than the others, but I still haven't managed to identify her character. We're making progress though! I think." So, what's next? "Freeing my friends is clearly angering whatever force is driving this. If the Illuminus grows angry enough, maybe the force behind it will reveal itself. How's that for a plan? That wasn't rhetorical. Is this—? This is an atrocious plan, isn't it?" We'll see, I guess. Who's next? "Have you found Selynia yet? Check the academy walls. I thought I saw her up there. It's ironic. She normally hates heights. Get her down and perhaps we can make a bit more headway here."	"Whatever's taken hold of Glardir is clearly not pleased. I hate to cause her more distress, but I think we should keep freeing my friends." So, what's next? "You saved Pavo! Well done! You should find the others. Perhaps you could help Tanelwen next? She was interrogating two of my fellow students in the lecture garden."	"You see? The Illuminus changed again! I don't know about you, but this is really starting to give me the shivers. Who knew a book could be so unsettling?" You have another friend that needs rescuing, right? "Yes! I think Pavo is still in the grip of this … whatever this is. The last time I saw him, he was begging for alms by the eastern wall."

Speaking to him before going to the next friend:

"We'll sort this out yet. I know it!"

After helping the second friend:

Tanelwen	Pavo	Selynia
"Another successful rescue? Thank goodness." I broke the Illuminus's hold on Tanelwen. "I suspected as much. Perfect! We're clearly on to something. When you rescue someone, new passages appear in the book. It's almost like you're writing a new story! Intriguing … and more than a little unsettling. Just have a look."	"You're back, and so is Pavo! Look, I think you are onto something. More pages appeared in the book." Rescuing Pavo caused the book to change again? "Yes, I believe so. And it doesn't seem happy with you. Why don't you see what it says?"	"Selynia! She's back to normal, thank goodness. How did you manage it?" Her persona was brave to a fault. Scaring her with a spider broke the spell. "Oh, of course! Selynia hates those little scamps. You know she never goes barefoot? Not even in the tub! I'm babbling. Sorry. It's just like before—another passage appeared in the Illuminus. I think it knows what you're doing." The book knows what I am doing? "I think so. These new passages are oddly specific. Just have a look."

Examine the book again. Refer to the section above after examining the book the first time. Depending on who you helped last will be the dialogue option.

After helping the last friend:

"There you are! Glardir's gotten far less cheerful, and the book shifted again. I think things are coming to a head!"

What's the situation?

"Every time you bring someone back, Glardir's irritation grows. It started out simple enough—sneers and grumbles. But now? She's near to frothing!
On top of that, there's another entry in the book. It's … well, just look at it."

Sure, I'll take a look.

After examining the book, Glardir will stand up and shout. If you speak to Erudil, he'll say:

"Be careful, cerum. I've never seen Glardir like this. I don't know what she's capable of."

What should we do?

"I'm running out of ideas. Maybe you could try talking to Glardir? Whatever persona is driving her, it's not happy about what we've been up to. It won't talk to me, but perhaps you can get it to give us some answers."

Glardir immobilizes everyone in the area and disappears in a puff of smoke:

Glardir: "You don't deserve this book! It's mine!"

Erudil: "Glardir, wait!"

When you talk to him:

"She vanished! Of all the luck! Where did she go?"

She said she's going to stir up stories in the library.

"Well, that is … suboptimal. She must be talking about the stacks below the Hall of Illumination. If she means to stir up trouble, there are plenty of stories down there that will let her do just that.
You must hurry! Don't let her escape!"

Speaking with him again before chasing Glardir:

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be of much use if Glardir's summoned hordes of literary monsters. I wish you good luck, for whatever that's worth."

After you find Glardir and coming back out to meet them both by the door to the stacks:

"All my classmates and professors are finally coming to their senses! Whatever you did appears to have worked.
Did you really defeat this creature—the Illuminated One?"

Yes, I drove it back into the Illuminus.

"Thank the Divines.
You know, Glardir finally solved the mystery of why I was spared. The Illuminated One thought I was too boring. Imagine that! I guess it pays to be dull sometimes. And to have strong allies like you. Take care, ceruval."

After completing the quest:

"Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

DialogueEdit

If you helped him previously, you can find Erudil in the Alinor Royal Palace at the end of A New Alliance where he'll say:

"Quite a party. I must admit, I feel a little out of place. Someone was under the impression that I saved the Illumination Academy. You and I know better, of course.
Congratulations, cerum. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to try to blend in."