Alavva Venucius is an Imperial conjurer and the leader of the necromancer coven at Underpall Cave. She only appears during Undeath at Underpall once Cadius Venucius at the Bruma Synod Conclave has asked you to eliminate the necromancers. After confronting her you will need to decide her fate.
Alavva wears a set of Revenant necromancer robes and hood, as well as some necromancer boots. She carries a random assortment of leveled spell tomes, soul gems, potions (including two guaranteed Restore Health ones), recipes, ingredients and gold. If you convince her to start a new life, whatever the choice she will always change into Synod robes and hood and a pair of mage boots (see Bugs).
In addition to a leveled dagger (potentially enchanted starting from level 15), she is also able to cast the spells Close Wounds, Dread Zombie, Fast Healing, Frost Cloak, Ice Spike, Ice Storm, Icy Spear, Ironflesh, Revenant, Steadfast Ward and Turn Undead.
Related QuestsEdit
- Undeath at Underpall: Clear the necromancers from Underpall Cave.
Quest-Related EventsEdit
You will find Alavva in the south wing of the keep, in a locked room guarded by an Undead Servitor. She spends all of her day standing in her quarters, taking one-hour breaks to eat at noon and midnight. When you arrive at the door, the Servitor will beckon you inside:
- "Please, enter. My most beloved mistress awaits you. Do mind your step, and your manners. This way, if you please."
Alavva herself will be curious:
- "So you come here and defy my acolytes. Hmm. What is it that brings you to Underpall? This is surely no place for the living."
You now have two choices. Seeking to come to an agreement will have her attack you instead:
- Perhaps we can work out an arrangement...
- "An arrangement? You mean a bribe, or blackmail? Hmph. No. You have come this far. Farther than I expected when I first heard all the commotion in the halls. I want to test your mettle first-hand."
Should you tell her Cadius sent you, you will reveal her peculiar family history before attacking you:
- Cadius Venucius sent me. He wants me to kill you.
- "Ah, the Synod man, yes? He and I have... history. He is not aware of my presence here, though. Or the life I choose to lead."
- What is your history with Cadius?
- "Our history? Hah! We are siblings, mages raised together from birth. We had an inborn gift, we were talented, oh, no doubt about it... but we had nowhere to turn for training. Cadius chose to grovel and put on the sycophant act to get in with the Synod. Now he's well-entrenched in that little group of impotent, politicking pretenders. I chose a different path."
- A different path? / Yes... you chose the path of reanimating corpses to kill people.
- "I chose to follow in the footsteps of my father. He also had a talent for magic, and he had been disowned by my family for necromancy. I tracked him to this fortress, this Underpall, and began working under him. He fell ill and eventually died. I was granted ownership of this den of necromancers by family right, though my claim was, as always, disputed. Now my father serves me well, as you have already seen."
- Already seen?
- "Oh, yes. He was the doorman that let you in. But enough talk. It is time for me to test your might for myself."
At any point you can decide to stop talking and attack her:
- No talk - time to die.
- "Your corpse will make a delightful plaything."
Once you've brought her health done almost to zero, she will stop combat and spit:
- "Well, you did it. "The High Necromancer is dead", no doubt that's what you'll be telling my brother, Cadius, when you see him again. Oh, what joy for you, I'm sure. Savor it - before it melts away..."
If you choose to press the attack, she will cry:
- Time to die.
- "And that time is long overdue. Finish it. Finish me."
Otherwise, you can now ask her a few questions:
- Why did you do this? Why become a necromancer?
- "Because my father was a necromancer. A vile, toxic, abusive man, but a powerful man nonetheless. He lorded it over me and my brother Cadius. When he finally left, I felt relief, but also curiosity. I wanted to see where he had gone and what he was going to do. He came here, to become a necromancer. I worked under him, and eventually grew powerful enough to off the bastard. Though everyone else just thought he'd fallen ill."
- Why use Underpall as your necromancer's lair?
- "The levels down below are filled with the corpses of the long-dead. Remnants of a necromancers' coven gone by and useful tools for us. This place also has a certain... aura about it. I can't put my finger on it, and we don't know where it stems from, but it has a certain power."
- Tell me more about Cadius.
- "He lived in fear of my father just like I did, but he was never as strong-spirited as I. While I took up the art of necromancy he was busy licking the boots of his Synod superiors, trying to rise through the ranks. I have no idea what he thought about my father's leaving, and he has no idea where I ran off to either, as far as I'm aware. But that's just it - he doesn't care. He just wants power - just like my father. He just happens to use politics to get it."
Once you've heard enough, she will surprisingly ask you to kill her:
- Let's end this.
- "I want you to kill me. Kill me in front of my father's shriveled corpse. It seems somehow... poetic. I don't care whether he still has his soul in his corpse. I just want a fitting end to his sordid tale."
- Fine. I'll kill you.
- "Good. Make it slow and painful. We can end this."
She will then proceed to attack you one final time. Alternatively, you can decide to spare her, though if you fail an Average persuasion check she will simply take matters into her own hands:
- I've decided to spare you.
- "Spare me? Why? I'm a necromancer and a failed one at that. Kill me. If you don't kill me I'll just take matters into my own hands. There's nowhere for me to go anyway. Just end it."
- I'll spare you. Do as you see fit.
- "And I see fit to end it all. So if you won't do it, I suppose I will have to do it myself."
- I'll spare you, but please don't kill yourself. (Persuade)
- "If you refuse to act, then I suppose I will have to."
If you do manage to convince her, you will then be able to suggest a new path for her life:
- "Perhaps... perhaps you are right. I'm under no illusion. I can't just undo what has happened. But perhaps this isn't a lost cause after all..."
- Go far away, start with a completely blank slate.
- "I've always wanted to see Hammerfell. I'll be heading there first, probably, but who knows? Right now, anywhere is better than here, eh?"
- Go to Bruma. Perhaps the locals will accept you.
- "And perhaps they won't. More likely they won't. But it's worth a try, I suppose."
- Turn yourself in to the authorities.
- "And rot away in prison? Better than rotting away in here, I suppose. Lead the way."
- Join the College of Whispers and work against Cadius.
- "Work against Cadius? I... well, I suppose the College of Whispers is more open and tolerant of necromancy. Hmm... okay. Lead the way."
- Join the Synod. Work alongside your brother Cadius.
- "Cadius? Work alongside Cadius? I... that idea is so crazy it just might work. Might. We'll see what the old banekin has to say."
- "Perhaps... perhaps you are right. I'm under no illusion. I can't just undo what has happened. But perhaps this isn't a lost cause after all..."
Either way, she will first turn to her undead father and blast him with a fireball before continuing:
- "I'm done with this place. Done with this life. Time to move on. Father? Here's what you deserve."
- "You go on ahead. Get back to Cadius. I need to wrap some things up here before taking my leave... this time, for good."
Speaking to her now will only net you:
- "I've got some business to take care of before departing. Head on back to Bruma. I'll follow when I can."
If you choose the first option, she will now disappear from the game. In the second, she will be found wandering around the market on weekdays between 12pm and 6pm, and at the Jerall View Inn at all other times. The third option will see her move to a cell in the Bruma castle dungeon, where she will spend all her day pacing around, only sleeping between 2am and 8am.
Should you convince her to offer her services to the College of Whispers, she will relocate to the new Frostcrag Spire cynosure. When she arrives you may witness her presenting herself to Ravil Fandrani, the head of the delegation:
- Ravil: "So, you're petitioning to join the Whispers, are you? What did you say your last profession was again?"
- Alavva: "Profession? Well, necromancer..."
- Ravil: "Hmm, and you say other halls recommended you? Very well, just don't start any trouble here. We don't condone unsupervised necromantic rituals among the lower ranks."
- Alavva: "I'll try to restrain myself, thank you."
After this she will spend most of the day wandering around the tower's ground floor before sleeping between midnight and 7am on one of the nearby bedrolls.
Finally if you suggest she reconciles with Cadius, she will travel to the Bruma Synod Conclave to be reunited with her brother, though whether she actually reaches her destination and her subsequent movements are impacted by a bug. If she does, you will witness a touching family reunion:
- Cadius: "Ah, you're back. Cleared out those necro- wait a second... that's... no, it can't be..."
- Alavva: "It is. It's me, brother. I'm... I'm sorry."
- Cadius: "What... what's happened?"
- Alavva: "I... I joined... I followed in our father's footsteps. I did... terrible things, I was misguided and foolish. I just... I want to start a new life."
- Cadius: "Oh, my. This is a lot to take in. But... of course, of course, you are welcome here. The Synod is one thing, family is quite another. Before my sister and I spend the next few days catching up and consoling each other, though, I believe I promised you payment, did I not?"
BugsEdit
- Unlike for all other options, if you choose the Synod option Alavva does not have a full set of AI packages for her new schedule. On top of her eating packages (which will take precedence), she was meant to wander around the ground floor between 10am and 2pm and then in the basement from 3pm to 8pm, before sleeping in the basement between 1am and 7am. Whenever there is a gap in her schedule, she will therefore attempt to return to her editor location inside Underpall Keep, South Wing. Her journey to Bruma takes her about 10 hours, so if she leaves between 11am and 2pm, she will get stuck in a loop of travelling back and forth between Underpall and Bruma, and never reach the latter. If she departs at other times she will reach Bruma but then also start a loop of traveling back and forth. ?
- If you persuade her to start a new life, Alavva will always change into Synod gear even if you suggest she join the College of Whispers or simply live a citizen's life in Bruma. She will even wear them in jail if you convince her to give herself up to the authorities. ?