Nelacar (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

First Appearance: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Formally an Altmer student of the Mage's College in Winterhold who had been asked to leave after several failed experiments that ended badly, Nelacar has since been residing in the Frozen Hearth inn. He had left Winterhold completely but decided to move back. 

He had been living there for some time, where he got on fairly well with the innkeeper, Dagur. Dagur cared for Nelacar's safety and declared that is he ever had any trouble from the other patrons, he should tell him and he would deal with it. 


"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim"

After being told by Aranea Ienith to look for "an elven mage able to turn the brightest star as black as night" that she had seen in a vision and that they should go to the "fortress endangered by water, yet untouched by it," the Dragonborn investigates Winterhold and discovers both Nelacar's identity and residence while talking to the local villagers.

Upon his arrival in the Frozen Hearth Inn, the Dragonborn hears Dagur (the innkeeper) exasperatedly confronts Nelacar over his latest experiment that had created a foul smell and a large explosion and asks what he actually did. Nelacar replies that it was just a simple "miscalculation", which he has "already corrected for future experiments." Dagur tells him that it was these types of magical disasters that made people dislike both magic and the College. 

Upon talking to him, Nelacar tells the Dragonborn that he hadn't been at the Collge for years but still chose to live nearby. He goes on to tell them that Dagur and him have an "understanding" that allows him to board at the inn and carry out his experiments- but in return he has to make sure that the experiments don't result in his inn being destroyed. He claimed that due to his proximity to old colleagues, his research keeps him busy but he had lots of sources and data to work with.

Moving on from the pleasantries, the Dragonborn asks him about "the elven mage". He gets very suspicious and questions who sent them. Telling Nelacar it was Azura who sent him, he declares that his past has "finally come back to haunt him." He asks the Dragonborn about their knowledge of soul gems. Stating that they are used for Enchanting purposes, Nelacar states that soul gems are "frail" since they are used up after the enchantment is completed. However he mentions that only one can withstand the magic and not be broken down- Azura's Star. 

Nelacar explains that Azura's star is a Daedric artifact that had the capacity to absorb multiple souls, which several people wanted to discover how this was possible. He explains he had worked under Malyn Varen, Nelacar reveals that the two of them attempted to alter the star so that he could use it's power to save himself from an imminent death (as he was suffering from a disease) and become immortal. Malyn was driven to insanity, which led to the death of several students and his eventual excommunication from the College. He tells the Dragonborn that he took himself, the star and his most loyal followers to Ilinalta's Deep before vanishing. Nelacar pleads with the Dragonborn not to bring the star back to Azura as he claims that the "Daedra are evil" and they are "the reason Malyn went insane."

Asking about Malyn's work, Nelacar explains that Azura's star was only capable of storing the white souls of animals and that her magic stopped any mortal souls from passing into the artifact. Malyn worked on a method of unlocking the full potential of the star. He goes on with an explanation of how Malyn went insane: he began to see and hear things that had were not there or said until one day he killed one of the students, using her soul to continue with the project. He remarks that College would deem Azura's revenge to being deserved, but wonders how many lives had been cut short to enact the Daedra's will. He claims that mortals were just "pawns to move around, praise and punish as they see fit.

When the Dragonborn returned with the broken star, Nelacar is surprised that they had actually found it. He muses that he might actually be able to change the fate of the artifact. He states that he can finish Malyn's work and cut the star off from Azura so that the star could only absorb black souls. The Dragonborn decided to give him the star, who takes the star over to his desk and examines it. Upon finishing, he remarks that the cracks and fissures in the star looked as if Malyn had was more hasty with his work and treated the star more roughly. However he suddenly realises that Malyn's work was successful and that he had managed to trap his soul within the star. However he reveals that the star isn't stable and that it needs more souls to "sustain itself" and that the star is keeping Malyn "alive." He tells the Dragonborn that he is unable fix the star with Malyn's soul still inside.

He agrees with the Dragonborn's comment that they need to try and remove Malyn's soul, but claims that he is unable to remove the soul by a simple enchantment, due to Malyn's own barriers that prevented souls from being extracted- only absorbed. However he concluded that he could potentially get a soul into the star and end the soul permanently- arguing that he was already dead.He says that they need to stop it from fading and letting it return to Azura's hands in Oblivion.

Nelacar tells the Dragonborn that he could soul trap them and send them within the star so he can finish Malyn and then lift the enchantments from the inside. The soul trap that he could use would not kill him, promising that he would release them once the job is done.

The Dragonborn questions Nelacar about his own fate- wondering if his fate will be the same as Malyn's. However Nelacar simply says that Malyn is "beyond help because he's dead" so it won't trap the Dragonborn because they still have a body to return to. He goes on to say that Malyn is little more than a ghost and that killing him will release the star.

Telling him that they are ready, the Dragonborn is sent into the star with Nelacar's soul trap: being warned before he went that it would "sting" as he needed to grab his soul and take a "deep breath."

Upon the death of Malyn, Nelacar contacts the Dragonborn and tells them that he will remove them from the star before he too was lost. Back at the Frozen Hearth, Nelacar tells the Dragonborn to take it easy and that the feeling of numbness "would pass." He tells them that they had done it and congratulates the Dragonborn for cutting off the star from Azura. The Dragonborn asks what they should do with the star and Nelacar tells them that they can keep it, so he can "end that chapter in his life" and happily tells the Dragonborn that he has achieved something that not many people had done and "altered the fate of a Daedric item and lived."


Alternate Reality:

When the Dragonborn returns to Nelacar after defeating Malyn on behalf of Azura, he coldly tells the Dragonborn that he has no time for the worshipers of the Azura.