Oblivion:Where Spirits Have Lease

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Contents 1 Quick Walkthrough 2 Detailed Walkthrough 2.1 Too Good to be True 2.2 A Dark Secret 2.3 Where's Velwyn? 2.4 Who You Gonna Call? 2.5 Lorgren's Deception 3 Notes 3.1 Scrap from Lorgren's Diary 4 Bugs 5 Journal Entries

It's your chance to buy a large manor, cheap! There's only one little snag... edit Quest Giver: Velwyn Benirus at Anvil Location(s): Anvil (The Count's Arms, Benirus Manor), Elven Gardens District Reward: The curse on Benirus Manor is lifted, and fixes itself with all upgrades. Fame/Infamy: Fame +1 ID: ms02

Haunted Benirus Manor, Anvil

[edit] Quick Walkthrough

1. Purchase Benirus Manor from Velwyn Benirus for 5000 gold.
2. Sleep at the manor just once, triggering an attack by ghosts. Destroy them.
3. Track down Velwyn and convince him to help you break the manor's curse.
4. Take Velwyn to the manor's Sealed Portal so he can unseal it.
5. Awaken Lorgren Benirus and defeat him to lift the curse.
6. Benirus Manor will fix itself now that the curse has been lifted; it is fully upgraded automatically.

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

[edit] Too Good to be True

Anyone in town may tell you the rumor that Velwyn Benirus has a manor for sale right in town. He can be found at The Count's Arms inn between noon and midnight (at other times of day, your quest marker will still point to The Count's Arms, but Velwyn cannot be found). Velwyn will offer his grandfather's house, Benirus Manor, to you for 5000 gold and says you can take a look at it first.

Benirus Manor is located in the east of town, but you need the key to enter, which you will receive only after having bought the house. It is a large, though rather dingy place, but don't worry it will be better once you complete the quest. The manor is indeed haunted - you will be woken and attacked by several Benirus Manor Ghosts. As with all ghosts, they are immune to normal weapons, so be prepared with silver, daedric, or enchanted weapons.

[edit] A Dark Secret

Head downstairs to the main floor to find that a jar has fallen from a cupboard (the jar only falls after you have defeated the ghosts upstairs.) The broken jar has spilled its contents onto the floor: a Skeletal Hand holding a Scrap from Lorgren's Diary. Be sure to take both items, or else you will have to come back for them later. More Benirus Manor Ghosts appear, and you can put them to rest or just escape the manor; there will be new ones after your return.

[edit] Where's Velwyn?

Now you have to find Velwyn Benirus once again. Ask around town and you'll be sent back to The Count's Arms. Speak with the bartender and he'll tell you that Velwyn went to The Imperial City. Go to the Elven Gardens District, and look for him in The King and Queen Tavern. It may take Velwyn some time to arrive at the tavern; your quest marker will point to the tavern even if he is still in transit. Once he arrives, speak with him to learn the sordid details and find out that he feels guilty selling you the place. His disposition must be raised to at least 60, otherwise he just says "Sorry. But how is this my problem?" Make sure you bring the scrap from the diary with you, to convince him that he's the only one that can open the secret door in the manor. He agrees to meet you back at The Count's Arms in Anvil to help you lift the curse.

[edit] Who You Gonna Call?

Meet Velwyn at the inn (you may have to wait a few hours until he returns), and follow him to the manor's basement, fighting or ignoring the ghosts you meet on the way. At the far end of the basement there's a Sealed Portal, which Velwyn will open. Once open, the remaining ghosts disappear and Velwyn runs from the manor in fear, leaving you alone to face what lies beyond the portal. Behind the wall there's a secret room. In it, you'll find the Tome of Unlife (worth 350 gold). In the open sarcophagus at the south end are a Weak Potion of Healing and a Sack containing a leveled piece of enchanted jewelry (plus four gems and an unenchanted ring). Lorgren's Altar dominates the middle of the room, with Lorgren's Skeleton lying on top of it.

[edit] Lorgren's Deception

Stand inside the polyhedron next to the altar and touch it to activate it. Lorgren's dead voice will ask you to lift the curse by returning his hand. With the Skeletal Hand in your inventory touch Lorgren's Skeleton. It turns out that you've been deceived and Lorgren Benirus rises from the dead to live again as a lich. At the same time, the portal closes behind you, so you cannot retreat. When he's killed for good, he leaves the unique Staff of Flame. Head back to The Count's Arms (seems like Velwyn cleaned up the house for you in the mean time), and speak with Velwyn. He thanks you and returns to The Imperial City, ending the quest.

[edit] Notes

• For those trying to control leveling, sleeping here the first time to trigger the quest does not cause you to level, it is like sleeping to trigger vampirism. However, sleeping here after murdering someone will result in Lucien Lachance confronting you to join the Dark Brotherhood (be careful not to accidentally hit him while dealing with the ghosts).
• The ghosts, after you first sleep in the house, respawn everytime you reenter the house, so if you postpone finishing the quest indefinitely by never asking Velwyn Benirus to return, the house becomes an unlimited source of ectoplasm and souls for refilling soul gems (the soul strength of the ghosts depends upon your level).
  • You'll need 5 ectoplasm for the Fighters Guild quest Drunk and Disorderly, so consider keeping some of the ectoplasm you obtain from this quest.
• The manor ghosts don't open doors; you can force them out of the bedroom and shut the door, allowing you to heal and then venture out to strike before retreating behind the bedroom door.
• Lorgren is a leveled lich. At low levels he is a very challenging opponent, but he actually has much less health and weaker spells than a standard lich. Because he is leveled, his soul can range in strength from lesser to grand. His Staff of Flame is not leveled, however.
  • If you can summon creatures, do so to keep his summoned creatures busy.
  • He has a 25% Weakness to Fire, so weapons or staves that do Fire Damage are highly recommended. However, you cannot use poison (he is immune to poison), and spells are very dangerous (he may reflect or absorb the spell).
  • To buy time to heal up, you can run and hide behind either of the two pillars; as long as you are out of Lorgren's sight, he won't be able to hit you or summon anything on you. If the lich does find you, just run to the other pillar to finish healing.
  • Invisibility potions or spells can be very helpful. Lorgren won't attack or summon creatures unless he can see you. Just cast or drink right after he appears, sneak up behind him and attack. Then you immediately cast or drink again. If your timing is good, he should never land a hit on you.
  • The Wabbajack will work on Lorgren. While he might turn into something more benign, there is a chance of summoning a more powerful creature.
• At least one container in the house (the overturned drawers by the entrance) has its contents reset when you complete this quest. It's best not to store anything anywhere inside the house until the quest is completed.
• Once the quest is complete, Carahil will congratulate you and thank you for finishing the task that she was unable to complete.
• During Lorgren Benirus's speech, he refers to Carahil as male, although Carahil is in fact female.

[edit] Scrap from Lorgren's Diary

2 Sun's Dawn 3E335
The people of Anvil are worms! How dare they criticize what they don't understand! I shall have my vengeance in a form they cannot possibly imagine. I shall use the souls of the departed to prolong my own life. The Tome is very specific. I must have more bodies... yes... more bodies.

11 Sun's Dawn 3E335
I must protect myself from those meddlers. They shall not interfere in my designs. I have constructed a room in the basement of this manor. It is there I will inter my corporeal self and I will transcend this plane of existence. Only a true-blooded Benirus may open the portal, so if I fail, however unlikely that may be, a descendant may attempt to follow in my footsteps to carry on the true way. To make sure our secret is safe, I have harnessed the spirits of those whose bodies I have defiled to forever guard that place.

15 Sun's Dawn 3E335
The fools think I don't hear them speaking? I can hear their rumor and innuendo. They intend to meddle in powers they can barely comprehend. They call me an old fool and shun me. The young dare each other to step one foot in my yard. I have become the stuff of old wives tales and campfire stories. They dismiss me as an oddity. But soon they will see. When all of Anvil lies in waste around me, when their corpses litter the streets and their blood dampens the earth... only then will my true power be known and feared.

[edit] Bugs

• Sometimes when you take Velwyn to the "Sealed Portal" in the basement, he just keeps waving his hands and never opens the door. Try opening the "Sealed Portal" or casting a Charm spell on him,. You can also just wait one hour, after which his behavior should be reset.
• Similar to the portal animation failing at the end of A Brush With Death, this problem can be caused by setting the default 30:1 timescale used by the game to something else. If you have used mods or console commands to change the default timescale, put the following in the command console before Velwyn starts opening the portal:

set timescale to 30

After the animation has completed, you may set the timescale back to your preferred value.

• • This bug is fixed by the Unofficial Oblivion Patch.
• Sometimes Lorgren's skeletal hand does not appear next to the note.
  • In order to get past this part input the following in the command console: setstage MS02 45

[edit] Journal Entries

Where Spirits Have Lease (MS02)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		I've overheard a rumor that Velwyn Benirus wants to sell a manor here in Anvil, and that he's selling it cheap. I should go find him and see what he has to offer.
20		I've met Velwyn Benirus. He has a manor house for sale here in Anvil. I should question him further to see how much he wants for it.
30		I've purchased the manor from Velwyn. He gave me a key and the deed of ownership. I can now move in there at any time.
35		I've arrived at my new house in Anvil, Benirus Manor. Looks like the place may need some work, but it was a great deal I just couldn't pass up. I can now make myself at home.
40		Benirus Manor is haunted! I was awakened by ghosts that attacked me as I slept. As I awoke, I thought I heard a crash from downstairs. I should search the house and investigate.
45		I've found a skeletal hand next to a page from a diary. The diary makes mention of a secret room in the house that only a true-blooded Benirus can open. I am going to need to talk to Velwyn about this. I may have to ask around town to find out where he's gone.
50		I've discovered that Velwyn has left town and made his way to the Imperial City. If I am to find out why Benirus Manor is haunted, I need to find him there.
60		I've been told that Velwyn stays in the King and Queen Tavern here in the Imperial City. I should go there to find him.
70		I've found Velwyn at The King and Queen Tavern in the Imperial City. I should speak to him further about the manor and the strange goings on within.
75		After questioning Velwyn, I've learned that his grandfather dabbled in necromancy and was killed when the townspeople of Anvil found out. Strangely, the body was never recovered. Since then, the house has been cursed. I need to convince Velwyn to come back with me to Anvil and lift the curse.
80		Velwyn agreed to meet me back in Anvil at The Count's Arms. I should return there as soon as possible.
85		I've met Velwyn at The Count's Arms Tavern. He's agreed to escort me to the house and open the secret room.
87		Velwyn and I have arrived in Benirus Manor. I must proceed cautiously to the secret room's entrance and prevent any harm from befalling us if the curse is to ever be lifted from this place.
88		Velwyn and I have arrived at the secret door.
90		Velwyn successfully opened the door to the secret room, which has stopped the ghosts from attacking. He then ran off, leaving me to clean up the mess. It's up to me, and me alone, to investigate what's beyond the mysterious portal.
100		After touching the altar, I heard the voice of Lorgren Benirus. He said he wished to atone for his past and make peace with the Nines. All he wished was to be whole again. This must be the way to lift the curse from Benirus Manor. I should touch his skeleton while I carry the bony hand and put an end to this madness.
110		Completing the skeleton was a ruse and Lorgren rose from the dead! I had no choice but to destroy him. With his destruction, the curse of Benirus Manor was lifted. I should return to The Count's Arms and speak to Velwyn.
120	0	I have met Velwyn back at The Count's Arms. He congratulated me and then told me he would be off again to live in the Imperial City. Now I can truly call Benirus Manor my home.

Notes

• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in random order.
• If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
• On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage quest stage. Where quest is the internal name of the quest, and stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages. See SetStage for more information.