Tribunal:Barenziah

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Barenziah (barenziah)
Location	Mournhold, Royal Palace: Barenziah's Chambers
Race	Dunmer	Gender	Female
Level	70	Class	Queen Mother
Other Information
Health	630	Magicka	300
Alarm	0	Fight	30
Essential	Yes

Barenziah in Tribunal

Barenziah was Queen of Wayrest and Queen Mother of Morrowind. She was born in Morrowind in 2E 893 and, over time, became a legendary figure across Tamriel. Barenziah was the wife of Symmachus and King Eadwyre of High Rock. With Symmachus, she was the mother of King Hlaalu Helseth (in 3E 376), who was to become King of Morrowind in 3E 425, and Morgiah (in 3E 384). She had a third child with a bard called Nightingale, who was widely believed to be Jagar Tharn, but was in fact master thief Drayven Indoril. The child, Dralsi, was left with a midwife and later reunited with her father. When she was very young, Barenziah also had a short love affair with Tiber Septim, and became pregnant. The emperor had the child aborted because he did not want to endanger his legitimate children's right to succession.

In the dawn of the year 3E 389, Barenziah and her Morrowind court began to notice the Empire mysteriously deteriorating in their presence, causing civil unrest in Mournhold. After fruitless investigations, she took her children and went to the Imperial City to get down to the bottom of it all, leaving Symmachus in charge of her capital city. Through her magic and witty suspicion, she found that Emperor Uriel Septim VII was actually an impostor, indeed none other than his battlemage, Jagar Tharn. Remaining calm, Barenziah actually befriended the evil battlemage in order to gain his confidence, but began to devise a subtle plot against him with King Eadwyre of High Rock, who also realized that the Emperor was indeed an impostor. They were assisted by the spirit of Ria Silmane, who communicated to them in their dreams, as they investigated the location of the pieces of the Staff of Chaos, which would destroy Jagar Tharn and bring Uriel Septim VII back from the realm of Oblivion. Ria Silmane then relayed this information to another friend of hers, later known only as the Champion, to collect the pieces of the staff, which would later destroy Jagar Tharn in 3E 399.

During the beginning of Barenziah's negotiations in the Imperial City, Symmachus was slain by revolting peasants in Mournhold. During her time in the Imperial City, it was King Eadwyre who comforted her, and confirmed her suspicions about Jagar Tharn. In 3E 396, after revealing to Ria Silmane the final locations of the pieces of the Staff of Chaos, they fled across the Empire to the High Rock kingdom of Wayrest, now enemies of Tharn, but safe, as his efforts were focused on thwarting the Champion. Feeling that Mournhold was completely overrun by rebels, the Queen abdicated her throne of Morrowind, leaving it to her uncle Athyn Llethan, a House Hlaalu noble. She then married the elderly Eadwyre, became Queen of Wayrest, and played a role in bringing an end to the Imperial Simulacrum.

She once again returned to Mournhold at the dusk of the Third Era, this time as Queen Mother, removed from the political spotlight.

Her granddaughter, Karliah, played a part in the restoration of Riften's Thieves Guild in 4E 201.

In Tribunal, Barenziah can be found in her Chambers along with her guard, Alusannah. She has a number of useful contacts including Plitinius Mero. There are some rumors that there will be An Assassination Attempt on Barenziah's life.

Barenziah, being a queen, wears an Extravagant Robe and a pair of Extravagant Shoes. Barenziah is also particulary hard to kill, should you be so inclined. Not only does she posses an uniquely enchanted Daedric Dagger (Cast on Use: Damage Health 50 points on target) and 5 Exclusive Restore Health potions, but a very, very dangerous array of spells too.

Related Quests

• An Assassination Attempt: Discover a possible plot to kill King Helseth.
• Queen Barenziah: Speak with the Queen for further matters of state.

Spells

Spell Name	Cost	Effects	Notes
Destruction
Barenziah's Fire TR	0	Fire Damage 50 pts in 25' for 30s on Target	This spell is unique to the Queen Mother.
Toxic Cloud	61	Poison 2-15 pts in 10ft for 10s on Target

She also has an innate 60 pts of Reflect.

Dialogue

The Queen mother is a powerful and important figure, offering unique information about Mournhold's politics as well as some other topics.

• Discontent in the temple: "For the Dunmer, Almalexia has always represented the motherly virtues of compassion and forgiveness, healing and protection, but in recent years, since the war with Dagoth Ur, she has become a harsher, more unsympathetic patron. Almalexia has changed, and many followers feel she has not changed for the better. A movement within the priesthood critical of current practices -- the Dissident priests -- has been ruthlessly suppressed by the Temple."
• Fedris Hler: "There is more to Hler than one would think. There are rumors that he was once an assassin. It is fairly widely known that he is the leader of the Hands of Almalexia. This is not a person to be trifled with."
• Gavas Drin: "Drin is the Lord Archcanon of the Mournhold Temple. He possesses great magical skill, and is utterly devoted to the goddess Almalexia."
• Helseth: "He is my son. He is also the King of Morrowind."
• High Ordinators: "They are power warriors, some of the most deadly in all of Morrowind. In most areas of Mournhold, they are the law. Take care not to cross them."
• King Llethan's Death: "I am sorry for his widow. He was an old man, and had lived a rich and rewarding life, but that is little consolation to those left behind."
• Nerevarine: "I know a little about the prophecies. I know about you and the Temple. Some people in the West set great store in signs and portents, but for thousands of years we Dunmer have had the luxury of being able to speak directly to our gods. We have no need of prophets, and distrust anyone who claims to speak for the gods."
• Plitinius Mero: "Ahhh...Plitinius. He's a dear friend of mine. An author, a man of the people. He's a good source of information. These royal trappings don't allow me to get out as much as I'd like, but I can always count on Plitinius to know how the winds will change. You'll often find him wandering about in the Palace Courtyard. Get to know him, %PCName. His knowledge and judgement are unparalleled."
• Queen mother: "I suppose that is my official title. It means little to me. I have been a queen twice over now, and I have no wish to be involved in any of the intrigue. Still, it seems to bring joy to the people of Mournhold when they see the processions and the ceremonies. For that, I suppose, it is all worth it."
• Royal Guard: "Oh, they're my son's personal guard. Effective soldiers, from what I've seen of them."
• Sotha Sil: "Sotha Sil is one of the original companions of Nerevar who have come to be known collectively as the Tribunal. It is said he is a powerful mage and a wizard with mechanical devices. Little else is known about this reclusive god."
• Talen Vandas: "I'd only met the man once or twice myself, but he left a strong impression. Smart, charismatic...he could have been a leader of our people."
• Tienius Delitian: "Tienius has been my son Helseth's loyal and trusted advisor for many years. He is a skilled warrior, and an intelligent man. Do not be fooled by his rough exterior. Tienius is a shrewd man, and an excellent judge of character. It is no coincidence my son trusts him as implicitly as he does."
• Whom you may trust: "A difficult question, especially in the company of gods and kings. I am always here to answer your questions. My time in the political arena is done, and I will not miss it. I do, however, like to know what is happening to my son, and to his monarchy. I stay interested. You should also take the time to speak with Plitinius Mero, a dear friend of mine. He is knowledgeable on a great many subjects, and is always interesting to speak with. Apart we two, it is up to you to decide who your friends are."

Barenziah is also one of the few characters who will believe you about the death of Almalexia: "[Stares at you thoughtfully.] I believe you are serious. I'm not sure I believe you have killed a living god... though I do think YOU think you have. I doubt you could prove it. And I doubt the priests would believe it... or would admit it, even if it were true. Say nothing about this to anyone. Or... I suppose you can tell who you like. Who would believe you? Fascinating. Simply fascinating. So many possibilities...."

Notes

• There are various books that give wildly differing accounts of Barenziah's life. See Biography of Barenziah, The Real Barenziah, and The Real Barenziah (Daggerfall version). Notably, the Daggerfall version of The Real Barenziah includes a passage about Barenziah's sexual encounter with a male Khajiit, which was removed in the Tribunal temple's sanitized revision of the book.
• Barenziah's face and hair are unique and are not found on any other NPC in the game.