Telvanni Research is a Dragonborn side quest for Neloth at Tel Mithryn. The wizard is working on a spell to conjure ash spawn, the burning ash creatures that plague Solstheim, and he needs a sample taken from a fresh corpse. It is a quick errand with a decent payout and a new spell at the end.
How to start
The quest becomes available after Reluctant Steward, and you need a Conjuration skill of 40. Ask Neloth whether you can help with his research and he explains the idea.
Walkthrough
Collect ash from an ash spawn
Neloth hands you an Ash Extractor, a tool he made himself and would rather not explain. All you need to know is that the ash spawn has to be dead first, which he trusts you can arrange.
Ash spawn roam all over the ash wastes of the island. Good places to find several at once are Raven Rock Temple and the area around Hrodulf’s House, both near Raven Rock. Kill one, then activate the pile of ash it leaves behind to take the sample.
Talk to Neloth
Bring the sample back to Tel Mithryn. Neloth pays you and says the spell should be ready in a day or two, after which you can buy it from his apprentice Talvas Fathryon.
Rewards
The gold scales with your level when you finish:
- Level 1-9: 250 gold
- Level 10-19: 400 gold
- Level 20-29: 500 gold
- Level 30-39: 600 gold
- Level 40+: 750 gold
On top of that, Talvas starts selling the spell tome Conjure Ash Spawn.
Tips and notes
- Despite Neloth’s “day or two”, Talvas should have the Conjure Ash Spawn tome for sale right after the quest is completed.
- Since the reward rises with level, there is a small bonus for waiting before handing in the sample, though the jumps are modest.
- Any ash spawn will do, so one that shows up near Tel Mithryn saves you a trip.
- Other Neloth errands include Heart Stones, Briarheart Necropsy and Experimental Subject, and a run of hostile ash creatures eventually leads to Old Friends.
