"It's the same old pish-posh. Gallant knight, epic quests rescued maidens. I came to this land when my head was quite unceremoniously separated from my body. Bad luck that, but you make the best of things." ―Cadwell[src]

Sir Cadwell is the oldest of the soul shriven, and is a cheerful and endearingly mad lost soul. In life, he was an insane Imperial from Chorrol, and Lyris Titanborn remarks that the reason he has remained functioning for so long is because he was already mad when he got to Coldharbour. It is said that he is not afraid of anyone, not even a Daedric Prince, and resides in Coldharbour. He died by decapitation.

Initially met in The Wailing Prison, he later appears in The Harborage, and later on in many locations around Coldharbour. He has a hovel setup in a Nordic ruin in the southern part of the zone.

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Background Edit

Cadwell was formerly known as Cadwell the Betrayer, a champion and knight of a time long past. He was known to help people but his motives weren't entirely altruistic.

Cadwell was friends with a Khajiit hero named Khunzar-ri, with whom he managed to stop the Dragons. This accomplishment was achieved by tricking Kaalgrontiid into placing a portion of his power in Jode's Core. Blinded by his ambition, Kaalgrontiid ordered his brothers to do the same. Once the dragons were weakened, Cadwell and Khunzar-ri trapped them inside the Halls of Colossus.

Soon afterwards, Cadwell killed Khunzar-ri by stabbing him in the back, an act which earned him the nickname, "the Betrayer." Cadwell hoped to steal the power of the dragons within the Core and slaughtered his way through Shadow Dance Temple to reach it, but Anequina's adepts managed to stop him by cutting off his head and dismembering his body before he could achieve his goal.

Cadwell's body parts were buried in separate locations throughout Elsweyr, with his head being buried in a grave marked with his title. Cadwell lost all memory of his past self, becoming genuinely altruistic to the point of deeply hating his old self.[1]

Interactions Edit

After the gate to the Prophet is warded off, the Vestige and Lyris consult him in order to find a new route, with the latter stating that because he's the oldest of the Soul Shriven, he must know Coldharbour well. He tells them of an alternate path to the Prophet's cell—the Undercroft—which is accessed by following the river. After warning of traps and enemies, he also admits doubt to the plan's success, but wishes the party good luck anyway.

When the Vestige and Lyris arrive at the Castle of the Worm to rescue Abnur Tharn, they ask the soul shriven in the nearby town how to get inside the castle undetected. The locals direct them to Cadwell, whom they rescue from Worm Cultists. Grateful for their assistance, Cadwell assists them in infiltrating the castle and again during their escape by opening a locked gate from the outside. The Vestige then has the choice between bringing Cadwell back to Tamriel or leaving him in Coldharbour.

Upon arriving in Coldharbour with the Fighters and Mages Guild force, the Vestige is separated by Molag Bal's defenses, and lands alone to the south of the Hollow City, near Cadwell's hovel. The old knight directs them north to the city. Afterwards, he assists survivors from Tamriel in returning to the Hollow City by using portals to traverse to Coldharbour.

Once the Vestige rescues Vanus Galerion from the Black Forge, Cadwell helps defend Vanus from Daedra alongside the Vestige, Treva, and Svari while Vanus destroys the Great Shackle.

Cadwell directs the Vestige to destroy Molag Bal's reinforcement portals while the Tamrielic force of Mages and Fighters Guild members fight their way across the Chasm. He also fights Molag Grunda alongside the Vestige after they reached the gatehouse at the end of the Chasm.

Once the Planar Vortex was reached, the Groundskeeper revealed herself to be Meridia. She guided the Vestige and their group, including Cadwell, as they destroyed Dark Anchors. Once the Light of Meridia's power was released at the focal point of the Vortex, Meridia transported the survivors back to the Hollow City before they were killed.

After the Five Companions had performed the ritual to imbue the Vestige with the power of Akatosh, the surviving Companions were attacked by Daedra. Before they could be overwhelmed, Cadwell arrived and brought them through a portal to the Harborage. Once the Vestige had defeated Molag Bal and recovered their soul, Cadwell declared he was now pledged to serve Meridia. He told the Vestige how to use the Light of Meridia to journey to the lands of their enemy alliances should they be interested in exploring them.

The Vestige, Khamira and Abnur Tharn make efforts to prevent the resurrection of the Betrayer at the hands of Zumog Phoom. When the resurrection succeeds, Cadwell disintegrates. The Vestige must track down the Betrayer and slay him, as well as ensure he cannot open the doorway to Jode's Core.

Quotes Edit

"One fine day in the middle of the night. Two dead kings got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, drew their bows... and stabbed themselves."

"I've had the oddest feeling we've discussed this before, or did I already mention that? No matter. I am sir Cadwell the Undaunted. Knight of the court of Coldharbour, Champion of Chivalry, Defender of the Defenceless, Sheppard to the Soul-Shriven."

"Well, don't dally about here, you've got a princess to rescue. It was a princess, wasn't it?"

"Ah, the good ol' library! Read many of the books here myself. I love the ones with all the pictures in them."

"Where in blazes is everyone? This should be the right spot..."

"Did you hear that, my trusty shovel? Dragons! And mysterious graves! It's just like old times!"

"Don't worry on my account. Intrepid knights such as ourselves can't be rattled by a turbulent tummy. Or even by Dragons or visions, I dare say! Now, off you go! Abnur hates to be kept waiting. He's also not fond of being called Abnur, or so he says."

Dialogue Edit

Show: Soul Shriven in Coldharbour In Coldharbour: "Hello, what's this? Out for a stroll, then? Lovely day for it." You must be Cadwell. "Sir Cadwell, yes indeed. A pleasure! And fair Lyris! Good to see you, m'dear! How are you, then?" We're trying to get inside the Prophet's Enclosure. The door is sealed. "Oh dear, oh dear. well, that is inconvenient, isn't it? Tell you what – I happen to know another way in! Much more of a scenic route. Rather a fun little jaunt, actually. Full of traps, and corpses, and nasty beasties filling up the bits in between." How do we get through all of that? "Rather cautiously, I expect. Watch your step, hold your nose, and do mind the traps. There'll like as not be a fair dose of running and skull-bashing as well." Where's the entrance? "Follow the river. You'll find the door to the Undercroft at the water's end. Once you're inside, stick to the light and you'll find a ladder that will take you right up to the Prophet, straightaway." "Do give him my best!" Thanks. "Best of luck. Do check in now and again won't you?" Tell me about yourself, Sir Cadwell. "Well there's not much to tell, is there? It's the same old pish-posh. Gallant knight, epic quests rescued maidens. I came to this land when my head was quite unceremoniously separated from my body. Bad luck that, but you make the best of things." How long have you been here? "Oh, quite a long time. In fact, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I were the oldest of the Soul Shriven. Of those who didn't go feral, that is. I know every tunnel and path, every nook and cranny. The others look up to me, I suppose." How do you know Lyris? "Ah, Lyris. girl's as mad as Sheogorath's jammies. Heart's in the right place, I suppose. Says she's got to rescue the Prophet to save us all from eternal torment. How an old blind man could do that is quite beyond me." What do you know about the Prophet? "An Imperial gentleman. Apparently he was once a powerful mage, but the years haven't been kind. Lyris says he knows of a path back to Tamriel. I rather think that if one existed, I'd have found it by now." You don't think there's a way to get home? "I hadn't actually given it much thought. Anything's possible, I suppose. Truth is. I've been here so long, this place feels like home. But a good uprising now and again is a pleasant diversion, so where's the harm, eh?"

Show: Castle of the Worm In Coldharbour: "I say, jolly good timing. Lyris, enchanted, as always. And you―you're looking fit for someone so ... how can I put it? Deficient in the soul department?" Sir Cadwell? What are you doing here? "Wherever the forces of evil prey upon the innocent, wherever souls are stolen and bodies shriven, wherever a people cry out for justice, there goest I! I mean, this whole eternal servitude business is rather nasty, don't you agree?" We need to find a way into the castle. "Dibella's garters, why? Lovely grounds, no question. But it's positively brimming with angry cultists carrying large weapons!" We need to rescue Abnur Tharn. It's complicated. "I see, I see. A rescue, is it? Well, that's a different kettle of fish, isn't it? Hmm. There is a cistern that drains into the waterway. The door is locked, but that's not stopped me before. Why don't you meet me there and we'll see what's what?" Thank you, Sir Cadwell.

Inside the Castle Cistern: "You keep up nicely! I can't abide dawdlers." What's next? "This whole bloody castle sits on top of an ocean of unstable Oblivion-whatsit. The Daedra use pipes to control the flow of it all and it comes out as steam." Go on. "Well, most of the doors in here are sealed with pressure from that steam. It's all rather complicated, but in a nutshell―if I can tamper with the pipes, we can open the doors to the inner keep and you can slip inside." What do you need from us? "Well, I can handle the tinkering, but you'll have to keep the beasties off me. It will be quite a romp! Are you game?" I'm game. Let's go. "Onward! Ha ha!"

When Cadwell is almost done: "One more after this one."

"This should do it!"

After shutting of the steam: "There you are! Quick as you please. There's even time for tea." Thanks. "A pleasure. Think nothing of it. The merest trifle. Truly. You'll find this Tharn fellow at the top of the Tower of Bones. You'll need to make your way through the keep's heart to get to it, but it's not terribly far." What is he doing up there? "I understand the King of Worms has set him to the task of inspecting the soul gems that find their way into the castle―which is to say, well ... all of them. You'll see crates of the things scattered around the premises." Why don't you come with us? We could use another hand. "Indeed? Well, I might just take you up on that. But safety first! I'll stay here for the nonce and make sure nothing comes to bugger up our little adventure from behind." Thanks, Cadwell.

While escaping the Tower Summit: "Hello again! Need a way out? I'll have that open in just a moment."

"Arkay preserve us, you're as battered and bruised as a peach in a sack of rocks! Bit of the old derring-do, was it? No matter. You'll be needing an escape route, no doubt?" Great timing, Cadwell. "It's what I do, quite honestly. We should probably hurry it up. The entire castle is as bristly as a sack of sewing needles after all that noise." Why don't you come with us? "Come with you? You mean leave Coldharbour? Well, I don't know. It's been a very long time since I've seen the world I left behind. Do you think it's wise?" You should come along. It might be good for you. "Well, that's settled, then. And after all, you do need someone to lead you out of here. Onward!" Let's go! "Into the chute! Come on!" The world is in a terrible place right now. Perhaps it isn't the best way to see it. "Well, that wouldn't do at all. And it's not so bad here, actually. Oblivion has its charms, doesn't it? Go on, you scamps. There's a grate just ahead that leads down to the rubbish tip. Do mind that first step, though!" Good luck, Sir Cadwell.

Show: The Library of Dusk "Ah, there you are! The Groundskeeper said you had a pickup. I assume she was talking about this merry band? Good to see them alive and well. They are alive... right? Not that I mind the odd zombie. It's the smell I can't abide. Nasty, that." They're exhausted, but they're alive.

"Yes, whenever I visit a library and do some reading, I usually fall right to sleep. Can't keep my eyes open. Great for when I get insomnia. But enough about my sleeping habits! I shall do my heroic duty and bring them back to the city unharmed." Make sure they get back in one piece.

"No worries there. Almost all the people I've traveled with over the years have remained in one piece for the duration. I've seen the odd dismemberment, but that's far more the exception than the rule" How do we get through all of that? "Rather cautiously, I expect. Watch your step, hold your nose, and do mind the traps. There'll like as not be a fair dose of running and skull-bashing as well." Where's the entrance? "Follow the river. You'll find the door t the Undercroft at the water's end. Once you're inside, stick to the light and you'll find a ladder that will take you right up to the Prophet, straightaway." "Do give him my best!" Thanks. "Best of luck. Do check in now and again won't you?" Tell me about yourself, Sir Cadwell. "Well there's not much to tell, is there? It's the same old pish-posh. Gallant knight, epic quests rescued maidens. I came to this land when my head was quite unceremoniously separated from my body. Bad luck that, but you make the best of things." How long have you been here? "Oh, quite a long time. In fact, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I were the oldest of the Soul Shriven. Of those who didn't go feral, that is. I know every tunnel and path, every nook and cranny. The others look up to me, I suppose." How do you know Lyris? "Ah, Lyris. girl's as mad as Sheogorath's jammies. Heart's in the right place, I suppose. Says she's got to rescue the Prophet to save us all from eternal torment. How an old blind man could do that is quite beyond me." What do you know about the Prophet? "An Imperial gentleman. Apparently he was once a powerful mage, but the years haven't been kind. Lyris says he knows of a path back to Tamriel. I rather think that if one existed, I'd have found it by now." You don't think there's a way to get home? "I hadn't actually given it much thought. Anything's possible, I suppose. Truth is. I've been here so long, this place feels like home. But a good uprising now and again is a pleasant diversion, so where's the harm, eh?"

Show: Cliffs of Failure "Stand back, vile beast, lest I slay you in no uncertain terms! Oh, it's you. Taking a stroll, then? Enjoying the beautiful countryside?" I'm trying to rescue people.

"And you're doing a smashing job of it! Jolly good! Wait a moment. Did you go through that portal? Did you meet the Observer?" I did.

"Jolly good! I've always wanted to play the Observer's game. But now that you've done it, I suppose there's no point, is there? I'm sure I'll find some other quest to occupy my time. So, where were we? Why did I come here, again?" To lead the people I rescued back to the city.

"Brilliant! Just great! Truly! I wish I'd thought of it. Off with you, then. I'll make sure everyone arrives safe and relatively sound in the Hollow City."

Show: A Rage of DragonsEW At the old gravesite: "Ah, hello there! Good to see you again, old chum! Have you come to pay your respects, too? It was the strangest thing. I dreamed I was looking at this very gravestone. So here I came and there it is, all solid and everything!" Is that gravestone important?

"Important? I have no idea! I suppose it must be. I saw it in a dream, after all. Or was it a vision? I get those two confused. Anyway, I felt a sort of pull and stepped through a door. Then pish-posh, Honor's a bantam guar—and here I am!" Abnur Tharn sent me to check on surges of power he detected.

"Jolly good! I've always wanted to play the Observer's game. But now that you've done it, I suppose there's no point, is there? I'm sure I'll find some other quest to occupy my time. So, where were we? Why did I come here, again?" To lead the people I rescued back to the city.

"Tharn, you say? The grumpy battlemage? How is the old boy? The surges were probably just me. My portal took a few tries before we honed in on this exact location. Now, why don't you take a look at the gravestone and see what you make of it, hmm?" What happened at the other sites you visited before you found this gravestone?

"Well, it took a few tries to find the exact spot I saw in my dream. A number of frightfully rude lads and lassies occupied the first location I visited. Demanded my surrender, if you can imagine such a thing. Naturally, I gave them the old heave-ho!" I saw that bantam guar rummaging around in a foul-smelling sack at one site.

"Foul-smelling? I'll have you know that was my lunch! Can't believe I lost it. And if by bantam guar you mean my faithful steed, Honor, well, he's always getting into my foodstuffs. Has the appetite of a mammoth and the cunning of a fox, that one!" And did you also dispatch the ogrim I found at one of the sites?

"Dispatch? Why would I do such a terrible thing? I adore those adorable pudge-buckets! Alas, Grook was standing a little too close when I opened my portal. Poor thing fell in and took a nasty spill. When the neck bone snaps, it makes an awful sound." After reading the gravestone: "Were the words the same for you? Sometimes written language likes to confuse me. Words change and switch places. Very annoying. Anyway, the gravestone mentions the Betrayer. Sounds like a dastardly chap. I wonder if I ever met him?" Why do you think you dreamed about this gravestone?

"I don't have the slightest idea. The words inscribed upon it conjure up all kinds of questions though. Who is this Betrayer? Whom did he betray? Why did they bury only his head? And where did they put the rest of the poor fellow? I don't have a clue!" Abnur Tharn said that if I found you, I should ask if you'll help us with Elsweyr's Dragon problem.

"Dragons! I haven't battled a Dragon since … you know, I can't remember, but I'm certain I fought one or two in my day. I was a gallant knight, after all."

"Of course I'll help! I just need to do a little more digging into this dream thing first." Then we'll see you soon. In Riverhold: "Ah, there you are! Spare a moment for a chit-chat, hmm?" "If we've had this conversation already, then I wanted to thank you for the useful advice. But if I haven't seen you since our talk at that mysterious gravestone, which seems much more likely, then I could really use your help." I just got back, Cadwell. Tell me what's wrong.

"Did I mention the dreams? Visions, really. They come and go without warning, like seeing through someone else's eyes. Quite disconcerting, in an interesting sort of way."

"Anyway, my trusty shovel and I, we searched that entire grave, and it was gone." Gone? What was gone?

"The Betrayer's head! The dreams, the visions, they drew me there, but someone got to it before I did! I have the strangest sensation in the pit of my tummy. It could be the cobweb porridge I had for breakfast. Or something bad is about to happen." You think the Betrayer's head has something to do with the Dragons?

"Well, that's sort of like leaping from the Cliffs of Failure without a rope. Or at least without tying the end off first. I can't tell you how many times I've made that mistake! Oh, Abnur wants to see you. He's in the town hall with the cat-general." I'll go find Abnur Tharn.

Gallery Edit

Trivia Edit

Appearances Edit