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Necronomicon Vol. 7: The Soul Cairn Summons

Tags: #Tips and Tricks Guides  #Tips and Tricks Magic  #Necronomicon 
  • May 23, 2016

    Hello everyone and welcome back to the Necronomicon, for links to all the other previous discussions check out the Prologue.  Last time I said that we would be covering the other half of the two skills that I associate with necromancy…well I lied.  I forgot the third form of necromancy.  I mentioned it back in volume two but never got around to identifying what it was.  Well as the title suggests the third form includes the soul cairn summons.

    What are they?

    The Soul Cairn Summons’ are the three summon spells that can only be found in the Soul Cairn.  They are a powerful and diverse set of conjuration spells.  Below I’ve listed the spells in question and what they do.

    • Conjure Boneman:  This apprentice level spell summons a skeletal archer from the Soul Cairn to fight for you for 60 seconds.  While not particularly tough they are useful in fights against hard to reach opponents, such as dragons or evasive mages.  Bonemen are armed with ancient nord bows and arrows.

    • Conjure Mistman:  This adept level spell summons a skeletal mage from the Soul Cairn to fight for you for 60 seconds.  The mistmen exclusively use frost type spells and will resort to unarmed attacks should they run out of magicka.  Mistmen know the following spells, Frostbite and Ice Spike.

    • Conjure Wrathman:  This expert level spell summons a skeletal warrior from the Soul Cairn to fight for you for 60 seconds.  Wrathmen are extremely resilient and happen to have the highest health stat of any summoned creature in the game.  Wrathmen are armed with two-handed dragonbone weapons (battleax, greatsword, hammer).

    The Book of Life and Service which can be found in multiple locations throughout the Soul Cairn seems to imply that these summoned creatures are the servants of the Ideal Masters.  Perhaps this is what becomes of the souls trapped there?

    ***Note that Arvak is not listed here even though he is technically a Soul Cairn Summon.  Unfortunately Arvak is not classed as an undead creature and therefore will not benefit from our perks and spells, i.e. Dark Souls and Necromantic Healing.  He does still make a nice looking steed for the necromancer player.  It should also be noted that he counts toward your summon total which can make using a standard horse more appealing. ***

     

    Why are they considered necromancy?

    Besides the obvious undead appearance of the summons, and their association with the Ideal Masters, there are some mechanical reasons why these spells are considered Necromancy and not simply Summoning.  They are governed by the necromantic branch in the Conjuration perk tree, specifically the perks Necromancy and Dark Souls which will increase the spells duration and resilience respectively.

    They are also affected by spells that target the undead like the Turn/Repel Undead spells of the Restoration skill.  They are also affected by the undead healing spells, though in most cases it would be better to simply summon a new one. 

    How are they different?

    What makes them stand out from other more traditional forms of necromancy is the lack of a corpse.  The Soul Carin Summons’ are exactly that… summons.  They can be cast anywhere at any time assuming you have the magicka necessary. 

    They mimic your standard summons, your atronachs, in that you always know what you are getting and are not reliant upon the materials on hand.  However, like the atronach summons, you are sacrificing the variety and customizability of reanimated corpses. 

    The primary benefit to knowing some of these spells is their usefulness when traversing daedric realms and pocket dimensions where your undead servants cannot follow. 

    Where can I learn them?

    The summons’ can only be learned in one place and it is not a place traveled lightly.   These spell tomes can only be found in the Soul Cairn a dreadful realm betwixt life and death and governed by the dreadful Ideal Masters.  Beware apprentice, the power and guile of the Ideal Masters cannot be overestimated.  However, if you are determined to follow folly and enter the soul cairn seeking to barter with, or perish the thought steal from, the Masters then I will lend you what aid I can.  First know that the cairn is a confounding realm that seems to turn in upon itself.  It is very easy to become lost and disoriented.  There are few landmarks and of those few most look interchangeable.  However the portal through which you entered is visible from nearly any point with the cairn and is a good marker to get your bearings.  Below I have listed the location that these spells can be found. 

    Initially after entering the Soul Cairn follow the main path all the way to the Boneyard entrance, the area where Valerica is being held.  This is the starting point that we will use to find the three spell tomes.

    • Spell Tome Conjure Boneman Location:  Head directly west from the entrance to the Boneyard (the area containing Valerica) and you will eventually find the spell tome on a pedestal.  It will be in a small cemetery like area encircled by paths.  Beware as the tome is guarded by a group of bonemen.

    • Spell Tome Conjure Mistman Location:  Head directly east from the entrance to the Boneyard (the area containing Valerica) and you will eventually find a raised dais with stairs leading up to the spell tome which is on a pedestal.  It is very near the border of the realm.  Beware as the tome is guarded by a group of mistmen.

    • Spell Tome Conjure Wrathman Location:  Head directly south east from the entrance to the Boneyard (the area containing Valerica) until you discover the spirit of Jiub.  From here head directly south you will find the tome on a pedestal inside a small ruin, there is a wandering soul nearby.  Beware as the tome is guarded by a group of wrathmen.

    That covers the third form of necromancy that can be obtained in Skyrim.  Sometimes these spells can feel a little like cheating since they bypass many of the challenges necromancers face.  However, there are some realms where your zombie servants cannot follow and the Soul Cairn Summons are your only recourse.  Next time I will cover the other skill I associate with necromancy, I promise.

    Until then,

    Obey the Nightmother’s Whispers,

    Vargr

     

  • Member
    May 24, 2016
    You might want to include a short explanation of what the summones can do (like the mage is using ice magic). Aside that it's great. :)

    What about Arvak?
  • May 24, 2016

    Thanks Relycs that makes sense I'll have to add a description of the summons.  Its interesting that they fall into the three arch-types of thralls I already talked about. (archer, mage, tank)

    As to Arvak, he is unfortunately not classified as undead despite his appearance.  Though he does look cool and makes a nice thematic set of wheels for your necromancer character.

  • Member
    May 24, 2016
    Nevertheless, I'd say include him (very short note) just because he's a "Soul Cairn Summon" and people will without a doubt ask the same question again in the future because none reads the comments^^.
  • May 24, 2016

    Expanded upon the descriptions of the summons and added a note on Arvak.  Ning still won't allow me to add pictures so for now it will have to stay as a wall of text.

  • Member
    May 24, 2016
    Yay :).