Key Points
- The Speak With Dead spell allows the player to speak to corpses.
- You will unlock this spell as part of the Crypt Keeper quest.
- You will get the spell while exploring the Urth Crypts.
There are a handful of exotic spells you will get as part of the main Esoteric Ebb storyline. One of the more useful of them all is the Speak With Dead spell, which is a requirement to uncover what transpired within the tea shop. To get this spell, you need to go through certain steps, which include attuning with a new class.
Esoteric Ebb – Speak With Dead Overview
| How to get | During the Crypt Keeper quest |
| Location | The Crypts |
| School | Necromancy |
| Category | Divine |
| Casting time | 1 action |
| Casting duration | Up to 10 minutes |
| Range | 10 feet |
How to Unlock Speak With Dead Spell
You will unlock the Speak with Dead spell as part of the main storyline. First, you need to find a way to enter the tea shop. While investigating the charred remains of the place, make your way to the very back of the room. In the corner is a collapsed stone table that requires some strength to move. I took Snell’s help with this task to uncover what lies beneath.
Under the stone table were the charred remains of an elf. As the story continued, the body was brought to Visken to know more about what transpired there. While Visken examined the body, Snell mentioned getting the Speak with Dead spell. Speaking to Visken right after to reveal more details about the spell in question, including where to find it. This will start the Crypt Keeper quest.
Where to Find the Speak With Dead Spell
Visken will give you the details of a necromancer named Bondavol. He will also tell you where to find him, which is deep in the western section of the Crypts. You will be familiar with this location if you picked up the Thaumaturgy Cantrip from The Duck. To the western section of this room, investigate the shelf to find a stone relic. Rotate the relic, similar to what Visken told you, to unlock the secret room.
At the northern section of this room is a decorated skull. You can pickpocket the skull to get an Emerald. Then, go through the dialog options until the skull comes to life. The skull will reveal itself to be Bondavl. As you continue to speak to him, you will get the option to attune to Necromancy. This will require DC 22 Intelligence. If successful, you will get the Speak With Dead scroll.
How to Use the Speak With Dead Spell
After some tinkering around, I found out that I need to interact with the corpse first, and then use the Speak with Dead spell on it to work. Head back to Visken’s Lair and examine the elf corpse in the southern section of the room. After the examination, promptly use the spell to find out what happened to it. You are not limited to using this spell on this particular corpse, and you can interact with any corpse you find along the way.
FAQs
I’ve failed the Necromancy attunement. What do I do?
You can retry after resting or playing the game a bit further along until you have a higher Intelligence stat.
How early can I unlock the Speak With Dead spell?
You can unlock the Speak With Dead spell as early as Day 1 without Visken’s help. Just venture out to the Crypt to rotate the relic and interact with Bondavol.
Can I use other spells to speak to the elf?
No, the Speak with Dead spell is the only spell that allows you to speak to corpses.
