UESP
Oddly, she is the only non-Dark Elf Ashlander in the game, a fact which she seems to be unaware of. Whether or not her race being Bosmer was an oversight remains unknown.
Modded
According to Yakin Bael, Borwen is suffering from a mental illness caused by Mistress Dratha’s usage of memory stones in Tel Mora which makes her think she is an Ashlander.1
However, if you talk to Borwen, she mentions that she has been doing business with the Ashlanders for years and they consider her “one of their own”.2
It is unclear whether Yakin has misdiagnosed her condition or if she is simply confused.
Quote
In and of themselves, there’s nothing alarming about memory stones. They are simply vessels for the captured memories of the target. But the contents of those stones are interesting. I don’t think anyone has ever known Dratha’s background until now. If she has history as a Mabrigash, then that means she has experience in dreams and memories. And a wizard of her power could easily — whether intentionally or not — broadcast her mental experiments within a relatively large area.
Who knows what Dratha was trying to accomplish by focusing her memories into those stones, but we now have a root cause for what is affecting the subject. Unfortunately, even for a master such as myself, there is not much to be done now without potentially severe side effects. The subject’s mind has been thoroughly damaged by the invasion of Dratha’s memories. My only recommendation is for Mehra Othan to continue administering her salve to the Wood Elf.
— Yakin Bael (dialogue)1
Quests
- Borwen’s Headache1
- Borwen is not directly involved with this quest but is the subject of investigation into what ails her.
- Inscribed Guar Hide2
- Borwen will sell the player an inscribed guar hide which describes the prophecy of Red Wisdom.