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Warning: potential side quest spoilers ahead!

From Garn’s recollections:

The Collector

Returning to look for work in the Imperial City I learned of a man called Umbacano who apparently hired quite a lot of adventurers, explorers, and mercenaries into his employ. It took me little time to find out that he lived in a large house in the Talos Plaza District. I arranged a meeting with him.

After his butler lead me through the manor, past all manner of priceless artifacts and less-than-subtle hints at Umbacano’s wealth, I was greeted by a tall Altmer noble. Umbacano introduced himself as an avid collector of Alyeid artifacts and it was in that vein that my services could be of his use. He mentioned some Alyeid statues known as the Ten Ancestors which were once kept in the White Gold Tower but were scattered across Cyrodiil for safekeeping during the time of the rebellion against the Alyeids. He was willing to pay a generous sum to each of these 10 statues delivered to him. Of course, I was interested. I told Umbacano that I had already explored a few of the Alyeid ruins in the area and he was delighted when I presented him a copy of my landmark maps and notes that I had made for the cartographer in Bravil near the beginning of my journey. He ran over to a book shelf, took down various books, and began digging through them until we had a small list of ruins to start with. A new quest had begun!

“Actually, these ruins are pretty much fucking everywhere.”

Alyeid ruins dotted the Cyrodiil countryside but the majority of them that weren’t completely destroyed hadn’t been thoroughly pillaged and inhabited by bandits or monsters yet. These ruins are infamous amongst adventuring types for their great number and variety of still working traps and, worse yet, being home to terrible undead creatures. I’m not certain whether these undead are the lost spirits of the elves who used to live and work in these structures or if they’re merely the accursed guardians that were left to watch over these places when the Alyeids were being systematically driven out of the area. In any case, both the danger presented by these threats and the stories passed around about encounters with them have served to keep them relatively intact. In other words, while there was indeed a good chance of locating many of Umbacano’s artifacts it also wouldn’t be an easy task.

“A Jason and the Argonauts moment.”

Over the next month or so I traveled the region visiting over a dozen Alyeid ruins, seeking out the statues. Upon finding the first the others seemed to come more and more easily, like puzzle pieces falling into place. That’s not to say that my adventures were not fraught with danger. In fact I nearly met my end on several occasions. There were large, hard fought battles versus countless liches, ghouls, undead warriors, and other unworldly fiends. There were mazes and clever traps the likes of which I hadn’t yet seen. In the end, however, with Umbacano’s assistance researching, I was able to claim all 10 of the Ten Ancestors and collect quite a tidy sum in the process, never mind the countless spoils of investigating the ruins themselves.

Umbacano wasn’t done with me though. His next task for me was to acquire a carving that was said to be located in an Alyeid structure known as “The High Fane”. No doubt only a ruin remained, if anything, but he seemed quite intent on possessing this relic. He showed me an illustration of the carving from an old tome he had and gave me an old, rusted key that he said he believed would get me where I needed to go if I could locate the ruin.

“About to claim my first of the 10 Ancestors.”

With not much to go on, I started checking with patrons at the various taverns across the city when I eventually ran into an adventurer called Claude Maric. The Breton claimed himself also under the employ of Umbacano and invited me to have a drink with him at the Tiber Septim inn. After a few drinks and some casual conversation, in which I let as little information go as possible, Claude eventually brought up the High Fane and after little more nudging, let out that it was another name for the temple “Malada” along with some myths about it being the site great evil. This was lucky break – I had already found Malada whilst creating my map. It was far off, to the far East of Bravil, and quite secluded, but at least I knew where to start. I parted ways with Claude and prepared to set out.

After tying up my horse near the entrance of the ruin I caught a faint odor of smoke which seemed highly unusual for how far into the wilderness I was. Peaked by curiosity, I drew my sword and started heading for high ground from which I could look for the source of the smoke. Quite accidentally, almost tripping over them, I discovered two people, still sound asleep, at a small camp nearby. They looked like adventurers or even mercenaries. I thought this odd, but let them sleep. As I made my way back, more carefully surveying my surroundings than before, I spotted the silhouette of another man on a nearby hill. I casually approached him, sword sheathed.

“Do NPCs gain speechcraft skill for compliments? Hmm.”

The Khajiit seemed surprised to see someone else and, at first, plead ignorance, claiming to be part of a small hunting group who were camping in the area. The Khajiit was a poor liar, and besides the men were definitely not armed like simple hunters. I pressured him a bit more and he admitted that him and the others had arranged to meet another here in a few hours to attempt to clear the ruins of Malada. In exchange for a small bribe he offered to signal me when they arrived if I was planning on going in first – I accepted. Whether he would hold his end of the deal or not was another story.

“I came all this way for this fucking thing?”

The High Fane wasn’t too much more interesting than some of the Ayleid ruins I had visited recently, some traps, some undead creatures, and a small amount of abandoned treasure. I eventually discovered the room with Umbanaco’s carving. This area was sealed with a locking mechanism the likes of which I had never seen which inspired me to take extra time to look for signs of a trap around it. Thankfully the key I was given opened it without incident and I was able to pry the carving from its wall without too much difficulty.

“Party at Malada!”

As I emerged back into the now midday sunshine the situation got much less typical – I was greeted by my new friend Claude Maric, flanked by several armed men at each side. Claude demanded the carving, assuring me that it was only business. This, unfortunately for Claude, was not how I did business. When I outright refused to give up the relic Claude ordered his men to attack me. It was a close fight, having to fend off 3 separate attackers at once. When things were getting a little close for me I was surprised to have one of Claude’s men distracted away from me than none other than Khajiit I had talked to early. Unfortunately he was quickly slain as another mercenary joined the fight. Still, the distraction gave me the space and time I needed to use my magic to finish the fight.

“Is it hot in here or am I just being electrocuted?”

As I dusted myself off and turned around I caught Claude running off towards where the others had camped out earlier. I gave case and soon we too were engaged in a sword fight. Unfortunately for Claude he was much less of a fighter than his status as a treasure hunter might imply and he too soon lay dead at my feet. After searching the bodies and packing my loot I mounted up and began the long ride back to the Imperial City.

Warning: potential side quest spoilers ahead!

From Garn’s recollections:

Corruption in the Imperial City

The next week or so was fairly uneventful. Although I still mixed at the taverns and made quick visits to the Market District to look for potential leads I did so less frequently. Because of my unknown past and my still undisclosed involvement in the Emperor’s death I was a bit wary of becoming one of the “regulars” around the city. A mysterious, famed adventurer? Sure. That guy who is always hanging around at The Foaming Flask? Not so much. With that in mind, for possibly the first time since my emancipation I was able to engage in a healthy amount of genuine relaxation. It didn’t take long for opportunity to knock, however.

I had been hearing rumors, particularly from some of the shop keepers in the Market District, that there were some corrupt guardsmen around town. Not surprising. Interestingly more and more of these rumors seemed to point to a particular person, a Captain of the Guard in fact, Audens Avidius. It was only a matter of time before two men, commoners who lived the Temple District, approached me and asked me to take action. Apparently Luronk and his friend Ruslan had been browsing a store when the guard shook them down for their gold pieces at threat of being imprisoned for thievery. Quite a gutsy thing to do right in the middle of a shop, in broad daylight, and by a high ranking guardsman at that. Having developed a disdain for corrupt, abusive guards from my time in the Imperial Prison I told them that I’d be glad to look into it.

“U mad?”

The more I thought about it the worse I thought the idea of engaging the captain was. Instead I simply decide to carefully speak to other guardsmen about the subject. Very quickly I learned the no one was willing to help – some, probably guilty themselves, became highly agitated with me even broaching the subject. Eventually I did encounter an honest guard who took a genuine interest in the subject, though he informed that due to Audens’s status of a captain, only another Captain of the Guard could actually arrest him. Off I went to locate another captain. At first I spoke to Hieronymus Lex, who dismissed the notion saying instead that he was busy attempting to track down the famed Gray Fox. He did at least refer me to Itius Hayn.

“Garn carefully dances around telling the Captain of the Guard that his guards are all assholes.”

Surprisingly Itius seemed to take me seriously, though he wasn’t willing to help without witnesses who would testify due to the seriousness of the accusation. Luronk and Ruslan took a bit of convincing but eventually agreed and I accompanied them to Itius, who immediately left in search of Audens. Upon being confronted Audens exploded with rage, threatening to kill me as the guards took him away. Hm, perhaps it wasn’t so smart for me to show my face at his arrest? Regardless, another deed done to help bolster my good reputation, and as a bonus a few of the shop keepers offered me a discount for dispatching of he troublesome captain.

“A bit anti-climatic!”

Later that very day I was approached by a Dunmer woman who said that her husband Gilen sent her to ask me to meet him at Seridur’s house to discuss a matter of the utmost importance. She knew nothing more of what this pertained to but, cautiously, I went anyway.

I was greeted at the door to the house, located in the Temple District, by a Dunmer wearing full heavy armor. He told me that I had been expected and lead me to a basement door, which he then unlocked and motioned be towards. While this all seemed a bit unusual I didn’t feel like I was necessarily in any danger. The house, the basement stairway, everything seemed normal enough. When I reached the basement proper I found myself in a well lit lounge, with tapestries and other very deliberate, themed decor – it seemed as if I was in some sort of guildhall. Sure enough, one of the few men gathered there stepped forward to greet me. It was Seridur himself, and he presented himself as the leader of The Order of the Virtuous Blood, an organization dedicated to hunting out and killing vampires. That was where I came in, as it turned out that none of the members of the group were capable enough fighters to stand up to a vampire but the group had at least managed to locate one.

“The meanest! The baddest!”

Seridur claimed that he was walking by Roland Jenseric’s house one night when he heard a scream. As he ran around to the back of the house he found Roland and a young woman he had been courting in a struggle. Seridur tried to intervene but Roland fought him off and fled, leaving the body of the woman with two puncture wounds in her neck behind. Finding and destroying Roland Jenseric was the order’s top priority and they were offering me the job. While I had only limited experience with vampires my exposure up to that point told me that I could handle the task – I’d need to be very careful, but I could do it. I accepted the job. Seridur suggested I start my investigation at Roland’s house.

Later that night I lock picked the front door of Roland Jenseric’s house and snuck in. Other than some Skooma and an unusually large stash of alcohol, I didn’t find much out of the ordinary in the house. The most interesting items that I located were a series of love letters addressed to Roland and were signed Relfina – I was pretty sure that Seridur had mentioned this as being the name of the victim. I read the last few letters for potential clues and although I found no hints at any motive beyond vampirism there was mention of a cabin that Roland had in the hills of the Heartland. This sounded like a perfect hide out.

“Not the world’s scariest vampire den.”

The next morning after a short ride I reached a cabin that fit the description of the location in the letter. I could clearly hear someone stacking firewood inside. I drew my sword and burst in. The man was startled, and thinking I was a bandit told me to take what I must and leave him unharmed. This didn’t strike me as something a fearsome vampire would do, and when I voiced my confusion he seemed puzzled. It wasn’t until I mentioned that name Seridur that I saw Roland’s face flash with the realization of what had happened. He offered me a seat and told me about how he had been afraid that his lover, Relfina, had been seeing another man. Following her one night he watched as Seridur crept out from the shadows, embraced her, and bit her neck. Roland tried to attack but Seridur’s strength was too much and he was knocked out. Upon waking he immediately fled the city in panic. All of this, however unlikely, seemed quite believable to me, so I set off back towards the city to locate Seridur. Roland suggested I look for proof of Seridur’s identity at the First Edition bookshop as he knew that Seridur frequented the shop.

Phintias at First Edition confirmed that Seridur often stopped by to purchase and sell books, sometimes with a backpack loaded with supplies. He said that he overheard Seridur mention Memorial Cave to another patron once. Memorial Cave was just outside the city and was apparently a place used to bury dead warriors long ago. This sounded like a fine potential place for a vampire to hide out, so off I went.

“Getting a warm welcome to the REAL vampire den…”

Upon entering the cave it seemed unquestionable that it was being inhabited by something sinister – ancient coffins were overturned, desecrated bodies strung about as warning signs to would-be intruders, and soon enough I encountered my first vampire. The vampires there were mostly magic users, likely gathered together as part of a vampire cult, and were weaker than I was expecting. I had always heard that weak vampires tend to live in groups, whilst the most powerful, seasoned vampires could easily survive undetected on their own. As I continued to explore the cave system I questioned if Seridur was indeed a vampire or if perhaps he had only been visiting the cave as part of his investigations. It also occured to me that Roland could have still been a vampire and had sent me there in hopes that the cult would take me. Not likely!

“*poke*”

Soon I received my answer, as I swung open a makeshift door to see Seridur, clad in armor, standing at an alter apparently preparing a ritual. He turned, anger filling his eyes once recognizing me. He began to explain how he figured he’d get caught all along and wanted to lure me away from him but, failing, he would now dispatch me. I was already preparing a summoning spell and by the time he began to rush me I had the initiative. Despite his enhanced abilities Seridur fell easily. He may have been at the top of his group of weak vampires but he was still just a weak vampire.

“Yeah, this is a happening place…”

After clearing out the rest of Memorial Cave I returned to Roland’s house to tell him the news. Roland was overjoyed and visibly much calmer after hearing of the death of Seridur. He told me that he had planned to resume living in the Imperial City and was even considering taking over The Order of the Virtuous Blood of which I, would of course be an honorary member. He awarded me with one of his few valuable possessions, an enchanted ring, for sparing him and helping him bring his lover’s murderer to justice.

Very clever, a vampire running his own vampire hunting group. The ruse was not enough, as Seridur let his arrogance and thirst for blood get the best of him as many a fabled vampire had before him.

“Ah, I finally *really* pissed someone off.”

Later that day while returning to my home in the city I heard a blood curdling scream behind me, growing rapidly louder. Instinctively I turned, drawing my sword. It was Audens Avidius, no longer in his captain’s armor, and wielding a crude knife. As he charged me I smoothly cleaved across his belly. A pair of city guardsman rushed up to him from behind, joining the melee. Once Audens lay dead, one of the guards searched his body, finding a note in which he confessed escaping the Imperial Prison to avenge his imprisonment. I was assured that I was indeed quite lucky to survive such an attack though I was more concerned about the fact that Auden’s had apparently used the same escape route as I did. If more people knew about the existence of those tunnels than surely I could eventually be fingered as escaping at the same time as the Emperor was assassinated. This was troubling indeed…

This had been the buggiest Oblivion session I’ve had since I started this run. Ruslan began stopping me and talking to me without my consent whenever I saw him, which was very frequent as if he was following me around. I had to lock pick my way out of Ralsa Norvalo’s house at the beginning of The Order quest, and do so unseen or get arrested afterwards. I had a Shadow Wolf that was somehow stuck in the ceiling constantly stalking me (and occasionally biting me) the entire time I was in Memorial Cave. I eventually killed it by finding some geometry it would stick through and hurling fireballs at it. Finally, during my final fight with Audens he kept triggering the guards to aggro me even though he was the one initiating the attack. I had to re-fight him about 3 times before the guards finally concluded that I was innocent. Jeesh.

Warning: potential side quest spoilers ahead!

From Garn’s recollections:

Business is Good

Before heading back to the Imperial City I also wrapped up the quest “Go Fish” in Weye which I had started towards the beginning of Garn’s adventures and revisited a few times, never finding enough damn slaughterfish to finish. It really wasn’t an interesting enough quest to bother writing about though.

At long last there I finally was riding into The Imperial City for a much deserved break in my travels. My first order of business was to return to my house to unload all of my packs and sort through the various valuables that I had looted and been awarded recently. Indeed, I had managed to amass quite a collection since the last time I attempted to pawn my loot off in the Market District. After deciding what to keep and what to part with I took the rest of the day to relax and recuperate. At sunrise I packed my bags and satchels and walked to the morning market. As usual the shop keepers and various vendors were happy to barter for my wares – my decision to base myself in the Imperial City, in large part due to its healthy trade, was once again paying off. Business was good, and not just the business of relieving traders of their coin, but I also took the opportunity to small talk and eavesdrop the latest rumors, a few of which seemed as if they might bear me some adventuring work.

“Economics by the Blade”

The first task on my to-do list was to investigate a local shopkeeper. I took this job not so much for the material reward, but instead for the reputation and social connections I’d gain with the society of shopkeepers and traders who were commissioning it. You see, a new shop had opened up in the market and was causing a lot of the other vendors to lose a noticeable amount of business due to its low prices – suspiciously low, it seemed. This society, represented by Jensine of Jensine’s Good as New Merchandise, was keenly interested in exactly how Thoronir at The Copious Coinpurse was able to offer such low prices, and why he outright refused to speak with them about the matter. While this didn’t seem like my normal style of job Jensine was sure that something illegal was taking place.

While I’d like to think that I can be quite cunning my typical way of dealing with actual conflict is to take a head on approach and this time was no different. I walked straight to The Copious Coinpurse and struck up a conversation with Thoronir himself about his shop and his great selection of low priced wares. After a while he implied that the source of his supply was a secret which he would not reveal. This seemed to at least confirm the basis of the society’s suspicions.

“Garn was a bit disappointed that this little clandestine meeting between two adult men amongst the bushes at night didn’t go an entirely different direction.”

Unable to manipulate Thoronir into giving me anything anymore useful I decided to do a little reconnaissance later that evening. After he closed shop for the day I followed him from a distance. Thoronir eventually made his way to a small park in an alley in the Market District where, under cover of darkness, he met up with a shady looking Nord named Agarmir with whom he discussed business. It was obvious that this Nord was one of his suppliers and that the pair were up to some unsavory deeds. Exactly what, however, I still did not know. I decided to continue my careful reconnaissance but this time switched to following Agarmir.

Luckily Agarmir went straight for his house in the Talos Plaza district without much dilly-dallying. After spending a few minutes unsure of how I should proceed, Agarmir emerged, appearing to be heading for one of the local taverns for a nightcap. Checking that the coast was clear I picked the lock on his house’s door and cautiously snuck inside. Once there I found the house to be fairly uninteresting, that was until I picked the lock into his basement. Agarmir’s basement looked more like something I’d expect to find in a necromancer’s den – various human bones, piles of bonemeal, blood stains, dusty, sometimes tattered clothing, and a muddy shovel. Most damning of all, carefully laid on his desk was a journal the detailed what items had been buried with the recently deceased of the city. Agarmir, it appeared, was a professional grave-robber. Now the only question was whether or not Thoronir knew this.

“*takes a look at literally everything I’m wearing* *stares blankly back at Thoronir*”

The next morning I returned to the Copious Coinpurse to confront Thoronir about my discovery. He seemed genuinely shocked, even a bit sickened, by my accusations. He said he’d immediately stop buying from Agarmir and would get rid of his ill-gotten goods right away. He also told me that Agarmir said he’d be working today, in case I wanted to look for him. Indeed I did!

At sundown I made my way to the graveyard in the Palace District and attempted to find a grave site matching the last entry in the journal I took from Agarmir’s. Soon I found it – a fairly large mausoleum with its doorway oddly propped open. As I crept down into the mausoleum I was startled to hear the grinding of the large stone slab door closing behind me. Agarmir and another man drew their weapons and turned towards me. He was obviously expecting me. He confidently boasted that he wasn’t actually there to rob a grave that that, but rather to fill one – he knew he was being followed and intended to dispatch me then and there. The next thing I knew we were locked in melee.

“It’s a traaaaap!!!”

Agarmir and his companion both wielded magical weapons and seemed to have some practice handling them, and although they put up quite a vicious fight, I soon bested them both. First Agarmir made the mistake of backing off from me after the pair had cornered me, giving me enough room to hurl a massive flaming fireball at him which sent his body flying violently across the chamber. With him down and the fight now a duel it was only a few solid slashes before his companion fell as well. I looted their bodies being careful to collect what might prove to be evidence and left, sealing the mausoleum behind me.

The next morning I wrapped things up with Jensine, letting her know of what transpired. Jensine told me that Thoronir had already attempted to make amends by getting rid of all of his stolen merchandise and joining the society and that all was going well between them. She rewarded me for my part with a small sum of gold and an enchanted piece of jewelry passed on from Thoronir. My first noteworthy deed in the capital was complete!

“Ahhh, the good old Floated Bloat.”

My next adventure in the city would come soon enough. The next day as I was leaving my house I spotted some suspicious looking characters down at the Waterfront. Suspicious characters were not exactly a rare sight at the Imperial Waterfront District, but these two individuals not only looked like a couple of obvious bandits, but they were also acting very paranoid – looking like they had just or were just about to commit some sort of crime. Curious, I decided to follow them. Eventually the pair made their way to The Bloated Float inn and went inside but not before carefully checking to make sure no one else was watching them. Something odd was definitely afoot, I thought. Giving them a few moments to enter and situate themselves I followed them into the inn.

As I entered The Bloated Float I caught a glimpse of one of the bandits walking downstairs. I gave him a bit of a lead and then followed him down. I stopped myself just before emerging from the darkened stairwell, watching the Nord as, sword in hand, he checked each of the rooms for other passengers. Satisfied that the deck was empty he shouted “clear!” to which I could hear a reply ring out behind me. I stepped out of the shadows to make my presence known.

“Yes, there is a dude in there.”

The Nord immediately approached me asking me who I was, clarifying that I wasn’t one of the Blackwater Brigands. Correct he was. I figured that I could find out more about whatever sort of nonsense these bandits were up to since this one obviously wasn’t smart enough to keep from revealing their identities to a stranger almost immediately. Following his lead I claimed to indeed be one of the Blackwater Brigands. This seemed to really rile the bandit up as he angrily announced that there were only 4 members of his gang. Useful information. He drew his sword and came at me, making that only 3. After dragging his body into the darkness I heard someone banging on one of the doors. It was a storage closet – unlocking it with a key I found on the bandit I discovered an Orcish man who claimed to be the bouncer of the establishment. He told me that that ship had been hijacked and insisted that we clear it out. I handed him bandit’s sword and headed back upstairs.

At the top of the stairs, no doubt curious about the commotion she must of heard coming from the deck below, was a Dunmer woman wielding a long sword. Upon spotting me she leveled her sword at my throat and began to question me. Continuing where I left off with the other bandit I claimed that I was sent up here by the other gang member. She seemed a bit more perceptive than the last one, however, and immediately called my bluff, but not before revealing that one of the other bandits had the inn’s proprietor captive in his chamber. A quick sword fight later and the bandit lay dead.

“Water, water, everywhere…”

Making sure the boat was clear before heading into the main cabin I also poked my head out onto the top deck only to find myself surprised that we were actually already at sea. My astonishment was soon interrupted by the voice of another bandit who ran over to me, obviously confused by my identify, asking me if we had found the “Golden Galleon” yet. Again, sticking to my strategy of attempting to infiltrate the bandits, I claimed that I was with them and awaiting orders. Infuriated about my apparent recruitment without him being involved he asked if the other two knew about this. I told him that they were dead. He made a comment about lessening the number of shares to split and drew his sword. Wiping the blood from my sword I returned back to the main deck.

“Finally an NPC who gets it!”

Finally I approached the main cabin of the ship. Listening carefully through the door I could hear a woman interrogating a man. I re-sheathed my sword and casually walked into the room. The woman, an Imperial, turned to me, a shocked expression upon her face. She demanded to know how I got in. Still sticking to my moderately successful scheme of lying through my teeth, I told her that I was there to join her gang. At first she scoffed at the notion, but the implausibility of the whole scenario must have started weighing on her mind and she began to question me more. Using some of the information about the Blackwater Brigands that the other 3 gang members had foolishly revealed I puzzled her with my knowledge of the gang. Still, she didn’t take the bait and demanded to know how I got past the other three. I put my hand on my hilt and told her that I killed them all. The color seemed to drain from her face and she lowered her sword. Fearing that if I could best the other 3 members of her gang she would surely also perish, she handed me her blade and surrendered. I untied Ormil, The Bloated Float’s proprietor, and after shaking my hand and thanking me profusely he asked me to escort the gang leader Selene down to the lower deck where we could lock her up.

Upon returning Ormil confessed to me that due to business slowing at the inn he had spun a tale about a priceless treasure, a gold statue of a ship, being hidden somewhere within The Bloated Float. This little publicity stunt worked well at first though he never suspected to garner this sort of attention. Selene had let him know that they had planned to scuttle the ship finding the statue. Ormil was insistent that I likely saved all of the staff’s lives because of my little intervention. After we arrived back at port and summoned the city guard to report the incident and turn in Selene I was rewarded with a small sack of septims – apparently Selene had a bounty on her head. An unexpected voyage, but another job completed within the Imperial City.

Selene’s sword, the Blackwater Blade, was superior in base stats to my current sword (Chillrend) which I had been carrying around for quite a while now. One of the various mods I’m using must have improved its stats. Regardless, this was an unexpected bonus to completing this quest.