Quest Purposal

Strangling The Source Part 1

Quest Giver: Reigning Imperial Legion Commander in Old Ebonheart

Quest Objective: Find out who a player of the source of Skooma trade in Morrowind is.

Type of Quest: Dialogue heavy quest.

Reward: 200 Gold and opens up the next quest.

Short Summary: Asking about Latest Rumors in OE will have NPC's say the lead Imperial Legion Commander at the OE Castle is looking for the PC. Speak with a Redguard in the OE dungeons and find out who he gets Skooma deliveries from.

Prerequisites: Fame rating of at least 10.

Assets Involved: 2 NPC's.

Long Summary:

1. Ask about Latest Rumors. PC will be informed that the reigning Imperial Legion Commander at OE Castle is looking for them. Head to the castle.

2. The ILC will tell the player that the Legion has been building information about where a large source of Skooma is being funneled into Morrowind. They have recently arrested a Redguard who is in the dungeons who gets shipment orders from someone who gets shipments from the suspected player of the Skooma trade issue they’ve been building a case on.

Seeing as it is a fragile operation, he wants to bring in an outsider and since the PC is known and can be trusted he wants them to question the Redguard to get the name and/or location of the person he gets his shipment orders from so the Legion can engineer a plan to get closer to the main Skooma trader.

3. The player goes into the OE dungeons and finds a male Redguard in there. The player can get information from the Redguard by either carefully following a dialogue tree and choosing the correction options, intimidating them, or bribing them. The tree will be as follows:

[Lie] The Legion said they would let you go if you can give me some information.

[Bribe] A little gold can get you a lot of favors down here. (Based on personality check and mercantile check the bribe can be either 100, 150, 200 gold, or the prisoner can take the gold and then refuse to even talk at all.)

Set A (What do you want from me?):

Who do you get your shipment orders from? (Wrong. Have to either try to bribe, or lie, if failed then quest failed.)

Oh, sure, let me sing like a Rockwobbler for you, %PCClass. Get lost.

If I were you, I would give up the name of your boss so you don't rot down here. (Pass.)

Set B (I...I guess you might be right. It is rather horrible in these dungeons.):

Your freedom is just a name away. (Wrong. Have to either try to bribe, or lie, if failed then quest failed.)

Wow, you know, since you put it that way; sure, let me tell you everything I know. Geeze, why didn’t I ever think of just doing that before.

Why did you get into the Skooma trade in the first place? (Wrong. Have to either try to bribe, or lie, if failed then quest failed.)

Because I grew up in a loving noble family in Hammerfell where I got everything I ever wanted, and for Dirij Tereur when I was still a small child I asked to one day when I grew up meet a nice mentor who would teach me everything there is to know about dealing with rancid Khajiit to smuggle illegal drugs across backwater badlands for measley pay. And I also had hoped to one day have to be bothered by a disgusting %PCRace while I sat in a damp, squalid underbelly of Imperial legislation. Oh, how the stars shine bright upon me today.

You did this to yourself, but you can get yourself out of it as well. (Pass.)

Set C (Huh...you’ve got some guts, %PCRace. And I can respect that. But I still don't trust you or those Legion wolves. How do I know I'll even get off for being a rat?):

Rats suffer worse fates than being stuck down here, you're right. (Wrong. Have to either try to bribe, or lie, if failed then quest failed.)

Yeah, I know I’m right. I’ve seen what happens to people who go behind the backs of my bosses. And it ain’t pretty or easy to clean up.

You can't trust many people in your line of work. They'd probably slit your throat for some extra coin before they ever helped you. This is the safest option. (Wrong. Have to either try to bribe, or lie, if failed then quest failed.)

The people in my line of work took me off the streets, where I had nothing but rags on my back. They gave me food, they gave me a place to sleep, they gave me a chance to make something of my circumstances. Have you ever heard of ‘honor amongst thieves’, %PCClass? That honor extends to all people on the other side of the law. And what have YOU given me? What has THE LEGION given me? Nothing but a fast track back to where I started; the streets. Get out of my face.

Who says you're a rat? It's just you and me down here, no one else will know what you've said; and then you're getting let go. It's a win-win situation. (Pass.)

Hmmm...I...I can see your point. Fine, I’ll talk. I’m just a runner, I get all my orders from the Gunthral Pack.

Those “wolves” are the only reason you're going to be let free anway. (Wrong. Have to either try to bribe, or lie, if failed then quest failed.)

Those wolves all got a bad case of Cholera, and there’s no such thing as freedom for someone like me. I’m done with you and your empty words, %PCRace.

You can trust me, I'm only here to help you. (Wrong. Have to either try to bribe, or lie, if failed then quest failed.)

Well, when you put it that way; sure, I’ll tell you everything I know. I must have forgotten that we’re best friends, that we’ve been through so much together. Must have slipped my mind. I’m so glad I have someone I can really trust down here in this jail cell, %PCClass.

Gunthral Pack: They’re a band of smugglers based out of Hammerfell. They got connections to some people in Cyrodiil a few years ago who asked them to start moving shipments of Skooma from Elsweyr to here in Morrowind. They can’t compete with the Comanna Tong, but they still do get a lot of business in Imperial places where the Comanna Tong can’t go unnoticed. I get my orders from Idle-Hands Wulfgrath, some Nord who worked her way from Cyrodiil to here. She doesn’t stay in one place too long, %PCRace, but I did get a letter from her before I got thrown in here saying to meet her at some shack on the other side of the Thirr. That’s all I got for you, now can you get me out of here?
 

4A. Player is given his boss' name and returns to ILC.

ILC: Did you get any information out of the Redguard yet, %PCName?

Yes: Y-you did? I knew my faith in you was not misplaced. What did he say? Idle-Hands Wulfgrath? I’ll have a few Legion troops look through the jail records in Cyrodiil and here in Morrowind to see if we can dig anything up. Give me a little bit to see what I can find. Come back in a week’s time. Don’t worry about the Redguard, we’ll take care of all of that. Thank you for your loyalty, %PCName, it’s a rare thing to find these days. In the meantime, stay true to the Empire and stay safe.

No: Well get down to the dungeon and find something out! Time is of the essence; every day more Skooma is flooding into the province and more innocent people are getting hurt by the type of people Skooma attracts.
 

4B. Player returns to ILC and informs him he could not get a name out of the Redguard.

ILC: Did you get any information out of the Redguard yet, %PCName?

He wouldn’t tell me anything: This is an unfortunate outcome. This was one of our only leads on the Skooma trade problem we’ve been having. I have some other matters to attend to now. Please, remove yourself.

Reward:

4A. Player gets 200 gold and slight disposition bump with Imperial Legion faction in OE. Opens up next quest.

4B. Player gets slight disposition drop with Imperial Legion faction in OE. Quest line closed.

Outcomes:

A Route: Disposition with faction +5. Option to take another quest from him.

B Route: Disposition with faction -10. Quest line closed.

If the player goes back into the dungeons and talks to the Redguard:

Within 2 days:

I can’t wait to get out of here. Bread and water isn’t the best meal to have three times a day.

Did they say anything yet, %PCRace? Are they coming to let me out?

It’s colder than Idle-Hands’ glare down here, %PCRace. I’m ready to get out of this cell.

After 2 days (-100 disposition):

You knew all along they weren’t letting me out. I hope you get what’s coming to you sooner rather than later. [Goodbye]