Daggerfall:Nocturnal's Quest

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Contents 1 Quick Walkthrough 2 Detailed Walkthrough 2.1 Quest Offer 2.2 Quest Acceptance 2.3 Quest Decline 2.4 Quest Object 2.4.1 Decline Offer 2.4.2 Accept Offer 2.5 Quest Object Dead 2.6 Quest End 2.7 Reputation Loss 2.8 Enemies 3 Notes

Take care of a malicious spellcaster for Lady Nocturnal the mistress of the Night.  edit Location(s): Any Daedra Summoner on the 3rd of Hearth Fire. Reward: Skeleton's Key Reputation Gain: see Reputation Loss ID: 40c00y00 Difficulty: Hard

[edit] Quick Walkthrough

1. Summon Nocturnal on the 3^rd of Hearth Fire.
2. Head to the dungeon to which Nocturnal points you.
3. Find and kill the mage.
4. Optionally embark on a quest for another artifact.
5. Travel to the town Nocturnal mentioned to you.
6. Meet her worshiper there and collect your reward.
7. Be sure to follow the time limit.

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

[edit] Quest Offer

Nocturnal starts whispering to the player:

You wish, (player's name), for power. With it you can thrash at shadows and have a hope. If I brought you this hope, what would you bring me? Would you destroy one who brings me pain?

[edit] Quest Acceptance

Nocturnal goes on:

You would be my anesthesia? You will go to the lair of the (mage) (mage's name) at (dungeon) and slay (him)? Ah, (player's first name), for that I would give to you my Skeleton Key which I have entrusted to my slave (worshiper's name). After (mage's name) lies dead, go to (town) and meet my slave at (building). You will recognize (him/her) easily - a (worshiper's description). There you will receive the Skeleton's Key. And now, I must return to my cold palace of Oblivion. I will await news.

[edit] Quest Decline

Nocturnal answers sadly:

As I thought, no heart at all. We shall have no contract then, you and I, and, disappointed, return I to my cold palace. The souls within are no kinder than those here, but there, they follow.

[edit] Quest Object

Travel to the dungeon you were told. Once you enter, the following message pops up:

A voice seems to echo in your ear: (mage's name) ...sure...special place...news...

Find the mage within the dungeon. When have you have found him and you hit him for the first time, he will offer you a deal: Auriel's Bow, the Warlock's Ring, or the Staff of Magnus in exchange for his life.

You have two choices:

• Decline Offer
• Accept Offer

The mage will also drop a note in the vicinity, which says:

(Exclamation)! (mage's name),
Oblivion's agent is upon us! I've moved the most valuable reagents to (retreat dungeon) and plan to meet you there after you've dealt with that pesky (player's race).
N.

[edit] Decline Offer

Just kill the mage and get your reward from Nocturnal's worshiper.

[edit] Accept Offer

Pick up the note dropped by the mage. It will reveal the location of a new dungeon, his retreat. For now just record this information, until it becomes useful later. If you accept the mage's offer you will betray Nocturnal and she will send her minion's after you, about a day from now. In addition you will lose 20 reputation with her.

The mage will reveal the location of yet another dungeon to you, where you can find the specific artifact.

• He offers you Auriel's Bow if you don't have the artifact already in your inventory.
• He offers you the Warlock's Ring if you already have Auriel's Bow in your inventory.
• He offers you the Staff of Magnus if you already have Auriel's Bow and the Warlock's Ring in your inventory (even if you already have the Staff in your inventory he will offer it to you).

Travel to this new dungeon and find the artifact within. It will look like some rusty dungeon equipment, so you may want to use the "Info-mode" (F3-key) when you come across any such items. It will say "You see a Auriel's Bow" etc., if you have the artifact at your feet. Once you have found the artifact pick it up and leave the dungeon.

Two to thirty in-games minutes after you picked up the artifact, the following message pops up:

Mocking laughter echoes in your mind,
You should have known better than to trust me, (player's name). Perhaps this shadow of power can satisfy your craving for a time, while you rage vainly against those who actually possess it. Me for example. I do hope sweet Nocturnal won't be too displeased with your treachery.
The (artifact) crumbles to dust in your hand.

If you are still motivated, travel to the dungeon which was mentioned in the mage's note, and find him within. Kill him and pick up the artifact you had already retrieved. If you are still within the time limit, travel to Nocturnal's worshiper and collect the Skeleton's Key from him/her. The reputation loss will remain, however.

[edit] Quest Object Dead

When the mage dies a message pops up saying:

You have slain (mage's name). Prince Nocturnal will now rest easier.

[edit] Quest End

Nocturnal's worshiper speaks to the player after the mage was dispatched:

So, you're (player's name), right? I'm (worshiper's name). I must say, I was wondering what kind of (player's race) it took to glide into a (mage)'s stronghold, murder the owner, and trip right on out. Very impressive. Nocturnal is likewise intrigued by you, hence this gift: Skeleton's Key. Be careful with it, (player's first name).

[edit] Reputation Loss

If you betrayed Nocturnal, by accepting the mage's offer, you will lose 20 reputation with her.

[edit] Enemies

• Random dungeon monsters
• Quest Target: One Mage NPC
• 4x One Frost Daedra every three in-game minutes (100% chance) in case you betrayed Nocturnal

[edit] Notes

• The original questfile, which comes withe the latest patch 213 is broken. It prevents the quest from working in the way it was intended. There is however a third-party bug-fix, see the Patched Quests and the __README.PDF within QUESTPAK.ZIP for further informations.
• This walkthrough is written for the working (patched) questfile.