Oblivion:A Matter of Honor

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[edit] Quick Walkthrough

Receive the contract.
Find Alval Uvani and decide how you will deal with him.
Make your way to the next drop.

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

[edit] The Target

This dead drop is in a coffin located just right of the entry to Fort Redman, north of Leyawiin. Don't forget to acquire the schedule of Alval Uvani there. The Dunmer merchant Alval Uvani, a powerful user of Destruction magic, travels from city to city in Cyrodiil, stopping to sleep at inns and his rented house in the southeast corner of Leyawiin. He is a strong mage, but he has a rare allergy to honey, which is a key ingredient in mead, so try to get him to drink some. If you follow him to a bar and put some mead in front of him, there is a good chance he will take a sip. This will paralyze him, allowing for an easy kill. You can also buy the bar's supply of food and drink, then sell the proprietor some mead for the same effect.

[edit] Alternate Methods

Alternatives include:

It is possible to use Demoralize spells or powers on nearby NPCs to make them flee the scene so that they do not witness you commit the assassination. There is usually a lack of NPCs in an Inn, so this tactic is easy to use for killing Uvani, since he spends much of his time in numerous Inns. This tactic will ensure that you won't get a 1000 Gold bounty, however you will still get a 40 Gold bounty for committing an assault.
Push the paralyzed Alval into a remote room, where you can slay him without penalty.
Leave mead in his house, which is in Leyawiin, after removing all other ingestible items. It may take a couple of weeks before he visits his house; he doesn't necessarily stop in his house every week, even though his route implies that he does. While waiting you must either remain in his house or return to his house regularly to remove any respawning food. Once he finally visits, he will be paralyzed in the safety of his own home, and will never be able to move again.
If you don't want to use mead, you can either sneak into his room or attack him on his travels through the wilderness. He often "forgets" his ability with Destruction magic and attacks you with his dagger, making him an easier mark.
As with most other targets, you can also use a poisoned apple by placing it in front of Alval Uvani while he is eating or pickpocket him to place one in his inventory.
Cast a level 25 Frenzy spell on him in the tavern. The tavern guests will attack him, saving you the work of killing him and the annoyance of a bounty.
Lure Alval into the wilderness and leave him to be attacked by animals or goblins.
Kill him in Olav's Tap and Tack inn of Bruma. Buy some mead and place it in front of him and wait for him to drink it. Once he sits down on the chair at the back and has a drink, talk to him. He will complain and tell you that he is unable to move his arms; this is because of his honey allergy. Now, go to the bedrooms and open one of the doors. Take your bow and arrow and make sure that no one is watching you (with the exception of Alval). It may take several shots before he dies. This will only work if you are unseen by everyone except Alval.
Use the Skull of Corruption on him - the duplicate Alval will either kill him or seriously damage him.

[edit] Notes

Since Uvani travels through the wilderness often, he may already have been slain by the time you receive this quest. Likewise, you may have killed him yourself earlier. There won't be any consequences for killing him prior to this quest, even not while you are still under the Five Tenets. If Alvani is already dead when you are directed to kill him, the quest will automatically update and you will be directed to the next dead drop.

In Alval Uvani's Bedroom, there is a wall with a painting on it. If you get close to this painting, the game reveals it is a Hidden Wall Safe. Pick the lock and find a Black Hand Hood and Robe and a copy of The Five Tenets.

Sometimes at the West Weald Inn in Skingrad, an invisible Graklak gro-Buglump will storm in and attack Alval and flee, occasionally killing him in the process. Alval may also succeed in killing Graklak, at which point guards may come and kill Alval.

Several inns where Uvani stays are also home to Mythic Dawn Agents who will attack you on sight if you have completed the Dagon Shrine quest. Alval will often assist you in fighting these agents, and with a little patience and possibly some Convalescence spells, you can easily get these agents to kill Alval for you with no bounty.

It is possible to kill Alval before you even join the Brotherhood. He will always refuse to talk to you. If you kill him before you join, you will be able to join the Brotherhood and the quest would have already be completed.

The quest will automatically update if Alvano is dead.

[edit] Journal Entries

A Matter of Honor (Dark14Honor)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		I have picked up my next contract from the dead drop in the coffin outside Fort Redman. I have been ordered to kill Alval Uvani, a Dark Elf merchant who spends his time traveling around Cyrodiil. I should consult the schedule that has been left for me to determine where and when I should strike. Uvani is a master in the Destruction school of magicka, and has killed before, but he does have a weakness: if Alval Uvani drinks Mead, he will be rendered immobile, due to a rare allergy to honey.
20		I have killed Alval Uvani. I must pick up my reward and next contract at the dead drop located in the Market District of the Imperial City, in a hollowed-out tree stump behind Stonewall Shields.
100		I have picked up my reward and received my next contract.

Notes

Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in random order.
If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage Dark14Honor stage. Where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages. See SetStage for more information.