Oblivion:Trolls of Forsaken Mine

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[edit] Quick Walkthrough

Speak with Modryn Oreyn in the Chorrol Fighters Guild to receive this quest
Travel to Forsaken Mine
Explore the mine and kill the remaining trolls
Find Viranus Donton's body and his journal
Take the journal and return to Oreyn in Chorrol

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

Upon speaking to Modryn Oreyn, he'll reveal that a group of Fighters Guild members headed by Viranus Donton have not been heard from for a few days after setting out on a contract. The contract involved cleaning out a nest of trolls in Forsaken Mine, located just south of Leyawiin. The lack of communication is particularly troubling and Modryn requests that you travel to the mine and determine what is going on. He'll mark the location of Forsaken Mine on your map.

[edit] Troubling Evidence

Once you start exploring the mine, it becomes apparent that something has gone awry with the mission. In the first zone of the mine you will discover the bodies of some of Viranus' contingent of fighters: Ariente, Ashtus Chenius, and Cartrus Gavinius. As you travel deeper into the mine, you will discover the bodies of more of the party, Cargas Laftrius, Mattius Wotrus and Lashana, but also the corpse of a Blackwood Company member. This is a puzzling and troubling sign. As you travel towards the entrance to the second level of the mine you'll encounter the first troll, actually a leveled Savage Troll, so commence completing the unfinished contract in your search for survivors.

[edit] A Savage Fate Revealed

The mine's second zone is infested with eight more Savage Trolls. Move carefully through the mine to ensure that you aren't overwhelmed by multiple trolls. Drawing them off one at a time where possible is the best strategy. Another strategy that works is to hit the troll and then step back because most of the trolls use their power attack every time. While they are in recoil attack them again and repeat. This way you can kill a troll without being harmed.

In an upper chamber of the Lost Passages you may notice pools of blood against an apparently blank wall. Closer examination of the blood reveals a movable stone wall and a passage leading downwards, with a trail of blood. The final chamber reveals the missing Viranus' sad fate. His body lies near that of Eduard Hodge, the final missing member of the Guild party.

Searching Viranus' body will reveal a bloodied journal. Within its pages you will discover the younger Donton's troubling final months and moments, including the fate of the party and his companion Eduard Hodge. It seems Viranus' party were in the process of successfully cleaning the troll infestation out of the mine when Blackwood Company members appeared in the midst of the fighting. The Blackwood members unleashed hell, killing both Fighters Guild members and troll alike in a frenzied but short-lived attack, departing as fast as they appeared. Viranus was gravely wounded in the attack, penning his final moments in the journal as the surviving trolls approached - a sad fate for a troubled warrior.

[edit] The Tragic News Delivered

Delivering the tragic news and (optionally) Viranus' journal to Modryn elicits an angry response and condemnation of the Blackwood Company's latest exploits. Your only reward is one Fame point. Modryn wants you to "lay low for a while" and indicates he will break the news to Vilena Donton concerning the loss of her last remaining son. Modryn hints that this latest tragedy may signal an end to his career in the Fighters Guild. Modryn will refer you to Azzan or Burz gro-Khash for further contracts.

[edit] Notes

You do not have to kill all the remaining trolls to complete the quest.
If next you speak to Azzan for more contracts after completing this quest, you'll be demoted to Defender. You will regain your rank after completing two more Fighters Guild quests. Demotion is avoidable by first talking to Burz gro-Khash and completing his two quests.
You can enter this mine before being given this quest, in which case you will encounter the trolls, rats, and mud crabs but Viranus Donton and his companions will not be present and neither will the diary. However, if the mine is cleaned up afterwards (during cell reset), the dead bodies of the companions and the dead Blackwood Company Member will be removed too: when you reach Stage 10 of this quest and enter the cave again, only large (static) bloodstains will appear, and you will find only Viranus Donton and his diary.
The dead "Blackwood Company Member" found in Forsaken Mine during this quest is wearing a full suit of Blackwood Armor. This heavy armor is between Dwarven and Orcish in quality and therefore can be particularly valuable for low level characters.
It is possible to skip the dungeon crawl if you have access to a Command Humanoid spell. Simply lead Viranus Donton up to Modryn Oreyn before you receive the quest. After Modryn gives you the quest, Viranus will drop dead right in front of you, complete with the journal. You simply need to take the journal and report back to Modryn, who happens to be right in front of you.

[edit] Journal Entries

Trolls of Forsaken Mine (FGD06DeadViranus)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
5		I have been told to report to Modryn Oreyn for assigned duties.
10		Modryn Oreyn has given me another duty to perform. A band of fighters was contracted to clear the Forsaken Mine of trolls, but none of them have been heard from, including Viranus Donton. I am to go investigate.
20		I found Viranus Donton dead. I should look for clues as to what happened here.
25		I've told Oreyn that Viranus Donton is dead. He wants me to go back to Forsaken Mine and find proof of what happened.
30		I've found a journal that Viranus Donton kept during his final days. In it, he describes how the mission went well until the Blackwood Company arrived. They battled, and he survived, gravely wounded. It appears he finally succumbed to his wounds. I should report this to Oreyn.
100		Oreyn was both angered and saddened by what I told him. He has asked that I allow him to tell Vilena Donton the news about her son. Until then, he suggests I find contract work to do.

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 FGD06DeadViranus 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.