Strife:The Virtuoso GM page

Players don’t see this page or resulting quest pages.

Italicised words and "dialogue" can generally be said straight to the players with no modifications.

Quests here are instead stylised as "parts" instead. Each part is initiated by The Virtuoso, and goes in order of part 1, 2, 3, then 4.

The Virtuoso part 1: Places, please!
Location(s): Sadrith Mora, Nchardumz, Ibar-Dad, Black Shalk Cornerclub (Vivec Foreign Quarter).

Art requires a certain cruelty...
Throughout the game before starting this quest-line, players hear about people just going missing with no indication to location or cause. Upon reaching 5 reputation, players can enter Sadrith Mora to find ''a hundred strong crowd gathered around a man sitting in a heightened open slave cage. He is beautifully playing a violin with the crowd in stunned silence. The party is seen and acknowledged by the violin players as he keeps on playing.'' The party should wait for the performance to end, but any attempts at interruption will not disturb the violin player. Upon finishing he beckons the party over as the crowd disperses.

''The violin player starts talking. He has a hard white mask with a wide brimmed hat on, he is also wearing a cloak.'' He speaks in a male, deep, proper voice:

"To meet you is an honour, I'm sure you've heard a lot about myself too. To meet you under these conditions is favourable, I am at my best only during the performance. You will call me The Virtuoso; I have elaborate plans for you."

He continues: "Being back in my homeland, is a sweet sadness. The Arena will be the place of my final performance, my magnum opus, but I have been rejected from a performance there. The world is cruel... But it does not have to be ugly; I will entertain, for I am a slave to this passion. Yes, we will move forward with my plans, I need you to acquire some select artefacts for me, Vaermina's Skull of Corruption and Herma-Mora's Oghma Infinium. A large task, that I know you can handle."

If the party agree, they may go to a mages guild for leads. It just so happens rumours point to the group of mages: Edwinna Elbert, Darane Mencele, Ranis Athrys, Eraamion, Chanil-Lee, Senilias Cadiusus, Trebonius Artorius, and Procyon Nigilius, who all are seeking Daedric artefacts and like The Virtuoso, have caught wind of various Daedric artefacts being in Vvardenfell also. A list is on their possession, or the information can be persuaded from them; either way the artefacts locations are revealed. Gathering both artefacts can be done in either order.

Oghma Infinium
This book is being held in a locked chest Nchardumz in Nchardumz, Lower Level. I recommend littering this dungeon with more Dwemer enemies, as to make players work a little more than is in the game. When they go to take the Oghma out of the chest, a small and agile Alfiq-raht jumps out the chest instead and snatches the book and runs for the exit; the players must catch the Khajiit to be in combat with them, to win and get the book. The Alfiq-raht will cast their power on low health, with it fighting for them if they die and it spawns. They will cast a random destruction spell on a random, in-range target and have 120HP and too much magicka to worry about. Their story is that they "used a scroll to teleport inside to get the book, but didn't think about how to get out".

Note: to roll a random destruction spell, first roll a d21 for the magical effect then roll for the spell. For example, rolling a 12 will get you fire damage. Then roll a d6; on a 5 for example they cast Fire Storm.

Skull of Corruption
This staff is being held in a cave called Ibar-Dad by a sorcerer wielding the Skull, who's name Badama Andarys. While this shouldn't be too hard of a fight with her alone, though she does have the Skull, which its effect is the same as is in Oblivion, meaning a fight against 1 person could turn into many.

Returning to The Virtuoso
As of right now, these artefacts are unusable to the players. ALL rewards including these are given after the 4 quests are finished.

The players can return to Black Shalk Cornerclub to speak to The Virtuoso; if they do not have the artefacts he has not arrived to the cornerclub yet. The cornerclub is eerily empty, unlike the lively foreign quarter's inner canton just outside, with no bartender even, the doors to rooms are locked if the players try to open them, and will not open under any circumstance, there is no noise or life in the rooms. From now until the end of part 4 (And now, the curtain rises...), the cornerclub is like this; The Virtuoso may be out if they come back between missions for no reason. He is sitting on a main table with his feet up, and addresses the party:

"Right. On. Cue. You have them?" He leads the party to his room and party gives artefacts. "Fabulous." He examines the items carefully, especially the book. "They are as poetic as the legends... But I think I like the book more" he looks at the Skull "symmetry is so boring." He puts the book into his large satchel, but notably leaves out the staff.

With continued dialogue, the next part starts.

The Virtuoso part 2: Our performance begins.
Location(s): Black Shalk Conerclub, Hall of Justice Secret Library (Vivec) or Holamayan, any mages guildhall.

Talent justifies all actions...
From the last part, The Virtuoso is holding the staff across his lap, he says: "But this performance... This performance needs more... zazz. Have any of you heard the legend of explosive powder? It was a fiery powder used in the Illiac Bay, as of the second era. It fell out of style because of mages, they can do everything it can and more, but I am a one man show, no mage, and serve a discerning clientele. If you could, get me a recipe for this powder. It is forbidden knowledge, so hard to come by; I've heard rumours of a hidden Vivec library, or a monastery of monks that collect literature of the same effect. Either way," he looks at the staff "shall we dance?" He starts dancing with the staff as a duet.

Retrieving the recipe
The players may now leave the cornerclub, they can retrieve the recipe from either the Hall of Justice Secret Library or Holamayan. This is made significantly easier if the quest Mehra Milo and the Lost Prophecies is done, as the library is freely usable if they utilise this asset. Either way for both libraries it will need to be area searched with a group luck roll to rolled, and a majority success to find the recipe:

'''"Fire Bomb", to be formally written. 3.5:1 of Kindlepitch:Fire Salts.'''

Unluckily, the recipe is made from kindlepitch, an ingredient that is not used at all often in Vvardenfell, nor is produced in the region. If they bring it back to The Virtuoso, he looks at the instructions carefully in silence, then after about 20 seconds he says: "These were clearly designed by a caveman. That and kindlepitch is non-native," he gives back the recipe "you'll need to find a more native substitute, maybe the mages guild can tell you more about what this does."

Creating a pseudo-kindlepitch
Upon enquiring with any mages guild alchemy merchant or alchemist, they search bookshelves for a journal containing older ingredient information. They read out to you that Kindlepitch was known to have drained strength and restored health. If the players have a high enough alchemy knowledge, they can discern a recipe for this. If the players do not, then this alchemist can now be persuaded for the knowledge with a 100G bribe, on-top of the usual persuasion technique at a 75 disposition requirement. They will tell you to mix a 1:1:1 ratio of Saltrice, Raw Glass, and Resin to garner the same effects and make a pseudo-Kindlepitch (with an alchemy roll or bribing an alchemist 100G).

Players may either get an example of this, or just return to The Virtuoso, who now has the staff out of sight. Either way he will want a demonstration:

Returning to The Virtuoso
The players must mix (with an alchemy roll or bribing an alchemist 200G) their pseudo-kindlepitch and fire salts. If they demonstrate, igniting the explosive powder into a small bang, The Virtuoso is giddy: "Ah! Sing for me! This is delightful. Oh," he looks at his robes "if that got my outfit dirty, I'm going to be so annoyed. Either way, we cannot get euphoric for there is more to be done." Dialogue is continued in the next part.