Strife:Bardic Resolution (Dark Brotherhood)

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Overview
A familiar face...
 * Quest Giver: Dandras Vules.
 * Location(s): Wolverine Hall Imperial Shrine.
 * Prerequisite Quest: Bardic Desperation.
 * Next Quest: Odd Request.
 * Reward: 1500G.
 * Optional Bonus: None.

Quest start
In the previous quest's ending dialogue, it is revealed to the players the Languorwine Blade instead puts the target into a state of indefinite hibernation, and they are not dead. An antidote is given to the party and they’re told to ‘resurrect’ Bondal so he can start his new life.

Getting into the chapel
The players must infiltrate the mortuary of the small Imperial chapel in Wolverine Hall. Unbeknownst to the party getting into the mortuary is the easy part, but getting into the shrine has actually become the hard part. There is an imperial guard outside who will not let the party in, saying "Halt! Chapel outta use, we're 'avin' problems wit' the 'mortury', no admittance". The chapel is closed due to a problem with the mortuary he will not reveal.

If the party can persuade him when he is above 75 disposition, or the party are Imperial Legion, Imperial Cult, or dressed as Jocien (told about from Doufliz) then he will tell them that "the mortuary has become haunted in recent days, no-one's allowed in except for the shrine workers to perform their basic duties outside the mortuary. Oh, and those priest we're waitin' on to get the ghosts gone or whatever priest types do." The party can tell him they are the priests, and he will let them through to "get dose ghosts eh!"

Note that players killing Jocien will render the quest Rescue Jocien Ancois to be un-completable, and will be skipped if done after this quest. If the players have already done this quest, Jocien had been re-captured.

Inside the chapel
Aunius will gleefully greet the party, assuming they are the priests, contrasting to Scelian in the background who is gloomily performing his duties. The dialogue is as follows:

Aunius: "'Ello! I'm glad the legion didn't forget 'bout our small lil' chapel! I'm assumin' you're the priests here to take care of our hauntin'. That over there's Scelian..."

Scelian grunts.

Aunius: "An' I'm Aunius, pleased to meet ya'. I'm sure you're ready, you silent type priests always so focused! Follow me an' I'll show ya where the mortuary is."

''Aunius walks over to a banner on the wall, lifting it to reveal a wooden door with the bottom portion rotted. Aunius says: "That rot came on quick recent, I hope I won't be reported but we think it was the hauntin'!" Through the door is a winding downward staircase with no windows, Aunius says: "Gettin' bodies n' coffins down here has always been a trouble. Oh aye! If you're goin' back to Moonmoth or somethin' could ya' tell 'em we could use a sled or rope system to get 'em down 'ere? That'd be useful." As the party gets further down the staircase it becomes colder, much colder, and Aunius gradually looks more pale. Aunius stops: "This is halfway down the staircase, I- I don't dare go further. Good luck!" and with that he runs back up the staircase, looking visibly shaken.''

If the party continues down the stairs they get to a ''rotted door that's mostly falling apart, it has a lock for 20 points, but it looks as if it can literally just be pushed over. Through the door is the mortuary.''

Inside the undercroft
''The described mortuary is more an undercroft that is a long corridor with alcoves in the wall acting as graves. It is small and most the grave spaces un-occupied, with pillars every 10 feet holding up the ceiling. Most of the torches along the pillars are out, except from one further at the end of the corridor providing minimal light. It is eerily quiet, and the walls are covered in green, slimy algae that has grown strangely quickly. Immediately upon peeking their head in there is no sight of anyone, but after a few steps in, 2 Lesser Bonewalkers and 5 skeletons appear seemingly out of nowhere; two skeletons are archers. This fight is in a Blindness M = -60 zone, there are unlit torches across the walls.

After this fight, players can keep searching for Bondal. ''As they get closer to the end torch, a ghost flies past it, putting it and all torches lit out. The room goes near completely dark, bar from the light emanating far away from the stairwell. The ghost flies at you ready to attack, the room getting even colder, saying in a raspy voice: "WE ARE THE SAME. WE ARE BETRAYED. WE ARE DECEIVED."'' Unless re-lit this is a Blindness M = -90 zone. This ghost has the same stats as an Ancestor Ghost, except their health is 168, they have Imperial powers they can use, and on the start of their turn players take 2 points of frost damage.

After the fight, the party notice Bondal lying somewhat 'skewiff' on a stone alcove plinth. The party can give him the anti-dote, ''to which nothing happens. Then suddenly he jolts upwards, trying to catch his breath and coughing, he falls off of the plinth. When he tries to talk he stutters gibberish, but he finally manages to splutter out: "What?! I was just playing, where am I?! Y-you were following me! Did you teleport me?" If the party tells him what happened he continues: "Ahh, y-yes okay, Fovval told me this'd happen. Okay... Wait, won't it be suspicious if I walk out not looking like uhh..." He eyes the party up and down "You?".'' This is a hint to the party they can easily walk him out if blends into the party. They can scavenge a partially full set of iron armour from the graves and dead skeletons if they'd like and give it to Bondal. Notably ''the armour fits him inconsistently, with some pieces squeezing his legs like a constrictor snake and some pieces making him look like a child. Though inconsistent it will do the trick.''

Notably if the party asks who 'Fovval' is Bondal will reply: "He's this nice guy that always talked to me in the Inn, too bad I won't be able to see him now..." Dandras, Movis, nor anyone else in the sanctuary has the name Fovval, and no-one will reply to that name. Dandras and Movis will look confused, while everyone else will just not reply.

Leaving the undercroft
On leaving the undercroft, ''Bondal is notably slow. Whether it's the armour or him getting used to walking again is debatable. Upon getting fully up the stairs, if Bondal is not disguised Aunius will question you: "Who's the man, did he go down with you?"'' The party must talk their way out of this. On a successful intelligence roll from Aunius he will recognise the now alive Bondal as someone he previously transported into the mortuary, on a failed roll convincing him will be easy as he does not recognise Bondal.

If he is disguised Aunius will ''look confused for a moment, but shake his head and rub his eyes as if he'd seen another ghost. He then says: "Are they g-gone?" The party replies "T-thank you, we will get to replacing the doors now and cleaning." He shuffles into the back room to get cleaning supplies, saying: "We carry no money here, I'm sure you know that; I have nothing to express my gratitude, but I'm sure you guys get paid bountifully anyways."'' Notably either way, Scelian does not care about the Bondal situation.

When outside, Bondal will part ways with the party. He says: "Well, our entire relationship has been you killing me and then saving me, but I appreciate it, I really do. I hope one day we can cross paths again and I can repay my debt in my new life." The party can ask him what his new life is, and he replies "I cannot tell you where I'm going, but I know what I want. I wanna to be a rug salesman!" He says in a hushed, excited tone.

Finishing the quest
This is the point where Ungolim is not seen again; he is no longer around the sanctuary. Returning to Ald Sotha the party sees ''Bha outside the sanctuary, throwing a rock at the wall and letting it rebound back so he can catch it. He acknowledges the party in a friendly nod.''

When the party arrives in the right room, ''Doufliz is standing at Dandras' desk with Sereyne sitting on his shoulder. They are all hunched over a map of Vivec, with Movis listening in but not saying anything.'' If the party gets closer they realise Doufliz is giving a briefing:

Doufliz: "-an' this is where he usually buys skooma, on the docks from a Redguard male I haven't found anything about yet, but he shouldn't be too important. But that's his weekly schedule, it's generally the same each week I've been told, and my scamps have been tracking him for a while."

Dandras: "Sereyne?"

Sereyne: "Yeah, yeah, it's whatever. Nobles are easy peasy. Just hang around them for a while not saying anything and then when they bring you home POOF, their head is gone."

Dandras: "Just, don't meddle with any mages this time, I don't need the mages guild coming here."

Sereyne: "Whore of Alizahad, those people have more to worry about than a cute cat with an eyepatch. I'll kill them anyways."

''Sereyne points for Doufliz to take her to her bed; Doufliz instead walks over to his desk while Sereyne bats at his head. Doufliz is unflinching and Sereyne gives up and instead lies down on his desk. While the pair are walking away, Dandras says: "What we're doing here is none of THEIR business, we don't need the heat, okay?" But Sereyne is long gone.''

Dandras finally acknowledges the party: "Ah, did it work?" The party replies. Dandras continues: ''"Great work, here's your reward." He says, handing the party a pouch of 1,500G. "Your next one is a simple one. There is a house in the wilderness of the Ascadian Isles, a-ways from everyone; place a mark in there preferably somewhere hidden, like a storage room. Here..." He hands the party a Scroll of Mark "Use this if you need it."''

As the party walks away Dandras and Movis start talking. If the party looks back they are both looking at the party. On their way out notably they see the slaves they rescued, but they don't acknowledge the party on their own, or even have much important to say. They seem dull and indifferent like every other agent here, unlike when the party met them.

The party now has completed this quest and has now moved onto quest Odd Request.