Strife:Snake Charming (Camonna Tong)

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Overview
We are dust...
 * Quest Giver: Bobby.
 * Location(s): Vivec Hlaalu Canton.
 * Prerequisite Quest: From Under the Beak of the Duneripper.
 * Next Quest: Festival of Blades.
 * Reward: Various magical items (see below).
 * Optional Bonus: None.

Quest start
The quest can be started at night. When walking to start the quest, ''the party sees Balz alone at a food stall towards the bottom of the arena canton, his scrolls are on a table behind him and he's just receiving two large cabbage biscuits. He turns around with a mouthful and sees the party: "Mmph, -ey. 'ought I shou- gra- 'sum food before we go." His swallowing during the sentence clearing his speech over time. He precariously picks up his scrolls under one arm, nodding to the party to leave whilst taking another bite.''

Hlaalu Vaults
Note that inside the vaults the NPCs usually there are gone, presumably sleeping in their homes.

''Upon arrival to the Hlaalu waistworks, J'Krin and Bobby are sitting in the centre. They look up at the party as J'Krin addresses them: "'aven't looked inside yet, outta fear of a guard blowing our cover." The pair get up, and J'Krin begins to walk to the door of the treasury. Bobby follows: "Yeah, this ones gonna be more of an improvisation than anythin'." A brave J'Krin opens the door a crack, peering in, then beckoning the party into the room, there is no-one in the treasury. Balz smiles "Lucky day! Ain't no-one here!" Both J'Krin and Bobby are quiet, looking around. Getting to the records entrance, J'Krin tries the door; the handle turns but the door only budges a small amount. She scowls "It's barred." Bobby replies: "This place's desolate, but if it's barred that means the other entrance ain't. Come on let's go." Walking to the other entrance, surprisingly it is open, and the party is greeted by the vaults room. Devoid of life there are many chests behind two cell doors. Balz speaks in Daedric and burns a scroll, then declaring "These doors are trapped..." He bends over cautiously to look at the doors. "...and locked..."''

Note that here the party cannot get into the records room either. If no-one steps forward to unlock the grated doors (the first is locked for 90 with the second for 95, and both trapped for 20-30 points of Shock Damage for 10 seconds), then Balz will offer: ''"I'll tackle 'em!" He crouches down to safely open the first door. Bobby looks at J'Krin: "You alright?" She replies: "Yeah, jus's a bit easy s'all I'm thinkin'." Bobby says: "Well, no normal person would think anyone can get past these gates, eh?" Balz clicks one gate open. "I mean, a Telvanni mage has better things to do, y'know? And it ain't like this's common knowledge." J'Krin scowls "Uneasy, is all." Bobby replies: "I know, but we have to get in there." Balz clicks the final gate open, proud of himself he stands back and smiles. The group walks through.''

Looting the area, ''the party are instructed by Bobby as he rushes in: "Grab whatever you can from the back area, we'll get the front." Upon searching this elevated area, the party find'': ''As the party are gathering these items, Balz looks up from holding a glass boot in one hand, just now finishing his cabbage biscuits: "Looks as if y'all got the short end 'ere! Look what we've found!" The party can look to see packs full of diamonds and jewels, among some quality high tier weapons. J'Krin and Bobby are in the same area, with J'Krin now finishing clearing out the bottom area but Bobby clearly looking for something in particular. Bobby addresses Balz: "Ahh, alright well, we should be ready to leave. Balz, you got the scroll?" J'Krin flinches. Balz replies: "Right 'ere!" J'Krin and Bobby sling loot over their shoulders and beckon the party to join. J'Krin cautiously says "'ope THIS recall works", to which Bobby replies "He's gotten much better at it, this one'll work. Watched him test out 5 for 5 before we even got here." As soon as the party joins, Balz starts reading out the Daedric writing on the scroll slowing down at the end. Confused, he says "Wait, wha-" his words going unfinished as the room is filled with fire unlike any other small scroll failure seen before, creating a loud and violent explosion in the small now scorch marked stone room and scattering the group throughout.''
 * Dreugh Staff
 * Merisan Cuirass
 * Dire Flamesword
 * 2 Dire Viperblade
 * 2 Dire Shardblade
 * 2 Dire Vipersword
 * Dire Shardsword
 * Ring of Shadow Form
 * 2 Wild Sty Ring
 * Caliginy Ring

Tarer Braryn
Check which party member has the highest willpower, they are the one to come through first.

Coming to afterwards, PARTY MEMBER ''awakes, seeing their party scattered throughout the room, Bobby who had been blown into a small corner near a shelf just barely in view of the door in, and J'Krin attempting to awake Balz of whom is still unconscious. A familiar face walks in the room with Ordinators in tow, Tarer Braryn, one of the Office of the Watch captains, he addresses the group: "Ah, the esteemed Camonna Tong, or what's left of it's inner circle... Yes we had dealings, but what use is charming a snake if it wants you dead, it'll eventually kill you given the chance won't it, Redguard?" Bobby currently is trying to take his gun out of his belt, it is not damaged nor stuck in there, but his hand shattered. Eventually getting it out onto the floor he picks it up with his left hand instead after placing a replacement flint in its hammer. He is fiddling with it face down, trying to cock back the hammer on the floor, not being able to put in enough strength to force back the metal. All the while, Tarer is talking: "With all of you so weak it'll be easy. Oh, we're not just going to take you in, but slaughter you. Who's to say you resisted? But as of right now, I'd like to make a toast." Tarer raises his mace. "To Balz!" Bobby paying absolutely no mind gives up on cocking the hammer on the floor and attempts to do it with his teeth. Gripping the hammer with his canines he attempts to pull it back, shattering his teeth, blood gushes from his mouth. He persists with his gums, staining the gun's hammer and handle with blood. Tarer lowers his mace: "You all've been gettin' so cocky, I was up thinking how I can capitalise on this but then I saw it, the goblin-kin there gettin' some food! And his precious scrolls lying on the table behind him. All it took was a small 'error correction' and I'd done it! I'd like to say that was the easy part but following you was even easier..." The party hear Bobby's gun click, Bobby relaxes, putting down his arm to rest for a moment, breathing heavily. Tarer continues, approaching the doorway. "It is time for your death, I feel no guilt you're a seller on the corner, that's exactly what everyone wants, but do you have some sort of social responsibility like me? NO, you're all nothing but your bodies, victims of your evil deeds..." Raising his mace Bobby looks up at it. Tarer holds it above him, eyes wide and smiling: "Cowering and broken, comfortable in misery, found with throats slit... And no sympathy, a mind hammered clo-" Bobby raises his arm, pausing, Tarer is confused. He tries to kick the gun away and is successful... In death as the momentum carries his limp leg through to kick the already smoking gun, the bullet torn through the skull of the now falling Ordinator. The room falls silent. After a moment, the Ordinators remaining attack.''

The party all awake in the loud bang and start on 1 health, fighting 2 Ordinators. Balz is now barely conscious and Bobby crawls over to attend to him and drag him out of the fighting area. J'Krin is fighting on 1 health alongside the party.

Finishing the quest
Upon finishing the fighting, ''Bobby beckons the group over, saying to the party: "I- I found this on him" Bobby coughs. "Cast it, please." Bobby hands the party a scroll to cast Divine Intervention. J'Krin is picking up the loot from the vaults. Upon a cast, it takes the entire group to an early morning Ebonheart, the place is desolate at night. Bobby says: "I'll grab what I can from the temple, J'- J'Krin take Balz to the ship, we'll hide out there for a time." J'Krin as well as carrying the bags of loot, slings a groaning Balz over her shoulder. "We need to wait for this to blow over... Don't worry, we've got this covered, come back to see us whenever you can... But we'll need to wait out a few days or so before we can move anywhere or anything..." J'Krin leaves with Balz, Bobby nods to the party and starts scavenging for healing items or a person to buy them from in the temple.'' The party can offer healing items to Bobby, or go and see Balz to heal him anytime, to which the trio are grateful. Doing this will decrease the time needed to wait to move to the next mission by one day per times done, starting at a week, and capping at a minimum of 3 days to wait. If the party come to the ship otherwise, Balz gets better day by day.

The party now has completed this quest and has now moved onto quest Festival of Blades.