Fault checks in with spymaster Caius and it looks like there are still some unanswered questions about this whole Neverine and Sixth House business. It’s now our job to go to the city of Vinnec and talk to three contacts. This mission is, more than anything, an introduction to the city where the five major political factions of the dark elves all live.
It’s actually a pretty cool place since it’s made up of several giant mega-buildings each dedicated to a different house and filled with it’s own selection of stores and housing. On the other hand it’s a terribly confusing place to explore at first, especially since Fault arrived at night and as a result couldn’t actually see the stairwells leading down to the lower levels of the blocks. This may have lead to her spending a good twenty minutes running in circles trying to figure out how to reach a bridge exactly one floor beneath her.
Once you’ve mastered the local architecture reaching the contacts is pretty easy. One is a lizard man that needs us to persuad some racist dark elves to leave him alone so he can give us his info. Another is a temple priest who we have to meet with secretly to avoid blowing her cover as an informant. The last one is a thief that won’t talk to us until we convince a local tax collector to leave the city and do his job elsewhere.
The only slight complication is that one of the informants suggests Fault should buy a certain rare and mildly illegal book to take back to Caius. Finding a copy is easy enough but the seller wants 150 gold and Fault kind of sort of spent all of her money on training.
Fortunately the local fighters guild is willing to pay money for a simple fetch quest. A local orc was hired to retrieve a certain ring for the fighters guild but appears to have decided to keep it instead. One lucky intimidate check is all it takes to get it back. Unfortunately the pay is only 100 drakes leaving Fault still a little short.
But then on her way to leave the guild she notices the equipment chest, full of basic armor and supplies for loyal new members of the guild. Five minutes later the chest is empty, a nearby merchant has a stack of millitary supplies and Fault can finally afford the book.
So you won’t lend me money but you will give me free swords? Hmm…
Was this a gross misuse of Guild resources? Probably. Did Fault care? By that point certainly not.
So what did all that spying lead to anyways? Well, I think I can spy the plot now.
The Neverine is supposed to be a reborn hero who will save Morrowind by, among other things, killing a trio of immortal men turned gods who have ruled over the country for centuries.Unsurprisingly the God-Men are not happy about this.
Over the years lots of people have claimed to be the Neverine but failed to fulfill the prophecies. However there’s a new one running around that has a lot of people convinced this time it’s real. This might explain all the weirdos who keep stopping Fault on the street to talk of the Sixth House.
Back in town Caius gives us a small reward and again suggests we go off and do side quests while he figures out where the plot is going.