Daggerfall:Deadly Knowledge

Obtain a sorcerer's research on vampirism. Location(s): Any Reward: Nothing / Random gold Reputation Gain: see Reputation Gain/Loss ID: p0b00l06 Required Reputation: Any Difficulty: Hard

The sorcerer is a bit paranoid

Quick Walkthrough

1. Receive a letter from a vampire of your bloodline.
2. (Optional) Possibly receive a second letter from the Mages Guild.
3. Meet and speak with the vampire.
4. (Optional) Meet with the Guild mage who sent the second letter.
5. Head to the dungeon named by the vampire or the mage.
6. Find the sorcerer within, and retrieve the research notes one way or another.
7. Return the notes to either the vampire or the mage within the time limit.
8. (Optional) Collect your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough

Notes on a Bloodline

When your vampire bloodline needs you again, you receive a letter:

A pale young boy hands you a letter and scampers away like a rat.

Check the letter in your inventory. It reads:

(Building) (Town) Dear (player's name), Those doddering, unenlightened barbarians who call themselves the Mages Guild are involved in yet another rather pointless endeavor. This time, they may, though accidentally, be on a path toward breaking the shade and exposing (bloodline). It seems inconceivable that the Mages Guild actually accomplish anything, but we must make provision for such an eventuality. Come see me as soon as possible at the address above. Yours in Death, (Vampire's name)

The Scatterbrained Sorcerer

There are two paths this quest can take; if your reputation with the Mages Guild is at least 15, an optional path will present itself.

Meet the Vampire

The vampires want the sorcerer's notes

To follow the main path, head to the location named in the letter and meet its sender, a vampire, who says:

"Good evening, kin. The fools at the Mages Guild have blindly stumbled on a few bare facts in their aimless dissections. It is unlikely that they will get anywhere, but the mage who is leading the research is at least wise enough to hide. That, in itself, is enough for our concern. Of course, it is pointless to hide from (bloodline) anywhere in (region). (Sorcerer's name) is in (dungeon), a laboratory of sorts. I want you to get the notes for this research and bring it back to me. (Sorcerer's name), I understand, keeps the notes on (his/her) person under the laughable misconception that they are safe there. Go point out the error in (his/her) thinking, (player's first name)."

Head to the dungeon, find the sorcerer within, and attack. When hit, your opponent will scream:

"(Oath)! My precious notes! Away, bloodsucker! Away!"

Once your quarry is dead, loot the corpse to find the notes you were sent for. They read:

(Bloodline) are the dominant tribe of (region), though they are by no means the dominant tribe of the whole Iliac Bay region. (Fill in this about the Montalion, Vrasethi, Ghulari, Selenu, et cetera, blah, blah, blah Different powers but basically same internal structure, blah, blah, blah). How is one cured of vampirism (find that Vampires of the Iliac Bay book, references to a society of former vampires)? Slaying the preeminant [sic] member of the same bloodline, from what I can gather from personal interviews and whatnot. (Note to me: that rather (vampire's description) in (town) has expressed interest in my work. Possible interviewee or trap?) Vampires infiltrating royal courts, Dark Brotherhood, even the Mages Guild in (region) and else where. Is the (ruler's title) of (region) under influence of (bloodline) or perhaps more than under the influence? Run the standard test (pend that patent) and see what's what. Need Nymph Hair, holy symbol, et cetera, et cetera, fresh this time for (random god)'s sake. Talk to (mage's name) about increasing funding. Going nowhere.

Return the notes to your bloodline contact to finish the quest.

Help the Guild Mage

The Mages Guild also wants the sorcerer's notes, for their own ends

If your reputation with the Mages Guild is high enough, you will receive a second letter soon after the first:

A courier dressed in deep blue robes hands you a letter and, with a bow, disappears.

The letter reads:

My Dear Old (player's name), Whenever you might find yourself in the vicinity of (mage's town), your ubiety at (building) would be most efficacious to our present needs. In return for your support in an endeavor, I can offer you the gratification of personal economonic prosperity and the more sublime pleasure of aiding your Mages Guild compeers. I hope to see you very soon. Yours and all that, (Mage's name)

You may speak to the Guild mage instead of the vampire if you wish, either one can provide you with the relevant quest details. Travel to the mage's town, enter the building named in the letter and find the mage, who says:

"Oh, oh, (oath), (player's name), is it? I, ah, understand that you are the right one for this, being sufficiently mettlesome, thewy, in short, puissant to aid (sorcerer's name), a sorceror [sic] who fears that (his/her) research has attracted the, ah, inquisitorial attention of a local tribe of vampires. Too much work had made the poor old sorceror [sic], well, oversensitive. If you would just pop on over to (his/her) lab, (dungeon), and get these precious notes, I would be very, very, ah, beholden. Just watch out for old (sorcerer's name) -- (he/she)'s a mite, ah, agitated, I understand."

Head to the dungeon and find the sorcerer the same as in the other scenario. You will still be attacked, but when you hit the spellcaster once, you will hear:

"Wait a minute! Are you the (player's race) I was supposed to give the notes to?"

Answer "yes" and the sorcerer will not only end the fight but also give you the notes, saying:

"My sincere apologies, (player's name). I've been very nervous lately. Here are the notes. Be careful, though. Trust no one. (Bloodline) vampires could be anyone."

If you answer "no" you must fight the sorcerer to the death. Search the corpse for the notes and return them to your Mages Guild contact for a reward.

Reward

No matter how you obtained the notes, you can return them to either contact to complete the quest. If you bring the research notes to the vampire, you are told:

"Lovely. Did you read this? Of course you did. What rot. There was another mage who had similar views of the vampiric tribes, I cannot recall his name. You've done well, young one. Very well indeed."

If you bring the research notes to the Guild mage, you will hear:

"Is this what (sorcerer's name) wanted to protect? The meandering drivel of a madman. Still, not your fault I suppose. Here's (random gold) gold pieces for your propitious conveyance."

Reputation Gain/Loss

A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.

Faction/Person	Reputation Gain
Regional Vampire Bloodline	±0
Oblivion and all associated Daedra Princes	+1
Sheogorath	-1
The Night Mother	+1
The Dark Brotherhood and its associated factions	+1
Ebonarm	-1
The Order of Arkay and its associated factions	-1
The Benevolence of Mara and its associated factions	-1
The Akatosh Chantry and its associated factions	-1
The School of Julianos and its associated factions	+1
The House of Dibella and its associated factions	-1
The Temple of Stendarr and its associated factions	+1
The Mages Guild and its associated factions	-1
The Thieves Guild and its associated factions	+1
Random Ruler	-1
Daggerfall and its associated factions	-1
Sentinel and its associated factions	-1
Wayrest and its associated factions	-1
The King of Worms and The Necromancers	-1
The Underking and his Agents	-1
Orsinium and its associated factions	-1
The Glenmoril Witches	-1
The Dust Witches	+1
The Daughters of Wroth	+1
The Witches of the Marsh	+1
The Beldama	+1
The Tide Witches	+1
The Merchants	-1
Wrothgarian Mountains and its associated factions	-1

A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.

Faction/Person	Reputation Gain
Regional Vampire Bloodline	-10
Oblivion and all associated Daedra Princes	+1
Sheogorath	-1
The Night Mother	+1
The Dark Brotherhood and its associated factions	+1
Ebonarm	-1
The Order of Arkay and its associated factions	-1
The Benevolence of Mara and its associated factions	-1
The Akatosh Chantry and its associated factions	-1
The School of Julianos and its associated factions	+1
The House of Dibella and its associated factions	-1
The Temple of Stendarr and its associated factions	+1
The Mages Guild and its associated factions	-1
The Thieves Guild and its associated factions	+1
Random Ruler	-1
Daggerfall and its associated factions	-1
Sentinel and its associated factions	-1
Wayrest and its associated factions	-1
The King of Worms and The Necromancers	-1
The Underking and his Agents	-1
Orsinium and its associated factions	-1
The Glenmoril Witches	-1
The Dust Witches	+1
The Daughters of Wroth	+1
The Witches of the Marsh	+1
The Beldama	+1
The Tide Witches	+1
The Merchants	-1
Wrothgarian Mountains and its associated factions	-1

(Allies/Enemies affiliations for listed factions are not considered.)

The Vampire Bloodline will always be the dominant bloodline of the region were the quest takes places.

Additional Reputation

If you deliver the research notes to the mage, you will gain/lose additional reputation as seen below.

Faction	Reputation Gain
Mages Guild	+10
Regional Vampire Bloodline	-20

Enemies

• Random dungeon monsters
• Quest Target: One Sorcerer

Notes

• The research notes of the sorcerer provide a small hint to a cure for vampirism, they point to the book Vampires of the Iliac Bay.
• Even if you have not yet received the second letter, you can find and speak to the Guild mage if you know where to look. The quest will proceed as if you had received the mage's letter.

Bugs

• If you acquire the research notes before speaking to the Guild mage, the mage's initial dialogue will appear, followed by the sorcerer's - including the yes/no option - before cycling back to the mage's quest ending dialogue. Your gold reward goes missing if this happens, but it does complete the quest.

Additional Dialogue

After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:

• "(Sorcerer's name) is involved in terrifically important work down in (dungeon)."
• "(Dungeon) is a grim place, but good for (sorcerer's name) to get (his/her) work done in peace."

If you fail the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:

• "(Sorcerer's description)'s work on vampires apparently has reached the Mages Guild's attention."
• "The Archmagister of the Mages Guild himself is studying (sorcerer's name)'s work."

If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:

• "Tamriel may never know just what poor (sorcerer's name) had been working so hard on."
• "(Sorcerer's name) was murdered, they say because (he/she) was working on a charm against daedra."

Quest Log

Deadly Knowledge (p0b00l06)
Stage/ Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
0		(Date): I received a letter from (vampire's name) of (bloodline) in (town). I am to meet (him/her) in a place called (building) as soon as possible.
1		(Date): A sorceror [sic] named (sorcerer's name) has come close to major discoveries about (bloodline) and (vampire's name) has sent me to the laboratory, (dungeon) to retrieve the notes. It is likely that (sorcerer's name) has them on (his/her) body, as if that is protection against me.
2		(Date): (Mage's name) of (mage's building) in (mage's town) wants me to go to (dungeon) to take (sorcerer's name)'s work out of (his/her) hands and bring it safely to (mage's town). Even though (sorcerer's name) is expecting me, (he/she) may be a little nervous ... after all, anyone might be a vampire ...