Daggerfall:The Heretic

Take care of a heretic. Location(s): Any quest giver of your Temple Reward: A Gem Reputation Gain: see Reputation Gain/Loss ID: c0b00y01 Required Reputation: In Temple Difficulty: Easy/Hard

A gift from the deity

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to a quest giver of your Temple.
2. Meet the cleric in the town and tavern mentioned to you.
3. (Optional) Alternatively, find the priest(ess) in the dungeon mentioned to you.
4. Learn about the prophet's lover and travel to their location.
5. Meet and speak to the lover.
6. Receive a letter or a denial from the lover.
7. If you did not receive the lover's letter, wait for a courier to deliver a message (or two).
8. Investigate one or both messages, and receive the lover's letter or a severed finger.
9. Report back to the quest giver with either the lover's letter or the finger within the time limit and collect your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough

The cleric...

...the priestess...

...the prophet...

...and her lover

A Possible Prophet

Speak to a quest giver, who says:

"(Temple god) be with you, (player's guild title). You may have heard of (prophet's name). If you have not yet, you will. We are investigating (his/her) claims that (he/she) is a prophet. We are not, I think, censorious by nature, but we must ever be alert to the presence of heretical influences. Would you be available to assist in this important investigation?"

or

"It falls upon us to investigate the claims of (prophet's name) that (he/she) has seen the face and heard the words of (Temple god). Perhaps you have time to assist in this inquiry?"

Accept

The quest giver goes on:

Good. We have already sent one of the Temple, (priest(ess)' name) to the desacrilized (dungeon), where (prophet's name) asserts that (he/she) first witnessed the miracle. If (priest(ess)' name) needs assistance, I will send for you. In the meanwhile, I want you to find some more secular information on (prophet's name), by asking around in (his/her) hometown, (town). A loyal cleric of ours, (cleric's name) will meet you in (tavern). I want to see evidence of the true nature of (prophet's name) in no more than (time limit) days. I would leave immediately. May Great (Temple's deity) bless your enterprise, (player's guild rank).

Decline

The quest giver answers:

"That's a pity, (player's guild title). I hope you will find time in your busy schedule for the temple in the near future."

The Investigation

There are two ways to proceed with this part of the quest; either one will lead you to the next step of your investigation. You may do both if you wish.

Option I: Meet the Cleric

If you wish to follow the quest giver's instructions, then travel to the prophet's hometown and meet the cleric in the specified tavern. The cleric has much to say:

"Ah hello, (player's first name). Welcome to (town). The whole town's in a buzz about that young (prophet's name). But (he/she) isn't even here -- (he/she)'s in (prophet's town) at a tavern called (prophet's tavern), working on a new tract about what this mysterious spirit of (dungeon) had to say about the moral disintegration of (temple). Here's a copy of the original tractate, so you know what this (prophet's name)'s all about. Dangerous character from what I've seen so far. I'm communicating with (lover's name), a (lover's description) in (lover's town) with whom (prophet's name) had some kind of relationship. It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to go to (lover's town) and see if you can't persuade (him/her) to talk to us. Hope all this is helpful information, (player's first name)."

Check your inventory for the religious tractate the cleric gave you, which reads:

I scarcely remember my voyage to the place

called (dungeon): I expect I was

still partly dreaming. Deep within the stinking

recesses of the profaned temple, I was met with

a great fire and from the flames I heard the

same voice speak: "Welcome."

"Who art thou?" I addressed the flame.

"I am what (temple) doth

proclaim to worship, but with every act and

thought defile my divinity. To thee I called

so that a new (temple) might be

created, one led by truth and true insight,

and understanding of my Being. The heathen

need insight, and you shall be it."

The God told me more that day, but while

the wicked (temple) continues

their policy of quashing any who dare to

challenge their corrupted, contemptible

theology, I must keep my tracts short. More

will follow shortly hereafter.

Option II: Find the Priest(ess)

If, on the other hand, you feel like doing some dungeon crawling, you can seek out the priest(ess) instead of the cleric. Proceed straight to the dungeon where the prophet claims to have received these visions and find the priest(ess) within, who will say:

"(Player's first name), I thought that you were supposed to be investigating the situation in (town). Well, as long as you're here, I have something different for you to do. I've found some torn up letters, scraps really, about a (lover's description) somewhere in (lover's town) by the name of (lover's name). See if you can't find something on (him/her). I don't know if (he/she)'ll talk, but it's worth a try."

You now have enough information to find the lover, and if you spoke to the cleric, the prophet as well. However, if you seek out the prophet at this time, all you will be told is: "How they come to persecute me. Abandon your unholy abuse, hound of (temple). I am under protection of my god ... and the (ruler's title) of (region)." Since this is a dead end, seek out the lover for more information.

Locate the Lover

The prophet's bodyguard will step in if confronted

Travel to the town the cleric or priest(ess) named, ask around to find the lover, and meet with them. The lover will belong to a random faction. In most cases this will be a subgroup of one of the eight Temples, a subgroup of the Mages Guild or one of the Knightly Orders. However, there is no way to tell which one it will end up being. If your reputation with this faction is at least five, the lover will say:

"(Prophet's name) would kill me if (he/she) knew I was talking to you. But I know that you couldn't be working for (him/her). Here's a letter (he/she) wrote to me about a month ago. I think it explains everything."

Check your inventory for the letter. It reads:

(Lover's name), My Love,

First, forgive the silence of your

love. It was not another attack of brain

fever. For some months now, I have been

in spiritual turmoil, unfit to for any

company, even for the comfort of your

dulcet fellowship. My days of pain are

over, but for this -- I can never see you

again. My life has a higher purpose than

the fulfillment of a ridiculous love affair

now.

No longer can I suffer the evil of

(temple), the evil they did

to me, and the evil they are doing to all

of Tamriel. The days the prophet Marukh

spoke of are on us again. I must rally the

people by any and all lies, innuendo, bigotry,

and threats to rise against the spiritual

tyranny of (temple).

Forgive me, my former love. And if you

can, forget me. And if you can do neither,

do not see me. If you do, I will slay you

and stick candles in your eyes and twine

your organs with beads for the greater

glory of the gods of the universe. Filthy

(lover's description), torment me no longer.

(Prophet's name)

The letter reveals that the prophet is obviously an impostor, which should be the evidence the Temple needs. Return with this letter to the quest giver for your reward. Alternatively, you can show the letter to the prophet, who will be furious and yell:

"(Lover's name)! False creature, deceiver! How (he/she) will pay! (Warrior's name), deal with this (player's race)!"

The prophet takes the letter from you and flees, and a warrior will show up to kill you.

If your reputation with the lover's faction is lower than five, the lover will deny knowing the prophet:

"Whatever they say, I never knew that (prophet's name). Tell (cleric's name) (he/she) has the wrong (lover's description)."

You will not get the lover's letter in this event; in this case, or if the prophet took the letter from you, you must wait until the quest moves on.

The Aftermath

The cleric's replacement

A severed finger

Two to about twenty-one days after the quest was started you will be approached:

A young lad hands you a letter and scurries off.

You may receive one of two letters, or both. Either letter will lead to enough evidence to satisfy the quest giver.

The First Letter

The first letter is addressed from the cleric's tavern. It seems something unfortunate has happened there:

(Tavern)

(Tavern's town)

Dear (player's name),

There's been a horrible accident

here at (tavern), involving

(cleric's name). Please come here

when you can.

Yours sincerely,

(Replacement's name)

Meet the sender, a replacement cleric sent by the Temple, who will be at the same tavern the first cleric was staying at earlier. Speak to this successor, who will tell you the first cleric was murdered:

"(Oath), (player's first name), it was dreadful. The tavernkeep found (cleric's name) in one of the rooms, (his/her) body defiled in the most horrifying way, a grim parody of the old (temple) mortuary rites. It was (prophet's name), no doubt. This relic was found in (cleric's name)'s chest cavity. See if (lover's name) in (lover's town) recognizes it."

The replacement will give you the religious artifact which was used in the cleric's murder. If you show the artifact to the prophet's lover, it provokes shock and horror:

(Religious artifact)! (Oath), that's poor (prophet's name)'s property. (Oath), I knew (he/she) was unstable, but I never thought (he/she)'d really do it. (Oath), poor (cleric's name). If I had helped (him/her), (he/she)'d still be alive today. This won't make up for what I've done by failing to act, but you will know what to do with this letter. May (random god) forgive me.

The lover will now give you the letter which reveals the prophet as an impostor. Return this letter to the quest giver for your reward.

If confronted with the religious artifact, the prophet will snatch it from you and say:

"Thank (random god), I was afraid I had lost that. Thank you, good (player's race)."

If the prophet takes the artifact, it will make it impossible to get the letter from the lover. Thus, you will be unable to gather the evidence to complete the quest by following this trail. The only other means of completing the quest comes if you have also received the second letter.

The Second Letter

The second letter you may receive reads as follows:

(Temple)

(Temple's town)

(Player's guild rank) (player's name),

(Priest(ess)' name) has failed to

meet with the man to whom (he/she) was to report

(his/her) findings in (dungeon).

We must assume the worst.

You are hereby ordered to find either

(priest(ess)' name) (him/her)-self or (his/her) body

in (dungeon) and report back

to me. All other assignments and investigations

take lower priority.

(Quest giver's name)

Travel to the dungeon to look for clues. Seek out the priest(ess)' earlier location, and make a grisly discovery - a severed finger:

You pick up a scrap of flesh, carefully, even ritually ritualistically stripped from a (priest(ess)' description)'s hand. This was once a finger of (priest(ess)' name).

Return the finger to the Temple; the quest giver will accept it as evidence and reward you. If you show the finger to the prophet, it will be taken from you amidst some amusing comments. If you are not able to procure the lover's letter after losing the finger, you will be unable to complete the quest.

Reward

To complete the quest successfully, you must return to the Temple with either the prophet's lover's letter or the severed finger. Hand over either and the quest giver will say:

"Well done, (player's guild title). I tremble to think what (prophet's name) might have done to our temple had (he/she) spread (his/her) profane word. (Temple god) bless you and keep you, goodly (player's race). Here, a small token of the esteem of your brethren."

Reputation Gain/Loss

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

Faction/Person	Reputation Gain
Deity of the Temple	+5
Temple and its associated factions	+2

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

Faction/Person	Reputation Gain
Deity of the Temple	-2
Temple and its associated factions	-1

Enemies

• Random dungeon monsters
• One Warrior if you show the lover's letter to the prophet

Notes

• The time limit of this quest is always 26 days 9 hours and 20 minutes.
• If you gave the letter or the religious item to the prophet, you can still complete the quest by returning the finger to the quest giver.

Bugs

• The letter you receive when the priest(ess) is murdered is supposed to display your rank in the Temple followed by your full name. However, the rank may also display as your full name, leading to an odd double-named salutation.
• Successfully asking an NPC about the prophet will not return the proper dialogue. Instead, the NPC will use the quest giver's "failed quest" greeting.

Additional Dialogue

If you ask an NPC about the prophet, you may be told:

• "Say what you want about (prophet's name)'s religion, but (he/she)'s a persuasive writer."
• "(Temple) is real nervous about having a revolutionary like (prophet's name) around."
• "I read about (prophet's name)'s miracle in (his/her) tract. I must say, it's persuasive."

If you ask an NPC about the lover, you may be told:

• "(Lover's name) -- ah, poor (lover's description). Well, (he/she) keeps mostly to (his/her [sic])-self.
• "(Lover's name) is a (lover's description) in (lover's building). They say (he/she) mourns for (his/her) lost love."
• "No matter what anyone tells you, (lover's name)'s lover is not dead. Mad, not dead."
• "(Lover's name) is one of the tragedies in (lover's town). They say (his/her) lover went mad."

If you ask an NPC about the replacement cleric, you may be told:

• "(Replacement's name) is that (replacement's description). Affiliated with (temple) somehow."
• "(Replacement's name) was an old friend of (cleric's name) before the ... accident."

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

• "Say what you want about (prophet'a name)'s religion, but (he/she)'s a persuasive writer."
• "(Temple) is real nervous about having a revolutionary like (prophet's name) around."
• "I read about (prophet's name)'s miracle in (his/her) tract. I must say, it's persuasive."

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

• "(Prophet's name)'s gone on to preach (his/her) evangelium to the heathen folk of Tamriel."
• "(Prophet's name)'s left the Bay, but (his/her) work is not yet complete."

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

• "That (prophet's name) was a charletan [sic] who found some fools in (town)."

If you successfully complete the quest, the quest giver may later greet you with:

• "For what thou hast done for the faith, I'd be happy to help thee."

If you failed the quest, the quest giver will greet you with:

• "I have nothing to say to thee, heretic of (prophet's name)."

Quest Log

The Heretic (c0b00y01)
Stage/ Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
0		(Date): (Quest giver's name) of (temple town) has sent me to investigate the life of (prophet's name), who claims to be a prophet. I am to ask about (him/her) in (his/her) hometown, (town). (Cleric's name) is waiting for me there to give me (his/her) further instructions. I am to meet (him/her) at (tavern).
1		(Date): (Cleric's name) tells me that (prophet's name) is in (prophet's building) in (prophet's town), but it might be a good idea to go visit a (lover's description) named (lover's name) in (lover's town). (Cleric's name) doesn't know the relationship between the two, but it's worth investigating.
2		(Date): (priest(ess)' name) told me that the name (lover's name) and the town (lover's town) were found on several scraps of paper in (dungeon), bearing investigation.
3		(Date): (Replacement's name) told me about the ritualistic murder of (cleric's name) and gave me some (religious artifact) found on the body. (Replacement's name) suggested that I go to (lover's town), show it to (lover's name), and see if it convinces (him/her) to speak to me.
4		(Date): I just read a letter that (prophet's name) sent (lover's name) a month ago and (he/she) gave me. The letter should thoroughly discredit (prophet's name) to any and all of (his/her) potential converts. The (prophet's description) was mad as a monkey.
5		(Date): I received a letter from (quest giver's name) telling me to get to (dungeon) and see what happened to the priest, (priest(ess)' name). I am to either find the (priest(ess)' description) or evidence of (his/her) death.
6		(Date): I found a finger which I presume was once attached to (priest(ess)' name). It was curiously, even ceremoniously severed.