Morrowind:Pledge from Canctunian Ponius

Collect a 1000 gold pledge from the East Empire Company in Ebonheart. Quest Giver: Iulus Truptor in Ebonheart Location(s): Ebonheart, Vivec Foreign Quarter, Sadrith Mora Prerequisite Quest: Donation from Cunius Pelelius Reward: Zenithar Whispers Disposition: +10 (Iulus Truptor) Reputation Gain: +5 (Imperial Cult), +1 Reputation ID: IC14_Ponius (also IC14_Ponius_not, IC14_Delay, IC14_Demand, IC14_Flacassia, IC14_Mossanon, IC14_NotTell, IC14_Okan, IC14_Promise, IC14_Shazgob, IC14_Sinyaramen, IC14_Tell) Required Rank: Layman

Canctunian Ponius

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Iulus Truptor at the Imperial Chapels in Ebonheart for a new almoner mission.
2. Go to the East Empire Company and talk to Canctunian Ponius to retrieve a pledged donation.
3. Canctunian Ponius will instead ask you to track down 3,000 gold of money embezzled from by a clerk, Mossanon.
4. Talk to Shazgob gra-Luzgan to learn that the clerk had been seen using the Guild Guide in the Foreign Quarter.
5. Speak with Flacassia Fauseius in Vivec.
6. Ask around the Sadrith Mora Mages Guild about Mossanon.
7. Talk to any Dark Elf females in Sadrith Mora about Mossanon and find out that he is seeing Volmyni Dral.
8. Find Mossanon in Dral's house and persuade him to return the money.
9. Come back to Canctunian Ponius with the money to receive his pledge.
10. Return to Iulus Truptor to complete the quest.

Detailed Walkthrough

Almoner Mission

Iulus Truptor at the Imperial Chapels in Ebonheart will ask you to collect another promised pledge of 1,000 gold from Canctunian Ponius of the East Empire Company (in his office at the company hall).

Pledge from Canctunian Ponius

When you ask Canctunian Ponius about his pledge, he'll instead ask you to track down 3,000 gold of money embezzled from the treasury by the clerk Mossanon. Once you recover this money, Canctunian Ponius says he'll pay his pledge.

Start right off by asking around the hall about Mossanon and you'll soon talk to Shazgob gra-Luzgan, who will tell you that the clerk had been seen using the Mages Guild Guild Guide in the Vivec guild hall. Okan-Shei in the hall will further tell you that this is because Mossanon has a Telvanni girlfriend.

In Search of the Clerk

Travel to the Mages Guild in Vivec and speak with Flacassia Fauseius, who will tell you that Mossanon has traveled frequently to Sadrith Mora, as should you. Many members of the guild there will direct you to a High Elf trader named Sinyaramen at the Gateway Inn in town. Sinyaramen cannot help you but suggests you talk to Dark Elf females if you want info on a Telvanni with a High Elf boyfriend. Confused yet? Alternatively, you can speak to the Sadrith Mora guild guide, Iniel, who will direct you to Volmyni Dral.

If you talk to Iniel or any Dark Elf females in Sadrith Mora about Mossanon, they should report having seen a High Elf in the company of Volmyni Dral, who lives near Wolverine Hall in town. Find and enter Dral's house; you'll find Mossanon upstairs. He explains that he did it to impress his girl, but now he knows she doesn't care whether he is rich. If your Speechcraft skill is high enough and his disposition towards you is favorable, he'll trust you and offer to return it on the condition that you don't reveal where he is. At this point you have three options:

• Promise secrecy: he'll give you 2,500 of it (he spent the rest) and thank you for your help.
• Demand the gold: if his disposition is high enough, he'll hand it over and beg for mercy.
• Consider his offer: he'll say goodbye. Nothing will happen other than a journal update, when you talk to him again you'll still have the same three options.

Return the Money

If you want to keep the gold, simply return to Iulus Truptor. To do the right thing, return to Canctunian Ponius in the East Empire Company Hall in Ebonheart with the news. You have the option of returning all or only a part of the money, since he has no way of knowing how much you actually recovered. If you got Mossanon's disposition up to have him hand over the money without making any promises then you have the option to tell Canctunian that you found the thief. You can reveal his location or not as you choose. If you do wish to tattle, or just let Canctunian know that you found Mossanon, be sure to talk to him about Mossanon before Embezzled Funds. Once the money is handed over, Canctunian Ponius considers the Mossanon matter closed.

Return to Iulus Truptor with the money to receive the Zenithar Whispers, an amulet that casts charm. This is the last almoner mission he has for you. If your rank is high enough he'll say he's given your name to the Oracle, and that you should consider taking some quests from her directly.

Notes

• You can choose to bypass most of the quest by paying Canctunian Ponius out of your own pocket. However, finding Mossanon is far more interesting.
• It is possible to get the 2,500 twice by first pickpocketing it from Mossanon and then talking to him about the embezzled funds.
• If you get the embezzled funds from Mossanon and return straight to Iulus Truptor (and not Canctunian Ponius) to pay the 1000-drake pledge, you get both the reward for the quest and also the remaining embezzled gold (Canctunian Ponius will, however, thank you for returning the embezzled funds when asked).
• Returning to Iulus Truptor without the money will cause his disposition towards you to drop by ten points.
• If you have previously met Sinyaramen on the Blood Ties quest, he will accuse you of being a vampire and refuse to speak with you (even if you have subsequently completed A Cure for Vampirism). This can make it more difficult to locate Mossanon, but the quest can still be completed after you find him. Simply speak to Iniel or a Dark Elf female in Sadrith Mora.
• There's no way of obtaining the IC14_Mossanon quest update.
• However much gold you give to Ponius (if you give him any at all), it will not be on his body if he is killed.

Quest Stages

The following Journal ID and Index codes can be used with the Journal console command to manually update the quest to a certain point.

Pledge from Canctunian Ponius (IC14_Ponius)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
1		Iulus Truptor asked me to persuade Canctunian Ponius of the East Empire Company to deliver the 1000 gold he has pledged to sponsor a mission to the Ashlanders. I'll find him at the East Empire Company Hall in Ebonheart. When I have the generous pledge from Canctunian Ponius, I'm to deliver it to Iulus Truptor.
10		Canctunian Ponius cannot redeem his 1000-drake pledge because an East Empire Company clerk has embezzled funds, and he is covering the losses out of his own fortune.
15		Since Canctunian Ponius cannot redeem his 1000-drake pledge because an East Empire Company clerk has embezzled funds, I offered to track down the clerk and recover the gold. If I can track this Mossanon down and recover the missing 3000 gold, Canctunian Ponius will immediately redeem his 1000-drake pledge to the Imperial cult.
18		Canctunian Ponius said Mossanon embezzled funds in the amount of 3000 gold in gold.
20		Canctunian Ponius said he had noticed a change in Mossanon's behavior -- a marked rise in his absences from the office.
25		I told Canctunian Ponius that I had failed to find Mossanon and the missing gold. Now Canctunian Ponius says he cannot redeem his 1000-drake pledge to the Imperial cult.
30		I gave Canctunian Ponius 2500 gold and told him it was all I could recover from Mossanon. He accepted the gold, and said it would enable him to redeem his 1000-drake pledge to the Imperial cult.
35		I gave Canctunian Ponius 2000 gold and told him it was all I could recover from Mossanon. He accepted the gold, and said it would enable him to redeem his 1000-drake pledge to the Imperial cult.
40		I gave Canctunian Ponius 1000 gold and told him it was all I could recover from Mossanon. He accepted the gold, and said it would enable him to redeem his 1000-drake pledge to the Imperial cult.
45		Canctunian Ponius thanked me for recovering his embezzled funds and gave me the 1000 gold he had pledged to support an Imperial cult mission to the Ashlanders.
48	Finishes quest	I told Iulus Truptor I couldn't get Canctunian Ponius to donate the 1000 gold he pledged to sponsor a mission to the Ashlanders. Iulus Truptor was disappointed, and told me my talents and temperaments were apparently not suited for soliciting donations. He thanked me for my efforts, but said he would no longer require my services as an almoner for the Imperial cult.
50	Finishes quest	I gave Iulus Truptor the 1000 gold Canctunian Ponius pledged to sponsor a mission to the Ashlanders. He was quite pleased, but he said he had no more tasks for me. He suggested I consider becoming a lay healer or lay sergeant. He also suggested that the Oracle, Lalatia Varian, might have tasks for me. Then he gave me a farewell gift, and wished me good luck.

Pledge from Canctunian Ponius
Quest ID	Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
IC14_Delay	1		I found Mossanon in Sadrith Mora and confronted him about the embezzled funds. He admitted his crime, and offered to return 2500 gold -- he had spent the rest -- and pay back the rest as soon as he could, if I'd promise to keep his whereabouts secret from Canctunian Ponius. I took no immediate action, giving myself time to consider his offer.
IC14_Demand	1		I found Mossanon in Sadrith Mora and confronted him about the embezzled funds. He admitted his crime, and offered to return 2500 gold -- he had spent the rest -- and pay back the rest as soon as he could, if I'd promise to keep his whereabouts secret from Canctunian Ponius. I refused to keep his secret, and he refused to return the gold.
	5		I found Mossanon in Sadrith Mora and confronted him about the embezzled funds. He admitted his crime, and offered to return 2500 gold -- he had spent the rest -- and pay back the rest as soon as he could, if I'd promise to keep his whereabouts secret from Canctunian Ponius. I demanded the gold, and refused to keep his secret. I made it clear he was in no position to dictate terms, and he yielded the 2500 gold to me without a fight.
IC14_Flacassia	1		The Guildguide for the Vivec Mages Guild, Flacassia Fauseius, remembered a High Elf named Mossanon who went back and forth from Sadrith Mora with a Telvanni woman.
IC14_Mossanon	1		Someone said a High Elf has been seen in the company of a local woman, Volmyni Dral. She has a pod over near Wolverine Hall.
IC14_NotTell	1		I told Canctunian Ponius that I found Mossanon, but I did not say where.
IC14_Okan	1		An East Empire Company savant named Okan-Shei said that Mossanon had an attractive Telvanni girlfriend, but that he kept her a secret.
IC14_Ponius_not	1		I told Iulus Truptor I couldn't get Canctunian Ponius to donate the 1000 gold he pledged to sponsor a mission to the Ashlanders. Iulus Truptor was disappointed, and told me my talents and temperaments were apparently not suited for soliciting donations. He thanked me for my efforts, but said he would no longer require my services as an almoner for the Imperial cult.
IC14_Promise	1		I found Mossanon in Sadrith Mora and confronted him about the embezzled funds. He admitted his crime, and offered to return 2500 gold -- he had spent the rest -- and pay back the rest as soon as he could, if I'd promise to keep his whereabouts secret from Canctunian Ponius. I promised to keep his secret, but I think he suspected I would not honor my promise, and he refused to return the gold.
	5		I found Mossanon in Sadrith Mora and confronted him about the embezzled funds. He admitted his crime, and offered to return 2500 gold -- he had spent the rest -- and pay back the rest as soon as he could, if I'd promise to keep his whereabouts secret from Canctunian Ponius. I promised to keep his secret. My earnest promise persuaded him to trust me, and he yielded the 2500 gold to me.
IC14_Shazgob	1		An East Empire Company trader named Shazgob gra-Luzgan said that before Mossanon went missing, he had been seen frequently coming and going from the Guildguide service at the Mages Guild in Vivec's Foreign Quarter.
IC14_Sinyaramen	1		A High Elf named Sinyaramen said he saw a High Elf in the market with a local Telvanni woman. He didn't recall her name, but he suggested I ask the ladies of the town about a Dark Elven woman with a High Elven friend.
IC14_Tell	1		I told Canctunian Ponius that I found Mossanon in Sadrith Mora with a Telvanni woman.

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