Project Tamriel:Cyrodiil/Into Ugly Obscurity

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Delve into an Ayleid stronghold, and unlock terrible secrets... Quest Giver: Bucynarel Location(s): Garlas Agea, Cita Reward: 800 gold, up to 3800 gold Ayleid Curved Long Blade Scroll of Polychrome Refraction OR Varla Stone of Mental Exegesis Disposition: +30 or +40 or -35 (Bucynarel) ID: PC_m1_SC_GarlasAgea PC_m1_SC_GarlasAgeaAuroran PC_m1_SC_GarlasAgeaNotes

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Bucynarel at the bottom of Garlas Agea, Cita about varla stone.
2. Retrieve the Varla Stone and keystone from Garlas Agea, Nagaseli.
3. Return to Bucynarel for your reward, or keep the Varla Stone (ends quest).
4. Talk to Bucynarel about explore Garlas Agea.
5. Retrieve the next keystone from Garlas Agea, Dorahame.
6. Return to Bucynarel for your next reward.
7. Read the notes of a dead scholar in the library.
8. Defeat Racha, Lord of Ugly Obscurity, in Garlas Agea, Aransel.
9. Return to Bucynarel for your final reward.

Detailed Walkthrough

The large tower of Garlas Agea is a prominent landmark for those walking the Strident Coast. Inside the first area - the Cita - you will find a deep shaft circled by a long stairway, and an Imperial Archaeological Society group at the bottom. Speak to the leader here, Bucynarel. She's awaiting a mercenary hired by the society to aid her in the retrieval of a varla stone, and in the absence of an official hire, will happily commission you to do the work.

Apparently, some of the doors of the ruin are locked and can be opened with keystones. Bucynarel has the Nagaseli Keystone to open the door to the Nagaseli area, and will give it to you. You're tasked with retrieving both the varla stone that lies within and any keystones to other areas.

Nagaseli

The entrance to the Nagaseli area is at the very bottom of the Cita one. Enter using the Keystone, and proceed through the winding catacombs to the large chamber in the northern part of the area. This contains a Varla Stone encased within an opaque metal cage. You can lift this cage by pressing a button on the pillar in the lower area to the west. With the cage lifted, take the Varla Stone of Mental Exegesis revealed beneath. You should also take the Dorahame Keystone in the open sarcophagus lying in front of the pillar that bore the Varla Stone.

Return to Bucynarel. She'll ask you to hand over the Varla Stone. Doing so will reward you with 800 gold and an Ayleid Curved Long Blade. Refusing will see her call you a thief and break off the conversation. Assuming you hand it over, talk to her about the explore Garlas Agea topic with the Dorahame Keystone in your inventory. She'll give you 200 gold as a deposit for your help, and promises a hefty coinpurse if you can return to her with the keystone to the final area, Malatu Mallari.

Dorahame

The entrance to the Dorahame section is partway up the stairs of the Cita (above the locked entrance to Malatu Mallari). Enter and fight your way to the southern part of the ruin (past poisonous gas vents) to reach the door to another section - this one called the Nedic Stand. This appears to be an old battleground between Nedes and Ayleid forces. Progress to the cave's southern end, and you'll find a skeleton trapped in a rockfall, its hand still clutching the Malatu Mallari Keystone.

Return once more to Bucynarel. She'll ask if you will clear the Malatu Mallari part of the ruin for her. Refusing ends the quest, but you will be paid 300 gold for your efforts. Accepting also gains you the 300 gold. If you accept, then Bucynarel will make enthusiastic mention of Racha's library, and you can ask her about this Ayleid king of yore.

"In our language, his title is best translated as the Lord of Ugly Obscurity. He was secretive even in life, so information about him today is sparse. What we do know is that he greedily hoarded knowledge. The locks and security measures in here were likely created to ward off thieves. The Alessian account states that he was killed in a battle to the northeast of here where he attempted to ambush their army."

Malatu Mallari

When ready, enter the Malatu Mallari area of the ruin - the door to this is just below the one to the Dorahame section. Something magical is clearly occurring here - scroll cases float without visible support, and blue motes glimmer in the air. Look for the circular library room in the northeast of this section. A skeleton rests against the desk in the room's middle, with the Ayleid Scholar's Notebook resting on its pelvis. Reading it will grant you the knowledge needed to progress to the final chamber - Aransel.

Aransel

It is in Aransel that you will encounter the Ayleid ruler of this ruin, Racha, Lord of Ugly Obscurity. You'll need to kill it to complete the quest. Once you've done so, be sure to pick up the Scroll of Polychrome Refraction on the arm of the Ayleid's throne. This magical item permits the repeated summoning of the Auroran, Nacarat. You can do this at any time by equipping the scroll. Nacarat is relatively talkative for a Daedra.

Once you've cleared the ruin, return to Bucynarel to receive payment of a hefty 2,500 gold sum.

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.

Into Ugly Obscurity (PC_m1_SC_GarlasAgea)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		I was hired by Bucynarel, an archaeologist from the Imperial Archaeological Society, to help with the Society's expedition into the ruins of Garlas Agea. Bucynarel gave me a keystone that unlocks the lowest section of Garlas Agea and said that she will pay me once I recover another keystone and the ruin's varla stone.
20		Bucynarel paid me for the varla stone I recovered from the depths of Garlas Agea.
30	Finishes quest	I refused to give Bucynarel the varla stone I agreed to retrieve in Garlas Agea. She was very upset with me.
40	Finishes quest	Bucynarel paid me for the keystone I found in the Nagaseli section of Garlas Agea. She asked if I wanted to help explore Garlas Agea further, but I refused.
50		Bucynarel paid me for the keystone I found in the Nagaseli section of Garlas Agea. I agreed to help her further explore Garlas Agea by finding a keystone in the section of the ruins called 'Dorahame'.
60		I returned to Bucynarel and agreed to help her explore Garlas Agea by recovering a keystone from the section of the ruin called 'Dorahame'.
70	Finishes quest	Bucynarel paid me for the keystone that I found in the Nedic Stand. She asked if I wanted to help the expedition further by clearing the final section of the ruins, but I refused.
80		Bucynarel paid me for the keystone that I found in the Nedic Stand. I agreed to further help the expedition by clearing the final section of the ruins, called 'Malatu Mallari'.
90		I returned to Bucynarel and agreed to help the expedition further by clearing the final section of the ruins, called 'Malatu Mallari'.
100	Finishes quest	Bucynarel thanked me for my assistance in clearing the ruins of Garlas Agea and paid me two thousand and five hundred septims for my work.
110	Finishes quest	Bucynarel is dead.
120	Finishes quest	Bucynarel was horrified by my killing of one of the other excavators and told me to leave Garlas Agea immediately.
Into Ugly Obscurity (PC_m1_SC_GarlasAgeaAuroran)
10		A scroll in Garlas Agea gave me the ability to summon the Auroran Nacarat. Nacarat is bound by contract to the scroll and can be summoned at any time through it.
Into Ugly Obscurity (PC_m1_SC_GarlasAgeaNotes)
10		I've discovered the notes of a long-dead archaeologist in the library of Garlas Agea. Apparently, the incantation written in the notebook can be used to open a sealed door deeper in the ruin.