[Quest Idea] - Mages Guild - Curse of the Webspinner

[Tondollari]

Idea for a Mages Guild quest, could fit in any city.

A member of the Guild recently ran away, and the player must find out why. He is a renowned academic writer, and his studies on Morrowind's flora and fauna can be found in guild halls all over the province.

Recently, however, he has not been diligent in his studies. He has only written strange personal ramblings and insults to other guild members. In his study, the player will find scrapped papers like "DIAGRAM OF EVOKER GU-LEI'S STUPID GREASY FACE", "DECLARATION OF EXORBITANT MISUSE OF GUILD FUNDS", and "TREATISE ON LOVE & CONSEQUENT REGRET IN 3E 387".

The player will find out that he often retreated to (insert isolated shack here) for meditation/concentration.

The player finds the guild member, but he is unwilling to talk. That is, until the player searches the cabin and reads his most recent aborted essays. In one of them he admits to making a pact with Mephala long ago.

The player asks him about this, and he admits that Mephala gifted him with the ability to profess secrets "within and without". The academic gift slowly transformed into a curse, and now whenever he tries to concentrate on his work, all he can do is dwell on his deepest and most personal secrets.

The player passes this on to the guildmaster.

[sasquatch2o]

I think it'd be better if lunatic guild members had driven him mad instead, but that's my own opinion. I'm sure this'll be a good one when it's finished. I especially like that it will introduce another hermit into TR and add another more scholarly quest to the list.

Maybe this quest could branch into a misc. Player could seek out the spot where the hermit first made his pact with Mephala. The location, either a hidden cave or shrine, only becomes active after receiving quest by during above MG quest. Player is given opportunity to make a pact with Mephala in exchange for completing a task (misc quest) that show will loyalty and ability. As a reward Mephala will grant you an ability that will allow player to remove hermit's curse or explain how to cure/ cope with its power.

In exchange for a favor. The secrets "within and without" is a gained spell or ability gives player a high buff on magicka or INT for several minutes followed by a severe curse in a long 10 minute cooldown. This could be explained by the user absorbing secrets good and evil, positive and negative energy. The 10 min cooldown might make use of powerful spells impossible until user has regained sanity.

The hermit has overused the ability leading him to confuse knowledge without for knowledge within. By not allowing himself time to recover from Mephala's gift, awareness has been replaced by confusion.


receive quest through hermit
encounter Mephala
complete test of loyalty and ability
-choice:
-1-kill hermit (he wasnt worthy of gift)
-2-(persuade) complete alternate to help hermit

1. Murder Path
-kill hermit
-return to Mephala
-make pact or refuse
++decline - "fool!"
++accept - receive Mephala's Gift with pact

2. Clear Conscience Path
-persuade Mephala to give an alternative
-complete alternate test
-return to Mephala
-Mephala offers pact
++decline - return to hermit to find him murdered
++accept - receive "Mephala's Gift"
-follow Mephala's instruction
-return to hermit cast Mephala's Gift to receive hermit's confusion (10 min debuff)

[arvisrend]

The player asks him about this, and he admits that Mephala gifted him with the ability to profess secrets "within and without". The academic gift slowly transformed into a curse, and now whenever he tries to concentrate on his work, all he can do is dwell on his deepest and most personal secrets.

To me this sounds more like a troll blessing made by Sheogorath. Maybe he was trying and trying to elicit a deal from Mephala, until Sheogorath intervened and gave him one instead?

And no@sasquatch, there is no need to give this "gift" to the player in any form. But I like the killing-the-hermit solution. "In your wisdom, did you see this coming? [Attack him.]"

[Tondollari]

Mephala's sphere includes lies and secrets. This quest is focusing on that aspect of Mephala, as well as the fact that she regularly interferes with mortals for her amusement. Also I avoided Sheo because of how much Sheo content is already in TR/MW.

[arvisrend]

Agreed. If Mephala is known to troll (and (s)he is, as we have established in Akamora), then there is no need for Sheogorath. Plus, Mephala has reasons to troll MG members: they have the insolence to approach the unknown and mystical with reason and logic; they need to learn.