[Quest Design] - Corruption in the Guard

[sasquatch2o]

Corruption in the Guard:
This is a variation of the last bandit quest idea. The guard is corrupt. Goods headed toward X town are being intercepted by bandits. Instead of the guard complaining the merchants are grumbling and player hears the rumors walking around town. After speaking with merchants, you find several who are willing to enlist your help since the guard has been unable to protect shipments. Take care of bandits and receive reward. Finding them isn't easy they stay well hidden until goods are on the road and only attack when they can easily overpower the caravan. Use disguise? Walk with caravan from neighboring town to the one having all the trouble. While wearing the disguise they will attack.

Somehow player finds the leader of the guard has been receiving payments from bandits for information and protection.

1. After killing them search corpses and discover note detailing the items in shipment and time it would be expected. Player finds this odd. Return to town and tell merchants what you have found, show them the note. The merchants recognize the parchment and writing as belonging to the leader of the guard in town. Show this to the Hetman, mayor or whatever the leader of town is called and confront leader of guard with this information. Leader of Guard will be imprisoned and new trusted leader is replaces him.

2. One or to of the remaining bandits are too wounded to escape into the woods and beg for mercy. They claim the guard is corrupt and they will prove it in exchange for leniency. Take them to the prison to be interrogated. In addition to their testimony they have with them damning evidence the guy is corrupt. Some guards confess to knowing about the payments as well and the leader of guard is imprisoned and executed.

Running Out the Bandits:
New guy may have a follow up to sort out remaining corruption in and around the town.

FOR DISCUSSION

[arvisrend]

This is a good idea for a whole questline, not just two quests. Baan Malur maybe? The Redoran honor code would provide the most interesting contrast to the corruption.

@Loreheads: What is the exact relation between the guards in a town and its ruling House? This questline, if properly implemented, *will* have to involve politics -- someone among the higherups will definitely want to question the player and someone else might be covering the corrupt guards; who could these someones be?

This reminds me of another idea for a quest I wanted to see realized in Baan Malur. A merchant of enchanted items (if we don't have one, we need one -- Baan Malur is one of the most important places to have enchanted items gameplaywise) got fed up with thieves carrying off some of his stuff, so he started protecting the most easily accessible crates -- those outside of the house -- with curses (possibly including the "summon dremora" sort). This had the desired effect of stopping some of the stupider thieves... for good, but the guard is not amused by seeing the town turned into a battlefield. With rumors of guard corruption spreading around the town, the merchant, who is well-connected and wealthy (as any enchantment seller in MW) isn't willing to give in. The player has to solve this in one of the parties' favor or to mediate. This could/should be part of the same questline.

[klep]

I very much like this idea, and also the idea of making this a questline. I'd like to see such trouble in Roa Dyr, it being a major trade settlement with plenty of guards to add some extra problems to House Indoril. It could be an Indoril questline, or just a random one in the settlement.
At the moment I am too tired to think of how this could work and to properly put my ideas into words. If there isn't any major criticism against it I will give it some more thought soon.