Online:Schism

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to Surii Dreth.
# Save the miners.
# Recover the Gnaw-Root Goblin Totem.
# Talk to Thragnar the Breaker.
# Subdue goblins.
# Meet Thragnar the Breaker at Miharil's hut.
# Return to the village.

Detailed Walkthrough
Napetui waits by the eastern entrance to Mud Tree Village. Speak to him to begin the quest:

:"A moment, stranger. I am Napetui. The wisdom of the Hist has guided you to me. Let us speak before it is too late."
:Too late for what?
:"Xuth! Our foolish clutch-brother, Miharil, came to this village, even though he was warned not to.
:He is trapped in the Mud Tree Village mine. The little ones, the Goblins, have captured it. Miharil is still inside."
:How can I help?
:"A former master named Surii Dreth now serves as the overseer. It is a shameful change of title, little more, but she knows these mines better than anyone.
:''Me? I'd probably spit on her snout. It's better for you to talk to her."
:If your brother still lives, I'll find him.'''

Surii Dreth can be found in the town's blacksmithing hall. Speak to her:

:''"Sorry, but if you're here to buy iron, the metalworks is running low. A minor labor dispute, that's all.
:Come back in a few days, and I'll give you a good deal on iron ingots."
:I'm looking for Miharil.
:"Miharil? His brothers put you up to this? Well, he's not here. He's in the mine with more valuable, productive employees.
:Now excuse me, I've got a labor problem to deal with."
:You mean your Goblin problem?
:"Damn those Argonians! They can't keep anything quiet. All right. It's Goblins.
:You want Miharil? Then rescue my workers. Just try not to kill the Goblins. Oh, and bring back their Goblin totem."
:Why the concern about these Goblins? What does a totem have to do with this?
:"I don't need an all-out war, not until the vicecanons send help. The fewer dead, the fewer angry Goblins.
:And with that totem, I'll have some bargaining power."
:How do I avoid killing Goblins?
:"Well, I had the men gather table scraps from the mess. There's no food in that mine. The Goblins will be starving.
:Throw scraps at them, and they'll go mad for it. They might even fight over it. That's better than them eating my miners."
:I'll check out the mine.
:"Good. If you can get this mess sorted out we'll be back to business as usual and I won't have to listen to any more of Tel Dravel's moaning."
:About the mine ....
:"It's not operational without miners, if you catch my meaning.
:What do you really want?"
::[Persuade] Can't you spare more food scraps? I'm trying to save your mine.
:::"Take some more. It's not like slop is expensive."
::Where did the Goblins come from? Why did they attack?
:::"Their camp's above the mine. We employed a few of them, but otherwise we left each other alone. I don't know why they'd be upset at us.
:::Maybe they decided we looked funny. Or maybe they wanted my favorite dress. Either way, it has to stop."''

Enter the mine and locate the miners. The mine is full of hostile goblins, but you can turn them non-hostile by aiming at them and interacting with them from afar, when a prompt to "use food scraps" appears. Note that this action has a cooldown; you can't use it to sprint through and past hordes of hostile goblins. Take it slow.

You'll find the first miner, Lenam Sero, just west of the mine's first intersection. Speak to him:

:"Surii finally sent help? The Goblins went crazy and started killing without warning. I barely escaped!"
:Go ahead and get out of here.
:"Thanks, stranger. I got separated from Eydvi Iron-Kettle and Miharil. They ran to the Argonian huts, and I hid here.
:''I hope they're all right!"''

The Argonian huts are in the more expansive chamber to the east. You'll find Eydvi at the mouth of the chamber. Speak to her:

:''"Oh, you're not a Goblin.
:If I had a weapon, I would have flattened all these stinking runts, but they caught me by surprise. I told Surii this was a bad idea!"
:Surii sent me. Have you seen the other miners?
:"Lenam Sero fled further into the mine, but Miharil ran into that hut. I'm not sure if he's still alive. Frankly, I don't care. That lazy scaleskin left me to die.
:Many thanks, my friend. When we meet again, the mead will be on me."

Miharil is in one of the huts further into the chamber. Enter it, and speak to him:

:"Who are you? Did Surii send you to kill me?"
:I'm here to save the workers.
:"They must think me thick-shelled ... and they'd be right. I came to help. No one, not even a Goblin, deserves to be a slave. Surii Dreth used their totem to control them.
:So I stole the totem. I thought if I returned it to the Goblins, they'd leave."
:They're still here.
:"And they even chose a war chief and settled in. They'll keep attacking the village until the vicecanons wipe them out.
:Help me clear the blood from my name."
:Surii Dreth wants the totem returned to her.
:"So she can enslave the Goblins again. That would bring peace ... of sorts. I can't bear that. If I had the totem, perhaps I could solve this.
:Go out the mine's back exit to the Goblin camp above us. The war chief must have the totem."
:Stay here until I bring that totem back.
:"Please hurry. If the vicecanons arrive before we get the totem, they'll just kill or enslave the Goblins again.
:This was supposed to be a clear stream, but it is now fouled with blood."''

To get to the war chief, you'll need to exit the mine to the west. There are more goblins along this path; you'll be able to use scraps on them right up until you exit the cave.

There is a quick and easy way to reach the war chief with minimal combat. When facing out of the cave, look at the lefthand barricade. Approach it and stand on the small rock in front of it. From here, look north, and you'll see a small portion of rock jutting out of the cliff; jump onto it. Continuing to go north, you'll see a portion of the cliff face that slopes downward away from you; hop onto that slope. Walking up the slope a bit will allow you to jump onto the next layer of rock, northeast. At that point, you're on top of the plateau, and you have a straight path to the war chief.

Kill the war chief, and loot the Gnaw-Root Goblin Totem from his corpse. Once you do, you'll hear a shout from below:

:Thragnar the Breaker: "I hear you up there! Get down here and help me!"

A waypoint will lead you toward a one-way drop; follow it, and you'll find Thragnar beside a few dead goblins. Speak to him:

:"I figured Surii Dreth would send someone after the totem. Just had to hide nearby and wait for rescue.
:''And here you are. I'm not delirious enough to think she sent you to save me."
:What are you doing down here?
:"Surii Dreth brought me in to keep the Goblins in line. That trinket of theirs only does so much.
:All these years of experience breaking slaves to be properly obedient, and then a damn Goblin stabs me."
:Tell me everything.
:"That soft-hearted Argonian stole the totem, breaking its spells. I'll wear his hide for boots! Goblins are animals. We were teaching them a trade.
:With you here, there's still hope to salvage this mess."
:How so?
:"Beat on some Goblins for a bit, then slam that totem down in front of them. They'll cower at the sight.
:While you do that, I'll climb down. Meet me inside the mine at the slave quarters. We'll retake the place ... if you've got the totem."''

You'll now have to fight some more goblins. Once they're weakened, you'll get a prompt to use the totem when you aim at them; doing so will make them flee. Terrify six goblins in this manner, and then return to the hut that Miharil took shelter in. Inside, you'll find Thragnar and Miharil.

Speak to each of them in sequence. Each will make their case, and then you'll have two dialogue options: one to permanently make a decision and advance the quest; another to simply hear out the other NPC. Both options are colored in red, though the latter option doesn't advance the quest. Miharil has this to say:

:''"Quick, give me the totem. I'll use it to lead the Goblins into the swamps. They won't bother anyone after that.
:Sure, they're not civilized, but they don't deserve this abuse."
:How do you know the Goblins will listen to you?
:"I don't, but I have to try. If we enslave them, what does that say about us?
:It isn't about the Goblins, really, it's about what we want the Pact to be. And I want it to be better."
::Take the totem and lead the Goblins to freedom.
::I need to talk with Thragnar the Breaker first.

Thragnar has this to say:

:"Surii Dreth already has your reward all counted out and ready to hand over.
:You give me the totem, we go back to work, and these Goblins learn from the example of the Ebonheart Pact. That's better for all of us."
:How do you know the Goblins want to work for you?
:" It's the natural way of things. We're smarter and stronger, so they should obey us.
:That's better for them and better for the Pact. We all win. Don't let that pit-bait scaleskin tell you otherwise."
::Take the totem and do what's needed.
::I need to speak to Miharil first.

Enslave the goblins
Speak to Thragnar and give him the totem.

:"That's a good choice, both for yourself and these little brutes.
:I'm sure the boss will have your money topside."

Thragnar will add a further thanking in front of Miharil:

:"Thanks, friend. See the boss for your reward."

Thragnar will then exit the hut. Return to Mud Tree Village and speak to Surii Dreth to complete the quest:

:"Excellent! You're a bit slow, but you got the job done. You showed these scaleskins what a real citizen of the Pact will do for the cause.
:We'll get things back on schedule in a few days. The mine's already back to work!"
:Glad I could help.
:"And here's your reward, as promised.
:If you ever need someone to put in a good word for you, let me know. I always repay my debts."

Free the goblins
Speak to Miharil and give him the totem.

:"May the rains be ever on your back, friend.
:This nightmare will be over shortly. Let my brothers know I'll see them soon."

Miharil and Thragnar will converse:

:Miharil: "Good riddance, Thragnar the Failure! To freedom!"

Miharil will then exit the hut. Return to Mud Tree Village and speak to Napetui to complete the quest:

:"My brother went to lead the Goblins away. We're hoping he succeeds and returns safely.
:Thanks for your help, my friend."
:Glad I could help.
:"May the swamp give you bountiful fruit, plentiful fish, and sharp stones, my friend.
:You've done a great service for our egg-brother, and it will not be forgotten."''

Unfortunately, the Goblins are not grateful: if you should visit their camp again, you will find Miharil's corpse. It has an "Examine" link but clicking it does nothing.
  

Quest Stages