Daggerfall:The Harpies' Nest

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to a Merchant or an Innkeeper.
# Head to the specified dungeon.
# Find and kill a clan harpy within.
# Pick up the harpy's gryphon's feather.
# Exit the dungeon and receive a letter.
# (Optional) Re-enter the dungeon and find the mercenary.
# Head back to the town where you got the quest, either alone or with the mercenary.
# Give the gryphon's feather to your employer within the time limit and collect your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough
thumb|right|Take care of an infestation
Winged Infestation
Speak to a Merchant or Innkeeper, who says:

:''"I have a not uncommon situation on my hands. A nest of harpies has moved into an old property of mine, and while I personally couldn't care less, our wise and benevolent (ruler's title) has decreed that the owner of any structure infested by harpies is responsible for extermination. There is apparently a fine involved for noncompliance. Frankly, I don't have the time for this; but if you wouldn't mind bloodying your sword a bit, I could use your help. The last mercenary I hired didn't make it, so I would understand if you're hesitant. I'd be happy to pay you, say, (random gold) gold pieces for your trouble."

Accept
The merchant/innkeeper goes on:

:Would you? Marvelous. Now, the catch is that I must have proof that a serious effort has been made to clear out (dungeon) in (time limit) days. Obviously that does not leave a lot of time. I had hoped that (mercenary's name), the mercenary I had hired earlier from the Fighters Guild would have been more capable. And, listen, (player's first name), you don't have to clear out all (dungeon). Just kill four or five of the critters and get back here. I know! The clan leaders wear specially dyed gryphon's feathers. Bring back one of those and I'll have the proof I need. Just make certain you don't fail to return in (time limit) days, (player's first name)."

Decline
The merchant/innkeeper answers:

:"(Oath). Well, I can't blame you. Never could abide the stench of harpies myself."''

Pluck the Feather
thumb|right|The clan feather
thumb|right|The mercenary is stuck in the dungeon
Before setting out, keep in mind that your weapons need to be of dwarven or better make to harm harpies. Once you are ready, head to the infested dungeon and enter it. There may be many of harpies in the dungeon, but only one of them will have a clan feather on its body. After you have found and killed the wanted harpy, pick up the clan feather (which appears as just an ordinary gryphon's feather) from its body and a message pops up:

:You have found a clan feather.

You only need this feather to complete the quest successfully. Return it to your employer for your reward.

(Optional) Rescue Mission
Sometime between seventeen hours to about two days after starting the quest, you will be approached:

:A young courier appears at your side, hands you a letter, and disappears without a word.

The letter is from your employer, and reads:

:''(Employer's building), (town)
:Dear (player's name),
:I am sorry to annoy you while I'm sure you're
:busy, but I received a caller from the Fighters Guild
:on the subject of (mercenary's name), that
:mercenary I first hired to clean out (dungeon).
:Without boring you with the details of the
:interview, let me tell you that I promised the
:Guildmaster I'd ask you to look for (mercenary's name)
:while you're in (dungeon). (Mercenary's name)
:looks   a (mercenary's description), so (he/she) should
:stick out at (dungeon).
:Well, I've fulfilled my promise to the Guildmaster.
:Personally, I don't care if you throw this letter away
:and let (mercenary's name) rot in (dungeon).

::I am eagerly awaiting your return.
::::::Yours truly,
:::::''(Employer's name)

If you choose to mount a rescue, you will find the mercenary at the same location where you previously killed the clan harpy. This should make the task much easier, assuming you remember where this was. Another clan harpy will spawn there as well. When found, the mercenary will say:

:"You're from (employer's name)? Thank (god's name) you arrived, (player's first name). Hope you don't mind if I join you. Take this (jewelry) as a sign of my gratitude."

The mercenary will now be following you. Exit the dungeon and head back to your employer. As soon as you arrive in town the mercenary will take their leave, saying:

:"Thank you, (player's first name). I know my way home from here."''

Give the gryphon's feather to your employer and collect your reward.

You will gain a considerable amount of reputation with the Fighters Guild if you rescue the mercenary; who will also give you a piece of jewelry for your trouble. This makes the whole task of reentering the dungeon once again worth the trouble. However, if you take your time getting to the dungeon and wait around a bit before entering, you may receive the letter before you have even had a chance to enter. If so, you can kill the harpy, get the feather, and rescue the mercenary all in one go; however you must still find them within.

If you don't wish to bother rescuing the mercenary, just travel back to your employer.

Reward
Upon receiving the feather your employer says:

:''"Well done, (player's first name). Now I can prove to the (ruler's title) that I've done my civic duty, or at least attempted to do it. You have earned your (random gold) gold indeed. Thank you."

Reputation Gain/Loss
 
Additional Reputation
If you also rescue the mercenary, you will gain reputation according to the table below:



Enemies
Random dungeon monsters
Quest Target: One Clan-Harpy
15x One Harpy every twenty-one in-game minutes (25% chance) once you enter the dungeon


Bugs
Players reported a glitch in this quest, preventing the quest giver from recognizing that the clan feather is in your inventory. There are two explanations:
:#It may be caused by the infamous "clear-flag" bug. In that case it's very likely to bypass this bug if you don't click (speak to) the quest giver before you have gotten the clan-feather.
:#You need also the second clan-feather, the one from the harpy which is at the mercenary's location in the dungeon. Pick up this feather too and return it to the quest giver.
:However, since other players have never encountered a bug in this quest, it is not clear what the cause of this glitch, if there is one, may be in the end. Nonetheless one should always remember one of the golden rules of Daggerfall: always save before accepting a quest.
After rescuing the mercenary, you are supposed to receive a random jewelry as a reward. However, this may not actually be generated by the quest, with the mercenary's dialogue naming the reward as "a BLANK."

Additional Dialogue
After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
''"The (ruler's title) demands physical proof of harpy extermination from some mercenaries."
"(Employer's name) has really let (dungeon) go to seed. It's hardly a storehouse now."
"(Employer's name) ought to have (dungeon) destroyed if it isn't going to be used."
If you fail the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"The (ruler's title) slapped (employer's name) with so many fines, I wonder if (he/she)'ll recover."
"(Employer's name) has had some real bad luck with harpy exterminators from what I see."
If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"The (ruler's title) seems happy with (employer's name)'s efforts to get (dungeon) cleaned out."
"(Employer's name) has made (his/her) first effort to get that filthy (dungeon) cleaned up."
If you successfully complete the quest, the quest giver may later greet you with:
"You helped me with those harpies, (player's first name). What can I help you with?"
If you failed the quest, the quest giver will greet you with:
"I have nothing to say to a (player's race) who can't pick up a few feathers."''

Quest Log