Daggerfall:Missing Person Case

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to a Merchant or an Innkeeper.
# Ask the two friends you are pointed to about the missing person's whereabouts.
# When you have found a clue follow it to the end.
# Return to your employer within the time limit and collect your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough
The Vanishing
Speak to a merchant or innkeeper, who says:

:''"My name is (employer's name). Can you help me find my friend? I can only pay you (random gold) gold."
or
:"Please help me. My friend (missing person's name) is missing. I am afraid that (he/she) might have been hurt. I will pay you (random gold) gold pieces if you find (him/her)."

Accept
The merchant or innkeeper goes on:

:"My prayers have been answered. (Missing person's name) has not been seen for four days, and I am very worried about (him/her). (He/She) has been seen consorting with (first friend's name) and (second friend's name). You might want to start with them. If you can't find (missing person's name) within two days, you need not search any further."

Decline
The merchant or innkeeper answers:

"Good day, (player's race). I will look for someone else."
"Is no-one willing to help me?"
"A thousand pardons. I mistook you for a heroic adventurer."''

The Search
thumb|right|You may catch the missing person's friends at home...
thumb|right|...or in a guildhall
thumb|right|Some of these friends keep interesting company, like these thieves
thumb|right|Others will be found in local businesses, sometimes together
This quest has multiple possible endings, and it is your investigative skills which will lead you to the missing person. To do this, you must interview the target's friends. There are four friends total, but only one of them knows where their associate disappeared to. Seek out the two friends your employer mentioned; ask around in town until someone tells you how to find them. If they do not know the missing person's whereabouts, they will each point you to one of the other two friends. 

Speaking to the four friends will yield the following, assuming that individual does not know where to find the missing person:

First friend: ''"(Missing Person's name)? Naw. Haven't seen (him/her) for a couple of days. Try asking (third friend's name). (He/She) might know."
Second friend: "(Oath). I haven't seen (missing person's name) since day before yesterday. You could ask (fourth friend) or (first friend). One of them might know."
Third friend: "(First friend) told you I might know something about (missing person's name)? Afraid not. All I know is (he/she) went out drinking last night. Hope nothing bad happened to (him/her)."
Fourth friend: "Sorry, I haven't seen (missing person's name) in a while.  I don't know why (second friend's name) would send you to me... Have you tried (first friend's name)?"

One of the four will know something, however, and the quest will proceed down one of the following paths:

Hiding Out
Speak to the first friend, who says:

:"You're looking for (missing person's name)? Well, (he/she) is hiding in (building), but don't tell (employer's name). (Missing person's name) has sworn to never speak to (employer's name) again. Don't ask me why."

You can proceed in two ways. First, you can find the missing person yourself. Head over to the building the friend named, enter it, and speak to the target within. The missing person says:

:"What are you doing here? I don't ever want to see (employer's name) again. Hey! let me go! You can't just drag me through the streets to (him/her)."

Return to your employer with your quarry, and be told:

:"(Missing person's name)! I didn't expect you to actually bring (him/her) here (player's name). (Missing person's name), where have you been. I have been worried about you. (Player's first name), I'll take it from here."

Alternatively, you can skip the step of finding the missing person and head straight back to your employer, who will say:

:"So, (missing person's name) is hiding, eh? I'll go get that miscreant out of (his/her) hiding place. You've been very helpful (player's name)."

In the Clink
If the second friend knows something, you will be told:

:"Have I seen (missing person's name) lately? Sure. The guards caught (him/her) stealing from a temple. (Employer's name) will be livid when (he/she) finds out."

Relay this information to your employer, who will be livid:

:"In jail! I have to leave right away. Maybe I can bribe the magistrate."

Skipped Town
The third friend may tell you:

:"Did (employer's name) put you up to this? I thought so. (Oath), (he/she) had a nasty   with (missing person's name) a few days ago. (Missing person's name) left town and hasn't been seen since. No, I don't know where (he/she) went."

Return to your employer, who will be sad:

:"So (missing person's name) has left town. (He/she) didn't need to do that. I would have forgiven (him/her)."

Smiley
thumb|right|Smiley the killer, and a goon
 
Should the fourth friend know something, you must be on guard:

:"(Missing person's name)? Yeah, I know what happened to (him/her). (He/She) got killed, that's what. My friend Smiley asked (him/her) real nice for (his/her) gold, and (he/she) wouldn't hand it   You really should meet Smiley and my other friends. Get the (player's race), Smiley!"

A trio of barbarians, Smiley and two friends, will immediately enter the building and attack you. Kill them and loot their corpses. Return to your employer, who will be devastated by this turn of events:

:"Dead! How can that be? I hope you made that Smiley suffer (player's name). This is a day great sorrow for me."

Reward
After you have returned and received one of the above responses, your employer adds:

:"Here is the (random gold) gold I promised you."''

Reputation Gain/Loss
 

Enemies
Three Barbarians after you talked to Smiley's friend

Notes
This quest sometimes suffers from a bug in the game engine which will result in missing quest locations, see here for further information.
It is possible for more than one of the four friends to be located in the same building.
It is also possible for a friend to be located in the same building as your employer.
If one of the friends is located in a guildhall or some shops, the doors will be unlocked 24 hours a day for the duration of the quest; however since it is outside normal business hours, the regular inhabitants will not be present.

Bugs
Occasionally, you will be able to ask about both the third and fourth friends after getting only one of their names. This will not adversely affect the quest; in fact, it may actually make it easier to complete.

Additional Dialogue
After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
''"I hear (employer's name) is frantically searching for (missing person's name)."
If you fail the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"þNo one has seen (missing person's name) for days now. (He/She) has been given up for dead. I hear (employer's name) is grief- stricken over it."
If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"Say, aren't you that (player's race) that helped (employer's name) find (missing person's name)?"
If you successfully complete the quest, the quest giver may later greet you with:
"How can I turn down the (player's race) that found (missing person's name) for me?"
If you failed the quest, the quest giver will greet you with:
"I know it wasn't your fault you were unable to find (missing person's name) for me. They found (his/her) body in a gutter. Please just leave me."''

Quest Log