Daggerfall:An Object Lesson

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to a Merchant or an Innkeeper.
# Travel to the town mentioned by your employer.
# Enter the store, "liberate" the object and drop a note.
# Head back to your employer.
# Receive a letter via courier.
# Choose whether you want to return the magical object to its owner.
# If you choose to return it, travel to the town mentioned in the letter and return the object within the time limit for an alternate reward.
# If you choose to not return it, deliver it to your employer within the time limit and collect your promised reward.

Detailed Walkthrough
thumb|right|Shops come in all sizes
thumb|right|The owner may send a battlemage after you
thumb|right|This knight cares little about the shopkeeper's safety
thumb|right|A pair of rogues, assisted by the knight
thumb|right|This warrior will dog your heels anywhere you go, in any weather
thumb|right|The rightful owner of the magical item is not an entirely unreasonable person
 
Contract Dispute
Speak to a merchant or innkeeper, who says:

:''"Perhaps you would be the right choice for a little employment I have in mind. A competitor of mine has usurped a contract of mine and has entered into an illegal, or at least immoral trading relationship. I want to correct this situation and send a message to discourage (competitor's name)'s further encroachments. This may mean that someone will have to crush a few skulls. Would (random gold) gold pieces entice you into this employment?"

Accept
The merchant or innkeeper goes on:

:"Great. (Competitor's name) has a store in (town) called (store) and in it is a (magical item) that I want you liberate. And, on your way out, please drop this note off anywhere in the store. I can't resist. (Competitor's name) is going to   that (magical item) to a more secure location in (time limit) days, so you'll need to move swiftly. If you're not back in that time, your gold will be forfeit. And do I even need to add that (store) will be guarded? Probably not. Good luck."

Decline
The merchant or innkeeper answers:

:(Oath), scruples make me rash."

Shoplifting
Your employer gives you the note to leave behind, which reads:

:(Competitor's name),

:Fine security for your security.

:::Your Dear Friend

Head to the specified town and enter the store during its open hours. Find the magical item, which will be somewhere in the store, lying on the floor. Pick it up and drop the note instead. Sometimes, there are guards in the store; you may be accosted by a single battlemage or knight, or a pair of rogues or warriors. Take care of or run away from any resistance and head back to the town where your employer is waiting.

If you remembered to drop the note, up to thirty-six hours later you will be approached:

:A young boy hands you a letter and runs away before you have a chance to question him."

Check your inventory and find the letter, which reads:

:::::::::(Residence)
:::::::::(Competitor's town)
:Dear (player's name),

:I received your note. Very amusing. Now I have
:a proposition for you to consider. Bring me the
:stolen (magical item) and I will recompense you with a
:(gem). If you bring that (magical item) to your
:employer, you will have made an enemy.

:::::(Competitor's name)''

You now have two choices: bring the magical item to your employer, or return it to its rightful owner. If you wish to successfully complete the quest, return to your employer and collect your reward. However, if you wish to deal with the item's owner instead, head to the town named in the competitor's letter. Ask around in town until you learn the location of the residence named in the letter's header. The entrance will be locked, so be prepared with your preferred method of dealing with locked doors. Once inside, find and speak to the owner of the item to deliver it.

Reward
If you deliver the magical item as instructed, your employer says:

:''"Well done indeed, (player's first name). Ah yes, lovely, lovely (magical item). There can be no doubt that this is the very same (magical item) (competitor's name)'s partner gave (him/her) for security. You have certainly earned your (random gold) gold pieces."''

If you decide to seek out and talk to your employer's competitor, a decision prompt appears:

:''Do you give (competitor's name) the (magical item) in exchange for the (gem)?

If you say yes, the competitor rewards you as promised in the letter:

:A wise decision, (player's first name). This may be the beginning of a profitable relationship. The days of (quest giver's name) making a profit, on the other hand, may well be passing.

If you refuse, the competitor chides you:

:"I don't know why you came here then. Leave this place now, (player's first name)."

You can then return to your employer and deliver the item. Note that if you give the magical item to your employer, The Merchants will not take kindly to this theft. You will lose 10 reputation points with the faction if you do so. If your employer is a member of the faction, this still ends the quest with a net 5 point increase as most quests do. But if the quest giver belongs to a different faction, you will gain 15 points with that faction while losing the 10 with The Merchants.

Reputation Gain/Loss
 

Additional Reputation
If you brought the item back to your employer you will lose reputation with The Merchants as shown in the table below.



If you brought the item back to its owner, you will gain/lose reputation according to the table below.



Enemies
Any of the followings:
2x One Battlemage every seven in-game minutes (10% chance) once you enter the store
2x One Knight every eight in-game minutes (10% chance) once you enter the store
1x Two Rogues every nine in-game minutes (10% chance) once you enter the store
1x Two Warriors every ten in-game minutes (10% chance) once you enter the store

Notes
If you keep the magical item, it will remain in your inventory and won't vanish once the quest is over, unlike most quest items.

Additional Dialogue
If you speak to the quest giver while this quest is in progress, they may say:
''"This is not a charade, (player's first name). I need this job done."
After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"These are the days when business competition becomes particularly bloodthirsty."
"(Employer's name) and (competitor's name) are more bitter rivals than Gothryd and Akorithi."
If you fail the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Competitor's name) is really rubbing (quest giver's name)'s face in (his/her) newest business deal."
"Turns out that (competitor's name) is a tougher merchant than (quest giver's name) could dream of."
If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Competitor's name) has lost that contract (he/she) worked so hard to get from (employer's name)."
"(Employer's name) has (his/her) old contract back and is happy as a well fed harpy."
If you successfully complete the quest, the quest giver may later greet you with:
"Well, you got me the (magical item), so what can I do for you?"
If you failed the quest, the quest giver will greet you with:
"I have nothing to say to the lackey of (competitor's name)."''

Quest Log