Oblivion:Owyn

Owyn is the Redguard Blademaster in charge of the Arena Bloodworks. He can always be found at the far end of the training room in the Bloodworks. He will stand there day and night without ever eating or sleeping, despite the fact that the Arena is not open at night. If you wish to become an Arena combatant, he is the one that you will need to arrange your fights with. Before each match you will sign up for the fight with Owyn. During this, he will often dispense a few useful tips regarding your upcoming opponents. After their inevitable defeat, you will collect your reward from him (amount detailed in the rightmost column).

Owyn wears an iron cuirass, greaves, gauntlets, and boots. He carries a leveled longsword and a small amount of gold.

 
Related Quests


Dialogue
According to a crumpled note on the floor (in the corner to the right of where Owyn stands), Branwen is Owyn's illegitimate daughter. However, neither Owyn nor Branwen will talk to you about the subject. To further crush his family life, he once even asked Ysabel Andronicus to marry him. As she puts it, ''"Would you believe Owyn once asked for my hand in marriage? It's true! Poor bastard was heart-broken when I turned him down. I'm old, not desperate." Owyn himself has a different take on it, preferring to think of it as, "Between you and me? Ysabel is completely in love with me. But I'm just not a one-woman guy. Nope, the life of the bachelor suits me just fine..."''

It's clear from the first time you speak with him that Owyn isn't really the friendliest person down in the Bloodworks, as he says, ''"I don't know who you are friend, but you've got about ten seconds to tell me what you're doing in my Bloodworks before I lop your arms off."'' His unpleasantness doesn't end there: he will continue each time you see him with ''"You again, huh? So what is it this time? Better start talkin' before my sword starts swingin'!" and "You haven't run home to momma yet, huh? That's a good sign. So, you ready for a match, or do you just need some information?"'' If you really need the clarification and ask him about "Owyn", he'll snap, ''"That's me, genius. Down here, I'm the boss. I don't care if the Emperor's ghost is floating around. In the Bloodworks, he answers to me."'' He'll describe Ysabel in a similarly charming way: ''"That's Ysabel Andronicus, crabby old woman who sits over there. She's dear to me, so if you wrong her in any way, I'll rip your damn liver out." He also has a little to say on Gaiden Shinji, founder of the Arena: "The first Arena Blademaster. Best damned warrior that ever lived, served the Order of Diagna. Got killed fighting the Orcs, Azura rest his soul."'' Don't bother with trying to get any rumors from Owyn in early ranks of the Arena; do so and you'll only receive a rude ''"I heard a rumor that you're an idiot.  Any truth to that?" Later on in the questline, when you have become a Warrior (see chart), he will actually provide rumors. This includes the one regarding his disinterest in Ysabel, the other regarding Agronak gro-Malog: "Agronak is good, yeah. Too good. He says he's only half Orc. What I want to know is, what's the other half? Cause it sure ain't human..."

Rules of Combat Dialogue
Owyn will also be glad to tell you the rules of the game before you step into the Arena: "You fight for the Blue Team. You fight against the Yellow Team. In order to fight in the Arena you must wear an Arena Battle Raiment. The Battle Raiment covers your entire body. You can use your own helmet, shield, and weapon, so choose those items wisely. The Battle Raiment's already enchanted, so you can't muck with it. But aside from that, anything goes. Magic, stealth... whatever you need to win. You can compete in the Arena any day from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Just come to me, tell me you're ready for a match, and away you'll go. Got it? Good. If you actually manage to win a fight, don't get any ideas about looting your opponent's corpse! That's strictly forbidden!"

Owyn will gladly outline the other details of Bloodworks procedure for you. Specifically, he will inform you that fighting and betting at the same time is not allowed: "Listen, I can't let you fight in a match while you've got a bet down on another combatant. Put your gambling to bed, and then we'll talk!" Trying to schedule a fight after hours results in him saying cursorily, "You might be ready, but the Arena ain't. Matches take place between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Come back later, moron."'' Having reached Gladiator rank or above, he'll be less abrasive and instead say, ''"I know, I know! Sometimes I wish we'd run the matches through the night, too! But the Yellow Team needs their beauty sleep! Ha ha ha ha!"'' While giving you the initial run-down on Arena rules, he'll inform you that there's also a dress code. Show up for a fight without wearing your Raiment (Heavy or Light) and he'll shout, ''"Ready? You call that ready? You're not even wearing your Battle Raiment! Don't talk to me again until you're suited up, you disrespectful maggot!"'' Once you've proven yourself to him and advanced enough ranks, his tone will change even if the rules do not and he'll say concernedly, ''"Um... You're not wearing your Battle Raiment... You all right? You haven't taken too many blows to the head, have you?"'' If you talk to Owyn again after signing up for a match, he'll rush you on, "What are you waiting for? You signed up for this, maggot! Now get up to that Arena and fight!" As a Gladiator or above, he'll be more patient, ''"Hey, something wrong? They're waiting for you up in the Arena!"'' If you tell him you're ready for a match again, he'll lose his patience, ''"I know you're ready! I already approved your match, you idiot! Now get up to that Arena and spill some blood!"'' If at least a Gladiator, he'll be more polite, "The match is all set, my friend! Now get up to that Arena and teach those Yellow Team maggots some manners!"

Match Dialogue
Once you tell Owyn that you intend to be a combatant, he will be more than surprised: ''"You what? You want to be a combatant? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Look at you! My granny could beat you, and she's dead! Wait, you're serious, aren't you? What is it with you people? You walk in here, want to be combatants, and your entrails end up decorating my Red Room. All right. It's your funeral. Welcome to the Arena, you filthy Pit Dog. You are free to fight, so long as you know the rules of competition."'' Seemingly resigned to sending yet another competitor off to die, he'll ask, ''"Now, let me give you your Battle Raiment. It's the uniform of all Arena combatants. Do you want a Light Raiment or a Heavy Raiment?"'' If you choose the Light Raiment, he'll be slightly confused and ask, "A Light Raiment, huh? You sure? I figured you for the Heavy Raiment type. You know, hide behind a skin of steel? Hmph. Okay then, here." He'll be less surprised if you opt for the heavier variety and instead say, ''"Here. Wear it proudly. And keep it in good condition, would you? That way I can give it to some other suicidal idiot after you're dead. Just let me know when you're ready for a match and we can get this over with."'' Whatever you choose, he'll follow it up with, ''"Put that on, see if it fits okay. When you're ready for a match, I'll be waiting. You want to fight, you talk to me. All right then."'' This concludes whatever training his un-heartfelt prep-talk may have been considered. Tell him you're ready for a match, and you can immediately head up to the Arena for your first taste of being a Pit Dog.

Match-Specific Dialogue


Higher Ranks Dialogue
As a Hero, Owyn will no longer refer to you'' derogatorily as a maggot and instead tell you this when you tell him you're ready for a match twice consecutively: "The match is all set, my friend! Now get up to that Arena and teach those Yellow Team maggots some manners!" Doing the same after scheduling the last fight against the Yellow Team will result in a concerned Owyn asking, ''"Hey, something wrong? They're waiting for you up in the Arena!" Once you are at least a Champion, Owyn will stop rebuffing you with "I'm a busy man. What is it?" and "Get a move on."'' Instead, he'll be pleased and greet you by saying, "Hello, my friend! What can this grizzled old Blademaster do for you?" You can still select 'Ready for a match', but he'll only laugh and say, ''"Ready? Ready for what? You're a champion now! The Grand Championship is the only thing left!"'' You'll receive similar treatment when you do the same as the Grand Champion, as he says, ''"Ready? Ready for what? You're Grand Champion! You've already won it all! The whole damn thing! Ha ha ha ha ha!"''

Forcible Removal Dialogue
If you decide the Arena isn't for you and tell him you're leaving, he'll sneer, ''"You're damn right you will! This is a training hall, not a nursery! Now get back up those stairs while you still have legs! Damned tourists...." If you do join and end up being forcibly removed (by removing your Raiment during two separate matches), Owyn will be less than pleased. The first time it happens he will reprimand you with, "You complete and utter disgrace! Disqualified? For not wearing your Battle Raiment? Don't you dare humiliate the Blue Team like this again! You listen good. This is your only warning. One more disqualification, and you'll never fight in the Arena again! Now get out of my sight!" Repeating your mistake will get you, "You idiot! You complete piece of gutter trash! Two disqualifications? That's it! You are hereby stripped of all titles! Get out of my Bloodworks!" Further speaking will result in, "You blew it. You had it in the palm of your hand and you threw it all away. You make me sick."''

Rumors
Hundolin, the Arena's bet-taker, will warn you about Owyn before you first set foot in the Bloodworks. He will invite you in, saying, ''"If you're looking to join the Arena as a combatant, you need to head down to the Bloodworks and talk to Owyn, the Blademaster."'' However, he'll also add, "Be on your best behavior, though. Owyn is a bit... cranky by nature." The Blue Team Gladiator will be the only Arena member besides Ysabel to show their opinion. When asked about the resident Battlemaster, he'll reply, ''"That's Owyn. He is in charge of the Arena. Arranges the fights, trains combatants, that sort of thing. Been that way since Gaiden Shinji."'' Ysabel's reaction to asking about Owyn is remarkably dissimilar; as stated above, she regards him as a desperate man whose heart she broke upon refusing his offer of marriage. Owyn's only close familial tie, Branwen (his alleged daughter), refuses to mention him as much as he refuses to mention her—as evidenced by the crumpled status of the note she sent him.

Notes
As with numerous other NPCs, Owyn doesn't employ the principles needed to participate in the Speechcraft minigame.