Online:The Ties that Bind

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to Nilaendril.
# Search the attack site.
# Search the camps and ruins.
# Talk to the Shade of Ulthorn.
# Rescue Captain Trelano.

Detailed Walkthrough
 
Text of the Quest:

Fists of Thalmor were attacked by strange creatures in . While many were slain, there may be survivors. Sergeant Dagla asked me to keep an eye out for her fellow soldiers. Investigating the scene of the attack might yield clues to their whereabouts.With any luck Ill find the scout there, as well.


Nilaendril: Are you with the Thalmor? Thank Y'ffre, I knew they'd send help! They wiped our camp out. When the patrol disappeared, I thought... wait, where are the rest of you?

Hero: Who were you expecting? Goodbye.

Nilaendril: The Fists of Thalmor! They sent a patrol, but they were attacked. I couldn't watch. There was nothing I could do! If you're not with them ....

Hero: Is it possible they survived? Goodbye.

Nilaendril: I don't know. When they attacked, it was a rout. We couldn't defend ourselves, but the Thalmor... it might be possible. This is a lot to ask, but could you have a look? Maybe someone's still alive in there.

Hero: I'll see what I can do.

Nilaendril: Be careful in there! There're things in the shadows.

Hero: Describe them to me.

Nilaendril: I didn't get a good look at them. They swept through the Fists of Thalmor like a storm of arrows. There was nothing I could do but run.

Hero: What brought the Fists of Thalmor? Goodbye.

Nilaendril: The survey team gets supplies from them every month. I tried to warn the Fists of Thalmor before they entered the forest. I was too late.

Hero: Survey team? Goodbye.

Nilaendril: Until a few years back, Wilding Run was a village. Not a large one, but enough to be missed. They all vanished. No one knows what happened, save that the Hound once set foot here. The Thalmor sent us to investigate.

Hero: The Hound?

Nilaendril: They say he was once a Bosmer, and this was his home. With all the destruction he's brought upon us, it seemed reasonable that he may be the cause of the disappearances. Now I'm the only one left.

Hero: Where are the others?

Nilaendril: Dead, like those Fists of Thalmor. The creatures set upon us at night. If I hadn't been up late doing research .... I don't like to think about it. Can we talk about something else?


Corporal Brelinith: Run while you still can! There's no telling when they'll strike again!

Hero: I'm looking for the missing soldiers. Goodbye.

Corporal Brelinith: You must be insane! Guess I won't question my good fortune. The ones I've found are dead, but I haven't seen a sign of Captain Trelano or the lieutenant anywhere. There's some tracks, but they don't make any sense.

Hero: Where should we start searching? Goodbye.

Corporal Brelinith: Surveyor's camps. Hopefully some of them made it out. I'm not optimistic. After that, we should search the ruins. We could try the overlook, but that's a far trek.

Hero: Any idea what attacked you? Goodbye.

Corporal Brelinith: The dead. You may have noticed, but they're a lot more lively here. Put one down and it just gets up again later... hmm. If you see a corpse, signal me. I have some arrows that might do the trick.

Hero: I have some questions. Goodbye.

Corporal Brelinith: Ask quickly. We're in the canopy without our climbing hooks. Let's not waste time.

Hero: Do you know this area well?

Corporal Brelinith: I should. Been a jaqspur for many years. Joined the Fists of Thalmor when the Dominion started recruiting. Figured they would need a guide. Turns out I was right.

Hero: Is it always like this? Goodbye.

Corporal Brelinith: No, but every few years this part of Valenwood gets restless. Lights in the forest, pebbles flying around ... it's different every time. I've never heard of it getting this bad before.

Hero: What was that about arrows?

Corporal Brelinith: Jaqspur arrows. Useful for hiding bodies when ... well, sometimes you don't want them lying around. Tips coated in a special oil. Nothing magical, just speeds things up a little. Hard to come by. I've only a few left.

Hero: Why did you join the Fists of Thalmor?

Corporal Brelinith: I served the Green Lady for years. Finoriell, the one before Gwaering. When the Dominion formed, some of us jaqspurs joined as a show of good faith. And, well, High Elves aren't exactly known for their forestry.

Hero: Do you have a problem with High Elves?

Corporal Brelinith: Nothing personal... but to my ears, you're like an old mammoth stumbling in the brush. I jest. Truly, Finoriell once said that about me. I do miss her.

Hero: What did you think of Finoriell? Goodbye.

Corporal Brelinith: Strong. Taciturn. Figured actions spoke louder than words. A true Green Lady if there ever was one. When she passed ... we all felt it. The jaqspur especially.

Hero: We should get moving. Goodbye.

Corporal Brelinith: Good. We don't have much time.


Shade of Ulthorn: He's trapped. Captured with a snare of Daedric magic. He will be made into the ones you have fought, or killed if proven too weak. If you wish to free him, be warned. You may take his place!

Hero: Take me to him.

Shade of Ulthorn: Prepare yourself. The journey is difficult. I

Hero: I am ready.

Shade of Ulthorn: Close your eyes.


Shade of Ulthorn: Are you ready to free your friend? Not much time left. I

Hero: I can't see anything.

Shade of Ulthorn: Allow me to clear your eyes. There. A bit more in ... focus.

Hero: Where are we?

Shade of Ulthorn: A prison of the mind. Built for who I once was. Hircine gazed into my soul, turning memories into a torturous labyrinth. One part of me escaped. And Hircine made it into a weapon.

Hero: Where is Captain Trelano?

Shade of Ulthorn: Deep within the prison, where Gamekeeper Ozzai cracks his mind like a nut. If she succeeds, she will hollow him out and make him into one of her servants. His shell will roam Nirn, hunting and killing everyone he ever knew.

Hero: How do I get to him?

Shade of Ulthorn: Simply pass this barrier. See the items on the table? Three memories, meant to steel a Hound's resolve. Choose correctly and the barrier falls. Choose poorly ... and her servants will have fresh prey.

Hero: Who are you?

Shade of Ulthorn: An echo of Ulthorn, before he became the Hound. When he left this place, his hunt for the Green Lady consumed him. Exactly as Hircine intended. Everything else was left behind. I was left behind.

Hero: What is this place?

Shade of Ulthorn: A forge. Instead of steel, it shapes flesh. Instead of fire, it stokes the soul. Here, Hircine crafted his Hound. A living weapon driven by passion. Gamekeeper Ozzai is not so discriminating. They build a crude army of dead flesh.

Hero: Who is Hircine?

Shade of Ulthorn: Hircine, a tyrant from Oblivion. Hircine, who is Half the Conscience of Man. He is the father of werebeasts, and thrills in the hunt, no matter the prey.

Hero: What does Hircine have to do with the Hound?

Shade of Ulthorn: I was a hunter once. When the Green Lady rejected me, I searched for aid. I came to Wilding Run and found Hircine, waiting for me. He turned my love into an obsession. Twisted it to his infernal purposes. And I became his Hound.

Hero: Why?

Shade of Ulthorn: To capture the Green Lady, I would think. The strongest of the Bosmer, greatest hunters of Nirn! How could Hircine resist such formidable prey? He's sought her as a trophy for generations. And I was the key.

Hero: Any thoughts on the first barrier?

Shade of Ulthorn: ln life, I laughed. Some say I was mischievous. An impractical present for a practical woman seemed irresistibly witty.


Shade of Ulthorn: At last! Gamekeeper Ozzai is defeated! The tortured souls, now avenged! Long have I waited for this day!

Hero: Where did you send the captain? Goodbye.

Shade of Ulthorn: Back to Wilding Run where he'd be safe. I couldn't stop her from capturing him, but I can undo the damage she's done. He won't remember much. I know the horrors Gamekeeper Ozzai can wreak upon an unprotected mind. None should have to endure that agony.

Hero: Can you send me back?

Shade of Ulthorn: Of course! You need only ask. After all you have done, this is the least I can do.

Hero: What will you do now? Goodbye.

Shade of Ulthorn: I cannot leave this place. It is bound to me, and I to it. I'll find a way to destroy it, even if it destroys me in the process.

Hero: Can you send me back? Goodbye.

Shade of Ulthorn: Of course! You need only ask. After all you have done, this is the least I can do.

Hero: I'm ready to go.

Shade of Ulthorn: You've saved countless souls. Gamekeeper Ozzai's army threatened to engulf all of the Valenwood. Its people can ill afford another threat in these troubled times. Farewell, friend.


Captain Trelano: Where am I? The attack ... the lieutenant was injured. I pulled him into a bush to hide. After that... voices, dead ones! I struck at them ... the lieutenant! He isn't...?

Hero: Alive, last I saw, and with your scout. Goodbye.

Captain Trelano: My scout? Corporal Brelinith! Then Sergeant Dagla may still be alive! She'd be camped at our fallback position. I must go to them. Thank you for all you've done! I'd be dead if you hadn't come!

Hero: Complete Quest.

Notes
First Barrier

Clue: "In life, I laughed. Some say I was mischievous. An impractical present for a practical woman seemed irresistible witty."

Scroll: "I'll take the skull and fashion a token of my affection."

Bone Amulet.


Second Barrier

Clue: When my love left to become the Green Lady, she left something behind. I kept it to remind myself of our time together. Of what could have been.

Scroll – "She would put down her bow forever"

Bow


Final Barrier

Clue: In my darkest hour, I prayed to every god and creature on Nirn. I was desperate. I needed a way to change what was. Change the story of the Bosmer.

Scroll – "I must not falter…With it, I will forge a new way, an new story"

Totem of Hircine

Quest Stages