Skyrim:Orthus Endario

thumb|"Please excuse the mess."
Orthus Endario is an Imperial citizen who works for the East Empire Company in Windhelm. He doesn't try to hide the fact that the office looks terrible but blames it on the pirates who have been plundering the Company's ships. If you help him investigate and dispatch these pirates, you will earn his friendship along with some leveled gold. You can then ask him for a favor if he attends the party at the Thalmor Embassy.

He starts his day at 7am by eating breakfast for one hour before he begins work at the office, wandering around the place and sweeping the floor. At 1pm, he heads outside to work at the Windhelm docks, then returns to the office for a one-hour dinner. He is intended to work for one more hour until his bedtime at 8pm, but instead stays up all night due to the lack of beds in the place (see bugs). One exception to this schedule is during Diplomatic Immunity, when he will be found at the Thalmor Embassy instead.

Orthus wears a set of merchant clothes along with a pair of boots. He wields an iron dagger and carries his key to the office along with a selection of common items and gold. 

He will often discuss the difficulties his job entails, as he will tell you, ''"Pardon the mess. We're really trying to do better around here.", "'Windhelm's an easy posting!' they said. Guess they didn't count on Ulfric's little uprising.", or "Can you believe the company won't even dock ships here anymore?"'' Before starting Rise in the East, he will also apologize for his office's barren state: "Please excuse the mess."

 
Related Quests
 
 

Quest-Related Events
Rise in the East
If you haven't spoken to Orthus about the office, you can talk to a guard posted near the entrance to the East Empire Company Warehouse, who will direct you to him: ''"If you want to help, I suppose you could head to Windhelm and talk to Orthus Endario. He's in charge over there."

When you ask Orthus himself why the place is so run down, he will reply, "Sad, isn't it? We can't afford to keep the place running since these attacks started." and explain the reason: "Pirates, you see. Raiding all along the coast, from Hammerfell to Vvardenfell. Only the Shatter-Shields appear safe." Asking him who the Shatter-Shields are will have him explain, "A very powerful family in Windhelm. They run a private shipping operation, and would love to have the docks to themselves. Wouldn't surprise me if they were in league with the pirates, somehow." If you ask him if he has any proof for that, he will reply, "Not yet, no. But perhaps an intrepid person such as yourself could help with that. They have a dark elf who oversees their operations. Suvaris Atheron. She's meticulous to a fault, and keeps a logbook with every transaction she makes. If it were to somehow end up in my hands, I wouldn't argue."'' Before you head outside to retrieve the logbook, you can ask Orthus on why the company won't fight back. He will explain, ''"Our own security forces are limited, and all the mercenaries are tied up in this ridiculous war. We don't even know their base of operations, and attacking single ships won't really solve the problem." Ending your conversation will have him tell you, "If you get me the logbook, I'll have proof of Shatter-Shield's treachery."''

Retrieve Suvaris' logbook and bring it to Orthus, who will respond, ''"How did you get it? No, never mind, I probably shouldn't know." He will take the logbook, reading out loud the details: "I see... it looks like Suvaris has been traveling to Dawnstar to meet with a pirate crew there. Get to Dawnstar and see what you can find out about these rogues. I'd wager they won't be too far from the tavern. Try to find out where their fortress is. The captain, Stig Salt-Plank, has to know something." If you have not talked to Stig, you can also inquire about the pirates, though Orthus will only answer once: "They call themselves the 'Blood Horkers.' They've been around as long as I can remember, but only recently focused on our ships. A dastardly group, but they're more than simple brigands. Shrewd. Clever. Not to be trifled with." When you bid farewell to him he will say, "Let me know when you've learned more about the pirates."''

Once you've talked to Stig and discovered where the Blood Horkers are, return to find Orthus being reprimanded by his superior, Adelaisa Vendicci:

thumb|left|''"Adelaisa, I'm sorry."

Orthus: "Adelaisa, I'm sorry." 
Adelaisa: "Sorry isn't good enough, Orthus. There's a lot of gold at stake here, and sniveling isn't going to get it back." 
Orthus: "I've got a top man/woman on the job right now. He/She should be returning any moment." 
Adelaisa: "This must be him/her, then."

You can talk to him first to report on the Blood Horkers. He will reply, "Just in time. This is Adelaisa, one of my superiors from the Company. She's been dispatched to... eh... see to it that we get back on schedule. You should probably speak to her." He will again point you to her: "She's probably the one you ought to talk to."'' if you end conversation with him. Before you depart for Japhet's Folly, ask him what he knows about Haldyn the pirates' battlemage leader, and he will tell you, ''"We used to think the pirates had an army of battlemages at their side. As it turns out, it was just one. Haldyn. I've since learned more about him. The most dangerous sort of man -- quick to anger, but patient in exacting vengeance. He also has a fearsome control of Destruction magic. I wish you the best of luck."''

Once the Blood Horkers are disposed of and you've returned to Windhelm, talk to Orthus. When he sees you, he may say, "Give those pirates what for!" Inform him that the pirate haven has been destroyed, and he will be thankful: ''"I can't express how much easier you've made my job. Maybe Adelaisa will finally ease up, but I expect she won't." He will end by saying, "Ah, yes, your pay. The Company thanks you for your services. Should we ever be able to help you, stop by."

If you see him again after Rise in the East, he will often express his thanks to you: "I can't thank you enough for what you did.", "The East Empire Company is in your debt.", "I really can't thank you enough for your help.", "We're so grateful for your help.", or "The conquering hero returns!"

Diplomatic Immunity
If Orthus attends the party, he will make his annoyance quite clear to you: "I should be back in Windhelm. I've got work to do.", "I'm ready for this party to be over.", or "Just between us, I've got more important things to do than attend these meaningless parties." Sometimes he will also talk about Vittoria Vici, who is an employee of the East Empire Company. He will tell you, "Did you know Vittoria is the Emperor's cousin? Best stay on her good side." or "Did you know Vittoria's getting married? They say the Emperor might even come to Skyrim for the wedding!" When you excuse yourself, he will bid you, "Goodbye, then." He may introduce you to Vittoria as well:

Orthus: "Vittoria! There's someone I'd like you to meet." 
Vittoria: "It's very nice to meet you. You'll have to excuse Orthus here. He so rarely gets back to civilization. Stuck in Windhelm, poor fellow. Don't worry, Orthus. I'm doing my best to get you reassigned to Solitude." 
Orthus: "Oh, don't worry about me. I relish the challenge."''

You can mention that he doesn't look happy in the party. He will admit, ''"Is it that obvious? I should take pains to seem more happy. I wouldn't want to upset our host. But the truth of it is, I have a mountain of paperwork back in Windhelm and it's not getting any smaller. I just hope this party doesn't drag on all night." When asked what brings him to the party, he will say, "Ill luck. I'm a busy man and I don't have time for this sort of frivolity. But at the same time, I don't dare refuse an invitation from Elenwen."

You can also ask him for help if he is your friend. He will be happy to oblige, even joking a little: "Of course! I mean... assuming you don't want me to kill someone for you. I might have to draw the line there." Tell him to cause a scene, and he will respond, "That's it? Sure. Shouldn't be too hard. I usually end up making a fool out of myself without even trying." He will pick on Razelan, another colleague of his:

Orthus: "Watch this." 
Orthus: "Hey Razelan, remember when you told me I'd never amount to anything? Well, I don't think you should say things like that about the Ambassador!" 
Razelan: "What? I didn't... hmm? No listen, you must have misunderstood... I would never openly insult your... that is to say..." 
Orthus: "I know you're drunk as usual, but that's no excuse for insulting our hostess. I don't think anyone deserves that kind of abuse! I've known plenty of elves who were perfectly decent people." 
Elenwen: "Razelan. And you promised to behave yourself this time. Remove him. He's disturbing the other guests." 
Razelan: "I protest! This is an insult to the dignity of my person! This time I'm completely innocent!" OR "This is preposterous. Disrespect... insulting! I am tired of being hounded from all sides!" OR "Madame Ambassador, you know that I would never have behaved... that is to say... well I swear I'm innocent this time!" 
Orthus: "I'm sorry, Ambassador. I didn't mean to cause such a commotion. There's no need to have him thrown out on my account." 
Razelan: "Absolutely not! I protest... uh, that is, yes, of course. I still don't understand what just... oh never mind."  OR "That is absolutely untrue! Uh, that is, yes, of course. What... I don't understand why everyone... never mind.

Should you talk to Orthus again after the distraction, he will say, "Go ahead and play your joke."

Bugs