Daggerfall:Mephala's Quest

Quick Walkthrough
# Summon Mephala on the 13  of Frostfall.
# Head to the town named by Mephala.
# Enter the palace there and kill the noble.
# Travel to the second town named by Mephala.
# Meet her worshipper there within the time limit and receive the Ebony Blade.

Detailed Walkthrough
thumb|right|The palace is well guarded
thumb|right|The noble will not go down easily
thumb|right|Beware the noble's bodyguard
thumb|right|The guards do not appreciate your presence in the palace
thumb|right|Mephala's worshipper
thumb|right|The Ebony Blade
 
Power Exchange
Mephala speaks to you:

:''"I might have known it would be you. I ought to never answer these summonings. Well, perhaps it is natural for a worm to want to evolve into a wasp. Very well, (player's first name), I will give you power, but you must do something for me first. I need someone to assassinate a certain troublesome minor noble. Can I rely on you for that?"

Accept
Mephala goes on:

:"Well, that's something, anyhow. You can find this irksome official (noble's name) in (first town), snug and secure in his palace, as he believes. I don't know how you're going to gain entry, but perhaps you will come up with an idea. Perhaps. If you don't manage to kill yourself, go to (second town) and I'll arrange for a servant to bring you your new power source, the Ebony Blade. I will ask my servant (worshipper's name) to wait for you for (time limit) days at (building). Do not, please, be late. That is all."

Decline
Mephala responses indifferently:

:"That is just as well. I have better uses for my time than building a power base for ungrateful, lazy guttersnipes."''

Taking on the Noble
Travel to the first town named by Mephala and locate the target's palace. Like all palaces, it will be open from 10:00 to 18:00; if you pay a visit to your target during this period, no lockpicking is necessary to get in. Beware, as soon as you enter the palace you may be attacked by the guards. The guards can be distinguished from the quest target as they are Warrior type enemies. When one is hit the first time, you will hear:

:"Who are you and what are you doing in here?"

Search the palace for your mark, who appears as a Knight, and attack. When hit for the first time, the noble shouts:

:''"You sneaking assassins are all the same. That's why I decided to get myself some real protection. (Giant's name)! Wake up, you big oaf. Kill!"''

A giant appears nearby and comes to your opponent's aid. Kill them both; when your target dies, a notification appears:

:''Mephala would be proud-- (Noble's name) is dead. Time to make your escape.''

Escape the palace and make your way to the second town. Find and enter the building where Mephala's worshipper awaits. Speak to your contact for your reward.

Reward
Mephala's worshipper speaks to you:

:''"Good day, (player's first name), I'm (worshipper's name). Mephala told me that you might show up, but she did cast some doubts about the chances of you surviving the encounter with (noble's name). Well, it's a good thing I brought the Blade, then, isn't it? Sorry if you got a bad talking to from Mephala. With (noble's name) dead, she should be in a lot better mood. And for that alone, I thank you."''

Reputation Gain/Loss
 

Enemies
10x One Warrior every two in-game minutes (25% chance) once you enter the palace
One Giant
Quest Target: One Knight NPC
left
 

Notes
This is one of two Daedric Quests that doesn't involve dungeon crawling.

Bugs
Mephala's dialogue lacks the proper gender variables. Thus, if the randomly-generated noble is female, Mephala will refer to her with male pronouns.
Some of the rumors relating to Mephala's worshipper do not properly display, and asking about them too many times may cause the game to crash.

Additional Dialogue
If you ask an NPC about Mephala's worshipper, you may hear:
''"(Worshipper's name) is that snobby (worshipper's description) slumming in (building), (direction) of here."
"(Worshipper's name) is the name of that (worshipper's description)(direction) of here in (building)."
If you ask an NPC about the Ebony Blade, you may be told:
:"The Ebony Blade is an artifact of vampiric power, draining its victim of life, even as it feeds its owner."
After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Noble's name) says (he/she) can find (his/her) way to the headquarters of the Dark Brotherhood."
"The Dark Brotherhood must be terrified with (noble's name) working against them."
If you fail the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"The Dark Brotherhood sent someone to get (noble's name), but they couldn't kill (him/her)!"
"After that failed assassination attempt, (noble's name) has moved out of (first town)."
If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Noble's name) must have been too close to finding the location of Nightside Asylum."
"I guess the Dark Brotherhood heard about (noble's name) and (his/her) ambitions."''

Quest Log