Daggerfall:A Noble's Debts

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to a merchant or innkeeper.
# Follow one of the quest paths to find the deed, the gold, and/or the noble.
# Return to your employer with either the deed or the gold, or after killing the noble within the time limit for your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough
The Deadbeat Noble
Speak to a merchant or innkeeper and he may say:

:''"Ah, my friend. I regret to admit that I made a poor business decision, but facts are facts. I loaned a certain sum of money to a noble by the name of (noble's name), who you may or may not have heard of. The security on the loan was the deed to a valuable piece of property. Now (noble's name) and the deed have both vanished. Rumor has it that (he/she) fell on some hard time financially, but the sum I loaned is not easily swallowed by my enterprises. Tangling with the likes of (noble's name) will likely be dangerous, but I need a champion. Will you help me, my friend, in exchange for a large uncut diamond?"

Accept
The merchant or innkeeper goes on:

:"That's good to hear. Now then, I have thirty days before I will be forced to dip into my capital. The deed was stolen out of a local establishment called (bank) in (first town) together with some other valuables, but the coincidence between (noble's name)'s disappearance at the same time the deed did merits investigation. (Noble's name)'s old residence was (noble's house) in (second town), which I understand is now empty. Other than that, I have no leads. I either need the gold (noble's name) borrowed, the deed to the house, or that aristocrat's head on a stick in thirty days. Don't let me down, (player's first name).

Decline
The merchant or innkeeper answers:

:"I am sorry to hear that. I understand, of course, but it is disappointing."''

Repossession
To complete this quest, you must return to your employer with either the deed, the gold, or after killing the noble. The deed is located in a dungeon along with a letter containing the location of a second dungeon where the noble and the gold can be found. Once you have found the deed, you can either return to your employer or go to the second dungeon to find the other two objectives. There are three main paths you can take to locate the deed:

Path 1: Thieves and Murderers
This is the easiest method of learning the first dungeon's location. If your reputation with the Thieves Guild and/or the Dark Brotherhood is at least 15, you will receive a letter from one or both factions a few days after beginning the quest:

:You do not even realize that the young boy is next to you until you feel the letter slip into your hand. By the time you turn, he has disappeared, scurrying away so quickly you do not have a hope of catching him.

The letters will reveal the location of the first dungeon, and if you receive one from the Thieves Guild, they will also give you 15 to 50 gold pieces or a trinket of similar value. The letters read:
 
and
 
Thanks to your underworld friends, you can now proceed straight to the first dungeon without having to bother with any further investigations.

Path 2: Searching the Noble's House
thumb|right|A mysterious rock left behind by the noble
Your employer mentioned the noble had previously lived in a home in another town. Travel there, and find the noble's now-abandoned residence by asking around. Once you know where it is, gain entrance to the building by either picking the lock or using an Open spell. Inside the building you will find a random mineral on the ground. Pick up the mineral to investigate it and see:

:There is a stamp on the piece of (rock) that reads (first dungeon).

Travel to the dungeon to search for the deed and a letter with the location of the second dungeon.

Path 3: Investigating the Robbery
If your reputation with The Prostitutes faction is at least 10, you will receive a letter directly from the prostitute shortly after starting the quest, allowing you to bypass the initial investigation stages:

:''"This is from (prostitute's name)," a voice whispers and a young courier hands you a note. Before you can react, he scurries away.

The letter reads:
 
Otherwise, you must follow the trail of clues, starting with:

The Banker
thumb|right|The banker is busy investigating the robbery
Travel to the town where the robbed bank is located and enter during its normal hours. Find and speak to your contact; the information you are given depends on your reputation with The Merchants. If your reputation with the faction is less than 10, you are told:

:''"I'll tell you what I told (noble's name). (Bank) will reimburse all gold lost in the robbery down to the last penny. We just want to answer certain questions about the robbery itself. Things it would be best not discussed with a stranger, you understand."

Unfortunately, this path is now a dead end. You must investigate the house or receive a helpful letter to progress. However, if your reputation with The Merchants is at least 10, the banker will be much friendlier:

:"Ah, good to see you, (player's first name). We are having a bit of excitement lately with the robbery and all. Only certain accounts and deposits were targetted, so (guard's name), our security agent, is looking into the holders of those accounts. Perhaps (he/she) might be able to give you more information, (player's first name). (Guard's name) is at (guard's building) in (guard's town)."''

The Guard
thumb|right|The guard won't wait long for your arrival
Travel to the town where the guard is staying immediately, as he or she will only be there for a day or two before leaving to investigate alone. When you arrive in town, ask around about the guard until you learn his or her location, and go speak with him or her. This guard will belong to a random Knight Order; your reputation with that Order will determine the kind of information you receive. If your reputation is 10 or higher, the guard will greet you warmly and appreciate your help:

:''"Ah, (player's name), my friend. I think we may be able to help each other in this affair. I know where (noble's name) has gone, but (his/her) allies are making it difficult to get to (him/her). Millions of gold pieces can buy some powerful friends. I need you to cut off this connection, and then meet me so we can together cut off (noble's name) altogether. Drop this letter off in (his/her) allies' stronghold (first dungeon) and then come to (second dungeon). With luck, the letter should distract those soldiers so (noble's name) will be relatively defenseless, except for (his/her) own guards of course. Very good, (player's first name), I will be seeing you soon."''

With this information, you can now proceed to either of the two dungeons, though if you follow the guard's plan and drop the letter in the first dungeon it will greatly reduce the opposition you will face in the second one. However, if your reputation with the guard's faction is less than 10, you are instead told:

:''"I'm afraid I can't discuss this matter with you, (player's name). This affair only concerns (noble's name) and myself, no one else. If you're really interested in helping, go chat with (prostitute's name), a prostitute who had some kind of relationship with our friend (noble's name). She'll want ten gold pieces to cooperate, and you'll find her over in (prostitute's town) in a place called (prostitute's building). Good luck, (player's first name). I may not be here when you get back, but you are certainly capable of carrying on the investigations on your own."''

The Prostitute
thumb|right|This friendly young lady has a bone to pick with the noble as well
Note: in the absence of third-party patches, this path of investigation may be broken (see bugs). If you have not yet learned the location of either dungeon by this point, you must follow a different path.

Once you know the prostitute's location, head there and speak to her. As the guard or the letter told you, her information isn't free; talking to her brings up a prompt asking if you want to pay her. Say yes, and the kind courtesan says:

:''"Thank you, sweets. I've heard you're the decent sort, and I thought I'd give you a break. I was hired by (noble's name) a few weeks ago -- not for the reason you're thinkin. All I had to do was flirt with some old gaffer and get him to ask me out to dinner on a specific day. I guess to get him out of his house, because I found out later that the bloke's house was burgled while we was out. Lots of stuff was took, I hear. The old fella was cute and sweet and I felt bad about it. You may want to talk to him. His name's Chulmore Quill. Or you could go to the place where I met that (noble's name), (random residence) in (random town) and see if anyone there knows anything. Hope all this helps, (player's first name). I'd like to see old (noble's name) put away myself."''

The residence the prostitute names is a random location with no additional clues (see bugs). Therefore, seek out the old gaffer she told you about. Be watchful after this meeting, as you will be randomly beset by knights until the quest ends. These mercenaries are sent by the noble, and searching a knight's corpse will reveal a note from their employer:
 
Chulmore Quill
thumb|right|The ringmaster was duped by the noble, and isn't happy about it
Head to the town and building where Chulmore Quill is staying, and speak with him. If your reputation with Quill is at least 10, he will give you a small amount of gold and reveal the location of both dungeons, greeting you with:

:''"Ah, (player's first name), my friend. Again, I have been seduced and betrayed. Truly I should join some monastery. My life would be simpler without women, (oath). Here, take this gold as my contribution toward the capture of that wicked (noble's name). I only wish I could afford to give more, but after recent events, I am impoverished. For your information, (noble's name) has two hideouts in (region), one in (first dungeon) and one in (second dungeon). I do not know which if either of these is being used currently, but I would advise you to prepare your finest blade. (Noble's name) will not go down easily. Good luck and (god's name) be with you."

If your reputation with him is lower than 10, he will only give you the location of the first dungeon (and insult your mother):

:"Why should I tell you anything I know about anything? You're just a patsy of (employer's name) who'd screw me like (noble's name) screwed me or that (god's name) damned (prostitute's name) screwed me. Find some hole like (first dungeon) to crawl in, wither up, and die, you child of a chancred (player's race) whore."''

If Quill only gave you the location of the first dungeon, go there and continue your search for the items your employer wants back. If you learned the locations of both, you can head to either one at your discretion.

Exploring the Dungeons
thumb|right|You may find yourself dogged by knights
thumb|right|The dungeon is protected by a literal army of rogues, spellswords, and barbarians
thumb|right|The stolen deed
thumb|right|Your employer's gold
thumb|right|The noble will stop at nothing to stop you
 
The remainder of this quest is a dungeon crawl (or two, if you wish). Travel to the first dungeon. Searching within will uncover a letter, which is about you and contains the location of the second dungeon. It reads:
 
Taking the letter does not cause the parchment on the floor to disappear, as there is another document to pick up. Do so, and a message pops up:

:This looks like the deed (noble's name) gave (employer's name) as  .

Indeed, you have found the missing deed. It reads:

 
Travel to the second dungeon. This is the noble's lair; you will face considerably more resistance here than inside the first dungeon. Once you enter, along with the dungeon's normal denizens you will be randomly harassed by legions of rogues, spellswords, and (if you did not drop the guard's note in the first dungeon) barbarians until the quest ends. Fight your way through these enemies and somewhere within, you will find the noble guarding your employer's stolen gold. The noble appears as a warrior; if it is your target, a message pops up upon hitting them the first time:

:''You know immediately that this must be (noble's name).
And when killed:
:You have slain (noble's name), without a doubt.

Nearby you will find the missing gold. Pick it up and a message appears:

:This appears to be the gold that (employer's name) loaned to (noble's name).

Remember that you only need to retrieve the gold or kill the noble, but not both, to successfully complete the quest. Once you have done either (or both), return to your employer for your reward.

Reward
After you return to your employer having completed at least one of the three objectives, you hear in response:

:"(Noble's name)'s trick didn't work, did it, (player's first name)? Here's the diamond I promised. Well done, my friend."''

Reputation Gain/Loss
 

Enemies
Random Dungeon Monsters
Quest Target: One Warrior
30x One Knight every 80 in-game minutes (15% chance) after you have spoken with the whore
200x One Barbarian every 221 in-game minutes (10% chance) when you enter the second dungeon and didn't drop the guard's note at the first dungeon
200x One Spellsword every 100 in-game minutes (5% chance) when you enter the second dungeon
200x One Rogue every 111 in-game minutes (5% chance) when you enter the second dungeon

Notes
Chulmore Quill is the ringmaster of the Quill Circus, which is mentioned briefly in later games in the book The Black Arrow, v1.

Bugs
Occasionally, reading a letter will display a blank dialogue box, even if you have already read it. Repeated attempts to view the letter usually restores readability.
The finished version of this quest contains numerous bugs which can be fixed by installing DFQFIX. These include:
The time limit counter for the quest never started, thus the quest would remain active until successful completion. The counter now begins as designed. Additionally, though you are told the time limit is 30 days, the actual time limit is 20 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes. This has been reset to the full 30 days.
Upon arrival in a quest-related town, you could ask for information about any quest NPCs who are present, even if you had not yet learned their names. Now you will only be able to ask about NPCs once you are told of them. The one exception being the banker, who is named at the start by your employer.
Several bugs prevented you from being able to bribe the prostitute; in fact, she may not even appear where you were told to find her. The prostitute's residence is now explicitly defined; the building will be unlocked for the duration of the quest, and you will be able to interact with her as intended. The quest dialogue was slightly altered to accommodate these changes.
The residence where the prostitute says she met the noble is not relevant to the quest, so it was changed to the noble's residence in the second town.
The journal entry that appears after speaking to the prostitute gave the wrong location for Chulmore Quill. This has been corrected.
The locations of the deed and the missing gold were transposed, which conflicts with the information in the letter you find in the first dungeon. The placement of the two quest objects now matches the contents of the letter; the deed in the first dungeon and the gold in the second dungeon.
Dialogue options for asking about the banker and the mineral sample from the noble's house were missing. These have been properly restored and can be asked about as intended.
An unused letter from the noble was made functional; you will receive this 25 to 50 in-game minutes after accepting the quest:
 
Additional Dialogue
If you ask an NPC about the banker, you may hear:
"(Banker's name) works over at (bank) in (first town). Perfectly respectable sort."
"A banker of typical tediousness. (Banker) works at (bank) in (first town)."''
If you ask an NPC about the mineral sample from the noble's house:
"Just a piece of (rock). Odd finding it lying around (residence)."
"The (rock) seems to have some kind of stamp on it, or an engraving."
"Looks like the stuff they used to mine out of (first dungeon)."
If you ask an NPC about the guard after he or she has left town:
''"(Guard's name) has left (guard's town). Apparently (he/she) knows where (noble's name) has gone."'
''"(Guard's name) wouldn't have left (guard's town) unless (he/she) knew where (noble's name) is hiding."
"Everyone's trying to figure out why (guard's name) left (guard's town) so suddenly."
After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Employer's name) sure wasn't (noble's name)'s only dupe. Lots of people loaned (him/her) gold."
"(Noble's name) just left (second town) suddenly, leaving debts and broken hearts behind."
If you fail the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Noble's name) got away with it all, looks like. I hear (he/she)'s up north with a fortune."
"(Noble's name)'s supposedly dead. I don't believe that for a second."
If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"No one's going to try to default on (employer's name), not after that (noble's name) affair.
''"All (noble's name) proved was it's not wise to try and cheat someone like (employer's name)."''

Quest Log