Oblivion:Countess Alessia Caro

Countess Alessia Caro is an Imperial noble and the Countess of Leyawiin. She is also the daughter of Countess Arriana Valga of Chorrol, and the recent wife of Count Marius Caro of Leyawiin. Like her husband, Alessia is a staunch supporter of ethnic Imperial culture and despises all Argonians, Khajiit, and Dark Elves, a political point of view that both pleases and disgusts the staff at the castle and the townsfolk of Leyawiin to no end, depending on race.

Protected by her personal bodyguard and followed by her trusty advisor and supporter, Hlidara Mothril, Alessia spends most of her time playing the dutiful wife and daughter and pays regular visits to both the local chapel and her mother in Chorrol. She sleeps next to Marius in the private quarters every night between midnight and 6am. Upon awaking, she spends two hours wandering around her quarters until duty calls at 8am, when she positions herself on the throne in the county hall. Starting at 10am, the Countess will occasionally (50% chance) get up and search for her friend Numeen in downtown Leyawiin, and will then return to her throne. After 1pm, she can always be found in attendance in the Castle Hall. She gets up for good at 3pm, leaves the castle and heads downtown to the Great Chapel of Zenithar for a chat with the residing priests and healers who support her views on imperialism. She leaves the Chapel at 7pm and gets back to the castle just in time for her own formal dinner at 8pm. At 11pm, she heads upstairs and spends the last hour of the day wandering in her private quarters until her bedtime at 12am. On Turdas, she breaks off this routine at 6pm for a four-hour dinner inside Mahei's house in southern Leyawiin.

On the 15th of each month, Alessia wakes up as usual at 6am, meets up with her always dutiful bodyguard Hlidara, and leaves Leyawiin for a very long and dangerous trip to visit her mother in Castle Chorrol. She is supposed to return back home at 6am on the 17th, but unfortunately, due to a serious bug, the journey will often take the trio more than the intended two days and can ultimately destroy her schedule and make the completion of the Sanguine quest much more difficult.

During the Thieves Guild quest Ahdarji's Heirloom, a freelance thief of the wrong heritage obviously chose to mess with the wrong Countess. Alessia tricked him, got her long lost ring back with the added bonus of putting another Argonian behind bars. Before the quest is even started, specifically when Armande Christophe promotes you to Bandit at the end of The Elven Maiden, Alessia will cancel her monthly trip to Chorrol and not resume it until the quest is completed. Additionally, she changes her everyday routine slightly and will, before she goes to bed at midnight, carefully place the ring in the jewelry box next to her bed. After you have acquired the ring and finished the quest, she will resume her usual schedule. At this point, the Countess will lose her essential status, which will make her much more vulnerable during her trip to Chorrol and can cause her untimely death, even before Sanguine's quest is initiated.

According to Daedric Prince Sanguine, Castle Leyawiin is a dull, dreary place and Alessia herself is particularly somber. After that statement, the dining room normally used by the Countess for her 8pm meal will contain four dinner guests, all of which are your target for Sanguine's prank. Alessia, the fifth and most important target, will also change her behavior and will wander around in the County Hall all day long, until she joins her guests at the table at 6pm. Once Alessia sits down at the dinner table she will stay there around the clock until you cast the Stark Reality spell on her and the guests. In the following panic, the now semi-naked Countess will run to safety inside her quarters and return a few moments later. The above mentioned bugs can interfere greatly with this quest, and, if certain conditions are met after you cast the Stark Reality spell, can even trigger new ones, rendering the Countess unable to move and remain undressed for the rest of the game.

A true Imperial of noble blood, Alessia wears a green set of the best and most expensive clothing Cyrodiil has to offer: a green brocade doublet with green silk garments and a pair of green velvet shoes. She wears a leveled but unenchanted piece of jewelry, carries up to five apples, the castle key, the interior key and a large sum of gold. During Ahdarji's Heirloom, she will also carry the key to her jewelry box.

When you approach her for the first time, provided that you are not an Argonian, she will give you a friendly greeting: "Welcome to Leyawiin. I am Alessia Caro, and I have the honor to be the wife of the Count, Marius Caro." If you approach her as an Argonian, she will hint at her dislike of beast races: ''"I am Countess Alessia Caro, wife to Count Marius. I think Leyawiin would be better off if we removed all the dirty Argonians such as yourself. You wouldn't have a problem with that, would you?" No matter what, when asked about Leyawiin she will reveal her political stance and tell you about her attempt to Imperialize the region: "In these difficult times, we must count on persons such as you to secure our borders from bandits and rabble-rousers. We all profit by your lawful pursuit of the unlawful, and we encourage you to attack, burn, loot, and destroy them wherever you can."''

During the related quest you can ask her about her ring. If you manage to raise her disposition above 70 she will confess: "Yes. After all these years, I have my ring back. I wear it all the time now. Of course not when I sleep. I am a proper lady after all." Otherwise she will dismiss you: "''I don't answer questions about royal jewelry from riffraff like you."

Not surprisingly, Imperial City-based author Alessia Ottus agrees with the politics of Castle Leyawiin. In her Guide to Leyawiin she describes the citizens as "lizardmen and catfolk"'' while praising Alessia and Marius' attempts to clean up the "raffish rabble of Argonian and Khajiit descent". While most of the Argonians in Leyawiin tend to prove her right, doing nothing but tell bad jokes and put things into barrels for their own amusement, similar support can be found among the human part of the population; Betto Plotius will say: ''"I've lived in Leyawiin all my life, and I must say, the Count has found himself a pretty little bride...and a smart one, too. We need some law-and-order...bring in the Legions. 'Leyawiin for the Imperials,' I say. No sense coddling those Renrijra Krin bandits." His wife, Julitta, backs him up: "Well, I don't know much about politics, but I think Lady Alessia's right. We've got to put a stop to all these bandits and rabble in the Trans-Niben. I know the Khajiit are all upset that the Council took away their land and gave it to us, but they just have to get over it! It's our land now." Surprising support can also be found inside the Five Claws Lodge, where Argonian innkeeper Witseidutsei, will express her admiration for the leadership of Leyawiin: "We all love Count Marius, and his father before him... Arkay bless his soul... such a fine young man... And now, his new wife, so beautiful, so fine. And wise? Oh, yes! The new Lady Leyawiin is daughter to Countess Arriana Valga, County Chorrol... and so she knows just how the county should be run. Lady Alessia tells Count Marius exactly what to do... and he does as she says..."''

Inside the castle, Alessia's right hand Hlidara Mothril will let you in on the state of the county: "Leyawiin is in a state of transition. It has long been a respected county making moderate cultural and economic contributions to the Empire. However, Leyawiin must move towards the mainstream of Imperial culture, both in trade and in political affairs." This point of view worries Count Marius' chief advisor On-Staya Sundew to no end: "Leyawiin has always been a melting pot of races and cultures. Of course, racial and cultural conflicts produce inefficiencies and confusion... I fear Lady Leyawiin and Hlidara Mothril plan to push the minorities aside and establish a bland, Imperial-dominated culture here in Leyawiin." Tsavi, the Khajiit castle mage agrees with On-Staya and proclaims: ''"I have been happy enough in the Count's service. But I am not so happy about his lovely wife, and her Nibenean advisor. Lady Alessia is uncomfortable with Khajiit ways. And Argonian ways. And Dunmer ways. She is only comfortable with pure white-bread Nibeneans."''

As you investigate the whereabouts of Ahdarji's precious heirloom, you will receive unsettling information about what goes on in Castle Leyawiin. After talking to imprisoned freelance thief Amusei, local beggars Deeh the Scalawag and Rancid Ra'dirsha will hint at 'secrets' of the castle: ''"You should know that there are other secrets in that castle. I've heard of a hidden torture chamber. They say that Count Marius interrogates Argonian immigrants from Black Marsh. The servants whisper that the Argonians are dragged into the basement and never seen again."'' While this suggests that Alessia's husband goes to extreme measures against beast races, talking to Hlidara Mothril will reveal that the couple tortures the Argonians together: ''"Shh! It's dangerous to be heard talking about that. The Countess has a secret passage somewhere in the basement that leads to her private quarters. That's where the torture chamber is. Sometimes I can hear the screams of the prisoners when I'm in my chambers."''

Related Quests



Notes
If you are following Alessia and her two followers when they leave for Chorrol, neither of them will acquire horses; if you are not in the vicinity, however, they will be riding if you encounter them along the road. Presumably they find their mounts somewhere along the way as they will never go near the stables.
 

Bugs