Oblivion:Nels the Naughty

Nels the Naughty, a Nord barbarian, is a guest at Summitmist Manor in Skingrad. He's a contestant in a private treasure hunt, together with Dovesi Dran, Matilde Petit, Neville and Primo Antonius, or so he believes. In truth, he is trapped with these people as part of a Dark Brotherhood contract, which will be given to you as the quest Whodunit?.

He wears middle-class attire consisting of a blue & green outfit and a pair of quilted shoes. He also carries a bottle of mead and some gold.

Like many Nords, he loves to drink and generally comes across as a jovial character. However, it seems he drinks to forget a troubled past. He had a daughter, Olga, who was killed by bandits during a raid on his village in Skyrim and the local garrison of the Imperial Legion did nothing to stop it. For this reason, he despises the Imperial Legion, and therefore, Neville. Neville and Matilde Petit in turn despise Nels, with Dovesi Dran and Primo Antonius being fairly indifferent towards him initially. Nels cares a great deal for Dovesi Dran, because she resembles his daughter Olga.

 
Related Quests


Whodunit?
 
During Whodunit?, you'll be tasked to eliminate the whole party at Summitmist Manor, which includes Nels. Ocheeva will reveal, ''"Each guest, at some point in the past, wronged their mysterious host. Now he's hired us to exact his revenge.", though it is unknown what Nels did to deserve this contract on him.

When you enter the manor, Matilde will approach you and introduce herself and the other guests:"The rest of us have already traded introductions. I'm Matilde Petit. The others are Nels the Naughty, Neville, Dovesi Dran and Primo Antonius."'' You will hear a conversation between Nels and Neville, who each can't stand one another:
thumb|right|Nels has a rivalry with Neville
Neville: "So, Nord, if you find the gold, what will you spend it on? Wait, let me guess -- a sleazy whore and a nice new battleaxe. Am I right?" 
Nels: ''"I'm going to open a tavern. Not that I'd welcome your patronage. No pigs allowed inside, you see. You Legion types tend to stink up a place."  
Neville: "A tavern! Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, I should have known! Leave it to a barbarian to spend an entire chest full of gold on beer and mead. How pathetic." 
Nels: "You can call me a barbarian. It's true and I'm proud of the fact. But you call me pathetic again and I'm going to show you just how barbaric I am." 
Neville: "With every word you speak you're just proving me right, Nord. Your kind has contributed nothing to our Empire, and never will!" 
Nels: "Ha ha ha ha ha! "My kind," as you like to call us, are plenty happy serving our own needs while your useless Empire crumbles down around you!"  
Neville: "Your words border on treason, Nord, and I will not tolerate them! You will respect the Empire! You will respect the memory of our dear Emperor!" 
Nels: "Bah! Don't get your linens in a bunch. You have no authority in this house, or anywhere else. You're not even in the Legion anymore!" 
Neville: "Nevertheless, I still serve the Empire in my heart and will not abide such talk! Walk away from me now, barbarian, or you'll regret your arrogance." 
Nels: "Pfft. I was done with you anyway. I can only talk to an ex-Legion pig for so long before my ears start bleeding. Besides, I need a drink. Ha ha ha!"''

When you first greet him, provided no guests have been killed yet, he'll introduce himself: ''"Well, hello there. Nels is my name. Some call me Naughty, but don't you believe it! Hahahaha!"'' You can ask him more about himself, and he'll go on, ''"Ah, don't let the name fool you. I had a bit too much mead a few years back, and there was this tavern wench.... Anyway, just call me Nels."'' Any consequent greeting he will offer depends on his disposition towards you. With a low disposition of 30 or less, he'll be blunt: ''"It's funny. I like just about everyone, but the very sight of you makes me sick. Why don't you go look for the gold someplace else, friend. "'' With a disposition of 30 to 69, he'll reveal his plans should he find the supposed gold: ''"I'll let you in on a little secret. If I find the chest of gold, I'm going to open a tavern.  The Hoary Boar! It's been my dream since I was a boy."'' Finally, with a disposition of 70 or more, he'll discuss the gold in particular: "Well, my friend, the search is on, eh? I wonder how much gold is actually in the chest? A thousand pieces of gold? Ten thousand? I guess it all depends on the size of the chest. The bigger the better, of course, but where would our mysterious host have hidden such a thing?"

You can ask him and the other guests about each other to which they'll give their opinion based on their disposition towards you:

 

 
 

 

One Guest Eliminated
Once a guest has been eliminated, the atmosphere obviously changes, and so do the opinions of each guest. Nels will greet you according to his disposition. A low one will grant you,"Someone has been killed. I don't suppose you know anything about that, now do you?", a normal one, "Someone's been murdered! By Ysmir's beard, I need a drink!", and a high one, "Have you heard, my friend? One of our fellow guests has been murdered! This bodes ill for our stay, and our search for the gold."

Assuming the person you wish to discuss still lives, Nels will have the following to say:

 

 
The others will also discuss Nels when you ask them:
 

 

Two Guests Eliminated
With tension now rising, it becomes more apparent that the supposed gold is just a hoax, and everyone suspects each other more and more. Nels will now greet you with, "Well, look at you. Two people have been horribly murdered, and you're right as rain. Strikes me as odd, that does." if he dislikes you, or with, "Two people, dead. If anyone else drops, I swear I'm going to gather every drop of alcohol in this house and drink myself into a stupor."'' if he's indifferent, or with, ''"I haven't seen death like this in a long, long time. It's a bit more than my nerves can handle, I'm afraid. I plan to gather up every drop of drink in this house and keep it to myself, if things get any worse around here. I find comfort there, you see." if he likes you.

 

 
 

 

Three Guests Eliminated
With only two targets left, there are now only two possible suspects: the other guest, or you. With a low disposition, Nels will greet you with, "You're enjoying all of this, aren't you? You like seeing us squirm! What in blazes is going on here? Do you have something to do with this?", or with a neutral disposition: "Three people... murdered. I know I shouldn't go wandering off alone right now, but for the love of Ysmir, I need a drink! I need to find some real spirits. I think I saw some mead down in the basement. I don't care if it's not safe! It's my nerves! I need to calm down.", or with a high disposition: "My friend, please stay safe! Three of us have been murdered! Besides you and me, there's only one guest left, if you know what I'm saying. I've seen death like this before. Many years ago, my daughter was murdered by bandits who came to our village. I'm sorry... I... I need a drink."'' In any case, after you've ended the conversation without getting him to go kill the other guest, he will look for a drink (8 to be exact, as indicated by the game files, the behavior being described as "stupor") and refuse to talk to you during this behavior: "Please, not now. I just want to be by myself for a bit." 

Depending on the disposition towards you, guests can be persuaded to attack the other, or they might assume you are the assassin and assault you. Note that Nels will not attack you even if he assumes you to be the killer. He will, however, end the conversation and attack each other guest should you mention them with a high disposition, except for Dovesi Dran, whom he never suspected.

 

 

Beside Matilde, each guest will end the conversation and attack Nels if you talk to them about him with a high disposition.

 

 
With Neville in particular, and Nels being the other survivor, Neville will actively greet you if he already had a high disposition towards you: "There you are. Listen, I've searched every inch of this house. It's sealed up tight. There's no way in or out, and there's nobody hiding anyplace. That means the killer has been inside with us all along. You and I aren't murderers, so that leaves one person! It's Nels the Naughty!" You now have three options to reply:

:We must act now! Kill Nels!
::"Yes! Yes! We must kill that foul Nord before he slits our throats! Aaaaaiiiieee!" (Neville will charge Nels)
:'''Flee, my friend! I'll confront Nels!
::"You... You would do that for me? You are truly a good friend. Yes, I... I fear this is beyond even my ability. I'm not as young as I used to be. I'll take refuge in my room until Nels has been dealt with. Thank you my friend! And good luck!" (Neville proceeds to hide)
:[Say nothing.]
::"Yes, well, I know how you feel. What words can really do justice to the terrible situation at hand? But we must stick together if we are to survive!"'' (nothing happens)

Aftermath
Provided he's not the only target left, Nels will discuss the guest you've already murdered as well, as will the other guests discuss Nels should you have killed him.

 

 
 

 
If two or more guests are killed, and Nels is among those killed, Neville will instead put his suspicions on you if he has a low disposition: "Nels is dead. You know what that means? You've just shot to the top of my suspect list. You make one wrong move and I'll break you!" Should Neville and Dovesi Dran remain as the only survivors, Neville will mention Nels when he discusses Dovesi should you ask him with a normal disposition towards you: "So, three of us left -- you, Dovesi and myself. The list of suspects is certainly getting smaller. With Nels dead, my eye is on Dovesi.", or with a high disposition: "You want to know the truth? I thought for sure Nels was the killer. But with him dead, my bets are now on Dovesi." If Matilde and Primo are dead, Neville will suspect Nels if you ask him about Dovesi Dran with a high disposition: "You want my honest opinion? I think Nels is the killer. But I haven't yet ruled out that Dovesi may be working with him."

If Nels is the only target alive, he might attack you after greeting him, depending on his disposition. A low disposition nets you, "By the gods, you're the only one left. It was you! How could you? How could you have killed all those people? You won't take me so easily!"'', after which he'll attack you. With a normal disposition, he'll simply refuse to talk: ''"You! What do you want? If you're looking for something to drink, I can't help you. It's mine. It's all mine. It's the only thing I have..." With a high disposition, interestingly, he will have figured out you manipulated him and will attack you: "You want to know something, my friend? I just don't care anymore. We're the only two left. I know I didn't kill those people, so that leaves you. And now you're here to kill me, right? Well, let's get this over with."''

Notes
You cannot discuss rumors with Nels or any of the other guests.

Bugs