Online:Fleeing the Past

Quick Walkthrough
#Talk to Sergeant Faldrus.
#Follow Veya's friends around town.
#Confront Drevis.
#Find the go-between.
#Go to the western ruins to find Veya's mentor.
#Help the mentor complete her task.
#Talk to the Councilor.

Detailed Walkthrough
The Missing Daughter
To start this quest, talk to Sergeant Faldrus just inside the southeast gate of Balmora.

:You look like the traveling sort. In your excursions, have you perchance come across a young Dark Elf named Veya? She went missing a couple of weeks ago and her father desperately seeks any information regarding her whereabouts.
:'''I don't think I've seen anyone named Veya.
:That's a shame. Her father, Eris, the House Councilor here in Balmora, promises that anyone who can find his daughter and return her safely to his side will be well rewarded.
:Can you provide me with any additional information?
:You should speak to Councilor Eris. He's opened the kin house to interview potential recruits. Freelancers, as it were. If you're interested, go speak to the councilor. The longer Veya remains missing, the more distressed Councilor Eris becomes.
:I'll speak to Councilor Eris.
:Councilor Eris can be found at the Redoran Kinhouse. And do hurry. He's ever so troubled by our failure to locate young Veya. If he finds that an outsider can succeed where the House Guard has failed, so be it.''

The Redoran Kinhouse is on the western side of town, behind a row of houses and businesses. Councilor Eris is on the upper floor, in the open room to the left of the stairs. He'll be standing and reading a book in the back of the room when you enter.

:"Yes? Is there something I can do for you, outlander?"
:Sergeant Faldrus sent me. He said you needed help finding your daughter.
:''"My daughter has been gone too long and the House Guard can't seem to find a wall in the corner, but why should I trust you with this task? Tell me, outlander. How can you succeed when my forces continue to fail time and time again?"
:It seems your daughter knows your people and their tactics. She doesn't know me.
:"An interesting insight. Perhaps you can find my daughter. Veya can handle herself, but a father worries, you understand. Anyway, I agree with your assessment. That's why I'm willing to bring in outside help on this."
:Tell me what happened.
:"Veya fled after a family … disagreement. She's run away before, but I'm concerned that she might have something more permanent in mind this time. And more dangerous. Veya knows how to evade the House Guard. But, as you said, she doesn't know you."
:All right. I'll try to find your daughter.
:"Captain Brivan oversees the House's attempt to locate my daughter. You should speak to him and see what his investigation has already turned up."''

You can try to ask Eris for more details about the family disagreement, but he refuses to elaborate until you have proved your usefulness. He also mentions that Veya has a fascination with the Morag Tong, and admires one agent in particular. He doesn't think that they'll be important to your mission.

Seated at another desk in the room is Tavya Releth, Veya's mother. She doesn't have much more information to share, only that Veya "took her most cherished possessions and left home" after an argument with Eris. As to what the argument was about, she is as reserved as her husband, not wanting to discuss a family matter.

Captain Brivan can be found near the southwest gate of Balmora, looking out over the river that runs through town.

:Not now, outlander. If you need some sort of assistance, go find one of the House Guard.
:Councilor Eris sent me to ask about the investigation to find his daughter.
:''You must be one of the freelancers the councilor employed to supplement the duties of the House Guard. Very well, I'll tell you what I know. Veya ran away. Again. I hope you can succeed where my troops have failed. If anything happens to Veya ….
:Sounds like you have a personal stake in this.
:I've known the Releth family since I was a child. Veya is like a sister to me, and I'll do everything in my power to get her home safe and sound. Even trust an outlander. We think her friends may know where she is, but they keep eluding us.
:Maybe her friends will be less suspicious if I approach them.
:Perhaps. As long as you don't get too close. They've been running notes of late. I think it has something to do with Veya, but the runners keep evading my guards. Look for a group meeting on the other side of town and see if you can follow the note.
:I'll see if I can follow the note.
:When you find Veya's friends, remember to keep your distance. You just want to spot the note carrier and follow him to whoever's receiving these messages. That's the key to locating Veya. If you can't do it, don't worry. The House can handle it.''

Brivan is also unwilling to discuss what the family disagreement was. He does, however tell you his opinion of Veya, which is very similar to her parents': that she's incredibly stubborn and temperamental. 

The Runners
thumb|One of the runners
The runners start in the southeast corner of town. Cross the bridge, then go up the stairs in between the houses on that side. Turn and head towards the southern wall. You will see Vevos Farandas talking to a Runner.

:Vevos: ''Give this letter to Drevis. It's important! Just don't let House Redoran get their hands on it. [hands a note to the runner] If you think you're being followed, find a place to hide.''

The runner then runs past you, heading north. They pass through a gate in front of Rethan's House, then meet another runner in front of a fountain. The first runner hands off the note. The second runner keeps running north until they get to the northern wall, then turns left, goes through a small alleyway out to the main road. They meet another two runners next to a house there. The note changes hands again, and all three runners disperse. The one who now has the note runs south along the main road, then crosses the southern bridge and enters The Randy Netch Inn.

The runners are deliberately trying to confuse anyone who might be following, by having multiple people involved. You can tell which one you need to follow because the note they are carrying is glowing. If you get too close to the runners (causing them to hide) or lose track of which one you are supposed to follow, return to Captain Brivan.

The final runner meets Drevis on the upper floor of the inn.

:Drevis: ''Well done! This will help us determine what happened to Veya's brother.

Talk to Drevis.

:Hello, can I help you? Wait a moment—you're one of those hirelings House Redoran pays to harass us simple folk. Look, all Veya wants to do is find out what happened to her brother. Too bad the House doesn't seem to care a s'wit about any of that.
:Councilor Eris just wants to find his daughter. Will the note you received help me accomplish that?
:Veya wants nothing to do with the House or her father. Why can't any of you respect that? Even if I wanted to help, I haven't seen Veya since she snuck out of town. We communicate by notes, and this one isn't even about her.
:What's that note about then?
:If you must know, it concerns Veya's brother. He was an officer in the House Guard before he vanished without a trace. We've been trying to help Veya find him.
:Who are you delivering this information to if you aren't in contact with Veya?
:A local tough. Goes by the name of Ashur. He delivers the letters. We usually meet him outside of town, to the northeast. But good luck trying to get any information out of him. Ashur is not known for his conversational skills.
:I can be very persuasive.
:I think we're done here, don't you? I told you where to find Ashur. He's been passing our notes on to Veya. Just to the north and east, outside of town. Or is this your way of offering to save me a trip, since you're headed his way?''

Drevis's opinion of Veya differs from her parents' and the guards'. He says that Veya is a "terrific person" who would do anything for them. If you have the Persuasion perk, you can get Drevis to tell you a little bit about Veya's brother, and if you have the Intimidate perk, you can ask why he and the runners have been avoiding House Redoran's soldiers.

To find Ashur, head out of town through the northeast gate. Turn to the east and go over a small hill. You will see three thugs confronting Ashur: Othloth Salavel, Tiram Indaram, and Derana Rothalen.

:Othloth Salavel: ''You killed one of my gang, s'wit. No writ will protect you from us!
:Ashur: Feeling left out? I'm sure I can procure a writ for each of you.
:Othloth Salavel: That's it! Kill the Morag Tong and any witnesses!''

Since you are a witness, you'll have to fight the thugs. Ashur sees that you're involved in the fight and says, ''"I'll just take my leave. No use getting my axes bloody again." But once you have defeated them, he will still be there, standing on a rock.

:I had that situation under control. Just needed them to make the first hostile move. Still, I cleaned enough blood off my axes for one day, so thanks for lending a hand.
:I was told to meet you out here.
:You were, were you? Was it Milesa? I told her I'd close out my tab after I completed another contract. That woman has the patience of an anxious nix. Well, tell her I'm good for it. I'll stop by and we can conclude our business cordially.
:No, I'm here about Veya.
:Veya? The new apprentice? Now why in Oblivion do you care about Veya?
:I'm trying to find her.
:Are you now? And why do you want to do that? Never mind. I don't really care. I was asked to pass along some notes, but I'm not really the messenger type. I suggest you talk to Veya's mentor. Last I heard, she had a job in the western ruins.
:I'll look for Veya's mentor in the ruins to the west.
:Make sure you don't anger Veya's mentor or even look at her the wrong way. She's grown surprisingly protective of that young woman and if she thinks you pose a danger …. Besides, I'd hate to see you wind up on the wrong end of one of our writs.''

Veya's Mentor
Veya's mentor is at the Ashurnibibi ruins, southwest of the city and due west of the Ahemmusa Camp. The quest marker directs you to a wounded Malacath Champion.

:''Leave me, outlander. Let me die in the shame I've brought to  . Ha! Defeated by a lone warrior. Malacath will laugh at our incompetence.
:What happened to you?
:An assassin … probably a Morag Tong. She tracked our leader here. But she … she doesn't know. We set a trap … inside the ruins ….

He collapses and dies. You can hear another orc yell from further in the ruins, "She's just one woman! Get inside the ruins and stop her!" The ruins are overrun with Malacath cultists and ogrim. Once inside, follow the hallway into a large, crumbling room. You will hear the Orc voice again, "Let the assassin come. I'm tired of running and she doesn't frighten me!" At the other end of that room is an entrance to a cave. In that cave, you will find a small waterfall, and standing at the top of it, watching you, is Naryu Virian.
thumb|"Hero, we really need to stop meeting like this!"
:Naryu: Well, you're not what I expected to find in a place like this.''

You can talk to her from the base of the waterfall, but can't get up to her.

:''You have a habit of turning up at the most unusual moments, don't you, hero?
:I came to find you to ask you—
:Questions? I don't have time for questions. I have a writ to complete! Look, I can't keep these evil cultists waiting. You want to talk? Find me after I finish this job.
:I'll find you.

Naryu turns and walks away, saying, "Hero, we really need to stop meeting like this!"''  Walking away from the waterfall, you'll hear the Orc voice again, "Come out, little assassin. Or are you too scared to meet the powerful Sneg face-to-face?"

Continue through the cave, following the path of the underground river and fighting the cultists and Ogrim. When you come to a large ceremonial chamber, you'll find Naryu fighting the source of the voice you've been hearing throughout the ruins: Olfrig. Help her kill him and follow her into the inner chambers. There, she is talking to another Orc, Curate Sneg, the target of her writ. He begs for his life, she throws a knife at him, and then she's ready to talk to you.
thumb|Naryu and her target
:Naryu: ''Ugh, I hate when my leathers get wet. And this is a new outfit too! Ah well … I suppose we ought to discuss what you're doing here?

:I have to admit, when I saw you I thought, "what the tusk are you doing down here —pardon my Orcish. Did you really follow me across the continent? That shows commitment. Kind of creepy, but still, a lot of commitment.
:I'm looking for Councilor Eris's daughter, Veya.
:Well, that's not what I expected. But you can just turn around and leave. You're not going to find her. Veya's going through a difficult time right now and the last thing she needs is some House Redoran lackey adding to her pain and confusion.
:You know me, Naryu. I just want to assure her father that Veya's safe.
:I know you, hero. It's Old Man Eris I don't trust. He didn't tell you about Veya's brother, did he? How House Redoran exiled their favorite son? No? I didn't think so. Veya deserves answers and I promised to help her. You need to just walk away.
:If you don't let me help, you'll have to deal with others. They're hiring outsiders to find Veya.
:Outsiders? Is her father really that desperate? Look, tell Eris that Veya's safe and you'll see her soon. But no more outsiders. If my organization gets skittish, they'll return to the shadows and take Veya with them. We'll only deal with you.
:Is all that really true? Will you set up a meeting with Veya?
:Well, it's not exactly a lie. And I don't want things to get out of hand. I'll arrange a meeting, provided Veya agrees. You let Eris know she's safe. Get him to stop hiring freelancers before someone gets hurt. I'll send word when we're ready.''

In case it wasn't clear enough already, Naryu will tell you that she is a member of the Morag Tong, and that Veya has now joined them as Naryu's apprentice. You can leave the inner chambers by going over the same waterfall you saw Naryu on earlier, then exit the ruins the same way you came in.

Reporting Back
Return to Balmora and report back to Councilor Eris.

:''I'm surprised to see you back here, but I'm also relieved. Does this mean you have news about my daughter? Is she safe? Is she ready to come home?
:Veya's safe. She's joined the Morag Tong and they're arranging a meeting.
:Veya joined that cult of assassins? I was afraid she'd do something rash, but what was she thinking? I don't see the Morag Tong as safe, but at least she's still alive, so I suppose that's something. When are we going to meet with my daughter?
:Not us. Just me. But tell me, what happened to Veya's brother?
:She won't meet with me? No, I suppose she's not ready for that quite yet. As for Veya's brother, that was all the doing of the Redoran Council. I'm not allowed to discuss the details. But he's still alive, if that's what Veya is worried about.
:Naryu said to call off the other freelancers or she'll take Veya and disappear.
:Naryu's back in town? She's as stubborn as Veya. Very well. No other outsiders. Although I can't dismiss the mercenaries that Captain Brivan employs. House Redoran is my life, as is Veya. I'll do everything in my power to see her home safely.
:Your daughter is safe. Just let me handle this and I'll try to get her to meet with you.
:As you say. No other outsiders. But there are rules, outlander. I must do everything within reason to maintain the honor of House Redoran. Here. Your first payment. Soon, however, I'll expect more than just a verbal confirmation of Veya's safety.''

This completes the quest. The conversation with Councilor Eris continues, however, and starts Of Faith and Family.
 

Quest Stages