Online:Nazdar

Nazdar is an elderly Khajiit, an adept of the Whispering Claw style and an amateur musician who lives in the Stitches. Tasnasi asks that you recruit him for a heist on Meirvale Keep.
 
 

Related Quests


Quest-Related Events
Recruiting Nazdar
When you find him, he will be gazing over a cliff in the direction of the Scar.
:"Said Nalitha the Avuncular: "Even in somber times must the wayfarer be offered greetings." Nazdar greets you, wayfarer, though his times are somber indeed. What brings you to this one?"
:Tasnasi has a job. She wants you to join her crew.
:"Hotaza the Corpulent often said: "The forgetting of friends is a grievous wrong." Wise words. Tasnasi has not visited him in some time, but this one has not forgotten her. So believe Nazdar when he regretfully declines her invitation."
:Can I ask why?
:''"This one has lost a prized possession. A lute, gifted to me by a dear, departed friend. It has buoyed Nazdar's soul for so long, he sinks without it. Weighed down as such, he cannot be the fleet walker Tasnasi needs him to be."
:What if I got the lute back for you?
:"Truly? This one was practicing his lute in the canyon below, but his playing attracted irascible beasts. He was forced to leave it behind as he scrambled up the cliffs."

You can ask him questions about the lute.
:"To quote Wise Reranzar: "in places where many do not walk you find those you do not wish to walk with." The beasts that pursued Nazdar may yet remain. Please, be cautious."
:Why were you practicing in the bottom of a canyon?/Why is the lute in the bottom of the canyon?
::"Hmm.  "The truth, however noxious, is sweeter than rose blossom," to quote the venerable Bate. Nazdar plays, but not well. The others throw things at him when he practices, so he plays where he can be alone."
:Who'd you say gave you the lute?/And who gave you the lute?/Who did you say gave you the lute?
:"A saint. He once led the Stitches. Not to glory, perhaps, but away from shame.  Even saints do not live forever—nor did he—but as Balant the Canonical said: "the dead recalled in good memories are the true saints of our lives."

Once you have found the lute in the canyon far to the southwest of the town, you can return it to him.
:"As Zubacha the Hermit said to Intasi after returning from his grand pilgrimage: "hello." This one is cheered to see you without the blemishes of harm."
:I've got your lute.
:"As often said by Pollu the Overstating: "this is worthy of celebration!"  You have done this one a great turn. In the dark days the Stitches find themselves in, it is good to hold a memory of brighter times."
:So, you'll join Tasnasi's crew?
:"Your kindness reminds Nazdar of the love Dashing Dasalzo had for the Stitches in life. This one recalls many joys in the company of Tasnasi and the others. He would like to feel them again. Nazdar will go where Tasnasi bids."

You can ask Nazdar about himself and the often-mentioned Dashing Dasalzo.
:Tell me more about Dashing Dasalzo./Tell me more about Dashing Dasalzo.
:"A life of decades cannot be reckoned in minutes." So the Blind Poet has taught us, but Nazdar will do his best. The Stitches was once like it is today: a refuse pit of the spirit, home of vice, self-interest, and the vain depravities of life."
::And Dasalzo changed all that?
::"Dasalzo came to the gangs of the Stitches and showed them a common foe: Euraxia's armies. We harried them, stole from them, bled them dry. And we formed bonds. To quote Idino the Aphoric, "The greatest gift the indolent can receive is purpose."
:::But now he's gone.
:::"His death did not rip those bonds apart, but without Dasalzo's care in keeping them tight knit they are unraveling none the less … and Khasda is pulling at the threads. But some, like Nazdar, keep Dasalzo's memory. And his hope."
:I heard you're an adept? Why would an adept be in a place like this?/So, you're an adept? How'd you end up in a place like this?
:"Nazdar knows you see more ribs than muscles on him. This is true. But he once was a brother of the Whispering Claw. So dedicated to that life he was, that he took a vow of silence."
::That wasn't meant to last.
::"You have read the works of Vekla the Ephemeral! Nazdar is glad to know a fellow student. Yes. Nazdar was silent for nineteen years. But one night, in moonlight, he heard through his cell a song. A simple tune, but captivating."
:::What was the song?
:::"Some peasant tune, hummed by a swineherd going home, but as Jerasti Moon-Singer said: "beauty is not in the art, but in what it instills." In that moment, Nazdar knew he must sing. So he broke his vow and left the adeptorium to make music."
::::You're trying to become a bard?
::::"You can make art for others," said Erke of the Bard College, "Or for yourself." Nazdar knows he is not good enough to make art for others, but Dashing Dasalzo always encouraged Nazdar to make art for himself. Nazdar will never forget that.

The Heist Briefing
After you have recruited everyone, they will have gathered in the Bowel, a small cave which leads inside the Meirvalde Keep Dungeons. Nazdar will be pleased to see his old crew.
:"To see Tasnasi, Sereyne, and Vole once more warms me from ear to tail. "The joy of friendship is best known by the heart in a reunion," so the fifth song of the Pellitine Verses goes." 

Once you have spoken, Tasnasi will go over everyone's role in the heist.
:Tasnasi: ''"Today we hit Khasda, right under his nose. We'll break into the basement of the Meirvale Keep through this sewer, so long as Vole can pick the locks."
:Vole: "Locks. Cute. Might as well be fancifully knotted ribbons to me."
:Tasnasi: "Good. At the courtyard, we'll have sentries, but Sereyne's teleportation spell should let us pass unnoticed."
:Sereyne: "Ugh. Were you talking to me?"
:Tasnasi: "We'll enter the palace through a second floor storage room. Nazdar will scale the wall and drop a rope for us."
:Nazdar: "As spake Urua the Observant, "I see."
:Tasnasi: "Tasnasi and the newcomer will handle any trouble that comes our way. Let's get started."

You have the option of asking Nazdar about his part of the plan.
:"To know the road you walk is a joy," was recorded as the last words of Ophine Dentreaux. Our road is now known to us. It will be a joy to walk it."
:What's your part of the plan, again?
:"We need a way into the tower once we've crossed the courtyard. I will scale it and gain access."
:You're going to climb a tower?
:"Ha! "Years may befall the river, yet it still flows." The Red Koan is clear. You see a frail old cat, but Nazdar is a proud practitioner of the Whispering Claw. You will see."

Meirvale Keep Dungeons
Once inside the dungeons, Nazdar will be feeling the chill.
:"The mind can overcome any discomfort," sings the Lamentation of Dis. Clearly they didn't consider how an old Khajiit feels in the cold. Nazdar feels the damp in his bones. How can you stand it?"

After you and Vole make you way through to the courtyard entrance, Nazdar will catch up.
:Tasnasi: "They're through. No lagging behind."
:Sereyne: "Keep up, old timer. I made it and I can barely walk straight."
:Nazda: "'Gaze in wonder at the infirm, for their aches are the song of long life.'"

If you talk to him before entering the courtyard.
:"Do not fear a dark passage, for from them it's easiest to see light." Nazdar is happy to see the way to the courtyard is just ahead."

Meirvale Keep Courtyard
When you are in the courtyard, Sereyne will play her part and will attempt to teleport everyone across. Operative word, "attempt".
:Tasnasi: "Sereyne, it's your turn."
:Sereyne: "Ugh. Everyone, stand still. You're making me queasy. Just need to concentrate."
:Sereyne: "Focus the power … imagine the destination. All right—here we go."
:Tasnasi: "What the—"
:Sereyne: "So far so good. Now Vole …."
:Vole: "You're sure—"
:Nazdar: "To quote the barkeep, "you look sick—"
:Sereyne:  
:Sereyne: "Oh, that's not good."''

There will then be flash of light and you will reappear near Nazdar. Sereyne's projection will be nearby.
:Nazdar: "This one prefers his feet."
:Sereyne:"Whew. Thought I lost you."

If you talk to him before Sereyne.
:"And Buri-do, waking from the dream, kissed the earth until his mouth was full of mud." The Scrolls of Companionship, Moon Passage.  Nazdar channels Buri-do at this moment. Though his back feels nice and loose."

Once Sereyne has relayed Tasnasi's adjusted plan, Nazdar will become your follower and you will have to lead him through the patrolling guards. You can ask him how he is.
:''"Nazdar advises patience. We can avoid the sentries, if we are calm. "Heed the tenants of the Whispering Claw, and no one will pay you any more mind than they would a lark's shadow." The words of Nazdar's master, the venerable Pellu-dar."
:Are you all right after the failed teleportation?
:"Ha! At his age, Nazdar's aches are like rain drops. Whether they come as a drizzle or a flood, they are too numerous to count. If something is missing, he has not noticed."

As you progress through the courtyard, Nazdar will begin reciting the tenets or "fingers" of the Whispering Claw.
:Nazdar: "Walk softly," Master Hen-do taught me. If we get into trouble, be warned I cannot help. My fists are weapons no longer." 
:Nazdar: "Soft as a whisper, quick as a shout,"" the first finger of the Whispering Claw teaches."
:Nazdar: "As the second finger of the Whispering Claw says, "Shadows consume curiosity, time, and interest."
:Nazdar: "Heed the third finger of the Whispering Claw: "distance is greater than any weapon."
:Nazdar: "The fourth finger of the Whispering Claw states "command the space to move through it unseen."
:Nazdar: "The final finger of the Whispering Claw states: "the claw that passes as a whisper is the mark of the master."

You can ask him about these quotes.
:What are these quotes you keep whispering? About the Whispering Claw?
:""Each finger of the Whispering Claw can take another's life. But follow their teachings, and they may save your own." In another time, Nazdar was a practitioner of the Whispering Claw monastic tradition."
:You were a holy man?
:"The Great Sage of the Desert Wind would not say so, "for what can be sacrosanct of studied warfaare or devout of training for trespass?" Nazdar cannot claim to be blessed, either, but ... there is spirit in these teachings."
:What are the teachings of the Whispering Claw?
:"Understanding the Whispering Claw is not merely learning facts. It is action, it is meditation, training on the strictures. He apologizes that all he can offer now are words, but he hopes the seeds of their wisdom take root."

When you reach the other side of the courtyard, Nazdar will be play his part and climb up into the Palace.
:Tasnasi: "You made it? Both of you? Tasnasi is glad!"
:Sereyne: ''"Sorry about that. When this is all done, I'll but you a drink—"
:Tasnasi: "Moon's Mercy, Sereyne! When we're done here I will smash every bottle of wine in Elsweyr."
:Sereyne: "Not if I drink them first!"
:Tasnasi: "Nazdar, you're our way into this tower. Ready?"
:Nazdar: "'The ascent of the body is nothing compared to that of the soul.'" Saint Yosito spoke wisely."

Meirvale Keep Palace
After you climb the rope and enter the palace, you will find Vole tending to Nazdar. The aging adept injured himself while climbing.
:Vole: "Your knees shouldn't make that noise, right?"
:Nazdar: "They should make no noise, Vole."

You can talk to Nazdar and see how he is.
:"No rest," wrote the Ascetic Vula-do, "is sweeter than one following great exertion." Nazdar thinks perhaps he did not stretch properly before his climb. He is no longer the spry eighty-year-old he once was."
:Are you hurt? What happened?
:"Nazdar's knees tried to tell him he was no longer able to prance like a kitten, but he did not heed them. They are angry with him, now. They are only sprains, aches."
:Can you move?
:"Can and should," wrote Rid-Thar-ri'Datta, " and knowing the difference between them is the cornerstone of wisdom." With Vole's ministrations, Nazdar will be back to his former self in an hour, perhaps more. Do not worry for him."''

Once you and Sereyne have collected the vault keys, you can head to the vault, only to be intercepted by Vole with Nazdar in tow. Tasnasi was captured by Khasda and you'll need to go rescue her. You can ask Nazdar what happened before you leave.
:''"If Nazdar's body did not protest … if he had been a few years younger, she would not be in such danger. Forgive him. Please, find Tasnasi."
:What happened?
:"Vole and I heard voices. We hid as they grew close. It was two of Khasda's guards, gloating. About Tasnasi's capture."
:What did they say?
:"Tasnasi had been found looking through records, books. Khasda caught her in the act. Nazdar does not understand. Books were not the riches she said she sought. "What wealth there is in knowledge cannot be measured in coin," as Ulu said, perhaps?"''

The Goiter's Gulp
After you have rescued Tasnasi and she has made her choice regarding Khasda, you can find the crew at the Goiter's Gulp.
:"To defer celebration without necessity is perhaps the most grievous sin." Hokae the Festive knew the truth when he spoke it. With so many uncertainties in life, we should celebrate when we have reason! And what better reason have we than this?"

Once you have spoken with Tasnasi, he will approve if Tasnasi decided to spare Khasda.
:''"Do not mistake a righted wrong for an undone wrong," I believe is the mantra of Goutfang master Jun-ri. Nazdar is glad to know Tasnasi's name is restored, but perhaps gladder to know she faced this tragedy and overcame it."''

Tasnasi's Camp
If Tasnasi killed Khasda, Nazdar can be found with the rest of the crew at her camp.
:''""Joyous is any reunion unexpected", spoke Renzi-jo to the Silent Disciple, "for to know the wheel of fate is to be bound to it." Nazdar is glad to see you. Though he sees the burden this ordeal has had on Taznazi's soul. He hopes she finds peace."

Once you have spoken with Tasnasi, he will speak of what comes next.
:""Wind will stop, dust will fall, and the foundation of something new will be laid." Stillness has come, at last, to Nazdar. Tasnasi has more roads ahead of her, it seems. And you. Nazdar is no prophet, but knows a wanderer when he sees one."

Dialogue
Once Thick as Thieves is completed, you can later find Nazdar around the Stitches. His dialogue will depend on the choice Tasnasi makes. 

If Khasda was exiled and Tasnasi became the new leader, Nazdar can be found poorly playing his lute near the eastern bridge.
:"A friend is the only gift that brings joy when returned," or so the Baandari saying goes. Nazdar has never had much to give besides his friendship, but he can attest it is joy he feels seeing you here again."
:How are things?
:"Nazdar has everything he needs. Good health, good friends, and music in his heart. When he looks upon the Stitches now, he is inspired. He sees Dashing Dasalzo's dream coming to life and the notes flow as vigorously as his blood."
:I thought you don't like to play in town.
:"He knows his playing is not welcomed by all, but Tasnasi has forbidden the others from throwing things at Nazdar, so long as he does not sing. As the Amicable Jaziir once said "compromise is cousin to happiness."''

However, if Khasda was killed, Nazdar can be found on the edge of a cliff near the Goiter's Gulp, lute in hand.
:""Sorrow is the canvas of the poet," said Bojhii the Misspoken. Mixed metaphors aside, the sentiment is lost on Nazdar. There is no music in his sorrow."
:Are things that bad?
:''"The Stitches are free of Khasda's depravity, it's true, but now it is beaten by many masters. When one of those masters makes their move and tries to take it all for themselves, the others will cling tightly and their struggle will pull it all apart."
:Why not leave before that happens?
:"This one is sure he will, when this place ceases to remind him of friends long gone. He does not think that will be long now. "We can never return home, but we can carry it with us." The Baandari know the truth of this."''