Taron Dreth

Taron Dreth is a Dunmer mage, and the alleged author of the book The Aetherium Wars. During the quest "Lost to the Ages," Katria, his former companion, insists that Taron Dreth took credit for her research on the Aetherium Forge in his book.
==Interactions==
After completing "Lost to the Ages," Taron Dreth may appear as a random encounter along the roads of Skyrim, along with three mercenaries.
If the Dragonborn has one of the Aetherium items (Aetherial crown, shield, or staff) in their inventory, Taron will ask how this item was obtained. He will attack no matter which option is chosen in the dialogue.
If the Dragonborn has no Aetherium items, Taron does not ask about them. However, if dialogue is engaged with him, he may be asked who he is and told that Katria had mentioned him. He will respond with, "You know too much," fearing that the Dragonborn could reveal the truth and ruin him because of the Dragonborn's interaction with Katria, and attack the Dragonborn with three mercenaries he hired as his bodyguards.
He may also appear with his three mercenaries in the Silver-Blood Inn. The same conversation as above is automatically initiated when the inn is entered. This fight can be quite easy as there are many people who the Dragonborn can befriend inside the inn, including Cosnach, who will help the Dragonborn against Taron and his three mercenaries.
When Taron attacks, he prefers using Fireball spells, and can reanimate his mercenaries as zombies with Raise Zombie or Reanimate Corpse. Due to using Fireball, if engaged in the Silver-Blood Inn, the splash damage from the spell can kill the Markarth NPCs in the crossfire.
==Dialogue==
;If the Aetherium item is present in the Dragonborn's inventory:
"Your ... gods, it's made of Aetherium! Pure Aetherium! Where did you find it? Tell me!"
:I made it. "What? You... you found the Forge? The Aetherium Forge?"
::I had some help. From Katria. "Katria? No, no that's not possible! You... you know too much. I can't afford to let you live. Guards! Kill !"
:Who are you? "Taron Dreth. The world's most foremost expert on Dwemer forging techniques. Now answer my question!"
::I've heard of you. From Katria. "Katria? No, no that's not possible! You... you know too much. I can't afford to let you live. Guards! Kill !"
::I had some help. From Katria. "Katria? No, no that's not possible! You... you know too much. I can't afford to let you live. Guards! Kill !"
:::No I don't think so. "Then I'll take it from your corpse! Kill !"
:::Backing out of conversation will also turn him hostile: "No answer? Then I'll take it from your corpse!"
;If the Aetherium item is not present in the Dragonborn's inventory:
Who are you? "Taron Dreth. The world's most foremost expert in Dwemer metallurgy. Not that you would know anything about that."
:I've heard about you. From Katria. "Katria? No, no that's not possible! You... you know too much. I can't afford to let you live. Guards! Kill !"
What are you doing here? "I'm on my way to Markarth to confer with my colleague, Calcelmo. I've no time to stop and chat."
==Notable items==
*He wears a unique set of master robes called Taron Dreth's Robes.
==Trivia==
*Although Taron mentions being a colleague of Calcelmo, there is no evidence of that, and Calcelmo cannot be asked about it.
==Bugs==
*Taron and the mercenaries may not become hostile after mentioning Katria to him.
*If the Dragonborn is a very high level in magic, his dialogue can change; he will talk about how dangerous their magic is. At this point he may be stuck following them around without going back to his original dialogue and instead will repeatedly talk about their magic. This means that his mercenaries and him will more than likely fight on the Dragonborn's side during a skirmish.
**The only way to stop this glitch is to kill him.
==Appearances==
*
de:Taron Dreth
es:Taron Dreth
ru:Тарон Дрет
Category:Skyrim: Authors