The Paper Mirror

**Enemy Level** | PC x 1 (Max: 30)
 **Quest ID** | BookQuest3DNPC

*The Paper Mirror* is a nested revenge story that simultaneously guides the player down a specific path while seemingly offers choices in actions. While one character, Theron, pursues his former allies for their betrayal, he is also the target of a mysterious writer’s vengeance. Central to the quest are a series of books that foretells much of the sequence of events. Will the player follow the plot as it is written or create his or her own ending?

**A Strange Encounter**

The quest can be started by talking to the NPC simply named “Breton” found wandering around The Winking Skeever in Solitude. Upon initiating the conversation, the man will comment on how he wish to leave Skyrim as soon as possible. Further questioning reveals a spooky experience in the basement of a witch’s cabin to be the source of his apprehension. The quest will start, prompting the player to investigate the cellar in Anise’s Cabin near Riverwood. Alternatively the quest can start without talking to the Breton if the player finds and reads volume 1 of The Paper Mirror in Anise’s cellar directly.

An unassuming book with red covers can be found on the bookshelf after entering the cellar. By reading the book, the player finds him or herself to be part of the story. Stranger still, it appears to tell of events that have yet occurred and predicts the player will meet a man named Theron in the Windpeak Inn for a job.

**Chasing the Story**

Following the narrative to the Windpeak Inn in Dawnstar, the player can find Theron in the corner of the inn. Initiating conversation with him will offer up the dialogue option suggested by the book, along with a few others. It doesn’t matter how the player responds, it turns out, as Theron assume the player to be a mercenary hired for the job by his fence, Argis. Follow Theron outside of the inn and listen to his story about narrowly escaping a bandit mutiny. He will forcegreet the player after his story, any of the dialogue options will prompt him to tell the player to meet outside of Redoran’s Retreat and progress the quest.

Traveling to Redoran’s Retreat, the player will find two of Theron’s bandits are already waiting outside of the hideout. Theron will appear as the player approaches the entrance and tells the group to kill anyone inside. After the scene finishes, head into the cave and proceed with slaughtering the inhabitants. After killing the bandit chief named Javid, follow the quest objective to find and read Volume 3 of The Paper Mirror on a table near the bedrolls.

Again, the book eerily describes the current events of the quest as it unfolds and predicts the following scene with Theron. Watch the scene play out as it’s described in the book, which offers some background on the possible identity and motivations of the writer. After the scene ends, Theron will again forcegreet the player and ask how he/she met Argis. Most of the dialogue options will turn him and his two guards hostile and the player will need to kill them. After Theron is dead, the new quest objective will ask the player to find Volume 4 of The Paper Mirror at the Writer’s location described in Volume 3. The second volume of the series can be looted off of Theron which provides additional background of the events leading up to the quest.

**Find the Mysterious Writer**

Heading back to Solitude where it all started, the player can now find Volume 4 of The Paper Mirror on a desk in the back corner of the upper floor of the Castle Dour Dungeon. Reading the book indicates the Writer of the story has found some sort of closure and has moved on while providing the player with closure to the story as well. The quest will be marked as complete with Theron dead and the Writer gone. The Writer’s Dagger (an enchanted elven dagger) can be found next to the book on the table.

**Story with a Different Ending**

If the appropriate dialogue option is selected and the player passes the persuasion check when Theron asks the player how he/she met Argis, he will not turn hostile and instead give the player some amount of gold reward (max: 500) but warns that the player will no longer be welcome the next time they meet. This will enable an alternate version of Volume 4 of The Paper Mirror in Castle Dour Dungeon. Upon reading the book, a ghostly apparition of the Writer will appear and attack the player. The quest is complete after defeating the Writer and the Writer’s Dagger can be looted from his remains.

Notes:

– Volume 2 can be pickpocketed from Theron if he remains alive

– Theron is no longer essential after reading Volume 3, so the player can kill him even if he does not turn hostile from the dialogue options. However, the alternate Volume 4 will still be enabled and the Writer will still attack the player in Castle Dour

– If Theron is alive after the completion of the quest, he will be added to the bandit faction and will be hostile the next time the player enters Redoran’s Retreat