Daggerfall:The Mantella Revealed

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The Intermission.
Quest Giver: Several People/Groups
Location(s): None
Prerequisite Quest: Orcish Emancipation
Next Quest: Elysana's Betrayal
Reward: None
ID: S0000988
Required Level: None
 
The Mantella awaits discovery

Quick Walkthrough[edit]

  1. Receive some notes about the Mantella and read them.

Detailed Walkthrough[edit]

Tales and Clues[edit]

After completing the Orcish Emancipation quest, you may receive an anonymous letter if you have a high enough reputation with certain factions (you may actually receive several messages from different groups if you are really well-liked). These missives will provide some information about the Totem of Tiber Septim and Numidium, and how Tiber Septim used this gigantic brass golem to forge his empire more than four centuries ago. He or she who holds the Totem controls Numidium and with it, Tamriel's fate.

Similarly, some one of these people or groups may reveal information about the Mantella. The Mantella is a massive green gem that once served as the "heart," or power source, of Numidium. It cost Tiber Septim's battlemage his own "heart" to create it. The Totem alone is worthless; the Mantella must be placed within Numidium's body to activate it.

"Friends"[edit]

The following list provides the factions that may send you a letter, along with the minimum reputation required before each faction will send you a letter:

Faction/Person Reputation Required Letter
Dark Plotters 50 reputation or more Letter 1
Prince Lhotun 20 reputation or more Letter 1
Any Vampire Clan 10 reputation or more Letter 1 & Letter 2
Gortwog 25 reputation or more Letter 1
The Underking 15 reputation or more Letter 2
Queen Aubk-i 25 reputation or more Letter 2
Thieves Guild 50 reputation or more Letter 2
The King of Worms 15 reputation or more Letter 3
Princess Elysana 25 reputation or more Letter 3
Any Witch Coven 25 reputation or more Letter 3
Mages Guild 50 reputation or more Letter 3

IMPORTANT: Due to a bug, most of the factions or persons mentioned in the table above will not send you a letter, regardless how much reputation you have with them. This behavior is very likely caused by the game engine's inability to allocate reputation data correctly. Only three factions or persons will send you their letters in the end (assuming you have the required amount of reputation with them). These are shown in the table below:

Faction/Person Reputation Required Letter
Gortwog 25 reputation or more Letter 1
Thieves Guild 50 reputation or more Letter 2
Mages Guild 50 reputation or more Letter 3

Letters You May Receive[edit]

Letter 1

Dear (player's first name),
You have probably not heard the fairy tale of
Numidium, but you need to.
The legend dates back to the earliest parts of
the third era [sic].
Numidium was supposed to be a giant so big his
hands could knock the moons from the sky. I do
not recall from the stories whether Numidium was
supposed to be good or bad, but the legends used
to scare me as a child.
The legends are, in fact, true. There was a
Numidium, and, if situations continue, he will
come again. The Totem of Tiber Septim is used
to control Numidium. However, legend has it that
great Numidium lost his Mantellan heart,
whatever that is, in the final with Tiber
Septim's Battlemage. Until his heart is found,
the Totem is useless.
A Friend

Letter 2

Dear (player's first name),
Numidium was Tiber Septim's secret weapon in his
bid for supreme power: a thousand foot tall automaton,
a golem or an atronach of sorts powered by a gem called
the Mantella. The Mantella was infused with the life
orce [sic] of Tiber Septim's Imperial Battlemage, and with
it, Septim crushed all who stood in his way. After the
complete and total defeat of all his opponents, Septim
began using Numidium to crush the neutral royal families
of Tamriel so that he could enthrone only persons he
knew to be loyal. His Imperial Battlemage was furious
at this use of his creation, and fought to reclaim the
Mantella. In the ensuing battle, both the created and
the creator were vanquished: the heart they shared
blown out of this reality into the netherworld they
call Aetherius. Numidium's body was scattered throughout
Tamriel and the Imperial Battlemage, without his life
force, went into a semi-slumber in a subterranean vault.
In the centuries that followed, the Emperor's elite
soldiers, for generation after generation, collected the
pieces of the Numidium and became known as the Blades.
Tiber Septim's Imperial Battle Mage [sic] became known as the
Underking, and set his forces out to find the Mantella.
Be warned, therefore. Those who search for the Totem of
Tiber Septim are searching for the mechanism the first
Emperor of Tamriel used to control Numidium. Should
Numidium return, he or she who holds the Totem will
control Tamriel's fate.
A Friend

Letter 3

Dear (player's first name),
I must tell you about the Totem of Tiber Septim, which
all covet. You must know the truth about what you are asked.
The Totem was crafted by the original Imperial Battlemage
of Tamriel, by orders of Tiber Septim. It is essentially a
means of controlling a gargantuan creature called the
Numidium. Without it, the Numidium would simply not
function. The Imperial Battlemage placed a seal on the
Totem so that anyone not of Septim lineage or possessing
a special supernatural affinity, such as himself, would be
instantly killed if they attempted to use it. The Totem,
with the rest of Numidum, was lost during the epic battle
between the Imperial Battlemage and his own creation.
A Friend

Notes[edit]

  • This isn't really a quest, but it provides useful information about the Totem and the Mantellan Crux.
  • After you have received any one of the letters, you can embark on the optional quest Elysana's Betrayal.
  • This quest will end after you have completed the final quest of the main questline if you never acquired the required reputation to receive any of the three letters.

Bugs[edit]

  • Most of the listed factions or persons will not send you a letter, regardless of how high your reputation with them is.
    • DFQFIX addresses this. While it was not possible to get the remaining factions to send letters, the Merchants faction was added to the list; now you may receive letter 1 from them if your reputation is at least 50.

Additional Dialogue[edit]

When you receive a letter, its arrival will be announced by one of the following:

  • You approached [sic] by a young page who smiles in recognition and does not ask your name before he hands you a letter addressed to you. To all of your questions, he merely responds with a blank look and a smile.
  • A letter is pressed into your hand. You spin to see who gave it to you. You catch a glimpse of livery that vanishes into the crowd.
  • A page steps forward saying "Letter for you (player's name)," and hands you a note.
  • A courier steps up to you with a letter in hand. "I was told to give this letter to someone fitting your description," says the courier. As you take it, the courier turns and walks quickly away.
  • Reaching into you pack for something to eat, you spy a note. It wasn't there before.
  • A redfaced courier startles you with a cry of "Letter for (player's name)! Hey that must be you. Here, take this. Gotta go. Other deliveries to be made. [sic]


Prev: Orcish Emancipation Up: Main Quest Next: Elysana's Betrayal