Oblivion:Mystery at Harlun's Watch

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OB-qico-FightersGuild.png
Investigate the disappearance of some locals from Harlun's Watch.
Quest Giver: Burz gro-Khash at the Cheydinhal Fighters Guild
Location(s): Harlun's Watch and Swampy Cave
Prerequisite Quest: The Noble's Daughter
Next Quest: The Stone of St. Alessia or Information Gathering
Reward: Mind and Body Ring; level-dependent gold; possible promotion in Fighters Guild
Fame/Infamy: Fame +1
ID: FGC10Swamp
 
The concerned residents of Harlun's Watch

Quick Walkthrough[edit]

  1. Speak to Burz gro-Khash in Cheydinhal to receive this contract.
  2. Travel to Harlun's Watch and speak to Drarana Thelis for more information.
  3. Check out the nearby swamps for the source of the mysterious "strange lights" near Swampy Cave.
  4. Search the cave area for the missing locals.
  5. Return to Harlun's Watch with news about the missing locals.
  6. Report back to Burz gro-Khash for your reward and further instructions.

Detailed Walkthrough[edit]

Investigate Harlun's Watch[edit]

Speak to Burz gro-Khash in Cheydinhal and he will order you to investigate the disappearance of a group of locals at Harlun's Watch. Your contact there is Drarana Thelis. Travel to Harlun's Watch, which is just south of Cheydinhal and speak with Drarana about the disappearances. She'll tell you about people seeing "strange lights" in the swamps near old Swampy Cave, and failing to return after going to investigate. She asks for your help in determining what is going on.

Strange Lights[edit]

Travel southeast to Swampy Cave, which is located at the northern end of the Reed River. Outside the cave are three Will-o-the-Wisps, the likely source of the mysterious "strange lights". The Wisps can be quite a handful, so check the main creature article for suggestions on how to fight them. If you wish to avoid them altogether, you can simply enter the cave from a secondary entrance, which is located in the dip between two hills further south along the lake. Doing this will not add the Swampy Cave marker to your map but you will still be able to explore the entire cave and complete the quest.

Investigate Swampy Cave[edit]

The remains of Eduard Denile

Enter Swampy Cave from either of the two entrances and fight your way through the Swamp Trolls that inhabit it (see the place page for full walkthrough info). About half way into the first zone, you will come across the corpse of Eduard Denile and a number of other skeletal and decomposing remains. At this point your journal will update to say that you must kill all the Trolls in both zones (Swampy Cave and Swampy Cave Dry Rock Run). There are 15 trolls in total, and it is recommended not to exit the cave while in combat, as this may lead to a bug. When you've slain them all, head back to Drarana.

Return to Harlun's Watch with News[edit]

Return to Harlun's Watch and speak with Drarana about the fate of the missing locals. She will express remorse about their fate, thank you for your assistance and present you with the Mind and Body Ring, a leveled ring with Fortify Strength and Reflect Damage enchantments, as a token of the gratitude of the remaining residents of Harlun's Watch. Due to a bug, you will receive the most powerful version of the ring between levels 10-19.

Return to Cheydinhal and report to Burz gro-Khash for the standard level-dependent gold reward and one Fame point. This is the last contract from Burz, so the next quest will depend on your previous actions:

Notes[edit]

  • Despite Drarana telling you that the mysterious lights "were there at night" and that "in the morning, there was nothing to see", you will actually encounter the three Will-o-the-Wisps outside Swampy Cave at any time of the day.

Bugs[edit]

  • If you have cleared out the Swampy Cave before receiving the mission, the necessary dead body of Eduard Denile will not appear at the place the green marker points at, preventing you from finishing the quest.
    • The Official Oblivion Patch, version 1.1511, fixes this bug.
    • On PC You can use the console command setstage FGC10Swamp 40 to advance the quest past the problem. The quest will then continue normally.
    • On Xbox You can update the game to the latest patch and revert to a save before the quest was taken.
  • There have been reports of finding the bodies and clearing the cave but never triggering the "all clear" message.
    • PC Only The Unofficial Oblivion Patch, version 3.3.0, fixes this bug.
    • On PC You can use the console command set FGC10Swamp.trollsdead to 15 to trigger the message.
    • It is still possible to become the Guild Leader without completing the quest. You must merely accept the next Fighter's Guild quest from Azzan or Modryn Oreyn.
  • Once you've entered Swampy Cave during this quest, do not leave until all of the trolls are dead and the quest update has appeared. The trolls are able to follow outside and may randomly run off into the wilderness and be difficult to find, leaving the quest unfinishable.
    • PC Only The Unofficial Oblivion Patch, version 3.1.0, fixes this bug.
    • On PC Entering set FGC10Swamp.trollsdead to 15 into the console will resolve this issue.
  • The Mind and Body Ring is incorrectly leveled, causing it to be a better reward between levels 10-19 than at level 20 or above. The later Fighters Guild quest, Information Gathering has a similar glitch, but the object in this quest is better below level 10 than above it. Therefore, it is to your advantage to take a look at both rewards, decide which item you like better, and do the quests either above or below level 10.
  • It is possible that even after you finish the quest, the people of Harlun's Watch will still say "Please... help us." as you walk by them.
  • It is considered trespassing to enter Drarana Thelis's house during the quest.

Journal Entries[edit]

Mystery at Harlun's Watch (FGC10Swamp)
Stage Finishes Quest Journal Entry
10 Burz gro-Khash has given me a contract to go to Harlun's Watch, near Cheydinhal, and investigate the disappearances of some of the local populace. I should speak to Drarana Thelis.
20 I have spoken to Drarana Thelis in Harlun's Watch. She tells me that folks have been seeing strange lights in the swamps, and when they've gone to investigate, none have returned.
30 It seems that the strange lights people were seeing over the swamp are will-o-the-wisps. But, there don't seem to be any signs of the townsfolk who disappeared. The Will-o-the-wisps were surrounding a cave, though. I should investigate.
35 I've killed all of the trolls in Swampy Cave. I should report what I've found to Drarana Thelis. (If the player has already found the villagers' corpses) or
I've killed all of the trolls in Swampy Cave. I should look for evidence that these were the creatures responsible for the disappearances at Harlun's Watch. (If the player has not yet found the villagers' corpses)
40 Inside the Swampy Cave, I've found the corpses of the townsfolk that are missing. It looks like trolls have been feeding on the people weakened by the will-o-the-wisps. I should make sure to clear out all the remaining trolls from the cave complex. (If trolls remain to be killed) or Inside the Swampy Cave, I've found the corpses of the townsfolk that are missing. It looks like trolls have been feeding on the people weakened by the will-o-the-wisps. I should report this to Drarana Thelis. (If all the trolls are dead)
50 Drarana Thelis was saddened at the fates of the townsfolk, but has rewarded me for my efforts. I should report to Burz gro-Khash for payment of the contract.
100 Finishes quest☑ Burz gro-Khash has paid me the balance of the contract. He tells me that he has no further contracts to offer. (If the player has finished The Stone of St. Alessia quest) or
Burz gro-Khash has paid me the balance of the contract. He tells me that he has no further contracts to offer, but I should speak with Azzan in Sutch [sic], if I have not already. (If the player hasn't yet done that quest)
Notes
  • Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
  • Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in random order.
  • If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
  • On PC It is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage FGC10Swamp stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages. See SetStage for more information.
Prev: The Noble's Daughter Up: Fighters Guild Next: The Stone of St. Alessia or
Information Gathering