The Heretic

Questor Offer

[a god] be with you, [your title]. You may have heard of [prophet]. If you have not yet, you will. We are investigating [his/her] claims that [he/she] is a prophet. We are not, I think, censorious by nature, but we must ever be alert to the presence of heretical influences. Would you be available to assist in this important investigation?

It falls upon us to investigate the claims of [prophet] that [he/she] has seen the face and heard the words of [a god]. Perhaps you have time to assist in this inquiry?

Refuse Quest

That's a pity, [your title]. I hope you will find time in your busy schedule for the temple in the near future.

Accept Quest

Good. We have already sent one of the Temple, [priest] to the desacralized [the dungeon], where [prophet] asserts that [he/she] first witnessed the miracle. If [priest] needs assistance, I will send for you. In the meanwhile, I want you to find some more-secular information on [prophet], by asking around in [his/her] hometown, [tavern's town]. A loyal cleric of ours, [contact] will meet you in [tavern]. I want to see evidence of the true nature of [prophet] in no more than [quest time] days. I would leave immediately. May Great [a god] bless your enterprise, [your title].

Quest Complete

Well done, [your title]. I tremble to think what [prophet] might have done to our temple had [he/she] spread [his/her] profane word. [a god] bless you and keep you, goodly [your race]. Here, a small token of the esteem of your brethren.

Rumors During Quest

Say what you want about [prophet]'s religion, but [he/she]'s a persuasive writer.

[quest giver's town] is real nervous about having a revolutionary like [prophet] around.

I read about [prophet]'s miracle in [his/her] tract. I must say, it's persuasive.

Rumors Postfailure

[prophet]'s gone on to preach [his/her] evangelium to the heathen folk of Tamriel.

[prophet]'s left the Bay, but [his/her] work is not yet complete.

Rumors Postsuccess

That [prophet] was a charlatan who found some fools in [tavern's town].

Questor Postsuccess

For what thou hast done for the faith, I'd be happy to help thee.

Questor Postfailure

I have nothing to say to thee, heretic of [prophet].

Quest Log Entry

[the quest date]: [quest giver] of [quest giver's place] has sent me to investigate the life of [prophet], who claims to be a prophet. I am to ask about [him/her] in [his/her] hometown, [tavern's town]. [contact] is waiting for me there to give me [his/her] further instructions. I am to meet [him/her] at [tavern].

Message 1011

I scarcely remember my voyage to the place called [the dungeon]: I expect I was still partly dreaming. Deep within the stinking recesses of the profaned temple, I was met with a great fire and from the flames I heard the same voice speak: "Welcome." "Who art thou?" I addressed the flame. "I am what [quest giver's town] doth proclaim to worship, but with every act and thought defile my divinity. To thee I called so that a new [quest giver's town] might be created, one led by truth and true insight, and understanding of my Being. The heathen need insight, and you shall be it." The God told me more that day, but while the wicked [quest giver's town] continues their policy of quashing any who dare to challenge their corrupted, contemptible theology, I must keep my tracts short. More will follow shortly hereafter.

Message 1012

[quest giver's town] [quest giver's place] [your title] [your name], [priest] has failed to meet with the man to whom [he/she] was to report [his/her] findings in [the dungeon]. We must assume the worst. You are hereby ordered to find either [priest] [him/her]-self or [his/her] body in [the dungeon] and report back to me. All other assignments and investigations take lower priority. [quest giver]

Message 1013

Ah hello, [your first name]. Welcome to [tavern's town]. The whole town's in a buzz about that young [prophet]. But [he/she] isn't even here -- [he/she]'s in [prophouse's town] at a tavern called [prophouse], working on a new tract about what this mysterious spirit of [the dungeon] had to say about the moral disintegration of [quest giver's town]. Here's a copy of the original tractate, so you know what this [prophet]'s all about. Dangerous character from what I've seen so far. I'm communicating with [lover], a [lover] in [lover's place] with whom [prophet] had some kind of relationship. It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to go to [lover's place] and see if you can't persuade [him/her] to talk to us. Hope all this is helpful information, [your first name].

Message 1014

[tavern] [tavern's town] Dear [your name], There's been a horrible accident here at [tavern], involving [contact]. Please come here when you can. Yours sincerely, [replace]

Message 1015

A young lad hands you a letter and scurries off.

Message 1016

[an oath], [your first name], it was dreadful. The tavernkeep found [contact] in one of the rooms, [his/her] body defiled in the most horrifying way, a grim parody of the old [quest giver's town] mortuary rites. It was [prophet], no doubt. This relic was found in [contact]'s chest cavity. See if [lover] in [lover's place] recognizes it.

Message 1017

[lover] -- ah, poor [lover]. Well, [he/she] keeps mostly to [himself/herself].

[lover] is a [lover] in [lover's town]. They say [he/she] mourns for [his/her] lost love.

No matter what anyone tells you, [lover]'s lover is not dead. Mad, not dead.

[lover] is one of the tragedies in [lover's place]. They say [his/her] lover went mad.

Message 1018

Whatever they say, I never knew that [prophet]. Tell [contact] [he/she] has the wrong [lover].

Message 1019

[prophet] would kill me if [he/she] knew I was talking to you. But I know that you couldn't be working for [him/her]. Here's a letter [he/she] wrote to me about a month ago. I think it explains everything.

Message 1020

[relartifact]! [an oath], that's poor [prophet]'s property. [an oath], I knew [he/she] was unstable, but I never thought [he/she]'d really do it. [an oath], poor [contact]. If I had helped [him/her], [he/she]'d still be alive today. This won't make up for what I've done by failing to act, but you will know what to do with this letter. May [a god] forgive me.

Message 1021

[lover], My Love, First, forgive the silence of your love. It was not another attack of brain fever. For some months now, I have been in spiritual turmoil, unfit for any company, even for the comfort of your dulcet fellowship. My days of pain are over, but for this -- I can never see you again. My life has a higher purpose than the fulfillment of a ridiculous love affair now. No longer can I suffer the evil of [quest giver's town], the evil they did to me, and the evil they are doing to all of Tamriel. The days the prophet Marukh spoke of are on us again. I must rally the people by any and all lies, innuendo, bigotry, and threats to rise against the spiritual tyranny of [quest giver's town]. Forgive me, my former love. And if you can, forget me. And if you can do neither, do not see me. If you do, I will slay you and stick candles in your eyes and twine your organs with beads for the greater glory of the gods of the universe. Filthy [lover], torment me no longer. [prophet]

Message 1022

It used to be used in [quest giver's town] burial rituals.

Message 1023

[replace] is that [replace]. Affiliated with [quest giver's town] somehow.

[replace] was an old friend of [contact] before the ... accident.

Message 1024

Oh! That's [prophet]'s [relartifact]! [an oath], poor [contact]. Why don't you bring that letter I gave you to someone at [quest giver's town]? Surely, that is enough to discredit [prophet], isn't it?

Message 1025

[your first name], I thought that you were supposed to be investigating the situation in [tavern's town]. Well, as long as you're here, I have something different for you to do. I've found some torn up letters, scraps really, about a [lover] somewhere in [lover's place] by the name of [lover]. See if you can't find something on [him/her]. I don't know if [he/she]'ll talk, but it's worth a try.

Message 1026

You pick up a scrap of flesh, carefully, even ritualistically stripped from a [priest]'s hand. This was once a finger of [priest].

Message 1027

Truly nauseating.

A hacked-off finger.

A chunk of somebody's hand.

Extremely tasteless.

Not bad with a little salt and honey.

It looks like an old [quest giver's town] ceremony. They used to do that to corpses.

When in [quest giver's town], [prophet] used to dissect cadavers just that precisely.

[quest giver's town] abandoned that kind of funereal dissection, but [prophet] espouses it.

Message 1028

It was nice of [priest] to give me a hand, don't you think?

[an oath], what was I supposed to do? [priest] threatened to finger me, after all.

What an amusing plaything you have, [your first name]. See how it points.

Message 1029

How they come to persecute me. Abandon your unholy abuse, hound of [quest giver's town]. I am under protection of my god ... and the [the ruler's title] of [the region].

Message 1030

[lover]! False creature, deceiver! How [he/she] will pay! [fighter], deal with this [your race]!

Message 1031

Thank [a god], I was afraid I had lost that. Thank you, good [your race].

Message 1032

[the quest date]: [contact] tells me that [prophet] is in [prophouse] in [prophouse's town], but it might be a good idea to go visit a [lover] named [lover] in [lover's place]. [contact] doesn't know the relationship between the two, but it's worth investigating.

Message 1033

[the quest date]: [priest] told me that the name [lover] and the town [lover's place] were found on several scraps of paper in [the dungeon], bearing investigation.

Message 1034

[the quest date]: [replace] told me about the ritualistic murder of [contact] and gave me some [relartifact] found on the body. [replace] suggested that I go to [lover's place], show it to [lover], and see if it convinces [him/her] to speak to me.

Message 1035

[the quest date]: I just read a letter that [prophet] sent [lover] a month ago and [he/she] gave me. The letter should thoroughly discredit [prophet] to any and all of [his/her] potential converts. The [prophet] was mad as a monkey.

Message 1036

[the quest date]: I received a letter from [quest giver] telling me to get to [the dungeon] and see what happened to the priest, [priest]. I am to either find the [priest] or evidence of [his/her] death.

Message 1037

[the quest date]: I found a finger which I presume was once attached to [priest]. It was curiously, even ceremoniously severed.

Message 1038

[prophet] may be the greatest leader to come out of [tavern's town].

[prophet] spends [his/her] time in [his/her] room in [prophouse], writing.

[prophet] hasn't ever gotten on well with [quest giver's town]. -- Symbols used in the QRC file: -- -- [he/she] occurs 19 times. -- [him/her] occurs 16 times. -- [his/her] occurs 79 times. -- [a god] occurs 7 times. -- [an oath] occurs 6 times. -- [your first name] occurs 6 times. -- [your name] occurs 5 times. -- [your title] occurs 6 times. -- [the quest date] occurs 7 times. -- [your race] occurs 5 times. -- [the region] occurs 2 times. -- [the ruler's title] occurs 1 time. -- [fighter] occurs 1 time. -- [lover] occurs 8 times. -- [priest] occurs 2 times. -- [prophet] occurs 1 time. -- [quest time] occurs 1 time. -- [replace] occurs 1 time. -- _ occurs 1 time. -- [lover's place] occurs 10 times. -- [the dungeon] occurs 7 times. -- [quest giver's place] occurs 5 times. -- [lover's town] occurs 1 time. -- [prophouse's town] occurs 2 times. -- [quest giver's town] occurs 30 times. -- [tavern's town] occurs 13 times. -- [contact] occurs 16 times. -- [lover] occurs 13 times. -- [priest] occurs 10 times. -- [prophet] occurs 117 times. -- [prophouse] occurs 3 times. -- [quest giver] occurs 3 times. -- [relartifact] occurs 3 times. -- [replace] occurs 5 times. -- [tavern] occurs 5 times.