Online:Cipher Agrushna

Cipher Agrushna
Location	Outside Quires Wind
Race	Orc	Gender	Female
Reaction	Friendly
Other Information
Faction(s)	Ciphers of the Eye

Cipher Agrushna

Cipher Agrushna is an Orc member of the Ciphers of the Eye who can be found outside Quires Wind.

Related Quests

• Madness in the Wind: Help Cipher Agrushna investigate Quires Wind for the source of corruption.
• Chronicle of Fate: Learn what was forgotten.

Quest-Related Events

Madness in the Wind

To start the quest, you can either talk to Cipher Huljorn first or Cipher Agrushna directly:

Cipher Agrusha: "This is a disaster. A disaster! We're losing centuries of work!"

Speak with her to see what is going on:

"Beware, stranger! Madness stalks Quires Wind. Most of my fellow ciphers are lost—the Hush has taken them. And the Daedra of the Wind have turned on those few of us who kept our minds.
They killed mortals who have worked here for decades!"

What is this place?

"Quires Wind is a scriptorium. Here the Great Eye's Daedra bind secrets into tomes. Ciphers like me help with this sacred task, preparing materials. Ink, blank pages, bindings. But the new scrolls Cipher Sabinius brought to the Wind are corrupt!"

Corrupt? How?

"The scrolls give off a maddening aura. Sabinius left several hidden in the Wind. We need to destroy them, and make sure Sabinius has no more.
The Hush will take me if I go back. But an outsider like you should be able to resist. Can you help me?"

I'll destroy the corrupted scrolls and find Cipher Sabinius.

"You'll find the corrupted scrolls hidden within Quires Wind. Sabinius is in there too. We can't leave him with any scrolls, blank or corrupt.
And watch out for Cipher Gelon. He's a clever alchemist, but I saw the Hush take him. He's dangerous."

After you agree to help, you can ask Agrushna more questions:

"The corrupted scrolls are inside Quires Wind. I need you to destroy them. And find Cipher Sabinius, if you can. There must be an explanation for how those scrolls came to be here."

You mentioned something called the Hush. What is that?

"Many mortals find their way to Apocrypha, but few find their way home again. The secrets and insights of the Great Eye's realm fill the mind, crowding out that which makes us … us.
We call it the Hush. And those it takes, the Hushed."

Are the Hushed lost forever?

"Yes. The secrets they take into their minds change them. Their bodies mold themselves to follow. They become warped.
Most Hushed go about in silence, lost in their own delusions. But others can lash out in unprovoked violence at any time."

Tell me more about Quires Wind.

"Many of the books you see in Apocrypha are echoes of books that exist elsewhere. But scriptoriums such as Quires Wind are where the Great Eye's Daedric servants—Seekers, usually—write down forbidden things. Black Books, for example."

Black Books?

"Yes. Each one contains a secret Hermaeus Mora has chosen to tempt or test mortals, as well as a doorway to Apocrypha. Those who study a Black Book learn something few others know. And they gain access to the Great Eye's domain."

How many Black Books have you written?

"Written? No, that work is reserved for the Seekers. Mortal scribes in the Wind simply prepare materials. Rare ink, special parchment and leather, alchemical glue. I've spent years brewing the ink for a single page of a book I will never read."

I've met some ciphers. What do they do in Quires Wind? (Appears after asking one of the above questions)

"We assist Hermaeus Mora's Daedric servants in the creation of books holding secrets. The Seekers compose the texts. Mortals help prepare the materials. Sometimes, after decades, a mortal is allowed to work as a copyist in the scriptorium itself."

Why would Cipher Sabinius sabotage Quires Wind?

"I don't know, but I don't think this is his plan. A cipher would never betray the Great Eye, and Sabinius has never shown any hints of madness or dangerous ambitions. Either he made a terrible mistake, or someone else put him up to it."

After you have found and burnt the corrupted scrolls and recovered what scrolls remained on Sabinus' body, you can return to Agrushna outside:

Cipher Agrusha: "You've returned! I was worried the Lurkers got you."

Speak with her to explain what you found and complete the quest:

"I was beginning to fear the worst. Tell me, did you destroy the corrupted scrolls? And did you find Cipher Sabinius? I can't believe any cipher would willingly take part in a plot to wreck the work of Quires Wind."

I burned the corrupted scrolls, but I found Cipher Sabinius dead. He had this blank scroll.

"I must examine this and see if there's a way to undo the effects. The Hushed are lost forever. But now that the corrupted scrolls are gone, maybe they'll forget their belligerence. The Daedra, too.
Thank you. Please, accept this reward."

After you complete the quest, you can speak with her some more:

"I think I might wait a while before going inside. I don't know how long it will take the Daedra and Hushed of Quires Wind to recover from the madness caused by those corrupted scrolls. Or at least calm down."

Cipher Sabinius had instructions from someone called the First Servant.

"The First Servant? I thought he was a myth. One of those stories of Apocrypha ciphers sometimes tell each other. But if he's real, his ambitions might lead him to seek out a disaffected cipher in Quires Wind.
Such as Sabinius."

So who or what is the First Servant?

"A mortal who lived in the days when Dragons were worshiped as gods, or so it's said. Hermaeus Mora opened Apocrypha to the First Servant, and he's been here ever since. Spinning plots and gathering power. Sabinius must have fallen into his web."

What do we do about the First Servant?

"Nothing. By tampering with Quires Wind, the First Servant set himself against the Great Eye. If Hermaeus Mora still has a purpose for the First Servant, he'll spare him. If not, he'll destroy him.
It's out of our hands."

What will you do now?

"Assuming things return to normal in Quires Wind, I'll resume my work assembling the materials needed by the Great Eye's Daedric scribes. And one day, perhaps, I'll be chosen for the ultimate honor."

The ultimate honor?

"To work as a copyist or embellisher in the scriptorium. Only a handful of mortals are ever chosen to put quill to parchment in the Great Eye's forbidden tomes. Perhaps I might even earn a glimpse of a Black Book."

Aren't Black Books dangerous?

"Dangerous? In the wrong hands, perhaps. But each Black Book is a secret Hermaeus Mora has chosen to give to mortals. A tool that can be used for great change. The Lord of Knowledge has a purpose for every one he directs his Seekers to create."

Chronicle of Fate

If you helped her in Quires Wind, she will appear at your ceremony in Cipher's Midden.

Speaking to her:

"It's good to see you again! I had no idea that what you did in Quires Wind was only one of many labors in Apocrypha. I'm honored to be a part of your story."

How are things in Quires Wind? Have you gone back inside yet?

"I've ventured inside twice now. The corrupting influence of the scrolls is gone and I was in no danger of succumbing to the Hush. But madness still grips the Daedra and my fellow ciphers. I'm afraid Quires Wind isn't yet safe."

So what now?

"I'll have to wait it out. I believe the damage Cipher Sabinius caused is slowly fading. In time, the denizens of Quires Wind will remember themselves and get back to the Great Eye's work."

She will be one of the voices to support you during Scruut's speech:

Cipher Agrushna: "Fate's chosen cleansed Quires Wind when madness was set loose in the stacks!"

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