Online:Missing in the Mire

Rescue some scavengers from the hostile creatures of the swamp. Zone: Shadowfen Objective: Xal Ithix — Discover secrets hidden in Xal Ithix's swamps. Quest Giver: Sleeps-with-Open-Eyes Location(s): Xal Ithix Concurrent Quest: Deep Disturbance Reward: Upstream Belt Low Leveled Gold XP Gain: Standard XP

Help the scavengers ward off their attackers

The Argonians in Xal Ithix have been picking through trash piles. Now normally docile creatures from the swamp are attacking them.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Sleeps-with-Open-Eyes.
2. Rescue the scavengers from the stranglers.
3. Search for Nimble-Knuckles' bow in the trash.
4. Talk to Nimble-Knuckles.

Detailed Walkthrough

Sleeps-with-Open-Eyes waits not far from an Argonian xanmeer; when approached, she'll warn you, "Look out! The swamp creatures have gone mad!" Speak to her:

"This is a disaster! Some scavengers are lost in the mire and I can't spare anyone to go look for them.

Any chance you can help me?"

What do you need?

"Xal Ithix relies on scavenging for its livelihood. Instead of hunting their usual prey, stranglers now attack the scavengers."

Can't you go after them?

"I'm a scavenger, not a warrior. Look around us. The stranglers attack everything that moves, whether it can resist or not.

Can you help the few fighters we have left?"

I'll do what I can to help.

All over the bog, you'll see scavengers locked in combat with stranglers and occasionally hoarvors; in fact, you may have already encountered and assisted some before starting the quest, though doing so doesn't progress the quest "in advance." In any case, aid the scavengers in combat and kill their attackers.

Once the job is done, return to Sleeps to be given another task:

"Thanks for rescuing our scavengers from those crazed plants.

We could still use your help. Well, Nimble-Knuckles asked me to ask for your help, if you've got time."

Help with what?

"A strangler's barb hit Nimble-Knuckles, and she dropped her bow in the muck. She's a bit shy about asking you directly.

Please look for it. It must be in one of the trash piles."

I'll take a look.

Where is Nimble-Knuckles now?

"Off by herself around the xanmeer. She's proud of that bow, and its loss affected her greatly.

For a scavenger, she's too attached to material things, if you ask me."

I'll look for her bow.

The "trash piles" in question are large mounts of dirt, with bits of driftwood and the occasional skull fused to their surface. Multiple piles can be found about halfway between the xanmeer — that is, the Argonian ziggurat — and the Hist tree to the west. Each pile is generally guarded by one or more hoarvors.

Interact with the piles to search them; they'll contain random trash items, but one of them will contain Nimble-Knuckles' bow. You can search the same pile multiple times, though there's a cooldown; however, occasionally, searching a pile will spawn Fleshflies, and the hitbox on the flies may actually interfere with searching the pile again.

In any case, once you have the bow, talk to Nimble-Knuckles at the northwest corner of the xanmeer to complete the quest:

"Is that ...? Xuth! You found my bow."

I found it in a trash pile.

"I thought I'd lost it forever to the mire. When you have so little, everything you have carries meaning.

I erect the spine of gratitude for helping me."

Notes

The Scavengers north of Sleeps-with-Open-Eyes are Justice Neutral, which means you may incur a hefty Bounty if you accidentally attack [or kill] them while attempting to "rescue" them from mobs. Even if you manage to do so without hitting them, it does not progress the quest— only the Friendly Scavengers add to quest progression.

• To avoid confusion: Scavengers with health bars over their heads are Neutral; Scavengers without are Friendly.

Just keep searching through trash piles until you eventually find the bow. Sometimes you'll find nothing or junk.

Quest Stages

Missing in the Mire
Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
	Although they usually prey on small creatures, stranglers attacked the Argonian scavengers. I must search Xal Ithix's bog to rescue trapped scavengers. Objective: Rescue Scavengers from Stranglers 0/3
	I should return to Sleeps-with-Open-Eyes and let her know I've dealt with the stranglers. Objective: Talk to Sleeps-with-Open-Eyes
	Sleeps-with-Open-Eyes asked me to search for Nimble-Knuckles' bow in the trash piles. Objective: Search the Trash Piles
Finishes quest	I found Nimble-Knuckles' bow in one of the trash piles. I should return it to her. She's near the large xanmeer in the midst of Xal Ithix. Objective: Talk to Nimble-Knuckles

Notes

* Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the game and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.

• 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 any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.