Online:The Precursor (NPC)

The Precursor
Home City	Brass Fortress
Race	Factotum	Gender	No Gender
Health	39,959 15,000 (When returning with Lector Trivura)
Reaction	Friendly

The Factotum Head

The Precursor, assembled

The Precursor is a factotum head discovered by Associate Zanon. It is stored in Zanon's workshop within the Brass Fortress while he works on its total restoration. Initially, it was only referred to as the Factotum Head as this was the only part discovered.

For a factotum, the Precursor is rather odd: its appearance is more Dwarven than Clockwork, it has a male voice and most peculiarly, it is more talkative and emotive than the usual factotums encountered. The Precursor's parts are scattered across Tamriel and the Clockwork City, and Zanon requires the Vestige's assistance to gather them. Once gathered, the Precursor is revealed to be the first Factotum to have ever been made by Sotha Sil, known as the Oscillating Son. Following its reconstruction, it is awarded as a training dummy furnishing.

Related Quests

• The Precursor: Assist an Apostle in reassembling an ancient factotum with pieces from all across Tamriel.
• The Oscillating Son: Find Associate Zanon's mentor for evaluating the Precursor.

Quest-Related Events

The Precursor

When you first speak to the "Factotum Head":

"By some words, I wind my gears.

I am in need of my integral of memory. You can find it in sector grid cube 3Z-A of the Mnemonic Planisphere."

After getting the Integral of Memory, the head will yell out:

Factotum Head: "Integral of memory detected! Would you be so kind as to insert it into my forehead ridge?"

As you do as he asks, he'll remark:

Factotum Head: "The farthest slot to the left, please. Your left, not mine."

When the memory is set up in the workshop:

"Reflecting... reflecting...

Oh, I feel positively spring-loaded now! What a kind, generous apostle you are. Which I recall is rather strange."

Are you one of the first factotums?

"Reflecting... reflecting...

I've come to the conclusion that I am. I have no memory stored of any of my kind who are older. So I conclude that I must be the first! How gleaming.

I cannot recall my name, but you may call me Precursor."

So, Precursor, do you know where the rest of your body is?

"Of course. Let me check my integral of memory. Should be right―.

Great Sotha Sil in the Sanctum! Someone's tampered with my crystalline memory matrix. But wait, something's burned in here. I seem to have left a note for myself."

What does it say?

"Ahem.

Salutations, me! By now you must be wondering what happened to our memory. Dark forces have conspired to corrupt our knowledge of the world. But do not fear! I, the past you, have stored our memory in our other parts."

But we don't have any other parts.

"A circumstance I have not accounted for. This is me now, not the message. I recall that my design includes both Dwemer and Clockwork parts. I also recall my blueprint, so I can guide my assembly once you find my parts.

Sotha Sil guide you, apostle!"

I am <player name>, and I'm not an apostle.

"I don't quite understand. I function only to know my Lord Sotha Sil and his apostles. You are not my Lord, and thus you must be an apostle. Simple.

Do you have an inquiry or perhaps a task for me, apostle?"

If you speak to it again, he will say:

"Is there anything else I can help you with, apostle?"

When you complete the quest, he will yell out:

The Precursor: "Apostle, I have remembered something! Come quickly, before it rusts!"

Precursor Maker

While searching for the Precursor's parts, you can speak to it to learn hints of their locations.

See Precursor Maker for the different dialogue associated with each part.

"Lost within the Radius. High upon a cliff. Shining pink petals above. I think the Ventral Terminus is nearby?
I'm sure I'll understand the symbolism once you return my integral of introspection."

Your memories are quite vivid.

"Lord Sotha Sil deemed it uncouth to give my parts eyes, but each has a wide array of sensors. I can orient myself on Nirn by the air's smell and the earth's feel. Why, my pelvis even has gustatory sensors! I suspect that's Lord Vivec's contribution."

Gustatory sensors... Lord Vivec ...?

"I mean, of course I have no proof that he had a part in my creation, but I like to think so! My dramatic flair, my poetic soul. It helps set me apart from the rest of my siblings.

To sense, to touch, to feel. What gifts I have been given!"

You can speak to it to gain hints for the locations of its remaining parts:

Part		Clue	Location	Map	Notes
	Integral of Memory	By some words, I wind my gears. I am in need of my integral of memory. You can find it in sector grid cube 3Z-A of the Mnemonic Planisphere.	Clockwork City, in the Mnemonic Planisphere	(map)	This piece is required before you can install any of the other pieces.
	Construct's Left Arm	My left arm was filled with some sort of dirt ... no, sand? Yes, Alik'r sand if I'm not mistaken! I'd know that sedimentary composition anywhere.	Alik'r Desert, in Yldzuun	(map)
	Construct's Right Arm	Oh, my poor right arm. It's going to rust at this rate, what with all the steam! Quick, you'll find it in southern Bangkorai. Grab it before it's too late!	Bangkorai, in Klathzgar	(map)
	Construct's Left Leg	Ah, the pleasant sensation of Riften grass on my thigh. I'm tempted to leave my left leg there, but my gyroscope is calibrated for two lower limbs.	The Rift, in Avanchnzel	(map)
	Construct's Right Leg	My right leg, consigned to the nether region of a Dwarven sphere fabricator? The ignominy! I thought the Rourken of Sentinel would show more respect.	Alik'r Desert, in Santaki	(map)
	Construct's Pelvis	My pelvis feels the languid breeze of Deshaan air among the flavors of a Dwemer cavern. One can never quite forget that combination of tastes.	Deshaan, in Lower Bthanual	(map)
	Construct's Chestplate	By Sotha Sil, my chest is hot! It must be near a volcano. Perhaps the one in Alik'r? I don't remember going to any others, but my memory isn't what it used to be.	Alik'r Desert, in Aldunz	(map)
	Construct's Spine	I feel chills down my spine. Literally! I haven't experienced a chill like this since Lord Seht took me to Windhelm.	Eastmarch, in Mzulft	(map)
	Construct's Left Hand	Ah, the sounds and smells of Morrowind! I know these lands like the back of my hand. My left hand, to be exact.	Stonefalls, in Inner Sea Armature	(map)
	Construct's Right Hand	Well, let me see ... or rather feel. My right hand is positively sticky! Must be Deshaan air. I also feel several regular vibrations. Perhaps a room full of steam pistons? Yes, I believe so.	Deshaan, in Mzithumz	(map)
	Construct's Dynamo Core	My dynamo core feels stiff as a plank! Oh yes, I know this feeling. Huh. Who'd have thought there was a research table in Stros M'Kai?	Stros M'Kai, in Bthzark	(map)	Not accessible until the Buried Secrets quest
	Construct's Integral of Calculus	My integral of calculus lies deep within the Mechanical Fundament, suspended over a river of lava. At the time I noted the walkway was structurally unstable. But alas, my calculations are in the integral.	Clockwork City, Brass Fortress, in Mechanical Fundament	(map)	Requires some tricky jumping over lava. Drop down from level above. Much less lava on way out.
	Construct's Integral of Introspection	Lost within the Radius. High upon a cliff. Shining pink petals above. I think the Ventral Terminus is nearby? I'm sure I'll understand the symbolism once you return my integral of introspection.	Clockwork City, near the Ventral Terminus	(map)	The path up the mountain starts from the road north of the part. Once at the part you'll need to jump over some small rock formations to reach it.
	Construct's Integral of Reason	My integral of reason lies within metal jaws in a wasteland of rubbish. I'm sure there's an analogy there, but I'll need the integral to tell you it.	Clockwork City, Brass Fortress, in the Machine District	(map)	Not accessible until the Lost in the Gloam quest
	Construct's Nullification Staff	Oh my poor nullification staff! Lord Seht gave me it as a present, too. I remember a group of ruffians placing it in an honored place before dumping my pelvis into the lower depths. Pardon my Nordic, but they were right bastards.	Deshaan, in Bthanual	(map)

Once all the pieces have been gathered.

"Tremendous! You've recovered all my parts. I cannot wait to be whole once more."

The Oscillating Son

The Precursor, ready for inspection

The Precursor is deactivated while Associate Zanon puts it back together. It is reactivated during Zanon's evalutation and contributes to the conversation.

Associate Zanon: "Lector Trivura! Thank you for coming. It's been too long."

Lector Trivura: "Perhaps. This auxiliary tells me you've reconstructed a factotum."

Associate Zanon: "Yes, right here. It's almost emerged from liminality."

Lector Trivura: "Fascinating. How did you manage to refactor the subjectivity lacework? Did you construct a locus amoenus to stabilize it?"

Associate Zanon: "I, ah, the factotum has a record of all the operations I made. I'm afraid I was in something of a trance. Possibly divine inspiration!"

Lector Trivura: "Possibly."

Associate Zanon: "The reconditioning is complete. May I present my finest work, the Precursor."

The Precursor: "What a relief to be in one piece again. And you've fixed my nagging elbow joint! Bravo, apostle, bravo."

Lector Trivura: "Oh Divine Metronome, why do you test me so?"

The Precursor: "Why, an addition to our party! Forgive my rudeness, apostle. You may call me the Precursor."

Lector Trivura: "I know what you are, pendulate. The holy text calls you the Oscillating Son."

The Precursor: "I'm afraid the texts are a tad inaccurate then. Sotha Sil did not create me with a gender in mind."

Lector Trivura: "Silence, blasphemer! They speak of a fractured creation of Lord Seht, discarded in the First Era. Left with the knowledge to rebuild itself only to test his pupils."

The Precursor: "Fractured? Discarded? I'm just a tad old is all! I'm sure this is just a mistake."

Lector Trivura: "Your only purpose is to convince unworthy apostles to rebuild you. Any child could complete such a task."

Associate Zanon: "But Lector, it's not as simple as you say! I learned much from working on this factotum. My research has been advanced tenfold."

Lector Trivura: "If you developed the skill of contemplation instead of mere tinkering, perhaps you would know better, Zanon. Speak to me when you've done so. And dismantle that thing."

The Precursor: "Excuse me? Dismantle? Why I never?"

Associate Zanon: "Lector, please don't go! I still don't understand what you want from me!"

The Precursor: "But apostle, what of me?"

Associate Zanon: "You can go jump in a recycling furnace for all I care!"

The Precursor: "How rude!"

After the disastrous evaluation, the Precursor gives his poor opinion on the matter.

"I've never seen such a farce. What has happened to the state of intellectual curiosity in Clockwork City? I'm simply beside myself."

When you leave the workshop and return, the Precursor will have disappeared.

Notes

• Upon the completion of The Oscillating Son, you will now have ownership of it in the form of The Precursor.
• According to Lector Trivura, the Precursor's true name is the Oscillating Son.
• One of the memory stars featured in the Mnemonic Planisphere is of a prototype which sounds a lot like the Precursor, though its speech is much more stilted.

Bugs

• Once installed in the framework, the talk prompt for the Precursor only appears if standing very close to it. ^?