Tamriel Rebuilt:Counterintelligence

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Even a mage can know too much. Quest Giver: Banvira Auctoria Location(s): Firewatch, Guild of Mages Prerequisite Quest: The Ring of Ineptitude Next Quest: Kill Shalath Abkala Reward: Scroll of Leaguestep, Scroll of The Eighth Barrier, 500 gold Reputation Gain: +5 (Mages Guild) ID: TR_m1_FW_MG04

Prerequisites

• You will need to be of Conjurer rank or above to receive this quest.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Banvira Auctoria at the Firewatch Guild of Mages.
2. Speak to Soril at the Guild of Mages about Theneria Vanil.
3. Travel to Helnim and speak to Ralten Affinia about Theneria Vanil with 75+ disposition.
4. Speak to Cervius Veris in his Helnim shop and get him to confess.
5. Return to Banvira Auctoria to report.
6. Travel to Shularon and retrieve Notes on the Court of Razors, and Report to Talver Dolmyn.
7. Return to Banvira Auctoria.

Detailed Walkthrough

Once you have reached Conjurer rank in the Mages Guild, and completed The Ring of Ineptitude, speak to Banvira for further duties. She has concerns about a spy within the Mages Guild, and believes that Theneria Vanil may be working with House Telvanni. Banvira will ask you to investigate her suspicions:

"Theneria Vanil is a nightblade with the Guild. Recently, she's been disappearing for days on end, and when she returns, she won't tell anyone where she's been. I suspect that she's working with the Telvanni. Research materials have been going missing, and my usual sources are telling me that the magelords are making some kind of play. I need you to find out where Theneria is going. Talk to other people in the guildhall. Somebody should have seen something." - Banvira Auctoria

Investigating Theneria

Ask others in the guildhall about Theneria Vanil. Most won't claim to know her very well, but the guild guide, Soril, will note that she frequently makes one way teleportation trips to Helnim. You'll need to follow the trail, and journey to the Helnim Guild of Mages yourself. Continue your questioning about Theneria in that guild hall, and you will be directed to her sleeping quarters in the basement. Here you will find Ralten Affinia. Asking him about Theneria Vanil will induce him to suggest that he knows something.

"Look, I don't like to gossip. I'm pretty sure Theneria has a good reason to not tell people where she's going, and it's nothing the Guild needs to worry about." - Ralten Affinia

With 75+ disposition, answer: "I won't tell her you told me. I'm just worried about her."

At this point, he will open up, and suggest that a local merchant has been having an affair with Theneria.

"Fine, as long as you don't tell anyone I told you. Cervius Veris is a friend of mine here in town. Runs a store right across from the Archaeological Society. I happen to know that he's been, well... "seeing" a certain Dark Elf from Firewatch when his wife is away. He won't tell me her name, but it isn't hard to put two and two together."

Cervius Veris is therefore the next stop for your enquiries. Ask him about Theneria Vanil. You'll need to threaten to tell his wife before he caves and confesses the affair. You can also challenge Theneria, who will confess as quickly. However, Banvira Auctoria is unwilling to rely on her testimony alone.

A second suspect

Return to Banvira once you have Cervius' testimony, and inform her of your findings. With Theneria ruled out, Banvira's mind moves to the likely Telvanni agent behind any spying attempt - Talver Dolmyn.

"He's a ladder-climbing Telvanni scum-sucker who tries to curry favor with more powerful magelords by interfering with Guild business. I'd bet my left shoe he's involved with this thievery somehow. It wouldn't be the first time he's tried to cause us problems. I need you to go to Talver Dolmyn's tower, Shularon, and retrieve our research and anything else you find. Shularon is directly south of Ranyon-Ruhn. You'll probably have to kill the wretch to get what you need, but I won't shed any tears over it." - Banvira Auctoria

Journey to Shularon - you can reach Ranyon-ruhn via silt strider from Tel Gilan in Helnim. Shularon itself is far south of Ranyon-ruhn, and you'll need to follow the southern fork of the river upstream until reaching the tower.

Expect combat once inside, including flame atronachs in the first large chamber. You need to find two documents in this tower - Notes on the Court of Razors, and Report to Talver Dolmyn - and you're likely going to have to kill all the inhabitants to take them, as one is on the table right next to Talver Dolmyn himself, and the other on his body.

You'll need to read the report before your journal registers it. Then take both back to Banvira, and ask about the topic Talver Dolmyn for your reward. The spy, it transpires, has slipped the net, but Banvira now has plenty of leads to go on.

Quest Stages

The following Journal ID and Index codes can be used with the Journal console command to manually update the quest to a certain point.

Counterintelligence (TR_m1_FW_MG04)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		Banvira Auctoria asked me to find out where Theneria Vanil goes when she disappears from the guildhall. She recommended that I start by talking to other guild members in Firewatch.
20		Soril, the guild guide at Firewatch, told me that he's teleported Theneria Vanil to Helnim several times in recent weeks.
30		According to Ralten Affinia at the Helnim guildhall, there is a merchant named Cervius Veris in Helnim who has been having an affair with a Dark Elf woman from Firewatch. Ralten suspects that Theneria is this unnamed liaison, and that the Guild has nothing to worry about.
35		Theneria Vanil has confessed to having an affair with Cervius Veris.
40		Cervius Veris has admitted to his affair with Theneria Vanil. It would seem that she is not a spy at all. Banvira will no doubt want to hear about this.
45		Lielle Veris told me that she already knows about her husband's affair with Theneria Vanil, and that she's planning to leave him soon. She gave me her wedding ring, and encouraged me to sell it.
49		Banvira thanked me for finding out what Theneria Vanil has been up to. She remains convinced that there is a spy in the Firewatch Mages Guild, and believes one Talver Dolmyn might have the answers.
50		I've been instructed to pay a visit to a Velothi tower called Shularon, south of Ranyon-Ruhn. Banvir believes that a troublemaking rogue Telvanni named Talver Dolmyn is involved in the recent thefts. I am to recover any Guild property I find and look for evidence that could expose the spy.
60		I have recovered a document from Shularon which Banvira Auctoria should find interesting. There could be more to find here.
70		I have found two interesting documents in Shularon, including a report by the Firewatch mage Absolon on Mehrunes Dagon, and a note signed by "NH" mentioning Banvira Auctoria and Gindaman. Banvira will want to see them both.
100	Finishes quest	Banvira rewarded me with 500 gold and two scrolls for recovering the documents from Shularon. It seems that Narus Hermalian -- the unknown spy -- has fled the guildhall.

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Up: Mages Guild Quests

Next: Kill Shalath Abkala