Kingdom of Anvil - Queen Millona's Quests [KnobelKnight]

[Taniquetil]

This sequence is the frame narrative for the Kingdom of Anvil faction. The first few quests take place when the player joins the faction, while the rest take place after the player has done work for the Marshals (Thelius Halgern, Villina Telvor, and Reymanus Pelelius) in other quest sequences.

Some background:
Queen Millona was born Millona Pelelia, a scion of the wealthy and prosperous Pelelius family of merchants. (Millona's cousin, Cunius Pelelius, won the much-desired charter rights to Caldera ebony on Vvardenfell, a position he's leveraged with House Hlaalu to enrich his family a great deal.) The Pelelius clan also includes Reymanus Pelelius, the Queen's younger brother, who serves as her Marshal of the Strident Shore.

Millona Pelelia became Queen Millona about 20 years before game start as a result of a carefully orchestrated political and economic arrangement with the new king, Claudius Conomorus, a dark horse candidate who'd managed to win the royal election with a shockingly high bid. The new King Claudius had enormous and unaccountable wealth, but lacked tangible economic, political, or social cache in the cutthroat world of Anvil's merchant republican society. Millona - via the Pelelius family - provided all of this, and agreed to marriage in exchange for a substantial dowry. The pair ruled peacefully and generally uneventfully for a little more than a decade thereafter. Queen Millona never much minded her husband's clear preference for his second wife, Queen Isodi of Rihad -- in turn, King Claudius turned a blind eye to his paramount queen's dalliances with certain Navy captains and Colovian princesses.

This stable state of affairs crashed down abruptly in 3e 417, when Claudius Conomorus was declared missing. The King had been vanishing routinely, often for weeks at a time, for several years. This time, however, he didn't come back. Queen Millona made various declarations in the aftermath, asking for vigilance and patience as her administration carried out the work of government and searched the West for the missing king. Although the Queen did indeed try very hard to find her husband, her efforts were futile, and Millona found her seat becoming quite warm as the elites of Anvil began to plot her downfall.

In 3e 423, fed up with six years of what they considered illegitimate regency, two powerful Anvil nobles named Olen Benirus and Mykol Hadrach attempted a coup against Queen Millona. For several days, city guards sympathetic to the plotters controlled Anvil, while Goldstone itself sat in a state of siege, protected by the elite castle guards. Benirus and Hadrach believed that the Navy would not intervene, and expected Goldstone to throw open its doors within a few weeks, after which time Millona could be shuffled off into quiet retirement. Unfortunately for them, Queen Millona's paramour and advisor, Captain Hasi of the West Navy, took it upon himself to command a company of Navy marines to retake the city and arrest both nobles. Olen Benirus was hanged for treason, while Mykol Hadrach agreed to pay a large indemnity to the crown and enter a somewhat comfortable imprisonment, where he would be allowed to write his memoirs.

The four years since the failed coup have been full of tension. Queen Millona, eager to build support among the middle-class merchants, the temples, and the commons, has invested a great deal in infrastructure and public works across the realm, such as bridges, art galleries, retirement homes, sickhouses, and a renovation of the Anvil public baths. The merchant elites of Anvil seethe that the Empire has chosen to permit what they see as royal lawlessness, since Millona was never elected Queen and never won the obligatory Red Treasury bidding election. The Navy, once venerated, is now beset by factionalism and rumor; Fort Telodrach never authorized the operation to arrest the coup plotters in 423, but Hasi was not reprimanded for his pre-emptive actions.

In the shadows, Anvil's wealthiest resident finances a second coup attempt - one which will not fail. Herrius Thimistrel, majority owner of the Abecean Trading Company, has dreams of winning a royal election himself. Lavus Siralius and Akaterina Hadrach, the latter still incensed at the imprisonment of her father and impoverishment of her family, are eager to help Thimistrel reach his goal. Unable to trust the Navy, the three nobles have begun gathering forces to their side, offering rewards and positions in the guard to mercenaries and freebooters, who are assembling in the old Shore-King fortress of Mischarstette. With the city already tensed for a new conflict, Prince Enman Septim's unexpected arrival in Anvil has thrown all parties' plans into disorder.

The player may join the Kingdom of Anvil faction by speaking with Solvus Orrich, Queen Millona's steward.

1. Ashes of the Missing
The crypt of the Conomorus family lies just outside of the city. Solvus sends the player to investigate reports of a disturbance. Almost nothing in the crypt has been taken, but a couple of urns in one wing have been knocked over and lie empty next to a dropped lantern. A pair of brigands can be fought here, one of whom carries a note signed "PV". Solvus rewards you for this information, and shares that the upturned urns were being reserved for the remains of Claudius Conomorus, the long-missing King of Anvil. Clearly, the tomb robbers' employer wanted to find out if the missing lord had been secretly interred.

2. State Charity
The Queen wants to keep up a positive reputation among the common people. Solvus sends you to collect a bundle of supplies from a servant in Goldstone for delivery to the Hostel of Saint Rosunius in Anvil’s poor quarter, while encouraging the player to consider joining the Itinerant Priests via the quest giver posted there. The priests at the hostel will also ask the player to arrange the release of a pauper named Taratina Roniria who got into an altercation with a visiting Legionnaire and hauled off to Fort Heath. The player can do this by diplomacy (as an envoy of the Queen), or simply pay Taratina's fine.

3. The Rumor Mill
There is an old myth among the people of Anvil concerning a figure called the “Shore-King”, an idealized heir to the First Empire-era Kings of the Strident Shore, destined to return one day to remove the various usurpers and graspers of the land from their stolen seats. In times of political uncertainty, this legend circulates more widely, and the current era is no different. Solvus asks the player to investigate the latest iteration of the myth by asking around at The Anchor's Rest, a rough tavern in Little Arenthia, where apparently somebody has been trying to loudly make connections between the old myth and the state of the modern kingdom. A man named Notius Alvich is apparently responsible, but he can kindly be asked to hit the road via a polite conversation, a bribe, or a beatdown, depending on the player's preference. Notius will confess he was put up to the task by a man named Polonius Victrus - "PV" from the Q1 note.

Solvus rewards you for this information and putting a stop to the rumormongering, sharing that Polonius is a confidante and steward of the wealthiest man in Anvil, Herrius Thimistrel. He asks that you head off to Brina Cross, Charach, or Thresvy before coming back for more work. Because relationships with the urban Anvil nobles are so tense, the Queen Regent wants to bolster her relationships with her Marshals and her rural subjects. This is also the second (and last) point at which the player can jump ship to the Thimistrel/Hadrach alt path through the KoA sequence, by speaking to Polonius.

Quests 4-6 unlock at faction rank 5 (Reeve):

4. Soap Surplus
This should be a refitted version of the old Q5 for the Fighters Guild. Solvus Orrich asks the player to investigate why the city is suddenly awash in cheap sload soap. Asking around, the culprit turns out to be one Lieutenant Pona, who is staying at the Navy officer lodgings. She's engaged in black market dealings with a Sload operating out of the half-flooded Reman ruin Carthalo in the Viduscan Isles. The player is asked to kill the Sload, named N'Dengu, and end the illicit imports. Lt. Pona will also be found in Carthalo, where she will fight the player alongside N'Dengu.

5. Mergers and Acquisitions
Solvus Orrich asks the player to disrupt a meeting between representatives of the Abecean Trading Company and the White Scarab Company, two of the largest corporate powers of the western seaboard. The ATC, led by Herrius Thimistrel's protege Micella Marin, is attempting to acquire the Sutch-based WSC, with the backing of the king of Sutch. The members of the two companies' boards are mingling at Salthearth, the lavish manor of Velius Ivrol just across the border inside the Kingdom of Sutch.

The player can take a couple of approaches. A sneaky player may learn via a bit of investigation that Velius Ivrol has financial ties to certain political movements considered undesirable by the Imperial authorities (Kali Mes?), and use this information to blackmail him into pulling out of the merger. Alternatively, the player may offer the ATC board members a substantial state investment in the company -- but only if the Company backs out of the deal. In this outcome, the player will need to purchase a number of stock certificates in the ATC from the Trident Exchange in the name of the Queen to seal the arrangement.

Quests 6-8 unlock at rank 6 (Intendant), along with the right to purchase Goldenrod House.

6. An Imperial Hangover
Having proven yourself a loyal and effective agent of the realm, the Queen Regent grants the player a place at her court as an Intendant and directs you to Solvus for the right to purchase a house in the city. As your first task with this new authority, the Queen tasks you with handling a delicate matter. Unannounced, the Emperor's son Prince Enman Septim has arrived in Anvil, throwing whatever political schemes Millona or her restless nobles had into disarray. With the eye of Empire on Anvil, nobody wants to do anything provocative. Solvus Orrich now tells the player to receive orders directly from the Queen. Millona is eager to encourage Enman and his retinue to move on, hopefully before one of the plotting nobles gets in his ear and sways him towards the cause of deposing her. She asks the player to join the prince for a night of partying, revelry, and good times that he'll never forget - one which will keep him too busy to talk politics and leave him too hungover to linger much longer.

The prince starts off in the Saint Amiel Club, and the player will need to ingratiate yourself with him. Enman will, of course, hint that the player should do this by buying him a bunch of Cyrodilic Brandy. Enman (and his bodyguards) will follow the player to the Abecette for a night of drinking and gambling -- but after a few drinks (handled via dialogue with Enman), you black out (fadeout), and awaken inside Eumaeus via positioncell of you and Enman. Both of you must fight to reach the surface, where you will find his bodyguards, stunned that you managed to get Enman in such trouble and highly displeased. Enman will, however, be very attached to the player at this point, giving them a very nice ebony sword or piece of armor or something (claimant's choice) before retreating to Delodiil for his next misadventure.

7. Foreign Aid
The Queen Regent asks you to negotiate with Sirethal Palinis, a persistent Bosmer diplomat from the beleaguered city of Woodhearth, who has planted himself in Goldstone in the hopes of securing financial support for the rebuilding effort after the city's destruction in the war with Summerset Isle. The Queen Regent does not believe sending thousands of septims down the Blue Divide is wise use of her revenues, but she fears one of the wealthy city nobles paying the sum as a grandiose gesture should she officially refuse the envoy. Solvus asks the player to secure the money from a source other than the Goldstone treasury, and lightly suggests that Thimistrel Manor’s central tower is rumored to hold the sizeable personal fortune of Herrius Thimistrel.

8. Mischarstette
Queen Millona has had enough of Anvil’s nobles’ plotting. Fasil Umbranox’s saber, Goldstone’ most prized artifact, has been stolen, and Akaterina Hadrach, Sigorius Bradus, and Herrius Thimistrel have all decamped the city. Thimistrel is clearly financing this outrage, as the wealthiest of the lot, but the queen is concerned about Hadrach and Bradus’ military connections (to the Navy and Legion, respectively). If even one of the Navy or Legion stood aside – or worse, actively undermined her – it could mean the end of the queen’s rule. The player is dispatched to speak urgently with the commanders at Fort Telodrach and Fort Heath to secure their assurances of loyalty and search for any information on the whereabouts of the three defected nobles. Conversations with Lord Admiral Miledorus Cadmerius, commander of the West Navy, reveal that patrols have noticed activity at Mischarstette, an ancient fortress on an island to the north, near the border with Sutch.

The player is dispatched to Mischarstette to put down the rebellious nobles’ treason for good. Akaterina Hadrach and Sigorius Bradus will surrender, if you fight through the mercenaries and retainers they have assembled there, but Herrius Thimistrel will fight to the death. The other two will be imprisoned in the Castle Umbranox dungeons, but the Queen won’t be too upset if they never make it back home. For your success, you are rewarded with the Helm of Bendu Olo, promotion to the title of Marshal of the Seas, and a large sum of gold.

[FlinSunset]

FacRep rewards:
Q1-3: 5 facrep each
Q4-6: 10 facrep each
Q7: 15 facrep
Q8: 25 facrep

[KnobelKnight]

Requesting.

[Taniquetil]

Granted!

[KnobelKnight]

Quest 1 complete.

Removed the spooky noise activator from Conomorus Crypt, as the cause of the southeastern wing being a mess is now 100% mundane.

Also bundles in a bunch of changes in the KoA framework dialogue to reflect recent structure changes to the faction. More to come in the future.

[KnobelKnight]

Quest 2 complete.

Used the dwemer satchel charge model for the package. If people think it's too weird I can swap it with just a bunch of potions and food, but I thought that would be annoying to keep track of for the player.

[KnobelKnight]

Quest 3 complete.

[KnobelKnight]

Quest 4 complete.

Slipped in some ash vampire-style dialogue for N'Dengu if you calm him down, styled after N'Gasta from Redguard and (to a lesser degree) Douglas Goodall's "Letters from Oran Dres".

Quest proceeds as normal if Pona is killed before it starts. Could skip it instead. Might change in a future version.

[KnobelKnight]

Quest 5 complete.

Discussed with Tani and modified the concept fairly heavily from the claim. The bits about Salthearth and multiple ways to scuttle the deal are out. Instead, the goal is to convince a majority of the Abecean Trading Company's board to reject the acquisition.

This quest requires the Imga esp (https://www.tamriel-rebuilt.org/asset/pctr-imga-race) to be loaded as well.

I also un-autocalced Sonkha and removed a Morrowind-specific spell from her to shut the validator up.

[KnobelKnight]

The quests have been reordered. "An Imperial Hangover" is now Q7, and the original Q7, "Foreign Aid", is now Q5. The original Q5 has therefore been bumped up one. There is currently no Q5 in this esp- "Foreign Aid" will be the next quest I do.

I also worked with Tani to make a bunch of structural changes to this quest. Notably, you no longer wake up in Eumaeus with Enman and instead have to chase down his trail. This is so that you're able to give him a Divine Intervention scroll to escape without skipping the whole meat of the quest.

There's a lot of moving characters around in this quest, and a good chunk of that necessitates bespoke calls in dialogue results. It's admittedly pretty confusing, but I've done my best to document everything with position markers.

The validator complains about PC_x2-Anv_Riccia having the Caravaner class, but it doesn't actually affect anything and I don't know what I'd change her to.

[KnobelKnight]

New Q5, "Foreign Aid", complete.

[minilfy]

Just a heads up to be safe. Claim description says:
"Solvus (...) asks that you head off to Brina Cross, Charach, or Thresvy before coming back for more work. Because relationships with the urban Anvil nobles are so tense, the Queen Regent wants to bolster her relationships with her Marshals and her rural subjects."

Contrary to earlier plans, the ranking kingdom official in Thresvy has been demoted to Reeve and is no longer a Marshal. She isn't planned to give faction quests anymore, and will instead give a couple of misc quests available to anyone.

Maybe Solvus can send you to her anyway? I think I'll give a little KoA FacRep for the miscs.

[KnobelKnight]

Thanks for the heads up, but it should be fine. Solvus' line is more general than that:

I'm afraid I don't have anything for someone of your rank. I'd be happy to discuss advancement, but you may want to see what you can do for the Kingdom's Marshals first. If this business with Herrius is a sign of things to come, we'll need to make sure they don't have anything else pulling their attention away.

I'll probably keep it as is and not point to Sigorn since her quests aren't technically KoA.

[KnobelKnight]

Q8 complete. All quests ready for review.

This one had some story changes made to it as well. The biggest change is that Herrius is not merely a Shore-King larper, but the actual son of the final Shore-King, having used vampirism to escape the Thrassian Plague before it killed everyone in Mischarstette. This would make him around 2000 years old, so I buffed him significantly.

"Actual" file size is about 280kb. The rest of it is due to renaming Mischarstette and the Conomorus Crypt, as they've both been npced in this claim. I don't have much NPCing experience and Mischarstette is massive, so the enemy density there may need to be adjusted. It's intended to be hard, though.

There was discussion about removing the ability to be infected by Herrius and other Order vampires since there's no content for players yet, but since we didn't reach a consensus I decided not to include that in this claim.

This file is clean! All edits are intentional. To help reviewing, here's a list of the weirder ones and their purposes:

Spoiler

Things:
- PC_i2-75_Valkastan_01: buffed significantly

People:
- PC_i1-Cha_Vilina, PC_i2-BC_Thelius, and PC_i2-Anv_Reymanus: made Marshals (they became Seneschals when the ranks were swapped)

Places:
- Anvil, Little Arenthia: door changed due to renaming Conomorus Crypt
- Strident Coast Region: doors changed due to renaming Mischarstette
- Anvil, Thimistrel Manor: added a guard so it isn't completely empty when Herrius' goons leave
- Anvil, Thimistrel Manor: Tower: removed a cobweb that made it annoying to grab some loot

Journals:
- PC_q1_Cha_GhastlyOrdeal: fixed a typo
- PC_q2_Anv13_Journal: fixed a typo (and added a new journal index)

Topics:
- join the Kingdom of Anvil: changed wording as Solvus is no longer a Marshal
- Vasil Richton: added alternate lines so that it doesn't refer to Herrius' plans after he carries them out
- Advancement: added and changed lines to reflect Seneschal/Marshal rank swap
- make amends: capitalization of Queen, since it's referring to Millona specifically
- Marshals: added and changed lines to reflect Seneschal/Marshal rank swap
- Greeting 6: changed lines to reflect Seneschal/Marshal rank swap
- Greeting 7: Sapillius' greeting didn't make sense if someone actually sent for him, so I changed it

I really enjoyed this claim. Hopefully you do too

[FlinSunset]

Reviewing