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Quest Analysis The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Quest One: Rabinna's Inner Beauty When traveling through the shanty-town of Hla Oad, inquisitive players may happen upon a trap door located at “Fat Leg's Drop-Off.” Here the Camonna Tong (a crime syndicate) maintains a large hideout under the town used by smugglers and slavers. One of the leaders present goes by the name of Relam Arinith and he has a proposition for the player. He asks the player to deliver a Khajiit slave, named Rabinna, to Verar Helas of Balmora. Along the way the player can attempt to earn Rabinna's trust and, if successful, she will tell the player the whole story. Apparently, she as a slave is not what is really being bought; the contraband inside of her is the true commodity being traded. Relam forced her to swallow a large quantity of wrapped Moon Sugar (a narcotic) which Verar will “extract with extreme prejudice” once he gets a hold of her. She pleads with the player to deliver her to Im-Kilaya, an Argonian Mission in Ebonheart who can hide, heal, and protect her. At this point, the player truly controls the fate of this desperate creature. I felt that this was a fantastic game story because it made the horrific enslavement practices of Morrowind very personal, as well as portrayed the situation in a believable, brutal, and sadly logical, narrative arc. It also presented a myriad of opportunities for the player to explore. Quest Two: A Falling Wizard When exploring north-west of the town of Seyda Neen the player hears a strange scream come from seemingly out of nowhere. Suddenly, a Bosmer (wood elf) named Tarhiel plummets down from the heavens, lands hard against the unforgiving ground, and succumbs to the ever-merciless power of gravity. The player is then free to examine his battered corpse and read his journal. The poor wizard thought he had finally perfected the formula for his latest spell, which granted him the ability to leap great distances. Though it clearly worked, Tarhiel forgot about the descent back towards the cold, hard ground that inevitably gifted him a nomination for the Elder Scrolls equivalent of a Darwin Award. I loved this particular game story because it made the world feel like it was living around the player, regardless of their actions. It also served as a way to warn against hap-hazard spell crafting. Not to mention, the player could loot three of the same scrolls Tarhiel penned and try and learn from his mistakes. Leaping over all of Red Mountain is quite enjoyable, but only if one has slowfall ready for the way down. Quest Three: Recovering Cloudcleaver While wandering northwest of Caldera, the player might stumble upon a half-naked Nord, by the name of Hlormar Wine-Sot, who tells a tale of being seduced by a witch, paralyzed, and robbed of his clothes and precious axe Cloudcleaver. He leads the player to the witch's encampment and a confrontation ensues. Sosia Caristiana, the witch, tells the player that Hlormar was originally hired as a bodyguard but became too friendly with her. As a result, she decided to teach him a lesson and punished him for his trespasses. She believed that Hlormar was still too angry and refused to give the axe back, but said that she would meet with him at the Mage's Guild after three days to return it to him. The rough and tumble Nord, Hlormar, refused the compromise and forced the player to choose sides in the conflict. I enjoyed this quest because it started silly and ended quite seriously. It also gave the player multiple possibilities towards resolving the conflict. In a confrontation, Hlormar would assault Sosia and it would then be up to the player to decide whom to help. If they helped Hlormar, they knew they must decide if they are going to keep the axe, or give it back to Hlormar. It was even possible to avoid bloodshed entirely by stealing the axe from Sosia before Hlormar can confront her and showing it to the semi-nude Nord, where the player is then presented with the option of returning Cloudcleaver or keeping it once again. |
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