What's with the ebony dart?

Alakhai · Post by **Alakhai** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 10:22 am

I have another problem. Since I've installed Bloodmoon I played only my old high-level character (finished main quests both from Morrowind and Tribunal) and everything was always OK. But yesterday I created a new character and I have a problem.
Of course my first sleep was interrupted by an assassin from Dark Brotherhood. I killed him and looted his body. As usual there was a full set of armor and a weapon, but no dart! I remember that he should leave a carved ebony dart, but he did not! I tried it several times with 3 different new characters and I never found a dart. What is happening (I have both Tribunal and Bloodmoon with 1.6.1820 patch installed)?

gekk0lias · Post by **gekk0lias** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 1:35 pm

the higher level you get, the better items the assasins have.

They might also have thrown the dart at you. If not, level up and they will use better stuff against you

Alakhai · Post by **Alakhai** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 10:58 am

the higher level you get, the better items the assasins have.

I know that and I tried it. I used the console to set my level to 30 and then went to sleep. Of course an assassin appeared and attacked me - he had much better weapon (because of my higher level), but still no dart!

They might also have thrown the dart at you.

Indeed. Well, to be sincere, the assassin always has a dart - when he attacks me, he first throws a dart at me and then equippes a sword. After I kill him my journal is of course updated. The problem is that - as far as I remember - when he's killed I should FIND a dart ON HIM and this fact should update my journal again. And this is of course not happening because he throwed his dart already at me and the dart is lost.

Any ideas?

rnrules · Post by **rnrules** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 12:00 pm

Yes he doesn't have an ebony dart because you are a low level. When you use the counsel to set your level you have to save the game, exit, and reload the saved game because the program only reads the level when it first loads and remembers it until you exit. Thats the non-techie explanation (not that I am one). So set your level higher save, exit, reload and go to sleep. Watch out that the guy doesn't kill you just because the level of your character is higher doesn't mean it effected your stats much.

Or you could do it the more fun way: If you stay at one level the assasins will eventually stop attacking, but as soon as you level up they will start again. They're armors worth 2000+ so in the long run you level up your weapon and armor and have a good source of gold (especially when you get to when they have those ebony darts!)

Cheers

Alakhai · Post by **Alakhai** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 4:29 pm

So set your level higher, save, exit, reload and go to sleep.

Actually that's exactly what I did... Still no dart, though.
I don't know what else can I do to obtain the dart (except typing player->additem "ebony dart_db_unique" 1 in the console)?

On second thought I made a preparation as follows:
1) I went to Balmora Guild of Mages,
2) I used a console to gain 1000 Strength, 100 Illusion, Invisibility spell and Trueflame,
3) I went to sleep,
4) when awaked by a loud noise, I went quickly behind the corner, cast Invisibility,
5) and with Trueflame I waited for the assassin to kill him with one hit before he throws a dart on me.

Well, that worked - I killed the guy and on his body I found a carved ebony dart and my journal was updated again (the journal note says "One of the assassins had an odd dart on his body, the look of which I've never seen before"). The problem is that it's impossible to do without cheating. I wonder if it's intended by Bethesda or it's a next bug?

Batai · Post by **Batai** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:18 am

What IS with the ebony dart?

What's up with that journal entry? I've gotten that before but don't know why. Does the discovery of the ebony dart trigger a quest or something?

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:56 am

If I recall correctly, I never had the dart in the body of the assassin when I was attacked the very first time...
But after few attacks the assassin suddenly had it. So, maybe you weren't supposed to get the dart from the first assassin, but from second, third or something like that? And maybe you had to discuss with one of the guards about the assassination attempt, and that would have triggered an assassin with dart in his corpse?

So, it could be that it's not dependent on your level. Instead, it's waiting for trigger which may be something descriped above...
Not sure, just some ideas...

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:07 pm

Is it possible it has to do with the (spoiler- highlight)

Spoiler

Black Dart Gang Quest in the Mournhold Sewers???

....

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:02 pm

No it's nothing to do with that DW, it's a matter of luck, some DB Assassins have an ebony dart in their inventory, some don't (I just checked the CS). I really don't know what all the fuss is about, they're one shot items and only worth 2000.

MasterSpartan13 · Post by **MasterSpartan13** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:24 pm

Actually, it's a matter of how fast you are in killing them.
The assassin, and only the first one, carries the dart.
If they hit you before you kill them, the dart vanishes from their inventory.
If you kill them without them managing to touch you, they dart will be in their inventory when you search their bodies.