Shadow over hackdirt (SPOILERS)

Red_Harvest · Post by **Red_Harvest** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:20 am

I just started a new character and I can't seem to get this quest to start I go and talk to them for the first time. They are both there, (Seed_Neus and Dar-Ma) and Dar-Ma says about never seeing you in town before and and how she likes meeting new people...etc. But no option to start the quest or anything just to ask Dar_Ma about her mother or something. So I can't seem to get it to cooperate. I was able to do it before but now with this new character I can't.

any help thanks

unregisturd · Post by **unregisturd** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:37 am

You're talking about the quest where you have to go to Hackdirt and find Dar Ma?

You have to wait until Dar Ma actually disappears. If you're talking to her, obviously you can't go and rescue her. I'm not sure exactly what triggers the quest; try sleeping in Chorral for a night or something, then go talk to Seed Neeus. She'll ask you to help her find her missing daughter. When she disappears, all the townspeople start talking about it, and it's added as a "New Topic", so you'll know when to go talk to the mom.

Sorry if this isn't the quest you're talking about. It's the only one I know of involving Dar Ma, Seed Neeus, and Hackdirt.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:53 am

Please remember to put a SPOILER designation in a thread like this, that gives away and requests information many people don't want to know in advance. I'll change yours, now. Future ones you'll need to do yourself, or threads without it may mysteriously vanish.

Mz_Trixter · Post by **Mz_Trixter** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:14 pm

You can also start this quest instead of getting informed of it, you just go to Hackdirt (almost directly south of the city) & Dar-ma should be locked in the basement cell. The quest doesn't trigger until you've slept in Chorrol about one to a few nights.

But i prefer clearing out "anything" that would cause me to fail the quest resulting in her death

unregisturd · Post by **unregisturd** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:33 pm

Mz_Trixter wrote:But i prefer clearing out "anything" that would cause me to fail the quest resulting in her death

Spoiler: I tried doing that, but the people ("The Brethren" or whatever they're called) wouldn't attack me until they saw Dar Ma. It was frustrating, because I eventually did get her back to Chorral safely, but I had to replay the quest several times. Also, what made me MORE mad, was that I had a bounty on my head after this quest! What the heck? I made sure that I only killed people who attacked me first. I ended up having to pay 1,000 something septims.

Mz_Trixter · Post by **Mz_Trixter** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 9:35 pm

Also, what made me MORE mad, was that I had a bounty on my head after this quest!

If that happens, it's always good to have the thieves guild in your pocket

afterwards just swim & sneak into the Waterfront & find Christophe.
...it may cost you 1 infamy point, but it beats running from every gaurd & having your bounty skyrocket to 1000+

unregisturd · Post by **unregisturd** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 9:56 am

Mz_Trixter wrote:If that happens, it's always good to have the thieves guild in your pocket afterwards just swim & sneak into the Waterfront & find Christophe.
...it may cost you 1 infamy point, but it beats running from every gaurd & having your bounty skyrocket to 1000+

It wasn't really the money that bothered me; I had enough to pay it. It was the fact that I had a bounty! Spoiler: Why, when an entire stupid town kidnaps a person (or, rather, an Argonian) and is going to SACRIFICE her, and I rescue her, do I get a bounty?! It's just stupid! And THEY attacked ME! Does anyone know WHY there was a bounty?

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:22 am

unregisturd wrote:Does anyone know WHY there was a bounty?

Basically it's down to bad game design/implimentation. Four of the residents of Hackdirt, Etira Moslin, Jiv Hiriel, Marleena Brussiner, and Natch Pinder aren't in the Hackdirt Bretheren Monster faction, and have 'Innocent' classes.

Unfortunately because of the poor AI anyone, or all, of these can be in the caverns when the liberation kicks off, and because they have the MS45Alarm script attached to them, they join in the fight, and if you hit any of them it triggers the idiotic bounty.

Just one of the many flaws in Oblivion.

Mz_Trixter · Post by **Mz_Trixter** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:55 pm

unregisturd wrote:It wasn't really the money that bothered me; I had enough to pay it. It was the fact that I had a bounty! Spoiler: Why, when an entire stupid town kidnaps a person (or, rather, an Argonian) and is going to SACRIFICE her, and I rescue her, do I get a bounty?! It's just stupid! And THEY attacked ME! Does anyone know WHY there was a bounty?

this also happens whenever I have to either counteract that Frostcrag Spire Bug and unlock that freak'n store or whenever I'm ''trying'' to help an Npc out by killing something; then they (the Npc) ends up flying in front of me, getting hit by my sword & I end up having to pay that 1000 bounty after doing that honest to goodness deed

...It kills me.

I seriously consider letting them get killed for it.

Mz_Trixter · Post by **Mz_Trixter** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:07 pm

unregisturd wrote:Spoiler: What the heck? I made sure that I only killed people who attacked me first.

This may help in avoiding that bounty, Before saving her, when you're in the basement (which should) provoke the "Brethren" almost instantly. Make sure you have atleast 50% Damage Reflect and stand and block

When most of 'em are dead by hitting you, let her out of her cell. Even 'if' the innocent npcs join in the fight, it shouldn't count against you.

...just a lil tip

unregisturd · Post by **unregisturd** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:26 pm

Mz_Trixter wrote:This may help in avoiding that bounty, Before saving her, when you're in the basement (which should) provoke the "Brethren" almost instantly. Make sure you have atleast 50% Damage Reflect and stand and block When most of 'em are dead by hitting you, let her out of her cell. Even 'if' the innocent npcs join in the fight, it shouldn't count against you.

...just a lil tip

That's a good tip.

I usually just kill any Brethren down in the caverns (if they spot me, otherwise I just grab Dar Ma and take her up into the house), and then have Dar Ma wait for me in the house above; then I go outside and kill everyone who attacks me. It's still a pain, though, because I still get the bounty. Ah well.

It's not that much money.

Tate · Post by **Tate** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:37 pm

For future reference, you must wait five days between speaking with Seed'Neus and being asked to rescue Dar'Ma.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:52 pm

To clarify. Dar-Ma disappears from Chorrol (and is placed in Hackdirt) two days after the player first speaks to her, providing the PC is not in Chorrol. If the PC is not in Chorrol she will move as soon as the player leaves if the two days have passed.

News of her disappearance will not circulate until two days after she vanishes. However it is not necessary for this to have happened, or even have picked up the quest to rescue her. If you arrive in Hackdirt after she's been moved, her horse will be there and you can mount a rescue bid; whether you've spoken to her mother or not. You'll have to know where Hackdirt is, or stumble upon it by accident of course, as it will not be placed on the map until you've spoken to her mother. So the minimum time to get the quest is four days, providing you where absent from Chorrol two days after first talking to Dar-Ma, minimum time for rescuing her is two days, with the same proviso.

Uriel · Post by **Uriel** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:37 pm

Well all i did was go to Hackdirt,(as i saw my bro do), and talked to the missing daughter,killing all the guys like in 5 min,

, so then i got the reaward.

RavenWhitehawk · Post by **RavenWhitehawk** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:09 am

I have a Question about HackDirt(Spoiler)

Ok, I have Finished the Quest and got my Reward, but now when ever the Inn Keeper and the Shop Keeper see me they are Fleeing.

(I think they are the only two left alive, I accidentally killed the guy that told me Dar-Ma was in Danger I have a bad habit of Killing first and Asking Questions later, and that usually leads to no one alive to ask Questions to !!)

Did I screw something up?, lol

How Can I make it so The Inn Keeper and Shop Keeper are not afraid of me anymore?

Raven

LeoStarDragon1 · Post by **LeoStarDragon1** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:29 am

Wow! (SPOILERS?!)

Hello, Forum Folks New & Old Alike!

(Doing my impression of Conan O'Brian doing his impression of a Charles Dickens character, as in "Oliver Twist".) I just realized something! Galrean, you remind me of a stage magician and/or illusionist who knows how all of the magic tricks are done, but who sits out in the audience and reviews other performers, rather than perform on stage!

For you other guys and gals, that's why he knows what's going on behind the scenes as it were. So I'd pay attention to him if I was you, even if he grumbles.

(End of impression.)

Now about the quest itself, wow! I've played it so many different ways.

About that bounty. It may not be for killing. It could be for theft. Sure, the items in Hackdirt aren't tagged with that "Red Hand" icon. But if you observe the resident's behavior, they will treat you as a thief if they catch you stealing. They've even been known to call out for a guard to help them. If an Imperial Forrester just happens to be nearby, he will respond! At least, that's been my experience a few times.

After a lot of trial and error, my routine is to befriend every one with a name, to the max and get them on my side. I even invest in both merchants. I sell loot from the nearby areas to them. Then when it comes time for the quest, they aren't enemies. After I do a few of the quest's needs, I become invisible, loot everything that isn't attached to something, and sell it to the store merchant, not her father, and I listen to her complain about how I cheated her as she buys the stuff, even her stuff. Though I'm not invisible at that time of course. I even take their holy book from the pedestal in their chapel. Once I've looted all there is to loot and sold it, by then the people are usually gathered in one spot. I've been locking every door as I go too.

I kill the Brethern guys one a time, taking them up to the surface to be turned into ewes, and save their stuff to sell to Seed-Neus.

Then saving Dar-Ma is the last thing I do, including leaving town with Buttercup, or is it Blossom? After the quest is officially over, I am able to go back to Hackdirt as a friend to sleep in the inn and sell loot to either place and have regular conversations.

Mind you, that's what I do lately, after trying other ways, like killing every thing and such. I've had problems with glitches too.

The most spiteful thing I've done, is to recruit the townfolk, minus the Brethern, for my own personal army. Most of the time, I've lost track of some units, so they don't always make it to the few big epic battles. I may dismiss them, and then watch them become dejected and just mope in the area for a long while. Then time will pass and they become random encounters, fighting monsters, bandits, and animals, or each other et al.

I'm passing time, waiting for something to transfer. I still have 25 minutes to go, but I'll leave this thread and move on.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:30 am

Well if either of the Moslins weren't fleeing they'd be trying to kill you! Neither have much money, one has 50gp to trade with,the other 200gp, neither sell anything worth having, so why bother? It may e possible to turn their flee rating down, and their fight rating down, but that would probably get reset by the game almost instantly.

They are evil dudes, it obviously didn't occur to Bethseda's devs that anyone would want to befriend them once the truth was out. This is a well trodden path by the developers of TES games, they assume every player is going to be an upright citizen and side with the authorities etc, and NEVER allow the player to actually side with the 'bad guys'. The idea of the game being open ended is an illusion, you can't side with the Hackdirt Bretheren, or the Mythic Dawn, or even the dude trying to eliminate the Dark Brotherhood (so when two evils collide they force you to side with the establishment). Still a fun game though, providing you can run mods that is.

LeoStarDragon1 · Post by **LeoStarDragon1** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:36 am

Well Heck Yeah!

galraen wrote:Well if either of the Moslins weren't fleeing they'd be trying to kill you! Neither have much money, one has 50gp to trade with,the other 200gp, neither sell anything worth having, so why bother? It may e possible to turn their flee rating down, and their fight rating down, but that would probably get reset by the game almost instantly.

They are evil dudes, it obviously didn't occur to Bethseda's devs that anyone would want to befriend them once the truth was out. This is a well trodden path by the developers of TES games, they assume every player is going to be an upright citizen and side with the authorities etc, and NEVER allow the player to actually side with the 'bad guys'. The idea of the game being open ended is a delusion, you can't side with the Hackdirt Bretheren, or the Mythic Dawn, or even the dude trying to eliminate the Dark Brotherhood (so when two evils collide they force you to side with the establishment). Still a fun game though, providing you can run mods that is.

Ever see "TRON"? I've seen the movie and read the novel. When I play video games like this, I am THE USER, and the game is just a Program! I am the boss of it! Or more to the point, I treat the NPC's as if they are the Programs and I am their deity, the User! My player character is my TRON!

So in summary, you bet your uncle's money I'm playing with mods and frequent use of the Console! :laugh:

:mischief:

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:43 am

TRON the film was terrible, the TV series was even worse, no way in hell was I going to read the book! Hitchhikers Guid was different, the radio series was great, the books blah, the TV trash, the film terrible, so maybe I should give the TRON book a try!

LeoStarDragon1 · Post by **LeoStarDragon1** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:53 am

Howdy!

galraen wrote:TRON the film was terrible, the TV series was even worse, no way in hell was I going to read the book! Hitchhikers Guid was different, the radio series was great, the books blah, the TV trash, the film terrible, so maybe I should give the TRON book a try!

Down to 3 minutes! This better clear up a lot of space on my hard drive.

TRON had a TV series?! I missed it?! Argh! I love the movie, the book, the LP soundtrack album, and the arcade game. Ah, youth.

Hitchhikers.. Not seen the movie, but want to. I'm a completist, like Captain Nemo, I must have the complete set! Loved the series and the books and the game, even if I could barely keep Arthur Dent alive while brushing his teeth.
Don't listen to radio except when driving.... alone. With Dad, whatever he's into. So no National Public Radio programs, ever in my life.

Hey, it'd done I think!