A terrible act from an Imperial Legate...Story!

[Stefan_S]

This involves the stories from the quest "Lights Out!"

Spoiler:

Soon I was to become the Thane of Solitude. I had enough money to buy a house, and I had assisted the town in getting rid of the Wolf Queen, Potema.

Also, as a Legate in the Imperial Military I was faithful to my Imperial brethren. Everytime I saw a soldier I would salute him.

Yet in the streets of Solitude, I was walking around, and a strange Argonian named Jaree-Ra muttered something about 'a quick coin'. Instantly, I was hooked. Curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself agreeing to shut off the Solitude Lighthouse to allow a ship to wreck. Little did I know it was an Imperial ship.

Jaree-Ra promised me that the sailors on board would not be harmed, and I would even be credited with saving them. I liked the sound of that! So I headed up to the Solitude Lighthouse and extinguished the flame. I went back to the Solitude docks and Jaree-Ra gave me the location of the wreck. I walked over there, and found Blackblood Marauders walking around and in the ship wreck.

As I was promised, I expected to see happy sailors, grateful that the Blackblood Marauders had saved them. But to my horror, I found 2 dead Imperial Soldiers and one dead Sailor on board. I was shocked. The Blackblood Marauder in front of the ship let me pass to see Jaree-Ra's sister to get my share of the ship's loot. As I walked by the dead bodies, my heart started pumping. By causing this wreck, I had, in theory, killed my own men. I entered the ship to see Blackblood Marauder's happy faces of their new conquest. On the wall, an Imperial banner. My banner. More dead Imperials and Sailors.

I walked up to Deeja (Jaree-Ra's sister) and did not initiate conversation. Using my Thu'um, Fire soon engulfed her. I finished her off by stabbing her in my stomach with Bolar's Oathblade, (one of the survivors of the Thalmor's attack on Cloud Ruler Temple, who was soon found and killed by the Thalmor). Soon, Blackblood Marauders swarmed me but I slaughtered them all. In my mind, the dead bodies of the Imperial soldiers and Sailors I had caused the death off needed revenge. I cleansed the ship, and searched Deeja. I found out the location of Jaree-Ra and the ship's loot.

I made my way to Broken Oar Grotto. I entered it. Stealth was not an option. I ran up to the first Blackblood Marauder and gave him an old fashioned FUS RO DAH! He plummeted downwards and landed on some rocks near the cave's lake. That was the end of him. I killed everyone single one of the Blackblood Marauders. I would not let the killing of the ship's crew go without punishment. The last Blackblood Marauder started to run from me. I caught up to him and decapitated him. I kicked his head down into the water below. Out of a room came Jaree-Ra and his right hand man, Captain Hargar. It was a tough fight, and using some potions, killed the Captain.

Jaree-Ra, now wounded, tried to get away. I prepared my Thu'um, and sent a shout of fire his way. Unfortunately for Jaree-Ra, he was standing on some oil. He burned alive while I watched. I found the loot from the 'Icerunner' Ship, and deposited it into the water. It was blood money; I wanted no part in it. I left the grotto, hoping I did the Icerunner's crew some justice by slaughtering the mercenary group that had killed them.

But I was ashamed, everytime an Imperial Soldier greeted me with the words "Legate, Sir."

**On a side note, does anybody know how to relight the Solitude Lighthouse? Shooting flames at it doesn't work.

[The Dog Whisperer]

Don't think you can relight it. :\
And it's not like that good-for-nothing Khajiit tender is going to fix it.

I guess it was harsh, but you learned an important life lesson; Never deal with an Argonian. They're as slimy as they appear!

[Stefan_S]

Haha, yeah true

[Alchemist]

I felt the same way! My only goal in my character's life is to restore power to the College of Winterhold. Naturally, I sought an alliance with the Imperials, knowing that Imperial culture is much more accepting of magic than Nord culture could ever be. I headed to Solitude, and for the first time, I found a true friend. Or so I thought. I bought Jaree-Ra's act completely, and wrecking a ship was a small price to pay for having a companion I could connect with on my side. Never was a fan of Lydia. But...when I got to the ship. Dear god, it was terrible. I almost literally felt sick. So many dead 'innocents'. And they were dancing on their corpses! I don't know exactly what Bethesda did, but they CERTAINLY made you feel. Wonderful quest.

[Stefan_S]

The thing that convinced me to do the quest was that I thought I would be credited with saving the crew, and would be loved by the solitude townsfolk! Of course, I shoulda known that the crew would be killed.

I should have killed Jaree-Ra right on the street when he suggested the idea, even if I would get arrested.

[Dark Spark]

Now, let's take this same quest from an insane killer/former vampire/Stormcloak perspective:

"...The sailors will remain unharmed? Disappointing, I'd admit. Whatever floats your boat. Or sinks it, in this case."

"These Imperial soldiers are dead! Curses to you all— hogging up all the fun for yourselves!"

"What! You're betraying me? I signed on to this scheme in the hope of joining your debauched band of pirates and cutthroats, and you'd rather see me dead rather than one of your own?"

"Escaping this boat is not my plan. Ripping the guts out of every single one of your men and weaving a small piece of each into the handle of my axe— is."

"Not so smug now, what with all your organs scattered over the deck, aren't ya'? Now, for your stupid brother..."

"...dearie, you misunderstand me: I'm not doing this to make you talk."



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I'll admit, this quest will stick in my craw. My character had just lost all the family she'd known for two hundred years and, at the very first chance she sought a sense of belonging, it turns out her new friends just wanted to use her and dispose of her after the most menial of jobs (I mean, she didn't even kill anyone in the lighthouse!).

[Blackhawk Vegal]

i haven't done the quest yet, i just knew that the crew was going to be murdered, just by the way he suggested it was going to go down, either way, i probably will still do the quest, just to try and get total completion on all quest lines.

[Stefan_S]

Now, let's take this same quest from an insane killer/former vampire/Stormcloak perspective:

"...The sailors will remain unharmed? Disappointing, I'd admit. Whatever floats your boat. Or sinks it, in this case."

"These Imperial soldiers are dead! Curses to you all— hogging up all the fun for yourselves!"

"What! You're betraying me? I signed on to this scheme in the hope of joining your debauched band of pirates and cutthroats, and you'd rather see me dead rather than one of your own?"

"Escaping this boat is not my plan. Ripping the guts out of every single one of your men and weaving a small piece of each into the handle of my axe— is."

"Not so smug now, what with all your organs scattered over the deck, aren't ya'? Now, for your stupid brother..."

"...dearie, you misunderstand me: I'm not doing this to make you talk."



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I'll admit, this quest will stick in my craw. My character had just lost all the family she'd known for two hundred years and, at the very first chance she sought a sense of belonging, it turns out her new friends just wanted to use her and dispose of her after the most menial of jobs (I mean, she didn't even kill anyone in the lighthouse!).

That's what I love about the TES franchise. Be who you want to be!

[DorostheConqueror]

Yeah, I saw all that coming a dozen farthings away. Let's see, a couple sneaky lizards asking a total stranger to wreck a ship, and then a whole bunch of evil looking guys telling me to go into the ship's hold, as far down away from the entrance as possible, to collect my "reward". You'd have to have the brains of an Orc to not see where that was going.

I killed all the bandits on deck, then worked my way down from there.

[Dark Spark]

Cassie was lonely. She was trying to fit back into mortal society. And, if the marauders had extended the invitation, she would've joined the gang.

They didn't think she was a useful killer. That was a mistake she wasn't going to let pass.

She approaches a Dark Brotherhood contract with clinical detachment and a commitment to the tactical problem. But, tick her off on a personal level and you get a rabid hedgehog of slow death.

[Berzerker]

Yeah, I saw all that coming a dozen farthings away. Let's see, a couple sneaky lizards asking a total stranger to wreck a ship, and then a whole bunch of evil looking guys telling me to go into the ship's hold, as far down away from the entrance as possible, to collect my "reward". You'd have to have the brains of an Orc to not see where that was going.

I killed all the bandits on deck, then worked my way down from there.

...*raises Volendrung* What did you say?!

[DorostheConqueror]

Yeah, I saw all that coming a dozen farthings away. Let's see, a couple sneaky lizards asking a total stranger to wreck a ship, and then a whole bunch of evil looking guys telling me to go into the ship's hold, as far down away from the entrance as possible, to collect my "reward". You'd have to have the brains of an Orc to not see where that was going.

I killed all the bandits on deck, then worked my way down from there.

...*raises Volendrung* What did you say?!

"You'd have to have the brains of an Orc". Allow me to explain: brains are these squishy bits inside our skulls, what we use to think with. Everyone's got 'em, even Orcs! Well, probably Orcs.

I honestly think that quest would have been better if the bandits had of kept out of sight until you met the lady lizard in the hold. Or maybe if the bandit's had of dressed up like Imperial sailors and guards, asked you to play the Samaritan, then jumped you when your guard was down. As it was, everything was just way too convenient and obvious.