Part 11: Radiant Quests

Part 11: Radiant Quests—Get Off My Land!

Combating undesirables who dare trespass on your property.

Life should be a breeze with a compound in the marsh, woods, or tundra and with an item collection to rival any Khajiit Caravan. But you must still be on your guard, as unwanted visitors sometimes make their presence felt.

The Cow Clobbering Giant*

If you’ve bought yourself a shaggy cow for your compound, prepare to intercept a wandering giant who is on course for clobbering (and possibly eating) your prized heifer. Defeat the giant, or face losing your farm animal.

Wolves at Your Door*

If you’ve purchased chickens for your homestead, prepare to defend them viciously from a pack of hungry wolves. Expect up to three wolves to be skulking around your property when you return from your travels. Deal with them, or face a chickenless future!

Skeever Infestation*

Once you’ve dug down and built a cellar under your main hall, there’s a [random] chance that when you head down to inspect it next, you’ll find between one and four Skeevers living there. Your Steward, spouse, and child all comment on the vermin, saying they’ve heard noises from the cellar: The source of those sounds should be eradicated forthwith.

However, be judicious in your Skeever removal, as one of them is actually quite tame and isn’t hostile to you at all. If you keep the tame Skeever, it scurries around the cellar without causing you consternation (and you won’t need to worry about this problem reoccurring). However, if you slay it and all the other Skeevers, expect the infestation to return at a random point in the future.

Bandit Attack: Trespassers*

If you leave your premises, you may return to find three bandits (including a chief) mooching around your house. If you have a Housecarl, they are already engaged in combat against these foes. The bandits appear only if your structure has three or more rooms (so an entryway, main hall, and one or more additions). Simply slay these trespassers.

Bandit Attack: Kidnappers*

Bandits are becoming much more troublesome in your area, and your spouse is in danger of being kidnapped by them! Like the other bandit attack, this also occurs if you have a home with three or more rooms, but you also need a spouse living with you and no Housecarl (as your Housecarl guards the front door of the home and prevents this from happening). Either way, this [randomly occurring] quest will happen only once. When you return to your home, a bandit is waiting close to the front door. They stop and hand over a ransom letter. If you attack the bandit on sight, the note is on the corpse. Read it for the second objective.

• Objective: Read the bandit’s ransom note for [your spouse]
• Objective: Rescue [your spouse] from [a random bandit dungeon]

Rescue your betrothed by applying one of the following plans:

• Storm the bandit dungeon, and slay everyone and everything you aren’t married to. This is your only option if you slew the bandit at your house. In fact, kill any bandit and all will turn on you.
• Enter into negotiations with Rochelle the Red, the Bandit Chief who waits for you at the dungeon’s entrance (provided you took the ransom letter from the bandit’s hand, not their corpse). She has several options to ponder. You can:
• Pay the ransom (the amount varies). Your spouse is then released to you (or travels back to the house). The bandits remain peaceful unless you enter the dungeon.
• (Persuade) Use your charm and guile to insist that your spouse be freed. If successful, your spouse is then released to you (or travels back to the house). The bandits remain peaceful unless you enter the dungeon.
• (Intimidate) Use your brawn to insist that your spouse be returned. If successful, your spouse is then released to you (or travels back to the house). The bandits remain peaceful unless you enter the dungeon.
• Tell the chief you haven’t the money to pay them. This doesn’t sit well with the kidnappers, and all of them become hostile.

Just wandering off without choosing a plan causes the bandits to become hostile. Whatever you choose, find your spouse, release them, exit the dungeon, and return to your previously tranquil existence.