While there are dozens of quests to complete in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, there are some that take more effort than others. Quests will take you across the map, have you rescue villa🌳gers, and slay mighty beasts that stand in your way. A Shadow Over Hackdirt, however, will test your investigative skills.
Oblivion Remastered: Next Of Kin 🦹Quest♛ Walkthrough
Eliminate each member of the Draconis family.
When Dar-Ma from Chorrol goes missing, it's up to you to find and rescue her. There are several ways to do this, and we'll walk you through the best ways to safely get her home. Here's everything you need to💛 know to help locate the missing Argonian in Cyrodiil.
How To Start A Shadow Over Hackdirt Quest
Before this quest starts, you'll need to visit the city of Chorrol at least once and meet young Dar-Ma. She's a chatty Argonian woman living with her mother, Seed-Neeus. Together, they run the Northern Goods and Trade shop in town.
After meeting Dar-Ma, speak with her mother upon your next visit. You will need to leave Chorrol completely for this quest to begin. Apparently, Seed-Neeus sent her daughter to make deliveries to a small settlement called Hackdirt, not far from Chorrol. However, she hasn't yet returned and Seed-Neeus is worried.
If you've been to Hackdirt before, make sure that Etira Moslin and Vlanholder are alive when you✃ leave, otherwise the quest won't start.
Where To Find Hackdirt
Leave Chorrol and head south of the city. You'll follow the path down past the Weynon Priory, then detour along the dirt track further south. If you've༺ reached the Odiil far🌳m, you've gone too far.
When you arrive in Hackdirt, you'll notice that most of the town is in ruins. The place was burned down long ago and the remaining inhabitants are less than welcoming. Speaking with them will reveal very little information, if any at all.
How To Find Dar-Ma
Investigate the town at your leisure, though don't dawdle. While the people aren't forthcoming about Dar-Ma, you can question them as much a𒆙s you'd like to get an idea of what🌠's going on.
Speak with Etira Moslin, the local merchant and Seed-Neeus' contact. She claims that Dar-Ma never arrived and that Seed-Neeus is a swindler, but offers little else. You're free to explore the town and collect evidence of Dar-Ma's presence on your own.
Gathering Evidence Of Dar-Ma's Arrival
Several pieces of evidence can help y🥀ou locate Dar-Ma in Hackdirt. Below are some of the ways you can confirm that she did visit town and is still nearby:
- Her horse, Blossom. In one of the abandoned, burned down buildings is Blossom! While riding the horse counts as stealing, Seed-Neeus told you that Dar-Ma would never abandoned her beloved mare. If you ask Etira about the horse, she claims to own the horse herself.
- Dar-Ma's trashed bedroom. Enter the inn and pick the lock to reach the guest rooms. One of them is completely overturned as if there was a scuffle. Something isn't right here, though you can't establish what just by looking at it.
- Dar-Ma's diary. In the dresser of the guest room are all of Dar-Ma's belongings, along with her diary. The last entry mentions how Dar-Ma kept hearing footsteps outside her door at night. If you confront the innkeeper about it, he claims she simply stayed the night and left without a word.
- The Deep Ones. Entering the chapel, you can read the Bible of the Deep Ones, which is a text filled with daedric runes. This won't bring up any conversation topics, but it sheds some more light on why the people of Hackdirt are closed off.
The Bible of the 🍬Deep Ones is a rare book, so you should pick it up.
Every structure in Hackdirt has a secret trapdoor you can use, which will help you find Dar-Ma faster. However, if you want to collect more information before heading down there, there's only one townsperson who can help.
Speak with Jiv Hiriel to learn that it's not safe to talk openly (if you hadn't gathered that already). Meet him at his house after dark, just beside the chapel. Inside, he'll reveal that things have gone too far and you only have a few hours to save Dar-Ma from Hackdirt.
Jiv Hiriel gives you a key to the caverns below the settlement and instructs you to head through the inn to get to Dar-Ma.
It's possible to find Dar-Ma before speaking to Jiv and rescue her during the day, though the townspeople devoted to the Deep Ones will attack on sight.
How To Keep Dar-Ma Safe
When you enter the caverns beneath the settlement, you'll find Dar-Ma locked in a cage. Carefully make your way to her to avoid detection, or slay the half-dressed Hackdirt Bretheren. Use the key on the stool beside Dar-Ma to free her or pick the lock.
You can sneak out together through the ladder to the inn and make your way to her horse, Blossom. If you drop a weapon for Dar-Ma, she🥂 may pick it up and defend herself. Otherwise, flee the town as quickly as y🅘ou can.
If Dar-Ma gets to Blossom, she'll ride her back to town. However, she's incr🐷edibly slow since th꧅e horse has thrown a shoe.
Instead, mount Blossom yourself and fast travel back to Chorrol to avoid getting attacked on the road.
Once you're back, speak with Seed Neeus to tell her that her beloved daughter is safe. You'll be rewarded with a five-point increase to your Mercantile skill, a boost in fame, and a 100 point disposition with Seed-Neeus for rescuing Dar-Ma.
If Dar-Ma dies at any point during this quest, you'll have to report the bad news to Seed-Neeus. You won't get a reward since 🧜🍬she now needs to mourn the loss of her only child.
Should You Kill The People Of Hackdirt?
If spotted by the townspeople at night before the ritual, most of them will turn hostile and attack you. Even if undetected, should you ever return, they'll tryꦕ to kill you.
Despite the growling sounds in the underground caverns, you won't actually see the Deep Ones. However, it's believed the gut🐼tural sounds are supposꦑed to be the unknown creatures.
Only a handful, including Jiv Hiriel, will avoid combat with you. So, unless you're willing to go to extraordinary lengths, you'll likely have to kill almost everyone in Hackdirt.
If you're set on saving the townsfolk for some reason, sneak your way around the settlement and speak only to Jiv Hiriel without being seen, then 𓂃make your way to the caverns.
Even if you can escape without getting spotted, there's a chance the townsfolk will still attack, so be on your guarᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚd.
Regardless of your actions, the Hackdirt Bretheren will find you. If you don't kill them in the caves, they will emerge from the trapdoors and chase you in the overworld. Dispatch them quꦦicklyꦗ to prevent more casualties in Cyrodiil.
Oblivion Remastered: The Rosethoꦅrn Cache Quest Walkthrough
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