Seven Signs, Series of Doubt

You're the one I heard so much about? Funny, I thought you'd be taller. Ach, it doesn't matter - it's your reputation that brought you to me, not your height, eh?

Now listen, my cousin Jacob had inked a new contract with a supplier and was due to bring it here. Thing is, I've nae heard as much as a peep from the boy and he was due here days ago.

Told him, aye I did, told him not to travel by his wee self. Told him it wasn't safe. Ach....

• "Why's it not safe?"

Just received word that the memorial service for my poor cousin can now take place.

What happened to him is tragc, but I'm grateful for all that you've done for us.

Bless you for your kindness!

Ach, off with ye!

I'll nae waste my time gassing off to you, not when you're too weak to do the work for me!

Off with ye! Go!

(Only charaters who are level 79 or higher may undertake this quest.)

Why? Ha!

You should wax your ears from time to time! You've not heard the stories then? No?

Fine, I'll tell ye. But first you'll promise me that you'll take the job, aye? I'll not wag this beard of mine for little more than etiquette and whatnot. We have a deal?

• "Sure."

Aye? Good stuff.

The stories are circling about like crows over carcasses, friend. Dwarven Contractors being put to the blade. Someone is hunting them, and we have no idea who....

• "Go on."

Display no dialog in the quest data window.

Ach. Look, I'm not saying you'll find Jacob face down in a ditch. I just want the boy found. If he's poured my money down his throat again then... well... he'll see.

I've found out some bits of information too. Seems Hector knows something about this killer, though if he's able to pull fact from fiction then he's got more knocking about that skull of his than most.

Take this letter, and go and find him at Oren's Northern entrance. With luck he'll set your path straight and lead you to m'cousin.

Now Guards are naturally suspicious creatures, so Hector will not start mouthing off without good reason.

Be sure to show him my letter.

Haven't found him yet? Don't waste any more time, okay? You've got to find wee Jacob!

If you do, I promise you will be richly rewarded. Now hurry! There's nae a minute to waste!

Ach! There you are! I was about ready to send someone off after YOU!

Well, you've news I assume, and by the looks of it, it's nae good. Well, out with it. Words are no good unless spoken.

• "Jacob's dead, Croop. I'm sorry."

Aye... I thought that'd be the way of things. Poor boy... he wasn't ready to go.

Ach. You see people slipping off the coil all the time, but still... harder to cope with when it's blood.

Where's the body then?

• "East of Oren Castle. It's in bad shape."

Bad shape? What do ye mean? Mutilated?

Hang on a wee moment now--I never even told you what Jacob looked like! How can you be sure it was him? And how can you be so sure that it was him when, as you put it, the body's in "bad shape"? Eh?

• "Here. This is his right?"

Oh. Aye... aye it is. And this is his blood too, I suppose.

I bought this for him when he started working for me, you know. Was my way of bringing him closer to the family, but look what happened....

Ach. I'm not one for softness. I have another job for you to do now, if ye'll take it.

• "What's the job?"

I want you to prepare a memorial service for m'cousin. It's a simple enough thing, and High Priest Hollint will be there to help you out.

Dwarves need to put into the ground fast, aye? Return their bodies to the soil, give our children's children nutrients for the farming and ore for the augmenting.

So, will ye do it? I'll be busy getting his body back here, and need a hand... if you're offering yours.

• "I'd be glad to help."

Thank you very much. You are indeed an adventurer with a warm heart. I do have good eyes to spot a good person.

Now, you can give me Jacob's necklace. I will have someone take it to the Town of Oren's High Priest Hollint in the Temple of Einhasad beforehand.

Also, I'll send your reward for finding Jacob as well as the memorial service to High Priest Hollint. Even though I'm a dwarf, I won't be stingy in showing my appreciation for an adventurer like you.

I am sure you are tired after looking for Jacob. Have a drink of water and go see High Priest Hollint.

Please take care of the memorial service for Jacob for me. Well done.

Thanks! You've agreed to help, so I'll tell you everything I know. But I don't want anyone else to hear this, okay?

Something strange is going on--I hear rumors of some suspicious character killing off Dwarven contractors...

• "Okay..."

ARGH!

What are you playing at? There's something sneaking round the castle, people are going missing, everyone's on edge, and you still think the best idea is to sneak up on old Stan and scare the stuffing out of him?!

What's wrong with you? And what do you want?

• "Hector sent me. I'm here about the thing you saw."

Ha, did Hector tell you to be that vague, too? He's jumpier than a cat in a thunderstorm these days, looking for things that ain't there, and jamming two coincidences together to make conspiracies.

Yeah, maybe I saw something, and maybe it was a bit odd. Maybe I felt a pervading sense of evil shortly before seeing whatever it was, and maybe it made an unholy chattering sound as it shot off into the shadows.

But you know what? Maybe it was nothing. Thought about that?

• "Well, no actually. What exactly did you see?"

I was out walking through theOren Castle grounds a couple of nights ago. Truth be told, I was clearing my head - women problems, see?

Anyway, there I was, when it a chill creeps up my spine and everything goes deathly quiet. Suddenly this thing appears in front of me, makes some weird old sound, and... I could feel its eyes looking... looking INTO me.

Then, quick as a click, it was gone.

See... told you. It was nothing.

• "If you say so. Where was this exactly?"

Why? You're not... you're not thinking of going there are you?

But there's nothing there... and if there WAS something there then it's not something you'll want to sit down and share stories with, trust me.

Anyway, the area East of Oren Castle is fairly unspectacular. Nothing there you'd want to see, and... oh. I just told you where to go, didn't I?

Bah. Go then! See if I care! If you come back inside-out, then I ain't gonna fix you!

You still have questions for me? I told you everything I know.

The thing I saw that night was in the area east of Oren Castle.

Unless you have something else to ask me, you better get going--I'll be back on duty soon....

Here about the murderer aren't you?

Can't blame you--I'm sure there's quite some bounty on his head, but I ain't here to aid the fear mongering that's been going on, no sir.

Besides, stay within Oren's walls and you'll be safe as houses. What's outside that pulls so many out, anyway? I swear... the folk in these parts have their heads in the clouds. They're all crusade this, save the world that....

Now, look at me. I'm happy, I'm content. Keep people safe, and sleep sound as a bear in Winter.

• "This is different. I've this letter for you."

A letter? Pass it here then....

(He silently reads the letter.)

Ah, Croop. Well, this is different then. All right, I'll unstitch these lips, but if word reaches me that you've been fillin' the taverns with this I'll come straight after you.

The rumors are true enough--there is someone... something out there offing folk. Old Stan even saw it with his own two eyes. Said it moves fast, hides in the shadows. Sneaky thing, he said. Old Stan th...

• "So you don't know anything yourself? Where's Stan?"

Stan? He guards the southern entrance to Oren Castle . Should be on duty right about now, as luck would have it.

Mind you, he is known for spinning the odd tale. Once he told me he'd seen a giant rat scrambling through the castle kitchens, so we went down together, swords at the ready an' torches lit.

Only turned out to be a stray dog didn't it? Cute little thing n all, called it Bessie. Course, then it died. Jumped out a window, it did. Stupid mutt.

Anyway, enough of that. You go see Stan.

Old Stan protects Oren Castle's southern entrance.

Can't tell you any more than that.

Remember, I never claimed to see anything strange--go talk to Stan and leave me out of it!

You search the body in an attempt to find out who the person was, but come up empty.

Hmm, the right hand looks clenched. Maybe there's something in its grip worth noting.

• Prise the fingers open.

You force the fingers open, and find a blood-stained necklace nestled within.

Turning it over, you find a simple "J" engraving on the reverse of the necklace.

J? Jacob? Is this him?

Take the necklace.

You see the mauled body of a Dwarf. Although the lack of decay indicates recent death, the body is too damaged to easily identify who it was, no matter how closely you examine it.

You see the mauled body of a Dwarf. Although the lack of decay indicates recent death, the body is too damaged to easily identify who it was.

(Only characters who are above level 79 and in the process of the Seven Signs and Series of Unknown Deaths quests may undertake this quest.)

Einhasad's blessings to you, my child. The days are getting shorter, and the nights colder--our God's comforting embrace is more important now than it ever was before.

What brings you to me today?

• "Croop has asked me to organize a service for his cousin. Here's his letter."

Hmm... young Jacob has been killed? This is grave news indeed. Something needs to be done before the spreading fear becomes even more tangible.

Of course, I'll set about preparing the Temple as per Croop's instructions. There was also a matter of prize reward I believe Croop had me set aside for you?

• "Yes, thank you."

Here you are then. I hope it's sufficient for the tasks you undertook.

Now, as I'm sure you can appreciate I have many things to prepare. Thank you for all that you have done. Everyone in Oren appreciates your hard work.