Overview
Faction: N/A
Prerequisites: None (Although it's tempting, do not laugh in Aelwin's face or he will not give you the quest.)
Quest Giver: Aelwin Merowald in Weye
Reward: Jewel of the Rumare
Background
An old farmer and fisherman by the name of Aelwin Merowald is looking to retire and needs 12 Rumare Slaughterfish Scales to sell to a young mage so he'll have enough money to retire. Acquire the scales for him from the Rumare Slaughterfish in Lake Rumare, just north of that settlement.
Notes:
- If you are just beginning to play Oblivion or are at a low level it is a good idea to save after the killing of each fish so that you won't have to start over from the beginning.
- It is a good idea to do this quest early in the game because your reward lets you breathe underwater, which comes in handy later on. (If you are an Argonian then you do not need to do this quest unless you wish to sell the Jewel of Rumare.)
Walkthrough
After talking to Aelwin merowald dsmply head north into the lake and begin looking for the slaughterfish. In actuality, the fish can be found in the waters around Weye, not just to the north. The green quest marker on the compass and map points to the general location of the "next" fish, so finding them is usually easy. However, don't always count on it as the fish can sometimes be elsewhere.
If you're having trouble, the time of the day may affect your fishing chances. Try earlier in the day, rather than late at night. A Detect Life spell can greatly help, especially in the murky waters of the lake. Cast it, swim around, and you can see quite clearly where the fishies are (if there are any). Be sure to quicksave before you plunge in, sometimes you're caught unaware and if your level is low enough you'll get killed.
Note: Ranged magic cannot be used underwater, but touch magic can be used. Also, shock damage is, fittingly, useful against the slaughterfish.
Alternatively, mages can effectively use "Sea Stride" to walk on water for 30 second bursts. This, casted continuously and alternately with "Major Detect Life", makes short work of the task and does not requires much magicka. The fish swim near the surface and can be attacked with a melee weapon whilst water-walking at no risk (don't go under water, they're vicious!)
The Rumare Slaughterfish are level-scaled: Rumare Slaughterfish Spawn, Rumare Slaughterfish, and Brood Mother. The Brood Mother in this quest has a grand-level soul, so bring a Grand Soul Gem or Azura's Star with you. To make things much easier for soul trapping her, use a weapon enchanted with a Soul Trap spell for the final blow. If you are of a sufficiently high level, all Slaughterfish in the lake will be Brood Mothers.
Once you've collected all 12 scales, return to Aelwin for your reward: the Jewel of the Rumare.
Expound Strategy
As mentioned above, a Sea Stride and Detect Life spell, if used in conjunction, can greatly aid you in this quest. If you have the Ring of Happiness from the Shivering Isles quest Final Resting, and have completed all the Thieves Guild quests, then simply wear the ring and the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal (there aren't any guards around) and all you have to do is seek out the fish and stab them from the surface. This strategy does not work all the time, since, as a rule, the fish duck down underwater once their health is slightly past 50%. However, all you have to do when this happens is take off the ring, go underwater, find the fish, get it to follow you up to the surface (they can jump out of the water and attack you), and put the ring back on.
Additional notes
One of the fish is actually on dry land, flopping around helplessly. It can be found around the rocks or up to halfway towards Fort Nikel to the west. The map marker is incorrect when looking for it "at sea". This may or may not be a bug.
Many people experience bugs which make this quest impossible to complete such as fish spawning in rocks or under the ground. In these cases a cheat can be used to obtain the remaining scales. Enter at the console (accessible by pressing the tilde ~ key):
player.placeatme 000185FE2 <count still needed> 128 0
replacing <count still needed> with the number of scales still required to complete the quest.
Sometimes a simple range spell could kill a stuck slaughterfish if it is in the right range.
After completing the quest
Aelwin mentions that the fish scales will be sold to an alchemist and the money made will contribute to his savings for his retirement. If you are the thieving type, you can ask him "Where are your savings?". If you increase his disposition to at least 70, he'll mention that his savings are locked in a box in his house and he has the key. After Aelwin tells you this, you can pickpocket the key from him to open the chest located to the left of the fireplace in his house. However there is only 22 gold (crime really doesn't pay, at least in this case). Additional Note: You can also pickpocket the Fish Scales from him after giving them away. Problem is, once you do this, they are still considered 'quest' items and can never be used. This may be a bug, for once the quest is completed, you should be able to use them like any other ingredient. To remove the scales from your inventory, open the console and type
player.removeitem 000185FE2 <amount of scales in your inventory>
For example, if you pickpocket Aelwin and get 12 scales, you must write player.removeitem 000185FE2 12 .
Journal Entries
Upon receiving the quest:
- Aelwin Merowald at the Weye Settlement southwest of the Imperial City is looking to acquire 12 Rumare Slaughterfish Scales to sell to a customer. He's asked me to do the legwork, as he's getting quite old and can't handle the difficult task. The Rumare slaughterfish is a special breed of slaughterfish that can only be found in Lake Rumare, directly north of Weye.
After you've managed to catch the required amount of fish:
- I've acquired 12 Rumare Slaughterfish Scales. I should bring them to Aelwin Merowald at the Weye Settlement as soon as I can.
After you've spoken to Aelwin again:
- I've given the 12 Rumare Slaughterfish Scales to Aelwin Merowald and he's rewarded me with a magical ring.