Unfriendly Competition is a quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Background[]
The Hero is directed to Jensine of Jensine's "Good As New" Merchandise by several merchants in the Market District, including Ogier Georick of The Main Ingredient and Claudette Perrick of The Gilded Carafe.
Overview[]
These merchants comprise the Society of Concerned Merchants. They are asked to talk to her about another merchant, Thoronir. Jensine tells them that Thoronir is selling goods at low prices, causing all the customers in the city to do their deals with him, leaving no customers for the other merchants. It is believed that Thoronir is obtaining his goods illegally in order to keep his prices low, and you're asked to investigate his business practices.
Walkthrough[]
Introduction[]
Go to Jensine's shop and ask her about Thoronir and she will tell them that she is the head of the Society of Concerned Merchants. This society is meant to help out all the merchants in the city by working together to keep all business practices fair.
Jensine tells them that Thoronir refuses to join the society and won't even talk to any of the other merchants about it. Because Thoronir recognizes all the merchants in town and they wouldn't be able to spy on him without being noticed, Jensine asks the Hero to find out where Thoronir is getting his goods.
Thoronir's Supplier[]
Go to Thoronir's shop, The Copious Coinpurse, and ask him about his great selection of items. Thoronir will tell them that the way he obtains his wares is a secret which he will not reveal to anyone. Go outside the shop and wait until no later than 8 pm, Thoronir will leave his shop sometime between 8 and 8:30.
When he leaves his shop follow him to the The Merchants Inn, the Arboretum District, or sometimes the Temple of the One, depending on the day. Wherever he chooses for the evening, he will stay for about two hours. Wait on him until he leaves.
Eventually Thoronir will walk back toward his shop. Instead of going inside, he turns down a nearby street. Just behind the shop is a small lawn where he will meet with his supplier, Agarmir. Sneak to the tree closest to Thoronir and walk along it to initiate the conversation. Thoronir and Agarmir argue about the goods Agarmir has been bringing to Thoronir lately. When they are done talking they go their separate ways.
Revealing the Crimes[]
After the conversation between the two, the Hero must go to Agarmir's House. They can follow him or simply go to the Talos Plaza District. His house is South on the road just inside the Western gate.
While he is home his door is barred and one cannot enter. It is difficult to guess when Agarmir will leave his house. Weekdays he will wander in the afternoon, weekends he will leave in the morning. Either ransack his home after the meeting with Thoronir, or wait an hour at a time during the day until he leaves. The door has an average lock so either pick the lock or use the Open Average Lock spell. Alternatively one can pickpocket Agarmir's house key from him then run/fast travel to his house then wait until he leaves.
As you search his house, you'll discover that Agarmir has indeed been stealing the goods he sells to Thoronir. Once inside, go behind the stairs to the basement door and there will be another lock to pick. Enter this door and go down the stairs. Inside this room there will be piles of Bonemeal and a shovel, leading you to believe Agarmir is a graverobber.
On a table in a corner of the room you will find a book entitled Macabre Manifest, which lists all the graves that Agarmir has robbed and what he has taken. Take this book, leave Agarmir's house, and take it to Thoronir. He will agree to stop buying from Agarmir and tells you he thinks Agarmir is going to rob another grave today. He asks the Hero to bring something else to prove Agarmir has been robbing graves.
Travel to the Imperial City Palace and walk through the graveyard until you find the Trentius Family Mausoleum. When you enter the mausoleum, you'll find Agarmir and his partner, Rolgarel. Agarmir tells the Hero he knew you were following him and that he wasn't robbing a grave today. He was actually digging a grave for you and led you into a trap. Both men attack at once and you must kill them both. Alternatively, enter the tomb in stealth and shoot them without even starting a conversation.
Alternative methods[]
Method one[]
Focus on killing Agarmir first and when he dies, quickly loot the keys from his body. This will allow escape from the area. Rolgarel will follow, but you can sheath your weapon and run for the guards. The guards will assist and kill Rolgarel, after which you can loot his corpse. This method will not put a bounty on the your head, as long as the Hero first went through the dialog with Agarmir such that he attacks first. It may also be possible to just pickpocket the keys from him during battle (i.e.: one might not need to kill him to escape). If one manage to run far enough away from Rolgarel while doing this, he will stop attacking and will never restart. Instead, he'll return to his place in the mausoleum.
Method two[]
As soon as they enter the mausoleum, talk to Agarmir and initiate the combat sequence. As soon as they come at the Hero, paralyze each with a paralysis spell, and pickpocket Agarmir, taking all of his keys. Run out of the mausoleum, and find some guards. Rolgarel will follow but the guards will easily take care of him. Then, after he is dead (you can lift a level dependant sword and heavy armor off of him, minus the helmet), go back to the mausoleum. Agarmir will not attack them. Take the shovel, and complete the rest of the quest like normal, with little to no combat necessary.
Method three[]
When Agarmir leaves his house, follow him to the market area and wait in stealth mode until they are behind him and invisible. Pickpocket his Debaser sword. Equip the Debaser and return to the mission (searching his house). When they get to the mausoleum go down the stairs and when Agarmir comes towards them, back up to a corner of the door. Go through the dialog and then attack the unarmed Agarmir and kill him. Search his body, take the key and exit the mausoleum as mentioned above and let the guards despatch Rolgarel.
Conclusion[]
After defeating them, they can get the sword Debaser from Agarmir's corpse. One will also need his mausoleum key before they can leave. Before leaving, take the shovel Agarmir was using as the final piece of evidence. Also, take a look around the tombs. Hidden behind the tomb of Calliben Trentius is the enchanted mace, Calliben's Grim Retort.
When returning to Thoronir, he tells them he has joined the society and will start selling his goods at fair prices. He gives them the Weatherward Circlet ring to thank for their help. He also improves his Disposition with the Hero, meaning it is easier to haggle better prices with him. After talking to Thoronir, go back to Jensine and she will reward them with 100–600 , depending on level.
Journal[]
Journal Entry |
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A group calling themselves the Society of Concerned Merchants has hired me to investigate a new store that's just opened up in the Market District with ridiculously low prices. They suspect the owner must be doing something illegal. I should pay a visit to Thoronir at The Copious Coinpurse. |
Speaking to Thoronir hasn't revealed any information. Since he's obviously hiding something, I should keep an eye on him, and watch what he does after his shop closes. |
I've observed a meeting between Thoronir and a mysterious man named Agarmir. I should follow him and see where he goes. |
I've discovered that Agarmir has a house in Talos Plaza. I should go inside when he's not around and investigate. |
I've found my way into Agarmir's basement. The place consists of an odd assortment of clothing and trinkets. Most disturbing is the dirty shovel and mud-encrusted boots tucked into the corner and the bits of ground bonemeal strewn about. I suspect Agarmir's stock he sells to Thoronor is taken from the recently dead. I should continue to search carefully for more solid evidence into this grisly accusation. |
I've found a manifest that seems to detail names of the recently deceased, what they were buried with and their locations in Cyrodiil. I should take this macabre manifest and confront Thoronir, as he may not realize where his merchandise is coming from. |
After showing the macabre manifest to Thoronir, he agreed to stop meeting Agarmir. He also told me that Agarmir said he had "something important" to do this very day. I think I need to check out the local graveyard, as the last name on the list was here in Imperial City. I should return with one more piece of evidence of Agarmir's crime to confirm the manifest's contents. |
I've noticed that the door to the Trentius Family Mausoleum has been unsealed. This must be Agarmir's doing. I should proceed inside. |
I've located Agarmir inside the Trentius Family Mausoleum. It appears as though he's attempting to desecrate another grave along with someone else I don't recognize. I need to convince him to stop this heinous act. |
Agarmir has been slain. Since the penalty for grave robbing is death, it somehow seems as though justice has been done. I should search the gravesite for anything potentially incriminating. |
I've acquired Agarmir's shovel still damp with the fresh earth of the open grave. This is the final bit of proof I need of Agarmir's crimes. I should bring it back to Thoronir. |
Thoronir has agreed to donate all his ill-gotten merchandise to the local temple and begin selling legitimate merchandise. He also rewarded me with a small ring as a token of his esteem. I should now bring the macabre manifest and Agarmir's shovel to Jensine for my reward. |
Jensine awarded me a bounty of gold on behalf of the Society of Concerned Merchants for restoring the economy of the Market District to its rightful place.
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Trivia[]
- If one has trouble defeating both Agamir and Rolgarel: Sneak into the mausoleum and shoot arrows at Rolgarel from the doorway. He will not attack until they talk with Agarmir or attack him. After Rolgarel is defeated, they can talk to Agarmir as usual and will only have to deal with him. If one does it this way, an Imperial Guard may even come in and help them out with Agarmir, but there will also be a bounty of 40 gold on their head. However, none of the loot from this quest counts as stolen, so one will not lose it if one go to jail.
- The name "OFORD GABINGS" in the Macabre Manifest is actually an anagram of "FRODO BAGGINS". The manifest says he is carrying an enchanted short sword with inlaid writing (Sting), a gold ring with an inscription (The One Ring), a travel cloak with silver and grean leaf fastener (given to him by the Lady of Lothlórien) and a leather bound "travel journal" (Bilbo Baggins' book "There and Back Again" which Bilbo leaves in his possession in the first book) just as Frodo Baggins carries in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- Killing Agamir without starting a conversation can allow the quest to progress, and Rolgarel will still be alive and NOT attack.
- The Hero can skip a disposition check if Claudette Perrick is the one who refereed them to Jensine, who says that Claudette has an eye for reading people.
Bugs[]
This section contains bugs related to Unfriendly Competition. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- PS3 If one happens to kill Agarmir before starting this quest then starting it will only cause it to never be finished. Thoronir will be waiting in the lawn until its time to open his shop and this happens every time since his supplier is dead.
- PS3 One does not have to sneak at all while following Thoronir, not even when spying on the meeting. You can walk right up to them and stand in the bush and they will act as though the player is not there.
- Once the Hero kills the two in the tomb, ensure that one picks up the key. If not and one exits they cannot re-enter the tomb and one will have to deal with the quest in your list for the rest of the game if the shovel is not collected.
- Be sure not to take Agarmir's Shovel before initiating the conversation with Agarmir because after they kill Agarmir then one might not see the message telling them that they have found evidence making the quest impossible to finish.
- Sometimes, one can follow Thoronir to the lawn behind his shop and he and Agarmir will just stand there without talking. Simply see if the sneak meter is lit up, and if it isn't, try again. One must stand in the bush in order for the conversation to start. If the conversation still does not begin, strike Agamir and he will begin to attack before initating the cutscene. The two will then go their separate ways but the player character will be pursued by gaurds for assult.
- It is possible to pickpocket Agarmir's Debaser sword, then when they fight him in the mausoleum he will have another Debaser which one can take. One will count as stolen and the other will not.
Appearances[]
Oblivion Side Quests | |
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Imperial City | |
Anvil | |
Bravil | |
Bruma | |
Cheydinhal | |
Chorrol | |
Kvatch | |
Leyawiin | |
Skingrad |