Morrowind

Online:Hatching a Plan

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Detail
Quick Summary: not written


Walkthrough: not written


Quest Stages: not written
Return a town's egg mine to operations.
Zone: Vvardenfell
Objective: Gnisis — Save the people of Gnisis from economic ruin.
Quest Giver: Foreman Lathdar
Location(s): Gnisis
Previous Quest: A Melodic Mistake
Reward: Revus's Spare Staff of the War Maiden
Average Leveled Gold
XP Gain: High Experience
Revus and the royal egg
Another crisis looms in the Gnisis Egg Mine. Kwama workers, driven mad by the tonal magicks of the Dwarven resonator, killed their queen. Without the queen, the colony dies. If I do not act, the mining town of Gnisis will die along with it.


Quick Walkthrough[edit]

  1. Talk to Foreman Lathdar.
  2. Find Revus.
  3. Mark the heaps.
  4. Return to town.
  5. Find the bard and convince him to help.
  6. Uncover the queen's egg.
  7. Get the egg to the nursery.
  8. Make sure the queen hatches safely.
  9. Return to the foreman.

Detailed Walkthrough[edit]

Starting the Quest[edit]

Continue the dialogue with Foreman Lathdar upon completion of the previous quest:

"With a couple days rest, and a few stiff drinks we'll be up and running again!
I guess I should go check on the queen at some point. She's probably a nervous wreck. Always been a little skittish, that one."
About that … the kwama killed their queen during the mine disaster.
"What? No, that can't be. The queen's the heart of the mine! We mine eggs, for Mara's sake! Can't very well run an egg mine without eggs, can you?
I'm sorry. It's been a rough few days. It was that damned Dwarf magic, wasn't it?"
Yes. The song affected everything in there. Even the kwama.
"Revus …. I want you to find that scrawny little wizard and tell him the bill's come due. He wants to help? Well, now's the horking time.
If he doesn't fix this, we'll sic the Redoran on him. He doesn't want that. Believe me."
I'll talk to him. He might have a way to solve this missing queen problem.
"Revus lives just north of here. You'll see a tangle of old rope-bridges and rocks. Kyne only knows what that wizard does out there.
Make sure you really lay into him, eh? I'd do it myself, but I've got to take care of this lot."
Did House Redoran ever show up to help with the mines?
"Bah! Of course not. Too busy praying and hollowing out bugs, no doubt.
But make no mistake, if they find out a Telvanni mage has been poking around in their territory, they'll come down on this place like a Dawnstar gale."
How do you think Revus can help?
"That's a question for Revus. Frankly, I don't give a damn how he fixes it. He just needs to fix it.
Tell him to use some of that Telvanni magic to conjure up a queen or something. Wait—that's a terrible idea. It'll probably end up eating us."
And what happens if he's unable to help?
"Then it'll fall to the Houses to sort this mess out. Of course, they'll probably be too busy posturing and politicking to help us.
It'll be the egg-hands that suffer most. You can count on that."

Consulting with Revus[edit]

Approach Revus' camp southeast of Arkngthunch-Sturdumz (map) and you'll hear him say to himself:

Revus Demnevanni : "Another one missing? By the Three, how many eggs did they take?"

Speak to him and he'll say:

"Ah, hello again, my friend! All's well in Gnisis, yes? I heard the bustle of the town when I returned home. It would seem our work in the mine was a success! What a relief.
Care to join me for—? Wait, what are you doing all the way out here?"
The kwama's queen is dead. Foreman Lathdar is furious.
"Oh dear. That is a problem. Damnable resonator. That is the last time I randomly flip switches on an ancient Dwarven machine.
Never let it be said that Revus Demnevanni shirks his responsibilities. I'll fix this—you have my word."
How do you plan on doing that?
"Well, in addition to being a Dwemer scholar, I'm a compulsive egg-collector. What? I have diverse interests! Anyway, I happen to possess a royal kwama egg. Or at least I did.
It seems that some cliff striders stole it from my hatchery."
Where's the egg now?
"Tucked away in one of the beasts' roosts, I suspect. I'm not sure which one though.
Find as many cliff strider egg-heaps as you can, then mark them with this divining stone. I'll jot down their locations and prepare them for transport."
All right. I'll find these egg-heaps and meet you back here.
"You shouldn't have any difficulty finding the egg-heaps. Just look for giant piles of hardened mud and feces. Did I mention that feces would be involved? No? Well, there will be feces. Loads of it."
If you love eggs so much why do you leave them in an unguarded open-air hatchery?
"Ah, it only appears unguarded. I erected a series of powerful wards before I set out to discover the resonator. Unfortunately, I was down there for a very long time. These wards don't last forever you know."
Why are these cliff striders storing the egg in a "heap?"
"Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. I've never been interested in the brutes.
They steal all sorts of things. Guars, furniture, spare keys …. They pack them in mud and feces along with their own eggs. Puzzling, truly."
Do you think the baby cliff striders will try to eat the royal egg?
"I guess it's possible. Like I said, cliff striders are very odd and unpredictable.
All the more reason to find the egg quickly."

Go find egg-heaps andmarked them. Be sure not to fall down the cliffs, all heaps are to be found above. Complete the task and return to Revus:

"Excellent work finding those egg-heaps. Really, first rate.
Now comes the real challenge. The mud-slurry encasing the eggs is hard as obsidian. There's really no way to tell which heap contains the royal egg until we crack open the casing."
If you have no idea which heap contains the royal egg, how do we know which heap to take to Gnisis?
"Simple! We bring them all with us! I'm confident at least one of these heaps contains the royal egg.
Of course, there's the other matter of getting the eggs out without breaking them—but that's something we can figure out when we get to town."
This doesn't feel like much of a plan.
"Don't worry so much. I mean, you managed to disable an ancient Dwarven resonator with zero training. Extracting an egg from a pile of dung should be a walk among the daisies for you, right?
This is going to work, just you wait and see."
"Now to get some townspeople to go retrieve those eggs with some carts.
I hope you cleared a decent enough path for them to get through unharmed. Getting more Gnisis people injured would look very bad on my part."

Back to Town[edit]

Return from speaking with Revus, and you'll overhear Manore Mobaner and Lathdar in mid-argument:

Foreman Lathdar : "Until your House shows up, we have no other options. I'm willing to give anything a try at this point."
Manore Mobaner : "You'd welcome that Telvanni schemer into town after all he's done? You truly are a fool, Lathdar. To Oblivion with the lot of you!"

Mobaner will disappear into the tavern. Speak to Lathdar, and he'll ask:

"Please tell me you have good news. I don't think I've got the stamina for another disaster.
What did Revus say? Can he help us or not?"
Revus believes he might have a royal kwama egg you can use.
"A royal egg? The Telvanni had a kwama queen just lying around? I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
This might actually work. It would take an army to shove a full-grown queen through that mine, but an egg? We've got a real chance here!"
The egg's encased in one of three cliff strider egg-heaps. We're not sure which one.
"Of course. Always a catch.
Whatever you need to do to break that egg out, you do it. But I'm gonna make damn sure he knows we're watching."
I'll be sure to tell him.

As you wrap up your conversation with Lathdar, Revus will appear and announce himself:

Revus Demnevanni : "I'm sorry for the delay. Getting the eggs down here was trickier than I'd thought. Greetings, Foreman."
Foreman Lathdar : "Enough with the apologies, Revus. Our mutual friend told me everything. Where are these egg-heaps?"
Revus Demnevanni : "Oh. Yes, I've put them down by the dock. Should make the clean up a bit less onerous. Feel free to go down there and inspect them. I just need a moment before we begin."
Foreman Lathdar : "This better work. We've got a lot riding on this. So do you."

Foreman Lathdar will then head towards the docks. Speak to Revus and he'll say:

"Lathdar's gone, right? Good.
I have news … of the unpleasant variety. Based on the looks of the egg-heaps, I'd say our royal egg is near to hatching. If the queen emerges before we've put her in the mine, the workers will reject her."
So how do we keep the queen from hatching?
"Our misadventures in the mine gave me an idea.
Kwama seem particularly susceptible to tonal magic, and tonal magic is simply the creative manipulation of sound. I propose we sing our young queen a lullaby!"
You're not suggesting turning the Dwarven resonator back on, are you?
"What? No. Simple music and a dash of magic should do.
We just need a bard. Preferably one that puts people to sleep. I can amplify the tones through magic to make a soothing, enchanted melody. It's brilliant!"
You're serious?
"Yes! And what's more, I know a bard who can do it.
Vigard the Sparrow. He's a talentless hack, but he's proven very adept at putting audiences to sleep. Word around town is that he's headed south. Track him down and tell him I sent you. That should be enough."
"Do be careful with Vigard. He lacks self-confidence. If he suspects we're using him to put a creature to sleep, he'll probably run off sobbing."

Wanting for Music[edit]

As you approach his location, you'll see a group of Kagouti and hear a slightly tone-deaf song coming from ahead:

Vigard the Sparrow : "Somebody help me—do hurry! Make haste! It's me that these filthy creatures want to taste!"

Dispatch the beasts and Vigard will run around and behind the boulder he had used as a refuge. Speak to him and he'll… "sing":

"The hero approaches! A warrior without peer! Alas, all my gold was squandered on beer!
The hero is selfless! The hero is kind! The hero won't kill me and rob me blind. I hope."
Are you going to keep singing?
"I'm sorry. I always sing when I'm nervous.
But I don't have any reason to worry now, right? No reason to quake and shiver with fright?"
You're going to be fine. Revus needs you to perform back in Gnisis.
"Gnisis? Those dirty miners don't understand my craft. Practically tossed me out on my ear the last time I visited. Revus has always been kind to me, though.
Very well, I'll meet you there. An impromptu performance for a Telvanni mage. Very exciting!"
"I'll head to Gnisis just as soon as I've gathered my wits."

Return to Gnisis, you'll find Mobaner hailing you:

Manore Mobaner : "There you are! Are you a party to this ridiculous plan?"

Speak to him:

"We're paying some bard to sing to dung-piles now? To soothe the royal egg with the power of music? Are you all deranged? This sounds like something out of a children's story!
How is Lathdar falling for this? It's clearly part of Revus's evil plan."
Do you have any better ideas?
"Yes! We report this latest disaster to House Redoran and they force House Telvanni to pay for our losses. While they're at it, they can provide us with another kwama queen.
A simple solution for a simple problem!"
Have you heard from House Redoran about the mine problem yet?
"That's— that's beside the point! The House is very busy. Dealing with some pressing threat to all of Vvardenfell, no doubt. They'll be here any moment, I can feel it."
Right. Is there a reason you called for me?
"The foreman wants to see you. He's down with everyone else at the docks preparing for this latest farce.
While you all are playing your games, I'll be giving my report to House Redoran. They should be along any minute now."
"Good luck with your dung-pile sing-along. If you develop some common sense, I'll be here."

After this brief interlude, meet Lathdar, Revus, and Vigard the Sparrow at the docks and you'll hear Lathdar threaten:

Foreman Lathdar : "I hope you know what you're doing, Revus."

Speak to Revus and he'll say:

"There's my favorite hero! Everything is prepared. If you're ready, we can get started."
I'm ready.

Revus will move to Vigard:

Revus Demnevanni : "Remember what I told you, Vigard. The sound of your voice should help soothe the queen. Just sing from the heart."
Vigard the Sparrow : "I will, Revus. Settle in everyone. I've written a song for just this occasion. I think you'll enjoy it."
Vigard the Sparrow : "Oh kwama, sweet kwama, Don't you want to be a momma …?"

The heaps quake and set off a cloud of offal.

Foreman Lathdar : "Something's happening! I think it's—oh no! What is that?"
The royal egg

The heaps explode open to reveal two kwama eggs and a Baby Cliff-Strider.

Vigard the Sparrow : "Aww, look at that. It's just a baby."
Revus Demnevanni : "Oh no. Something's wrong! Everyone, run!"

Just then, a matron Cliff Strider appears and slays Vigard. Revus and Lathdar run away leaving you to take care of the motherly menace.

Meet Revus up the hill towards town and you'll find Foreman Lathdar and Manore Mobaner threatening the Dunmer:

Foreman Lathdar : "That was your last chance, Revus. To Sovngarde with you and your schemes!"
Manore Mobaner : "Finally, your treachery is revealed. Don't try to run, Telvanni scum. Your House will know of your part in this."

Foreman and Manore leave the dock. Speak to Revus, you need to encourage him to continue his plan:

"Manore is right. The resonator activating, the queen getting killed, that poor bard losing his life … it's all my fault. I deserve everything that's coming to me."
So that's it? You're giving up?
"More like quarantining myself. I'm a natural disaster masquerading as a person. If I just sit here quietly no one else will get hurt.
Besides, we're out of options. Other than breaking into the mine and planting the egg in the nursery, of course."
You're the one who created this mess. You need to fix it.
"You know, fetch it. You're right. I'm the one who got the miners into this mess, and I'm going to damn well be the one who gets them out!
It will be dangerous though. Planting things in kwama mines always carries risk."
What do we need to do?
"I knew I could count on you. Head to the mines and look for the nursery. I'll retrieve the royal egg and meet you there.
Once we plant the egg, the workers will almost certainly attack. You'll have to fend them off until the queen emerges."
All right, I'll meet you in the egg mine.

Tough it out[edit]

Enter Gnisis Egg Mine, this time Kwama Workers won't attack you automatically, for now. Reach the nursery and you'll hear him behind you:

Revus Demnevanni : "Thank goodness you're here. We have to hurry!"
Revus carrying the royal egg

He'll then walk very slowly towards you, carrying the royal egg. If you speak to him, he'll urge:

"Our little queen-to-be is stirring! No time for pleasantries!"
The egg is hatching?
"Yes. And soon! We need to get her majesty inside the nursery before that happens. If the queen doesn't take on the scent of the colony, the workers will reject her. So, yes. Urgency!"
By "reject" do you mean "kill?"
"Yes. Exactly that. Kwama workers produce a pheromone unique to their colony. Unfortunately, these colonies often compete over resources, making them natural enemies. Hence the infanticide.
Now if you don't mind, this egg is getting very heavy."
All right, lets do this.
Revus Demnevanni : "After you."

Speak to him before entering the nursery and he'll tell you:

"I'll meet you in the nursery. I just have to retrieve the egg first.
We'll need to hurry though. I don't know when the Houses will be arriving. Time is working against us."

Enter the nursery and indicate to Revus where to put the egg.

Revus Demnevanni : "Once this is down, the other kwama are going to try and stop it from hatching. Make sure it does. Once they see it's a queen, they'll leave it alone."
Revus Demnevanni : "I'll head outside to ensure no one comes in before you're done. Good luck."

You'll defend the egg until it's hatched, then go back outside where you'll hear:

Foreman Lathdar : "Damn it, Manore! Are these Redoran oathmen ever going to arrive? Where are they?"
Manore Mobaner : "They'll be here soon! The chance to punish this treacherous Telvanni is too good to pass up. House Redoran is going to to make your House pay dearly, Revus."
Revus Demnevanni : "I'd temper your expectations. I am Telvanni, true, but my relationship with the council is distant at best. I doubt it will mean as much as you think."

If you speak to Manore before speaking to Lathdar, he'll apologize:

"I'm sorry to have doubted you.
We've still yet to hear from House Redoran. If you hadn't gone in there, these people might not still live. My thanks to you."

Speak to Lathdar to complete the quest:

"I was wondering where you'd gotten off to. Thought you might have moved on. I certainly wouldn't blame you. Between Manore and this owl-brained Telvanni, I'm about ready to head back to Skyrim myself.
How're things in the mine?"
There's a new kwama queen in the nursery. It just hatched and appears healthy.
"What? You're—you're not joking, are you? I mean, I'm grateful if that's the truth, but how?"
Revus's egg. We planted it in the nursery just before it hatched.
"So Revus wasn't trying to destroy us after all. He's still got a lot of explaining to do, but for what it's worth, I'm happy I was wrong about him.
Gods, what a day. I've had enough excitement for ten lifetimes. I'm just anxious to get back to work."
I'm sure.
"Here, take this. Without you, we'd still be dragging half-mad miners out of there.
It'll take some time to get the mine up and running, but with a new queen, I bet we'll be even more prosperous than before. Thanks, friend, and safe travels."

After speaking to Lathdar, you'll hear the following:

Foreman Lathdar : "Revus, our friend here told me what you did. I'm still madder than a shaved cave bear, but you're free to go."
Manore Mobaner : "What?"
Revus Demnevanni : "Excuse me?"
Foreman Lathdar : "You got us a queen. Don't get me wrong, I don't want you mending my clothes or making my food—I'd probably wind up naked and poisoned. But you did what you said you'd do. That's good enough for me."
Manore Mobaner : "Have you lost your mind? This miscreant can't be allowed to leave! House Redoran will hear of this! I'll report you too! I'll report this whole fetching town!"

<Mobaner walks off towards town and disappears.>

Foreman Lathdar : "Ugh. I'd be worried if I thought Manore's word counted for anything. Stay out of trouble, Revus. I mean it."
Revus Demnevanni : "Well, I certainly didn't expect that …."

<Lathdar walks off towards town and disappears.>

You can speak to Revus once more:

"I thought the foreman was going to strangle me with his belt, but now we part company as friends? Remarkable.
I owe it all to you. Without your help, my head would be decorating some Redoran's parlor. I'm at a loss."
What will you do now?
"Help with the mine, of course—provided Lathdar lets me. I have to learn to fix my mistakes. Or better yet, to not make them in the first place!
I suspect the miners are still suffering from the resonator's effects. I'm sure I could brew a remedy."
Not worried about Manore?
"I'm getting the impression that Manore's threats don't count for much without the foreman's support. I doubt I have much to worry about.
Thank you again. If you ever need another rare egg or need something broken, feel free to call on me, all right?"


Notes[edit]

After completing the quests, Lathdar can be found in The Resting Kwama, sitting at the bar with his drink. You can ask him about what was going on with the mine, Revus and Manore.


Quest Stages[edit]

Hatching a Plan
Finishes Quest Journal Entry
Foreman Lathdar demanded that Revus make good on his pledge to aid the miners. I must find the Telvanni mage and secure his help.
Objective: Find Revus
I located Revus. I should speak to him about Foreman Lathdar's demands.
Objective: Talk to Revus
Revus insists that he had a kwama queen egg in his nursery, but cliff striders snatched it while he was studying the Dwarven resonator. I must locate his stolen eggs and mark them with a divining stone so Revus can recover them.
Objective: Mark the Egg-Heaps with Revus's Divining Stone
I marked the egg-heaps with Revus' divining stone. I should return to Revus' nursery to let him know.
Objective: Meet Revus at the Hatchery
Objective: Talk to Revus
Revus urged me to return to town while he arranges transportation for the eggs. I should tell Foreman Lathdar what's going on.
Objective: Return to the Foreman
Revus delivered the eggs, but something is amiss. I should speak to him about it.
Objective: Talk to Revus
Revus fears that the kwama queen might hatch prematurely. Soothing music should keep the queen sedate. Revus recommended a singer named Vigard. I should search for this bard to the south of town.
Objective: Recruit Vigard the Sparrow
Objective Hint: Save the Bard
Objective Hint: Talk to Vigard
The singer, Vigard, agreed to help. I should return to Gnisis.
Objective: Return to Gnisis
The Redoran deputy-prefect, Manore, asked to speak with me. He looks upset.
Objective: Talk to Manore
Revus is prepared to break the royal egg free from its casing. I should meet him by the dock to make sure everything goes as planned.
Objective: Help Uncover the Royal Egg
Revus broke the royal egg free from it's egg-heap. Unfortunately, one of the eggs contained a raging cliff strider. I killed the beast, but not before it slew the singer, Vigard. I should find Revus to discuss our next move.
Objective: Talk to Revus
Our last best chance at saving the egg mine is to plant the royal egg directly into the mine's nursery chamber. I should meet Revus at the door to the nursery, inside the mine.
Objective: Meet Revus at the Nursery
The royal egg is preparing to hatch. I must plant it in the nursery chamber before that happens. Kwama workers will almost certainly attack. I should be prepared to fight.
Objective: Hatch the Royal Egg in the Nursery
Objective Hint: Defend the Royal Egg
I defended the royal egg long enough for the new kwama queen to emerge. Both the colony and the Gnisis mining operation are saved. I should inform Foreman Lathdar of our success.
Objective: Talk to Foreman Lathdar
Finishes quest☑ With a new queen, the Gnisis egg mine will start producing again soon. I should have a final word with Foreman Lathdar.
Objective: Talk to the Foreman
Notes
* Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the game and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.
  • Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
  • Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.
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