Tamriel Rebuilt:The Sword of Taldeus

Discover the resting place of a saint's holy blade. Quest Giver: Tarom Location(s): Firewatch, Grand Chapel of Akatosh Prerequisite Quest: The Ring of Respite Next Quest: The Star Wound Reward: Silver Staff of Homecoming OR nothing Disposition: +20 (Tarom) Reputation Gain: +1 (general), +10 (Imperial Cult) ID: TR_m1_FW_IC5_Sword

Hanmar and his band spin tall tales at the Red Drake inn.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Tarom in Firewatch's Grand Chapel of Akatosh.
2. Talk to Hanmar Brave-Pot in Helnim's Red Drake inn, and either:
   • Meet his demands.
   • Obtain a note from his body.
3. Go to Orothri Ancestral Tomb.
4. Find the switch on the south side of the tomb.
5. Retrieve the Sword of Taldeus.
6. (optional) Give up the sword to someone other than Tarom (results in no reward).
7. Return to Tarom.

Detailed Walkthrough

Tarom has located another lost relic, the Sword of Taldeus. Reportedly a treasure hunter staying at Helnim's Red Drake inn was overheard boasting about how he found the sword, but was unable to retrieve it. Tarom will ask you to contact this treasure hunter.

Gathering Intel

Travel to Helnim, by foot, boat, or guild guide, and speak to Hanmar Brave-Pot at the Red Drake inn about the lost relic. He'll demand a mug of mazte to loosen his tongue - you can buy this from the bartender. Talk to Hanmar about the lost relic again to offer the mazte, and he will spin the first part of his tale.

"The Sword of Taldeus... everyone in Morrowind's heard a story about Taldeus, at least here in the east. But the mysterious part is, nobody knew where he was buried. And everyone wanted to know, because he was buried with a sword bearing a powerful enchantment. But %Name isn't put off by problems like "nobody knows" or "it's been missing for decades". What Hanmar wants, Hanmar -- ouch! Ooh, my leg's not in good shape after our last venture. Bring me a healing potion and I'll tell you the rest of my tale."

Healing spells won't do here - Hanmar threatens to break your arms if you try. Instead, obtain a healing potion. Hanmar will turn his nose up at a standard of healing potion anywhere below Quality or Exclusive. Supply him with one of these (from, e.g. Cyertil's local apothecary store), and he'll continue:

"You probably want to know how I hurt my leg first, right? We met some resistance on our way into the place where the Sword rests. Sanas and Barirrid called the retreat, we started back towards the entrance... and I tripped and fell on the damn stairs! Ha ha ha ha ha! Would you believe it? Tell you what, it made the walk south back to Helnim a chore. Now, I'm sure you're curious where this resting place is. And I'll tell you. If you bring me a silver claymore. Parjho the smith, here in town, has a nice one."

From this, you learn that the location of the sword is a place with stairs, north of Helnim, but it's unlikely to be enough for you to find it on your own. For more information, you'll need to purchase the silver claymore from Parjho, as suggested. Once you have it, ask Hanmar about the lost relic one final time to receive the information you need.

"It's a fine weapon, just as I thought. And you'll be glad I have it. Why? Because I'm coming with you! I know why you're poking around, asking questions. You're obviously more capable than the crew I usually go with. So I'll meet you there, at Orothri Ancestral Tomb. That's where you'll find the Sword of Taldeus."

Retrieving the Sword

Asking Hanmar about the Orothri Ancestral Tomb will get you the following directions:

"You'll find the place a ways north of Helnim. Pass through the gates and follow the road to Tel Gilan. Make your way south through Tel Gilan, go out the south gate, and then follow the road around until your reach the signposted intersection. Follow the Firewatch road north, and keep following it until you reach the next signpost. Take the left fork and follow the road until you reach the tomb's entrance. It will be on your left, just before the ancient stronghold of Mandaran."

A couple of Hanmar's companions from his first trip there also have some unique dialogue if you ask them about the tomb - warning you about ghosts, and a secret switch. Prepare as necessary (you should make sure to obtain a means of bypassing a level 60 locked door). Then follow Hanmar's directions to reach the tomb's entrance. Hanmar Brave-Pot will be waiting for you outside, and will assist you as you battle through the tomb's incensed residents.

There is a long chamber on the west side of the tomb, where you will find a skeleton, a lockpick, and a suspicious wall. The switch to open this wall lies in the part of the tomb complex behind a level 60 locked door. There, in a room overlooking the main chamber (through barred windows), you will see two sarcophagi. One of these has a triangular switch on the side, which you will need to press. This will open the suspicious wall - return to it, and proceed through further enemies to the final chamber, where the Sword of Taldeus waits, near the body of the saint himself.

Once you have retrieved the sword, you'll need to (unless immediately using an intervention/recall spell) proceed past Hanmar Brave-Pot, who will now execute his inevitable betrayal. He'll demand the sword. You can give it to him, and return to Tarom empty-handed. This will complete the quest, permitting you to start the next, but will earn you no reward. Alternatively, you can try to intimidate him out of any aggression. Finally, you can fight him to the death.

In either case, returning to Tarom with the Sword of Taldeus will earn you a grand reward.

Quest Stages

The following Journal ID and Index codes can be used with the Journal console command to manually update the quest to a certain point.

The Sword of Taldeus (TR_m1_FW_IC5_Sword)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		Theurgist Tarom has charged me with recovering another lost relic: the Sword of Saint Taldeus. He believes that a relic-hunter in Helnim's Red Drake Inn may know of the sword's location.
20		Hanmar Brave-Pot refuses to tell me anything about the Sword of Taldeus unless I buy him a mug of matze.
30		Now Hanmar Brave-Pot wants me to give him a healing potion in exchange for information about the Sword of Taldeus.
40		Hanmar Brave-Pot promises that he'll give me the location of the Sword of Taldeus if I bring him a new silver claymore.
50		Hanmar Brave-Pot has decided he will accompany me to Orothri Ancestral Tomb, where he claims the Sword of Taldeus rests.
90		I gave the Sword of Taldeus to Hanmar Brave-Pot.
100	Finishes quest	I have returned the Sword of Taldeus to the Grand Chapel of Akatosh in Firewatch.
200	Finishes quest	Tarom was sorry to hear that Hanmar had stolen the Sword of Taldeus from me.

Prev: The Ring of Respite

Up: Imperial Cult Quests

Next: The Star Wound