House Hlaalu

House Hlaalu is most well disposed toward the Empire. They are businessmen (thieves, according to some) who like trade (legal or not) and are not above engaging in a bit of skullduggery now an then. About half of the members of House Hlaalu are not Dark Elves, including two of their council members. You may read about House Hlaalu in "Grasping Fortune". There are 32 copies just laying around, most Booksellers will have a copy or two in their inventories and I snagged one just so you wouldn't have to do the legwork.

Members of factions receive different types of welcomes from members of other factions, depending on how they get along. The formula is (Faction Reaction * 5)*(0.5 +(Faction Rank *0.5)). In plain terms, this means that as you attain higher ranks in your faction, people with negative modifiers will like you less and people with positive modifiers will like you more. This does not mean that everyone will start attacking you on sight, nor does it mean that they are going to fall all over themselves to be helpful. It does, however, modify their initial disposition toward you. This initial disposition will be further modified by your Personality, your overall reputation, your Criminal Status, whether or not you are Diseased, what kinds of favors you have done for the faction you're dealing with, etc. The other person may wind up liking you a lot or not liking you at all, but your faction and rank can impose a serious modifier.

Advancement within House Hlaalu will depend upon your skill level in three of the following skills:

• Light Armor
• Marksman
• Mercantile
• Security
• Short Blade
• Speechcraft

House Hlaalu's rank structure:

Of course, these promotions don't come just based on your skills. You must perform quests to gain reputation and rank within the House. Each successfully completed quest typically adds 5 points to your Faction Rep. Just ask about "business" to anyone who has it in their conversation threads. The House Hlaalu quest givers are, in no particular order:

• Nileno Dorvayn, Hlaalu Council Manor, Balmora
• Edryno Arethi, Hlaalu Wasitworks, Vivec
• Odral Helvi, Governor's Hall, Caldera
• Crassius Curio, Hlaalu Plaza, Vivec
• Ilmeni Dren, St. Delyn Canal South-One, Vivec (must be rank 4)
• Duke Vedam Dren, Grand Council Hall, Ebonheart (must be rank 8)

Typically, each rank requires two or three successfully completed quests in addition to the minimum stat and skills requirements. The exception to this is that to advance beyond rank 7, you must build a stronghold. To advance beyond rank 8 you must improve your stronghold. You can start construction after reaching rank 5.

As with all Stronghold quests, it goes through several phases, but it starts with talking to the person who can arrange for the construction. In this case, you must talk to Dondos Driler, at the Hlaalu Council Manor in Balmora.

Phase One

Driler cannot start construction without a construction contract and some land to build on. So your first quest is going to be to obtain these two documents.

The construction contract is very straightforward. Go talk to Duke Vedam Dren in the Grand Council Chamber in Ebonheart. Ask for the contract, promise that you'll help his people and it's a done deal. Finding the Duke is the hardest part of this little chore.

You get the land deed from Baren Alen in the Hlaalu Treasury, Waistworks, Hlaalu Canton, Vivec. You'll have to barter for it (base value: 5000), so come prepared with a good Mercantile skill and a high Personality (a few Telvanni Bug Musks wouldn't hurt), get his disposition up to 100, and have enough gold to cover the transaction.

Once you have those two items, report back to Driler and he will give the orders to start construction. Now go away and keep yourself occupied for a few days. In a few days you'll get a message at the bottom of your screen that says "Your Journal Has Been Updated" for no apparent reason. Time to go check in with the contractor.

Driler wants you to get a progress report on the construction from the foreman at the site, Durbul gro-Rush. So hightail it over and talk to him. Go out the gate by the silt strider platform and follow the path next to the river past where the two miners are hanging out around the campfire. The path will branch off to the right, so just head on up the hill to find the foreman. It's still called "Odai Plateau" at this point, but that's going to change pretty quick. The foreman says that construction will be completed in about a week. So go back and tell Driler.

In a week you'll get another message saying that your journal has been updated. Head back and check the place out. It's called Rethan Manor and it actually has people in it:

• Hlodala Savel: your resident Savant. She buys books (400 gold to do it with) and will train in Mercantile, Speechcraft (59% in each) and Short Blade (54%). She's got a few little tidbits of information, but nothing you couldn't get elsewhere.
• Lliryn Fendyn: your resident Thief. He buys and sells picks and probes (100 gold available) and always has five each of the Journeyman stuff and 10 each of the Apprentice stuff. He will train Short Blade (63%), Light Armor (58%) and Security (53%).
• Raynasa Rethan: no apparent function, no dialogue that you can't get elsewhere and no services. Perhaps she's supposed to be your housekeeper, but do you really want a Nightblade for a housekeeper?

There is lots and lots of stuff in your new house, but don't go getting greedy. It all belongs to the House Hlaalu faction. That doesn't mean you can't dump your stuff when you need to, though.

Phase Two

Your next step is to make your manor profitable (business is Hlaalu's business, after all). Check in with Driler and he'll tell you that you need to restore the nearby Shurdan-Raplay eggmine. This, too, is a two-step process.

The eggmine needs restoring because the Kwama Queen has been Blighted. You'll need to cure it, but not just any Cure Blight will do. You need to cure someone else's Blight Disease and that takes a spell called Rilm's Gift. You can learn it yourself from a couple of the Temples or you can purchase it on a scroll from Hetman Abelmawia (Gnisis) or from Pierlette Rostorad (Sadrith Mora), who always have them in stock. Now go in and cast the spell on the Queen.

The second thing that you must do is to recruit some eggminers. One of your choices is Hasour Tansumiran (Gnisis), so you can pick up both the scroll and the miner with one trip. The other choice is Llaas Ores, who you can buy from the slave trader, Savile Imayne, in Tel Aruhn for 200 gold (be nice to her for now -- you'll need to come back to her as part of the Main Quest).

Once you've taken care of the Queen and found a miner, report back to Driler. You're basically done for now. Kick back, relax, enjoy yourself. You're a landowner and part of the nobility now.

Phase Three

Once you have reached Rank 7, you can talk to Driler again and he'll tell you that you need to provide some protection for the people in the area. This, too, has two parts to it. You have to find a guard for your stronghold and you must clear out a bandit cave (Zainsipilu).

Driler suggests checking out the nearby Legion Fort or the local Fighters Guild to take care of the guard problem. There's no one available at the Legion, so go talk to Flaenia Amiulusus at the Balmora Fighters Guild. Flaenia has a fellow who might suit your needs: Fjorgeir. Hiring him will cost 1000 gold and he'll meet you at your stronghold.

You have a couple of choices on dealing with the bandit problem. Fjoigeir can go fight them with you, or he can stay behind and mind the fort. Personally, I leave him minding the store because companion NPCs always get in the way of my area effect spells and, because their combat AI isn't terribly good, they usually wind up getting themselves killed.

Zainsipilu is just over the hills at the southern end of the Foyada Mamaea. As bandit caves go, it's a little harder than most of the others because there are eight bad guys running around and a few of them are actually fairly close to each other. On the bright side, they are all between 5th and 9th level and can be taken down individually if you're careful. It also has five slaves for you to free if that's your thing.

• Agrob gra-Bogharz, 9th level Orc Barbarian: 111 HP, Steel Battle Axe (52% skill), Chitin Cuirass, Netch Leather Boots
• Maros Gimayn, 7th level Dark Elf Rogue: 49 Health, Steel Dagger (46% skill), no armor
• Darvala Romothran, 5th level Dark Elf Archer: 66 HP, Long Bow with 50 Chitin Arrows (39% skill), Chitin Cuirass and Boots
• Aranwen, 8th level Wood Elf Barbarian: 86 HP, Iron Battle Axe (46% skill), Netch Leather Greaves, Boots and Gauntlets
• Nistacey, 8th level Redguard Warrior: 120 HP, Steel Broadsword (60% skill), Netch Leather Cuirass, Greaves and Boots
• Lurius Lalelius, 7th level Imperial Warrior: 101 HP, Steel Broadsword (54% skill), Iron Cuirass, Greaves and Boots
• Fervas Reloro, 6th level Dark Elf Thief: 66 HP, Leveled Short-Blade (52% skill), Netch Leather Cuirass, leveled lockpick and probe
• Snadir, 7th level Nord Barbarian: 98 HP, Nordic Battle Axe (54% skill), Netch Leather Greaves and Boots, key to slaves' bracers

Elsewhere in the cave: a book to raise your Security skill, a Thief Ring (on top of a rock underwater), 19 crates (1 leveled Restore potion and 10 leveled bandit goodies, each), 16 barrels (7 leveled bandit goodies), 5 Worn Chests (5 different leveled goodies), 9 golds, and a bottle of hooch.

After disposing of all eight bandits, report back to Driler. A few days later you'll get another journal update telling you that your stronghold is complete.