Imperial Cult Questline

Some notes on the Imperial Cult questline in v32...

* When asked about cult ranks, chaplains will list them in order from lowest to highest, then state "That's the rank you're at, outlander".  This only makes sense if you ARE top ranked, but they say this in exactly the same way whether you are or not.

* None of Synnolian Tunifus's quests have waypoint markers (granted, many of his objectives aren't really compatible with them, but many of them are). Other quests from other questgivers in this series may or may not have them; seems to be somewhat random.

* Gathering Marshmerrow - You're supposed to deliver a potion in addition to collecting some ingredients, but the recipient won't take it (no conversation topic).

* Gathering Muck - Nearly identical to the above quest. This time you can deliver the potions, the orc will offer you your choice of reward... but you're left with no option to choose which one you'll recieve, so he never ends up giving you anything.

* Gathering Netch Leather - Obvious enough, you have to find a bit of leather, but... I could swear I saw some of the stuff somewhere in Morroblivion before, but I can't find any now. Maybe I'm getting confused with the original game? In any case, bull/betty Netches certainly don't drop the stuff: They give racer plumes instead.

* Brandy for the Fundraising Dinner - You're sent to Balmora to beg for brandy from various barkeeps. Instead of getting waypoints for all of them, you only get Banor Seran in the Council Club; I was rather surprised to walk in and find the entire bar hostile to me!

This probably has something to do with my being in just about every guild except theirs (you can't join and they don't like very nearly any other group), but I still find it odd that they'd assault me in town with no provocation. Should their "fight" stat be lower?

* Pledge from Canctunian Ponius - You're sent to collect 1,000 drakes from Canctunian, but he states it's been stolen by the High Elf Mossanon, who's run off... somewhere. The waypoint marker points right at him from halfway across the world map.

If you go talk to the theif, there's no options to ask about the missing gold.

The "proper" way to do the quest is to track the elf down, but your first lead, an Orc called Shazgob gra-Luzgan, has no conversation topics about the issue either. Hence the only option is to provide the funds out of your own pocket.

* Missing Limeware - Another High Elf has stolen a plate. You're supposed to bug others of his race as to his whereabouts, but even the ones specifically suggested on UESP (the two in Hawkmoth Garrison) have no related conversation topics available, so there's no in-game method to locate him other then manually searching all settlements...

After checking UESP to see where he was, I went to his house in Gnaar Mok and asked him about the plate (he stands outside). He disavowed all knowledge, which immediately triggered a waypoint marker pointing straight at the relevant container inside his house... It kept pointing there even after I retrieved the plate.

* Ring in Darkness - You eventually end up in a cave filled with smugglers, who presumably should be hostile but seemed to treat me as their best friend (even as I vacuumed up all the loot in their crates and chests).

A prisoner/god by name of Jon Hawker asks for a scroll of devine intervention. When handed one, he's supposed to give you Zenithar's Warning & Zenithar's Wiles, but instead gives you Zenithar Whispers (which is supposed to be the reward for the aforementioned Pledge from Canctunian Ponius quest, which I've yet to finish).

Furthermore, when given a scroll he won't use it to escape, meaning you can keep giving him more scrolls in return for duplicate artifacts. The script used for freeing slaves could likely be incorporated here (though oddly enough, I don't remember them warping away in the original game!).

* Ice Blade of the Monarch - You're sent to free a fellow cultist and return a certain sword. I'd already collected the relevant loot long before joining the cult, but figured I'd try and free her anyway - once the quest is underway, she'll ask you for her ring back. Same deal as Jon in the above quest, she takes the thing but doesn't use it to escape... She'll keep asking for more rings if spoken to again.

* The Scroll of Fiercely Roasting - You're sent to retrieve a scroll and, if possible, kill the two inhabitants of the temple within which it's located. They started at 100 disposition towards my character, and so the two "evil ones" just wanted to chat with me instead of attack.

* Skull-Crusher - You're sent to get a hammer. All you know to start with is that you need to go though the "halls of the dead" to reach a shrine of some sort - you're supposed to speak to both a Dunmer savant and scout to determine the specifics, but just mentioning the halls to a savant gives you an exact waypoint marker (he'll tell you it means an ancestral tomb, but he won't have a clue which one - you're supposed to ask a scout before you can "work it out").

In order to make it to the shrine, you have to pass through the Omaren Ancestral Tomb. The final chamber before you pass from one to the other has collision faults - if you fall to the bottom, it seems to be impossible to get back up as you keep falling through the walkway. You need to use TCL to bypass it.

Having completed this, the quest giver will from then on give you a greeting that goes along the lines of "Well done, %PCName!".