Project Tamriel:Cyrodiil/Fortune of a Traveling Merchant

A famed helm is up for sale. Quest Giver: Miles Catraso Location(s): Strident Coast (-119,-54), on the Gold Road leading out of Anvil Reward: The Siege of Kvatch, or that book and +1 Mercantile, or nothing Disposition: +10 (Falco Essagan) ID: PC_m1_SC_TravelMerch

Miles Catraso on the Gold Road

Quick Walkthrough

1. Speak to Miles Catraso on the Gold Road across the river from Anvil about the Helm of Falco Essagan.
2. Buy the Helm of Falco Essagan for 800 gold.
3. Either:
   • Steal your money back from Catraso's Chest (on his cart).
   • Challenge Miles with 65+ disposition, agree to help him recover his ring in exchange for your money, then...
     1. Go to Agi Bay Grotto and retrieve the Merchant's Ring.
     2. Talk to Miles about the Catraso family heirloom ring and either...
        • Don't warn him of its curse (rewards The Siege of Kvatch).
        • Warn him of its curse (rewards said book and +1 Mercantile).

Detailed Walkthrough

Leave Anvil by its northeastern gate and proceed along the Gold Road. Shortly after crossing the bridge, you will come to the Shrine of St. Aberdar. Turning left here and continuing along the road will swiftly put you face to face with one Miles Catraso, his cart and his horse.

Talk to him. He claims that you have the face of a hero, and offers to adorn it with the Helm of Falco Essagan. Asking him about this will see him offer to sell it to you for 800 gold. Refusal has no effect, but accepting the offer (with the money on you) will see him pass you the Helm of Falco Essagan in exchange for your cash.

Your journal will update at this point. On closer inspection, this helm apparently is not enchanted one whit. Talk to Miles again about the helm. You'll need 65+ disposition for him to acknowledge his own deceit. Apparently, he traded his own family heirloom for the helm, having himself been misled as to its value by a traveling Nord. He'll ask that you get the ring back.

You can accept this commission if you wish. You can alternatively pick the lock of the small Catraso's Chest on the back of his cart to retrieve your gold from that - this ends the quest and does count as a crime if you're caught.

Assuming that you agree to help Miles get his ring back, he'll refer you to Agi Bay Grotto where he believes the Nord swindler lives. This place overlooks a small cove south of the village of Hal Sadek. If you've not found this settlement yet, go back to the road junction leading to Anvil and follow the signs to it.

Once in the grotto, you'll likely encounter the shady Nord that Miles described - Tolan Iron-Head. He's hostile and so will likely need to be dispatched. The Merchant's Ring you're looking for however is on a stool in the Nord's chamber. Your journal will update - the ring is cursed, and actively drains the wearer's haggling savvy!

Return to Miles and speak to him about the Catraso family heirloom ring. You'll have the option of handing it over without noting its cursed essence, or of warning him. Either choice will get you your 800 gold back and a book titled The Siege of Kvatch, although warning him carries the additional bonus of a free level in Mercantile.

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.

Fortune of a Traveling Merchant (PC_m1_SC_TravelMerch)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
30		I purchased the supposedly enchanted Helm of Falco Essagan, an ancient adventuring hero, from Miles Catraso on the Gold Road outside of Anvil. Upon closer inspection, it does not appear to be enchanted in any way.
40		Miles Catraso denied that the helmet I bought is a forgery.
50	Finishes quest	Miles Catraso is dead.
60		Miles Catraso confessed that the Helm of Falco Essagan was a fake. He was tricked into trading it for his family's heirloom ring by a shady Nord who resides in a cave called Agi Bay Grotto on the Strid River. If I bring Miles his Catraso family heirloom back, he promised that he'll return my money. Clisius Hermontar in nearby Hal Sadek should be able to give me directions to the grotto.
70		I found the Catraso family heirloom ring. It appears to be cursed.
80	Finishes quest	I gave the ring to Miles Catraso and warned him about its harmful enchantment. In exchange, he returned my money and gave me a business lesson.
90	Finishes quest	I gave the ring to Miles Catraso and he returned my money.
100	Finishes quest	I retrieved my money from Miles Catraso's chest.
105	Finishes quest	I told Miles Catraso to keep the money.