Online:A Tangled Net

Reward the mercenaries for their prowess against the werewolves. Zone: Malabal Tor Objective: Baandari Tradepost — Placate the mercenaries before they slaughter the traders. Quest Giver: Eraral-dro Location(s): Baandari Trading Post Prerequisite Quest: Enemy of My Enemy Reward: Gold Coast Gauntlets High Leveled Gold XP Gain: High XP ID: 4199

"Convince" the mercenaries to leave

Eraral-dro wants to neutralize the Gold Coast mercenaries in Malabal Tor so his people will be safe from reprisal.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Drug the mercenaries' kegs.
2. Talk to Eraral-dro.
3. Gain support from the Baandari traders.
4. Talk to Tabil.
5. Find Eraral-dro.
6. Buy off the mercenaries.
7. Talk to Captain Aurelia Blasio.
8. Return to the tradepost.

Detailed Walkthrough

Eraral-dro wants you to drug the mercenaries so they won't be strong enough to fight back if their party decides to turn on the Baandari.

Add the Powder to the Mercenaries' Kegs

Make sure you activate the keg when the Gold Coast Brewmaster is not near the kegs. If he is near, just wait for him to walk away (the simplest method is to crouch and make sure your stealth eye is a fully closed eyelid, not a half-open one) or he'll call you out on your suspicious activity with a variety of responses, including:

"Touch that again and I'll take that hand off."

"That's not your brew, friend."

Once you've poisoned the kegs, find Eraral-dro in town. The next step of the plan is to convince the traders at the Trade Stalls to give monetary support to the Baandari. You need to speak with Dordanion, Jainda, and Kagun about Eraral-dro's plan. All of them will pledge their support, in one form or another. Once you've spoken to all three merchants, you'll want to find Eraral-dro, but you won't get too far from the stalls before Tabil finds you. He tells you that the clan elder has been taken by the mercenaries, and that they only let Tabil go on the condition that he brought this message to you. Captain Aurelia Blasio wants to speak with you at her camp. Tabil offers to finish negotiations with the merchants while you meet with her.

Head west of the stables to find Eraral-dro. He's in the captain's tent. Speak with Captain Blasio. She tells you that you can speak with Eraral-dro, but doesn't want you to free him. Eraral-dro is cautious when speaking with you.

"It's too dangerous for you to be here. Tabil … I told him to run for home, not for help!"

How can I get you out of here?

"Hss! Not so loud!
To save us all, continue with the plan. If the mercenaries are bought off, the captain will have no support. She will be easy to take out then, but not before."

Where are these mercenaries, then?

"No doubt Tabil has already gathered them together, but he's no good at negotiation, I fear. Ensure they get what they desire."

Head back into town and find Tabil in front of Fazaddu's House. He needs you to find out what the mercenaries want, as they're more keen on entertainment than they are on gold or drinks. Head inside to speak with each of the mercenaries.

Buy off the Colovian Mercenaries

The mercenaries are on the bottom floor of the building, the entertainers are upstairs. There are three mercenaries: Vitellia Strabo, Yggnast, and Longstig are waiting to be entertained. There are also several entertainers: Sadelia is strong and good at wrestling, Ostarion has many tales of his travels to tell, Kagun is a masseuse, Dahari is a soothing harp player, Athemel is a chef, Lananwe is a dancer, and Julien doesn't want to be here.

You need to speak with the mercenaries to figure out what they want. If you have Persuasive Will, you can persuade all 3 of them

• Vitellia Strabo – Wants to punch something – Sadelia and Ostarion will make her happy.
• Yggnast – Just wants to relax – Kagun and Dahari will make him happy.
• Longstig – Wants food – Athemel and Julien will make him happy.

After you buy off the mercenaries, head over to Captain Blasio's camp. She'll run off when you approach, attempting to rally her troops, so you'll need to follow her down the hill. She will have two guards with her: one is an archer and one is a ravager. Blasio is a thundermaul. You must defeat them all. When they're dead, meet Eraral-dro by the stables to collect your reward.

Notes

• Attacking and killing neutral Gold Coast mercenaries in their camp while drugging their ale supply, and later revisiting the camp, has no negative impact on the progression of the quest.
• Although Eraral-dro warns that you might have to use some cunning to get the traders on his side, no persuasion checks are offered here and all three agree with the singular dialogue option given.
• The three Gold Coast mercenaries found in Fazzadu's house won't exist elsewhere in the trading post, like other similar mercenaries before starting the quest or reaching the related objective.
• All the entertainers are removed from Fazzadu's house instantly, once all pairings are complete.
• While one hint says to follow Captain Aurelia Blasio, her position at her camp is fixed in place from the start of the objective, so there's no need to follow her anywhere.

Trivia

The quest title is a play on a line from A poem by Sir Walter Scott: Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field
"‘Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive,"

Bugs

• Almost all of the entertainers have a different model than their original versions when they are found in Fazzadu's house. Additionally, many behave and talk about professions that don't align with their original versions, such as a weaponsmith now being a masseur, or a relic merchant being a musician. ^?

Quest Stages

A Tangled Net
Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
	Though many of the Gold Coast mercenaries died in the battle with the werewolves, plenty more are still prepared for battle. Eraral-dro wants me to drug their drink to reduce their effectiveness. Objective: Add the Powder to the Mercenaries' Kegs
	I've added the powder to the Gold Coast's kegs. I should speak with Eraral-dro to see what he plans to do with this advantage. Objective: Talk to Eraral-dro
	Eraral-dro wants me to talk to other traders to get their support. He plans to use what gold he can gather to buy off the remaining mercenaries still loyal and not incapacitated by our plotting. Objective: Collect "Support" from the Other Traders Hidden Objective: Collect "Support" from a Trader
	I've convinced the other traders of the urgency of this matter. I should find Eraral-dro and tell him of my success.
	Eraral-dro's been taken captive by Captain Aurelia Blasio. The captain's asked to speak with me at her tent on the hillside beyond the tradepost's gate Objective: Find Eraral-dro
	The captain knows something is amiss. I should talk to Eraral-dro to find out what he wants to do. Objective: Talk to Captain Aurelia Blasio
	Eraral-dro's sent me to meet his assistant, and finish the plan we've set in motion. Objective: Talk to Tabil
	Armed with the payments from the various merchants, I've been sent to parley with the remaining Colovian mercenary leaders. (Hint:)I should speak to both the entertainers and the mercenaries to figure out the best fit for each. Objective: Buy off the Colovian Mercenaries Objective: Talk to a Mercenary Objective: Talk to an Entertainer Upstairs Hidden Objective: Mercenary Convinced Hidden Objective: Point Tracker (Objective Failed) Objective: Retry Negotiations
	Captain Aurelia Blasio's patience has no doubt run out by this point. I should find and confront her, before she kills Eraral-dro. Objective: Confront Captain Aurelia Blasio
	The captain has run off to rally her troops. Hopefully all of the scheming so far will pay off, and she will find herself without an army. Objective: Follow Captain Aurelia Blasio
Finishes quest	Eraral-dro is free, and the Gold Coast is leaderless. It's only a matter of time before they break apart and, hopefully, wander back to Colovia. I should speak to Eraral-dro about this matter. Objective: Talk to Eraral-dro at the Gates

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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