Oblivion:Information Gathering

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1 Quick Walkthrough
2 Detailed Walkthrough
3 Notes
4 Bugs
5 Journal Entries

Bring Ajum-Kajin, a high-ranking Blackwood Company member, back to Modryn and "persuade" him to talk. ^edit

Quest Giver: Modryn Oreyn at his house in Chorrol
Location(s): Chorrol and Glademist Cave
Prerequisite Quest: The Stone of St. Alessia and Mystery at Harlun's Watch
Next Quest: Infiltration
Reward: Amulet of Interrogation (leveled; best at levels 5-9)
Fame/Infamy: No added Fame
ID: FGD07Kidnap

This hurts me a lot more than it does you.

[edit] Quick Walkthrough

Travel to Chorrol to visit Modryn Oreyn.
He will send you to Glademist Cave to capture Ajum-Kajin.
Work your way through the caves, defeating members of the Blackwood Company as you go.
When you reach Ajum-Kajin, talk to him and he will agree to follow you back to Oreyn.
Return to Oreyn's house and speak with him, you must do whatever is necessary to make Ajum-Kajin talk.
Ajum-Kajin will answer the first question, but kill himself rather than answer the second one.
Talk to Modryn Oreyn again. He will give you an Amulet of Interrogation.

[edit] Detailed Walkthrough

[edit] The Valiant Art of Kidnapping

Make your way to Chorrol and visit your old friend Modryn Oreyn. Blackwood Company is getting out-of-hand, and they must be brought down for the good of the Guild and everyone involved in their ways. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell where to start or what the source of their unyielding power is. Modryn tells you that a certain Argonian member of Blackwood has taken shelter in the nearby Glademist cave. This particular Argonian is very high up on the chain of command, but that unfortunately makes him a difficult target, especially for a live kidnapping. Nonetheless, Blackwood must be rooted up and destroyed, and you are the only individual willing to do so. Glademist Cave is to the northeast along the The Orange Road; make your way inside, and destroy all the Blackwood guards. The cave has only one zone, but contains its share of occupants (they may be clustered together, so use best judgment about dealing with them.)

[edit] Hand Me the Calipers

Once you reach the end of the cave, speak with Ajum-Kajin. Basically a coward and knowing he can't beat someone who just obliterated his small army of guards, he'll agree to follow you back to Chorrol. He will not follow you if any of his guards are alive. Make your way back to Modryn's house and tell him that you've brought Ajum-Kajin with you. Modryn tells you to sit the Argonian down, and get the information you need about Blackwood from him one way or another. Tell Ajum-Kajin to sit down, and he'll know immediately what your plans are and take a "mute" stand on you. Once he sits down you have two choices in order to gather information from him: sweet-talking him or beating his life out on the wall.

[edit] Speech Deception

Speak with Ajum-Kajin, and raise your Disposition with him up to 90. This can be accomplished with Speechcraft, spells or bribes. Once he is friendly enough with you, exit his dialogue screen, and you'll get a message stating he is ready to talk. Ask him all three questions, of which he will only answer the first. Exit the talk screen and again you'll get a message stating he is ready to talk again, ask him the remaining two, of which he will only answer the first.

[edit] Painting the Walls

For this method, a fists-only approach works best, as Ajum-Kajin may die from weapon attacks before he is willing to kill himself. So break out your hand-to-hand skill, and lay some blows down on this statue. After a few decent licks, of which Ajum-Kajin can take a few of, you'll receive the message stating he is ready to talk. Ask him all three questions of which he will only answer the first. Exit and really let him know that you aren't playing games here and can be as sinister as Blackwood themselves. Again, after a few more blows, you'll get another message stating he is ready to spill something other than blood. Ask him the remaining two questions, of which he will only answer the first.

[edit] Loyalty Burns

After Ajum-Kajin has answered two of your questions he will choose suicide over any more betrayal. Using his hidden Blackwood Ring of Silence, he burns himself alive right there on the spot. (The ring's name gives some forewarning as to just how depraved and sick the roots of Blackwood might be.)

After the lizard roasts, Modryn Oreyn tells you the next step is to infiltrate Blackwood and its ranks so you can investigate the answer to the final question. He also rewards you with a leveled Amulet called the Amulet of Interrogation which grants a fortification to Hand to Hand and Speechcraft. You do not receive any official gold or fame for this quest, but you will find some gold on the burned corpse of Ajum-Kajin. If you decided to bribe Ajum-Kajin earlier, you can also get your gold back.

[edit] Notes

Make sure that you are not heavily encumbered before doing this quest. Depending on your level and Mercantile skill, the arms and armor the Blackwood goons carry can be quite valuable but they can also weigh quite a bit. Don't despair if you can't carry everything out in one go - their corpses will remain in the cave for some time.
Although all the guards in the cave are Blackwood Company members, they don't carry much of the company's unique armor: Ajum-Kajin carries a cuirass and four of the guards carry the shield but the others are equipped with standard leveled armor and weaponry.

[edit] Bugs

The Amulet of Interrogation provided as a reward for this quest is a leveled item, but the levels are out of order. You receive the best reward between levels 5 and 9; the reward is less powerful once you reach level 10. Therefore, it is to your advantage to try to complete this quest before level 10. However, keep in mind that one of the earlier Fighters Guild quests, Mystery at Harlun's Watch is also glitched, and doing this quest after level 10 nets you the best reward. It is to your advantage to decide which item you like best, and do the quests either before or after level 10. See Quest Timing for an overview of all the Fighters Guild quests with unusual leveled items.
- This bug is fixed by the Unofficial Oblivion Patch. (v 1.2.0 and later).
Sometimes, the Argonian will get stuck behind the chair when you tell him to sit down.
If you use a spell or an item with the Damage Fatigue effect, Ajum-Kajin will be knocked down, then will stand up. He will not sit down again, and you cannot talk to him. The only way to complete the quest is to kill him, sacrificing the reward.

[edit] Journal Entries

Information Gathering (FGD07Kidnap)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
5		I have been promoted to the rank of Champion of the Fighters Guild. I'm told that Modryn Oreyn is looking for me, and I should speak with him as soon as possible.
10		I have spoken to Modryn Oreyn, who tells me that, although he has been expelled from the Fighters Guild, he will still work to restore its honor. To that end, he wants me to go to the Glademist Cave and capture a Blackwood Company leader, Ajum-Kajin.
20		I have found Ajum-Kajin, cowering in his Blackwood Company hideout. I must convince him to return with me.
30		Ajum-Kajin will now return with me to Modryn Oreyn's house.
40		Oreyn would like me to learn some things from Ajum-Kajin: how large the Blackwood Company is; who leads the Company; and what is the source of their power. Oreyn has told me I am to use whatever means necessary to get this information.
45		It appears Ajum-Kajin may be ready to give me information.
50		I've learned that the Blackwood Company is over 100 strong, and growing every day. I must find out who leads them.
55		It looks like Ajum-Kajin is ready to tell me more. I should question him.
60		I've learned their leader is Ri'Zakar. I must now learn the source of their power, what gives them such courage in battle.
70		Ajum-Kajin seems unwilling to answer me as to the source of the Blackwood Company's power. I will have to persuade him further.
80		Rather than divulge the Blackwood Company's secret, Ajum-Kajin has killed himself. I should speak with Oreyn for further instruction.
100	0	Though we did not get all of the answers we had hoped for, Oreyn is pleased with the information we gained.
105	0	Ajum-Kajin has died. I will be unable to learn any more from him. Oreyn is unhappy I took the interrogation too far.

Notes

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 random order.
If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage quest stage. Where quest is the internal name of the quest, and stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages. See SetStage for more information.