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Gaenor

Gaenor in his ebony armor

Gaenor is a Bosmer pauper, who claims to be an "entrepreneur of sorts". He stands in front of the Mournhold Temple, approximately halfway between the large steps outside the palace and the double-doors to the palace courtyard, asking people for increasingly outrageous sums of money.

Regardless of whether you give him some funds or not, he will not be very pleased and will yell at you for your kindness or lack thereof (depending on how you deal with him). After leaving the Temple Courtyard, he will return three days later. Once you approach him, he will speak to you and initiate combat, leaving you with no choice but to kill him.

Before he disappears, he only wears common pants with a matching shirt. When you see him the second time, he will be wearing a full suit of ebony armor, along with his eponymous amulet, exquisite pants and a matching shirt. Gaenor's weapon comes in the form of an ebony longsword. Aside from his natural resistance to disease, and the ability to command animals, Gaenor knows no spells, apart from one he uses only once to disappear if attacked during your first encounter with him.

Related Quests [ edit ]

The Natural: Meet this Wood Elf who wants you to donate vast sums of money.

Dialogue [ edit ]

Greetings : "Hello there, %PCRace! Before you take another step, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gaenor, and I'm... well, I'm an entrepreneur of sorts. I was wondering if I could ask a small favor of you." "I won't forget you. Get out of my sight!" Goodbye "OW! Vicious thug! I'll get you! I'll..... I'm getting out of here!" Goodbye "Well, well, well. Look who it is! My dear friend %PCName. Just my luck that you should stumble in here. Heh. Indeed, it seems my good fortune knows no bounds. Despite my mis-treatment at your hands, I've found riches, been able to influence just about anyone I talk to, and can you believe I've NEVER lost a fight? Never even gotten a scratch. Somehow I don't think I'll have a problem continuing that streak... and I owe you!" Goodbye

: Favor : "Glad you asked. As you may have noticed, I'm not looking my best at the moment. I'm a little, shall we say, down on my luck, which is NOT something I'm used to, let me tell you. At any rate, I'm looking for a little starting capital to get things rolling here in Mournhold - I've recently arrived myself, as well - and I thought you might be able to help me out. Think you could part with, say, fifty gold?" (see Fifty Gold)

:

Fifty Gold [ edit ]

Sure, here you are. "I love it that you want to help, but you don't have that much? Are you sure? Hmm. Well, perhaps we could work out some other sort of deal. Have you got maybe, I don't know, a nice ebony shortsword I could have? I mean, that'd be worth more than fifty gold, I know, but the value of that alone would solve all my problems. What do you say?" (see Ebony Shortsword) [50 Gold has been removed from your inventory.] "Splendid! I really do appreciate it, and I must say, you're quite the generous soul. In fact, as long as we're talking, and getting along so well, do you think maybe you could spot me another hundred? I'm quite sure that I can pay you back in just a few days time. I've always had excellent luck when it comes to these sort of things. So, what do you say?" (see Hundred Gold)

No, I don't think so. Sorry. [Disposition -5] "Are you sure about that? I mean, to look at you, it's obvious that you're a %PCRace of means. I imagine you wouldn't even know that the gold was gone. Think about it for another second or two. Think about how much it'd mean to me, about what a great help it would be." Well, okay. Here. (same as Sure, here you are. ) No, I really don't think so. [Disposition -10] "Ha ha. Quite the communication break-down we're having here, isn't it? I can see I'm just not getting through to you. Let me try this one last time, okay? It's ten [sic] gold. I know you have it. You won't miss it. I need it more than you do! Give it to me, okay?" Fine, take it. (same as Sure, here you are. ) No. I'm not kidding. (see No One Says No)

[Disposition -5]

Hundred Gold [ edit ]

I suppose so. "I love it that you want to help, but you don't have that much? Are you sure? Hmm. Well, perhaps we could work out some other sort of deal. Have you got maybe, I don't know, a nice ebony shortsword I could have? I mean, that'd be worth more than fifty gold, I know, but the value of that alone would solve all my problems. What do you say?" (see Ebony Shortsword) [100 Gold has been removed from your inventory.] "You really are something, %PCName. I can see we're going to get along famously! Okay, I'll be up front with you. If I could just have another, oh, thousand gold or so, I can really make it here. I just know it. You've been so good to me, and it's clear that you've got the money... Just a little more help, that's all I ask for. You'll do it, right?" (see Thousand Gold)

No, I don't think so. Sorry. [Disposition -5] "Heh. Umm, maybe I'm not being clear here. I'm trying to say that I'd REALLY appreciate it if you could just help me out a little bit. It's only a hundred gold. I'm sure you've got that much, and I'm sure you wouldn't even miss it. So come on. Really. Help me out!" Okay, here you go. (same as I suppose so. ) No, really. I mean it. [Disposition -10] "Are you some kind of miser or something? I mean, seriously. A hundred gold, and you can't part with it? I've given away ten times as much in my day; a hundred gold is nothing! Now really, just hand it over already!" Fine. Take it. (same as I suppose so. ) No means no. (see No One Says No)

[Disposition -5]

Thousand Gold [ edit ]

Okay. Here you are. "Umm, you don't seem to have that much. Well, I'm not particular. I'll just as easily take an ebony shortsword. Got one of those you can give me?" (see Ebony Shortsword) [1000 Gold has been removed from your inventory.] "Wow! You have no idea what this means to me, %PCName. I've never held this much gold in my life! Well, heck. You've just got money to burn, don't you? I bet you could spare another 10000 gold, couldn't you? C'mon. I know you've got it. Let's have it!" (see Ten Thousand Gold)

No, that's too much. Sorry. [Disposition -10] "Oh, come on. We've come this far with it. You've already proven yourself to be the generous type; why not go that extra step and really impress me? It's not like I'm asking for your first-born child here... Seriously. Think about it for a moment." Well, okay. (same as Okay. Here you are. ) No, I really mean it. "I AM speaking the same language, right? I mean, you understand what I'm saying? Well, then why can't you seem to understand that I need this money? Give it to me!" Fine, take it. (same as Okay. Here you are. ) No. Stop asking. (see No One Says No)

[Disposition -10]

Ten Thousand Gold [ edit ]

Okay, here you are. "Oh, I see. You think this is all just some kind of joke. Offering me money you don't have. Well, I won't be laughed at. DO YOU HEAR ME? I won't stand for it! I'll get you, %PCRace. I'll get you back for this, and then we'll see who's laughing!" Goodbye [10000 Gold has been removed from your inventory.] "I don't even know what to say. I'll never be able to truly pay you back for this. You've restored my faith in the world, %PCName. And boy, are you ever rich! I bet you've got a million gold. In fact, I bet you've got ten million! You must be the richest %PCRace ever! You should give me a million, don't you think? Then we can both be millionaires!" (see Million Gold)

No way. "What? Wait - let's try that again. I need ten thousand gold from you. You're going to give it to me, right?" Oh, okay. Here. (same as Okay, here you are. ) No. Sorry. (see No One Says No)



Million Gold [ edit ]

Sure. Here it is. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? No one walks around with a million gold on them; that's ludicrous! I won't stand for this kind of patronizing! I WILL NOT BE MOCKED! You'll see, %PCName. You'll ALL see. I'll get you!" Goodbye

Not a chance. (see No One Says No)

Ebony Shortsword [ edit ]

Okay, here you go. "What, you don't have one? Well, then don't offer me something you don't have! Sheesh. Some people. But listen. I don't need the sword all that badly, so it's okay. What I could REALLY use is a full suit of Daedric armor. I'm sure you've got an extra lying around someplace, right? Or you could dig one up for me? How about it, %PCName?" Sure, I'll get right on that. "You must REALLY think I'm dense, %PCRace. Like YOU could put together a whole suit of Daedric Armor! I'm sure you just think you're so funny, don't you? Well, I'll teach you to laugh at me! You just wait, %PCName. I'll get you when you least expect it!!!" Goodbye No. Sorry. (see No One Says No) [Ebony Shortsword has been removed from your inventory.] "Wow. What a great sword. I've held a few swords in my lifetime, but this... this is exquisite. Okay, clearly you've got some connections. How about getting me, your good friend, a full suit of Daedric armor? I'm sure there's enough floating around that you can find it, and get it for me. What do you say?" Sure, I'll do that. (same as Sure, I'll get right on that. ) No, I don't think so. (see No One Says No)

Not a chance. / No, I don't think so. "I'm sorry, what? Oh, come on. Look at you! I'm sure you've got a whole stash of ebony weapons someplace! Probably have your own Ebony mine! I know you can spare it, so hand it over!" (see No One Says No)

No One Says No [ edit ]

"No?.... NO? You don't say "no" to me! NO ONE SAYS "NO" TO GAENOR! Oh, don't you think I'll forget this. I'll remember you, %PCRace, and I'll get you for it. I promise you that!" Goodbye

Notes [ edit ]

Gaenor is most likely the toughest opponent in Morrowind due to his incredibly high luck of 770, which makes him almost impossible to hit (including with magical attacks), and very likely to hit you. It is advised that you do not speak to him until you are prepared for this quest, or at least avoid him in the Mournhold Temple Courtyard when he reappears (look for the angrily pacing guy in Ebony near the gate to the Royal Courtyard, and give him a wide berth).

The trick to beating him, if you are around level 25 (half his level), is to avoid a "stand-up fight". Stay out of arm's reach as much as possible, have a large quantity of Restore Health, Magicka, and Endurance potions, use long-lasting gear, and fortify whatever attacks you are using by whatever means you have available, so you can get some hits in. One technique is to keep him busy fighting as many summons as possible and hit him from behind, then dance out of the way when he turns to face you, keeping at least one summoned minion fighting him at all times. A weapon that does additional damage on striking, for multiple seconds, is highly recommended. It is not helpful to try to use the mercenary companion Calvus Horatius in this endeavor; Gaenor will kill him quickly, even if Calvus is well stocked with healing potions, because Calvus will not take them until low enough in Health that a good blow from Gaenor will do more damage than Calvus has Health remaining. It can easily take 45 minutes of realtime gaming (in the successful attempt) to beat Gaenor at around this level – a slow war of attrition. Beware hitting the courtyard's various bystanders with ranged and area-of-effect attacks, as well as summoned Atronachs. If you're melee-oriented, you may find it easier to beat him in the outer water canal; though this hampers spellcasting and missiles, it also slows him down a little, especially if you have Swift Swim.

Casting Frost spells at Gaenor while under the effects of 100% Resist Frost (such as being a Nord) will kill him easily. His Resist Magicka ability provides no protection against Frost and in the event of the spell being reflected, 100% Resist Frost will prevent you from taking any damage. Creating a duration spell with a total of 500 damage or more should kill him in a single spell. This advice applies to Fire, Shock, and Poison as well. Make sure to also account for his constant Restore Health 1 pt ability.

You can exploit the Boots of Blinding Speed to vastly increase your chances to land a hit on Gaenor. It has a 100% Blind effect which is bugged to increase your hit rate instead of decreasing it, making Gaenor's high luck far less of an issue. Combined with the boot's high mobility, the boots make the fight easier.

An easy way to kill Gaenor is to use Sujamma. Every bottle will increase your strength by 50 points for 1 minute, and drinking a lot of them at the same time will increase your strength so much that you can kill Gaenor in just a few hits. You can buy a lot of bottles from Fara in Sadrith Mora or even from the Mudcrab merchant (although from him they will be more expensive since you can't increase his Disposition or use Mercantile to lower the price). They will both have infinite restock of Sujamma and you just need to close and reopen the exchange window to have new units. Use enough Sujamma to increase your strength up to at least 1000 (the more the better) and you should be able to kill Gaenor with any weapon in a few hits.

Another trick: you had to stand on the isolated single boulder or on the biggest boulder (if you see the temple's entrance in front of you, so your left) armed with a bow and arrows. Drink a lot of fortifying speed + agility + strength + luck potions. Tested with 424 of speed, 163 of agility, 1797 of luck and 495 of strength. You had to buy a lot of: moon sugar, shalk resin, roobrush, sload soap, ash yam, dreugh wax, corkbulb root and guar hide (Alchemy > 200)



