Dawnstar:Quest Walkthrough

An editor has requested for this article to be peer reviewed to receive a broader perspective on how it may be improved. Please make any edits as you see fit to help improve the quality of this article.

Uncover the Traitor's identity and save Dawnstar Quest Giver: Governor Cyril Vinticae Location(s): Dawnstar Reward: 3000 gold Note: Unlike most Elder Scrolls games, Dawnstar only has one large quest for you to complete, with no distractions or sidequests. The quest is time-consuming, challenging, and requires you to interrogate suspects, compare rumors and information, while battling hordes of enemies to level up accordingly and acquire the items necessary to complete the task at hand.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Eustacia and equip yourself for the travels ahead.
2. Travel deep into the many dungeons surrounding Dawnstar and gain the necessary experience claim Gift Items.
3. Locate the four Champions and interrogate them for info.
4. Reveal the Traitor and free Dawnstar from the Ice Tribes.

Detailed Walkthrough

In the Beginning...

When you start a new game, you will be thrown right into the action with the introductory text:

"Dawnstar has been besieged by the Ice Tribes outside its walls, and beset by a traitor within. The governor banished his four champions as he could not ferret out the traitor, and has sent for you. Your job is to single out the traitor, and return with the three loyal champions to defend the city. The governor promises much, but has only a paltry 50 gold to give you now.
You had best visit the peddlers in Dawnstar and equip yourself for the travels ahead. Visit Eustacia, a healer with oracular powers... she claims to have information which can aid you on your quest. Start your exploration by using the arrow keys or 2, 4, 6 or 8 buttons to move your character. For additional help, push '7' and select the help option."

At this point, it is recommended reading through the Getting Started section to avoid unwanted frustration from the very beginning. Finally, familiarize yourself with the in-game Adventure Menu (press "7") and read through the provided Help section. A good idea is to save your game right away, simply to get a feeling on how the save and load functions work.

First Things First

You will find yourself in the last area not besieged by the Ice Tribes, the outpost of Dawnstar. The area is located in the center of the 36 dungeons and you can freely choose between four directions: north, east, south and west. Each direction contains three dungeons, each with three zones: nine in all. Start by visiting the four residing Merchants and equip yourself for the journey ahead. Check out your equipment and make an effort to improve you armor or weapon. Never hesitate spending all 50 gold on equipment at this point.

Eustacia

Pay a visit to resident healer Eustacia for a brief introduction and receive the first rumor. As you explore more dungeons and find the Champions, Eustacia will provide even more rumors so check back often. Eustacia will also heal your health, magicka and fatigue and cure all your status ailments, provided you ask. She can also warp you back to the Champions, provided you have found them beforehand, or to the last Warp Rune you touched. Should you die during your travels through the dungeons, you will always wake up back near Eustacia, stripped of all un-equipped items but in good health.

The Investigation

Your main objective is to gather clues, ask questions and finally reveal the traitor. The traitor's identity is chosen randomly at the beginning of the game, so it is up to you to figure out which champion to reveal as the traitor. Unfortunately for your investigation, the Champions, including the traitor, also function as trainers and can help you level up and provide new skills, so treat them nicely and avoid unnecessary confrontation. When approached, the Champions will not help you for free; each of them will provide three clues for three items they need. These items are called Gift Items and will, when given to the correct person, get you up to three opportunities with the Champion, either for training or for questioning. There is a gift item available as treasure in each of the 36 dungeons, so additional points can be obtained, leading to even more precise info or more training.

Information Gathering

Speaking with the Champions will net you several choices. all of which will be displayed in the conversation menu. At the very top, your available Aid Points are displayed; aid points can be achieved in several ways, although Gift Items are the way to go in the long run. See the Gift Items page for exact information on how many Aid Points each gift will earn you from each of the Champions.
Your available conversation topics are:

Train

The champion will teach you new skills or train you in skills you already know. One Aid Point per lesson.

Give

Give the champion a gift item in exchange for aid points; weapons, armor and magic potions will not be accepted. You can receive 1, 2, or 3 aid points per item, depending on how much the champion likes the gift.

Befriend

Will typically net you 1 aid point at random times, if you have good relations with the champion. Attempting to befriend a champion does not hurt, but when the words "Best to let some time pass..." are displayed, the champions' goodwill is gone for the moment.

Threaten

It is not really recommended to make threats against any champion. If the champion finds you threatening, you will get 1 aid point, but in the long run, "Give" and "Befriend" are the best strategies.

Ask a question

This is where the champion will provide information about their three colleagues.

Warp

This option takes you right back to Eustacia.

Choose Your Path

Now is the time to choose between the four exits from the camp. Each direction leads to one of the Champions (they are always located in the second zone of the first dungeon), one of which is the traitor himself, nine Gift Items and a wealth of loot and enemies.

Click the links to read the walkthrough for each direction and learn more about the location of Champions, treasure and enemies.

• NORTH • SOUTH • EAST • WEST •

How to Round up the Information

First of all, to get an idea on how to question the traitors and make good use of Eustacia's rumors, read through this guide. The investigation is quite simple when you know what to look for. Both the rumors provided by Eustacia and the information from the Champions are stored in the Adventure Menu's Clue Log, so it is a simple matter of comparison and you will get it right.

Revealing the Traitor

When you have figured out the identity of the traitor it is time for the big showdown. Make sure you have learned a decent amount of spells, have gained a high level and equip a set of the best equipment. It his highly recommended to save your game at this point, as the final battle is long and hard; it will take all of your skills and put them to the test. After having saved, choose the "Reveal Traitor" option from your menu and the game will inform you:

If you are incorrect, you will return the traitor to Dawnstar and the city will fall. You will lose the game. Correctly revealing the traitor will cause the traitor to attack Dawnstar in one final battle.

Are you ready to reveal the traitor and fight that battle?

The Final Showdown

Confirm you are ready and choose the Champion you suspect. If you choose correctly, the final battle ensues and the Governor gives you the Starfrost to aid you:

Warning horns sound as the Ice Tribes and their monstrous allies appear at the walls of Dawnstar. Sheer numbers allow some to slip through the defenses. You must track down and destroy the interlopers before they become too numerous and overwhelm Dawnstar. Kill the Gehenoth to win. For revealing the traitor Governor Cyril Vinticae gives you the Starfrost, a magical frost which focuses the prayers of Dawnstar and the power of elemental winter through the user. With this power you just might win. To battle!

Should you be wrong when accusing a Champion as a traitor, the Starfrost will not be given to you and it will be impossible to ensure the safety of Dawnstar. You will instead receive the following message:

Alas you brought the traitor back to Dawnstar. (Real traitor's name)'s foul treachery makes your fight much more difficult. You must trust to your might and providence to carry the day for you.

Whether or not you made the correct choice about the traitor, the central camp of Dawnstar will face a merciless invasion from random thieves, trolls, monsters and members of the Ice Tribes, culminating with the arrival of the strongest monster in the game, the Gehenoth Thriceborn.

As the invading enemies are completely random, the best strategy is to circle around the outer corridors of the camp, and dispose of each and every enemy you encounter. Just keep circling, and ignore the countless "enemy arrived!" messages that will pop up in the corner of your screen. Keep fighting and circling, and the monsters will grow stronger over time. Keep in mind that once the battle is initiated and you have killed your first enemy, it is possible to pause and buy weapons and potions from the merchants. If you have the Starfrost, dying poses no problem as you will wake up near Eustacia as always and can return to battling the invading forces right away. After defeating a fixed amount of enemies, the Gehenoth Thriceborn will finally emerge. It will cause serious damage when attacking, regardless of the strength of your armor, but it is always an option to flee the battle and heal or even camp. The Gehenoth will stay put as a red dot on your map, waiting for you to return. Keep slashing and smashing and you will emerge victorious.

The Reward

When you have slain your way through hordes of enemies and disposed of the Gehenoth Thriceborn, victory is yours; the following message will pop up:

Creatures and foes pressed around you but you emerged victorious. Weary, you seek Governor Cyril Vinticae to inform him Dawnstar is once again his. The Governor's thanks is terse, but his gold spends eloquently. You receive the eager gratitude of a citizenry freed from fear, and 3,000 gold. Congratulations! You have won! You can play a new game, or seeknew [sic] adventures in The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold, available now.

Once you click the 'ok' button, the game ends; you will never get the chance to enjoy your 3,000 gold reward.

Should you lose the battle, you will receive the following message:

Your valiant efforts were not enough to save Dawnstar. (Real traitor's name)'s forces proved overwhelming. You escape with you [sic] life, your honor, and little else. You may play a new game, or return to a saved game to try again