Fear and Loathing in Vvardenfell

On the Search for [REDACTED]

"Balmora is the district seat of House Hlaalu, and the largest settlement on Vvardenfell after Vivec City. Balmora's four districts are High Town, the Commercial District, Labor Town, and Fort Moonmoth. High Town, on the hill to the west, has the Tribunal Temple, Hlaalu Council Hall, rich manors, better shops, and the Morag Tong guildhall. The Commercial District, just west of the river, is centered on the large plaza north of South Gate, with the strider port along the south wall, east of South Gate. The Fighter Guild and Mages Guild, and most of Balmora's shops and inns, are located along the streets of the Commercial District. Labor Town, east of the river, where the commoners and poor live, has several modest cornerclubs and a few merchants. Fort Moonmoth, a long walk southeast of town, houses the Legion garrison and the Imperial cult."

-Excerpt from Guide to Balmora

I walked through the main gate of Balmora to be greeted by an Argonian. Was this the Argonian I was after?

Her name was Sul and she asked me if I needed any directions, mostly because it was obvious I had no clue where I was going. I was a foreigner and had it written all over me.

"Yes, thank you. I'm looking for an Argonian actually. He might've arrived here weeks ago from Seyda Neen. Have you seen him?"

"Hmm," Sul thought. "Perhaps me have seen him." She looked thoughtful. "Another fellow Argonian here in Balmora, new Argonian, but me never speak to him. He wanders here and there, always moving, always mumbling, always doing something. Never still. Maybe you check shops and guilds? Perhaps bars, too. Perhaps he drunkard."

"Thanks." She walked away and I took in the town.

Balmora is a town of halfs. The Odai River flowing south splits the town with the business district on the west side of the river and the residential side to the east. The split doesn't end there though. As I stood in the southwestern business district of Balmora, I saw tall, fancy buildings rising to the northeast: another split in the town, this one a socioeconomic split. The Lord and Power Players of Balmora in the High Town to the east, with the lowly peasants, beggars, and bums in the residential, and flat, portion of the city in the east.

Balmora also has a faint north/south slip as well in regards to the quality of the shops. The fancier stores all reside on the high ground that slopes gently to the north, as if the elevation of everything in Balmora determines how important it is; segregation based upon height. An expensive alchemist shop along the hill to the north along with a clothier and a jeweler. And on the lower ground to the south? Shitty shops for the Regular People. Food, books, guilds, traders, an armorer, and a clothier. And this was where I was. Time to get to work, only I had no idea where to go.

The only real plan I had was to ask around in shops and bars; this Argonian had to show up somewhere, especially if he was an adventurer like I assumed he was. Nobody is sent all the way from Cyrodiil on the Emperor's Own Orders to hole up in a fancy foreign home and exist. Something was happening, and something always involved the occasional trip to the store.

The first shop I came across was near the main gate, Ra'virr's Daedric Weapons, owned and operated by (obviously) Ra'virr, a Khajiit. Despite the name, Ra'viir's Daedric Weapons was your typical trader shop with the typical trader wares: he didn't specialize in Daedric weapons as far as I could tell. I politely declined his insistence to check out his 'magnificent Daedric weapons'; there was no way I could afford anything Daedric. Apparently this wasn't an issue because his Daedric weapons were very cheap for some reason. Upon closer inspection I discovered they weren't real Daedric weapons at all, only enchanted typical weapons that only conjured Daedric weapons with magic for use. Close enough, I suppose, but I still didn't need a conjured Daedric weapon even if my dagger didn't do much to fend off the cliffracers earlier.