Oblivion talk:Zero Visibility

Skingrad Quest

The Zero Visibility quest is listed under Skingrad Quests, but has no connection with Skingrad... — Unsigned comment by 69.105.117.169 (talk)

Good point ;) I've fixed it now, so it's correctly listed as a miscellaneous quest. Thanks for pointing that out! --Nephele 02:54, 28 January 2007 (EST)

Garden Patch

"The garden patch works well." For those of us who don't use any patches, that sentence is meaningless, and probably misplaced, or something. How do we fix that? Somercy 12:38, 16 February 2007 (EST)

I reworded it... I don't think it has anything to do with software patches or mods, rather just trying to saying that the best place to cast the spell is when standing in the middle of the large garden/farmplot that is in the centre of town. --Nephele 13:23, 16 February 2007 (EST)

It was a reference to a garden in town. The town is tiny, so the center of it is obvious - it isn't necessary to direct people to the garden since a few steps away you're at the edge of the village! Deleted it because it served no purpose and broke up the flow of the walkthrough. --Edwin Herdman 05:22, 24 March 2007 (EDT)

I don't think it matters where you read the scroll as long as you are near the cluster of buildings that make up the village. I typically read it inside the inn, and even the sheep in the pen on the far side of the garden plot are rendered visible. It's not necessary to find the geographical centre of the place. Simply launching the spell near the map marker is sufficient to successfully complete the quest. Phelaran 22:23, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Rewrite notes

There were tons of things changed in my rewrite of the article; all for the better, I think. I will happily point them out but there are literally so many that it would take longer than even this next section. Here's the important stuff - what I remain uncertain about:

• The actual quest starts when you talk to the innkeeper, but when I played the quest back around the game's release I got it started by talking to somebody in a nearby town, probably another innkeeper. The current entry for quest giver certainly works.
• The interior of the fort. I have never needed to enter it to finish this quest, and I have never found people inside, only leveled Daedra. The article previously mentioned two people, "a sorcerer and a conjurer," as being found in the fort interior. I imagine one of them is Ancotar, and the other doesn't exist. However, I would probably be wrong to assume since it seems the previous author apparently had to go inside.
• Disposition of 71 to get the ring from Ancotar (or just to talk? I assume it is to get the ring, as that's what the old version said). In my experience it isn't that hard to get Ancotar to like you; if you're in the Mages Guild it's pretty much guaranteed. I am keeping this from the original article - don't know where the figure came from, but even if it's an approximation it seems right.
• I know the bit about talking twice to Ancotar looks strange, so let me explain: If you enter the area and he sees you, he should say the line about you being a salesman. Then when you enter conversation with him he will have yet another dismissive line. The second time you talk with him it will be as normal. When I found him in a side room where he hadn't seem me jumping around the fort earlier, he had a different line and when I entered conversation his first, dismissive line was the salesman one. Alright, I'm obsessing over nothing here. Perhaps he picks one of two lines at random and says it when he first sees you.

Things worth noting:

• The ring shouldn't actually be necessary. The stats drain should be fixable at a chapel, and for me it always took 50 points off my luck. It was also quite rare that it happened.
• Your Woodland Grace power (from the Boots of the Crusader) doesn't work on the invisible wildlife. I thought about adding this to their entries on the page, but I suppose there are tons of other animals they don't work on. Still, it's amusing that their behavior is "changed" compared to that of the "regular" animals (I guess the animals were going crazy, and maybe a bit hungry, from not being able to see each other). Of course, this is probably just a minor oversight as the Boots only affect certain classes of critter, although the changed behavior doesn't seem a bad thing.
• I don't really like the current screenshot. It might lead people to think this is a haunting quest, which it isn't. Hard to see things, too. I might grab one of the Orc gardening, as the garden tool floating in air is pretty funny. Cheerier, too, in keeping with this quest.
• Two spaces after a period don't do anything on this Wiki. ...also see lots of people writing their commas and periods outside closing quotes, agh :) --Edwin Herdman 05:22, 24 March 2007 (EDT)

Nice work on the page rewrite! It's a page that's bugged me a few times when I've had to make minor changes, zo it's good to see someone take the time clean it up. About some of your notes:

• The interior of the fort contains three "LL2ConjurerLair" leveled creatures. That means each of those three has a 50% chance of being a conjurer and a 50% chance of being a daedra. So sometimes you'll find only daedra; other people could find multiple conjurers. But those conjurers (and the daedra) are not really related to Ancotar's quest.
• Ancotar always starts with two dismissive "Go Away!" lines
• If you are in the Mages Guild or have Illusion skill greater than 50, Ancotar considers you to be a fellow mage. In that case, he gives you the long "shop talk" spiel about what he's been up to (other characters are spared about five lines of dialogue). Also, fellow mages are automatically told about the ring; if you're not Mages Guild or Illusion is 50 or less then you have to get his disposition above 70 (i.e., at least to 71).
• The spell that gets cast if you're not wearing the ring is always Damage Luck 50 pts. I don't see anything suggesting that the damage spell would only be cast rarely; it appears to always be cast without the ring. Is there any chance you had reflect spell, spell absorption, or other types of effect active while you were testing it? And for evil characters, curing a 50 point damage luck effect could be a bit trickier than just stopping at a chapel ;)
• You're right, the Woodland Grace would have no effect on Ancotar's invisible beasties. That ability makes you part of the "NDPredators" faction. The only beasts in that faction are the standard Wolf, standard Black Bear, standard Brown Bear, standard Boar, standard Timber Wolf, and standard Mountain Lion (i.e., on the Animals page the varieties listed as standard). The fact that it only works on the standard varieties probably should be mentioned on the KotN page... so it won't work on Spriggan bears, Arena animals, or this quest's invisible animals.
• Two spaces after a period is one of my quirks, which has been hammered into me ruthlessly by a few copy editors. Feel free to change it if you notice it, but don't expect me to fix that habit any time ;)

If you want to incorporate some of the useful bits of info here into the article, that would be great. --Nephele 14:46, 24 March 2007 (EDT)

Thank you for all the great notes! I did realize what's happening with Woodland Grace (it's covered extensively here elsewhere, but your recap nails it), and since it happens with so many other creatures I figured it might not need to be covered. It might catch some adventurers unaware, however.

On the luck note, that's exactly what was likely happening; the effect only showed up now and then. I guess that means that spell absorption works in percentages - I haven't really bothered myself looking into that, but should have.

On Ancotar's "go away" quotes, I was just wondering if he always does them in the same order. Not a high-priority issue, to be sure, but as I said, obsessiveness...

I'll go ahead and incorporate the rest of that into the article.

On the periods thing, well, there is a reason to keep it as-is, because it makes the edit pages more readable (slightly easier to spot the beginning and end of sentences). I decided after editing the Enchanting page to leave that issue alone for that reason, and the fact that there are so many instances where it can happen. --Edwin Herdman 16:43, 24 March 2007 (EDT)

Taking a couple of issues here:

The interior of the fort. I have never needed to enter it to finish this quest, and I have never found people inside, only leveled Daedra. The article previously mentioned two people, "a sorcerer and a conjurer," as being found in the fort interior. I imagine one of them is Ancotar, and the other doesn't exist. However, I would probably be wrong to assume since it seems the previous author apparently had to go inside.

I think you and Nephele and your unnamed correspondent are confusing each other (and the rest of us) with terminology. One or more of you is referring to the dungeon levels of Fort Caractacus, which are certainly not part of this quest. That might be where you are finding "leveled Daedra", but unless rats, bears and wolves are now considered "leveled Daedra", there are no such creatures in the fort itself. Likewise, Ancotar is never found outside the keep (that is, he will not be found wandering around the ruined outer walls of the fort, he will only be found within the main structure). He is not found in the dungeon levels beneath the fort. I have played this numerous times, and at no point did Ancotar ever become hostile or attack. If anything, this is one of the easiest quests in the game, because combat is only necessary if you are attacked by rats, bears or wolves. If you choose to enter the dungeon beneath the fort, that's your possible funeral, as it isn't part of "Zero Visibility".

The ring shouldn't actually be necessary. The stats drain should be fixable at a chapel, and for me it always took 50 points off my luck. It was also quite rare that it happened.

The ring prevents you from losing 50 luck, which you will lose if you read the scroll without obtaining/wearing the ring. Other than for this one quest, the ring is worthless, as it has no power beyond the quest and has no resale value. Yes, the Luck damage can be repaired at an altar, but 50 Luck is nearly all most people have, and the damage (until you repair it) means that you are going to perform badly at every activity in the game, as every calculation in the game uses Luck as a factor.

Another note of interest: Ancotar does not spawn until the quest is triggered. Thus there is no one to witness or prevent your theft of his complete set of (flagged) Novice level alchemy equipment if you take it before obtaining the quest. Phelaran 22:09, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Sister Hate

Does anyone have a clue why the sisters of the innkeeper at Aleswell absolutely hate every single character I've ever played the game with? Their disposition starts off low and gets worse as I continue playing. Is there anything in their Construction Set profile that would hint at this?

The sisters are a member of a faction (this one) that has a -30 relationship to the player. That means you've got to charm them quite a bit before they stop disliking you. If it's any consolation, they hate the other Aleswell residents nearly as much! --Rpeh^Talk 18:00, 26 September 2007 (EDT)

Yikes! I can't wait to see what they do when I turn into a vampire and start racking up infamy. I thought it might have something to do with completing the quest in Aleswell - like the character who hates you more and more the higher your MG ranks gets. Thanks for letting me know.

References to Lit

I have read the book in question, though it's been a while, and there is indeed a section that deals with a wizard having turned a bunch of people invisible. They are actually called Duffers, and are dwarves of some kind, but beyond that, the similarities are really superficial. In the book it is revealed that they turned themselves invisible to hide what they thought was their ugliness. The line in the article should probably be removed unless anyone else can remember something I'm forgetting. --Mike | Contrib 03:03, 29 February 2008 (EST)

I'm removing it. The similarities seem coincidental rather than intentional so it shouldn't be on the article. –Rpeh^{•T•C•E•} 13:20, 16 March 2008 (EDT)

Ancotar disappeared...

I went to the fort and I heard him yelling at me, and then he was fighting a mountain lion. The game said he was unconscious, and I killed the lion when it turned on me. Then it said it again, and I saw a green cloud and what I saw as an invisible body falling to the ground and the game again said he was unconscious and again I killed a mountain lion where I saw it attacking. But he's nowhere to be found now, the markers lead nowhere and a detect life scroll didn't reveal anything at all. The marker says he at the fort and its green but he is not. I've had this problem on PC and 360. What gives? 68.205.103.233 16:50, 7 July 2008 (EDT)

You're sure the markers lead nowhere? They aren't pointing to somewhere over your head/under you?--Xyntfos 20:21, 7 July 2008 (EDT)

I looked hard with the detect life and found him. I never knew that he was invisible...dunno how that detail never came to me. Nevermind then. 68.205.103.233 00:45, 12 July 2008 (EDT)

Acquiring Damage Attribute as a spell effect

No one has mentioned whether the Damage Luck that you get from not wearing the ring will add Damage Attribute to the list of effects you can use at the Altar, so I am reverting to an earlier save, before the quest, to test this. Luckily I am almost finished with the Recommendations (Dispel to cast on J'skar, staff in hand to give to Ardaline). Anarchangel 19:51, 22 December 2009 (UTC)

No, Damage Attribute can only be attained as an effect through potions. It doesn't even appear in your active effects list in your journal. The only way to attain this effect is using the console or the CS for the spell making altar. --^MC• S'drassa ^•T2M 19:54, 22 December 2009 (UTC)

I did not expect a reply so soon. Thank you. Since I did not expect one, I went ahead and tested the quest, got unlucky, restored, went to the spellmaking altar, and can confirm that the effect is not acquired. It is, I guess, a special script that reduces the character's luck. I still was not convinced, and was determined to wait until a higher level of Restoration, because some effects I have had cast on me, such as Bound Cuirass, are not available at the spell altar although I have had the spell cast on me at standing Stones. I surmise, rightly or wrongly, that the character must be capable (high enough level in the art) to cast such a spell themselves, to obtain the effect?

Anyway, now that I see your reply, I will save myself what would only be a small waste of time, but still a waste, and not reload my game. Oh, and, as you may have guessed, I cannot use the console due to running Vista OS. Something deep inside me is doubtless broken and needs therapy due to Vista, but I do not even flinch anymore when I find a new deficiency with it :o) I shall have to look into the Construction Set should the time come when I absolutely cannot stand not being able to root things to the ground so I can end them in more creative ways, but so far these things are but a whim, and besides, there is always Absorb Attribute and poison. Anarchangel 18:34, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

Yep, you need to be able to cast a spell in order to create a custom spell (I remember reading somewhere that you can fortify your skill to create a spell even if you're not able to cast it, but I tried and it didn't work). Oh, and the reason damage attribute can't be attained for the spell making altar is because for all the magical effects, you need to have a spell with that effect or have it implemented as an ability (not enchantments, like the rune stones). --^MC• S'drassa ^•T2M 18:42, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

Strength Drain?

I completed the quest, but when I cast the scroll in the middle of the town, my strength went way down and I can only carry 400 as opposed to 420 which it was before. Is there anything I can do about this? — Unsigned comment by 99.149.125.26 (talk) on 23 February 2010

This was probably got nothing to do with this quest, since the scroll affects your Luck attribute, not your Strength. In any case, drinking a Restore Strength potion or visiting an altar should solve the problem. --SerCenKing ^Talk 21:32, 23 February 2010 (UTC)

Problems with the quest

In my other save file, whenever I complete this quest, or go ANYWHERE near Aleswell, my game crashes. When I completed the quest with Anactor as a companion (due to a mod) it crashed if I tried to save. How do I fix This? 24.150.26.11 01:04, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

If uninstalling the mod didn't work, there's probably very little that you can do other than going back to an earlier save and trying again. Sometimes saved games just get corrupted and cause problems like this, though it's especially likely if you're installing and uninstalling mods frequently. ‒ Robin Hood↝Talk 22:15, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

Fort Caractacus - Interior...rewrite?

As this section presently stands:

You should wait at the fort exterior for Ancotar. If you are impatient (or wish to grab a bit of low level loot and pick some locks), you may venture inside the fort itself, but this is risky; Ancotar may turn hostile and try to kill you. Inside are leveled Daedra. If Ancotar is inside, ignore his shouts telling you to go away, and find him. Use caution when dealing with the monsters or you could accidentally kill the sorcerer that you are seeking. You should be approached by an invisible mage and discuss the problem of the invisible townsfolk of Aleswell.

But having done the Zero Visibility quest countless times, this section makes no sense to me. It refers to the levelled conjurers/daedra that are in the fortress dungeon, but that is not related to this quest at all. Also, Ancotar will never venture into that dungeon, and unless I have attacked him (accidentally or otherwise) then he has never gone hostile on me while I've been wandering around the fort to find him and/or pinch his alchemy set and other random goodies lying around. Unless I'm misreading this section or missing something obvious, it appears to be filled with lots of information that is either incorrect or irrelevant. -- Dalimyr^{(T ≈ C)} 16:13, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

I agree - it's irrelevant to the quest. I've deleted it totally for now because what's left is detailed enough to complete the quest. rpeh •T•C•E• 14:40, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

Glitched Chest?

"The "free room" at the Aleswell Inn is actually a free house. The chest is safe. However, leaving certain items in the chest (e.g. 3 pairs of Doeskin Shoes) may cause the game to crash."

For now, I'm just going to rewrite this note a bit to clarify the room's usefulness. But what about the chest that is "safe"? Has anyone else actually experienced a problem with the container? And are there any determining factors in a potential crash? The example lists "3 pairs of Doeskin Shoes", but this just sounds like a specific, isolated example of what one player did. I agree that if there really is an escalated chance of a crash, it should be included on the article, I was just wondering if this was really a reliable notation. I also think that the repercussions of failing the quest should actually be describes in the body of the article,as at present the only account of them is in the journal updates. Facebag 19:28, 3 June 2010 (UTC)

problem with the quest

For some reason i cant finish this quest. I stand in the garden but it just says i'm not in aleswell what the f is wrong? — Unsigned comment by DarthMikael (talk • contribs) on July 4 2010

Try fast travelling to Aleswell (even though you're already there), go to the garden and try casting the spell again. Otherwise, if you are on the PC, you can use the console to advance the quest. Vesna 17:50, 11 July 2010 (UTC)

Possible Bug

taken from the article:

• If somehow Diram dies before you talk to him after reading the scroll the quest cannot be completed. This can happen if you attack someone in Aleswell before speaking to Ancotar. He may come out to attack you and get killed by A: A guard who is sometimes nearby or B: One of the invisible animals near Ancotar's fort. His death will not be marked in your journal and since you cannot talk to him the quest is left incomplete.

This is somewhat blurry and sounds a bit weird to me. Diram is essential until the quest is completed and can't be killed. If it is somehow possible to kill him somewhere during the last quest stages, this would be useful information, but right now it sounds a bit unlikely. Also, if the bug is confirmed, it should go on the quest page and not the NPC page. --Krusty 08:53, 10 July 2010 (UTC)

I found him dead, along with several other citizens, immediately inside the fort. This was presumedly done by a roaming minotaur that was inside the city. I found them there after having cast the spell.

Can't Find Ancotar

I picked up the Zero Visibility quest at the Roxy Inn or something similar and then made my way toward Aleswell. I get curious however and on my way there I saw Fort Caracatus, at the time not knowing it was even connected in any way to the Zero Visibility quest. I went up the tower into the little rooms and stole the alchemy equipment off of his table and didn't get caught and read all four books on his little table in the corner (one being Ancotar's journal where he briefly mentions his invisibility experiments) - still, at the time not knowing any of this was connected to the quest. Then I went all through the interior of the Fort itself, killing and looting everything available.

Then, I went to Aleswell itself and found out the people there weer invisible and thusly continuing the quest. So, I made my way back down to the Fort to try and find him about midday and I heard him yelling his remarks of 'not wanting whatever I'm selling' and so on. I couldn't find him in either of the two rooms and the green arrow (playing this game on the xbox 360 btw) was in one of the little rooms - I know he is invisible but he was not in that room.

So after about 5 minutes of searching all over the exterior of this Fort, towards and away from the green arrow, I figured I'd sleep (in the game) for an hour because I was due to level up not thinking this would hurt anything. But when I woke up, he wasn't yelling anymore and the green arrow was STILL in the little room. The only invisible animals that I killed as well was a single invisible wolf but that was upon my 1st visit to the fort before I continued with the quest.

I ate some rat meat for its detect life ability but didn't find squat.

I'm beginning to hate this game because it is the third time I began a new storyline just so that I could actually complete each quest without something stupid like this happening where I can't finish a quest - which is extremely frustrating. It makes me not want to play this game ever again in my life and not even be associated with Bethesda AT ALL. Frak them - excuse me.

I'm just frustrated....I've spent a couple of hours now trying to find him - still, and still nothing. This is bullshat they shouldn't sell games that aren't properly working, meaning no glitches!

71.206.209.52 04:09, 22 August 2010 (UTC) (or whatever that is)

Bre

If you eat Rat Meat you get a Damage Fatigue effect, not Detect Life. The only ingredient you can eat to gain the effect is S'jirra's Famous Potato Bread. You'll have to make a potion or cast a spell then try again. The game does indeed have many glitches, but this is not one of them. rpeh •T•C•E• 09:28, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

Is This A Glitch In The Quest?

Greetings! Okay, my current character was running from Skingrad to the "Roxey Inn" to get some training from Pranal. She stopped while in Aleswell to talk to an Imperial Legion ______ that rides horses. But that person arrested my character and sent her to the jail dungeon in Bruma, to be in the same cell with uh, Jordner? Jundar? That quest-related guy! But anyway, after sleeping to serve the time, when my character spawned outside in the courtyard, the male innkeeper spawned there too! Not the usual way to get the quest for Aleswell, granted, but I talked to him anyway to get the quest. Eventualy my girl makes it to Pranl for the training and completes that quest. However, the innkeeper that he's he sweet on doesn't have the dialogue option to start her quest, albeit when you stop talking with her, she gets upset about you not staying there to help her. Unable to get her quest, I run my girl back to Aleswell. I have her standing exactly on the spot that the map tells me to, and the spell, with ring equipped, has failed three different times now! So I came here to see if there might be any help with that. But from what I've seen thus far, I may just cast the spell while inside the inn itself next time. Now having written all of that, my question is, is it a normal, non-glitch, option to encounter the Invisible Elf in that manner? Or should I reload from an earlier save and try again? (Oops! I don't have an earlier save!) Leo Star Dragon 1. Leo Star Dragon 1 06:29, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

Diram as Quest Giver

The quest page tells that Diram Serethi is the quest giver, but who wrote it forgot to add that you can even get this quest from Malene at Roxey Inn (actually, it's easier to get it from her than from Diram, because Roxey Inn is nearer to the sewer where you begin the game) the first time you ask her about rumors. — Unsigned comment by 82.53.43.243 (talk) on 29 October 2011

Indeed, that is correct. I've tweaked the page accordingly. --SerCenKing ^Talk 21:46, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

Missing books

I have done as said on the walkthrough, and went to go looking for the 2 skill books, but there's nothing in the room apart from 2 tables, a chair, a bed sack and 2 torn sacks of grain. No books to be found. Possible glitch? — Unsigned comment by 86.26.213.94 (talk)

No, you're looking in the wrong part of the fort. The books are in the same area as the alchemy equipment. --Gaebrial 09:05, 22 December 2011 (UTC)

Spell Glitch

I did everything that I was supposed to do during the Zero Visibility quest and I am at the point where I am supposed to put on the ring and read the scroll in the middle of town. Well I put the ring on and for some reason, when I go to the scroll, I'm not given the option to read it. I only have drop (which I cant do because it is a quest item), hot key, and that's it. Why cant I cast the spell? I did go into the inn to talk to the innkeeper before trying to read the spell. Is that what is wrong — Unsigned comment by 184.14.204.141 (talk) at 04:19 on 18 May 2012

'Tis been a while so I may be wrong, but isn't it a spell scroll, so you cast it rather than read it. The Silencer has spoken^Talk 03:26, 18 May 2012 (UTC)

Well I have no option to do anything as of right now except drop and hot key. I have tried putting it on hot key and trying to use it that way, but nothing happens.— Unsigned comment by 184.14.204.141 (talk) at 04:32 on 18 May 2012

Another option might be to drop it and try to get a second one from Ancotar, I have no idea if that will work so save before you drop it. Unless you talked to Diram the quest should still be ok, so hopefully you have a save not too far back to try again. The Silencer has spoken^Talk 03:40, 18 May 2012 (UTC)

removing damage luck?

Hi, I'm playing Oblivion on PC. I did the quest and forgot to use the ring, so I've been walking around with 11 luck for a while now- I've tried going to the temple, drinking a restore luck potion, drinking a cure disease potion, using an Ayleid well... but I can't get my luck to restore for whatever reason. Is there another way to get my luck back? If not, is there a way to remove the effect using console commands? Thanks in advance. 174.49.3.87 00:42, 17 June 2017 (UTC)