Tamriel Rebuilt:Sugary Business

Collapse or commandeer the skooma trade in Andothren. Quest Giver: Shei Location(s): Andothren, Bthuangthuv Prerequisite Quest: Thoricles' Bane Next Quest: Scandalous Letters (but see Notes) Reward: Nothing OR future profits from a skooma venture Disposition: -5 to +10 (Shei) Reputation Gain: +5 to +10 (Thieves Guild) ID: TR_m4_TG_Shei5; TR_m4_TG_Shei5B; TR_m4_TG_Shei5C; TR_m4_TG_Shei5D; TR_m4_TG_Shei5E; TR_m4_TG_Shei5F

The skooma laboratory within Andothren

Quick Walkthrough

1. Talk to Shei in Bthuangthuv about jobs and the illegal skooma trade.
2. Speak to Marug gro-Meridius, Rowdy Rilmas and Tattara for leads.
3. Either:
   1. Speak to the paupers in the Wharfside Guard Tower (req. 60+ disposition).
   2. Infiltrate the Tong hideout as a skooma addict (req. 20+ disposition, wearing nothing of value).
4. Or:
   1. Speak to either Pogonophilus Luctor (req. 50+ disposition) or the Bthuangthuv squatters (req. 75+ disposition).
   2. Convince Llaynu Maanil to provide information by either:
      • Promising to maintain the skooma trade.
      • Threatening her (Sway check - see Notes).
      • Convincing her to abandon the Camonna Tong while she can (Sway check - see Notes).
   3. Infiltrate the Tong hideout using the password.
5. Stop the Tong's skooma supply by one of the following methods:
   • Kill Jo'Kaar.
   • Kill the Tong members in the hideout and escort Jo'Kaar out.
   • Persuade Abarrys Tervayn or Paalvu Brenur to let Jo'Kaar leave (requires 80+ disposition).
6. (Optional) If alive, ask Jo'Kaar about take over the business and friends in the Elsweyr Mission.
7. Return to Shei (rewards +5 Thieves Guild Reputation for ending the Tong's supply, +10 for taking control of it).
8. (If you took over the business) Speak to Hidden-Paw Anjirra on her arrival.

Detailed Walkthrough

An Unsettling Missive

On reporting to Shei after the conclusion of Thoricles' Bane, she will mention that she has been promoted, and that a letter has arrived for your eyes only from the Mastermind of Blacklight, Endoroth. Reading Endoroth's Secret Orders reveals a command quite uncharacteristic of the Thieves Guild - an order to seek out Andothren's Camonna Tong boss and murder them. If you speak to Shei again, she will ask you to share the contents of the letter. If you do so, she'll express unease at the Guild's deviation from its core principles.

After this conversation, ask Shei about jobs to begin the next quest.

Leads on the Skooma Trade

Shei believes it is time to disrupt the illegal skooma trade. She asks you to find out where the Camonna Tong are getting their supply, and to shut it down. She'll suggest talking to the other Thieves Guild members in Bthuangthuv for leads. All three have different suggestions. Rowdy Rilmas will direct you to the squatters outside of Bthuangthuv, and those within the Wharfside Guard Tower. He'll also wholeheartedly recommend trying to take over the business of skooma dealing. Marug gro-Meridius will suggest finding the skooma 'cook' and removing them from the picture, but expresses distaste at the idea of the Thieves Guild taking over the drug business. Tattara will first request her cut of recent profits, demanding 350 gold or she walks. Refusal to pay will see her leave Bthuangthuv. If you give her the gold however, you can then ask her about your current mission. She'll suggest speaking to a corrupt clerk at the Port Authority, Pogonophilus Luctor, to get his intel on recent smuggling activity. While not averse to the idea of taking over the skooma trade, she'll note the near certainty of Camonna Tong retaliation.

Pogonophilus is on the top floor of the Port Authority building at the end of Andothren's piers. Asking him about the illegal skooma trade with 50 disposition will see him point you towards Llaynu Maanil, the publican of the Cat-Catchers' Cornerclub. You'll get the same pointer if opting to talk to the squatters outside Bthuangthuv, assuming you didn't chase them away in A Guild in Ruins.

The paupers in the Wharfside Guard Tower, on the waterfront, have a different lead, which they will reveal with 60+ disposition. Apparently the Camonna Tong have kidnapped a Khajiit alchemist named Jo'Kaar, and are keeping him in an underground hideout accessible via a grate by the waterline. They'll suggest posing as a skooma addict and asking for skooma. To succeed in this ploy, you'll need to have nothing of value equipped on your person, and ask the guard at the door for skooma with at least 20+ disposition.

This gives you one potential method of access, however you can alternatively try to gather a little more information at the Cat-Catchers' Cornerclub...

The Cat-Catchers' Cornerclub

The Cat-Catchers' Cornerclub lies a little way south of the Port Authority. The proprietor, Llaynu Maanil, will be immediately suspicious when you mention the illegal skooma trade, and will ask if you are a member of the Thieves Guild, noting rumors of their resurgence. Answer honestly, and she'll offer you information in exchange for a guarantee that you will take over the business and keep the skooma trade going even once the Camonna Tong have been knocked out of it. This conversation can go several ways.

Simply committing to maintain the skooma trade (whether lying or otherwise) is the simplest. Llaynu will then readily furnish you with the details you need. If you do not intend to maintain the trade and are honest about that fact, then Llaynu will state:

"I can't help you in your quest against the Camonna Tong, if I've got nothing to gain from it."

You have three options to respond to this. Choosing "I understand" will get you nowhere, so don't pick it. Instead, choose either "I'm going to put an end to skooma trade altogether." or "If you don't help me, there'll be trouble."

Both responses trigger a hidden check that measures your Speechcraft, Personality, Luck and Fatigue, and Llaynu's disposition. Higher values will result in a higher chance of successfully persuading Llaynu to tell you what she knows.

Regardless of how you convinced her, Llaynu will reveal the location of the skooma lab (the western wharf), and the password to get in - "Hai Resdaynia".

Infiltrating the Tong Lab

The entrance to the Wharfside Lab is on the waterline below the pawnbroker store where Three-Eyes has his base. Enter and speak to Paalvu Brenur. They'll challenge you for the password. If Llaynu has given you this, you'll be able to reply with "Hai Resdaynia". You can also enter via a trapdoor near the roof of the pawnbrokers, but expect to have to kill all the Camonna Tong members inside if you do so.

Inside the lab, you'll find the captive Khajiit, Jo'Kaar. To end the supply of Skooma, you can either kill him, kill the Tong thugs inside the lab and escort Jo'Karr out, or find a way to peacefully escort Jo'Kaar from the facility. If you choose a route involving bloodshed, simply return to Shei once done to complete the quest.

Note that if you have promised Llaynu Maanil a continued flow of skooma and no longer have a means of satisfying that promise, you will be forbidden future access to the Cat-Catcher's Club lounge floor.

Rescuing Jo'Kaar

A peaceful escort is possible via raising the disposition of either Abarrys Tervayn or Paalvu Brenur (both Tong members within the lab) to 80+ (likely through enchantments or hefty bribes), and then talking to them about the Jo'Kaar topic. They'll permit you to take the Khajiit with you. Speak to Jo'Karr about the go free topic, reassure him that everything will be fine, and then lead him out of the facility.

Once outside, speak to Jo'Kaar about take over the business then friends in the Elsweyr Mission if you've ambitions as a skooma trader, or the illegal skooma trade otherwise. He will depart either way, and you can return to Shei to finish the quest.

The Sugar Must Flow

If you asked Jo'Karr for help in taking over the business, he'll mention friends in the Elsweyr Mission. Ask about this topic and he'll promise to put you in touch with them. You can then return to Shei to report your success. A representative from the Mission will arrive after your next job. Questline related NPC will report a strange boat docked outside of Bthuangthuv's back entrance once this representative has arrived. Shei will ask you to investigate.

Once this has happened, you will find Hidden-Paw Anjirra with her boat moored east of Bthuangthuv. Ask her about the take over the business topic. She'll offer you five vials of skooma for 250 gold total. Accept, and you'll be able to sell these on to Llaynu Maanil at the Cat-Catchers' Cornerclub.

Anjirra will return after roughly a week has passed to offer the same transaction. This will occur ten times, after which Anjirra will announce the cessation of the arrangement.

Notes

• A Sway Check is a hidden check that runs against certain dialogue responses. It factors in your Personality, Speechcraft, Luck and Fatigue, along with the target's disposition, and will be more likely to succeed the higher those values are.
• The next quest in the line, Scandalous Letters, cannot be started until the three sidejobs Ain't Stabbed a Man Since (Rowdy Rilmas), Disarming the Tong (Tattara) and The Oldest Trick in the Book (Marug gro-Meridius) have been completed. Shei will prompt you to complete those jobs first, before giving you her next task.
• After this quest is complete, hostile Camonna Tong thugs will appear across the city, and will be armed with paralyzing blades if Disarming the Tong was not completed first.

Bugs

• Llaynu has dialogue under the beds topic allowing for the player to be barred from the cornerclub in the event that they break their word during this quest, but this is keyed to a journal entry that doesn't exist in the 23.10 release.

Quest Stages

The following Journal ID and Index codes can be used with the Journal console command to manually update the quest to a certain point.

Sugary Business (TR_m4_TG_Shei5)
Index	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		The Camonna Tong's most important source of income in Andothren is the illegal skooma trade. We should find a way to disrupt this business. Shei told me to speak with the other members of the guild.
15		I was told I should go to the Cat-Catchers' Cornerclub, a known skooma den, and speak with Llaynu Maanil, its publican.
50		I was told that the Camonna Tong have kidnapped an alchemist, named Jo'Kaar, who's refining moon sugar into skooma for them. They keep him in a hideout in the western wharf. The hideout can be accessed through a grate by the waterline.
75		Llaynu Maanil told me that the Camonna Tong have kidnapped an alchemist, named Jo'Kaar, who refines skooma for them. They keep him in a hideout in the western wharf. The hideout can be accessed through a grate by the waterline. Maanil also told me the password I need to know in order to get in.
100		After I told her the password, the Camonna Tong thug let me into the wharfside hideout.
125		I said that I was in the Camonna Tong hideout to buy skooma. I can now safely approach Jo'Kaar now.
150		I was given permission to speak with Jo'Kaar.
175		I was told that I could take Jo'Kaar with me.
200		I convinced Jo'Kaar to follow me.
210		I told Jo'Kaar to keep calm and follow me.
250		Jo'Kaar thanked me for helping him go free. This should be enough to disrupt the illegal skooma trade in Andothren.
270		Jo'Kaar thanked me for helping him go free. He says that he has friends in the Elsweyr Mission who can provide us with skooma. Jo'Kaar promised that they'd be in contact. This should be enough to disrupt the Camonna Tong's illegal skooma trade and take over the business altogether.
280		Jo'Kaar is dead. This should be enough to disrupt the illegal skooma trade in Andothren.
300	Finishes quest	Though I had successfully disrupted the illegal skooma trade, Shei wasn't too happy that blood had been spilled. She also warned me to be careful when I'm in Andothren, because the Camonna Tong will most likely want revenge.
325	Finishes quest	Shei congratulated me for successfully disrupting the Camonna Tong's illegal skooma trade. She did warn me to be careful when I'm in Andothren, because the Camonna Tong will most likely want revenge.
350	Finishes quest	Shei congratulated me for successfully disrupting our enemies' illegal skooma trade. She was also happy to hear that the Thieves Guild can take over the business when Jo'Kaar's friends contact us. She did warn me to be careful when I'm in Andothren, because the Camonna Tong will most likely want revenge.
Sugary Business (TR_m4_TG_Shei5B)
10		Tattara says that I should speak with Pogonophilus Luctor at the port authority building. If I persuade him, he might share information about the illegal skooma trade.
Sugary Business (TR_m4_TG_Shei5C)
10		Rowdy Rilmas suggested that I talk with the local skooma users to learn more about the illegal skooma trade in Andothren. He also thinks this might be a good moment to take over the business.
Sugary Business (TR_m4_TG_Shei5D)
10		Marug gro-Meridius thinks that the key to disrupting the illegal skooma trade in Andothren is to find the Tong's skooma 'cook' and take them out of the picture.
Sugary Business (TR_m4_TG_Shei5E)
10		Llaynu Maanil refused to help me put an end to the illegal skooma trade. I need to think of something else.
25		Begrudgingly, Llaynu Maanil agreed to give me information that will help me disrupt the illegal skooma trade.
50		After I told Llaynu Maanil I'd keep supplying her with skooma, she gave me information that will help me disrupt the illegal skooma trade.
Sugary Business (TR_m4_TG_Shei5F)
1		I was told that a strange boat has docked by the back entrance of Bthuangthuv.
5		Hidden-Paw Anjirra greeted me. She says she represents our new friends in the Elsweyr Mission.
20	Finishes quest	I paid 250 gold to Hidden-Paw Anjirra and she gave me 5 vials of skooma to sell to whomever I wish. Anjirra said that she'll be back later with more skooma.
50	Finishes quest	Hidden-Paw Anjirra says that she will deliver no more skooma for me.

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Up: Thieves Guild Quests

Next: Scandalous Letters