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Event Build: The Hlaalu Noble

Tags: #Karver Builds  #Game:OB  #Type:Build  #Specialization:Stealth  #Event:CFactions  #Hlaalu for the win  #Like it you filthy n´wah! 
  • October 1, 2015

    Truth to be told, I´ve never played a merchant type character in Oblivion and what faction is a better choice than House Hlaalu? Shrewd merchants for whom the business is always top priority and yet they don´t always play fair. I won´t rant anymore so we can get down to business.

     

    The Hlaalu Noble

    Dearest Venhen,

    I hope you´re not seeing this jorney as a punishment but as a lesson – though I advocated for a punishment. You surely realize that this time your actions -  and your Camona Tong friends’ actions - were too much. There is a value in reputation and you certainly tainted yours, so be glad the Council is giving you this second chance.

    This should be an easy task but be careful not to tarnish House Hlaalu´s reputation. The only thing the Council asks of you is to buy a share of shops in Cyrodiil. Just don´t underestimate the Imperials, they are clever and shrewd businessmen and that´s why we trade with them. I´m sure you’ll manage somehow, you´re clever enough. And Venhen? Don´t screw this up. Even though you´re my nephew, I can´t protect you forever.

        With Love,

            Nevena Ules

     

    Race: Dunmer

    Birthsign: Thief

    Skills: Speechcraft, Mercantile, Blade, Light Armor, Athletics, Sneak, Security

    Specialization: Stealth

    Primary Attributes: Speechcraft, Agility

    Secondary Attributes: Speed, Endurance

    Equipment: Leather Boots, Leather Greaves, Leather Bracers, Dark Tunic, Black Hood, Chillrend

    Quests: Thieves Guild, Cities Quests

     

    Skills

     

    Speechcraft, Mercantile: Most prized skills of House Hlaalu are their trading abilities. The profit is what interests them the most. They have silver-tongues, and are able to befriend almost everyone. Their knack for business is rivalled only by the Imperials.

    Raising Speechcraft is quite easy, just talk to everyone you see as a potential ally and make them like you. Mercantile is much harder to level, because everytime you sell something you will gain 0.4 points of skill, and it doesn´t matter if you sell only 1 arrow or 100. So it is better to sell your stuff one by one, but that is quite boring. A much better option is to spend your gold on Training. Reaching 75 Mercantile as soon as possible is very important here.

    Blade, Light Armor: House Hlaalu are traders foremost, but they still come from an inhospitable land where danger awaits at every corner. They have to protect their caravans and themselves too. While this young noble will avoid combat in most situtations, sometimes there is no option other than to fight.

    Athletics: While this character´s main attribute isn´t speed, the Dunmer get a nice +10 bonus to it and combined with Athletics you´ll be able to outrun most of your enemies easily.

    Sneak, Security: The Hlaalu is known to use unfair tactics to take advantage of their rivals in trade, stealing incriminating documents and other things that could be used to persuade their rivals more easily to sell what they don´t want to sell.

     

    Not Fair-Play

    Because I have never played a merchant type character, I wanted to know how entertaining it can be and I was surprised by it. I really enjoyed it. The Hlaalu are known for their greed and I really tried to emphasize it in this build.

    The beginning is hard for everyone, especially when you have no capital. So what do you do? Well, stealing can earn you easy money. So having the Thieves Guild as allies is a nobrainer. You´ll have access to fences who will "take away any suspicious goods" and sell you lockpicks. Plus you´ll earn some gold during the questline.

    Have you ever tried to risk your money in the Arena? Well I tried to really incorporate this into my playthrough and it was fun. Going to the Arena everyday and betting a few hundred gold is a great pastime for young noble. Which noble doesn´t like to bet?

    As for raising capital, doing an excavation in Ayleid ruins might be dangerous, but profitable too. Welkynd and Varla Stones can be sold for a fortune, and there is a rumor that a certain Collector is looking for weird Ayleid statues and pays a lot for them.

    When my Mercantile reached 50 I started to fool some merchants I didn´t like. Thoronir for example. I bought myself some expensive Alchemy apparatus and started mixing things together, persuading various merchants that these potions are in fact very rare and expensive elixirs made from Morrowind ingredients. And they really bought it. Fools!

    My last goal was to reach 75 Mercantile, which is best obtained through training. Why 75 Skill you ask? Well, it gives you the option to invest 500 hundred gold into some shop. From gameplaying point it gives merchants more gold so you can sell more expensive stuff, but from roleplaying point, this was my ultimate goal. I was looking at this investment as buying a share of the certain shop for House Hlaalu, so I actually invested in almost every shop in Cyrodiil. Just don´t forget to steal everything valuable from the shop first, sell it to the Thieves Guild and then offer to invest some gold in the merchant’s store for a share in future profit.

    My end game was living like a rich man. I bought a house in Cheydinhal and began collecting rare items from other merchants – you know, those really expensive items they have in stock – and displaying them in my house just to show any visitor I can afford that.

     

    Aggressive Negotiation

    You can´t always talk your way out of trouble and the Hlaalu knows that very well. While the House doesn´t have a standing army, they have plenty of paid guards and mercenaries and even members of the House are expected to know how to defend themselves, most of the time with a bow and short blades while clad in light armor.

    This young noble surely knows how to defend himself with a short sword and daggers. Chillrend is one of the most powerful weapons in the game so it´s strong enchantment should prove to your opponents that they made a bad choice in attacking you.

    While Speed is not one of your main Attributes, you´ll be able to raise it rather quickly to gain an advantage in combat by being able to move incredibly fast. Dodging enemies’ attacks and closing in again in a mere blink of an eye will soon become your bread and butter.

    But remember that open combat is not the first choice of the Hlaalu. It is always better to stay out of harm’s way, stay hidden and dispose of your enemies silently. While the Hlaalu are not assassins per say, they have a few skilled individuals skilled in "cloak and dagger" so why not be one of them? Sneak up on your enemies and kill them quitely everytime you can, but if you have an option to avoid them or get around them without getting noticed, use this option.

    Also, to gain advantage over your enemies, magic isn´t a bad option. I´m not talking about using spells, but Scrolls. Oblivion does a pretty good job with providing you with lots of these. They are set as random loot so you can find them pretty much anywhere, but various magic shops have them in their inventory. For example, the Mystic Emporium in the Imperial City and Warlock´s Luck in Bravil are ones where you can always find useful scrolls. Scrolls with magic Damage, Absorb Health, Shield and Summon spells are the most useful for you. Also, every book store in Cyrodiil has one Special Scroll with very powerful effects. They are really worth the money, especially when you get in tough situation.

     


    Closing Words

    I would like to thank Kael´than for checking my grammar again. This build doesn´t really introduce anything special, only an interesting way how to play the game. How many of you have played a merchant type character in Oblivion? Not many I guess and it was the same with me. But now I know how it feels like and I have to admit, it is quite fun. 



     

  • Member
    October 1, 2015

    I think you may have forgotten the Event Build: part of the title. 

  • October 1, 2015

    You saw nothing. Your comment will be deleted shortly to destroy any evidence... 

  • Member
    October 1, 2015

    You may delete this one, but when you do two more shall rise to take it's place 

  • October 1, 2015

    Yeah, thank you for saying: "OMG, this build is awesome, Karver! Now I can die."

  • Member
    October 1, 2015

    Well now I definitely wont be 

    But it is a nice build, I really like the letter at the top 

  • October 1, 2015

    Thanks. I thought it would be nice to tie some Morrowind character and lore into that.

    Nevena Ules was one of the corrupted Hlaalu Councilor who was on the paycheck of Camonna Tong. I still find the Hlaalu questline most interesting, even while Telvanni are more badass.

  • Member
    October 1, 2015

    I love the Aggressive Negotiation section! ... really digging the name!

  • October 1, 2015

    Aggressive negotiations? What's that?

    Ah, well, it's negotiations with a lightsaber.

  • Member
    October 1, 2015