Oblivion [warning: contains some spoilers]

[TheOssusKeeper]

^^^^

hehe, now that you've closed one gate, get ready to close a lot more of them (unless you strictly follow the main quest). i accidently continued with the main quest after delivering the amulet to Jauffre when i decided to check out what Kvach had in it. not only did i close that Oblivion Gate, but i've also closed another 15. i love traveling between cities on my horse, but those darned gates are just about everywhere.

 

Yeah, they are everywhere... the higher level you are the more of them too...

 

i realize that i don't have to close them, but i just feel compelled to do so. the only bad part is that every darned gate i go into feels almost identical to the last gate i entered. basically, i've come up with this sequence:

enter the gate, open any gates in your way by getting into one of the side towers, and then fight your way up the center spire till you remove the Sigil Stone.

i hate to say it, but its getting repetitive fast, especially since they keep popping up all over the place.

 

yup, they are repetitive, I've closed somewhere around 40-45 gates... they never go away, they just keep coming back... there will be a new gate (usually where you closed one previously) open again when you go back to that region... that is until you...

finish the main quest

 

 

 

the worst part about the whole deal is that they don't offer much in the way of loot. some of it is pretty good, but most of it is pretty cheap stuff. the sigil stones are pretty nice, though. i just wish i could keep my new mace charged up (since i don't have the soul capture spell).

 

the higher the level the better the loot in the gates and well almost every where else to actually... but honestly, how many rings and swords do you really need?

[stingerhs]

the higher the level the better the loot in the gates and well almost every where else to actually... but honestly, how many rings and swords do you really need?

just enough to cover the cost of my next house over in Chorrol.

[stoffe]

hehe, now that you've closed one gate, get ready to close a lot more of them (unless you strictly follow the main quest). i accidently continued with the main quest after delivering the amulet to Jauffre when i decided to check out what Kvach had in it. not only did i close that Oblivion Gate, but i've also closed another 15. i love traveling between cities on my horse, but those darned gates are just about everywhere.

I got 45 Gates closed before finishing the main quest, and then I skipped some I found since I was on my way somewhere on a quest I wanted to finish. If you want the most powerful types of Sigil Stones (Transcendent) you should probably wait to finish the main quest until you are around level 20 or so, since they start appearing then. Those stones can bestow more powerful enchantments to items than what you can add yourself with the Altar at the Arcane University.

 

Speaking of which, do anyone else think the item reward you get for finishing the main quest (Imperial Dragon Armor) was a little disappointing? The thing has worse Armor rating than the armor you can loot from random bandits in the wilderness, breaks as soon as someone looks at it, and makes you look like a walking barrel in a fatsuit. If that's what the Emperor wears when in battle he/she better stay behind the troops and run as soon as an enemy comes near.

 

At least the big boss battle (spoiler warning) was pretty impressive to watch.

 

i realize that i don't have to close them, but i just feel compelled to do so. the only bad part is that every darned gate i go into feels almost identical to the last gate i entered.

I think there are 10 or so variations of Gate Tower islands in Oblivion (in addition to the 4 that are involved in the main quest, and the few involved in Daedra Shrine quests). Those are then re-used for all the wilderness gates over and over, with just the monsters, Sigil Stones and loot randomized.

 

Gates that open near the roads are probably necessary to close ASAP when you find them, unless you want named NPCs traveling between the cities killed by roaming Daedra coming from the gates. I've found several named NPCs dead on the roads, killed by Gated Daedra, that apparently were supposed to be involved in Dark Brotherhood quests (I checked a FAQ for those quest since I'm not going to do them). The Countess of Leyawiin had a close call too on the road to Chorrol, her body guard killed and associate near death before I came to their rescue.

 

the worst part about the whole deal is that they don't offer much in the way of loot. some of it is pretty good, but most of it is pretty cheap stuff. the sigil stones are pretty nice, though.

When your character reaches higher levels and you start encountering Dremora Markynaz, Dremora Valkynaz and Xivalrai(sp?, the big brutes that look a little like the Nameless One from PS:Torment) you get some pretty nice loot since those come with Ebony and Daedric Weapons and armor. Those disgusting "Punished One" things that hang around can contain pretty good loot as well at times.

 

And the higher level sigil stones are pretty nice too. I've got a Wakizashi that absorbs 25 Health whenever it strikes thanks to one of those stones. Rather useful.

 

Keeping things charged usually isn't a problem for me. There tends to be a recharging service in most cities, filled soul gems are rather common as loot, and I have found 10 Varla stones so far that can be used in an emergency (they recharge all magic items in your inventory fully). And with Azura's Star you never run out of Soul gems as long as there is a monster nearby to trap into it.

 

they never go away, they just keep coming back... there will be a new gate (usually where you closed one previously) open again when you go back to that region...

Really? I've never had a gate re-open in the same location. Though they do occasionally pop up nearby, but they always get a new map marker and aren't in the same spot, just in the general area. Besides, the visual effects looks pretty cool if you catch one just as it forms.

 

Some have mini-quests related to them too, like the one North of the road to Anvil, where you encounter a group of Imperial Legion troopers fighting off Daedra coming through a gate. And though they won't ask you to enter the gate and close it, if you do they talk to you about it afterwards (if they survive).

 

 

the higher the level the better the loot in the gates and well almost every where else to actually... but honestly, how many rings and swords do you really need?

Indeed, the over-saturation of exceptional items is starting to annoy me, now that I've reached level 26. In Morrowind a Daedric Cuirass was a rare find (even at character level 70 or so), something you'd keep and put on display even if you didn't use Heavy Armor. In Oblivion (the game) they are starting to become so common that you just drag them to the nearest merchant and sell them without a thought, since you already have a chest full of them in your house.

 

Really, something is seriously screwed up when you emerge from having explored some random Fort ruin in the middle of nowhere, populated by a band of Marauders, and have 4 newly looted complete Daedric Armors, a Daedric Claymore, a Daedric Shortsword, two Daedric daggers and two Daedric longswords in your inventory. And then you still have left behind a pile of Ebony weapons since they were too much to carry. From one dungeon, with not a single named opponent, special event or anything remarkable in it.

 

When there is nothing rare and remarkable left to find, since everything is common as dirt, a lot of the fun goes out of exploring and treasure hunting. The same goes with fighting different groups of enemies, since they are all equipped in a similar manner, with the best available weapons and armor in the game.

 

Daedric weapons and armor really only should be found on Daedra, in Oblivion (the plane) or on special boss encounters. Ebony Armor is what Kings and wealthy nobles wear when entering battle, it shouldn't be the standard uniform for every street thug in existence.

 

Morrowind: Oh wow! A Glass cuirass! Sweet!

Oblivion: Oh. Another glass cuirass. I can't be bothered to pick it up. Yawn. Next.

[TheOssusKeeper]

Really? I've never had a gate re-open in the same location. Though they do occasionally pop up nearby, but they always get a new map marker and aren't in the same spot, just in the general area. Besides, the visual effects looks pretty cool if you catch one just as it forms.

 

yeah, i had a few like that, but that may not be the rule of thumb... I did say usually... although I myself haven't seen new ones pop-up in nearby locations doesn't mean they don't...

 

I agree the graphics of a new gate forming is awesome... I watched the ones open up in the main quest out-side Bruma... way cool...

 

Indeed, the over-saturation of exceptional items is starting to annoy me, now that I've reached level 26. In Morrowind a Daedric Cuirass was a rare find (even at character level 70 or so), something you'd keep and put on display even if you didn't use Heavy Armor. In Oblivion (the game) they are starting to become so common that you just drag them to the nearest merchant and sell them without a thought, since you already have a chest full of them in your house.

 

Really, something is seriously screwed up when you emerge from having explored some random Fort ruin in the middle of nowhere, populated by a band of Marauders, and have 4 newly looted complete Daedric Armors, a Daedric Claymore, a Daedric Shortsword, two Daedric daggers and two Daedric longswords in your inventory. And then you still have left behind a pile of Ebony weapons since they were too much to carry. From one dungeon, with not a single named opponent, special event or anything remarkable in it.

 

When there is nothing rare and remarkable left to find, since everything is common as dirt, a lot of the fun goes out of exploring and treasure hunting. The same goes with fighting different groups of enemies, since they are all equipped in a similar manner, with the best available weapons and armor in the game.

 

Daedric weapons and armor really only should be found on Daedra, in Oblivion (the plane) or on special boss encounters. Ebony Armor is what Kings and wealthy nobles wear when entering battle.

 

hehe, I can't agree with you more...

[SpaceAlex]

You know, there are planety of MODs avaible that change the way the items spawn.

My favourite is G_'s Loot mod. With that mod you have to be very lucky to find Deadric or Ebony armor, even at level 20. It took me quite some time, but i finally managed to find the last part (helmet) of Ebony armor. Now i have full set.

 

Also, i have yet to see thugs in ebony, elwen, dwarven or deadric armor. They mostly spawn in leather or steel.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Okay, now I'm confused!

I've been holding off on pwning the gates that I trip over every 2 minutes because I want high level sigil stones...but if the gates respawn then can I get low level stones now and high level stones at the same locations later???

 

Are the stones placed randomly throughout the gates (no go here and get this particular stone) If not where are the best ones, and are there any that have different effects that can't be duplicated with spells?

[stoffe]

Okay, now I'm confused!

I've been holding off on pwning the gates that I trip over every 2 minutes because I want high level sigil stones...but if the gates respawn then can I get low level stones now and high level stones at the same locations later???

 

Are the stones placed randomly throughout the gates (no go here and get this particular stone) If not where are the best ones, and are there any that have different effects that can't be duplicated with spells?

 

I don't think there is any need to hold off closing any Gates you stumble upon, unless you fine comb the entire map of Cyrodiil while being level 1 or something. I had 45 Gates closed by the time I finished the main quest, and that was pretty much only ones that could be seen from the road. I've still got lots of wilderness areas left to explore, where there are plenty more gates waiting.

 

I don't think you'll run out of gates any time soon.

 

As for the Sigil stones, I don't think there are any with effects you can't enchant yourself. However, the Transcendent Sigil Stones grant more powerful versions of those effects than you can create yourself. (Like you can only create weapons with about 20 Absorb Health, but a Sigil Stone can add a 25 Absorb Health effect. I think it gives more charges as well.)

 

Since I've never closed the same gate twice I have no ideas if they are randomly placed, but since the same 10 or so Oblivion areas are re-used over and over I'd suspect that the sigil stones are placed at random.

 

You know, there are planety of MODs avaible that change the way the items spawn.

My favourite is G_'s Loot mod. With that mod you have to be very lucky to find Deadric or Ebony armor, even at level 20. It took me quite some time, but i finally managed to find the last part (helmet) of Ebony armor. Now i have full set.

 

Also, i have yet to see thugs in ebony, elwen, dwarven or deadric armor. They mostly spawn in leather or steel.

 

Hmm, I'm already using one called "Jarol's NPC Leveled Equipment" that's supposed to tone down the Bandit loot, though I don't know how comprehensive or good that mod is. Marauders seem to be generally better equipped than the Bandits, so perhaps they are not changed by this mod. Or it isn't any good.

 

I'll see if I can find the mod you mentioned and if it is to my liking. I tried to make my own, but it's a pain to duplicate the existing Leveled Item lists since they are so interlinked and shared by many, wildly different types of NPCs. (Seems like every villager in Cyrodiil has the "Boss Weapon" ItemList assigned for example... which might explain why enchanted Daedric weaponry seems to grow on trees in every little backwater mudhole of a village you visit.)

 

* * *

 

Speaking of overkill weapons, do anyone know if you have to give away Umbra to Clavicus Vile in order for that quest to count as finished? It seems like one of the Daedric shrine quests (the one north of Bruma) can only be done once all the other shrine quests have been completed. I'd rather keep that sword than get some ugly mask I'll never use.

[stingerhs]

Since I've never closed the same gate twice I have no ideas if they are randomly placed, but since the same 10 or so Oblivion areas are re-used over and over I'd suspect that the sigil stones are placed at random.

actually, the Sigil stones are random. the same way loot and enemies are randomized in the ruins or caves is the same for the Sigil area. in fact, an interesting way to get a Sigil Stone you like is to quicksave just before you enter a Sigil keep area and just quickload if you don't like the stone you recieve. i've done it twice to test the theory (which was originally posted in Gamespot's Walkthrough), and it works quite well.

[TheOssusKeeper]

Okay, now I'm confused!

I've been holding off on pwning the gates that I trip over every 2 minutes because I want high level sigil stones...but if the gates respawn then can I get low level stones now and high level stones at the same locations later???

 

Are the stones placed randomly throughout the gates (no go here and get this particular stone) If not where are the best ones, and are there any that have different effects that can't be duplicated with spells?

 

you can get Sigil Stones any time through-out the game as long as you don't finish the main quest... finishing the main quest will close All Gates permenantly... as long as there are gates open, you can get Sigil Stones, now the strengths (are random) and abilities (are random) of those stones greatly depend on your level, i.e. if you have a high level PC you can get some really good Sigil Stones... but like Stoffe and Stingerhs said they are random...

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

My problem is that I find them everywhere (maybe not 45 yet, but I can't seem to get across a ridge without finding another one) and I don't want to use up my stone collecting opportunities while I'm at too low a level (around 14)

 

So I can close all the gates I can find, and as long as I haven't finished the related quest I can go back and redo them at a higher level and still get good stones?

 

@Stinger, Does that randomize the "level" of the stone too, or does being higher level give you a better "chance" of getting a good one, or are there stone-quality ceilings and floors depending on your level?

[CountVerilucus]

I JUST BEAT THE MAIN YESTERDAY AND DAMN I FEEL COOL, level 32 already

 

yeah it was easy, i have 100 sneak and an invisibility spell. just switch it on in oblivion, run past everybody without them seeing you (of course cast the spell again once you open or go through a door, and grab loot from the egg sacks), and then grab the sigil stone. Piece of cake, did it to like 10 gates.

[stingerhs]

My problem is that I find them everywhere (maybe not 45 yet, but I can't seem to get across a ridge without finding another one) and I don't want to use up my stone collecting opportunities while I'm at too low a level (around 14)

 

So I can close all the gates I can find, and as long as I haven't finished the related quest I can go back and redo them at a higher level and still get good stones?

 

@Stinger, Does that randomize the "level" of the stone too, or does being higher level give you a better "chance" of getting a good one, or are there stone-quality ceilings and floors depending on your level?

from what i know from playing the game, there are two kinds of Sigil Stones: Ascension and Trancendant Stones. you'll get the Ascension Stones up to about lvl 15-17. after that, you'll only recieve the Trancendant Stones. after that point in the leveling process, you won't recieve any more Ascension Stones.

 

those are the only ones i know from my current playthrough, so if there are others, i couldn't say.

[stoffe]

from what i know from playing the game, there are two kinds of Sigil Stones: Ascension and Trancendant Stones. you'll get the Ascension Stones up to about lvl 15-17. after that, you'll only recieve the Trancendant Stones. after that point in the leveling process, you won't recieve any more Ascension Stones.

 

those are the only ones i know from my current playthrough, so if there are others, i couldn't say.

 

There are actually 5 types of sigil stones, with increasing power in each step:

 

Descendent stones are available from the start of the game. I got one when closing the first gate as part of the main quest, still being a level 1 character.

 

Subjacent stones start appearing when you are around level 5 or so.

 

Latent stones start appearing when you are around level 9-10.

 

Ascendent stones start appearing when you are around level 13-14.

 

Transcendent stones are spawned when you are level 17+ I believe.

 

Once the next level start spawning, the previous levels will no longer appear. At least that's from what I've noticed during my gate closing trips.

 

yeah it was easy, i have 100 sneak and an invisibility spell. just switch it on in oblivion, run past everybody without them seeing you, and then grab the sigil stone. Piece of cake, did it to like 10 gates.

 

The Gate towers in Oblivion was one of my favourite places to practice my Sneak skill. There's something disturbingly satisfying about managing to sneak up behind a Dremora and take them down with a single Sneak Attack without them ever knowing you were there. I managed to sneak attack my way all the way to the top of the towers without being detected by anyone and without using Invisibility and Chameleon magic a few times.

[Rain128]

Not sure if it was mentioned, but you can save JUST befor you grab the Stone on top of the tower, if it isnt one you like Load and grab it again.... it randomizes as its put into your invintory..

[ChAiNz.2da]

My problem is that I find them everywhere (maybe not 45 yet, but I can't seem to get across a ridge without finding another one) and I don't want to use up my stone collecting opportunities while I'm at too low a level (around 14)

 

So I can close all the gates I can find, and as long as I haven't finished the related quest I can go back and redo them at a higher level and still get good stones?

 

Get this mod:

 

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=230

 

It'll make all quest items & sigil stones level up along with you Keep in mind, this affects un-used sigil stones.. so hold onto the stones you like until you've leveled it high enough.. then use it..

 

ANY of the quest items can be used at any time though.. your items will un-equip / re-equip once you level to the appropriate rank brandishing it's new stats

 

-----------------------

 

Another useful site is this one..

 

http://nirnroot.planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/phpnuke/index.php

 

check out the Obliv-o-Map link to the left. It's a world map with toggle-able points of interest. It's not a mod (I wish) but it's a great resource if you're not the "treasure-hunting" type

[stingerhs]

There are actually 5 types of sigil stones, with increasing power in each step:

ahh, that makes sense. i figured the Ascension stones would be too powerful for a lvl 1 character. hehe, its what i get for starting the main quest so late in my leveling.

[SpaceAlex]

The best LOOT mod so far: http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=3321, Oblivion offical forum thread: http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=391960 (requires registration)

 

Try it out and see if it's any good.

[SpaceAlex]

Speaking of overkill weapons, do anyone know if you have to give away Umbra to Clavicus Vile in order for that quest to count as finished? It seems like one of the Daedric shrine quests (the one north of Bruma) can only be done once all the other shrine quests have been completed. I'd rather keep that sword than get some ugly mask I'll never use.

 

Shouldn't be a problem. Go back to the shrine (once you have the sword, that is) and refuse to give it to him. The quest should be marked as complete (it was for me).

[SpaceAlex]

Speaking of overkill weapons, do anyone know if you have to give away Umbra to Clavicus Vile in order for that quest to count as finished? It seems like one of the Daedric shrine quests (the one north of Bruma) can only be done once all the other shrine quests have been completed. I'd rather keep that sword than get some ugly mask I'll never use.

 

Shouldn't be a problem. Go back to the shrine (once you have the sword, that is) and refuse to give it to him. The quest should be marked as complete (it was for me).

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Do strengths vary within the Ascension and Trancendent stones, so a T-stone found at level 20 won't be as good as another T found at level 25?

 

So far I've only seen Ascendent, I hope I didn't miss anything good:(

 

I wouldn't suggest rushing through Oblivion, I've found some good stuff scattered around.

 

How many tears do you have to find to complete the "Garridan's Tears" quest (the dude frozen in a block of ice with a frost atronach) I only saw 3, but apparently I need more?

 

@Chainz, Not everyone's lucky enough to have a sweet rig to play oblivion on, I use 360 and don't even have Live to get future content:(

[stingerhs]

Do strengths vary within the Ascension and Trancendent stones, so a T-stone found at level 20 won't be as good as another T found at level 25?

i think i read somewhere that each type of stone has about 20 or so variants. the power of the stone will be entirely dependant on the type of stone and not your character's lvl (although, as previously mentioned, the type of stone you recieve will correspond with your lvl).

How many tears do you have to find to complete the "Garridan's Tears" quest (the dude frozen in a block of ice with a frost atronach) I only saw 3, but apparently I need more?

yep, you'll need 5 tears to finish the quest. they are quite difficult to find, especially since its difficult to be thorough with the extreme cold eating at your health (which never made sense to me since my character, a Nord, should've had the advantage in that situation). your best bet is to scout the area above the frosty fog on the rocks and logs. if you're a marksman journeyman, it also helps to take advantage of your zoom ability to help find those pesky little things.

 

you could also try casting a Night-eye spell after waiting till about midnight or so which might make the tears stand out a bit better.

[ChAiNz.2da]

@Chainz, Not everyone's lucky enough to have a sweet rig to play oblivion on, I use 360 and don't even have Live to get future content:(

Ooops.. my bad bro, sorry about that.. I keep forgetting about 360 players.. I'm still in the "Morrowind was only for PC" phase.. I guess it carried over to Oblivion

[stoffe]

you'll need 5 tears to finish the quest. they are quite difficult to find, especially since its difficult to be thorough with the extreme cold eating at your health (which never made sense to me since my character, a Nord, should've had the advantage in that situation).

 

Indeed, I must say I have a hard time to understand the developers' criteria for using quest markers. They'll mark hostile NPCs in a completely linear cave system on the map/compass, but not tiny objects (affected by the physics engine so if you accidentally walk into them without seeing them they fly all over the place,) perfectly textured to blend with the background, scattered over a large, freezing area covered with a glowing fog with the same color... That was probably the most irritating quest I've finished so far.

 

Seems like they've toned down a lot of the racial bonuses compared to Morrowind... (Nords no longer immune to cold, only 50% resistant, Bretons and High Elves getting a lot less Mana etc...) Still, your 50% head start should make it easier to reach 100% cold resist with the help of potions, scrolls and spells (Resist Cold, Frost Shield).

 

Since apparently the cold is a magical effect I used my character's (Breton) 50% magic resistance to that effect instead, boosting it up to 100% with the help of rings and armor. You glow purple pretty much constantly, but at least you take no damage while trying to find those tiny things.

 

(On a tangent it seems like all Divine Blessings bestowed in chapels and wayshrines were magical as well, and such had a 50% chance to not affect my character. Good thing that was easy to fix with a quick mod though. )

 

(On another tangent the collision physics in the game seem a little bit touchy. It never fails to make me chuckle when you walk up to some merchant in a shop and accidentally bump into a heavy armor lying on the counter, sending it flying all over the store like it was shot from a cannon.)

 

you could also try casting a Night-eye spell after waiting till about midnight or so which might make the tears stand out a bit better.

 

Unfortunately I didn't think that worked out too well either. The glowing frost cloud kind of overloads the Nightvision. Also, since the ground is blueish white, the Tears are bluish white and the Nightvision effect is bluish white it didn't help much. I had to systematically search the whole area , going back and forth in a grid pattern, to locate the tears. Took about 20 minutes or so...

 

 

The best LOOT mod so far: http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=3321

Try it out and see if it's any good.

 

Hmm, I'll check it out, but I don't know if I dare to use it instead of my current Bandit fixer mod. From reading the Readme info it seems like it does what I am after, but unfortunately also tampers with a whole lot of other things which I am satisfied with how they currently work.

 

Shouldn't be a problem. Go back to the shrine (once you have the sword, that is) and refuse to give it to him. The quest should be marked as complete (it was for me).

 

There are no other negative side effect of doing this, then? I was just a bit afraid that pissing off a Daedra Prince might have unpleasant consequences.

 

* * *

 

By the way, is there any shop in Cyrodiil that's open during the night? Seems to me the days are awfully short and the evenings/nights/mornings are very long in the game, and I often find myself waiting around for shops to open to pawn off my latest load of loot. It'd be very handy if there was some understanding merchant who had their store open during the night.

[Darth333]

Well I was finally able to get back to Oblivion yesterday (only one hour ). I did the Sanguine quest and ended up in prison (at least in jail they gave me some clothes to cover myself). lol that was a weird quest

 

Btw, I was thinking of installing this mod: http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=268 Has anyone tried it? Looks interesting: http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=384224

[stoffe]

Well I was finally able to get back to Oblivion yesterday (only one hour ). I did the Sanguine quest and ended up in prison (at least in jail they gave me some clothes to cover myself). lol that was a weird quest

 

It's possible to do it without getting caught or anyone knowing it was you who did it, getting no bounty for it. First get the guard to unlock the door to the room with the party for you and open the door.

 

Wait until the count and his bodyguard are no longer in the throne room and then go into sneak mode (use chameleon too if you have it for good measure) and hide in the corner just next to the staircase at the opposite end of the throne room (from the party room door). From there you should be able to fire the spell into the room close enough to the table to hit everyone, and no one should spot you. If you have a potion of invisibility, drink it as soon as you've fired the spell, preferably before it impacts, to improve your chances further.

 

Of course, all your gear still disappears, but you'll get it back when you return to the shrine. If you don't want to wander back there naked you can just drop something on the floor to wear before using the spell (or cast Bound Armor if you don't want to plan ahead).

 

This one, and Sheogorath's quest are probably the strangest one of the Daedra quests. Though unlike the countess, I felt a bit sorry about those poor riled up Khajiit in Border Watch, but I needed the Wabbajack for the main quest (though the sympathy was significantly lessened by the fact that they were all packing Daedric weapons, while I hadn't gotten a single one myself at the time). I guess that's what would count as a sign of the apocalypse for a cat people.