Online:Valding the Bard

Valding the Bard
Home Settlement	Cragwallow
Location	Cragwallow Cave
Race	Nord	Gender	Male
Reaction	Friendly
Other Information
Follower	Merriment and Mystery (optional)

Valding the Bard

Valding the Bard is a Nord musician who can first be encountered in Cragwallow.

Related QuestsEdit

• Merriment and Mystery: Join in a celebration with the Eastmarch royal workers.

Quest-Related EventsEdit

Berj will ask you to go to the bard to play a song to start the party:

"A fine gathering. A fine gathering, indeed."

Everyone's hoping to hear a song or two.

"I suppose I have made them wait long enough.
I like to build anticipation in my audience. Makes the reaction that much better."

So you'll play for us now?

"Yes, yes. It's time.
A bard must always gauge the audience. You want them relaxed, receptive. If they are too deep in their cups, they can't appreciate the wonderful tones of my lute."

He then begins to play:

"My fine ladies and handsome gentleman, it is time for music. Relax and listen to my songs. Let the music soothe you."

You will find out he has been captured during the attack of the celebration. After some investigation, you find that he has been caged by the rieklings in Cragwallow Cave. Speaking with him, you learn some truths about him and his role in the situation:

"Get me out of here!"

Are you all right?

"No, I'm not all right! These creatures dragged me here after slaughtering half the workers in Cragwallow."

You remember what happened. Why doesn't anyone else?

"Well. About that. I'm not actually a bard.
I found the lute. It's enchanted. I play a few notes and my audience falls asleep. They wake up later, a little confused, a little groggy, and missing some gold or an item or two. Perfectly safe."

People died because of your lute!

"I had no idea it would attract rieklings. They placed it on that altar-thing over there. Their chief seems to like to look at it. He keeps coming in. Makes me nervous how he stares at me."

The lute should be destroyed.

"But it's … well, I suppose you're right. Go ahead and destroy it. Then we can get out of here.
You're going to have to get the key from the riekling chieftain to let me out of this cage. You are going to let me out, aren't you?"

After retrieving the key from the riekling chieftain, you have to decide whether Valding should be punished or not for allowing the attack on Cragwallow happened:

"You got the key? Open the cage!"

I'm not sure what I should do with you.

"What? You wouldn't leave me in here? I had no idea the lute would attract the rieklings! It never did before! And I never wanted the workers to get hurt.
I'm not a violent person."

If you promise to surrender yourself to the royal workers, I'll open the cage.

"I'm not a criminal! Well, not a dangerous criminal.
All right. I swear by the snow on my mother's grave, I'll turn myself in."

I'm leaving you here. Let the rieklings deal with you.

"No! You can't leave me with these creatures!
It's not my fault those people died! It was the lute! The lute!"

If you decide to leave him in the cave, he'll say:

"How could you do this to me?"

In the case that you decide to free him, Valding will become your follower as you escort him from the cave. Speaking to him before exiting the cave, he'll say:

"Let's get out of this place!"

Once you're out of the cave, speak with him to ensure he holds up his end of the deal, and to complete the quest:

"I'm very sorry about what happened."

You promised to surrender yourself to the royal workers.

"Yes, of course. I did promise.
I don't suppose I could just promise to find a new line of work? Then we can just skip the part that requires me to surrender."

No.

"All right, all right. I'll go back to Cragwallow and tell the royal workers what happened."

Tell them the truth.

"I may not be the most honest Nord, but I promised I would surrender myself to the royal workers if you got me away from the rieklings. And I will.
I never intended for anyone to get hurt. I'll stay away from enchanted items from now on."

If you exit the conversation before turning in the quest, he will alternatively say:

"Thanks for coming to get me."

You must tell the workers the truth. (Leads to quest completion dialogue)

In the case that he was freed, he can later be encountered back at Cragwallow and spoken with:

"Thanks for helping me back there. I don't want to think about what those rieklings were going to do to me."

So what exactly did you tell these people?

"The truth! Mostly. Perhaps I included one or two omissions.
I explained all about your most excellent rescue, though, I assure you. For a fake bard, I can tell a rousing tale."

You skipped the part about you actually being a thief, didn't you?

"Well, I saw no reason to tell them I knew the lute was enchanted before I started playing.
I'm giving up my thieving ways. I shall return home to Solitude, eventually, and perhaps get some proper training at the Bards College."