You'll need to be re-hired before we discuss this.

We can move on from them for now.

Very well. Thankfully you got the counterfeiters into Imperial custody, so if it happens we need their witness testimony, it'll be within our grasp. Tell me if anything else comes up.

Very well. Any more secrets the counterfeiters had died with them. Tell me if anything else comes up.

A silver spoon? Oh, the Silverspoon. Okay, tell me more.

A very clever observation. Anything else?

I see! No wonder they hadn't been shut down earlier. If they were counterfeiting gold coins, the Briricca Bank and the Legion would have shut them down quickly, but nobody really cares about counterfeit Dwemer artifacts besides the Company. And if the Company, or someone powerful in it, were in on it, the counterfeiters would be safe. At least, until that powerful person changed her mind... But this is all conjecture. There's plausible deniability. Very well. Take these anyway. Was there anything else?

So Aetia hears a rumor about counterfeiters hiding in the sewers, pumping out fake Dwemer artifacts and violating our monopoly, and instead of sending in a Guild mercenary or contacting the Imperial Legion, she sends her new favorite %PCRank to kill them. Legal, yes, but an odd assignment, wouldn't you say? Did anything else suspicious occur?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Those men in the sewer were counterfeiters? They sure fooled me.

I don't know where Aetia gets her information, but my agents haven't heard anything about counterfeit gold on the streets. And trust me. If they had, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Not too long ago, we had an old coin press that just stopped working. The boss said it'd cost too much to repair, better just destroy it. As it turned out, the press had been blessed by a priest of Zenithar, making it impossible for us to destroy, so we just ripped out some essential-looking parts and threw the thing down a well. I wonder if your story is related.

I'm certain they'll be an asset to the Guild.

Oh, but I do mind. My time is valuable, and you have just spent some of it on nothing. Out with you.

The western sewers. Yes, I know the place. Very well, %PCName: tell your employers the matter is settled. This business with the counterfeiters is within the Guild's purview now -- the Lamp Knights will see to the details. Take this finder's fee, with the Guild's compliments.

Counterfeiters practicing unregulated magic out of a sewer. Ordinarily I would point you to the Legion and get back to my research. But consider: there was recently a break-in at the Ebon Tower vaults -- vaults this Guild was trusted to ward. Talents that can slip past our wards are talents I would rather have inside the Guild than outside it, and once they're inside, these legal technicalities have a way of conveniently going away. Tell me where they are, and I'll have a Lamp Knight make an introduction.

Magical counterfeiters hiding in the sewers? Now I've heard it all. Although it's possible Arquebald Vene may want to hear about this. He leads this guildhall, and can be found on the top floor.

May they find redemption through good works.

We'll handle things from here.

Walk with Stendarr.

Thank you. I'll have the city watch take the counterfeiters and their wares into custody. Tell your boss it's handled from here.

That's the first the Legion's heard of a counterfeiting operation here. We'd be very curious to learn more. Find out where these counterfeiters are hiding, report back, and I can have some men take them off your hands.

Speak with Cedus Aponian in the East Empire Company offices. He's our liaison there and can handle this matter for you.

Aetia just wants you to kill them? Well, here at the Company, though we prefer free trade and diplomacy, we are unashamed to use force. But maybe this situation could use a bit of the former. What are we without Stendarr's mercy? Ask one of the legionnaires around your office about arresting these outlaws first.

Counterfeiters? In a sewer? What are the logistics of that? Listen, I'm no agent like you or Raynil Vando, but if I were you, I'd try talking to these counterfeiters before I reached for the blade.

I remember those guys. They work out of the sewers? Yeah, one of your agents buys Dwemer coins from them. Fake coins, but she thought they were real, and that was good enough for her. She had me accompany her a couple times because she was scared of the sewer rats. I guess Aetia caught wind of her "mystery source" and figured she'd put an end to it.

As a crusader, I do well by doing good. I hunt monsters and villains, making myself rich by plunder as I rid the world of evil. When I took my oath, I did not imagine that one day these monsters and villains would be white-collar criminals and petty thieves. Alas.

I haven't heard anything about counterfeiters in Old Ebonheart. Let me know if you need a scout's training to find them -- or a warrior's to fight them. See Cano or Delegor downstairs if you're more on the stealthy side of things.

It is odd that Aetia has delegated this to a Company %PCRank and not the Fighters Guild. Perhaps she wouldn't trust just any mercenaries off the street to bring back a sample of the counterfeit, but the ones guarding this office have proven their loyalty many times over.

Give 'em hell, %PCName. Let me know if you need an agent's training.

Counterfeit is the unlawful imitation of something valuable with the intention to deceive or defraud; counterfeiters create counterfeit. Counterfeit is quite a concern to those in our profession. But %Name wonders why Aetia does not call on the Imperial Legion or contract the Fighters Guild to deal with these rumored counterfeiters.

%PCName, if you're heading down to the sewers, kindly do me a favor and take a bath before you come back. Or throw on some bug musk.

This is a highly sensitive matter. I am most certainly not discussing it with an ex-employee.

How interesting. I don't know who that could be. The Company is big, and it hires a lot of people. But by your description, the counterfeiters' sewer hideout was right next to the manor of one Merxia Vendicci. She's a higher-up in the Company -- beyond your pay grade, or mine -- someone to watch out for. Oh, don't draw any conclusions. I'm just making an observation. It's dangerous to draw conclusions like that in a city like this. Ready for your next assignment?

You'll like this one.

Don't worry about it.

Great work with those counterfeiters.

So you got them arrested? Your dedication to due process is truly admirable, %PCRank. It's good you got a sample of their product, too; we need this for internal investigations. Let me see... Fascinating. Some mild imperfections in the casting process, but overall very accurate. Of course, not many know how real Dwemer coins look, so most defects would go unnoticed. This was a solid plan. Thankfully the Company had you to foil it. Accept these for your efforts, %PCRank; I assure you they're quite genuine.

So you got them arrested? Your dedication to due process is truly admirable, %PCRank, but do you remember the part of your job where you follow my orders? Like getting a sample of their product, at all costs? Their product, which is now in Imperial custody? Yes, we were going to turn it in eventually, but we needed it for internal investigations. Never mind. Just tell me when you want your next assignment, %PCName.

So they were counterfeiting Dwemer coins, not gold. Fascinating. Some mild imperfections in the casting process, but overall quite accurate. Of course, not many know what real Dwemer coins look like, so most defects would go unnoticed. This was a solid plan. Thankfully the Company had you to foil it. Accept these for your efforts, %PCRank. I assure you they're quite genuine. Talk to me when you want another assignment.

You've brought me a sample of their product for reference, but I still need them eliminated. In frankness, some time ago we realized a Company agent was selling our customers these counterfeit Dwemer coins, passing them off as the genuine article. The agent is no longer with the Company, but we still need to tie up loose ends.

You've found and eliminated the counterfeiters. Well done. But I also need a sample of their product for reference. To see how many of our agents they've already fooled.

Find the counterfeiters in this city's western sewers, get rid of them, and bring me a sample of their product for reference. I need to see how many of our agents they've already fooled. There's a well just behind this office building; hop down it and you'll be close by. I'll remind you, %PCName, that in the Empire, outlaws have no rights and may be killed without scandal.

A group of counterfeiters is making and distributing fake coins in Old Ebonheart. The septim's already a weak currency here in Morrowind; many Dunmer villagers have never seen a drake in their lives. We don't want the coin devalued further. Find the counterfeiters in this city's western sewers, get rid of them, and bring me a sample of their product for reference. I need to see how many of our agents they've already fooled. There's a well just behind this office building. Hop down it and you'll be close by.

Then shut us down yourself!

Fine, I'll give you the stuff a bit cheaper, but don't try me.

Oh, I get it. This is a negotiating tactic, right?

Then just try it, fetcher!

Great. Let me know if you need anything. In addition to Dwemer coins, I also sell some magical services. Heh, but don't tell the Mages Guild that. Their punishment might be even worse than a Legion prison.

It's hard work, but the gold is worth it.

The Imperial mint doesn't care about Dwemer coins, but the East Empire Company does. It's one of the few players legally allowed to trade in them. And at one point, it seemed they'd gotten wind of us. Game over, right? That's what I thought. But instead, they wanted to do business. They BOUGHT our stuff! Then they suddenly stopped. That was a while ago. For a moment, we weren't sure if you were the replacement for the one the Company usually sends or just looking to cause trouble. But we're good, right?

The Briricca Private Bank had this coin press they didn't seem to care too much about. My pal and I took it off their hands without much trouble. Now, the Empire knows its way around private septim printings, and we didn't want the kind of heat the Imperial mint can bring. But there are a lot of different Dwemer coins, and not a lot of people can tell them apart. Even their old stuff tends to look fresh. So I made a few changes to that coin press.

Best of luck, %PCName. I wish I could help you.