Convincing the Watch Captain: Completing the Imperial Corruption Quest in Oblivion Remastered

The quests in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion are not solely focused on combat. For the early quest titled “Imperial Corruption,” you’ll need to leverage your persuasion skills. This quest becomes available when you enter the Imperial City, which is at the center of the map. It essentially consists of social challenges that test your patience as well.

Although there are two potential combat segments in this quest, your choices will determine if you encounter one of them. Here’s everything you need to know to successfully complete the “Imperial Corruption” quest.

Completing Imperial Corruption

The key to finishing the “Imperial Corruption” quest is understanding how the Persuasion mechanic operates. You need to build a friendly rapport with essential NPCs to make progress.

“Friendly” here means raising the NPC’s Disposition level to 70. When you reach this level, they will agree to requests that they might have otherwise declined, due to their trust in you.

Another element involves having patience; two steps in the quest require a few in-game days to pass. While you can use the Wait mechanic to pass the time, exploring the world and leveling your character might be a more productive use of your time.

Starting Imperial Corruption

Beginning the “Imperial Corruption” quest is straightforward. Roam around the Market District in the Imperial City until you come across Luronk gro-Grluzog, an Orc, or Ruslan, a Redguard.

When you pass by them, either will ask, “Can I beg a favor of you?” Luronk can be recognized by his wrinkled face, green skin, patchy hair, and rusty purple shirt. Ruslan, on the other hand, has dark brown skin and wears a bright red outfit.

When prompted, choose the dialog option “Corrupt Imperial Watchman,” followed by “Why doesn’t Jensine report him?” He will disclose that a high-ranking Watch member is extorting merchants under the guise of authority.

Revealing the Corrupt Watchman

To find out the name of the corrupt Watchman, talk to Jensine at Jensine’s “Good as New” Merchandise. Engage her and select “Corrupt Imperial Watchman,” then “Two of your customers told me.” Initially, she may be reluctant to discuss anything, so you’ll need to persuade her. Specifically, you want to boost her Disposition to at least 70 during the Persuasion mini-game.

Once you successfully persuade her, Jensine will reveal that the Watchman in question is Audens Avidius. Only another Watch Captain can arrest him, so your next task is to find one.

Finding and Convincing a Watch Captain

Head back outside and speak with any standard Guardsman. Ask, “Where can I find a Watch Captain?” The guard will point you to Hieronymous Lex in the South Watchtower.

The Watchtower is located in the southern part of the Green Emperor Way district. Once inside, talk to Lex, who will complain about the Gray Fox from the Thieves Guild. He will then recommend that you speak to Itius Hayn regarding the situation.

When you talk to Hayn, he will initially hesitate to carry out an arrest. To persuade him, you’ll need to raise his Disposition to 70. When this is achieved, he will agree to consider the arrest—only if you can find two witnesses willing to support the story.

Your next step is to return to both Ruslan and Luronk and increase their Disposition to 70 to encourage them to testify against Avidius. It’s important to note that Jensine cannot be persuaded to testify, regardless of your efforts.

Return to Hayn once you have secured the witnesses. Notify him about their willingness to testify, and he will say he’ll obtain a warrant for Avidius’s arrest. However, you must wait one in-game day for the warrant to be processed.

After a day, you will receive a quest notification indicating that Avidius has been arrested. You can then visit the Imperial City Prison to confront him. He will rant about his revenge plans.

You now have two choices:

• Leave the corrupt Watchman in prison. After ten in-game days, he will attempt to escape and come after you. He will attack you and any nearby characters as soon as you wake up from sleeping.
• Travel to the prison and kill him there. This will put an end to his escape plans and prevent his potential rampage.

Should you decide to let him pursue you after ten days, he will carry several hundred gold that you can collect, and other NPCs might join you in defending against him.