- "Still no news out of Aleswell since everybody vanished. Strange business."
- ―Overheard rumors[src]
Zero Visibility is a quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This side quest is able to be started in more than one way, either by stumbling upon Aleswell or talk to Malene of the Roxey Inn down the road, who speaks briefly of the town and its problems.
Walkthrough[]
When Aleswell is found, the whole town seems to be dead, but when the Hero walks through it, a voice suddenly talks to them, saying that everybody in the town is invisible. The disembodied voice, which belongs to Diram Serethi, thinks that a mage named Ancotar is responsible for what happened to the town, and suggests looking for him in the nearby ruins of Fort Caractacus.
Beware of invisible wild animals such as rats, wolves and mountain lions on the way there, though.
Upon arrival, Ancotar is found to also be invisible, and doesn't even know about the problems his new spell created in the village. Once told of the problem, he gives the Hero a scroll to make the people of Aleswell visible again.
Use this scroll inside of the town, and Diram Serethi, who owns an inn, will let the Hero sleep in his inn for free forever once the task is complete.
Journal entries[]
| Journal Entry |
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I've spoken with Diram Serethi of Aleswell, though I haven't actually seen him. He's explained that all of the residents are invisible; he suspects a wizard named Ancotar is to blame. I should look for Ancotar in the ruins of Fort Caractacus. |
I've talked to Ancotar, who was unaware of the effect his magic had on the people of Aleswell. He's given me a scroll that should reverse the effects; I need to return to Aleswell to restore its residents. |
Ancotar gave me a ring and suggested I wear it while casting the Reverse Invisibility scroll, to protect me from any side effects. He didn't mention what those side effects might be. |
I've used the scroll Ancotar gave me, and the people of Aleswell are once again visible. Diram Serethi would probably like to congratulate me on my success. |
Diram Serethi thanked me for helping him, and offered me free lodging in Aleswell whenever I'm in the area.
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Trivia[]
- After the quest, the Drawers in the room will never reset.
- This quest bears a striking resemblance to part of the C. S. Lewis novel, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
- If the scroll isn't used inside of the town, the Hero will get another one, but if that is wasted too, a third won't be given. Diram Serethi would not be happy about that.
- The Hero can use the first scroll on Ancotar and he'll become visible. He'll get quite angry, but will still give the second backup scroll for the town.
- Upon using the scroll, the Hero's luck will be damaged by 50 points unless they keep talking to Ancotar about the reverse invisibility spell, whereby he will give the Hero Ancotar's Ring of Protection to protect when using the spell. His disposition may have to be raised before he will do this, however. If the ring isn't used, a remedy is available by using an altar in one of the chapels, though they will not be able to use the altar if the Hero has committed crimes. A Wayshrine must be prayed at to free the Hero of their sins.
- If the Hero is a member of the Mages Guild, there is an option early in the conversation with Ancotar for him to explain his experiments more. Ancotar will recognize the Hero as a fellow mage and will offer the ring freely with a full warning on the effects. Also, he will start ranting about "normal society".
- The name Aleswell might be a play on the term "all is well" or it could be a reference to the ninth song on the Oblivion Official Soundtrack named "All's Well".
- The name Zero Visibility is a reference to conditions due to weather or smoke in which seeing anything is impossible.
Bugs[]
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This section contains bugs related to Zero Visibility. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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- While the towns residents are invisible, their houses will be able to be looted, all except for the inn.