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Elder Scrolls

Permanent Retirement is a quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Adamus Phillida has pledged his life to destroying the Dark Brotherhood. Now that he's retired, it's time to destroy him, and send a message to whoever follows him that the Brotherhood is not to be trifled with.

Walkthrough[]

Contract[]

This contract is complete when Phillida dies, regardless of the means. However, he is heavily armored at nearly all times, he's leveled far above the Hero, and he's accompanied by a bodyguard nearby, so it can be difficult to kill him without attracting a great deal of attention from nearby city guards.

Ways to kill him[]

Permanent Retirement Waiting To Strike

Waiting to strike

  • Reverse-pickpocket a Poisoned Apple into his inventory and wait for him to eat it. He will die on the spot and the Hero will not be suspected of any crime.
  • Phillida takes off his armor to swim at 3:00 PM every day, and when he goes into the city watch barracks. He is especially vulnerable at either of these times. Note that talking to him and saying "Sithis wants your soul" or "Die Imperial pig" will cause him to put his armor on. Selecting "[Say nothing]" will have no effect.
  • When starting the quest, Ocheeva gives the Hero a unique arrow called the Rose of Sithis, which will kill Phillida instantly if fired into him when he is unarmored. This is a very good way to avoid the attention of his bodyguard or other city guards, and to circumvent his very high Health. You can then wait for the guards to leave before taking the finger.
  • Use any standard methods to kill him, even if it attracts the guards' attention. Once he's dead, take his finger, then yield to the guards and pay the fine or go to jail.
  • Directly across from the Northwest Gate is Amelion Tomb. Go inside and let the ghosts handle any guards that chase after the Hero, then flee the area. This will leave a bounty that must be dealt with later, but can be used to escape the guards.
  • Using the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal will let you kill him and every guard in the barracks, but this is much tougher as you have to kill every guard as the Gray Fox.
  • Phillida sleeps in the Coast Guard building outside of town. Sneak in and kill him while he is sleeping to avoid combat.

Bonus[]

Permanent Retirement Desk

The desk at the prison office

To get the contract bonus of 500 Gold, the Hero must cut off Phillida's finger and put it in the desk of his replacement. The finger will appear in Phillida's inventory once he dies. Taking it will not attract any attention if no one noticed the Hero killing Phillida in the first place.

Travel to the Imperial City Prison. Enter the second door on the left (pick the Very Hard lock or use the keys found on Phillida's body), and open up the desk and put the finger inside. Note that entering this area is considered trespassing, and there are several Legion soldiers around ready to attack if the Hero is discovered. Try to enter late at night as the office is more likely to be empty at that time.

Conclusion[]

With Phillida dead and the bonus completed or not, return to Ocheeva for the next contract.

Journal[]

Journal Entry
  • Update: Upon receiving quest:

I must kill Adamus Phillida, a recently retired Imperial Legion officer, who has taken up residence in the City Watch barracks in Leyawiin. For this task, I have been given an enchanted arrow called the Rose of Sithis. If I can hit Phillida with the arrow when he is not wearing his armor, the strike will be fatal. I should head to Leyawiin, stalk Adamus Phillida, and attack when the moment is right. The contract will be complete when Phillida lies dead, whether I use the Rose of Sithis or not.

  • Update: After killing Phillida:

Adamus Phillida is dead. I may return now to the Sanctuary for my reward. If I want to receive a bonus, however, there is one more task I must complete. Phillida wears an Imperial Legion ring. I should take his finger, with the ring still attached, and put it in the desk of Phillida's Imperial Legion successor, in his office in the Imperial City.

  • Update: After picking up Phillada's severed finger:

I have acquired the severed finger of Adamus Phillida, with the ring still attached. I should now go to the Imperial City, and place the finger in the desk of Phillida's Imperial Legion successor, in his office in the Prison Barracks. If I do this, I will receive a bonus. Or, I may forfeit the bonus and simply return to Ocheeva at the Sanctuary.

  • Update: After placing the finger in Phillada's successor's desk:

I have placed the finger of Adamus Phillida in the desk of his successor, in his office in the Imperial City. I should now return to Ocheeva and claim my reward, and bonus.

  • Update: After returning to Ocheeva:

I have returned to Ocheeva at the Sanctuary.

  • Quest complete

Trivia[]

  • After completing the quest, visit the Leyawiin City Watch Barracks to find Phillida's Bodyguard dead with a suicide note if he wasn't killed earlier.

Bugs[]

This section contains bugs related to Permanent Retirement. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

  1. Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
  2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
  3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.
  • The Hero may always get a 40 Gold bounty, even if they were undetected. However, if you stealthily kill all the guards in the Watch Barracks and then threaten Phillida, you will not gain a bounty when you kill him. This is similar to the first quest you get from Ocheeva. You kill the target (Phillida) inside with no other witnesses.
  • The Rose of Sithis may have no effect on Phillida. This is because the Rose of Sithis will only be a one-hit kill if his armor rating is zero, but he will sometimes not take off his shield, which will not appear because he isn't wielding a weapon. It may be possible to pickpocket the shield from him and prevent this from happening. Invisibility or a very high Sneak may help.

Appearances[]


Dark Brotherhood
Dark Brotherhood Quests A Knife in the DarkThe Renegade Shadowscale (optional)Darkness Eternal (optional)
Vicente Valtieri Quests A Watery GraveAccidents HappenScheduled for ExecutionThe Assassinated Man
Ocheeva Quests The Lonely WandererBad MedicineWhodunit?Permanent Retirement
Lucien Lachance Quest The Purification
Dead Drop Orders Quests Affairs of a WizardNext of KinBroken VowsFinal JusticeA Matter of HonorThe Coldest SleepA Kiss Before DyingFollowing a LeadHonor Thy Mother
Epilogue Quest Whispers of Death
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