Talos Cult Conspiracy

The Talos Cult Conspiracy is an Imperial Legion quest given by General Darius.

Quick Walkthrough

 * Report to General Darius
 * Investigate rumors of who is in the Talos Cult
 * Speak with Oritus Maro
 * Complete his quest
 * Either destroy the Cult, or cover up it's dissolution
 * Report back to General Darius

Report to General Darius
After completing all of Optio Bologra's orders, he will mention that General Darius has requested to see you personally. Darius will ask you to investigate a plot among some of the legionnaires against the Legion. He will express his concern, saying how his informants tell him there may be extremist elements embedding themselves into the Deathshed legion and starting a propaganda war, spreading rumours and misinformation among the troops.

Investigate rumors of who is in the Talos Cult
Speak to any Imperial legionnaire in Gnisis with a disposition of at least 60 for them to refer you to talk to Optio Bologra. Bologra will explain that there is a small circle of Talos fanatics who he describes as "harmless enough", led by Oritus Maro and Arius Rulician.

Speak with Oritus Maro
Talking to Maro with a disposition of 70 will let him reveal he is recruiting operatives for the Cult. If the player wants to join, Oritus will give the player a test of loyalty by telling them to steal a seal from Darius’ office. The seal in question bears the visage of Uriel Septim according to Oritus, and he says to replace it with a seal with Tiber Septim’s visage instead. The General will be out inspecting the troops in the fort during this time, so it will be easy to swap the seals. If the player goes to General Darius and tells him about the task Maro gave them, Darius will tell them to play along for now and keep him posted about any updates.

Trying to break into the shrine before completing Maro's task will make Arius Rulician hostile. The player will not be penalised for killing either member of the Cult once Arius turns hostile, but won't recieve any bonuses for investigation.

Either destroy the Cult, or cover up it's dissolution
Completing the task and giving Maro the Uriel Septim seal will make him trust the player, giving him a key and telling him to visit the shrine. Arius Rulician will be down there and will tell the player his plans to go AWOL and keep recruiting members through rumors and underground cult meetings.

He tells the player he will link up with them in a cave and in the mean time to spread the rumor that he was assassinated by the Blades, to spread fear and distrust. To do this, the player must talk to soldiers in the fort, barracks and on patrol about the latest rumors, but they must all be below the rank of Agent. Telling the rumor to anyone at or above the rank of Agent will get the player reported to the General. If the player tells the General what Arius Rulician wanted him to do, he will tell the player that the Talos Cult is now outlawed, and will order the player to arrest or kill Arius Rulician and Oritus Maro. Neither will be compliant, but if the player kills one member, the other will disappear however.

Going back to Darius after spreading the rumors successfully will have him repeat the rumour to the player, and that several more rumors have been circulating about the reasons why. He describes it as tiresome how the garrison is now in disarray with soldiers questioning why he was supposedly silenced. He dismisses the player saying that they did what they could. Darius will add he is going to outlaw the cult for supposedly trying to defame the Emperor and spread false information, and tell the player to arrest Oritius Maro for his involvement. Maro will be missing, and asking around will reveal that no one knows where he went. Reporting back will end the quest.

If the player decides to turn on the Talos Cult, they need evidence. Trying to put down the cult after joining and completing the tasks without telling Darius will result in a disposition loss with him. With a high enough disposition, the player can convince Darius that the Cult was acting unlawfully, but otherwise will still result in a lowered disposition. Being without a high enough disposition will result in expulsion from the legion.

To lawfully take down the cult, the player must find the note detailing the cult’s plan. If the player gets caught, Arius Rulician will attack them. Once killed, the player will find out that Maro is missing. Asking around will reveal that he left unexpectedly.

Giving Darius the note while both members of the cult are alive will make him tell the player to go back and arrest them.

Killing either member of the Cult before it's outlawed will result in a 1500 septim fine per head and expulsion from the legion.

Report back to General Darius
Telling Darius about the neutralized cult will make him congratulate the player, saying how he managed to put down those that would seek harm against the Emperor and give the player a 100 gold bonus.