| Hooke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | West Weald, Caelum Cellars, Caelum Cellars Inner Vaults, Skingrad Outlaws Refuge | ||
| Race | Imperial | Gender | Male |
| Reaction | Friendly | ||
| Other Information | |||
| Faction(s) | Imperial Legion (Former) | ||
Hooke is an Imperial former legionary and ex-thief who can first be encountered in Skingrad. He was the leader of the Scarlets, a scouting group for the Legion before the group deserted after the failed invasion of Solitude during the time of Emperor Moricar. They then turned to banditry and theft, before a disastrous break in lead to the Scarlets' capture.
While Hooke is repentant and did his time in prison, recent events have caused him to start looking for his old comrades.
Related QuestsEdit
Quest-RelatedEdit
Hooke can be found in the backstreets of Skingrad arguing with Sergeant Corvus:
- Hooke: "So that's it, Corvus? People are dying, and you turn a blind eye because you're busy?"
- Sergeant Corvus: "I wouldn't expect a deserter and a thief to understand the Legion's duties. Look after yourself, Hooke. You always have."
- <Sergeant Corvus walks away down the street to the west.>
Talk with Hooke to see what is going on:
- "Well, I suppose you saw that. It's been twenty years, and Sergeant Corvus is still a stuck-up Colovian prig. Two lives cut short—but we were deserters, so he thinks we got what we deserved.
Damn it all. Maybe he's right." - Who was killed?
- "Almo and Regnir. Comrades in my Legion days, then fellow outlaws after. We called ourselves the Scarlets.
Sorry. The name's Hooke. Back when the Gold Road was rich, I led the gang. But we got caught. Did our time. We're not thieves anymore." - Do you think you're in danger, too?
- "If I get what's coming to me, so be it. The price of being a thief. But we left that life years ago. The other Scarlets don't deserve to die.
Can you help me gather the crew? Protect them from whoever's hunting us? I can pay you. Thief's honor!" - I'll help you find the remaining Scarlets.
- "I think we'll get along, friend. Here, let me mark your map. I know where you can find three of the surviving Scarlets: Big Urm, Fallen-Knives, and Valenia.
Tell them to go to the Skingrad Outlaws Refuge. I'll be waiting there."
After you agree to help, you can ask some questions:
- Tell me more about the three Scarlets I'm looking for.
- "Right. I'm not exactly sure how many of us are left. Big Urm, Fallen-Knives and Valenia are the only ones I've been able to track down so far."
- Tell me about Big Urm.
- "Big Urm? Our chaplain. And a poet, too. She penned the words to our one rule. She could have settled down in a temple, but we needed someone who could bust down doors.
Heard she had some trouble to deal with out at Varen's Watch."
- "Big Urm? Our chaplain. And a poet, too. She penned the words to our one rule. She could have settled down in a temple, but we needed someone who could bust down doors.
- What about Fallen-Knives?
- "Not much to say about Knives. He was half in the bottle back in our Legion days, and crawled all the way in after we served our time. But I'd rather have him chugging than thieving, I guess.
Last I heard, he was in Ontus."
- "Not much to say about Knives. He was half in the bottle back in our Legion days, and crawled all the way in after we served our time. But I'd rather have him chugging than thieving, I guess.
- Who's Valenia?
- "Ah, Valenia. There were times I wondered why she chose a thief's life. She had family back in Valenwood. Could have gone home any time. But I was grateful she stayed with us.
She's in Vashabar now. She … ah, forget it." - What were you going to say?
- "Nothing, I suppose. Just daydreaming. Valenia and I were close, once.
Bah! Enough of that. That was twenty years ago. There are lives in danger today—Valenia's life, too. We should focus on that."
- "Nothing, I suppose. Just daydreaming. Valenia and I were close, once.
- "Ah, Valenia. There were times I wondered why she chose a thief's life. She had family back in Valenwood. Could have gone home any time. But I was grateful she stayed with us.
- You were a thief? / You mentioned being a thief?
- "Thief, highwayman, brigand, outlaw—I'd be richer than Count Calantius if I had a gold piece for every name they gave us. That's not who the Scarlets are anymore.
Once we were legionaries. Good ones, even." - What happened?
- "We were pressed into joining Emperor Moricar's invasion of Western Skyrim. A damn foolish thing—no surprise he's not here anymore. We barely survived. And when we finally straggled home, there was nothing left for us."
- So you deserted?
- "Aye. No different than abandoning a ship when it sinks. We Scarlets are survivors. And that's what we did.
Took a lesson from Moricar's Reachmen. They stole to keep their bellies full. So we did too. Everything but lives." - Why draw that line?
- "The Scarlets had a rule: Take from those who can spare some. Take nothing from any that can't be undone.
Hard times never seemed to touch the fortunes of the rich. Still the same today, I reckon."
- "The Scarlets had a rule: Take from those who can spare some. Take nothing from any that can't be undone.
- "Aye. No different than abandoning a ship when it sinks. We Scarlets are survivors. And that's what we did.
- "Thief, highwayman, brigand, outlaw—I'd be richer than Count Calantius if I had a gold piece for every name they gave us. That's not who the Scarlets are anymore.
