Sanguine (Stark Reality) quest (SPOLIERS)

[jdougan1]

Out of curiosity, is it possible to complete this quest without getting caught? I have tried it while sneaking with invisibility and chameleon spells active and the guards still run straight to me to arreast me. I would prefer not to be arrested if possible for roleplay reasons.

Since you lose your gear when you cast the spell, I have even dropped an invisibility potion before casting Stark Reality, grabbed it, and quaffed it before the guards came in. They still make a beeline to me - though curiously they can't find me afterwards if I choose the "resist arrest" option. This makes me think that perhaps you can't do this one without being arrested?

[Tricky]

(Thieves guild spoiler)You could try wearing the Gray Fox mask, I'm pretty sure that would work(/tgs). Also, if you use an item in the game world after casting invisibility, it will undo the effect. In Morrowind, the chameleon spell would have been your friend, but unless you have a very high Sneak I think there is nothing you can do. Maybe.. create a strong fortify sneak spell?

[Tricky]

Umm.. is there Chameleon in Oblivion? I might have missed out on something there. I should clarify myself by the way, excuse me. The difference between a strong Chameleon spell and an Invisibility spell is that with Chameleon, you can still pick up stuff / use items etc without the effect being cancelled. They're much harder to cast though, so you might want to consider enchanting a bunch of items. Even then you might still get fined.. I'm not sure. At least the guards won't be able to find you.

[Phreddie]

I did it with out being arrested, my secret you ask? Well, Ok, since you asked nicely:
I ran, and ran, and ran and ran. I ran into a lake and stayed down there for a few hours with the aid of a few spells, waited off the gaurds, and went back to the shrine, the trick is to not get close enough to a gaurd, which admittedly is slightly impossible, just resist arrest and run like your the ginger bread man.

[jdougan1]

Originally Posted by Phreddie

I did it with out being arrested, my secret you ask? Well, Ok, since you asked nicely:
I ran, and ran, and ran and ran. I ran into a lake and stayed down there for a few hours with the aid of a few spells, waited off the gaurds, and went back to the shrine, the trick is to not get close enough to a gaurd, which admittedly is slightly impossible, just resist arrest and run like your the ginger bread man.

I have managed something similar to that - running most of the way back to the shrine with guards chasing me. But - I guess you are implying that you can't avoid the guard at least seeing you and trying to arrest you?

[jdougan1]

Originally Posted by Tricky

Umm.. is there Chameleon in Oblivion? I might have missed out on something there. I should clarify myself by the way, excuse me. The difference between a strong Chameleon spell and an Invisibility spell is that with Chameleon, you can still pick up stuff / use items etc without the effect being cancelled. They're much harder to cast though, so you might want to consider enchanting a bunch of items. Even then you might still get fined.. I'm not sure. At least the guards won't be able to find you.

Yes - Chameleon exists in Oblivion - and I understand how it is different from Invisibility. Still, it just does not seem to work here - the guards go right to me even when I am sneaking/invisible/chameleon - which brings me back to my original contention that you can't do this quest without attracting guards attention.

If I had the old Amulet of Shadows from Morrowind I bet I could

[mordib]

I contend that you can do this without getting caught...but I will confess I havent succeeded yet...

the plan - the first stage is to get rid of all the gaurds hanging out in front of the silly door (aka the door that you cant open for no good reason). now you can cast stark reality as many times as you want, as long as you dont get the countess, so by standing concealed up the stairs on the balcony it is possible to zap the guard down below without getting caught in the spell yourself. they dont lose their clothes but they do run off. then after a little waiiting the countess comes out of the room.

Now this is the part I havent managed yet, figuring out at what stage to cast it on the countess as she heads back into the rooom so that it catches all the guests. you can run into the room with her and easily cast it on her there but of course you get seen if you do that...

[Ashen]

Running works. I think that's all that works. I used the same tactics. Drink invisibility potion to outmanouver the guards, then run, run, run ... run, run, run .... well you get the picture. I was rather ticked off to tell you the truth, that you couldn't get out of it any other way.

[Phreddie]

Im not surprised that that was the only way, I tried sneaking when casting the spell, to see if I could cast/leave undetected, no luck. Sanguine was just trying to have a laugh at your expense methinks.

[solublefish]

I completed Sanguine's quest without running from (or fighting) the guards.

---SPOILERS BELOW---
Once the party has started, talk to the guard to get let in. Go in and wait for all the guests to arrive if they haven't yet. Be sure to close the door behind you. Go to the back of the room, in the nook by the other door. This gets you as far away from the table as possible. Assign a number-hotkey to an invisibility potion, and select the Stark Reality spell. This is a good point to save your game, since the next step might take a couple tries.
Cast the spell at the countess, and IMMEDIATELY drink the potion - before the spell hits the target. An invisibility spell won't work here because you can't cast it fast enough. The spell hits the target and takes effect. You should get the "quest updated" message. Note that sometimes not all the guests will be affected, and you'll have to try again. You'll lose all your stuff, but you're invisible. After a few seconds, some of the guests will leave the room - opening the door. Follow them out and leave the castle. You can go visible again and the guards act like nothing happened.

I haven't tried it, but you should be able to stash all your stuff somewhere ahead of time and recover it after you leave the castle. You'll need just the invis potion, and I imagine you'll have to pick up a spare set of clothes or the guard won't let you into the party.

-solublefish

[KaiSardone]

Umm to add to the above, i had looked it up and found that exactl solution. BUT dont worry about your stuff! once you go back to the shrine if you "joined in the fun" the god'll tell you where your stuff is -.o