A New Debt is a short Dragonborn side quest set in Raven Rock on Solstheim. No good deed goes unpunished: after you find Drovas Relvi a safe job as Neloth‘s steward, the money lender Mogrul decides that Drovas’ debt of 1000 septims is now your problem. You can pay up, bargain him down, or settle the account permanently with a blade.
How to start
- Complete Reluctant Steward, which ends with Drovas Relvi working for Neloth at Tel Mithryn.
- Return to Raven Rock. Mogrul will walk up to you and explain that, since Drovas is now protected by a Telvanni wizard, he expects you to cover the debt.
- The quest only starts once you actually pick a dialogue option. If you just close the conversation, Mogrul keeps tailing you and tries again.
Walkthrough
Hear Mogrul out
Mogrul’s reasoning is simple: you made Drovas untouchable, so you owe him. In the conversation you can pay the full 1000 gold on the spot, ask for patience, refuse outright, threaten him, or try to intimidate him into accepting half. If you refuse or stall, he warns you that his collectors will come looking for you, and thugs will keep turning up until the matter is closed.
Squeeze Drovas for part of it
If you ask Mogrul for patience, you can travel to Tel Mithryn and confront Drovas about the money. He first claims he has nothing to spare, but with a successful persuasion he hands over what he has, which the source puts at 250 gold. That only reduces your own outlay; you still have to bring the rest to Mogrul.
Pay the debt
Handing Mogrul the money completes the quest immediately. A successful intimidation check (“take half”) cuts the bill to 500 gold. If the intimidation fails, he simply laughs it off and the full sum stands.
Or kill Mogrul
Mogrul warns that attacking him puts the bounty on your head, not his, so pick your moment. Some options mentioned in the source:
- Because he follows you around until the quest starts, you can lead him out of town and deal with him where no guards are watching. He will not follow you into buildings or through fast travel.
- Roughly between midnight and 3 am he hangs around the Retching Netch with few onlookers. The bartender Geldis Sadri reportedly cannot see the spot, so he does not count as a witness.
- He may also be asleep alone in his room in the Netch: the second door after turning right at the foot of the stairs. Picking the lock while sneaking, closing the door behind you and killing him in his sleep reportedly causes no bounty and does not provoke his bodyguard Slitter.
- If you have the Nightingale Subterfuge power from the Thieves Guild questline, casting it on a crowd that includes Mogrul can make them fight each other, which often ends badly for him.
Choices and consequences
- Pay 1000 gold: the thugs stop and the quest ends.
- Intimidate him to half: pay 500 gold instead.
- Kill Mogrul: the debt dies with him, but a witnessed killing brings a bounty and may turn Slitter hostile.
- Refuse or delay: Mogrul’s collectors keep coming after you until you pay or kill him.
Rewards
- Mogrul’s thugs stop harassing you.
- Optional: some gold back from Drovas if you pressure him.
Tips and notes
- Slitter turns on you the moment he sees you attack Mogrul, even if you were hidden. If he never witnessed it, he stays calm and carries on as if his boss were still alive. If he does turn hostile you may kill him without a bounty, or calm him down with Pacify or Bend Will; simply leaving the area also resets him.
- Guards generally leave a fight between you and Slitter alone, Captain Veleth being the exception, while some townsfolk who like you may pitch in on your side.
- If you have completed Unearthed and ever hired Teldryn Sero, he (and, per the source, Ralis Sedarys) will help if a fight with Mogrul breaks out in the Retching Netch.
- The source gives two bounty figures for killing Mogrul (40 gold, or 1000 gold if witnessed) without explaining the difference, so treat the exact amount as uncertain.
- Feeling cheated? You can pickpocket Mogrul afterwards to recover your gold, but only if you are quick about it, as the coins may disappear from his inventory later.
