The Loudest Whisper
Quest Giver	Jaspar Gaerston
Locations	Dawnstar, Morthal, Solitude Winking Skeever
Prerequisites	Read the book The Stone Hand, spoken to Jaspar about his Orc Muse
Related Quests	None
Enemy Level	N/A	Class	N/A
Quest ID	DialogueJasparGaerston	Editor ID	XX025759
NPCs	Jaspar Gaerston, Flin Horstad
Reward	100-500 gold

The Loudest Whisper tells the story of Jaspar Gaerston, an aspiring writer trying to find his voice. After many failed attempts to write something of substance, Jaspar met an Orc outside the Winking Skeever who inspired him to write the book The Stone Hand. However, in spite of Jaspar’s belief that he had written a great story, the manuscript was rejected by Adonato Leotelli. Given the writer had likened the prose to that of a blacksmith, Jaspar left the book on the table of Al’Hassan in Morthal on his way to Dawnstar.

The Odd Critique
Reading Jaspar’s book will reveal that while the prose is clunky and grandiloquent, it couldn’t possibly have been written by a blacksmith. The player, after having read the book and listened to his story, informs Jaspar that it’s likely Adonato never read the manuscript. Jaspar asks the player to take the book to Solitude to find a more honest critique.

Notes:
The Orc whom Jaspar describes as his muse is Gromash, who can be found in Narzulbur.

Finding the Publisher
The player visits the town gossip, Nythriel, to find out if any publishers are in town. After a brief exchange, she informs the PC that a publisher has been cavorting around the Winking Skeever, possibly because he has fathered an illegitimate child that now lives at the inn.

Notes:
Nythriel’s insists the publisher bears a striking resemblance to Minette Vinius, Sorex’s daughter.

Flin Horstad
Taking Nythriel’s advice, the player takes a seat on the stool by the bar. Flin stops by shortly thereafter, complaining that the player took his favorite seat. However, Flin denies Nythriel’s allegations, indicating he simply wants a better view of the women. Flin reveals himself as the author of a book called “The Duke of Beards,” a book that earned him the capital to write what he loves.

After showing Jaspar’s book to Flin, he will tell the player that Jaspar has talent, but his prose is too wordy. While he enjoys the story, Flin tells the PC the author must pare down the manuscript before he will consider publishing the story. Flin also suggests changing the name of the protagonist, at which point the player will have the following options:

– Use their own name as the protagonist.
– Use the name Gromash. If the player has not met Gromash, this option will be replaced by Ghorbash the Iron-Hand.
– Keep the name Bogakh.

Flin will give the player an advance of 500 gold, half of which is for Jaspar. However, the player can choose to keep the entire reward.

Notes:
– While the quest can progress simply by reading the book, at this point the player must have The Stone Hand in their possession as it must be shown to Flin for him to critique.

Return to Jaspar
Upon returning to Dawnstar, the player has the option of passing on Flin’s critique or belittling his writing. Whether the player is hostile or supportive will determine whether Jaspar attaches his name to the novel.  Regardless of whether the player tells the truth, Jaspar will come to the same conclusion as Flin regarding the prose of the book. Armed with this new knowledge, he sets out to rewrite The Stone Hand.

Upon completion of the novel, Jaspar will thank the player for helping him find his voice. The player has the option of paying Jaspar 0, 100, 250, or 400 gold, as he will be too elated to care if the player shortchanges him. With the quest finished, Jaspar will visit Solitude on the weekends and have several exchanges with Flin.

Notes:
– The player is asked to return to Jaspar after an extended period of time. This is accomplished through the use of a Hello that is set to play once every 23 hours. The line is attached to a counter, and after 3 hellos, Jaspar will tell the player the novel is complete. As a result, it will take a minimum of 3 days before the player will receive the book.
– Given the player’s input, the novel has 8 different permutations, for the 4 protagonist names and the 2 authors.

The Loudest Whisper (DialogueJasparGaerston)
Stage	Information
0	Jaspar’s book is placed at Al’Hassan’s table in Morthal.
1	The quest is set to stage 1 when Jaspar mentions Adonato’s critique.
17	Retrieving the book will set the stage to 17. However, the conditions to advance the quest are having the book in your possession and having done stage 1. Then you can comment on the critique itself.
20	Jaspar asks the player to obtain an honest critique.
25	The player speaks with Nythriel, who mentions a possible publisher hanging out at the Winking Skeever.
27	The PC sits at the stool and waits for Flin to arrive.
30	Meeting Flin, the player asks him to critique Jaspar’s book.
40	Armed with Flin’s suggestions, the player returns to Jaspar in Dawnstar.
50	Jaspar’s asks for time to finish the book.
60	Jaspar, having finished the book, asks the player to deliver it to Flin.
80	Flin agrees to publish the book and provides the player with their reward.
100	Jaspar accepts the reward and thanks the player.

Notes: Stages 50-59 determine the type of book Jaspar will write but are otherwise the same stage. Similarly, stage 61 and 62 are two of the eight books, while the rest are given to the player via fragment scripts. Stages 17, 27, 55, 60, 64, 75, 85, and 99 are set during scenes, dialogue, or when entering a trigger at the appropriate stage.