Oblivion's Most Mysterious Quest Explained: A Shadow Over Hackdirt

In today's video, we'll discuss The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and one of its most mysterious quests in the main game, A Shadow Over Hackdirt. The quest begins with a worried Argonian mother asking for our help in locating her missing daughter. Her last known location is a village called Hackdirt. Located in between Chorrol and Skingrad, the player finds the quaint little town only to discover its inhabitants are hiding something. Watch the video as the quest unfolds into a horror and scary storyline, with some theories at the end to what this could all mean. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe!
#elderscrolls #oblivion #lore #scary #gaming

[@anauthenticapple3974]

Loving the oblivion stuff. This game has a special place in my heart

[@ABardsBallad]

Thanks for the continued support! The oblivion content is going to keep on coming!

[@aqsamirza4561]

Fun Fact, this story line is based on the short story ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’ by H.P. lovecraft. It’s a great story and the village of Hackdirt and The Deep ones makes much more sense if you read it.

[@skitkjell85]

Was just going to say this ^_^ It's an amazing read. If you have read it before stumbling on this quest you immediately recognise the theme :)

[@ABardsBallad]

Yes! After the video I familiarized myself a lot the book and it’s really interesting!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

There has to be at least one Lovecraft enthusiast at Bethesda. The games always have something strewn around.

[@DustunColeman]

I read it recently. Shiiiiid was decent

[@louissteyn6871]

The Lovecraft connection is why assume hermaeus mora instead of vile, as well as the fish eyed enemies and forbidden knowledge aspect, after all, while vile might be best known for deals and pacts, he isn't the only one who offers them

[@aqsamirza4561]

Oblivion is my all time favourite game, I still play it to this day and I am so glad to see more and more people making Videos on its Lore. Subscribing for sure ❤

[@ABardsBallad]

It’s still such a good game after all these years! Thank you for the support! :)

[@GlobTheDabGlob]

Great video! A decade later and I’m still fielding for more content! Fudge muppets and Drewmora has filled that TES lore. Keep it up buddy.

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support and I appreciate the kind words! :) those guys are definitely big inspirations for me and this channel! I look forward to learning more and being able to share it!

[@aqsamirza4561]

Please also check out Dark Lore Dash for amazing Oblivion content. ❤

[@evelynlamoy8483]

The issue of saying "he's known for his trickery and deceit" is, so are like 3 other daedric lords. Others have more ties to names like "deep ones" and being repelled by the sun. What do the runes say? grab the book text and translate them, since it is just the simple cypher of daedric

[@ABardsBallad]

These are all very valid points! The purpose of this video, apart from showcasing the quest itself, was to present a theory that isn’t as mainstream as others. I have heard a lot of different explanations as to what the deep ones are. The main theory that we hear of is that they are connected to the Sloads of the universe. The Clavicus Vile theory is meant from a different angle which includes the villagers bargaining with these entities, and as we know that’s straight up this God’s alley, to enter pacts with the mortals of Nirn! The bible’s translation has sort of been decoded, but so far it still doesn’t make much sense as to what it’s actually saying! Hope this helps to clear things up!

[@careca0000]

The runes are a excerpt of Nga Ngatha Kvatis or whatever the tile of the book is,@@ABardsBallad It is found is found in-game in Morrowind and supposedly is a book of occult knowledge written by the legendary servant of Clavicus Vile, the sload (a beastmen race of slug-folk in the lore) necromancer N'Gasta, a foe appearing in Elder Scrolls Legends: Redguard. Funnily enough, people have deciphered the book irl. It is a notice for a european linguist message board/group thingie written in the esperanto language, having nothing to do with Elder Scrolls at all 🤣

[@sunbro-s6d]

@@careca0000 it's not just a message bord : it's a internet page from the site of the "ranetoj", an esperanto-written newspaper. and in esperanto, "ranetoj" means... frog ! a race of batracians, amphibics... and devoted to mannimarco, the "king of worms", who try to make is return in tamriel... and relied to another of the "Towers" who keeps nirn stable between all of the oblivion planes, a tower which has been destroyed last, read "notes on the phylogenesis and racial biology" in french : sloads and argonians are related bestmers, argonians sharing more traits than with khajiits. and because one of the sload's rite is the "rituel of desquamation", a rituel where scales are removed from skin... we know why dar-meena was captured.

[@thecookiejoe]

Great video! I want to add a piece of knowledge that you missed and that explains the origin of this story. This story is lovecraftian and has nods to H.P. Lovecrafts horror stories. The name of the quest is a reference to "The Shadow over Innsmouth" by H.P. Lovecraft. The Deep Ones in Lovecraft lore would be cosmic gods like Cthulhu. Lovecraft stories and lovecraftian stories have a lot of themes that are used in this quest. An explorer of sort arrives at a village where people act strange, are hostile a towards the main character. There is a cult or secret society that is clandestine. The element of body horror or losing ones mind. In Lovecraft stories it's people spawning tentacles out of their body, having a fishy and disgusting smell about them and getting into contact with ideas and concepts that are too big for the human mind to comprehend. In Fallout 4 you have the story of Dunwich Borers, which also is lovecraftian. It features noises in the walls of a mineshaft and a strange sculpture at the bottom of said shaft. There's good youtube videos on that one as well. Fallout Games feature lovecraftian sidequests, so I am 100% sure that this is one as well. They worked it pretty well into the Oblivion Lore and it could definitely be a deadric prince. But the elements of the story are definitely lovecraftian. Also, and this is where it gets speculative on my part because there's not enough elements in it for that. Oblivion was released 2006. Lost released 2004 and at the release of Oblivion it was well into season 2 and close to the end of season 2. Lost also has heavy lovecraftian themes in it. In season 2 that is a people that are called "the other ones" and the "Dharma Initiative". Hostile, clandestine, cultlike, mysterious it's all in there as well. There's also monsters and godlike creatures in Lost and by season 2 I think they have been aired. A lot of the Lost lore makes more sense in later seasons but I think it could have been obvious as early as season 2 that these are lovecraftian elements. So naming an npc Dar-Ma after the Dharma Initiative could be an explanation. Also, lovecraftian horror is often described as cosmic horror, dealing with themes of creation of life. Dharma is also a sanskrit word, and I don't know a lot more than what google gives me about this concept, but it deals with "basic and cosmic principles of existence", which is often a theme in lovecraftian horror. So while I am sure of the first half, this part is a little bit speculative on whether the writers thought of that or not. Dar-Ma being a reference to Dharma I am relatively sure of but my interpretation ends there. It could be a Lost reference, because Lost was big back then. But it could very well not be as well. Also Dar-Ma having a hippie themed horse named Blossom - yeah. It's a Dharma reference.

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! Very informative for new viewers too! :)

[@burge117]

Man I never remember the roar. Great video man. I will never see Hackdirt the same way again 😂

[@ABardsBallad]

I appreciate it! It’s some really cool in game stuff! :)

[@smashingpumpkin1986]

I didn't realise how much this quest borrowed from HP Lovecraft until now.

[@ABardsBallad]

Yeah it’s a really cool reference to his stories! The Shadow over Innsmouth I believe is the specific one!

[@Matt-md5yt]

This quest has one of my favorites to so, love Dharma. Her personality is so wholesome

[@ABardsBallad]

Yes! She was actually a nice NPC to talk to for once! 😂

[@LazarusBell]

3:08 You're very experienced with the character creator I see.

[@ABardsBallad]

😂😂😂 One of my favourite parts of Oblivion!

[@tingle2958]

Man I just had a deep nostalgia moment and vaguely remembered this quest and how immersed it made me feel, and so I did some google searching to see if I could find it, and here we are. Super random. This video is exactly what I didn't know I was looking for. I'm gonna watch some more of your stuff 🤙

[@Potkanka]

I came across the village accidentally, before I got the quest. It was sure creepy, also I found Blossom, which was suspicious. A random, named horse hidden away? Well, I was glad when I got the quest, hoping I'd learn more about the village. I, uh, I can't say I learned that much, so thanks for the video :D

[@JaytheLay1]

Bro you keep this level of work up and in no time you'll hit it big. Some advice to help ya out: I'd have the dialogue spoken by the NPCs instead of read, it'll put you more into the world and a bit more immersed. Ya did great though, no worries. Show a bit more of what happens in-game, with certain events and such, like sleeping causes someone to attack you at the inn, I'd show it off, but it's not a big deal, probably more work than it's worth. And last, totally optional, a less silly Main Character. It's funny yes, but it takes you out of the story after that first laugh. That's totally up to you, it's personalized work so I appreciate it either way. Otherwise, hot damn dude, this is solid work, I'm not even into Oblivion and you had me fully entranced. Thank ya for your work, I look forward to more!

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! I really appreciate it! These are definitely some solid points which I can implement in! :)

[@psiklops71]

Shadow over Innsmouth

[@ABardsBallad]

Yes! That’s the leading reference!

[@blindtreeman8052]

Alot of stories with town demon worship cults can just be a reference to Lovecraft. Bonus points if it involves some deep sea creature

[@theredwhirlwin]

Love this quest, it's got some of the creepy stuff, great content 👌

[@ABardsBallad]

It was my first time doing it! Definitely a good creepy vibe! Thanks for the watch!!

[@theredwhirlwin]

@@ABardsBalladThank you for making it, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@josepartida1711]

on my first playthrough i found hackdirt by just wandering around. i was creeped out. love it. and this was how i got really into lovecraftian horror too.

[@luisp9843]

Honestly love putting this on in the background while studying.

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! I appreciate it! :)

[@DrarayneThelas]

I have cousins that are living in Hackdirt, in Cyrodiil. My family and I don’t talk about them much…

[@159tony]

The deep ones are more than likely dreugh. The dreugh are intelligent or rather, were intelligent.. way back in the kalpa where molag bal was an aedric spirit. It was ended by mehrunes dagon. The dreugh ruled with an Iron fist and worshipped the prince of domination.. These deep ones could be the survivors of the coral glass spires of the old world.

[@MidlifeCrisisJoe]

I just did this quest while I play through Oblivion for the first time and I had the cleanest possible execution of it I thought. Got to the village and expected a lot more investigation would have to be done but almost the first guy I ran into was the guy who helps you out, just walking around outside. He told me to meet him and gave me a key at night. Went to inn and no one was around, snuck into the room with the cell and got Dar-Ma out cleanly and to the horse and home without encountering anyone at all, real smoothly. I think the actual wildest thing is the major reward for the quest, which is that her mom trains you in Mercantile skill afterwards, for like 5 whole skill levels of free training! I had Mercantile as a custom class major skill since it's generally easier to control for than others in most cases and it just leveled me up right away very unexpectedly!

[@duplicitouscanadian3073]

Now that i've watched this, I remember back to the camelworks videos on both Hackdirt and Rorikstead. Two remote villages, both gaining increased prosperity; obtained by ritual sacrifice or seemingly so.

[@SapSapirot]

Nice video! Perhaps im too much of a nerd but as soon as i hear "Shadow over [village name]" The reference is pretty damn clear xD. Nice breakdown though, it was entertaining!

[@ABardsBallad]

Yes! The leading theory is the HP Lovecraft reference! Admittedly I wasn’t too familiar with his work prior to this video but I definitely see the references now!

[@vincemcgaj628]

I'm very certain it's actually Molag Bal who made a deal with the town of Hackdirt, not Clavicus Vile. The most concerning evidence is if you go to Hackdirt as a vampire, their leader will have a super high deposition for you for no reason. Molag Bal created vampires in Elder Scrolls lore. Also, on the map of Oblivion the shrine for Molag Bal is very close to the town of Hackdirt, it's even close than the shrines of Vile or Sanguine are to the town of Hackdirt. My money is on good ol Bal and his vamp minions. Either way this video has some good theories I never thought of such as the Ogres. Great insights!

[@themethodofawesome]

I love Oblivion~ And this quest was always one of my favorites. I was really young when I first played it so I about jumped out of my skin the first time I went down into the tunnels and ran into the villagers. 😂 Thank you for the great video!

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! :) I can only imagine going into those tunnels blindly and seeing those villagers 😂 it would definitely be a good scare!

[@Jarikraider]

There's a translation of the book on imperial-library, and it is just some newsletter that was obfuscated apparently. Although given Elder Scrolls ridiculous lore, maybe it has some canon implications as well?

[@ABardsBallad]

Yes! I was looking at the translation! It’s very jumbled and for now I chose not to include it! It was really cool to see though that it had been translated though!

[@Yosh692]

Man in my playthrough 2 days ago, i never even met Jiv.. I mean hell i just talked with the Inn Keeper, the lady who sold goods and stuff and a another lady who threatend me of the deeper ones.. I just gone to chapel took the book, found the horse and entered the cave by the door of an destroyed house.. Also few days later when i returned the village after leaving Dhar ma to her mum , i surprisingly got attacked by the mob of those creepy deeper ones and that lady who threatend me of their presence. I killed them all and that's when i saw Jiv walking by

[@christopherhall5361]

YT must also know what I'm doing in my games too, because I literally played this quest 2 days ago and now this video shows up

[@ABardsBallad]

😂 It’s perfect timing!

[@TheLastFighter]

I love oblivion, subbed.

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! :)

[@17Watman]

Always hated this Quest, still scares me.

[@ABardsBallad]

It was really creepy actually going through it! They set it up really nicely!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Ah yes, Oblivion's resident Lovecraft quest. Fallout tends to stick to Dunwich, mostly.

[@UphillNoahh]

I was hoping to find a video like this

[@ABardsBallad]

I loved playing through the quest and getting to experience it! An amazing representation of how wild the game can be!

[@Chris-vp3fn]

I hated Hackdirt I found it so creepy

[@galagar6444]

What a great video!

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! :)

[@dragondude9637]

I always steal this book and store it in in the Mage's guild.

[@ABardsBallad]

That’s definitely a fitting place for a book like that! 😂

[@brysonsteelers]

Good video, love it

[@commandershepard4235]

One could EASILY mistake the quality of this video for someone in the 50-100k range. I hope you take off bro.

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! :) I really appreciate it! I just try my best to make quality videos that even I myself would watch!

[@commandershepard4235]

@@ABardsBallad you're welcome! Really puts me in mind of early camelworks 👌

[@SHDW-nf2ki]

Doesn't strike me as Clavicus. Because his deals are usualy very contractual and somewhat ironic.

[@connorlenihan2015]

There are so many other NPCs who might deserve sacrifice

[@TheCoyoteOutlaw]

It's all Lovecraft. How is that not obvious? Deep Ones, "Shadow Over Innsmouth"... Even Hermaus Mora is Lovecraftian!

[@wizardwhateley9485]

Great vid dude but i think its just a surface level reference to the shadow over innsmouth

[@ABardsBallad]

Thanks for the support! Yeah I think it’s likely just that too! Just a fun little counter theory I wanted to propose!

[@5andmane856]

I watched several of your videos, and I want to say that you are not bad at telling the story of quests but I want to ask where did you come up with the idea that the Daedra get power from the fact that people worshiping them?, this is a big mistake my friend, daedra already born powerful beings, they was born long ago before the feet of elves and humans step on nirn, they no need anybody to worship them, actually people are those who want to worship them, you're probably mistaken between Warhammer . and about this quest it's just easter egg to howard phillips lovecraft Novella shadow over innsmouth, no more or no less. and the deep ones is more likely the Sload. i hope you don't take it close to heart it's just a valid criticism, to help you evolve like content maker, aslo keep making cool videos! and sorry for my english it's not my main language

[@ABardsBallad]

Hey there! Thank you for the support and the criticism! You make some valid points for sure! With regards to the Daedra getting stronger with worship, I meant it in a way that they’re connection to Nirn and the overall havoc they wreak increases with the more worship, similar to how Mehrunes Dagon was able to do a come to Tamriel through the help of the Mythic Dawn! I did say that it was a theory at the beginning and towards the end of the video and I said it was a unique viewpoint as well! I do appreciate the criticism though, I think I should be more clear in future videos on certain subjects.

[@5andmane856]

in this case it make sense, cultists only can help them appear on nirn in physical form, they cannot do this without them, because the amulet of kings and dragonborns existence. actually i missed when you said it's your theory sorry my bad. but it would also be nice if you mentioned about the sloads, they give creepy lovecraftian vibe much more then clavicus vile. thank you for reading my annoying comments@@ABardsBallad

[@sunbro-s6d]

iyouhaven't seek for a decypher of the book ? like "g'vasta k'vakis" from morrowind, it's a internet page from the site of the "ranetoj", an esperanto-written newspaper. and in esperanto, "ranetoj" means... frog ! this language is the language of the sloads a race of batracians, amphibics... and devoted to mannimarco, the "king of worms", who try to make is return in tamriel... and relied to another of the "Towers" who keeps nirn stable between all of the oblivion planes, a tower which has been destroyed, like the white gold tower, ada-mantia, etc... last, read "notes on the phylogenesis and racial biology" in french : sloads and argonians are related bestmers, argonians sharing more traits than with khajiits. and because one of the sload's rite is the "rituel of desquamation", a rituel where scales are removed from skin... we know why dar-meena was captured.

[@denisrivarola2387]

Yo, your character got revamped by a gen z memer.

[@stebbenwolfe]

I think the Deep Ones was actually supposed to refer to those guys who were running train on your mom. I’m talking about you specifically the person who is reading this.

[@grenadiergemini6109]

This just straight up the shadow over innsmouth

[@ABardsBallad]

It pretty much is!

[@solaurelian7638]

background music a little too loud, nice video!

[@ABardsBallad]

Thank you for the support! :) Noted for next time!