Oblivion's Creepiest Quest Still Freaks Me Out
The first time I played Oblivion, I found the village of Hackdirt completely by accident. I was aimlessly wandering the forests south of Chorrol and stumbled upon a scattering of dingy-looking houses, overgrown and surrounded by the charred remains of buildings razed by some great inferno. I talked to the locals and the vibe was immediately off. Usually the townsfolk you meet in Oblivion are chatty, friendly sorts, eager to spill juicy rumours or give you directions. But it was obvious that the creepy residents of Hackdirt did not want me, or anyone else, hanging around.
It wasn't until much later, after picking up a quest called A Shadow Over Hackdirt, that the grim truth about this place revealed itself. When you first arrive in Chorrol, a friendly Argonian named Dar-Ma approaches you. She welcomes you to the town, and you're given the option to either rudely tell her to mind her own business or be friendly back to her. Return to Chorrol a few in-game days after this encounter and a new rumour will be flying around about Dar-Ma's mysterious disappearance, leading you to a store owned by her mother called Northern Goods and Trade.
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Talk to her mother, Seed-Neeus, and you learn that Dar-Ma mysteriously disappeared while on a routine delivery to Hackdirt. If you've visited the village already, like I had, this will set alarm bells ringing. If not, you'll assume Hackdirt is just one of the many unremarkable rural hamlets littering Cyrodiil. Either way, it's an intriguing mystery which leads to one of the best, most memorable, and most disturbing quests in Oblivion. It's been years since I last played through A Shadow Over Hackdirt, but revisiting it today, it's as
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