The Family Business - Is Officer Lorin right?

Saphayla

Hello everyone, I have a quest regarding the quest "The Family Business". Here's a summary, in case you don't recognize the name:

It takes place on Khenarthi's Roost. You first meet Azbi-ra a Khajiit crouched over her father's body. She tells you that their moon sugar plantation recently caught fire and her father's lungs are damaged. She tasks you with retreiving alchemical tools from around the plantation, so that she can trade them for medicine and help her father. On your way there, you meet Officer Lorin, a Thalmor representative investigating the accident. While searching for the tools, you encounter Zaban-ma, Azbi-ra's brother, who confesses that he was the one who set fire to the plantation, to stop his sister and father for brewing skooma (which is what the alchemical tools are for). As you tell him about his father (Zaban-ma never intended to hurt anyone), he asks you to retrieve a sack of skooma vials Azbi-ra hid on a nearby beach. Once you have the skooma and you return to the Khajiiti siblings, you're approached by Officer Lorin who accuses you of posessing and distributing skooma. If you choose to show her the sack, you're relieved of charges as reward for your cooperation, while the siblings are apprehended and taken away.

My question here is: Does Officer Lorin have the right to arrest and possibly imprison Azbi-ra and Zaban-ma? At the time of this happening, the Aldmeri Dominion hasn't yet established control over Khenarthi's Roost, so any laws regarding skooma shouldn't apply. Thus, whatever laws regarding skooma there may be, they're likely set by Headwoman Harrani (and her predecessors), and, as Khajiit, I doubt they'd be nearly as harsh when it comes to skooma as the Altmer are. So, is Officer Lorin allowed to arrest them?

Bruccius

Saphayla wrote: »

Hello everyone, I have a quest regarding the quest "The Family Business". Here's a summary, in case you don't recognize the name:

It takes place on Khenarthi's Roost. You first meet Azbi-ra a Khajiit crouched over her father's body. She tells you that their moon sugar plantation recently caught fire and her father's lungs are damaged. She tasks you with retreiving alchemical tools from around the plantation, so that she can trade them for medicine and help her father. On your way there, you meet Officer Lorin, a Thalmor representative investigating the accident. While searching for the tools, you encounter Zaban-ma, Azbi-ra's brother, who confesses that he was the one who set fire to the plantation, to stop his sister and father for brewing skooma (which is what the alchemical tools are for). As you tell him about his father (Zaban-ma never intended to hurt anyone), he asks you to retrieve a sack of skooma vials Azbi-ra hid on a nearby beach. Once you have the skooma and you return to the Khajiiti siblings, you're approached by Officer Lorin who accuses you of posessing and distributing skooma. If you choose to show her the sack, you're relieved of charges as reward for your cooperation, while the siblings are apprehended and taken away.

My question here is: Does Officer Lorin have the right to arrest and possibly imprison Azbi-ra and Zaban-ma? At the time of this happening, the Aldmeri Dominion hasn't yet established control over Khenarthi's Roost, so any laws regarding skooma shouldn't apply. Thus, whatever laws regarding skooma there may be, they're likely set by Headwoman Harrani (and her predecessors), and, as Khajiit, I doubt they'd be nearly as harsh when it comes to skooma as the Altmer are. So, is Officer Lorin allowed to arrest them?

Would she be investigating a crime scene if she didn't have the authority to operate?

Saphayla

Bruccius wrote: »

Would she be investigating a crime scene if she didn't have the authority to operate?

Indeed, it wouldn't make much sense, but most other Aldmeri Dominion representatives we meet on the island talk about trying to seize control of the island. Officer Lorin is the only one who acts like the island is already theirs.

notimetocare

Question is, in a time of war, what would you do versus an army backed officer?

WhiteCoatSyndrome

Judging by the reaction of some of the Khajiit NPCs, I gather Skooma is frowned upon by them as well. IIRC isn't that why the brother burned the farm in the first place, because he knew his sister was making Skooma?

Saphayla

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

Judging by the reaction of some of the Khajiit NPCs, I gather Skooma is frowned upon by them as well. IIRC isn't that why the brother burned the farm in the first place, because he knew his sister was making Skooma?

Indeed, that's why Zaban-ma set fire to the plantation. However, being "frowned upon" and being illegal are two different thing.

Elsonso

You dare to question the authority of the Thalmor?

OtarTheMad

Most likely they were allowed to look into this accident with the Headwomen's approval.