Skyrim's been out a while.

[Violet]

I only completed that quest with the help of a bit of magic from the console skill tree.

It's not a particularly difficult quest to complete... if you explore blackreach. I'm an explorer at heart, so finding 30 of the 44 crimson nirnroot comes naturally to me.

Console work, i find, trivializes the experience of the game. "This is too hard, or that's too annoying, or that's too long..." it's instant gratification. Put some actual work behind it, and your rewards will start feeling like rewards

Or Irileth, assuming he wasn't already dipping into that well.

Balgruuf is gay. I mean... his steward. Has to be.

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Nah, Irileth brings him no political gain. Elisif would solidify his hold on the High King's throne, and bring together two prosperous holds.

Elisif is too self-righteous for him, and Irileth takes her job too seriously.