Brother Nidal is a priest of Arkay and the only one of his kind on the island of Stros M'Kai, since the disappearance of his initiate and good friend, Brother Kithral. He offers healing services for 25 gold, or for free if you retrieve Brother Kithral's Journal for him. He wears an amulet with the symbol of his temple.
As a holy man, he does not concern himself with political, secular affairs, unlike his initiate. What he does reveal is that he holds disdain for both the Empire and the Crowns, due to his general dislike of political affairs. However, he still holds allegiance to the Crowns, hiding the body of their leader in his temple. He is one of the more talkative characters, and he offers plenty of mostly unbiased background information on the political situation of Stros M'Kai, as well as some information on Iszara.
Dialogue
Brother Nidal has a lot of unique dialogue, both concerning the temple as well as the general situation of Stros M'Kai.
Greeting
(First Time)
- (Pulls hood up)
Cyrus: "Hello, brother. I'm Cyrus, recent to this shore."
- Brother Nidal, good son. Welcome to the Temple of Arkay.
(Every Other Time)
- (Pulls hood up)
Goodbye
Cyrus: "Until later, Brother Nidal."
- "Goodbye, my son." (Pulls hood down)
Healing
(First Time)
Cyrus: "Can you heal me, Brother Nidal?"
- "Please forgive the formalities, but the governor has levied a temple tax of 25 gold for any magical services rendered, healing or otherwise. Will you pay the tax?"
(Every Other Time)
Cyrus: "I need you to tend to my wounds again, brother."
- "I must ask you to pay the temple tax, of course. Will you?"
Yes
(Full Health)
- "I see nothing wrong with you, my boy. Count your blessings."
(Not Full Health)
- Unknown
No
Cyrus: "Forget it."
- "I am truly sorry, but I cannot help you, then."
Iszara
Cyrus: "My sister, Iszara, has been missing for near three months. perhaps you have heard of her?"
- "I knew her well, actually, but she never mentioned having a brother. She was a fiery sort, as I'm sure you knew, and her Redguard blood did not fare well under Imperial rule.
- "She is not the only nationalist who has disappeared since the governor claimed the city. There have been others."
Others
(Unlocked by "Iszara")
Cyrus: "What 'others' have disappeared?"
- "Brother Kithral, my initiate and good friend, for one. He was an outspoken man, and a Crown sympathizer.
- "He was enamored of your sister, I must say, and took to her Crown popaganda readily."
Before She What?
Cyrus: "Before she what, Brother Nidal?"
- "Well, man, before she vanished!"
Cyrus: "I trust that you will seek me out if you hear anything more of my sister."
- "I will be honest, Cyrus. She is either dead or worse, for I know she would not have left Stros M'Kai, even after A'tor's defeat."
- "Richton had a list of rebels when he took the throne, and Iszara's name was undoubtably upon it."
Arkay
- "Are you a follower of Arkay, Cyrus?"
Cyrus: "Me? No. Well, not in the worshipper sense."
- "In what sense, then?"
Cyrus: "I'm not that wayward, brother, I do believe in the gods, and in their, you know, importance to man and, you know, all that."
- "And Arkay's importance would be...?"
Cyrus: "I'm usually the one who asks all the questions, Brother Nidal."
- "Humor an old man."
Cyrus: "Arkay, then: the shepherd of the soul, who watches us through our lives and our deaths, and who guides us between them in the heavenly, uh, interim."
- "May he watch over you."
Restless League
Cyrus: "Is there anything you can tell me about the Restless League, Brother?"
- "I...know very little about their activities, Cyrus. The common stories, sure, but not much more."
Common Stories
Cyrus: "I know even less of the League than you, Brother, the common stories included."
- "Then know that they are ruffians and cutthroats, who would like nothing more than carve their symbol upon the emperor's eyes for daring to set them on Hammerfell.
- "...And know they secretly served the prince against the Forebears during the civil war, to help A'tor win back Sentinel."
Symbol
(Unlocked by "Common Stories")
Cyrus: "What is the League's symbol?"
- "The red R, for restless, as they are. Trust me, you will see it if you stay in Stros M'Kai for long, invariably written in Imperial blood."
Sentinel
(Unlocked by "Common Stories")
Cyrus: "Sentinel, the capital city."
- "From whence A'tor was forced to flee soon after his father died.
- "Aye, but the Crowns gathered her at Stros M'Kai and charged northwards to take their throne city back -- but, by then, the Imperial's bargain had been struck."
Stros M'Kai
Cyrus: "How is Stros M'Kai these days, Brother Nidal?"
- "You should be able to see it just from the faces on the streets, my boy.
- "But, then again, there aren't that many faces out there anymore. Things have become quiet since the occupation."
Occupation
Cyrus: "I have seen the Empire expanding into all of Tamriel in my travels. Why is the occupation of Stros M'Kai full of more bloodshed than most?"
- "You have only your Redguard blood to answer that, my boy. When has Hammerfell ever suffered foreign rule?
- "The civil war was bloody to be sure, but when the Forebears allied with the Empire, the Crowns felt they had been betrayed by their own kind.
- "They were prepared to fight to the last man, and the Empire sent Admiral Richton to make sure they did."
Forebears
(Unlocked by "Occupation")
Cyrus: "Tell me of the Forebears."
- "Living in Stros M'Kai you only get the Crown definiton, of course:
- "That the Forebears were the pretenders to the throne, that they betrayed the republic, and that Hammerfell has been cursed by their cowardice."
Crowns
Cyrus: "Iszara was a Crown, I know that. As a Crown, what would be her fate?"
- "I fear, sadly, that the Crowns' days are ended. The Forebears' alliance with Emperor Septim made sure of that."
Civil War
(Unlocked by "Occupation")
Cyrus: "I escaped Hammerfell just before the civil war, and without regret.
Cyrus: "That is probably why Iszara never mentioned me to you. It was only through a mutual friend that I learned of her disappearance."
- "The war cost this city much, Cyrus, though an outsider may not see it. The Crowns are gone, now, and only the League remains as their testament."
Temple
Cyrus: "The temple seems very empty, Brother Nidal. Are you its only priest?"
- "We have ever been understaffed. It was horrible right after the battle, all the dead and dying, but luckily I had Brother Kithral to help me tend to them.
- "Since he is gone now, I must carry on alone."
Governor
Cyrus: "What can you tell me about the Governor?"
- "That he is a hard man. Richton threatened to raze the temple when I refused to hand over the wounded of Prince A'tor who had survived the battle.
- "I assured him that even his emperor could not defy divine law. Nevertheless, the wounded under my care were healed only to be thrown into the Catacombs thereafter."
Prince A'tor
Cyrus: "What of Prince A'tor?"
- "He was... lost at sea, my boy. That is all I know. And... that it is rumored that Iszara knew him personally."
Iszara and the Prince
(Unlocked by "Prince A'tor")
Cyrus: "So my sister knew the prince, then?"
- "Leave that alone, boy. That was but a rumor."
Iszara in the Battle
(Unlocked by "Prince A'tor")
Cyrus: "Did my sister fight in the Battle of Stros M'Kai?"
- "No. She was never part of the military. She could have been, though. She was good with the sword... I hear."
Divine Law
Cyrus: "What is the Divine Law?"
- "Richton wanted to rescind the Crowns' right to sanctuary while they were wounded, or to desecrate the bodies of the enemy dead before I gave them their last rites."
Last Rites
(Unlocked by "Divine Law")
Cyrus: "What happened to the bodies of A'tor's men after their last rites?"
- "Food for the dragon, more than likely. But at least their souls are safe from the Necromancer."
Dragon
(Unlocked by "Last Rites")
Cyrus: "The Imperials have a dragon?"
- "Its name is Nafaalilargus, and it lives in the Catacombs, or so I've heard.
- "It has not been seen in the skies since the battle, so maybe Richton is lying about it still being around."
Necromancer
(Unlocked by "Last Rites")
Cyrus: "What about this Necromancer?"
- "N'Gasta has been here long, manifest in Thassad's good rule. A'tor had kept his wretchednes at bay, but now, with the prince gone, he has cursed the land."
Curse
(Unlocked by "Necromancer")
Cyrus: "How has N'Gasta cursed the land?"
- "The very soil of Stros M'Kai is cursed. N'Gasta has become very and has weaved a soul-snare across the island.
- "Any who die must quickly have their last rites performed before their souls become his to claim."
Nationalist
Cyrus: "Do you know anyone that Iszara may have kept company with, uh, vanished nationalist or otherwise?"
- "Like I said, I knew her well. And she spoke often to Brother Kithral, my former initiate, but he, too, has disappeared.
- "She was a devout Arkayn, Iszara. I once almost convinced her to join the temple, but that was before she... well..."
Before She What?
Arkay
Temple Tax
Cyrus: "Why the temple tax?"
- "Just another of Richton's rules, my boy, along with several other solutions to the burden of empire."
Brother Kithral
Cyrus: "When did you last see Kithral?"
- "I sent him to the park for fresh mandrake root, and that is probably where Richton's men were waiting.
- "Kithral was against the Imperial expansion from the start, though I reminded him that Arkay frowns on more... secular interests.
- "This warning Kithral obviously did not take to heart."