This address once hosted the Zainab Tribe walkthrough from the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages. UESP is still running at uesp.net, where the quest now sits under the name “Zainab Nerevarine”. It may be the only main quest step in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind that has you buying a slave, dressing her as a Telvanni noblewoman and taking her across the Grazelands to an Ashkhan who wants a highborn wife. This page covers the full quest as it plays today, the costs, the bugs and the patches and engines that make it run more smoothly.
Key takeaways
- Kaushad names you Zainab Nerevarine only after you kill the vampire Calvario and bring him a “Telvanni” bride.
- Falura Llervu costs 1,200 gold from Savile Imayn in Tel Aruhn, or less with good Mercantile or disposition.
- Savile also wants an exquisite shirt, skirt and shoes plus Telvanni Bug Musk before she will sell.
- The long escort is the risky part, and a known bug can leave Falura stuck in her cage.
- OpenMW 0.51.0 and Patch for Purists are the usual modern setup for a cleaner run.
What the Zainab Nerevarine quest is
Zainab Nerevarine is one of the four tribal quests in the fifth trial of the Nerevarine prophecies. In each one, an Ashlander tribe of Vvardenfell has to accept you as its Nerevarine. UESP lists The Path of the Incarnate as the prerequisite, Ashkhan Kaushad at Zainab Camp as the quest giver, and Hortator and Nerevarine as the next stage.
The old fan page treated the quest as the step between the Ahemmusa and Erabenimsun tribes, because that was the order its walkthrough followed. The game does not enforce that order. You need all four tribes (Urshilaku, Ahemmusa, Zainab and Erabenimsun) behind you before the Hortator and Nerevarine stage can finish, and you can do them in any sequence that suits your route.
Quest summary
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Quest name (UESP) | Zainab Nerevarine |
| Quest giver | Ashkhan Kaushad, Zainab Camp |
| Wise Woman | Sonummu Zabamat |
| Prerequisite | The Path of the Incarnate |
| Leads to | Hortator and Nerevarine |
| Main locations | Zainab Camp, Nerano Ancestral Tomb, Tel Aruhn, Tel Mora |
| Combat | One vampire (Calvario) and his undead |
| Cost | 1,200 gold for the slave at base price, plus clothing and musk |
| Reward | Thong of Zainab, plus Zainab support as Nerevarine |
How to play Morrowind today
The quickest way into this quest is the Game of the Year Edition. It is sold on Steam and GOG and includes the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions. You can run it on the original engine with fan patches, or on OpenMW, the open-source engine that reimplements Morrowind and reads your original game data.
| Setup | What it is | Why it matters for this quest |
|---|---|---|
| Morrowind GOTY (Steam or GOG) | The retail game with both expansions | Needed in every case; OpenMW uses its data files |
| OpenMW 0.51.0 | Open-source engine, released 19 June 2026 | Steadier companion pathfinding and modern hardware support |
| OpenMW 0.52.0 release candidate | Test builds as of November 2026 | Adds clustered lighting; not yet a final release |
| Morrowind Code Patch (Hrnchamd) | Fixes for the original engine executable | Only for the vanilla engine; OpenMW does not use it |
| Patch for Purists (Half11) | Bug fixes to game data, no rebalancing | Fixes many dialogue and script errors across the main quest |
| Tamriel Rebuilt 26.08 “Poison Song” | Mainland Morrowind expansion mod | Does not change this quest, but adds a lot of content around it |
Before you install
Saves from OpenMW 0.51.0 will not load in older OpenMW releases. Patch for Purists needs the official 1.6.1820 patch and conflicts with the Unofficial Morrowind Patch and the Morrowind Patch Project, so use only one of them.
Original engine or OpenMW
For most people starting a new game in 2026, OpenMW is the better choice. It runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux, and version 0.51.0 improved modding and gamepad support. Escort followers like Falura also behave more predictably on it. The original engine is still worth using if you rely on MWSE-based mods that OpenMW cannot run. In that case, install the Morrowind Code Patch before anything else.
Tamriel Rebuilt and the GOG one-click install
Tamriel Rebuilt released version 26.08, “Poison Song”, on 23 August 2026. Around the same time it became a free one-click install on GOG for owners of the GOG Morrowind GOTY Edition, running on OpenMW. Its content is on the mainland, so Zainab Camp, Tel Aruhn and Tel Mora stay as Bethesda built them. The mod does add a great deal to the Telvanni side of the world, which helps if you want this quest’s Telvanni scheming to lead somewhere afterwards.
Walkthrough: becoming the Zainab Nerevarine
The quest has three parts. You prove yourself to the Wise Woman, kill a vampire for the Ashkhan, then buy and deliver a bride. Most of your time goes into the third part.
Install steps
- Ask the Urshilaku for directions to Zainab Camp in the Grazelands.
- Show Sonummu Zabamat your proofs, then speak to Ashkhan Kaushad.
- Raise Kaushad’s disposition and ask him for a task.
- Kill the vampire Calvario in the Nerano Ancestral Tomb.
- Ask Sonummu about the bride Kaushad now wants.
- Get an exquisite shirt, skirt and shoes plus Telvanni Bug Musk.
- Buy Falura Llervu from Savile Imayn in Tel Aruhn.
- Dress Falura, escort her to Kaushad’s yurt and claim the Thong of Zainab.
Step 1: Find Zainab Camp
Zainab Camp is a yurt camp in the Grazelands, the grassy northeastern region of Vvardenfell between the Telvanni coast and the Ashlands. If you have not been there, the Urshilaku at their camp on the northwest coast can point you to it. Telvanni coastal settlements such as Vos and Tel Mora are the nearest towns, so travel by boat or Mages Guild teleport to the coast and walk inland. Use your local map: the camp sits out in open country, away from any road.
Step 2: Sonummu Zabamat and Kaushad
Find Sonummu Zabamat, the Zainab Wise Woman, in her yurt. Show her the proofs of the earlier trials and she will send you to Ashkhan Kaushad. Kaushad is more suspicious of you than she is. If he refuses to talk about the prophecy, raise his disposition with Persuasion (admire, flatter or bribe) and try again. Once he is willing, ask him to set you a task.
Step 3: Calvario in the Nerano Ancestral Tomb
Kaushad sends you to kill Calvario, a vampire who has taken over the Nerano Ancestral Tomb. UESP describes it as a small tomb west of Tel Vos in the Grazelands. It is not marked on your map automatically, so ask about it and check your journal.
According to UESP, Calvario is a level 14 Berne vampire with 142 Health, and he has undead servants with him. The tomb was once a bandit hideout before the dead took it over. Calvario waits behind a trapped door off the main room where the bandits’ bodies lie. Like all vampires he can drain your health in melee, which makes the fight last longer than it should for his level. Bring a weapon that is at least enchanted or silver, because vampires cannot be hurt by ordinary iron. Also bring a Cure Common Disease potion or a Cure Disease scroll, since undead can give you diseases.
Modder's note
Before you open Calvario’s door, cast Cure Common Disease or keep a cure potion ready. You catch Corprus and other diseases from the undead in the tomb, and a full-strength Berne vampire is a much harder fight while your attributes are drained.
Step 4: Kaushad wants a Telvanni bride
When you report back, Kaushad praises you, then asks for one more thing: a highborn Telvanni bride. Speak to Sonummu Zabamat about it. Her plan is practical and very Ashlander. Buy a slave from Savile Imayn’s market in Tel Aruhn, dress her in fine clothes and perfume, and present her as a Telvanni lady. Ask Sonummu about Tel Aruhn and she will mark it on your map. It lies well to the southeast of the camp, in Zafirbel Bay on Azura’s Coast, northwest of Sadrith Mora.
The bride: costs, shopping list and Falura Llervu
You will spend most of the quest’s budget here, and this is where most bug reports come from. Savile Imayn runs the slave market in Tel Aruhn. Tell her you are looking for something special and she offers Falura Llervu, a Dunmer slave, but first asks you to bring the clothes. Once you have those, she asks for Telvanni Bug Musk as well.
What to buy and where
| Item | Where to get it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exquisite shirt | Elegnan the Clothier, Tel Mora | Savile names Elegnan; other clothiers stocking exquisite items also work |
| Exquisite skirt | Elegnan the Clothier, Tel Mora | Must be the exquisite tier |
| Exquisite shoes | Elegnan the Clothier, Tel Mora | Some player reports mention gloves; Savile’s dialogue asks for shoes |
| Telvanni Bug Musk | Telvanni apothecaries, including in Tel Aruhn | Perfume item that boosts Personality |
| Falura Llervu | Savile Imayn, Tel Aruhn | 1,200 gold; as low as 600 with Mercantile 40 or higher or high disposition |
Savile’s base price is 1,200 gold. With a Mercantile skill of 40 or higher, high disposition toward you, or both, it can drop as low as 600. Carry at least 1,200 gold plus enough for the clothes and musk, and you will not need to make a second trip.
Before you install
Exquisite shirts given as quest rewards elsewhere in Morrowind use a different item ID, and Savile Imayn will not accept them. Buy a standard exquisite shirt from a clothier.
Freeing and dressing Falura
After you pay, unlock the slave pen near Savile and speak to Falura. Give her the clothes and musk through dialogue, then ask her to follow you. She has to be wearing the outfit when you reach Kaushad. If you skip the dialogue step, she will not count as a Telvanni lady.
Did you know?
According to UESP, the Thong of Zainab has a value of 2,400 gold but carries only five charges of a 150-point Detect Animal effect. It is worth more as proof of your title than as a tool.
The escort back to Zainab Camp
The escort is long and slow, and it is where most runs go wrong. You have two ways back. You can walk overland from Tel Aruhn, or take a boat north along the Telvanni coast towards Tel Mora or Vos and walk inland from there. The boat cuts the walking time but makes Falura board with you, and followers sometimes fail to come through a travel transition.
Practical rules for the trip:
- Walk, do not run. Falura’s speed is low, and leaving her behind is the most common way to lose her.
- Clear threats before she arrives. Cliff racers and kagouti go after followers, and Falura fights poorly.
- Stay out of deep water. Slaughterfish will kill her fast, and the old fan guide recommended Water Walking for you and your follower.
- Carry a way to heal her. A Heal Companion spell or scroll saves the run if she gets ambushed.
- Save often, in separate slots, so a death or a stuck follower does not cost you the whole trip.
When you reach Kaushad’s yurt with Falura, talk to him. He thanks you for the bride and names you Zainab Nerevarine, and gives you the Thong of Zainab as proof. If you speak to Falura and then to Kaushad again, he admits he saw through the trick from the start. He is amused rather than angry, and seems to like her more than he would a real Telvanni noblewoman.
Reward: Thong of Zainab
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Amulet (clothing artifact) |
| Value | 2,400 |
| Weight | 1 |
| Enchantment | Detect Animal 150 pts for 5 secs on Self, cast when used |
| Charge / cost | 140 / 28 (5 uses) |
UESP lists the stats above for the unmodded game. Some Nexus Mods rebalance mods change Detect Animal durations, so your copy may differ if you use one.
Common problems and fixes
Most Zainab problems involve Falura: she gets stuck, falls behind or fails to trigger dialogue. The table covers the reported issues and what the UESP community suggests.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Falura stuck in her cage | Pathfinding bug in the slave pen | Open the console with the tilde key, type tcl to turn collision off, walk out so she follows, then type tcl again |
| Falura vanishes after a boat ride or door | Follower failed to follow you into the new cell | Go back through the transition; UESP’s quest page lists a console fix for followers left in another cell |
| Savile rejects your shirt | Quest-reward shirt with a different item ID | Buy a store exquisite shirt |
| Kaushad will not talk about the prophecy | Disposition too low | Persuade or bribe until he will discuss it |
| Falura killed on the road | Creatures or water | Reload; clear the route first and keep healing ready |
| Calvario cannot be damaged | Weapon is not silver or enchanted | Use an enchanted or silver weapon, or spells |
On OpenMW, console commands such as tcl work the same way as on the original engine. Patch for Purists fixes many smaller script and dialogue faults across the main quest. Its readme says the goal is a game that is “completely bug-free (within the abilities of the Construction Set)”, and it is the main fan patch that projects like Modding-OpenMW.com recommend.
Modder's note
If you use Patch for Purists, put it near the top of your load order, right after the official master files. Larger overhauls loaded after it should still win their own conflicts. On OpenMW, set this order in the Data Files tab of the launcher.
Mods that help with this quest
You do not need any mods for Zainab Nerevarine. A few kinds of mod make it smoother, though, and they fit most load orders.
- Patch for Purists by Half11 on Nexus Mods: the main data-side bug fix. It conflicts with the older Unofficial Morrowind Patch and the Morrowind Patch Project.
- Morrowind Code Patch by Hrnchamd: engine fixes for players on the original executable. Skip it on OpenMW.
- OpenMW itself: its follower AI and pathfinding are part of why escorts like this one feel less fragile.
- Tamriel Rebuilt: no effect on this quest, but if you want more Telvanni intrigue after tricking Kaushad, the mainland Telvanni content is where it continues.
Avoid mods that move Ashlander camps or rewrite Grazelands landscape unless they say they are compatible with the main quest. Moving a yurt or a tomb entrance can break the scripts that check whether Falura is in Kaushad’s yurt.
Lore notes: the Zainab and the Telvanni
The Zainab are the Ashlander tribe living closest to the Telvanni towns of the northeast coast, and the quest plays on that. Kaushad wants a Telvanni wife as a sign of standing, and Sonummu treats Telvanni nobility as something money and good clothes can fake. The slave trade in Tel Aruhn is real in Morrowind’s setting, and the quest does not soften it. It shows how Ashlander pragmatism and Telvanni wealth meet at the edge of the Grazelands. Kaushad’s later admission that he saw through the plan gives him the last laugh.
FAQ
What order should I do the Ashlander tribe quests in?
Any order. The old fan page placed Zainab between Ahemmusa and Erabenimsun, but the game only needs all four tribes before Hortator and Nerevarine can be completed. Many players do Zainab and Ahemmusa together, since both are in the northeast.
How much gold do I need for the Zainab quest?
Falura Llervu costs 1,200 gold at base price, and you also need an exquisite shirt, skirt and shoes plus Telvanni Bug Musk. With a Mercantile skill of 40 or higher, high disposition with Savile Imayn, or both, the slave’s price can drop as low as 600 gold.
Where is Savile Imayn?
She runs the slave market at Tel Aruhn, in Zafirbel Bay on Azura’s Coast, southeast of Zainab Camp. Sonummu Zabamat will mark Tel Aruhn on your map if you ask her about it.
Where do I buy the exquisite clothes?
Savile points you to Elegnan the Clothier in Tel Mora. Any exquisite shirt, skirt and shoes bought from a store will work. Shirts given as rewards from other quests will not.
Falura is stuck in her cage. What do I do?
This is a known bug. Open the console, use tcl to switch collision off, walk out of the pen so she follows, then use tcl again to switch it back on. It works on both the original engine and OpenMW.
Can I kill Kaushad instead?
That is the wrong approach for this tribe. Kaushad has to name you Nerevarine for the quest to complete, so killing him risks breaking your main quest progress. Do the tasks.
Does Tamriel Rebuilt change the Zainab quest?
No. Tamriel Rebuilt adds mainland Morrowind and leaves Vvardenfell’s main quest alone. Version 26.08 “Poison Song” and the GOG one-click install both leave Zainab Camp, Tel Aruhn and Tel Mora unchanged.
Is the Thong of Zainab worth keeping?
Keep it while the main quest is running, because it is your proof of the Zainab title. After that its five charges of Detect Animal are of little use, and its 2,400 value is its main appeal if you are short on gold.
Next step
Once Kaushad names you, check your journal for any tribes that still need you, then turn to the Great Houses for the Hortator half of the trial. If you are starting fresh in 2026, set up OpenMW 0.51.0 with Patch for Purists before you leave the Seyda Neen census office. The long escorts in this part of the main quest are much less frustrating on a patched engine.
What changed
- Nov 13, 2026 First published.
About the article
- Fact-checked by Hollis Tremaine before publication.
- Published
