You’re standing in the Bruma Mages Guild, and some guy named Arnora’s husband—Jorundr—is rotting in jail. He’s got a stash of gold hidden somewhere, and honestly, everyone wants a piece of it. This is Oblivion Two Sides of the Coin, a quest that perfectly encapsulates why The Elder Scrolls IV remains a masterclass in quest design despite being two decades old. It’s messy. It’s morally grey. It involves a lot of waiting around in a cold jail cell.
Most modern RPGs hand-hold you through every moral choice. Not this one. This quest forces you to choose between two equally sketchy people, and neither of them is particularly likeable. You have Arnora, the "grieving" wife who actually just wants the loot, and Jorundr, the Nord brute who’s convinced his wife ratted him out to the guards. It’s a classic domestic dispute, just with more axes and stolen tax money.
Getting Into Trouble for Oblivion Two Sides of the Coin
To even start this mess, you need to head to Bruma. It’s the snow-covered city that feels like a precursor to Skyrim, full of Nords who are perpetually annoyed. Talk to the guards or the locals, and they’ll mention Arnora and Jorundr. Specifically, they’ll tell you Jorundr is in the dungeon for stealing a massive amount of gold. If you go talk to Arnora in her house, she’ll give you her side of the story. She claims Jorundr is a violent man who hid the money and left her with nothing.
She wants you to get him to talk. But there’s a catch. Jorundr won’t talk to just anyone. He hates the law. He hates outsiders. To get close to him, you actually have to get arrested.
I love this mechanic. It’s so simple but effective for immersion. You can’t just walk in with your high-fame character and ask for a confession. You have to punch a guard or steal a silver spoon, get thrown into the Bruma dungeon, and sit there in the dark. Once you’re "one of them," Jorundr opens up. He tells a completely different story. According to him, Arnora was the mastermind, and she’s the reason he’s behind bars. This is the core of Oblivion Two Sides of the Coin—it's a "he-said, she-said" where the truth is buried under layers of greed.
The Jailbreak and the Amulet
Jorundr offers you a deal. Kill Arnora, and he’ll tell you where the gold is. Now, you have a choice. You can actually kill her, or you can talk to her and try to find a middle ground. Most players choose the latter because, well, murder is a bit extreme for a few hundred septims. If you talk to Arnora about Jorundr’s request, she suggests a fake-out. She gives you her amulet as proof of her death so you can trick Jorundr into giving up the location.
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It’s a clever plan. You take the amulet back to the jail, show it to Jorundr, and he buys it. He’s satisfied. He tells you the gold is buried near the North Gate.
But here’s where Bethesda’s 2006 writing team shines. If you think you’ve outsmarted the game, you’re wrong. As soon as you leave the jail to go get the loot, things go south. If you chose the "fake her death" route, you’ll return to Arnora’s house only to find her dead anyway. Tyrellius Logillus, a corrupt city guard who was in on the whole thing from the start, has murdered her. He’s been waiting for the moment the gold's location was revealed so he could swoop in and take it all.
The Reality of the Reward
Let’s be real: the loot in Oblivion Two Sides of the Coin isn’t going to change your life. You aren't getting a Daedric artifact or a game-breaking spell. You’re getting a bag of gold and maybe some jewelry. By the time most players get around to Bruma, they probably have thousands of septims from raiding Oblivion gates or the Arena.
So why do we care?
Because the quest feels alive. It’s one of the few times in the game where the NPCs feel like they have lives outside of your character's intervention. Tyrellius isn't just a generic baddie; he’s a symptom of the corruption in the Imperial provincial guard. Arnora and Jorundr aren't heroes or villains; they’re just two people who ruined their lives over a few coins.
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- The Morality: If you kill Arnora yourself, you’re a murderer. If you let Tyrellius do it, you’re just a bystander who was too slow.
- The Mechanics: Getting arrested is a great way to interact with the game's prison system, which most players avoid unless they’re doing a Thieves Guild run.
- The World-Building: Bruma feels grittier after this quest. You realize that even in a world ending because of literal hell-gates opening up, people are still petty enough to kill each other over a small stash of tax money.
Honestly, the quest is a bit buggy. Sometimes Tyrellius doesn't show up. Sometimes Jorundr glitches out and won't talk to you even if you're in the cell next to him. But that’s part of the Oblivion charm. We play these games for the weirdness.
Why This Quest Ranks High for Fans
When people talk about the "best" quests in Oblivion, they usually jump straight to "Whodunit?" in the Dark Brotherhood or the Grey Fox storyline. But Oblivion Two Sides of the Coin belongs in that conversation. It doesn't rely on magic or gods. It relies on human greed. It’s a noir story set in a fantasy world.
The title itself is a bit on the nose, sure. Two sides. Arnora and Jorundr. Truth and lies. But it works. It reminds us that in the world of Cyrodiil, everyone is looking for an angle. Even the person who asks you for help might be trying to play you.
How to Handle the Quest Today
If you're booting up the game in 2026—perhaps with a few dozen stability mods or on a backward-compatible console—here is the best way to handle this quest to ensure you get the most out of it.
First, don't rush. Talk to everyone in Bruma first. There’s a lot of flavor text about the couple that adds depth to the betrayal. Second, when you get arrested, make sure you don't have anything precious on you. The Bruma guards are notoriously annoying about stolen goods.
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When you get to the choice, I actually recommend the "fake out" path. Seeing Tyrellius standing over Arnora’s body is a much more impactful ending than just stabbing an old lady for a Nord in jail. It turns a simple fetch-quest into a revenge story. You get to kill a corrupt guard, which is always satisfying.
Specific Steps for the Best Outcome:
- Steal something small in front of a guard. Choosing a low-value item keeps your fine low so you can pay it off later without losing your shirt.
- Talk to Jorundr immediately. Don't waste time sleeping. Get the info and get out.
- Confront Arnora with the truth. Don't just agree to kill her. The dialogue options where you call her out are much better.
- Prepare for a fight at the end. Tyrellius isn't a god, but he can be tough if you're at a low level and didn't bring your gear into the house.
There’s a certain irony in the fact that after all the lying, killing, and jail time, the "gold" is just sitting in a chest in the woods. It’s been there the whole time. You could have walked past it a dozen times while hunting deer. But without the context of the betrayal, it’s just gold. With the quest, it’s blood money.
Actionable Insights for Players
If you want to master this quest or similar "Grey Area" quests in RPGs, keep these things in mind:
- Check your Disposition: Use the persuasion minigame (the one with the rotating wedges) on Arnora before you start the quest. If her disposition is high, you get more honest dialogue.
- Save often: This quest is notorious for Tyrellius failing to spawn at the end. Keep a save from before you show the amulet to Jorundr.
- Look at the Journal: Oblivion’s journal system provides a lot of "internal monologue" for your character. Reading it during this quest shows how your character is slowly realizing that both Arnora and Jorundr are lying.
- The Guard Factor: If you kill Tyrellius inside Arnora's house, it’s usually considered self-defense, so you won't get a bounty. Just make sure he hits you first.
Ultimately, this quest serves as a reminder of what makes Bethesda's older writing so special. It wasn't about being the "chosen one" or saving the world from a dragon. Sometimes, it was just about being stuck between two people who hated each other, trying to make a quick buck, and realizing that everyone involved—including you—is a little bit dirty.
Next time you’re in Bruma, don't just run to the Cloud Ruler Temple. Stop by the Mages Guild. Look for the woman with the worried face. Just remember that in Oblivion Two Sides of the Coin, there is rarely a "right" side to choose.