I think there may be a bug with spies. On my first kill I got the message:
You have slain a Blackscale Spy!
Your faction standing with Order of the Blackscale could not possibly get any worse!
Your faction standing with The Black Hand could not possibly get any worse!
Your faction standing with The Rust has gotten worse!
You have killed 2 blackscale spies!
+25% experience (New Area Bonus)
Also, I was grouped with a druid who is on COI faction, and she got the message:
You have killed 0 blackscale spies!
You have killed 1 blackscale spies!
+25% experience (New Area Bonus)
You gain 4592 party experience!!
Should non SC be getting those flags, and why 2 messages?
She only cast see invis on me during fight, so didn't take faction hits, but if there are faction hits to be had, that's pretty nasty given all the other MQ faction quests don't give faction hits so you can be helped by others. This could turn into a nasty surprise for someone helped by a BS "follower".
Edit: and on my 3rd kill:
You have slain a Blackscale Spy!
Your faction standing with Order of the Blackscale could not possibly get any worse!
Your faction standing with The Black Hand could not possibly get any worse!
Your faction standing with The Rust has gotten worse!
You have killed 4 blackscale spies!
You have killed 5 blackscale spies!
on 2nd kill, someone else got the kill shot, so looks like you may get credit for being in group, and credit again if you get the kill shot.
Another Edit: Even though it said I killed 5:
High Trader Bendrick says, 'I've heard reports of you killing 4 of those spies so far. Finish the job!'
After another kill:
You have killed 6 blackscale spies!
And NOW Bendrick is happy. Someone using 1 based but expecting 0 based maybe?
And yet another possible bug, the one sitting around with all the citizens observing didn't aggro until attacked.
Yet another edit with yet another bug, after completing [Secrets of the Dark Tower], it doesn't deactivate the intro dialog:
High Trader Dreina says, 'Two things need doing Trader Gunder. One will take you to the depths of Everchill nearby. The other to the dark tower at the far coast.'
- [D1] About what was in Everchill...
- [D2] About the spire on Frostfang Coast...
You say, 'About the spire on Frostfang Coast...'
but she doesn't respond further.