So... I return Chrysamere, talk about duel, get the proper journal entry, but Vantinius never shows up, no matter what door I enter through. Anyone? Help? I know I could use lots of console and just fudge it, but hopefully there's an in-game fix? I'm having so many bugs today....

You have also Lord's Mail and delivered both items to Varus?
And after you talked about Duel, did you go straight to the Arena? Normally after you talk about duel and you go then to the Arena, as soon as you enter the pit varus should be there decked in lord's mail and have chrysamere with him and attacks you.

Check, check, and check. I was confused when the battle music didn't start upon my entry, then dismayed when the pit was empty.

Are you on x box or pc?

PC. I've thought about just taunting him and killing him in the fort, but the corpse won't disappear, and I'd still have to console my way through the quest and guild rank, no?

Yeah that's not good..you running any mods or have and prior saves? Do you have the unofficial patch?

GameFile0=Bloodmoon.esm
GameFile1=Morrowind Patch v1.6.4.esm
GameFile2=Morrowind.esm
GameFile3=Tribunal.esm
GameFile4=adamantiumarmor.esp
GameFile5=AreaEffectArrows.esp
GameFile6=bcsounds.esp
GameFile7=EBQ_Artifact.esp
GameFile8=entertainers.esp
GameFile9=LeFemmArmor.esp
GameFile10=master_index.esp
GameFile11=Siege at Firemoth.esp

Plus MCP 1.6 and MGE 3.8

Ahh crap. This is a tough one. Did you try resting for a day or two and trying again?

I guess that's my next try...

This does sound like a mod conflict so let's try in that forum.

Thanks Rohugh, you're having to herd a lot of my threads lately. Sorry bout that...

I tried to rest a couple days outside the cell (all the way in Mournhold), didn't work. I taunted him and killed him in the fort just to check and see if he had the lords mail and Chysamere, he did. I searched the UMP 1.6.4 within WordPad for "IL_Grandmaster" and the text was in there. I have no idea how create/edit/understand mods within the Construction Set, so I don't know how to check the script. Interestingly, when I closed the CS after just browsing the mod for a minute to try to make sense of it, the CS crashed on closing.

Hi Rohugh (or other moderator), The subject of this thread isn't obviously related to any specific mod, and I fear it therefore won't garner much attention, so I just added a query to the bottom of the UMP beta thread. Feel free to close this one if you'd like. Thanks.

One last update: as linked-to in another thread by a helpful forum member - just enter the arena, enter "set duelactive to 0" in the console, exit the arena, re-enter the arena, and he will be there with Chrysamere and Lord's Mail. Brilliant.