Hi folk.

Got me a quest that goes like this...

Player comes across a cart that has spilled its load. One Elf (driver) is sitting on a rock next to the broken cart, another Elf is chasing the cart horse which has gotten loose, Player asks "What's up?" Elf explains cart hit rock, spilled load, horse got loose. Player offers help. Elf asks player to go to a local inn and get a work mate to bring his horse to help out. At this point the loose cart horse runs off (I made it run into the path of a troll, far away, knowing it would get killed). Player goes to inn finds Elf #3 the work mate, tells him the problem and gets the response "I'll ne right along". Player leaves inn goes back to Elf near cart, informs Elf "Your mate is coming". End quest. In the distance Elf #3 can be seen heading towards the broken cart with his horse to help.

Here's the problem. If player hangs around, Elf #3 arrives with horse and quest is over so nothing happens. If player ever returns to this location everything will be as it was left. I need to disable everything at some time so if player ever returns to this point cart, elves, spilled load will be gone. But I don't know what the player will do next, where he'll go, etc. I can't disable all objects in front of the player at the quest end.

Advice please.

Some of the Skyrim random encounters seem to use a timer, cell load, or rest/wait event to disable their actors.

Those scripts may be worth looking at.

They seem to disable and delete their actors.

I'm trying to think of such an event so I can locate the script. Thanks.