» Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:27 pm
It means the quest giver or person involved in the quest has died. Maybe a dragon attack or something.
I was delivering some Quicksilver Ore from Shor's Stone to Riften, and after I got it from the blacksmith there, a dragon attacked and he died. Somehow I still failed the quest and there was no longer the option to talk to the alchemist in Riften about passing her the Quicksilver Ore.