Thieves Guiild

For this faction in other games, see Thieves Guild.
The Thieves Guild is an organized group of thieves based in Skyrim of Tamriel that provides mutual support for the criminal endeavors of its members. It is one of several joinable factionsthat appear in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

BackgroundEdit

Based in Skyrim and headquartered in The Ratway beneath the city of Riften, members of the Thieves Guild are renowned for causing trouble in the city. Members of the guild specialize instealing objects of varying value or loaning septims. Most citizens view them unfavorably; Mjoll the Lioness has made it her duty to maintain order in Riften and pledges to dismantle the guild. Maven Black-Briar, the affluent owner of the popular Black-Briar Meadery, consorts with the guild in exchange for their aid. The guild has an uncanny luck due to certain members striking up a deal with the Daedric Prince, Nocturnal, to serve as her guardians.

HistoryEdit

Flagon-cistern skyrim
The Ragged Flagon - Cistern, home of the Thieves Guild

OriginsEdit

Little is known about when and how the Thieves Guild was founded, but it is rumored to have been around as long as Riften has. [1] As the Fourth Era continued, the Thieves Guild slipped further and further into obscurity and the members and regular clients began to leave (with the exception of Maven Black-Briar).[1][2][3][4][5] The guild was previously believed to be completely fictional; in Oblivion, if asked about the guild, guards would simply state that there was no such thing. However, the Thieves Guild has become well known and, in fact, well renowned for their thievery. [6]
The guild has some close association with the Dark Brotherhood which becomes apparent in The Silence Has Been Broken, where the player must bring an amulet given by Amaund Motierre to Delvin Mallory, a member of the Thieves Guild.

Fourth EraEdit

Second CenturyEdit

In 4E 176, which is twenty-five years [7] before 4E 201, when the quests of the Thieves Guild in Skyrim takes place, the Thieves Guild was in a golden age. Their headquarters was a palace, in which they had their own blacksmith, alchemist, traders, fences, and many associates throughout Skyrim. The Thieves Guild was very, very powerful and dominant and was feared by most of Skyrim. [4] Even with the Guild being in a Golden Age, the Guildmaster Gallus Desidenius was slowly and carefully organizing and planning long-term heists which included heists on museums, art galleries, stores and government treasuries in an effort to continue the Guild's presence in Skyrim. One of these heists included the heist of the Eyes of the Falmer, which required a deep understanding of the Falmer and their language and writing system.[8]

Third CenturyEdit

By 4E 201, the Guild was in havoc and was falling apart, with the people of Skyrim becoming bolder and less fearful of the organization. The Guild had made plans to bring itself back to its former glory and establish itself as a major faction inSkyrim. A great number of small jobs were needed to be completed; this was followed by the completion of a contract by a notable person found in Whiterun, Solitude, Windhelm and Markarth. A special request was not needed to be completed in Riften, because the Thieves Guild already had a major presence in the city and was preeminently dominant throughout the area.

Nocturnal's CurseEdit

When the first group of Nightingales sought guidance from Nocturnal, she accepted, but in return the Guild would have to keep the Skeleton's Key safe in its chamber. However, when Mercer Frey assassinated the current Guildmaster Gallus and abducted the key from its chamber, he activated the curse causing the Guild to go to a state of decay.

ShadowmarksEdit

Main article: Shadowmarks (Marks)
One of the major aspects of the Thieves Guild in Skyrim was their use of a code that the members of the Guild used to communicate with each other without speaking. This unique code is known as Shadowmarks. The code was composed of nine different symbols each with their own meaning. These Shadowmarks were commonly placed on door-frames on the fronts of buildings which indicated to a Guild member if the building was safe, dangerous, contained important items or loot, housed another member of the Guild or another thief, as well as other important uses that could help a Guild member or other thieves. [9]

Connection with the Dark BrotherhoodEdit

The Thieves Guild has a strong connection with the Dark Brotherhood, and this is especially evident with the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild in Skyrim. Despite their differences in organization, purpose, and policies, the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood rely on each other for support.[10][11] It is notable that Delvin Mallory and Astrid of the Brotherhood have had a good relationship, both as friends and as business associates.[5][12]

JoiningEdit

To join the Thieves Guild the Dragonborn must enter Riften and speak to Brynjolf, a red-headed Nord male, who can be found during the day in the Riften Marketplace between 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m or in The Bee and Barb at night. Once the Dragonborn is within proximity, Brynjolf will automatically attempt to strike up a conversation in which the Thieves Guild prerequisite quest A Chance Arrangement can be started. Alternatively, in the evenings past 8:00 p.m., the Dragonborn can encounter Brynjolf at The Bee and Barb inn, at which time he will tell the player to speak with him during the day at his stall in the Riften Marketplace.
Brynjolf, when encountered during the daytime, will give the Dragonborn instructions to steal Madesi's Silver Ring from the strongbox located under his stall and then plant it inside of the pocket of Brand-Shei, the local general stall owner. He is identified as the only male Dunmer in the crowd. Brynjolf will start a distraction by calling everybody within the area to listen to the story of his latest product that he's selling, which is obviously a ruse. During this time, carry out the plan as discussed with Brynjolf. Planting the ring will instantly end Brynjolf's tale he is telling to the crowd thus dispersing it. He will now tell the Dragonborn to meet him in the Ragged Flagon down in the Ratway to discuss membership.
Even if the Dragonborn fails to acquire the ring, joining the Guild is still possible because Brynjolf says he still believes the Dragonborn has what it takes despite failure of the quest. It will however make a few members of the guild treat the Dragonborn with more disdain, initially.

QuestsEdit

Main questsEdit

  1. A Chance Arrangement
  2. Taking Care of Business
  3. Loud and Clear
  4. Dampened Spirits
  5. Scoundrel's Folly
  6. Speaking With Silence
  7. Hard Answers
  8. The Pursuit
  9. Trinity Restored
  10. Blindsighted
  11. Darkness Returns
  12. Under New Management

Small jobsEdit

Delvin and Vex offer an unlimited number of radiant quests known as "jobs." The target item and location for each are generated randomly. Jobs can be accepted and quit at will. It is possible (and efficient) to run a job for Delvin and one for Vex simultaneously (the Tips section below has more information). The reward for each mission is leveled, between 50 and 800GoldIcon. After performing five small jobs in any of Whiterun, Markarth, Windhelm, or Solitude, a special job will be unlocked for each. Killing those crucial to the job results in a failure, and no payment is received. Since there are no count statistics provided for these jobs, the only way to determine how many have been done is to go through the completed jobs in the quest log and read the objective for each, since they list the city in which the job was done.
Delvin mallory
Delvin Mallory, member of the Thieves Guild and Master Sneaktrainer

Delvin Mallory's jobsEdit

  • The Bedlam Job - Steal enough items to get a five hundred coin value within the assigned Hold. Legally taking an item from a house may not count towards it.
    • A very effective method is stealing an expensive item, going to a secluded location, then dropping it and picking it up a few times. Each time the item is picked up it counts as theft.
    • An easy yet slightly rare method of reaching the required goal is to accept a 'Sweep Job' from Vex at the same time, and then quit and retake the jobs until they are both in the same city. When the sweep job is completed, the bedlam job will be done as well.
    • If the Dragonborn has not yet collected all of the Stones of Barenziah, finding and stealing one is enough to reach the goal by itself.
    • Another easy way is to steal from forges. 500 worth of something can easily be found.
  • ​The Fishing Job - Pickpocket an item from a given target.
    • Can be difficult, but the quest item has usually a higher success percentage for pickpocketing than is normal, hence it is great training for this skill.
    • Saving before pickpocketing the item allows cases where the Dragonborn is caught to be forgotten.
    • These are also good jobs to take to unlock the Thief Achievement.
    • A rather tricky fishing job is to steal Olava the Feeble's silver ruby ring, due to the fact that usually when she's not asleep she is sitting on a bench with almost no way to sneak up to steal her ring. However, one does not need to be completely hidden to successfully pickpocket.
  • The Numbers Job - Modify the ledger book at a given business. This is the easiest of Delvin's three jobs to complete. Near the ledger book, there might be a business safe box containing some GoldIcon.
TESV Vex
Vex, member of the Thieves Guild and MasterLockpicking Trainer

Vex's jobsEdit

  • The Burglary Job - Steal an item from a house.
    • Can be done during the day or night easily, as the owner either sleeps or is at work
    • The best time to do this sort of job is around 7:30 PM, as there is no one at home or on the street
  • The Heist Job - Steal an item from a business.
    • If tried during the day the shop owner will most likely follow the Dragonborn around.
  • The Shill Job - Plant a stolen item in a character's home.
    • Similar to burglary. Relatively easy, considering that the only "illegal" part of the job is trespassing, and getting caught by the guards any time during it doesn't result in failure.
  • The Sweep Job - Steal three specific items from a house.

City influence questsEdit

After completing five small jobs in a city (with the exception of Riften), Delvin Mallory will offer a special job to restore Thieves Guild influence in that city. These quests can be taken in any order. The city influence quests are necessary in order to complete Under New Management and assume the title of Guildmaster. (However, before completing them all, see the bugs reported for Under New Management.) Becoming Guildmaster allows access to the Guild Master's Tribute Chest.
Each city influence quest that is completed will add a merchant stall to the Ragged Flagon. In addition, the gold available to fences throughout Skyrim gradually increases as these quests are completed, up to a maximum of 4000. The third and fourth city influence quests will each add a new recruit to the Guild as well: first Garthar, and then Ravyn Imyan.
QuestPrerequisiteCityReward
Imitation Amnesty
5 small jobs in that city
WhiterunOne new merchant's stall.
Summerset Shadows5 small jobs in that cityWindhelm
Unlocks Niranye as a fence (if she didn't act aggressive and wasn't killed when talked to during the quest).
One new merchant's stall.
Silver Lining5 small jobs in that cityMarkarth
Unlocks Endon as a fence.
One new merchant's stall.
The Dainty Sload5 small jobs in that citySolitude
One new merchant's stall.
Deliver Moon Sugar to Ri'saadComplete 3 city influence quests.N/A
Khajiit Caravans will offer a fence as well as a small gold reward from Tonilia
While related, Deliver Moon Sugar to Ri'saad is not itself a city influence quest. It is given by Tonilia rather than Delvin Mallory, and is not a prerequisite for Under New Management.

MerchantsEdit

NameServiceAvailable
SyndusArrows and weapons merchantAfter completing first city influence quest
Herluin LothaireAlchemistAfter completing second city influence quest
Vanryth GatharianWeapons and armor merchantAfter completing third city influence quest
Arnskar Ember-MasterBlacksmith
After completing all four city influence quests
Although these unlocked merchants work for the guild, they do not act as fences and therefore do not buy goods marked as stolen. (Note: If the Windhelm quest is completed before all others, Herlium Lothaire may move instead of Syndus.)

TipsEdit

To complete these city quests as fast as possible, the best way is to save before getting a new job, then asking for Bedlam Jobs from Delvin and Sweep Jobs from Vex (Hint: to avoid going through the conversation again, it is best to save once the dialogue is finished, but before the quest objective appears). As long as they are in the same city, once the Sweep Job is done, the Bedlam Job will be completed as well, essentially completing two tasks at once. If it is in a city whose influence quest has already been completed, quick loading and trying again is suggested.
Another way is to quit the job Delvin and/or Vex assigned, then ask for the job again. Generally, there are no negative repercussions for quitting jobs, excluding the multiple failed missions in the quest log and the short disapproving dialogue after each quit job. However, if the Dragonborn quits a Sweep Job in one place and then gets that job again later, they risk having difficulties stealing the items since the new/latest rendered item could spawn inside the old item that is left from the first job. For example, the Dragonborn could get a jeweled pitcher inside another jeweled pitcher. On PC this can be resolved by using the console and simply <disable> the outer/old item from the previously quit job.

Other questsEdit

Advantages to joiningEdit

  • Access to the Thieves Guild headquarters.
  • A suit of Thieves Guild Armor and later the Guild Master's Armor.
  • Nightingale Armor, the Nightingale Blade, and the Nightingale Bow after proceeding up the ranks.
  • Three interchangeable unique powers once the Nightingale story arc is complete.
  • Access to Chillrend.
  • Fences who will buy stolen as well as regular goods and can carry larger amounts of gold (4,000 after completing all four improvement quests; they have 1,000 gold initially).
  • Chests ranging from novice to master for building up the lockpicking skill.
  • Free gold and lockpicks lying around the headquarters.
  • Unlimited thievery radiant quests which reward gold.
  • Master-level training in Lockpicking (Vex), Archery (Niruin), Pickpocket (Vipir the Fleet), and Sneak (Delvin Mallory).
  • The Amulet of Articulation can be obtained once the main quest line and the guild improvement quests are completed.
  • Dialogue option to avoid conflict with thieves encountered on the roads, later upgraded to thieves paying the Dragonborn tributes. (This appears in the Thieves Guild Master's tribute chest directly in front of the desk located in the Cistern).
  • Guards can be bribed even if the Dragonborn does not have the bribe perk.
  • When confronted by a guard, the Dragonborn can pay half of the bounty in the current city, stolen goods are kept, and the bounty is cleared.
  • The Skeleton Key, an unbreakable lockpick (temporary).
  • The only way to learn one of the words of the Disarm shout is to complete the first six primary quests.

Trophy casesEdit

Main article: Thieves Guild Trophies
Thieves Guild Trophies
All unique items including the Crown of Barenziah and Bust of the Grey Fox.
Various unique items can be stolen during the Thieves Guild quests and sold to Delvin. As each is collected and sold to Delvin, they will be displayed on the shelves behind Mercer's Desk where they can freely be taken or left as decoration. By following the questline, the items appear in the following order:
Trophies also appear for completing a certain number of jobs assigned by Vex and Delvin:
Finally, the Crown of Barenziah is placed on the bust between shelves upon completion of the mission No Stone Unturned.

MembersEdit

ThievesEdit

AssociatesEdit

  • Vekel the Man - Runs the Ragged Flagon
  • Dirge - The Ragged Flagon's bouncer, the brother of Maul
  • Syndus - Arrows and weapons merchant
  • Herluin Lothaire - Alchemy merchant
  • Arnskar Ember-Master - Blacksmith and armor and weapons merchant
  • Vanryth Gatharian - Armor and weapons merchant
  • Gulum-Ei - Fence, external associate of the Guild and "inside man" for the East Empire Trading Company[13]
  • Enthir - Fence and external associate of the Guild
  • Niranye - Fence and external associate of the Guild
  • Endon - Fence and external associate of the Guild
  • Mallus Maccius - Fence and external associate of the Guild
  • Athel Newberry [14] - Associate
  • Glover Mallory - Blacksmith of Raven Rock, Delvin Mallory's brother
  • Erikur - Supporter of the Guild
  • Cruel-Sea Clan- Supporters of the Guild
  • Battle-Born Clan - Supporters of the Guild
  • Black-Briar Family - A powerful and rich family centered in Riften; they have a dominant presence in Riften and throughout most of Skyrim. The matriarch of the Black-Briar Family, Maven Black-Briar, has ties with both the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild, as well as having a source of the power behind the political, economic, social, and cultural affairs of Riften. If the Imperial Legion takes over the Rift, she later becomes the Jarl of Riften, and with it, allows the corruption in Riften to stay and expand and allows the Thieves Guild to operate freely without prevention, and even going so far as to help them with their operations.

TrainersEdit

Main article: Trainer (Skyrim)

FencesEdit

Main article: Fence (Skyrim)
Fences buy stolen goods. There are a total of nine different fences throughout Skyrim, including each Khajiit caravan:
Fence 
Location 
Unlocked 
Tonilia (Default) Upon completion of Taking Care of Business
Mallus Maccius Upon completion of Dampened Spirits
Gulum-Ei Upon completion of Scoundrel's Folly
Enthir Upon completion of Hard Answers
Niranye Upon completion of Summerset Shadows
EndonSilver-Blood Inn, MarkarthUpon completion of Silver Lining
Khajiit CaravansOutside of cities, near their stables.Upon completion of Deliver Moon Sugar to Ri'Saad

Armor setsEdit

TESV Nightingale Armor MaleGuild Master's Armor Set
Nightingale Armor and Guild Master's Armor Set
When completing quests in the Thieves guild questline, the player can obtain five different armor sets.

Expulsion from the guildEdit

Thieves caught attacking other guild members or one of their associates are removed from the guild and none of the members speak to them. To rejoin the guild, speak to Vex, for a fee of 1,000 GoldIcon, the guild can be rejoined. 
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