Thieves Guild Quest: The Pursuit

Thieves Guild Quest: The Pursuit

Prerequisites: Thieves Guild Quest: Hard Answers

Intersecting Quests: Thieves Guild Quests: Larceny Targets, Additional Jobs, Trinity Restored

Reward: A Larceny item (sellable), Chillrend (Mercer’s sword), the ability to loot Mercer’s house

A Perfect Heist

The quest begins by telling you to meet Karliah at the Ragged Flagon. The entrance through the Hall of the Dead Mausoleum will be locked. Everyone talks a lot. Karliah shows proof that she’s innocent and everyone goes into the treasury vault to check. It’s totally empty. This is also the only time you get inside, since it’s always locked. Long story short: it’s time to loot Mercer’s house. Guarding his house is a man named Vald. He is immune to bribery or intimidation, but can be killed or persuaded. You can also do some miscellaneous quests to erase his debt.

Erasing Vald’s Debt

Locate Maven Black-Briar, who is either in the Bee and Barb, the marketplace, or Black-Briar Manor. Nearby, in lake Honrich, rests some special quill, which Vald lost. Retrieve it and he’s free. You’ll find the Quill halfway between Riften (east) and Goldenglow Estates (west) right below a small island. There will be a mini bay in front of you (with a big rock in the middle), and in the distance, some building with a boat. The water is dark, but the boat isn’t very deep. It will be the front half of a rowboat sticking up beside large, flat rocks on the ocean floor. If you swim up to the surface, you will find yourself between two boats, one in Riften, one in Goldenglow. Inside you’ll find Vald’s Strongbox (average). Bring this back to Maven, or keep and sell it. 

Ransacking Riftweald Manor

Whether you simply killed Vald and hid the body or paid off his debts, you’re finally alone (note, sneaking is possible). You can take the key off of Vald or unlock the gate. To get into Mercer’s house, you’ve got to hit a drop-down ramp. It’s just below and to the left of the upper platform. See that cylinder-looking, black lump under the platform? Hope you’ve got a bow and arrows on you. Once inside, there’s two bandits on the upper floor (I remember one being khajit and the other a redguard? They were silly). On the bottom floors, there are maybe three more? Can’t remember. So, kill and loot your way through Mercer’s house, taking any pretty things, and you’ll come to a suspicious cabinet downstairs in a dining room. On the table is a note that hints at multiple (dart, fire, and swinging) traps in the room beyond. Take out the false back to the cabinet and there’s a long passageway that leads to Mercer’s secret room. Head through this uber-long passageway full of traps. In the next room is larceny target: The Bust of Gray Fox as well as (sword) Chillrend and a bowl of gems. To further the quest, be sure to grab Mercer’s plans. If you left your companions behind to wait, you may want to collect them now since the next door will drop you into the ratways next to the entrance to the Thieves Guild. Once in the Ragged Flagon, present these plans to Brynjolf, which commences the next quest: Thieves Guild Quest: Trinity Restored.