Daggerfall:Taking on the Thieves Guild

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to a Dark Slayer in a Dark Brotherhood guildhall.
# Determine where to find the target at various times.
# Find and kill the target.
# Report back to the Dark Slayer within the time limit and collect your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough
A Thief with a Bounty
Speak to a Dark Slayer, who says:

:''"We have an interesting job available (player's name). A high ranking member of the Thieves Guild. This will be a tough one. Do you want it?"

Accept
The Dark Slayer goes on:

:"You are a sharp one. The target's name is (thief's name), here in (town).   moves around a lot and is usually protected by bodyguards. Be careful. You have seven days. When it is done, return here and I will pay you (random gold) gold. Ask for (Dark Slayer's name)."

Decline
The Dark Slayer answers:

:"  not for the faint of heart."
or
:"Understood. Come back when you are interested in real work."''

On the Trail of the Thief
thumb|right|The thief employs a horde of bodyguards
thumb|right|The mistress is willing to sell out the thief, for a price
thumb|right|The thief will not appreciate being disturbed while with his mistress
 
Your objective in this quest is straightforward, find and kill the thief. However, it is not that simple. You must first locate the mark, who moves around several times a day. You may then have to fight through a horde of bodyguards to reach your target, who has some spellcasting abilities.

To begin, ask around town about the thief. If you directly ask for your target's location, you will be pointed to a random building the thief is said to frequent. This building is a red herring; the mark will never be found there. Instead, you must ask for rumors about the thief, then piece them together to learn his or her daily schedule. This task can be made much easier if you have access to a spymaster, as other NPCs will only offer one rumor per conversation.

If you talk to the Dark Slayer before the quest is complete, you will receive a clue:

:''"(Thief's name) is still alive. Don't toy with me (player's name). The Dark Brotherhood does not have a sense of humor. I did just hear that (false location) is a false address. Don't bother going there. See if you can dig up other clues about where (he/she) spends time."

If you enter the mistress house while the thief is elsewhere and speak to her, she makes an offer: 

:"(Thief's name) enjoys an occasional   with me.   never stays long.   just uses me for (his/her) pleasure. For 50 gold I'll gladly sell (him/her) out."

Say "yes" and be told:

:"(Thief's name) comes here   at around 6 o'clock.   sends (his/her) bodyguards away.   is only here for an hour or so."''

"6 o'clock" refers to the evening hours. The thief's full schedule is as follows:
From 00:00 to 10:00, the thief will be at home.
From 10:01 to 18:00, the thief will be at a Thieves Guild hangout.
From 18:01 to 19:00, the thief visits his or her mistress.
From 19:01 to 00:00, the thief will be at a tavern.

The target is most vulnerable while visiting the mistress' residence, as no bodyguards will be present and the thief will not employ any Shield spells for protection. However, the choice of where to fight is entirely yours. Confront and slay the thief, and when the mark dies, you receive a notification:

:''(Thief's name) falls to the ground, dead. The Brotherhood will be proud.

Return to the Dark Slayer for your reward.

Reward
When you return after a successful kill, the Dark Slayer says:

:"Excellent work (player's name). I hope it wasn't too rough for you. Here is your guild fee."''

Reputation Gain/Loss
 

Enemies
Quest Target: One Thief
5x One Knight every four in-game minutes (50% chance) once you have found the Thief and you are not at the mistress' house
5x One Rogue every two in-game minutes (50% chance) once you have found the Thief and you are not at the mistress' house
5x One Sorcerer every three in-game minutes (50% chance) once you have found the Thief and you are not at the mistress' house

Notes
The time limit for this quest is seven days. However, due to a bug it must be completed within 24 hours (see bugs).

Bugs
Due an oversight in the quest, you can ask for directions to any  of the quest locations as soon as the quest starts. This makes finding the thief much easier than intended.
DFQFIX fixes this oversight; the locations in question will not appear in your conversation list until you have learned their names from an NPC.
Due a bug in the game engine, the thief will only be found once at each possible location. Thus, if you don't find the target within 24 hours, you will not be able to find him or her for the remaining six days. As a result, you will be left unable to successfully complete the quest.

Additional Dialogue
If you ask an NPC about the thief, you may hear:
''"(Thief's name) is a thief and a scoundrel."
"Everyone thinks (thief's name) hangs out at (false location), but (he/she) doesn't."
"(Thief's name) usually spends   evenings at (tavern)."
"(Thief's name) spends    mornings sleeping at home."
"(Thief's name) lives at (thief's residence), but (he/she) doesn't spend much time there."
"In the afternoons, (thief's name) can be found at (Guild residence)."
"I've heard that (Guild residence) is a Thieves Guild hangout. Try there."
"(Thief's name) has a mistress."
"(Thief's name)'s mistress lives at (mistress' residence)."
"(Thief's name) has a lot of bodyguards."
"When (thief's name) visits    mistress, (he/she) sends   2 bodyguards away."
"I wouldn't tangle with (thief's name)'s bodyguards."
"They say (thief's name) is protected by spells."
After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Thief's name) may find trouble after all the enemies (he/she)'s made."
"(Thief's name) will come to a bloody end, mark my words."
If you fail the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Thief's name) has moved out of (region), but (he/she)'ll be back."
If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Thief's name) made too many mistakes -- (he/she) was doomed long ago."
"No one's surprised that (thief's name) is dead -- (he/she) was a troublemaker."
If you successfully complete the quest, the quest giver may later greet you with:
"I haven't forgotten what you did to (thief's name), (player's first name). Don't worry about that."
If you failed the quest, the quest giver will greet you with:
"(Thief's name) still lives, (player's first name). 'Tis not an honorable situation in any way, and I am not the least bit amused."''

Quest Log