The Pursuit The Pursuit is a quest available in . The quest is offered by Karliah upon completion of the previous Thieves Guild quest , " Hard Answers . " Walkthrough . The Cistern . At the beginning of the quest , the Dragonborn must enter the Cistern of the Ratway , however they will find the entrance by the Hall of the Dead Mausoleum locked , making the only point of entrance the Ratway . Karliah will be waiting in the Ragged Flagon . She has Gallus ' s translated journal ready to show to the guild members , who require convincing . Agreeing to back her up will result in Karliah proceeding into the Cistern . As expected , Brynjolf , Vex and Delvin Mallory are waiting for Karliah and the Dragonborn with their weapons drawn . Karliah hands over Gallus ' s journal as proof that it was Mercer that had been stealing from the guild . Brynjolf , refusing to believe that Mercer has been stealing from the Guild , orders Delvin to open the vault , which is found empty . It takes two keys to unlock the vault , leading to Brynjolf ' s confusion , although Karliah mentions that he did not need a key . Delvin , Brynjolf , and Mercer are the only ones who own the needed keys . Although vindicated , Karliah is just as angered by this as the rest of the Thieves Guild , except perhaps for the seething Vex , who vows to kill Mercer immediately . Brynjolf calms the guild members down and orders Vex to guard the Ragged Flagon along with Delvin . He then asks the Dragonborn what they have learned from Karliah . The Dragonborn needs to explain to him that Mercer killed Gallus , that the three of them were Nightingales and that Karliah was behind Goldenglow and Honningbrew , which was a cunning plan to try and make Mercer look weak in front of Maven Black - Briar . After that , Brynjolf assigns the Dragonborn to an important task : They are to break into Mercer ' s house in Riften - Riftweald Manor - and gather any information that may indicate where the traitor has gone . Before leaving Brynjolf , the Dragonborn may ask him what the best way is into Riftweald Manor . If the Dragonborn asked Brynjolf for additional information before leaving , they find out about a watchdog and an exterior ramp with a mechanism to lower it , which could aid in the Dragonborn ' s escape . Also , asking about the watchdog named Vald will make Brynjolf indicate Vex may have more information to provide . If the Dragonborn asks Vex about him , she tells them that Vald has a debt and that Vald is only interested in gold , so buying him off is a possibility , but it will not be cheap and Vald might not betray Mercer . Consequently , Vex suggests speaking to Maven Black - Briar about erasing Vald ' s debt , or running him through with a blade and taking what is needed off his body . Riftweald Manor . Getting into the Manor . When the Dragonborn reaches the Riftweald Manor they may find many entrances into the area : the manor ' s front door and two gates by the entrance to the Temple of Mara all require a key , or the expert level locked gate behind the manor . Going through the back side of the manor , the optional objective to shoot the ramp mechanism ( a dark object underneath the ramp ) manor can be completed using a variety of methods : Unrelenting Force shout , magelight spell , or by shooting an arrow at it . Vald patrols this area and will attack the Dragonborn if he sees they have broken in . With a high enough Speech skill ( an Amulet of Dibella helps ) , Mercer ' s House Key can be obtained by persuading Vald that Mercer needs him in Markath , with a high enough pickpocket skill , it can be taken from his pocket when he stands with his back against the gate - or it can be gotten by simply killing him . Alternatively , if the Dragonborn has cleared Vald ' s debt by retrieving the Quill of Gemination for Maven , they can speak to Vald to receive the key . It is important to be outside the gated area when speaking with Vald otherwise he will be hostile . Wait for him to walk up to the gate to talk with him , then he will give the Dragonborn the key and leave Riften . If a Riften Guard is nearby and spots the Dragonborn , they will approach and ask about the " incident . " Although further information cannot be obtained about what incident they are referring to , it seems related to breaking into the manor ' s secured area . Being close to a guard will cause this dialogue to repeat often , allowing the Dragonborn two options : to say they don ' t know anything about the incident , or to refuse to answer questions . The first option will satisfy the guard but refusing to cooperate will initiate the arrest dialogue . In the Manor . Immediately after entering the manor , the Dragonborn can hear multiple voices . Beyond the next door is a guard that is looking in the opposite direction . The Dragonborn can either sneak past him to the bedroom or kill him , which will , obviously alert the others . Then , they are to go down the stairs and ignore the guard at the other end of the area , and go through a closed set of doors . On the far left of the room there will be a suspicious - looking cabinet , the Dragonborn needs to open it and push the back out to find another set of stairs to go down . Here , a large opening is found , leading into a series of tunnels . The Tunnels . It is not difficult to navigate through the tunnels , but one should be wary of a tripwire that activates a series of lethal blades . Upon reaching the doorway , the Dragonborn needs to stand next to it , as when it is opened , poison darts are shot forth . There is a lot of valuable loot in the room - a hoard of jewels in a bowl , The Red Kitchen Reader , as well as a larceny target , the Bust of the Gray Fox , which after being sold to Delvin Mallory for some septims , becomes a decoration in the Cistern . In addition , Chillrend may be taken from its display case . This unique weapon is one of the most powerful one - handed swords in Skyrim , if the manor is entered once the Dragonborn is at least level 46 . With the loot taken , the Dragonborn must make sure to pick up Mercer ' s Plans . Back in the Cistern . Continuing on through the last tunnel , the Dragonborn will find themselves at the door to The Ratway Vaults . Following the quest objective marker back to Brynjolf and talking to him completes the quest .