A Cornered Rat A Cornered Rat is a quest available in . Description . During " Diplomatic Immunity , " the Dragonborn will find out about Esbern , an old friend of Delphine and the only other member of the Blades in Skyrim . Delphine will tell the Dragonborn to go to the Ratway in Riften to find him before the Thalmor do . Thalmor Agents will pop up outside as well , and once the Dragonborn has talked to Esbern , the agents will attack . Walkthrough . Locating Esbern . Esbern is located in The Ratway Warrens behind a barred door with a viewing slot . Access the Ratway Warrens by traveling through several areas , including the Ratway , The Ragged Flagon , and The Ratway Vaults . The Ratway ' s main entrance is located on the south end and lower level of Riften . Brynjolf , if not spoken to already , will be located in town during the day and at The Bee and Barb at night . Talking to Brynjolf at the Bee and Barb will trigger conversation leading to the Thieves Guild quest line . If the Dragonborn has already become a member of the Thieves Guild , they can talk to Brynjolf or Vekel the Man inside The Ragged Flagon - Cistern to advance to the next part of the quest . Alternatively , talking to Keerava , the barmaid of the Bee and Barb , can give the Dragonborn the information without putting the question to Brynjolf , although this will bypass the introduction to the Thieves Guild . Once inside the Ragged Flagon , talk to Vekel about Esbern . He will not give information about Esbern unless the Dragonborn has a high Persuasion , 140 or beats him in a brawl . Then , he will give Esbern ' s location and warn of Thalmor looking for him as well . After meeting with Brynjolf and mentioning Esbern , he will give information that Esbern is in the Ratways , and the quest marker will update accordingly . There have been problems reported with quest advancement if the quest " A Chance Arrangement " has also been picked up . " A Cornered Rat " can progress " after " completing " A Chance Arrangement " or " after " being caught . Brynjolf then will ask the Dragonborn if they want to join the Thieves Guild ( if this hasn ' t been done already ) , and a new quest will start . The slot on Esbern ' s door will be closed , and conversation with Esbern is not possible if the quest has not advanced properly . Ratway . Some events in the Ratway may unfold differently depending on certain events during " Diplomatic Immunity . " If this is the first time inside the Ratway , there will be a few enemies to fight through to get to the headquarters of the Thieves Guild . If already a member of the Thieves Guild , the Dragonborn may enter through the secret entrance in the Riften graveyard . If the Dragonborn did not kill a man named Gissur during " Diplomatic Immunity , " It is possible to be attacked by him outside the entrance to the Ragged Flagon . Inside , after the attack , Gissur may be identified by Guild members and killed . The Dragonborn can take Gissur ' s Note from his body . The note may also be found in the Ratway without the body . If Gissur was killed at the Thalmor Embassy , he will not appear during this quest . Alternatively , the Dragonborn may encounter a female Khajiit assassin named Shavari . " Shavari ' s Note " can be looted from her corpse . From the Ragged Flagon , head through the Ratway Tunnels to get to the Ratway Warrens . It may be necessary to fight several Thalmor while navigating through the tunnels before locating the entrance . Once in the Warrens , locate a locked door with a viewing slot at the top of a set of steps and activate the door to engage Esbern in conversation . The Dragonborn will then be able to tell Esbern about Delphine and warn him of the Thalmor searching for him . After being convinced , there is an unusually long delay as he gathers his thoughts and unlocks what seems like an absurd number of door locks and bars . Once inside , the conversation will continue as he gathers his belongings . He will be able to provide some additional background information about the Blades , and the Dragonborn will bring him up to date on current events . Once the conversation with Esbern has ended , this quest will be completed and " Alduin ' s Wall " will begin .