Guide To Better Thieving Content . " Wulfmare ' s " Guide to Better Thieving by Wulfmare Shadow - Cloak So , you want to make it as a cutpurse . You want to live the life of a criminal , always one step ahead of everyone and pockets brimming with septims . Maybe it appeals to you to try and earn a living by robbing some wealthy merchants or extorting your local shopkeepers ? Let me give you a bit of advise - don ' t bother . For every skilled thief I ' ve met in my day , I ' ve seen a twenty who thought that they had what it took but ended up rotting in jail . But if you ' re anything like me , you don ' t listen to advise . You do whatever you want and never let anyone else tell you otherwise . To Oblivion with the risks - all that matters is the coin . Sound familiar ? If it does , then this book might just teach you the difference between acting like a petty thief and a master criminal . I know what you ' re thinking . Who ' s this Wulfmare ? Who does he think he is telling me how to be a better thief ? What makes him an expert ? Simple . Maybe you heard about that heist in Mournhold , when Queen Barenziah ' s crown went missing ? Or perhaps the tale of an Elder Scroll gone missing from the White - Gold tower reached your ears . That ' s right . . . it was yours truly . I ' ve done just about every kind of job you can imagine and I ' ve got the septims put away to prove it . How else could an ex - thief find the resources to publish his own book ? Now that I have your attention , let ' s start with two of the most fundamental skills you ' ll need to sharpen if you want to make it as a cutpurse - picking locks and picking pockets . And before you roll your eyes and throw this book aside in disgust , I can promise you that the easiest way you ' re going to get caught is by ignoring the basics - but if you can master these activities you ' ll find yourself swimming in coin . Picking pockets is one of the easiest skills to learn , but you ' d be surprised how often I ' ve seen novice thieves muck it up . The lesson here is two - fold . First , know your surroundings and second , know your approach . Where and when you decide to go fishing is just as important as who you chose as your mark . Follow them a while , there ' s never a need to rush . Wait until they ' re somewhere isolated and out of earshot of any guards - but most importantly always know when to let the mark go . Getting pinched simply isn ' t worth the risk . There ' ll always be plenty of other marks who come along with their pockets full . As far as their approach goes , don ' t drop into your crouch until you are completely out of the mark ' s view - directly behind and preferably close to them . Don ' t spend too long deciding what you ' ll lift either . A good thief should be able to hit a mark and make off with something valuable in less than five seconds . Last of all , plying this trade at night will greatly reduce your chances of getting caught . If you have no other choice and you have to do it in the daylight , just make sure you aren ' t out in the open . Lockpicking is an art form that takes years to master . The important thing to remember is that no two are alike , each one behaving completely differently . As long as you keep your wits about you , and your patience , you ' ll find them easier to defeat than you ' d initially expect . Good picks are always essential . Make sure you have plenty of them tucked away in your pockets . Always take your time and keep a light touch on the picks . When the tumblers begin to fall into place , you should feel the pick tremble ever - so - slightly - this means you ' re near the sweet spot . Slow down at that point , and only move the picks with the finest touch . If you blindly poke at the lock like an old man , all you ' re going to end up with is a bunch of broken picks and equally broken pride . As a last resort , if the lock is completely confounding you , there ' s always the option of smashing it . Just keep in mind that this is rarely successful and could potentially make a great deal of noise . By using my techniques , I ' m not merely suggesting you ' ll be a successful thief , I ' m giving you a solid guarantee . All it takes is a little bit of patience and a great deal of practice then maybe , just maybe , you ' ll become as successful as Wulfmare . In my next volume , we ' ll move onto another important tool in your arsenal - sneaking . I ' ll prove to you that the shadows can be just as potent of a weapon as your blade if you know how to bend it to your will .