Thieves Guild ( Skyrim ) The Thieves Guild is an organized group of professional thieves based in Skyrim that provides mutual support for the illegal endeavors of its members and their clients . It is one of several joinable factions that appear in . Background . Based in Skyrim and headquartered in The Ratway beneath the city of Riften , members of the Thieves Guild are renowned for causing trouble in the city and are held largely responsible for the corruption of the city ' s markets . Members of the guild specialize in stealing objects of varying value or loaning septims to potential entrepreneurs or to help someone pay off their debts , in hopes of a payback . Most citizens view them unfavorably ; Mjoll the Lioness has made it her duty to maintain order in Riften and pledges to dismantle the guild . Maven Black - Briar , the affluent and unscrupulous owner of the popular Black - Briar Meadery , consorts with the guild in exchange for their financial aid and protection . The guild has an uncanny luck due to certain members striking up a deal with the Daedric Prince , Nocturnal , to serve as her guardians . The guild has a strong hold in politics and law enforcement due to their ability to bribe , intimidate and extort the officials and guards of any hold by exploiting their greed or by threatening to reveal embarrassing and potentially damning secrets to the public . History . Origins . Little is known about when and how the Thieves Guild of Skyrim was founded , but it is rumored to have been around as long as Riften has . As the Fourth Era continued , the Thieves Guild slipped further and further into obscurity and the members and regular clients began to leave ( with the exception of Maven Black - Briar ) . The guild was previously believed to be completely fictional ; in , if asked about the guild , guards would simply state that there was no such thing . However , the Thieves Guild has become well known and , in fact , well renowned for their thievery and exploitation . The guild has some close association with the Dark Brotherhood which becomes apparent in " The Silence Has Been Broken " quest for the Dark Brotherhood , in which the Dragonborn must bring an amulet given by Amaund Motierre to Delvin Mallory , a member of the Thieves Guild . Fourth Era . Second Century . In 4E 176 , which is twenty - five years before 4E 201 , when the quests of the Thieves Guild in Skyrim take place , the Thieves Guild was in a golden age . Their headquarters was a palace , in which they had their own blacksmith , alchemist , traders , fences , and many associates throughout Skyrim . The Thieves Guild was very powerful and dominant and was feared and respected by most of Skyrim . Even with the Guild being in a Golden Age , the Guildmaster Gallus Desidenius was slowly and carefully organizing and planning long - term heists which included heists on museums , art galleries , stores , and government treasuries in an effort to continue and strengthen the Guild ' s presence in Skyrim . One of these heists included the heist of the Eyes of the Falmer , which required a deep understanding of the Falmer and their language and writing system . Third Century . By 4E 201 , the Guild was in havoc and was falling apart , with the people of Skyrim becoming bolder and less fearful of the organization . The Guild had made plans to bring itself back to its former glory and establish itself as a major faction in Skyrim . A great number of small jobs were needed to be completed ; this was followed by the completion of a contract by a notable person found in Whiterun , Solitude , Windhelm and Markarth . A special request was not needed to be completed in Riften , because the Thieves Guild already had a major presence in the city and was preeminently dominant throughout the area . Nocturnal ' s Curse . When the first group of Nightingales sought guidance from Nocturnal , she accepted , but in return , the Guild would have to keep the Skeleton Key safe in its chamber . However , when Mercer Frey secretly assassinated the current Guildmaster Gallus and took the key from its chamber , the Guild lost Nocturnal ' s favor . The curse was then activated , causing the Guild to go to a state of decay and ill - repute among their clients . Shadowmarks . One of the major aspects of the Thieves Guild in Skyrim was their use of a code that the members of the Guild used to communicate with each other without speaking . This unique code is known as Shadowmarks . The code was composed of nine different symbols each with their own meaning . These Shadowmarks were commonly placed on door - frames on the fronts of buildings which indicated to a Guild member if the building was safe , dangerous , contained important items or loot , housed another member of the Guild or another thief , as well as other important uses that could help a Guild member or other thieves . Connection with the Dark Brotherhood . The Thieves Guild has a strong connection with the Dark Brotherhood , and this is especially evident with the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild in Skyrim . Despite their differences in organization , purpose , and policies , the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood rely on each other for support . It is notable that Delvin Mallory and Astrid of the Brotherhood have had a good relationship , both as friends and as business associates . Joining . To join the Thieves Guild the Dragonborn must enter Riften and speak to Brynjolf , a red - headed Nord male , who can be found during the day in the Riften Marketplace between 8 : 00 a . m . - 8 : 00 p . m or in The Bee and Barb at night . Once the Dragonborn is within proximity , Brynjolf will automatically attempt to strike up a conversation in which the Thieves Guild prerequisite quest " A Chance Arrangement " can be started . Alternatively , in the evenings past 8 : 00 p . m . , the Dragonborn can encounter Brynjolf at The Bee and Barb inn , at which time he will tell the Dragonborn to speak with him during the day at his stall in the Riften Marketplace . Brynjolf , when encountered during the daytime , will give the Dragonborn instructions to steal Madesi ' s Silver Ring from the strongbox located under his stall and then plant it inside of the pocket of Brand - Shei , the local general stall owner . He is identified as the only male Dunmer in the crowd . Brynjolf will start a distraction by calling everybody within the area to listen to the story of his latest product that he is selling , which is obviously a ruse . During this time , carry out the plan as discussed with Brynjolf . Planting the ring will instantly end Brynjolf ' s tale he is telling to the crowd thus dispersing it . He will now tell the Dragonborn to meet him in the Ragged Flagon down in the Ratway to discuss membership . Even if the Dragonborn fails to acquire the ring , joining the Guild is still possible because Brynjolf says he still believes the Dragonborn has what it takes despite failure of the quest . It will however make a few members of the guild treat the Dragonborn with more disdain , initially . Quests . Small jobs . Delvin and Vex offer an unlimited number of radiant quests known as " jobs . " The target item and location for each are generated randomly within Whiterun , Markarth , Windhelm , Solitude and Riften . Jobs can be accepted and denied at will . It is possible ( and efficient ) to run a job for Delvin and one for Vex simultaneously ( the Tips section below has more information ) . The reward for each mission is leveled , between 50 and 800 . After performing five small jobs in a single city , excluding Riften , a special job will be unlocked for it . Killing those crucial to the job results in a failure , and no payment is received . Since there are no count statistics provided for these jobs , the only ways to determine how many have been done are to go through the completed jobs in the quest log and read the objective for each , since they list the city in which the job was done , or to keep track manually . With installed , jobs such as " The Bedlam Job " can also be generated in Raven Rock on Solstheim , although there are no special jobs nor city influence quests on the island . City influence quests . After completing five small jobs in a city ( with the exception of Riften and Raven Rock ) , Delvin will offer a special job to restore Thieves Guild influence in that city . These quests can be taken in any order . The city influence quests are necessary in order to complete " Under New Management " and assume the title of Guildmaster . When they are all completed , the guild can return to its former glory . ( However , before completing them all , see the bugs reported for " Under New Management . " ) Becoming Guildmaster allows access to the Guild Master ' s Tribute Chest . Each city influence quest that is completed will add a merchant stall to the Ragged Flagon . In addition , the gold available to fences throughout Skyrim gradually increases as these quests are completed , up to a maximum of 4 , 000 . The third and fourth city influence quests will each add a new recruit to the Guild as well : first Garthar , and then Ravyn Imyan . While related , " Deliver Moon Sugar to Ri ' saad " is not itself a city influence quest . It is given by Tonilia rather than Delvin Mallory , and is not a prerequisite for " Under New Management . " Merchants . Although these unlocked merchants work for the guild , they do not act as fences and therefore do not buy goods marked as stolen . ( Note : If the Windhelm quest is completed before all others , Herluin Lothaire may move instead of Syndus . ) Tips . The fastest possible method for completion is to disable automatic saves ( on Travel , on Character Menu ) , take Numbers jobs from Delvin and take Burglary jobs from Vex . These are the two fastest respective job types to complete . Once one has factored in time lost from repeated saving and reloading the latter tip actually takes longer than speedrunning . Alternatively , one can save before getting a new job , then ask for " Bedlam Jobs " from Delvin and " Sweep Jobs " from Vex ( Hint : to avoid going through the conversation again , it is best to save once the dialogue is finished , but before the quest objective appears ) . As long as they are in the same city , once the Sweep Job is done , " The Bedlam Job " will be completed as well , essentially completing two tasks at once . If it is in a city whose influence quest has already been completed , quick loading and trying again is suggested . Another way is to quit the job Delvin and / or Vex assigned , then ask for the job again . Generally , there are no negative repercussions for quitting jobs , excluding the multiple failed missions in the quest log and the short disapproving dialogue after each quit job . However , if the Dragonborn quits a " Sweep Job " in one place and then gets that job again later , they risk having difficulties stealing the items since the new / latest rendered item could spawn inside the old item that is left from the first job . For example , the Dragonborn could get a jeweled pitcher inside another jeweled pitcher . On PC this can be resolved by using the console and simply codice _ 1 the outer / old item from the previously quit job . It is also very helpful to keep track of how many jobs have been done in each of the four holds that matter ( Whiterun , Haafingar , Eastmarch , and the Reach ) . This makes it easier to choose the jobs to be kept or dumped to keep the relative numbers balanced . For example , if jobs are done in three holds , and yet all five jobs are left to do in the other hold , then it can be tedious to wait to be given jobs in that hold . On PC , it is also possible to avoid doing the jobs altogether as city influence quests can be started using the codice _ 2 console command . Each quest can be started by using the appropriate quest ID and setting the stage to 10 . Trophy cases . Various unique items can be stolen during the Thieves Guild quests and sold to Delvin . As each is collected and sold to Delvin , they will be displayed on the shelves behind Mercer ' s Desk where they can freely be taken or left as decoration . By following the quest line , the items appear in the following order : Trophies also appear for completing a certain number of jobs assigned by Vex and Delvin : Finally , the Crown of Barenziah is placed on the bust between shelves upon completion of the mission " No Stone Unturned . " Members . Fences . Fences buy stolen goods . There are a total of nine different fences throughout Skyrim , including each Khajiit caravan : Armor sets . When completing quests in the Thieves guild questline , the Dragonborn can obtain five different armor sets . Expulsion from the guild . Thieves caught attacking other guild members or one of their associates are removed from the guild and none of the members speak to them . To rejoin the guild , speak to Vex , who will charge a fee of 1000