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Background

You'll receive this quest immediately after completing the quest Taking Care of Business.


Walkthrough

Brynjolf will ask you to follow him, and he'll lead you to the Cistern, where you'll meet the guild master Mercer Frey. Frey won't be overly impressed by you, but he'll welcome you into the guild nonetheless. Then Brynjolf will tell you about your first job: you'll need to infiltrate the Goldenglow Estate, burn three bee hives, and loot the owner Aringoth's safe.

Before heading off to complete your assignment, there are a few things you might want to do:

• You can freely loot the chests in the Cistern for Lockpicks and more.
  
  
• Tonilia at the Ragged Flagon will give you a full set of Thieves Guild armor: Thieves Guild Armor, Thieves Guild Boots, Thieves Guild Gloves, and a Thieves Guild Hood. She'll also act as a fence and buy stolen goods from you. Note: Even if you don't plan to use the Thieves Guild armor, you should keep at least one piece from the set. You'll need it later.
  
  
• Delvin and Vex at the Ragged Flagon will give you random quests to improve the standing of the guild. See the Thieves Guild Overview page for more information.
  
  
• Several members of the guild will offer you skill training: Archery (from Niruin), Lockpicking (from Vex), Pickpocket (from Vipir the Fleet), and Sneak (from Delvin).
  
  
• Finally, now that you're a member of the guild, you'll be allowed to use the back exit from the Cistern, which will take you to the cemetery in Riften. Once you've taken the exit, a new entry for the Thieves Guild will appear on the world map, allowing you to jump right to the exit and avoid the trek through the Ratway.

Despite a few comments from Brynjolf and Vex (if you ask her for advice) that you're not supposed to kill anybody during the quest, it won't make any difference if you do. You can even kill Aringoth (#6) if you want. So it isn't necessary to be much of a thief to get the job done. However, if you do decide to be stealthy, then the interior of the estate is an excellent place to improve your Sneak skill, because many of the guards will sit facing one direction without moving, and you can sneak into a wall behind them for as long as you want to build up your skill. (If you're on the PC, then press Ctrl to start sneaking, press C to turn on auto-walking, point your character at a wall, and then come back in an hour to see if you're at 100 yet.)

Otherwise, the quest is pretty straightforward. You'll find the bee hives outside the estate (#2), and you'll find the safe in the basement (#8). If you don't feel like picking locks, then you can grab a couple of keys, including the Goldenglow Safe Key, from Aringoth (#6). If you're planning on sneaking, then it's a good idea to enter the estate via the sewer (Exit A), where you'll only have to deal with skeevers rather than guards. Just be sure to talk to Vex before departing, because then you'll get a quest marker for the sewer entrance, making it easier to spot.

When you return to Brynjolf after completing your assignment, he'll reward you with some gold (assuming you didn't burn too many hives), and he'll direct you to see Maven Black-Briar. This will trigger the next quest in the line, Dampened Spirits.


1 - Front Gate


2 - Bee Hives

To burn the bee hives, you'll need to use a fire spell (like Flames) on them. It won't matter which three you burn, but be careful: if you burn more than three then you'll forfeit your reward money at the end of the quest. When you start the bee hives burning, any surviving guards outside the estate will come running.


3 - Skeleton

Next to the skeleton you'll find the book Guide to Better Thieving, which will increase your Pickpocket skill by 1.


4 - Drop Down

You'll only be able to drop down here after entering the Sewer from the Basement (Exit G).


5 - Locked Gate

To open this gate, you'll either need to pick the lock or steal the Goldenglow Cellar Key from Aringoth (#6).


6 - Aringoth

You'll find Aringoth hiding in his bedroom. He won't raise the alarm if he spots you (although the guards will notice if you start fighting). If you're persuasive, then you might be able to convince Aringoth to give up the Goldenglow Safe Key. Otherwise you'll have to rob him or kill him to get it. Aringoth will also have the Goldenglow Cellar Key on him, which you might need to unlock the gate leading to the cellar (#5).


7 - Queen Bee Statue

The Queen Bee Statue doesn't have any value, but if you pick it up and deliver it to Delvin, then he'll reward you with some gold.


8 - Aringoth's Safe

To open the safe, you'll either need to pick its lock or acquire the Goldenglow Safe Key from Aringoth (#6). Inside you'll find the Goldenglow Bill of Sale, which you'll need to deliver to Brynjolf.


Exits:

1. Entrance to the Sewer.
2. Exit from the Sewer.
3. Front entrance to the Main Floor.
4. Back entrance to the Main Floor.
5. Doorway between the Main Floor and the Second Floor.
6. Doorway between the Main Floor and the Basement. You'll need to pass through a locked gate (#5) and then descend some stairs to reach this doorway.
7. Exit from the Basement.