Overview
A relatively short guide to the getting the extremely vague achievement “One with the shadows”.This also serves as a guide to get the Guildmaster’s Armour set.
The Achievement
The achievement itself isn’t exactly hard, just time consuming, and kind of confusing to start.
In order to get it you must complete 5 generic (radiant) quests, given out by Vex and Delvin of the thieves guild, in 4 different holds.
These holds are:
Windhelm
Whiterun
Solitude
Markarth
Upon completing 4 jobs in a particular hold you will be given a special job in the same hold which you need to complete.
The Process
Talk to Delvin and Vex in the thieves guild and ask them if there are any jobs available, I suggest picking the numbers job and the burglary job as they’re the simplest and easiest, once accepted the job continue to complete it, keep track of how many jobs you’ve done in each hold as its easy to forget and end up doing repeat jobs.
Once you’ve completed 4 jobs in a certain hold talk to Delvin and you will have the option to ask him for a special job, upon accepting you will be given 1 of 4 different quests each one relating to the hold you did the 4 jobs for, these include:
- Solitude – The Dainty Sload
- Markarth – Silver Lining
- Whiterun – Imitation Amnesty
- Windhelm – Summerset Shadows
I’ll now go over the way to complete each of them.
Solitude – The Dainty Sload
Solitude – The Dainty Sload
Travel to Solitude and talk to Erikur in The Blue Palace he will tell you that he has been cheated out of a trade deal by the captain of a ship called The Dainty Sload and he’ll task you to plant illegal contraband on the ship and frame the captain, to do this you must get your hands on some Balmora Blue, to get this you can either pay 1,500 gold to Sabine Nytte aboard a ship in the Solitude Docks, or you can steal the Balmora Blue from the same ship’s bottom deck.
Once you have Acquired the Balmora Blue you must travel to The Dainty Sload and go to the captain’s quarters and plant the item in the chest.
After this simply talk to Erikur again and he will reward you with a random levelled spell tome, return to Delvin and talk to him to end the quest, he will tell you that the Thieves Guild is making progress, and as a result there will be a new merchant or service in the Flagon.
Markarth – Silver Lining
Markarth – Silver Lining
Travel to Markarth and speak to Endon the Silversmith and he will inform you of a silver mold he has ordered that was stolen by bandits and taken to their hideout in Pinewatch shack to the east of Falkreath.
Once you arrive in Pinewatch, head to the basement and you will find an NPC named Rhorlak, either bribe him or kill him, if bribed he will reveal the location of a button to a secret room, if killed the button is to the right of the eastern bookshelf and behind a table.
Progress through Pinewatch until you enter Pinewatch Bandit’s Sanctuary, then make your way through there killing any bandits you find, on a broken sarcophagus in the last room will be the mold.
Simply return to Endon, then Delvin, and you get a new Merchant / Service and Endon will be unlocked as a fence.
Whiterun – Imitation Amnesty
Whiterun – Imitation Amnesty
Travel to Whiterun and speak to Olfrid Battle-Born, he will inform you that a friend of his is on the run and needs his identity changed, however, he has been imprisoned in Whiterun and that you must forge the prison registry and steal an Incriminating letter from the Jarl’s Quarters.
Once you have spoken to him simply enter Dragonsreach and follow the quest marker, if you are thane of Whiterun you should be allowed to just walk right in.
When completed do the usual, talk to Olfrid, then Delvin.
This one is the simplest quest of the 4.
Windhelm – Summerset Shadows
Windhelm – Summerset Shadows
Travel to Windhelm and speak to Torsten Cruel-Sea, he’ll inform you that a guild of rival thieves that kill their targets have murdered his daughter and stolen her necklace, you’re tasked with retrieving it from their hideout which you will need to persuade Niranye to tell you the location of.
Speak to Niranye and you will have the option to persuade, intimidate or fight her, all options will reveal the location, if killed you must enter her house where there is a false panel on the south wall, pick the lock to her basement and then pick the lock to her safe which reveals that they’re hiding out in Uttering Hills Cave.
Once inside the hideout, fight the thieves and kill their leader, then retrieve the necklace and return it to Torsten, then speak to Delvin.
If you did not kill Niranye then she will be unlocked as a fence, and you will unlock a new merchant just outside the Ragged Flagon.
The Armour
Congratulations, you have completed the frustrating task of finishing these quests, now all thats left to do is talk to Brynjolf and be officially inducted as the Guildmaster.
Once you have done this you will be rewarded with the Guildmaster’s armour and the achievement.
😀