Summerset Shadows

Snuffing out a Rival Sect

After wrapping up 5 (or more) successful Additional Jobs in Windhelm, Delvin Mallory has information from a wealthy merchant farmer named Torsten Cruel-Sea, who resides in Windhelm. Travel to Windhelm and find the merchant in the area near the House of Clan Cruel-Sea. Torsten has been lamenting the murder of his jewelry adorned daughter Fjotli, whose body was left without a sentimental Silver Locket. Through detective work, the potential culprit has been tracked down, an Altmer (High Elf) named Niranye. Strangely, Torsten’s sources say Niranye is part of a rival Thieves Guild, which Delvin Mallory has denied his part in to Torsten. You are to hunt down this locket—a Cruel-Sea family heirloom—and he suggests searching Niranye’s house first.

You now have two possible locations to search: the market stall in the southwest corner of Windhelm where Niranye plies her wares (usually during the daytime) or her house in the southeast corner of town.

Niranye herself: Whether you meet her in her house or within the walls of Windhelm, Niranye tries to pretend she’s still shocked by Fjotli’s death, until you tell her to drop the act. You can:

• (Persuade) Comment on her awful acting abilities.
• (Intimidate) Threaten a similar ending to Fjotli’s.
• Or just kill her for wasting your time, which yields the note to Uttering Hills Cave.

If you’re unable to intimidate or persuade her, you can simply respond “My mistake.” This opens the following objective:

• (Optional) OBJECTIVE: Discover leverage to sway Niranye

In the safe in her hidden basement is a note you can use as leverage. Show it to Niranye after she’s clammed up, and she’ll start to talk, clearing the objective. Unless there are no other witnesses, the third option (to kill her) may be problematic. If you use verbal sparring, Niranye speaks about a small group of Altmer thieves who call themselves the “Summerset Shadows” and have a base inside the Uttering Hills Caves. She warns you about the craziness of their leader, Linwe, who is infamous for robbing the dead of their valuables.

• Second Letter from Linwe
• Niranye’s House Key

Journey across the snow-laden ground toward the Uttering Hills Cave, and prepare for a violent welcome from two Summerset Shadow guards close to the campfire and the entrance embedded into the mountain. Once you’re inside, the objective updates and you must find the locket. Head through the snowy tunnel, passing or attacking additional Summerset Shadow thieves, until you reach a circular stone tower staircase. Head down a connecting corridor at the tower’s base and into the Shadows’ sanctum. There’s a banner in the largest of the rooms, where the thieves gather to eat.

Before you investigate any further, light the burner underneath the banner until it begins to burn; snuffing out any trace of a rival Thieves Guild should be of utmost importance! Locate Linwe, the pretender thief master himself, in an adjacent room. The very fact that he’s wearing the garb of a Thief should be cause enough to cut him down! Defeat this charlatan and claim the following from his corpse:

• Fjotli’s Silver Locket
• Linwe’s Armor
• Linwe’s Boots
• Linwe’s Gauntlets
• Linwe’s Helmet

Quest Conclusion

Return to Windhelm and find Torsten Cruel-Sea. Return the locket, and Torsten is most pleased, even a little envious of your adventuring life. But he makes sure you know that he is a trusted ally in this city. He isn’t the only one; Niranye becomes a helpful Fence in this city, assuming you didn’t kill her.

• Vendor (Fence): Niranye
• Enchanted Jewelry (Amulet, Ring, or Necklace; Leveled; if you burned the banner)
• Leveled gold pieces