May the Best Thief Win

Overview
Faction: Thieves Guild

Prerequisites: Completion of Finding the Thieves Guild

Quest Giver: Armand Christophe

Reward: Acceptance into the Thieves Guild

Background
You receive this quest upon finding Armand Christophe in the Finding the Thieves Guild quest. You are to prove your worth as a thief by stealing a diary from a house in the city. The twist is that you have two competitors who also wish to join the guild.

Walkthrough
The initiation quest begins in the Waterfront District of the Imperial City. You'll be competing in this quest with Methredhel and Amusei. You are requested to go to Amantius Allectus' home, and steal his diary. To find Amantius Allectus' home, simply ask a nearby beggar, or you can follow Methredhel, since she knows where it is. His home is in the Temple District. Travel to the southeastern section of the city and beat Methredhel there. Once you get inside, immediately look to your right and run for the desk; the diary is in it.

Some strategies for getting the book before the competitors:
 * Attack them. They cannot die, but it will slow them down

If Methredhel gets the book before you, you have a couple of options: Once you have the book, wait until midnight, and turn the diary in to Armand Christophe.
 * You can pickpocket it off of her
 * Go to her house and steal it from her (it will be in her chest near the door). She lives right next to where this quest started, in the Waterfront District.

If you still failed to get the book to Christophe, you are given a chance to redeem yourself and thus join the guild. Christophe asks you to steal Rohssan's Antique Cutlass. Rohssan is the merchant in charge of A Fighting Chance in the Imperial City Market District. If you hit the shop at night, only two locks (on the front door and the chest containing the sword) and a guard dog keep you from getting into the guild. Retrieve the sword, return to Christophe, and you'll become a full member of the guild.

Bug
On the PC and Xbox and PS3 version there may be a bug in this quest. Methredhel gets to the diary almost immediately, and although the map indicates that the book is in her chest in her house, it does not appear in the chest when it is opened. It is not possible to pickpocket Methredhel for it since she is not carrying it. Even after 30 days Methredhel never takes the diary to Armand, and the secondary method of entering the Guild is never triggered. It is therefore impossible to join the Thieves Guild should this bug happen. Sleep a while outside her house. She will be asleep until noon and you can pickpocket her then.

Use the cheat "player.additem 000355ED 1" (without quotes) to get the diary and give it to Armand to complete the quest and join the guild.

Journal Entries
Upon speaking to Armand Christophe, you receive this entry:
 * I spoke with Armand Christophe, who is a member of the Thieves Guild. He offered me a chance to join the guild, but I have to compete against two other thieves, Methredhel and Amusei. Which ever one of us steals Amantius Allectus' Diary first will be inducted into the Thieves Guild. It's somewhere in the Imperial City. He told me that the beggars might be able to tell me where to find him.

When the you've discovered where Amantius lives by talking to a beggar:
 * A beggar told me that Amantius Allectus lives in the Temple district, on the far east side.

If you're the first to find the diary:
 * I have beaten Methredhel and Amusei to Amantius Allectus' diary. Now to get back to Armand at Dareloth's garden by midnight.

If Methredhel get's it before you:
 * Methredhel has beaten me to Amantius Allectus' diary. If I can't get it from her somehow, she will get into the guild and I'll be left out in the cold. It's too bad the competition rules won't let me kill her. However, Armand didn't say anything about stealing from her!

If Methredhel manages to hide the book in her house before you find her:
 * Methredhel has escaped. If I want that diary, I going to have to track her down. I wonder if the beggars can help me?

No matter at what stage you acquire the book from her, you get this:
 * I have stolen Amantius Allectus' diary from Methredhel. Now to get back to Armand at Dareloth's garden by midnight.

When you deliver the diary:
 * Armand Christophe has granted me a membership in the Thieves Guild. Methredhel is irritated, but I think she'll get over it. Amusei is threatening to become a freelance thief. Armand has given me the rules of the guild:
 * 1. I can't kill anyone while I'm on the job. Animals and monsters are fair game though.
 * 2. Never steal from anyone in the Thieves Guild.
 * 3. Never steal from beggars and peasants, especially in the Waterfront. The Gray Fox protects them.

If you fail to get the diary from Methredhel, and she gets it to Armand:
 * The word on the street is that Methredhel delivered Amantius Allectus diary to Armand. I hope Armand has something else I can do to get into the Thieves Guild. I should go see him at midnight in the Garden of Dareloth.

When you speak to Armand the next night, you will eventually receive these two:
 * Methredhel delivered the diary to Armand before me. She has been accepted into the Thieves Guild. 
 * Armand is giving Amusei and I one more chance we have to steal Rohssan's sword from somewhere in the Imperial City and bring it back to him. The first one of us to do that will also be admitted into the Thieves Guild.

When you find the cutlass:
 * I have Rohssan's Cutlass. Now to get back to Armand in the garden of Dareloth. I'll have to wait until midnight when he is there.

When you deliver it:
 * Armand Christophe has granted me a membership in the Thieves Guild. Amusei is threatening to become a freelance thief. Armand has given me the rules of the guild:
 * 1. I can't kill anyone while I'm on the job. Animals and monsters are fair game though.
 * 2. Never steal from anyone in the Thieves Guild.
 * 3. Never steal from beggars and peasants, especially in the Waterfront. The Gray Fox protects them.