Karliah

"We may be Nightingales, but in our hearts we're still thieves and we're damn good at what we do."

- Karliah

Karliah is a Dunmer Marksman in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. As a former member of the Thieves Guild, she serves as a member of the Nightingales.

Background
She was trained in the art of thievery by her mother, Dralsi Indoril, and is a descendant of Drayven Indoril, who was rumored to be a descendant of the Dunmer saint Indoril Nerevar. She was also involved romantically with Gallus Desidenius, who called her "My Little Nightingale". Former partner in the Thieves Guild with Mercer Frey, Karliah was exiled from the Thieves Guild for 25 years after he framed her for the murder of Gallus Desidenius.

The Nightingales Vol. 2 suggests that Karliah is a distant descendent of Queen Barenziah.

Speaking With Silence
Mercer Frey and the Dragonborn hunt for Karliah in the dungeon Snow Veil Sanctum.

Once Mercer picks the Dragon Claw door, the Dragonborn walks in first. Karliah shoots the Dragonborn with a poisened arrow, and the Dragonborn passes out soon after. Awakening again, their vision is blurry. Mercer and Karliah are heard talking. From their dialogue, it is learned that Mercer is guilty of committing many crimes against the Guild. Karliah escapes and Mercer notices the Dragonborn is still alive. He stabs the Dragonborn, attempting to kill him/her, but because of the poison on Karliah's arrow, which slowed the Dragonborn's heartbeat and stopped him/her from bleeding out, he/she survives. Karliah and the Dragonborn then head to Winterhold to figure out how to decode Gallus' Journal.

Later interactions
Karliah assists the Dragonborn in some of the later quests of the Thieves Guild questline, most notably helping recover the Skeleton Key and the Eyes of the Falmer.

Quests

 * Hard Answers
 * The Pursuit
 * Trinity Restored
 * Blindsighted
 * Darkness Returns

Trivia

 * Karliah can be pickpocketed for multiple types of arrows, ranging from Iron to Daedric.
 * She is the only Dunmer in the game with dark blue/purple eyes instead of red. This could be due to her supposed descendancy to Indoril Nerevar, whose tragic death caused Azura to taint the rest of the Chimer with dark skin and red eyes, thus creating the Dunmer.
 * Karliah's armor is a unique variation of the Thieves Guild Armor and the Guild Master's Armor Set, likely a combination of both. Her armor consists of a lighter shade of grey than the Guild Master's Armor Set, while maintaining the same brown-colored straps and satchels of the Thieves Guild Armor.
 * She is Barenziah's granddaughter.

Bugs

 * Karliah may reside in the cellar of The Frozen Hearth after the Thieves Guild quests are complete, but she greets players as though they were still in Nightingale Hall.
 * She may also return to the Snow Veil Sanctum, in the room where the player first meet her. However she will still greet them as if you both are in Nightingale Hall.
 * Upon donning the Nightingale Armor and heading to the dwemer ruins to stop Mercer from obtaining The Eyes of the Falmer, you are able to acquire both Brynjolf and Karliah as permanent companions if you're so inclined. Talk to Karliah and have her follow you. Draw your weapon and proceed up the stairs, eventually both Brynjolf and Karliah will sheathe their weapons, indicating they have stopped following you. Keep having them follow you and every time you move, draw your weapon. Eventually, they will bug past the scripted area to quit following you, allowing you gain two permanent Nightingales.
 * If you have chosen to retain Brynjolf and Karliah as permanent companions, making them wait outside could possibly result in the disappearence of either or both of them. This is due to a scripted behavior where Karliah and Brynjolf will attempt to follow you if you go too far ahead of them. This can be avoided by taking them into any building and having them wait there instead as they are limited by the dimensions of the area they are in.

Appearances

 * The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim