Breaching Security

Background
"I must kill Gaius Maro, an agent of the Emperor's security force. Once he's dead, I must plant a letter on his body that will incriminate him in a plot to kill the Emperor. If I wish to earn a bonus, I must not kill him in Dragon Bridge, or on the road, but in one of the cities he visits."

Walkthrough
To receive the bonus item, Olava's Token, Gaius Maro must be killed in a major city. Travel to Dragon Bridge and steal his schedule. Try to meet up with him in Riften. Enter the alleyway to your left after fast traveling to Riften (you may need to pick the lock on the gate). Shoot an arrow from the alley at Maro as he leaves (around 1AM) in order to avoid detection and any bounty. If you are a low level, he may not die with one sneak attack, so be prepared for a fight. Another option is to wait in the corner of Riften castle's courtyard, behind the small grouping of trees, and wait for him to exit (he exits that side every time at around 11:30 A.M. Actual times may vary). He will be alone and far enough away from any guards to allow you to kill him without any worry about bounty.
 * Note* You must go to Dragon Bridge for him to start his travels. Even if you do not plan to steal the schedule you must go there, or he will not move. This is true on all systems.

Palace of the Kings (or other Barracks)
Gaius Maro will sleep in the barracks with the guards in Windhelm. This can be one of the hardest places to get him without being detected. Wait until ten PM in the corner by the sleeping guard and equip a bow, and, if possible, coat the arrows with poison. Fire an arrow at Maro. Each time he will get up and look around the room, and can be continually shot without being discovered. Warning: The guards in the beds will get up and look too sometimes, but will not see you in the shadows. After Maro is dead, wait till the guards settle down and then creep over to his body and plant the note. Sneak back to the corner. Jump over the beds with the guards in them until you reach the doorway, then sneak out to freedom.

The Bannered Mare
In Whiterun, it is extremely easy to sneak into his bedroom in The Bannered Mare, as it seems to be the only time he isn't bunking in a castle or in barracks, and kill him in his sleep with the door shut. Then you may plant the letter. This does not result in a bounty at Whiterun, and you will receive the bonus token from Gabriella.


 * However, there is a high chance that Gaius Maro might fall behind in his itinerary schedule & therefore only makes a brief stop at The Bannered Mare for some drinks before continuing on to Markarth. In this case he normally arrives alone on Turdas evening (10-11 PM) and heads straight to the hearth in the middle of the inn for a drink whilst enjoying the bard's performances.


 * If you have a high level of Sneak & have procured the Ebony Mail, while sneaking you can take a potshot at him using a ranged weapon from the balcony of the room overlooking the hearth (it's the same room you're given when you rent one from Hulda). Since this balcony is full of shadowy spots you can then hide in one of those that's closest to your current position & wait for Maro to charge upstairs looking for you. Once he's touched the shadowy tendrils of poison emitted by the Ebony Mail, it's just a matter of waiting for him to fall lifeless & you can then plant the Incriminating Letter at your leisure and walk out of there scot-free.


 * Obviously, this technique can also be used in other dark locations as well.


 * A word of caution though, killing him in public usually leads to collateral casualties; you can expect to find some bodies on your way out of the inn.


 * Sometimes, you can kill Maro in full view of guards and citizens. The guards will do their normal "What was that?" routine, but won't notice you slaughtering him, even though they see you plainly. Citizens, however, will scold and sometimes turn hostile when they see you kill Maro. Seen in Whiterun on the way from Dragonsreach, with Stormcloak influence in the city. (See Bugs)



Approaching him directly
Another alternative method is to approach Gaius Maro and use the option of telling him how you'll kill him, and then the Emperor. After this, he will begin to attack you. You can then fight back without obtaining a bounty. This method can be used in any major city in order to receive the bonus. If using this method, it's best to confront him in view of a guard - so that it is seen that Gaius attacks you first. If a guard wanders into view of the fight as it's proceeding and the first blow he sees is struck by you, you will earn a bounty. If you are a part of the Thieves Guild and happen to encounter Gaius Maro in Riften, you can provoke him. This will cause your fellow Thieves Guild members (and even Maven Black-Briar) to come to your defense. Simply let them finish Gaius Maro for you.

Also take note that if you attack Gaius in a town or city, any friends you have made will come to help you kill him.

Bonus
The bonus can also be received just outside a city. If you are lucky enough to be attacked by a dragon just outside a city, you can kill him while the guards are fighting the dragon and no bounty will be placed on you. The bonus will still be counted.

Dragonsreach

If you're not the best in combat, then an easy way to kill Gaius is when he is in Dragonsreach, in Whiterun. Simply approach him and provoke him. He will attack you, which will cause the entire court of Whiterun to attack him. However, they will not kill him, but lower his health down to the point as to when he falls to one knee; simply throw in an extra swing or two to finish him off.

Dragon Excuse

An easy way to kill Gaius is to go to Dragon Bridge until a dragon appears. Do not slay the dragon until Gaius is dead. this way, the soldiers won't fight you and you get a dragon soul.

Pickpocket

For all those with light fingers, it should be noted that it is possible to plant the incriminating letter on Gaius before killing him and have the quest complete as normal. This allows him to be killed at range and in the open, with the player slipping away without approaching his body. If you have the pickpocket perk: Poisoned you can also place poison in his pocket with the note. Try saving the lotus extract from the previous mission.

Beast Form

While in Whiterun, after planting the incriminating letter on Gaius, hide out behind some houses and use Beast Form. While transformed, murder Gaius and escape to the Companions' Underforge. Wait it out until you've returned to your normal appearance, then report back to Gabriella.

The Bee and Barb

Gaius will most likely spend his Loredas in Riften; more precisely, in The Bee and Barb. It's easy to simply approach him and, if member of the Thieves Guild or not, provoke him. He will then procceed to attack you, there are at least one person that will attack him with you. You don't receive a bounty and, with enough luck, will not even have to attack him.

Conclusion
Upon returning to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, you are approached by Gabriella who initiates dialog, congratulates you on completing the mission, and gives you whatever reward you are due. This completes Breaching Security and automatically starts The Cure for Madness, in which you find something has gone wrong in the Sanctuary.

Gauis Maro's Schedule

 * Morndas - Solitude, the Emperor's Tower
 * Morndas Evening - Solitude, Castle Dour (food and sleep)


 * Tirdas - Windhelm, the Palace of the Kings
 * Tirdas Evening - Windhelm Barracks (food and sleep)


 * Middas - Riften, Mistveil Keep


 * Turdas - Whiterun, Dragonsreach
 * Turdas Evening - Whiterun, the Bannered Mare (food and sleep)


 * Fredas - Markarth, Understone Keep
 * Fredas Evening - Markarth, guard tower (food and sleep)


 * Loredas & Sundas - To be spent at your discretion
 * Repeat (until I have recalled you personally)

The guards and Jarls of the cities have been informed of your arrival, and will leave you to your work. Study the guard patterns, examine any entrances and exits, and make note of any irregularities.

Talk to no one - the fewer people who know about your mission, the safer the Emperor will ultimately be.


 * Oddly enough, his father Maro informed Windhelm (the Stormcloak Headquarters) of his son's arrival.
 * Detection of the player can cause Gauis Maro to deviate his schedule, even if the player doesn't talk to him. Plan accordingly, simply waiting for him in one city where he's supposed to visit may be the way to go.

Bugs
Überwindung der Sicherheitsmaßnahmen Уязвимое место