A Chance Arrangement is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in which the Dragonborn is given a task by Brynjolf at the town square in Riften or in The Bee and Barb to be initiated into the Thieves Guild.
Background[]
"Brynjolf in Riften seems to be involved in some nefarious activities and has convinced me to take part in one of his schemes."
Objectives[]
- Talk to Brynjolf about joining the Thieves Guild
- Meet Brynjolf during daytime
- Steal Madesi's ring from his strongbox
- Plant Madesi's ring
- Speak to Brynjolf
Walkthrough[]
The quest begins once Brynjolf speaks to the Dragonborn, when first entering Riften, and the Dragonborn has the choice to help him. Brynjolf can initially be found during daytime or nighttime. He can be most commonly found in The Bee and Barb or walking around the marketplace, manning his stall where he promotes his Falmerblood Elixir scam.
"Never done an honest day's work in your life for all that coin you're carrying, hey lad (If the Dragonborn is female: "lass")?" *
I'm sorry, what? "I'm saying you've got the coin but you didn't earn a septim of it honestly. I can tell." (If the Dragonborn has less than 500 
: "Your pockets... they're a little low on coin. I can tell.")
- How could you possibly know that? "It's all about sizing up your mark, lad (If the Dragonborn is female: "lass"). It's the way they walk, what they're wearing. It's a dead giveaway."
- What do you mean? "Look how you sniffed out my little scheme at the North Gate. You knew it was a shakedown and you called him on it. That's what I'm talking about."
- So the guard at the North Gate was your man? "Aye, that he was. And you sniffed him out because he broke one of the cardinal rules of our business... he got greedy. He was told to run the scam on merchants, but he smelled the gold on you and his judgement went out the window. Actually, I admire how you handled the situation. You kept your cool and you didn't kill him. That the mark of a professional thief. (If the Dragonborn killed the thief at the North Gate: "Killing him was a bit... impulsive. A true professional would have kept his cool and dealt with it a different way, but I'll let it go.")"
- My wealth is none of your business. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, lad (If the Dragonborn is female: "lass"). Wealth is my business. Maybe you'd like a taste?"
- You seem to be well acquainted with wealth. "Wealth is my business. Help me out and I can add to yours. Would you like a taste?"
- What do you have in mind? "I've got a bit of an errand to perform, but I need an extra pair of hands. And in my line of work, extra hands are well-paid."
- What do I have to do? "Simple... I'm going to cause a distraction and you're going to steal Madesi's silver ring from a strongbox under his stand. Once you have it, I want you to place it in Brand-Shei's packet without him noticing."
- Break the law? Are you kidding? "Sorry... I usually have a nose for this kind of thing. Never mind them, lad (If the Dragonborn is female: "lass"). If you change your mind, come find me."
- Why plant the ring on Brand-Shei? "There's someone that want to see him put out of business permanently. That's all you need to know. Now, you tell me when you're ready and we'll get started. (After 8PM and before 8AM: "I'll be out in the market all day, from eight in the morning until eight in the evening. Meet me then if you've still got the stomach for it.")"
- Break the law? Are you kidding? "Sorry... I usually have a nose for this kind of thing. Never mind them, lad (If the Dragonborn is female: "lass"). If you change your mind, come find me."
- What do I have to do? "Simple... I'm going to cause a distraction and you're going to steal Madesi's silver ring from a strongbox under his stand. Once you have it, I want you to place it in Brand-Shei's packet without him noticing."
- What do you have in mind? "I've got a bit of an errand to perform, but I need an extra pair of hands. And in my line of work, extra hands are well-paid."
- So the guard at the North Gate was your man? "Aye, that he was. And you sniffed him out because he broke one of the cardinal rules of our business... he got greedy. He was told to run the scam on merchants, but he smelled the gold on you and his judgement went out the window. Actually, I admire how you handled the situation. You kept your cool and you didn't kill him. That the mark of a professional thief. (If the Dragonborn killed the thief at the North Gate: "Killing him was a bit... impulsive. A true professional would have kept his cool and dealt with it a different way, but I'll let it go.")"
- What do you mean? "Look how you sniffed out my little scheme at the North Gate. You knew it was a shakedown and you called him on it. That's what I'm talking about."
* If the Dragonborn is carrying less than 500 , Brynjolf will instead say: "Running a little light in the pockets, lad (If the Dragonborn is female: "lass")?"
When the Dragonborn is ready, they should tell Brynjolf between 8AM and 8PM to begin the job. The Dragonborn can also enquire further about the details.
How am I supposed to do all of this? "Do you want me to hold your hand as well? You're going to have to sneak over to Madesi's stall and use your lockpick on the strongbox. Then when you have the ring, you pickpocket Brand-Shei and leave it behind. (If the Dragonborn has Madesi's Silver Ring: "You have the ring. All you have to do is pick Brand-Shei's picket and plant it there.")" Why are we doing this to Brand-Shei? "We've been contracted to make sure Brand-Shei remembers not to meddle in affairs that aren't his own. Now, since we're not the Dark Brotherhood, we're going to make sure he sits in the prisons for a few days." I'm ready. Let's get this started. "Good. Wait until I start the distraction and then show me what you're made of."
Stealing[]
- When the Dragonborn tells Brynjolf they are ready to get started, Brynjolf will call everyone over to him. He starts telling people about some valuable potions he is selling for 20 septims. Wait until everyone is distracted and not moving anymore, listening to Brynjolf. The ring is found in Madesi's strongbox, located underneath his booth behind a locked sliding door. Note that this is different from the display case on his stand. The Dragonborn may choose to either pickpocket a key from Madesi or pick the lock. The sliding door and lock may be unlocked the night before when there are fewer people around. Steal the ring, along with any other items that you desire, then sneak over to the crates behind Brand-Shei.
- Reverse pickpocket Brand-Shei and plant the ring on Brand-Shei. He is sitting down watching Brynjolf talk and is easily pick-pocketed from behind the boxes with a high success rate, at least above 70% if points were invested in the base perk under the Pickpocket skill, but if concerned about the odds, drink a Pickpocket potion that improves the odds temporarily to lessen the chances of failure. Brynjolf should stop the distraction once this is completed, and, after turning in the quest, Brand-Shei will be approached by a guard and arrested, with the guard drawing their weapon to coerce Brand-Shei into coming to the Riften Jail peacefully, or as a corpse if he continues to resist. Planting the ring on someone else does not get that person arrested instead.
- Talk to Brynjolf again, and he will congratulate the Dragonborn.
Not stealing or failing[]
Failing to plant the ring on Brand-Shei will have the bonus of preserving him as a vendor with gold supply. This may be advantageous to a lower level character, or anyone without higher level speech perks. He also has a quest "Distant Memories," if it was not already completed.
Just because the Dovahkiin does not complete the assignment, it does not in any way affect the Dragonborn's involvement in the Thieves Guild quest line. Brynjolf will express disappointment, but will state that he believes the Dragonborn still shows potential. The following scenarios are possible:
- Getting caught stealing during the distraction will result in failing the quest. If the Dragonborn has earned the title of Thane of Riften, they can use this title to get out of being arrested for the crime, though it may not be recommended since Thanes only get one pardon per guard, per day.
- The Dragonborn can remove Madesi's ring from their inventory anytime after stealing it, and tell Brynjolf that it was lost. The "Plant Madesi's Ring" objective gets marked as failed, but the mission can still be completed, allowing the Dragonborn to continue regardless and join the Thieves Guild.
- The distraction will go on for quite some time, and if the Dragonborn does not plant the ring on Brand-Shei before Brynjolf finishes, the group will sit in silence sometimes until the quest is completed. The quest will fail after some amount of time, however. Leaving Riften and going to the stables once and returning may still have the distraction running, but after leaving a second time the quest may end in failure. If this occurs, Brynjolf will express disappointment, as noted above, saying that he could not keep up that distraction for too long, but the quest line will still be available anyway.
- Another way to complete this quest quickly and safely, without breaking any laws: After the distraction starts, simply wander around and go inside any door around the market. This will cause the planting assignment to fail, while strangely, the stealing assignment will still be completed. In this manner the Dragonborn can still complete the quest by talking to Brynjolf without committing any crime. This will not result in breaking the questline.
In any scenario above, the Dragonborn will return to Brynjolf without getting paid and continue the quest-line while keeping Brand-Shei as a vendor. The quest "Taking Care of Business" starts immediately upon completion of this quest.
Journal[]
| TG00 Maul Handler – TG00MaulHandler | |
|---|---|
| ID | Journal Entry |
| 10 |
|
| A Chance Arrangement – TG00 | |
| 8 | Brynjolf in Riften seems to be involved in some nefarious activities and has convinced me to take part in one of his schemes.
|
| 10 |
|
| 20 |
|
| 30 |
Reverse pickpocket succeeded:
|
| 35 |
Reverse pickpocket failed:
|
| 40 |
Player left area or took too long:
|
| 200 | Brynjolf's scheme in Riften has ended and the promise of more coin has been made. This appears to be the beginning of profitable friendship.
|
Trivia[]
- If the Dragonborn has a follower, the follower may mingle with the rest of the crowd. The follower will follow them again once the crowd disperses.
- If the Dragonborn completes the quest after placing the ring in Brand-Shei's pocket, a guard will approach Brand-Shei and arrest him shortly after.
- After completion of the quest, Brand-Shei will be located in Riften Jail. He can be talked to there to complete his identity quest if it has not been done previously.
- Despite Brynjolf saying that he wants Brand-Shei to sit in the prison "for a few days," he will remain there indefinitely.
- After Brynjolf informs you of his plan the player will receive a hidden effect increasing pickpocketing chance by 30%, which makes planting the ring significantly easier.
- If you are caught, Madesi's Silver Ring can be found afterwards in the evidence chest in Riften Jail.
- In Riften, Brynjolf will always approach the player making quest or related miscellaneous objective remain in the player's journal even if the player does not intent to start the Thieves Guild questline.
- Using the forge next to the market before Brynjolf approaches will cause him to ask you his opening questions a few times while the player is in the smithing animation and then walk away, after which he will not approach the player again.
Bugs[]
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This section contains bugs related to A Chance Arrangement. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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| Click to show Bugs |
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Appearances[]
| Thieves Guild Quests (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) | |
|---|---|
| Main Quest | |
| Delvin's Small Jobs | |
| Vex's Small Jobs | |
| City Influence Jobs | |
| Other | |