Loud and Clear is a quest available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in which the Dragonborn is tasked with clearing out the safe of Aringoth, owner of Goldenglow Estate, and to burn some of his beehives, damaging his financial operations in retaliation for failing to cooperate with the Thieves Guild and their principal client, Maven Black-Briar.
Background[]
My first task as a member of the Thieves Guild involves a honey operation located just outside of Riften called Goldenglow Estate. My actions there are in direct response to the owner's sudden silence and lack of cooperation with the Thieves Guild and Maven Black-Briar, one of the Guild's most important clients.
Objectives[]
- Follow Brynjolf
- Listen to Mercer Frey
- Talk to Brynjolf
- Speak to Vex about Goldenglow Estate (optional)
- Burn three beehives
- Enter Goldenglow using sewer (optional)
- Obtain the key to Aringoth's safe (optional)
- Clear out Aringoth's safe
- Return to Brynjolf
Walkthrough[]
First, the Dragonborn needs to follow Brynjolf into the The Ragged Flagon - Cistern. The entrance is hidden behind a wardrobe in the hallway past the bar, just off to the side of the door leading to The Ratway Vaults. Once inside the cistern they need to speak to Mercer Frey, the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild. He is found either standing near his desk or wandering the main area. Mercer will assign the Dragonborn the first job in the Thieves Guild, which requires the Dragonborn to go to the Goldenglow Estate to teach the proprietor a lesson. Before going there, the Dragonborn can optionally talk to Vex in order to discover the location of the secret entrance to the estate. When the Dragonborn reaches the Goldenglow Estate, they have to burn three hives and empty the safe in the house.
Burning the hives[]
The bee hives are marked on the map. The easiest path to reach them is from the rocks below the northwestern side of the island by jumping on them. The easiest way to burn them is with the Flames spell or to shoot them using a bow enchanted to cause fire damage. If the Dragonborn's equipped weapon has a fire damage enchantment, or if they are holding a torch, just walking close to a beehive will set it on fire. If the Dragonborn burns any more than three, Brynjolf will be displeased, refusing to reward the Dragonborn for disobeying orders. If the Dragonborn has been detected, it is advisable to jump into the lake behind the house and swim for a little while until they are hidden.
Emptying the safe[]
In order to reach the safe, one must pick the expert locked door first. To reach the door, the Dragonborn can either use the sewers, about which they find out after talking with Vex, or swim around the estate until they reach the door with the quest mark.
Once in the house, the Dragonborn must open the expert locked safe. Before going for the safe, it is advisable to get the key held by Aringoth. In order to reach Aringoth, the Dragonborn must sneak past mercenaries to the second floor of the Goldenglow Estate.
Once on the second floor, the Dragonborn must again sneak past mercenaries and reach Aringoth, who is sitting on the chair in a corner of his room. He can be either persuaded or intimidated to give the key to the Dragonborn. If both attempts fail, he will turn hostile upon exiting the conversation; however, killing him does not fail the quest in any way and the Dragonborn will still receive payment. When Aringoth turns hostile, or after successfully speaking to him, all mercenaries on the second floor are alert and looking for the Dragonborn; if all of them have been killed three new mercenaries spawn on the first floor. Still there is no need in killing them, since after getting the key from the owner's body and immediately leaving the second floor the mercenaries will get back to their normal patrolling routes and will not leave the second floor in order to chase the Dragonborn. Alternatively, one can jump on Aringoth's head and then crouch. Once the Dragonborn is "hidden," they can pickpocket his key.
The queen bee statue on the right of Aringoth's bed is a larceny target and the Dragonborn will be rewarded with gold if returned to Delvin Mallory back in the Ragged Flagon. After that, it can be found on the bookshelf behind the Guildmaster's desk in the Cistern.
Once the second floor is left, the Dragonborn needs to make their way to the basement, which is through a steel barred gate, in the same hallway of the patrolling guard. When in the basement, one needs to sneak through the mercenaries. It is possible to sneak easily past all of the guards, except for the last one. For the last one, the Dragonborn must either use a Potion of Invisibility, use the Throw Voice Shout to send him away, fire an arrow into the next room, or—if you can get close enough without being detected— put a bucket over the guard's head. The Dragonborn can also sneak past him by going in front of him, then cut back to the door.
If all else fails, the Dragonborn can run and quickly take items from the safe and leave the basement with all guards there being hostile.
If the Dragonborn picked Aringoth's pockets or looted the key from his corpse, the safe will unlock effortlessly.
Returning to Brynjolf[]
After the Dragonborn escapes the estate, they need to return to Brynjolf and inform him of what they have found, the Goldenglow Bill of Sale. He will be in the cistern. An easier way to get there is to go to Riften's graveyard, and press the button on the large tomb to reveal a secret passageway. This leads straight back to the cistern without having to retrace the path through the Ratway to the Ragged Flagon.
Rewards[]
Level | |
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1–5 | 50 |
6–10 | 100 |
11–15 | 200 |
16–20 | 300 |
21–26 | 400 |
27–31 | 500 |
32–36 | 600 |
37–41 | 700 |
42+ | 800 |
Journal[]
Loud and Clear – TG02 | |
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ID | Journal Entry |
10 | Brynjolf is taking me to meet the leader of the organization he represents. He says more work and significantly more coin could be available if I join their ranks.
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20 | Thanks to Brynjolf's support, I've been welcomed into the Thieves Guild by its Guild Master, Mercer Frey. I'm eager to receive my first task and prove that his recommendation wasn't in vain.
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30 | My first task as a member of the Thieves Guild involves a honey operation located just outside of Riften called Goldenglow Estate. My actions there are in direct response to the owner's sudden silence and lack of cooperation with the Thieves Guild and Maven-Black-Briar, one of the Guild's most important clients.
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40 |
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45 |
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50 |
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200 | I've completed my task at Goldenglow Estate and discovered the owner's sudden lack of cooperation with the Guild was leveraged by an anonymous buyer of that very same location. Why this buyer purchased Goldenglow and is showing animosity towards the Guild is a mystery for the moment.
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N/A | (Displayed after asking Vex for tips and can be displayed as either stage 45 or stage 50.)
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(Displayed after entering Goldenglow Estate main floor at any point during the quest, including before being told to go there.)
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Trivia[]
- If "Dragon Rising" has been completed, a dragon may spawn at the estate during the mission.
- The oil on the floor of the sewers and the basement may ignite if hit with fire or shock magic.
- The bee in a jar can be found in Aringoth's bedroom inside Goldenglow Estate.
Bugs[]
This section contains bugs related to Loud and Clear. 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) | |
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Main Quest | |
Delvin's Small Jobs | |
Vex's Small Jobs | |
City Influence Jobs | |
Other |