Skyrim:Loud and Clear

Send a message to a former Thieves Guild client. Quest Giver: Brynjolf Location(s): Goldenglow Estate Prerequisite Quest: Taking Care of Business Next Quest: Dampened Spirits Concurrent Quest: Meet the Family Reward: Leveled gold ID: TG02 Suggested Level: 6

Burning beehives at Goldenglow Estate.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Speak to Brynjolf.
2. (Optional) Speak to Vex.
3. (Optional) Enter using the sewer.
4. Proceed to Goldenglow Estate.
5. (Optional) Obtain the key to Aringoth's safe.
6. Burn three bee hives.
7. Open Aringoth's safe.
8. Retrieve the Goldenglow Bill of Sale.
9. Return to Brynjolf.

Detailed Walkthrough

Sweeter than Golden Honey

Once Mercer has allowed you into the Guild, he'll challenge you with a new job. Goldenglow Estate was once the Guild's sweetest deal. The Guild made sure that the honey flowed constantly to Maven Black-Briar's meadery by keeping the workforce in line and scaring off potential competitors. In return it was allowed to extort huge sums of money from Aringoth, the owner. However, the shipments have suddenly ceased and when Vex was sent to investigate she found an army of mercenaries. Maven isn't pleased and it's your job to teach Aringoth a lesson by burning down three bee hives and clearing out his safe.

Before leaving, pay Vex a visit and she will tell you about a secret sewer entrance on the northwest side which will make it significantly easier to enter unseen.

As Loud as an Angry Beehive...

Your first objective is to burn the beehives, which you can reach in two ways. The simplest route is to wade ashore on the northernmost island, dispatch the numerous mercenaries protecting the estate and then burn the hives. A stealthier solution is to wait until dusk, swim to the rocky outcrop to the west of the beehives and then clamber ashore, hidden by a small wooden wall.

The secret sewer entrance leading into the estate

To set the beehives on fire you can use a torch, the Fire Breath Shout, or a fire-based spell; simply standing next to a hive with a torch or spell equipped will suffice. A rapid execution is important as three mercenaries will come rushing to investigate, so quickly burn the three southernmost beehives and then retreat behind the wall. Jump back into the lake and circle around to the northern island. Be careful not to burn more than three beehives, or you will forfeit your gold reward.

...and as Silent as a Sewer

Wade ashore underneath the wooden platform on the northwestern end of the island and dive into the sewer grate nearby. The sewer is only inhabited by a few skeevers, three of which can be taken out by using an oil slick and some fire. About half-way through is an adept-lock cell where you'll find the Pickpocket skill book Guide to Better Thieving. After leaving that room continue down the corridor and you will find a ladder back to the surface. Climb it and you will resurface next to the back entrance of the estate, which has an expert level lock and lands you in a more favorable location than the front door.

Alternatively, you can sneak your way to the front door, which is unlocked, or take out the mercenaries and enter through either door.

Breaking and Entering

The Queen Bee Statue in Aringoth's quarters

Inside the estate you will find numerous mercenaries which you can either kill or sneak around. You should eventually arrive at a corridor patrolled by a mercenary while two more sit at a table. Avoid them by sneaking into the nearby dining room and you'll find yourself in front of a gate leading to the basement and a ladder leading to the second floor.

Heading upstairs will earn you more loot and you'll be able to take the safe's key off Aringoth. The first mercenary can be avoided by slipping into a room on the left, traversing it and then moving down the corridor hugging the wall and using a wardrobe to screen you. In the last room, slowly sneak behind the back of a mercenary sitting at a table and pick open the door. Here you will find Aringoth and you can retrieve the safe key by either pickpocketing him, killing him or persuading him to hand it over. You must pass a hard-level Speech check to persuade Aringoth and, if you fail, he will attack you, alerting the nearby mercenary. There is also a Queen Bee Statue on the nightstand next to the bed which can be sold to Delvin.

Sweep the Safe

The safe containing Aringoth's riches

Whether or not you have the key, unlock the metal gate once the mercenary patrolling the corridor has turned around and enter the basement. Sneak past or dispose of two mercenaries in the first room. Using a spell to set fire to the oil puddle leading up to his chair can aid you with dispatching the last mercenary. If you wish to remain undetected, sneak to the dark corner behind him, shoot an arrow down the corridor and slip away when he charges off to investigate. Alternatively, invisibility or the dragon shout Throw Voice will also work.

Pick the safe or open it with its key and retrieve the Goldenglow Bill of Sale and some gold. Before you leave, loot the nearby chest and scoop up some gold purses. A gate will lead you back into the sewers, so exit them and swim away to the shore.

Reaping the Rewards

Head back to the guild and talk to Brynjolf. As long as you've completed the job to the letter, he'll be very pleased and reward you with a leveled amount of gold, as detailed below. If you burn more than three beehives, you will not get a reward, with Brynjolf saying, "You've made a mess of things and Maven's furious. I told you not to burn more than three of the hives! I've smoothed things over with her for now, but you can forget your cut." Either way, he'll also point you to Maven Black-Briar, who has requested you for a special job.

Levels	Reward
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

Notes

• After speaking with Mercer, three Thief Cache barrels will appear around Riften.
• If Dragon Rising has been completed, a leveled Dragon may attack the estate and mercenaries during the mission.
• If you accidentally burned more than 3 hives (and therefore Brynjolf won't reward you the gold), you can fix it before talking with Brynjolf with the following console command: SetPapyrusQuestVar TG02 pTG02QuestFailure_var 0

Bugs

• Sometimes when trying to burn the hives at Goldenglow Estate with a torch or a single-shot fire spell (like Firebolt and Fireball), the hive won't catch on fire the first time and may require that you hit it multiple times before it starts to burn. This may cause Brynjolf to act as if you had burned more than three hives, however, and result in your not getting paid even though you only burned three. To avoid this, try using the Flames spell as it seems to work more effectively.

Quest Stages

Loud and Clear (TG02)
Stage	Finishes Quest	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. Objective 10: Follow Brynjolf
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. Objective 20: Listen to Mercer Frey
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. Objective 30: Talk to Brynjolf
40		Objective 40: Burn three bee hives (<Global=TG02HiveCount>/3) Objective 50: Clear out Aringoth's safe
45		Objective 45: (Optional) Speak to Vex about Goldenglow Estate
50		Objective 60: Return to Brynjolf
		(Displayed after asking Vex for tips; can be displayed either at stage 45 or 50) Objective 47: (Optional) Enter Goldenglow using sewer
200	Finishes quest	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.
		(Displayed upon entering Goldenglow Estate main floor; can be displayed at any point during the quest, even before being told to go there) Objective 48: (Optional) Obtain the key to Aringoth's safe

• The following empty quest stages were omitted from the table: 0, 15, 35.

Notes

• Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the Radiant Quest system, and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.
• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.
• If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
• On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage TG02 stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages, but it is possible to clear all stages of the quest using resetquest TG02.

Prev: Taking Care of Business

Conc: Meet the Family

Next: Dampened Spirits