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In order to find it, you are either going to have to do some investigative work or spend some time in jail. It is run by the mysterious Gray Fox, believed by some to be a supernatural being. The Thieves Guild in Cyrodiil is a much more covert organization than the one in Morrowind. For historical information, see the Lore article. The Thieves Guild usually has the resources to bribe officials, establish a black market of stolen goods, and maintain a network of informants. Typically, members are bound not to rob each other, kill anyone while thieving, or rob the poor. They typically don't have public guild halls, but sometimes have safe-houses, and members tend to gather at a single location in large towns, such as at a cornerclub, inn, or tavern. Like any trade guild, the Thieves Guild is an organization of professionals, except that in this case the professionals are burglars, robbers, pickpockets, smugglers, and other enterprising operators. It is usually considered to be a distinctly Imperial entity, though of course other organizations of the Empire do not officially condone their actions.
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Although criminal by its very definition, for untold years, local authorities in places throughout Tamriel have tolerated the existence of the guild for its role as "crime regulator", as it does not tolerate competition or egregious conduct from its members (not to mention the personal financial benefits for authorities who play nice). Still, it goes to show just how knowledgable the Thieves Guild are with each location, even if it is a prison they've likely had to escape from a few times.The Thieves Guild is dedicated to the gathering and training of those who are stealthy and shadowy in nature. Without mods, however, this doesn't work as it seems the script to destroy the wall is broken and will not trigger. A special shadowmark exists near a chain in the prison, signaling that you can destroy a nearby chain to escape. Breaking that chain reveals a new wall that can be used to escape the prison. While not exclusive to Riften, there are certain shadowmarks here that are hard to find elsewhere.Ī great example of this is the Riften Jail.
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These markings tell fellow Thieves Guild members if a location is safe, dangerous, has tons of loot, cargo from a fellow thief, or if it's a waste of time to loot. Shadowmarks are engravings that players can find on walls or objects. Bethesda thought of this and introduced shadowmarks into Skyrim. Thieves need a way of communicating with each other in the open without directly talking to each other.
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