UESP Forums

So I finished most of the Fighters Guild quests even though my advancement didn't depend on completing many of them - I did it just for the sake of leveling up and exploring the world... however, right now I've done all quests for Eydis Fire-Eye and Hrundi, and I won't be killing the tax lady for Lorbumol gro-Aglakh. Which leaves me with two choices to continue.

Sjoring Hard-Heart wants me to kill the bosses of the Thieves Guild. I'm not too fond of the Thieves Guild, but I'm even less fond of Camonna Tong, and he admitted to have been cooperating with them. I'm even on very bad terms with them as it is, since I've killed some of their members for Larrius Varro earlier.
On the other hand, Percius Mercius seems to be aware of the corruption and stands on the side of honor and nobility, but he wants me to kill members of my own guild. They may be corrupt but I've been doing them favors countless times before, they trust me, and now I should just quietly come and slay them to get a better position?

Don't laugh at how seriously I'm taking this. I'm playing an honorable character and I want him to make best choices possible, not just mindlessly run around and kill.
So, in order to continue, I need to listen to either Percius or Sjoring. Which one would you choose? Percius seems like a better option, but still... Sjoring may be betraying the whole cause of the guild, but for him, I get to kill thieves, not warriors.

I assume then you're not actually a member of the thieves guild. Since you've done Lorbumal's quests up to the tax lady, I guess you haven't been clearing them with Percius. With the troublesome Argonian for example he will tell you he sees no reason for you to do it. Lorbumal is using you to settle his own scores by making his personal vendettas official Fighters Guild quests.

If you have had dealings with the Camonna Tong, you will realise that they really don't like outlanders and are heavily into drug smuggling and slavery. Go to the basement of Fatleg's Drop Off in Hla Oad to get a sense of their ruthlessness when dealing with both slaves and drugs.

The Fighters Guild and Thieves Guild are both Imperial sanctioned groups and Sjoring is essentially corrupt, siding with the local criminal group. The Thieves Guild are thieves obviously, but they are certainly much more benign than the Tong. To me, carrying on with Sjoring's quests makes you a patsy of the Tong. I think that the more honourable path by far is to side with Percius. BTW, if you have ambitions to be the Master has it occurred to you that you might have to have a confrontation with Sjoring anyway?

No, I'm not in the Thieves Guild. And since it's my first playthrough, I've been new to it all, and in the beginning I was taking orders only from Eydis, then went on to taking them from Lorbumal. I was clearing them in order until it came to the tax lady, and only then did I visit the Fighters Guild in Ald-Ruhn, where Percius told me that it seems unnecessary and "suspicious" that Lorbumal wants me to kill her.

Hm, this is something I love about all ES games. There is rarely a clear distinction between "absolutely good" and "absolutely bad" side - you have to choose your own path, and it's often not an easy choice.

I know the Camonna Tong are into drug smuggling and slavery... Just went to Fatleg's Drop Off as you mentioned it. I see what you mean... btw is there a way to rescue that poor Khajiit from there? I've been freeing slaves wherever possible (without getting in conflict with law thereby). I noticed there's no option to set her free... maybe doing the quest for her master would later provide another way, to let her go instead of delivering her to Balmora?

Yes, I know that the Thieves Guild is "legal" to an extent, but it's questionable to me as to how legal can thieves be. They are not particularly dangerous, but are kinda pathetic. Ratway in Riften from Skyrim comes to mind. On the other hand, Camonna Tong, as you mentioned, are much worse criminals, true... And yes, I suppose you're right - given the fact that Sjoring is siding with the Tong, and that the quest to eliminate Thieves Guild members is actually for the Tong's, and not Fighters Guild's benefit, makes it all much less honorable than the deeds Fighters Guild should be proud of.

I was closer to fulfilling Percius' orders myself, but had to check here what others think. Thanks, now I'm pretty certain I'll do it. But after doing something else for a while, not only things for the guild, I have to give it a break for a while.

There is a way to free Rabinna. After you get the "quest" from Relam, talk to Rabinna (with a disposition over 50) and she will ask you to take her to the Argonian mission in Ebonheart. Just get on the boat at Hla Oad and go to Ebonheart with her.

There are several slaves you cannot free, like the vampire cattle and ones at Molag Mar. And one that really bugs me - a slave at Gnisis in an inn that the Imperial Legion has taken over. Some you can only free by buying them first but pretty much all of the ones in lairs can be released.

By a not-so-strange coincidence, the last quest you get from Percius and the last Thieves Guild quest are the same thing. Also, if you do end up joining the thieves, well yes, you do have to go and steal stuff. But at the end when you see the Master Thief, you may find out there is a touch of Robin Hood at the top.

Ah, I see, with a disposition over 50... I tried to take the quest before talking to Rabinna first, and afterwards she was "too frightened to talk to me". Thanks for the tip, I set her free now.

I figured that the Thieves Guild has a touch of Robin Hood... Btw, is it possible to join them after becoming master of the Fighters Guild? Just curious...

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. The code book quest may stuff up your chances. Just talk to Sugar Lips in Balmora and get her up to a high disposition and she may let you in.

If you are an honourable fighter, you should look at joining House Redoran, the epitome of honourable fighters.

Although it doesn't make much sense, you can join every single group out there at once with the exception of the Great Houses, of which you can only join one. It's a bit strange being able to advance in two competing religions simultaneously though.

I think your right if your not in the thieves guild already once the code book quest is done, you can never join. Check the wiki but thats how I remember it.

I'm in both Thieves and Fighters (the code book quest was such a pain in the ass with Morrowind's ridiculously broken Pickpocketing) and have finished Percius Mercius' quests for the time being and gone to Hrodi (I think?) in Sadrith Mora for quests now. I won't be co-operating with Sjoring, because of my loyalty to the Thieves Guild and that Sugar Lips Habasi is a restocking master lockpick merchant =P

I would second House Redoran. I was House Hlaalu in my first playthrough, but I think I'm enjoying the honourable warrior side of Redoran a lot more.

There is a way around it. Go do the fighters guild quests in Ald Ruhn until you get the quest to get the object in Ald Redaynia. Keep the object and go offer it to the Balmora head of fighters guild. You will see the dialog option...this enables bypassing that code book quest.

Actually this may only work if you don't do the code book quest. Dang

Not quite right. The Bitter Cup quest is given by the Thieves Guild. The best way to advance in the thieves/fighters guilds (well, I think anyway) is to start in Balmora with Fire Eyes quests. She will eventually mention something about a code book, so don't click on the quest.

You can do some of the Ald-Ruhn quests, but you won't have done enough to get promoted to the level needed to stop the corruption in the guild. So you need to do the Sadrith Mora quests. Coincidentally, there are also Thieves Guilds in those places, so do those as well.

Eventually, you will be able to do the quests for the Master Thief (although do the Bal Molagmar ones first.) He will give you the Bitter Cup quest, which will change Fire-Eyes allegiance. She will then skip the code book quest and carry on with the rest of them. Since she is generally the first person people joining the Fighters Guild go to, by the stage you should be at by then they will be a walk in the park. That will give you enough quests to get promoted enough to get the "end corruption" things from Percuis.

The last quest for both guilds is the same thing. You should be able to work out that is. Make sure you get them from both leaders before actually doing it, even if it means hold off on one for a while. Do what they want and you are now the Master of two Imperial Guilds.

This does assume that you met the requirements for promotion though.

Update: I decided to side with Percius, as you advised. I'm the Guildmaster now.

@Abyssal, I might actually join House Redoran soon. I still haven't joined any of the Houses, since the first one I ran into (naturally, in Balmora) was House Hlaalu, and I first wanted to check others out. Telvanni is definitely not for me as a fighter, so now that I checked it all out, I'll probably join House Redoran.

As for the question about the Thieves Guild, thanks for your answers guys. I might try and see if I can join now just to check if it's possible, but being a member of the guild will probably have to wait for my second playthrough since it really doesn't fit my current character.

In the end, speaking of joining factions, I was also thinking about joining Morag Tong...