Scoundrel's Folly

[진세]

Quick Walkthrough[edit]

1. Speak to Mercer Frey.
2. (Optional) Speak to Brynjolf.
3. Speak to Gulum-Ei.
4. Retrieve a case of Firebrand Wine from the Blue Palace.
5. Return to Gulum-Ei.
6. Follow him from a safe distance.
7. Confront or negotiate with Gulum-Ei.
8. Return to Mercer.

Detailed Walkthrough[edit]

The Plot Thickens[edit]

When you next speak to Mercer, he will remark that the symbol found on the Goldenglow Bill of Sale from Goldenglow Estate is the same as the one on the Promissory Note found at the Honningbrew Meadery, leading him to the conclusion that the Thieves Guild is not, in fact, cursed (as Delvin believes) but is in fact being deliberately acted against by an unknown competitor. Mercer will also reveal that a name mentioned on the Bill is the alias of an old corroborator of the Guild; an Argonian dockworker for the East Empire Company named Gulum-Ei.

Nothing Gets You Nothing[edit]

Mercer will send you to the Winking Skeever in Solitude to shake down Gulum-Ei for information regarding the sale of Goldenglow Estate: namely, its purchaser. However, Gulum-Ei is used to dealing with Thieves Guild thugs, and will not forfeit his information easily, out of fear for his own safety. To successfully persuade him, you need a Speechskill of at least 75 (or 53 with the persuasion perk). Intimidation will always fail.

Option	Dialogue				Reaction
Identify the buyer and we'll forget what we know.(Persuade)	Passed: All right. Had I known the deal would bring me this much trouble, I never would have accepted the gold. Failed: I don't care what you promise. If I tell you the buyer's name and word gets around, it could ruin me!				Passed: Identify the buyer Failed: Nothing
What would it take to identify the buyer? (Bribe)	Passed: Well, now that you mention it, there is something I've been trying to get my hands on.				Passed: Identify the buyer
Give me the buyer's name or I'll kill you. (Intimidate)	Failed: Hasn't Mercer Frey taught you people anything? You kill me and your only contact with the East Empire Company vanishes. That's not smart for business.				Failed: Nothing

If you cannot persuade him, you need to bribe him, although you won't offer him gold as is standard with the bribe option, you have to perform a small theft instead. A buyer of his is looking for Firebrand Wine, and there happens to be a case of it up at the Blue Palace; Gulum-Ei looks to you to steal it for him.

The wine itself is easy enough to retrieve. Once you've walked in through the front door of the Palace, the case of wine is sitting on an end table in a corridor to the left of the main staircase. You will know the case because of the 'Firebrand Wine' label clearly pasted on the side of the crate. Quickly and quietly pocket the wine and head back to the tavern to get your critical information.

You Didn't Hear It From Me...[edit]

When you hand over the wine or were otherwise able to convince him, Gulum-Ei sees fit to compensate you for the effort, and hands over an assortment of Soul Gems as payment. Afterwards, he explains that he was approached by a mysterious woman, who gave him a large sack of gold with which to buy Goldenglow Estate. No name was given, but Gulum-Ei mentions that she was extremely angry, and that this anger was directed at Mercer Frey in particular. With nothing else to say on the matter (despite your suspicions to the contrary) Gulum-Ei takes his leave, declaring your business done.

Tailing the Argonian[edit]

You will need to follow Gulum-Ei stealthily as he leaves the tavern, as you believe he is not wholly forthcoming about the information he has. If he spots you, he will insist that he told you all he knows, and will tell you to stop following him. Eventually he will lead you to the East Empire Company Warehouse, where he works and used to steal goods for the Thieves Guild. Here, you can use the tops of the shelves and stacks to follow him at a close distance, since he will keep to the ground floor. Most of the wall torches lighting the pathways can also be picked up, making it much easier to sneak. The warehouse is also patrolled by mercenaries paid for by the company, and they will attack you on sight. Proceed cautiously and at a distance, as Gulum-Ei is on edge and may occasionally pause to look over his shoulder as if expecting to be followed. Alternatively, you could wait until Gulum-Ei gets far enough ahead of you, and then just kill the wardens if they spot you. At the far end of the warehouse, Gulum-Ei will turn around and head back the way he came, so quickly duck out of sight behind a nearby shelf or keg. Gulum-Ei will then take a set of steps down into the water, and around behind a shelving unit to a hidden pathway, leading to a door into the Brinewater Grotto. If you lose sight of Gulum-Ei, the Brinewater Grotto can be very hard to find. After passing the huge barrel, go down the stairs into the water and really hug the stone wall. You will see a smooth, narrow ramp in the wall that will lead up out of the water by shelving units, then into Brinewater Grotto.

Once you follow him into Brinewater Grotto, the quest will update, instructing you to confront Gulum-Ei; tread carefully, as the cave is littered with traps and Bandits. While the Thieves Guild frowns upon killing on the job, the Bandits are fair game, and you can either fight them toe-to-toe or systematically take them out with sneak attacks. There is also a chest hidden in the water past the second two guards to the left of the path with some valuable goods in it. When you reach the end of the cave, speak to Gulum-Ei and he will reveal the name of the mysterious antagonist to the Guild: Karliah, the thief who murdered the previous Guildmaster, Gallus.

If you speak to Gulum-Ei again and tell him that he owes you, he will inform you that he will now act as a fence and buy any stolen items you bring to him as his way of repaying you for sparing him.

There are three levers next to the gate. They open the two empty cages and a secret door to the rear of the cavern. Three Horkers may attack in the grotto beyond, but the path leads to the exit to the outside. Return to the Guild for your pay and to tell Mercer your findings. He is (understandably) upset, and deduces where Karliah will be next: a ruin far to the north of Riften known as Snow Veil Sanctum. And for this, Mercer insists that he come along on your next job...

Killing Gulum-Ei[edit]

If you do not wish to go to the trouble of tailing the Argonian, you may simply kill him. It is recommended that you kill him stealthily as to avoid incurring a bounty. If and when you kill him you will receive a new objective: "Find alternative source of information." Proceed through the quest exactly as detailed above and where you were supposed to talk to Gulum-Ei there will be a chest with a written confession instead. If you kill him after following him, the note will be on his body; you must read the note in order to advance to the next objective. If you kill him there is no need to sneak around the guards in either the East Empire Company warehouse or Brinewater Grotto. This makes this mission significantly easier to complete for a non-stealthy character, but you will forfeit the payment and you will not have Gulum-Ei as a fence later on.

Reward[edit]

Mercer Frey will speak with Tonilia and arrange to have a piece of your Thieves Guild armor upgraded. Note you only get to pick one piece:

• Thieves Guild Armor - +1 Armor, increases carrying capacity from 20 to 35.
• Thieves Guild Boots - +1 Armor, increases Pickpocket from 15 to 25.
• Thieves Guild Gloves - +1 Armor, increases Lockpick from 15 to 25.
• Thieves Guild Hood - +2 Armor, increases Barter effect from 10% to 15%

Notes[edit]

• The quest marker for the "Follow Gulum-Ei" objective will update automatically, allowing you to follow him at your leisure.
• In the office overlooking the warehouse is the East Empire Shipping Map, which Delvin will pay a leveled amount of gold for.
• If you are friendly with certain members of the Blue Palace, you can take the case of Firebrand Wine without it being marked as stolen.
• Gulum-Ei will not be available to trade with until you return to Mercer and finish the quest.

Bugs[edit]

• If you sold or otherwise permanently misplaced all elements of Thieves Guild Armor, Tonilia will be permanently stuck in the upgrade dialogue, effectively removing her as a fence from the game.
  • This bug is fixed by version 1.4 of the Official Skyrim Patch.
  • As of patch 1.4, all pieces of Thieves Guild armor are also available in The Ragged Flagon - Cistern. If you have also sold all of those pieces, just wait somewhere outside of the Ragged Flagon, then return and obtain a newly-spawned copy.
• Sometimes after leaving The Winking Skeever, Gulum-Ei will disappear. The quest objective marker shows his location as through the wall of the city, although leaving the city puts the marker on a small door between the trading company and the lighthouse that leads back into Solitude. Another bug of the same kind shows him on a small boat out in the bay.
  •  You can either open the console just after leaving the Winking Skeever and type prid 000198B7 followed bymoveto‎ player to move him back inside the walls to your location, proceed to Brinewater Grotto to the room with 3 switches and use the same code (prid 000198B7 followed by moveto‎ player) or try loading a game few times again. Do not try talking to him elsewhere before this point, as it will glitch the quest completion.
• If you speak with Gulum-Ei and get to the point where you should follow him after you have taken Solitude as a Stormcloak, he doesn't ever leave the Winking Skeever.
• It is possible for Gulum-Ei to disappear after entering the East Empire Company Warehouse. Upon doing so, he will appear in what appears to be a random place, such as on the road north of Bloated Man's Grotto.
• If you visit the warehouse and kill all the wardens just prior to speaking to Gulum-Ei and following him, even if you dispose of the bodies in the water, it may cause issues with him walking through the warehouse. He may stop partway and not continue at all, causing a reload before you entered, he may frequently pause and comment that he's going to "find out who did this", or he may walk all the way to the end before returning to the concealed entrance to Brinewater Grotto. ^?

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This is the fifth quest in the Thieves Guild questline. There may be a line on the person or persons who have been working against the Guild. An old Guild collaborator in Solitude may have some information.

Contents

[show]

ObjectivesEdit

1. Speak to Mercer Frey.
2. (Optional) Speak to Brynjolf.
3. Speak to Gulum-Ei.
4. Shadow Gulum-Ei.
5. Confront Gulum-Ei.
6. Return to Mercer Frey.

WalkthroughEdit

The quest begins by speaking to Mercer Frey. He thinks he may have finally caught the Guild's anonymous adversary slipping up. From the note provided by the Dragonborn, he deduces that they are likely using an old Guild contact at the East Empire Trading Company in Solitude as a go between. He figures it is Gulum-Ei and wants him shaken down for information.

If the Dragonborn choses to speak to Brynjolf before leaving, he'll give more details of who Gulum-Ei is and his involvement with the Guild. He says that Gulum-Ei has no honor and in order to gain any useful information from him, he will need to either be bought off or followed in order to gain information that could be used as leverage against him. Either way, Brynjolf makes it clear... Do Not Kill Gulum-Ei. If he is killed, there will be no reward from Mercer Frey.

Gulum-EiEdit

Gulum-Ei will most likely be in the Winking Skeever in Solitude. It is possible to persuade him with a high enoughSpeech skill. Otherwise, he plays stupid at first, in which case bribing him is the only way to get information. If the bribe option is selected, he will say that he has a client that wants a case of firebrand wine, which can be stolen from the Blue Palace.

Getting the wine is easy enough—it can just be picked up at the Blue Palace. It's relatively close to the entrance, so the Dragonborn should be able to follow the quest marker.

After getting him the wine, he claims not to know anything except that the woman in question has a grudge against Mercer Frey.

At this point, he heads out of Solitude down towards the docks and into the East Empire Company Warehouse. He can be pickpocketed for the key to the warehouse.

East Empire Company WarehouseEdit

Following him into the warehouse requires stealth. It may be easiest to stay on top of the shelves to follow him since the guards are always patrolling, and there's a ramp just behind the small hut near the entrance. An alternative is to remain in the water below the docks. If the guards or Gulum-Ei catch the Dragonborn, they will attack, but they can be killed for no bounty.

Upon reaching the end of the shelves, up the stairs and straight on is a small ledge. It is possible to walk across then drop down onto the walkway. At this stage the easiest way to follow him is just to drop into the water and move as slowly and quietly as possible. He can then be followed out of the water, up a ramp through a hidden door.

At the farthest northern point is an elevated building. To get to the building there is another ramp leading up to the left of the one to the hidden door. Inside the building on a table is the East Empire Shipping Map, which can be sold to Delvin. Alternatively, the Dragonborn can swim directly across the bay and wait for him under the docks, then follow him into Brinewater Grotto.

Brinewater GrottoEdit

Inside the grotto are several hostile bandits. There is a bandit swimming in the water, so sneaking can be tricky, but it is possible to sneak past him underwater. There is a chest underwater where he is. A way to get by the bandit in the water and the one on top is, after seeing the two bandits on the dock talking to each other and right before going up those stairs, to the right is a spider web which can be cut down with a weapon. Beyond are threefrostbite spiders.

When confronted at the end of the line, Gulum-Ei identifies the real target, Karliah. She murdered the former Guild Master and is now after Mercer. Gulum-Ei pleads innocent. He can be killed, but if spared, he becomes available as a fence. Killing him will also forfeit the reward from Mercer.

Return to Mercer FreyEdit

Returning to Mercer with the location Gulum-Ei said she was headed ('Where the End Began') completes this quest and begins the next, Speaking With Silence.

RewardsEdit

• Three soul gems (randomly generated)
• Gulum-Ei as a fence.
• Deed to Goldenglow Estate
• Able to upgrade one piece of Thieves Guild Armor (after completing the quest, speak with Tonilia) :

1. Hood – Prices are 15% better (up from 10%).
2. Cuirass – Carrying capacity increased to 35 points (up from 20 points).
3. Gloves – Lockpicking is 25% easier (up from 15%).
4. Boots – Pickpocket success is 25% better (up from 15%).

JournalEdit

Journal Entry

• Objective: Speak to Mercer Frey

After the revelations at Honningbrew Meadery and Goldenglow Farm, it's time to put the pieces together and shed some light on the Thieves Guild's anonymous adversary.

• Objective:(Optional) Speak to Brynjolf
• Objective: Speak to Gulum-Ei

Mercer Frey has pointed to Solitude as my next destination. I'm to meet up with an old Argonian contact for the Guild named Gulum-Ei. It's hoped he'll be able to identify the Thieves Guild's anonymous adversary.

• Objective: Steal case of Firebrand Wine

• Objective: Get information from Gulum-Ei

As predicted by Mercer Frey, Gulum-Ei proved to be quite stubborn and refused to reveal any useful information. I have no choice but to shadow him during his daily routine and discover if he's up to anything that could be used as influence to make him divulge the truth.

• Objective: Shadow Gulum-Ei

• Objective: Confront Gulum-Ei

• Objective: Return to Mercer Frey

Thanks to Gulum-Ei's confession, a former member of the Thieves Guild named Karliah has been identified as its anonymous adversary. Worse still, I've discovered that she was the same Dunmer who murdered Gallus, the Guild's previous Guild Master and who's apparently resurfaced after all these years to do the same to Mercer Frey.

• Quest complete

TriviaEdit

• With a high enough Sneak skill it is possible to reach Gulum-Ei without being detected by any of the bandits.
• The Dragonborn will only be detected when speaking to him, which leads to the comical scenario of several bandits engaging in combat whilst calmly holding a conversation with him. This can be deadly, as the health bar will not be displayed whilst in conversation.
• With the Quiet Casting perk, it is possible to conjure something and stay unseen. The bandits will attack it, but Gulum-Ei will run off in another direction. This way it might be possible to speak with him without the bandits attacking.
• If the Dragonborn stays in the shadows by the gate, Gulum-Ei will notice them first and walk over to them. Fighting can be avoided during the conversation.
• If Brinewater Grotto is cleared and you have both Whirlwind Sprint and a bucket you can phase through the exit and activate Scoundrel's Folly (without even needing to start the Thieves Guild questline) by using the door to the East Empire Warehouse.

BugsEdit

This section contains bugs related to Scoundrel's Folly. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

1. Please reload an old save to confirm‎ if the bug is still happening.
2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template 360  / XB1  ,  PS3  / PS4  ,  PC  / MAC  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person-anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

Click to show

•  PC  (Patch 1.4) If Aringoth was not killed and there are few mercenaries in Goldenglow Estate for the Loud and Clear quest, they will still be there after obtaining the deed to the estate (at the end of Scoundrel's Folly).
•  PC   360   When exiting Solitude, Gulum-Ei may sometimes not move at all and simply stand at the front gates.
  • This can be fixed by killing him and then reloading the last auto save.
  •  PC(Fix)   On PC, just walking into him a couple of times and then running into him will cause him to simply look at the Dragonborn to ask them to leave him alone and move on.
•  PC   If the quest Lights Out! has been started but not completed Jaree Ra and his egg-sister will be standing on the pier in front of the East Empire Company's Warehouse which can block the path, making Gulum-Ei stand around indefinitely.
  • This can be fixed by sprinting into them a few times to unblock the path.
•  360   A bug similar to the first also occurs after Gulum-Ei enters the East Empire Company Warehouse. He remains in the warehouse cell but outside the walls.
  • This can be fixed by, instead of shadowing Gulum-Ei, traveling to the warehouse and entering. After waiting 1 or 2 minutes, Gulum-Ei will appear near the entrance.
•  360   Gulum-Ei may be lost after he leaves the Winking Skeever, even though his quest marker shows that he is in Solitude.
  • It may be possible to reach him by activating a texture glitch in Solitude. This glitch allows the Dragonborn to drop down under the surface of the city. This can be done by going outside the Fletcher shop, from the door looking southwest, and jumping over the small wall to land on the roof of Angeline's Aromatics. Jump to the small ledge on the south side of the roof, and face south. Use Whirlwind Sprint to cross the street onto the roof of Bits and Pieces. Go west to the edge of the roof, and look south to the roof of Raidiant Raiment. Walk onto the section of roof where Bits and Pieces and Raidiant Raiment meet (facing south), and The Dragonborn will drop down below the city. Gulum-Ei has been reported to be in many different places under the city, but it should be possible to walk to his location following the quest marker. However, if he is found under the city, he will not be able to move, so the only solution at this point is to kill him to finish the quest.
  • Alternatively, to keep Gulum-Ei alive, before using the glitch, go to the East Empire Company Warehouse and find the entrance to Brinewater Grotto. This will activate the 'Confront Gulum-Ei' part of the quest. The grotto can then be left, and the glitch used to reach Gulum-Ei. Caution: It is a long drop to reach Gulum-Ei, which can kill lower level characters.
  • This may only work for some players.
•  360   PS3   If Gulum-Ei doesn't move when entering the warehouse, and stops by the hut, simply wait outside the warehouse until about 8 o'clock or later and he should continue moving as normal.
•  PS3   Sometimes when going through the East Empire Company Warehouse if the Dragonborn is attacking the guards, they will walk under one of the platforms holding the supplies and get stuck there.
•  PC   360   Rarely, Gulum-Ei may become stuck behind Deeja as she becomes stuck herself; unmoving from her position on the boardwalk. Waiting can fix this.
  •  PC(Fix)   There is another alternative on PC, which is to use the console and setting the needed stage of the quest when the bug takes effect. That is to type in setstage TG04 50, AFTER you talk to him at the Winking Skeever. This command will take you to the point where you confront him.