Chapter 1
"Hey, you back there, wake up, we've arrived in Riften," the carriage driver, Bjorlam, said.
A moment later, the carriage came to a jerking halt and nearly threw the Dragonborn to the ground. Grumbling slightly, she threw the ragged, fur blanket off and folded it up to fit into her bag. Once she was ready to depart the carriage, she thanked the driver and tossed him the rest of his promised gold before hopping down. With one last look back at the carriage, she headed down the road and towards the doors into Riften.
"Hold it," a stern voice suddenly commanded.
The Dragonborn stopped in her tracks and looked at the guard who had given her the command.
"Yes?" she asked arching her brow from under her helmet.
"There's a visitor's tax for all newcomers to Riften," the guard said.
The Dragonborn let out an incredulous laugh but the guard didn't seem to think there was anything to be laughing about. He drew his sword and pointed it in her direction with narrowed eyes. Sensing that this guard was not to be fooled with, the Dragonborn removed her helmet and stared down the guard. As soon as she did this, she noticed that the guard seemed to waver in his stare. Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind.
"Seems to me that this is a shakedown," the Dragonborn said in a clear voice.
A bead of sweat rolled down the guard's neck. "Quiet down! Do you want to alert the whole city?" The guard said in a hushed tone. "Fine… I'll let you through… this time."
The Dragonborn chuckled to herself and bowed her head to the other guard standing at the gate to Riften. She then passed through the gate without any further trouble but just when she thought she was home free, she found herself stopped once more a little way into the city. This time by a much more intimidating man than the wimpy looking guard outside the gate.
"I don't know you, you in Riften lookin' for trouble?" the man asked.
"Just passing through, friend," she said holding up a hand in peace. "The name's Karianna."
"Hmph, name's Maul and I'm warning you now, Karianna, don't go causing trouble in this town. You don't want to get on the bad side of the Thieves' Guild and you especially don't want to get on the bad side of Maven Black-Briar."
"Duly noted," she said with a curt nod before walking away and praying to Talos that she never ran into that man on a bad day.
Inside the inn by the name of the Bee and the Barb, Karianna sat took a seat and ordered a strong tankard of mead.
"Here you go, miss. Black-Briar Mead; best stuff in the Rift," the Argonian innkeeper, Keevara, said as she placed the tankard before the Dragonborn.
"Thanks," Karianna muttered and handed over the gold for the mead. "Hey… do you know anything about the Thieves' Guild or a person by the name of Maven Black-Briar?"
Keevara pulled a soiled rag from her belt and began polishing a bent tankard. "Well, Maven Black-Briar is perhaps the most influential person in all of Riften; even more so than the Jarl herself. See, her family's owned the Black-Briar Meadery for centuries and even before that, they've been in leagues with the Thieves' Guild and even, rumor has it, the Dark Brotherhood. As for the Thieves' Guild, I don't recommend you go associating yourself with them, even if you could find them beneath the city in the Ratway; they aren't exactly the company you want to keep in this city. But that's just my opinion." The innkeeper paused to spit into the tankard and continued rubbing the cloth along the inside. Karianna, suddenly without an appetite, set aside her mead after only a sip or two of its contents.
The Dragonborn thanks Keevara for her information and left the Bee and the Barb for the market in the center of the city. There, Karianna stood and watched the various transactions that took place while she decided what her next move would be. She should really visit the Jarl and see if there was any gold to be made in bounties or tasks around the hold. But before she could make a decision, a tall, Nordic man with red hair came to lean on the wall beside her.
"Hey, there, lassie, never seen your pretty face before," he said in an accented voice.
"Just arrived this morning to pass through," she explained.
"Ah! A traveler! Well, that means you've got goods to trade here in the market, possibly? Gold to be made? Well, what if I let you in on a little… job? Some easy gold to help you along in whatever bargains you're going to be making in the shops?" the man said in a low tone for only Karianna to hear.
The Dragonborn stopped and stared at the stranger before her. Was this some sort of trick or just a chance happening that fell in her favor? She had to admit that she could use the gold. Traveling around Skyrim hunting down the newly resurrected dragons wasn't cheap; especially after that carriage-ride all the way from Whiterun to Riften. Karianna seemed to stall a moment too long for the Nordic man for he held up his hands in defeat and backed away.
"Maybe this kind of job just isn't your taste, lassie. I'll be on my way," he said with a smirk.
"Wait… what kind of job did you have in mind?" she asked.
The man's smirk turned into a smile and he explained that all Karianna had to do was pick the lock on a strongbox behind the Argonian jeweler's stall and steal the ring inside while he was distracted. Then, she would have to slip the ring into the pocket of the Dunmer merchant.
"That's it?" She asked and the man nodded. "Well, might I ask, how do you expect me to distract all these guards and people here?"
"Leave that to me, lassie," the man said.
"Karianna. My name's Karianna," she said quickly.
"And I am Brynjolf," he replied and shook her hand. "Now hurry up and get into position. And be quick, lassie, I don't know how long I'll be able to hold the crowd's attention."
Karianna stood a little ways away from the Argonian's market stall and waited until he was looking away before nodding at Brynjolf. As Brynjolf shouted for the crowd to gather around, Karianna slid behind the stall and ducked out of sight once she was sure no one was looking in her direction. Amid the shouts of Brynjolf and the talk of the crowd, she picked the locks on the stall's door and to the strongbox inside. There, she was able to take the silver ring inside and quickly close the box and door to avoid suspicion. Finally, Karianna made her way over to the Dunmer merchant in the crowd where she was able to slip the ring into his pocket. As soon as she did so, Brynjolf abruptly ended his act and the crowd dispersed.
Karianna let out a relieved breath and asked Brynjolf what came next when he walked over to join her. "Watch the show, lass, and see." He pointed over to the Argonian who was beginning to shout for guards.
Together the thief and Dragonborn watched as the guards hauled the Dunmer away after searching him to find the ring tucked away in his pockets. Karianna smiled and felt the elation of watching a successful job come to fruition. Only now did she realize that her heart had been pounding the entire time Brynjolf was distracting the crowd and her armor suddenly felt heavy on her shoulders as the adrenaline left her.
"Nice job, lass. I think you have a real knack for this work. Now, then… down in Riften's Ratway is a tavern by the name of the Ragged Flagon. Getting to it isn't easy, but seeing as you handled yourself well enough out there today, I have a feeling you're more than capable enough to get through to it. Meet me down there for a drink and we'll get you started on some real work," Brynjolf explained.