Online:The Artisan

Discover the identity of a mysterious thief.

Zone:	Greenshade
Quest Giver:	Cinnar
Location(s):	Marbruk
Reward:	Enforcer's Vambraces 250 Gold, ^(?) Gold, ^(?) Gold
XP Gain:	3040
Recommended Level:	24

Cinnar, trying to be inconspicuous

An undercover agent named Cinnar asked for my help tracking down a notorious thief called the Artisan. He gave me a list of people to question around Marbruk.

Quick Walkthrough

Speak with Cinnar.
Talk to the townspeople to uncover clues.
Determine the Artisan's identity and confront them.
Find and return the stolen items.
Return to Cinnar.

Detailed Walkthrough

A Blank Slate

In the middle of Marbruk, sitting on a bench, is an Altmer named Cinnar who is investigating a string of thefts orchestrated by the thief known as the Artisan. The thefts are all against Altmer, and because Cinnar is an Altmer he draws suspicion. He has drawn a blank in his investigation so he gives you his notes and asks you to discover the thief's identity. Reading his notes reveals that the Artisan steals only from Altmer, steals only personal items, and leaves notes for the victims (though the victims have refused to reveal the contents of the letters).

The notes also reveal that there are only five of the town's citizens left to question: Mendreval, Rilding, Kuralit, Talqua, and Zuzik.

Painting A Picture Of The Situation

The five townspeople can be found near the merchant's plaza; Rilding is found near the woodworkers run by Sarirna, Zuzik runs his own shop south of the woodworkers, and Mendreval works at Ilmure's Imported Steel west of the woodworkers. Kuralit sits outside and west of the bank, while Talqua owns and is found inside the bank (The Foundation of Trust).

Mendreval suspects it is a Bosmer, based on the personal nature of the items being stolen; Bosmer culture reveres thieving as an art, in which the more personal an item to the victim is, the better the theft is considered. She also hopes the thief doesn't get caught because it might strain relations in the Dominion due to the racial nature of the crimes.

Rilding points out that the thief only steals from Altmer who do not use the bank. He suspects Talqua paid a thief to steal the items so the Altmer would start using the bank to store their items, for a fee. He also mentions Talqua's Bosmer apprentice, pointing out that he would be a good fall-guy.

Kuralit refuses to divulge information on an empty stomach. You can intimidate him or give him some gold to make him talk. Once persuaded to talk, he says he saw a Bosmer sneaking into the bank at night.

Talqua indirectly reveals out that business has grown since the thefts began. When asked if the bank has been targeted he says that only someone with a key could enter, and that only he and his apprentice have copies of the keys.

Zuzik reveals that he has one of the thief's letters. You will need to persuade him or buy it to get any further details. Once he hands it over you find it is written on vellum, a medium usually used by the Bosmer as the Green Pact forbids the use of paper. The letter requests that the recipient meet the thief at the bank in a fortnight to pay a ransom. It also says their item would be forfeit if they revealed the letter to anyone, which explains the victims reluctance to talk to Cinnar.

After reviewing the clues you must find and confront the thief. The thief is a Bosmer who has access to the bank. As Talqua is an Altmer he is ruled out, so the apprentice Nidras would appear to be the guilty party. He can be found upstairs in the bank.

Cleaning Up A Messy Situation

Nidras is siting in the Foundation of Trust's personal area. He confesses as soon as he is confronted as he knows you are working for Cinnar. He reveals his reasons for the thefts, which was that he wanted the Altmer to leave Marbruk and would extort them to leave in return for their items. As the Altmer do not recognize the Bosmer "Right of Theft" he had to come up with a plan to escape punishment and still have the Altmer leave. The first part of his plan was to frame you. He has tipped off the guards that the Artisan was in the bank. With no proof of reason to be in the bank's personal area it's time to leave and return to Cinnar.

After telling Cinnar the Artisan's identity he reveals that Nidras has put the stolen items in the wrong houses and sent letters framing the owners for each crime. The victim's fell for the framing and Nidras' scheme almost came to fruition, but Cinnar managed to prevent any violence. You need to recover the items before it's too late.

Investigating houses from the closest you will find the items in this order:

Earrastel's Heraldic Cane is hidden in Calastil's House, in a flower pot just beside the entrance.
Laurosse's Censer is hidden in Cassirion's House, in a cupboard behind the pillar on the right.
Quertasse's Drinking Horn is hidden in Earrastell's House, underneath the bed.
Calastil's Pelt is hidden in Laurosse's House, behind the large painting on the right-hand wall.

After recovering all four items Hendare confronts you and accuses you of being the Artisan. He refuses to accept your explanation but agrees to escort you to Cinnar. Once you reach Cinnar he hands you over with a salute and leaves. Cinnar is furious with Hendare blowing his cover and asks you for good news. Fortunately for Hendare you do; hand over the stolen items to a relieved Cinnar and he rewards you with 250 gold and the Enforcer's Vambraces.