Skyrim:Shadowmarks (Thieves Guild)

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Shadowmarks are a series of symbols that the Thieves Guild inscribes for a variety of reasons—usually around doors or specific buildings. They act as a series of codes that previous thieves have left to assist future thieves, such as warning of danger or pointing out houses with valuables inside. The legend for the code is outlined in a book of the same name, authored by Delvin Mallory, which is found within The Ragged Flagon - Cistern.

Marks[edit]

The marks are as follows:

  • Guild Guild: Denoting the building or NPC nearby is part of the Guild.
  • Safe Safe: Denoting the area is safe for the Guild.
  • Danger Danger: Denoting someone nearby or inside does not take kindly to the Guild.
  • Escape Escape: Denoting that following this mark leads to escape (usually from a jail cell).
  • Protected Protected: Denoting the area or people are under Guild protection (usually involved in a Thieves Guild quest).
  • Fence Fence: Denoting there lies a fence inside.
  • Cache Cache: Denoting a Thieves Cache (usually on a barrel that appears once you finish the special job for a city).
  • Loot Loot: Denoting valuables or riches lie inside or nearby.
  • Empty Empty: Denoting there is nothing of value inside and has already been looked over.

Whiterun[edit]

Map of Whiterun
Amren's House
Guard Barracks
Hall of the Dead (Whiterun)
Jorrvaskr
Heimskr's House
Olava the Feeble's House
Uthgerd's House
Ysolda's House
Arcadia's Cauldron
The Bannered Mare
Belethor's General Goods
Carlotta Valentia's House
Carlotta's stall
The Drunken Huntsman
House Gray-Mane
Severio Pelagia's House
House of Clan Battle-Born
Ysolda's_House
The_Bannered_Mare
Carlotta_Valentia's_House
House_Gray-Mane
Map of Whiterun
  • Danger Danger
1. Amren's House, on the left of the door, marked because he is a skilled warrior (but see bugs).
2. Guard Barracks, on the bottom right corner along the eastern edge of the building; marked for obvious reasons.
3. Hall of the Dead, bottom of the first left pillar before the door; marked for the skeletons found in the catacombs inside.
4. Jorrvaskr, on the right-hand pillar before the door; marked for skilled warriors within.
  • Empty Empty
5. Heimskr's House, on the right of the door, marked for the lack of notable loot inside.
6. Olava the Feeble's House, on the left of the door, marked due to the lack of valuable items inside.
7. Uthgerd's House, on the left of the door, marked because of the lack of notable items inside.
8. Ysolda's House, on the far left of the door in the bottom corner; marked due to the lack of valuable loot inside.
  • Loot Loot
9. Arcadia's Cauldron, on the right of the door; marked for being a store.
10. Bannered Mare, on the bottom right of the door; marked for being a store.
11. Belethor's General Goods, on the right of the door; marked for being a store.
12. Carlotta Valentia's House, on the bottom right of the door; marked for a chest upstairs and an Enchanting book between the bed and left nightstand.
13. Carlotta's stall in the market, next to where she stands; marked for being a merchant, though she has a limited inventory.
14. Drunken Huntsman, on the bottom right of the door; marked for being a store.
15. House Gray-Mane, on the left of the door below a carved eagle; marked for five chests and miscellaneous jewelry found upstairs.
16. Severio Pelagia's House, on the top right of the door; marked for very minor loot.
  • Protected Protected
17. House of Clan Battle-Born, on the right of the back door; marked due to the Guild helping the family during Imitation Amnesty.
  • Cache Cache
18. Ysolda's House, along the southwest side behind some chopped logs, where there is a small chest containing possible gold, furs, and miscellaneous items.
19. The Bannered Mare, on a barrel along the eastern edge of the building.
20. Carlotta Valentia's House, on a barrel behind the house.
21. House Gray-Mane, on a barrel in the southeastern corner of the stone wall.

Not on map[edit]

Riften[edit]

Map of Riften
  • Danger Danger
1. Aerin's House, just to the left of the door. Marked for Mjoll the Lioness, a skilled warrior who despises the Thieves Guild.
2. Riften Marketplace, along the bottom of the wall behind Grelka; marked for Grelka being a skilled warrior.
  • Empty Empty
3. Beggar's Row, on doorstep's right side; marked for a lack of any notable loot inside.
  • Guild Guild
4. The Ratway, on the left side of the ground before the gated door to The Ragged Flagon; marked for being the headquarters for the Thieves Guild in Riften.
5. Riften Cemetery, found as a button to the secret entrance to the Cistern; both windows of the crypt are also made into the "Guild" Shadowmark.
6. Riften Marketplace, found on the barrel right of Brynjolf when first meeting him; marked because the stall is owned by Brynjolf.
7./8. Riftweald Manor—one is on the bottom left of the front door post, and another is on the stone to the top left of the back door; marked due to the manor being owned by Mercer Frey, the initial guildmaster of the Thieves Guild.
  • Loot Loot
9. The Bee and Barb, right of the northernmost door; marked for being a store.
10. Bolli's House, to left of the door; marked for unknown reasons but presumably due to his wealth.
11. Elgrim's Elixirs, on the stone to left of the door; marked for being an Alchemy shop.
12. Marise Aravel's House, on the bottom right on the doorstep; marked for a minor chest inside.
13. The Pawned Prawn, along the inside right of the doorframe; marked for being a store.
14. Riften Marketplace, on the bottom right corner of the right side of Madesi's stall; marked for jewelry in a case and loot behind a locked sliding door in back of stall.
15. Riften Marketplace, on the top left corner of the front of stall in front of Brand-Shei; marked for loot in a strongbox and behind a sliding door.
16. Romlyn Dreth's House, on a wood beam to the right of the door; marked for a chest inside as well as a coin purse behind the bed.
17. The Scorched Hammer, to the right of the door; marked for being a smithing shop.
18. Snow-Shod Manor, to the right of the door; marked for a mammoth tusk on the first floor, one chest on the second floor, and miscellaneous loot around the house.
19. Valindor's House, along the left side doorstep; marked for a minor chest inside.
  • Cache Cache
20. On a barrel in the northwestern corner of Honeyside's garden.
21. On a barrel across from Valindor's House, along the canalside walkway.
22. On a barrel on the outdoor walkway of Mistveil Keep. To reach this cache, go into the Mistveil Keep Barracks, up the stairs, and then outside again. It will be directly in front of you in the corner.

Not on map[edit]

  • Escape Escape
    • Riften Jail, on a wall in the cell, marked due to the presence of an escape route out of the Jail. (Note: due to a bug, the escape route cannot be used. See Riften Jail#Bugs.)
  • Guild Guild
    • The Ratway Vaults, found to the left of the Ragged Flagon door; marked because the Ragged Flagon is the headquarters for the Thieves Guild in Riften.
    • Shadowfoot SanctumCC, found on a banner within; marked because Shadowfoot Sanctum was initially owned by the Thieves Guild.
  • Protected Protected
    • Black-Briar Manor, on the bottom right of one door and a gate; marked because Maven Black-Briar has strong ties with the Thieves Guild.
    • Black-Briar Meadery, on the bottom right of the door; marked because Maven Black-Briar owns the meadery and has strong connections to the Thieves Guild.

Other Places[edit]

Place Mark Notes
Irkngthand Empty Empty
  • Grand Cavern, on a chest behind a gate in a southwestern room; marked because the chest is empty.
Guild Guild
  • Grand Cavern, on top of a table in front of the entrance.
Cache Cache
  • Slave pens, on top of some pipes, follow them all the way to the end. Items (usually leveled potions) are located on the ground beneath the pipes.
Markarth Danger Danger
  • Dwemer Museum, bottom right of door, marked due to the many aggressive guards inside.
  • Silver-Blood Inn, top right of the door; likely marked due to the inn being owned by the powerful and dangerous Silver-Blood clan.
Empty Empty
  • Abandoned House, bottom left of the door; marked due to the absence of valuable items inside.
  • The Warrens, top left of door; marked due to the lack of notable loot inside.
Fence Fence
  • Endon's House, left of the door; marked due to the owner, Endon, being a Thieves Guild fence.
Loot Loot
Protected Protected
  • Endon's House, bottom left of the door; marked due to the owner, Endon, being a fence for the Thieves Guild.
Cache Cache
Raven RockDB Guild Guild
  • To the left of the door of Glover Mallory's House; marked due to the owner, Glover Mallory, being a member of the Thieves Guild.
Loot Loot
  • Barrel in the corner of basement inside Glover Mallory's House. Basement is initially locked and requires a key, which is obtained by completing Paid in Full. The barrel is actually a respawning Thieves Guild Cache, but erroneously uses the Loot shadowmark.
Silverdrift Lair Loot Loot
Solitude Danger Danger
Empty Empty
  • Jala's House, barrel left by the front door; marked due to the lack of valuable items inside of the house.
Escape Escape
  • Castle Dour Dungeon, on the floor next to the collapsible wall in the cell that you are sent to when arrested; marked due to the collapsible wall being an escape route.
Fence Fence
Loot Loot
  • Addvar's House, bottom left of the door.
  • Bards College, across from the back door. [verification needed — What building is that?] (On the bottom of the stairwell to Bryling's House on the right railing)
  • Bits and Pieces, bottom left of the door; marked for being a store.
  • Solitude Blacksmith, top of the stairs/ramp; marked for being a store.
  • Bryling's House, top of the stairs wall; marked due to containing loot including many strong potions.
  • Evette San's House, right of the door.
  • Radiant Raiment, bottom left of the door; marked due to being a store.
  • Vittoria Vici's House, bottom left of the door; marked for containing loot including powerful potions.
  • Winking Skeever, bottom left of the door; marked for being a store.
Protected Protected
  • Erikur's House, left of both doors, and on the barrel by the side door; marked due to the owner, Erikur, being a potential fence for the Thieves Guild.
Cache Cache
  • On a standing barrel near a woodpile behind Erikur's House.
  • On a barrel in the alley behind Vittoria Vici's House.
  • On a barrel in the back right corner between The Winking Skeever and Angeline's Aromatics.
Windhelm Danger Danger
Empty Empty
Loot Loot
Protected Protected
  • Two on the House of Clan Cruel-Sea; one is to the top left of the door, the other on the bottom of the right pillar of the archway next to the house. The house is marked due to one of its residents, Torsten Cruel-Sea, having connections to the Thieves Guild.
Cache Cache

Bugs[edit]

  • Due to the plants added in front of Amren's house in the Special Edition, his Shadowmark no longer appears.