Skyrim:Shadowmarks (Thieves Guild)

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

The marks are as follows:

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

Whiterun

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Map of Whiterun

• Danger

1. Amren's House, on the left of the door, marked because he is a skilled warrior.

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 ghosts, etc. found inside.

4. Jorrvaskr, on the right-hand pillar before the door; marked for skilled warriors within.

• Empty

5. Heimskr's House, on the right of the door.

6. Olava the Feeble's House, on the left of the door.

7. Uthgerd's House, on the left of the door.

8. Ysolda's House, on the far left of the door in the bottom corner.

• 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

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

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

• Safe
  • Under the bridge at the entrance.
  • At the left, gated end of the stream of water that goes under the bridge.
• Escape
  • Dragonsreach Dungeon, within the cells.
• Fence
  • Honningbrew Meadery, left of the door. (Note: appears only after Dampened Spirits is completed.)
• Loot
  • Honningbrew Meadery, left of the door. (Note: replaced after Dampened Spirits is completed.)

Riften

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Map of Riften

• 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

3. Beggar's Row, on doorstep's right side; marked for a lack of any notable loot inside.

• 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 entrace 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.

• Loot

9. The Bee and Barb, right of the northernmost door; marked for being a shop.

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 shop.

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 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

20. Honeyside's cache is a barrel at the northwestern corner of the garden.

21. The canalside walkway's cache is a barrel across from Valindor's House.

22. Mistveil Keep's cache is a barrel on the outdoor walkway of the Keep. To reach it, 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

• Danger
  • Riftweald Manor, the cellar entrance to The Ratway Vaults.

• Escape
  • Riften Jail, on a wall in the cell.

• 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.

• Loot
  • The Ratway Vaults, above the chest in the northwest room.

• Safe
  • On two birch tree stumps south of Riften, leading to Nightingale Hall.

• Protected
  • Black-Briar Manor, on the bottom right of one door and a gate.
  • Black-Briar Meadery, on the bottom right of the door.

Other Places

Place	Mark	Notes
Irkngthand	Empty	Grand Cavern, on a chest behind a gate in a southwestern room.
	Guild	Grand Cavern, on top of a table in front of the entrance.
	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	Dwemer Museum, bottom right of door. Silver-Blood Inn, top right of the door.
	Empty	Abandoned House, bottom left of the door. The Warrens, top left of door.
	Fence	Endon's House, left of the door.
	Loot	Arnleif and Sons Trading Company, top left of the door. Hag's Cure, bottom left of the door. Nepos's House, top right of door. Ogmund's House, top left of the door. Smelter Overseer's House, right of the door. Treasury House, bottom left of the door.
	Protected	Endon's House, bottom left of the door.
	Cache	Outside Vlindrel Hall, barrel on the landing. Barrel on walkway between Understone Keep and Nepos's House. In pool below Ghorza's blacksmith shop, partially submerged barrel.
Raven RockDB	Guild	To the left of the door of Glover Mallory's house.
	Loot	Barrel in 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.
Solitude	Danger	East Empire Company Warehouse, right of the door.
	Empty	Jala's House, barrel left by the front door.
	Escape	Castle Dour Dungeon, floor next to the collapsible wall.
	Fence	Winking Skeever, next to Gulum-Ei.
	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. Solitude Blacksmith, top of the stairs/ramp. Bryling's House, top of the stairs wall. Evette San's House, right of the door. Radiant Raiment, bottom left of the door. Vittoria Vici's House, bottom left of the door. Winking Skeever, bottom left of the door.
	Protected	Erikur's House, left of both doors, and on the barrel by the side door.
	Cache	Outside Erikur's House, standing barrel near woodpile. Barrel in the alley behind Vittoria Vici's House. Between The Winking Skeever and Angeline's Aromatics, barrel in back right corner.
Windhelm	Danger	Aretino Residence, bottom of the arch in front.
	Empty	Argonian Assemblage, bottom left of door.
	Loot	Atheron Residence, bottom right of the door. Belyn Hlaalu's House, bottom left of the door. Blacksmith Quarters, right of the door. Brunwulf Free-Winter's House, bottom right of the door. House of Clan Shatter-Shield, top right of the door. Viola Giordano's House, bottom right of the door. To the right in front of the arch in front of Viola's House. The White Phial, right of the sign.
	Protected	House of Clan Cruel-Sea, top left of the door. On the bottom of the right pillar of the archway next to the House of Clan Cruel-Sea.
	Cache	Courtyard between Calixto's House and Niranye's House, barrel in northeastern corner. Outside Sadri's Used Wares, barrel in corner to left of door. Outside Hjerim, barrel in corner of yard just northeast of front door.