Of merchants, thieves and lockpicks
I was shopping in the Market District of the Imperial City a few days ago and went into one shop where I found out that the merchants have a “committee” know as The Society to regulate prices – I’m not too sure how I like this idea, after all it means that as a consumer I don’t get the best price in the big city, something that I’d expect to seaming as there’s so many merchants all touting the same wears.
Anyhow, this “committee” is having a little trouble with a new merchant named Thoronir. Apparently the main trouble stems from the fact that he won’t join the “committee” and therefore thinks that he can undercut the competition.
But wait, it gets better! The “committee” has commissioned me to investigate the source of Thoronir’s merchandise – they seem to think that the only way that somebody can undercut their carefully inflated prices is to be selling stolen goods. At first I wasn’t keen to take this job, but after going to his shop and chatting with Thoronir I decided three things: one, his stuff isn’t that cheep. Two, his stuff isn’t very good and three, he’s a slimy git of an Elf! Seriously, I’m no Elvest, but this one just really got to me. It was perhaps this last reason that persuaded me to take this job.
Having agreed to do it, I staked out Thoronir’s shop and waited for him to come out. My plan was a simple one – follow him around for a while and perhaps see if he makes contact with anybody suspicious who might be passing him stolen goods.
So I’m waiting there on the street corner trying not to look too suspicious. I’d even changed out of my armour into something a little more casual – after you’ve worn armour as much as I have you kind of get used to the weight and without it you feel like your floating by the way. Out he comes and I start tailing him. I’m sure that he knew I was there because he took me round half the city and asked me to “stop following me.” So after that I hung back a little more and followed him back to his shop in the Merchant District.
“Bugger, I think I’ve blown this,” thinks I to myself. Why else would he be going back to his shop? Fortunately for me though, I was wrong. Instead of heading into his shop, he proceeds round the back where he met somebody.
Sneaking a little closer I managed to get into a position where I could hear their conversation and it was in this way that I learnt that he really is dealing in stolen goods and that damn “committee” was right all along! Armed with this knowledge, I decide to follow his contact who goes by the name Agarmir.
Now I’m a quick learner and having been rumbled once tailing somebody knew that I had to keep my distance. This guy had not the faintest clue that I was following and returned directly to his house.
“Hmmm, I must get in there and have a peek about,” I muse to myself and so I set about the long wait round the corner trying to see when he leaves so I can get in there and see what’s worth taking – er, what’s already been taken even.
Eight hours I waited there for him to leave and when he did I strolled up to his front door like I owned the house, pulled out one of my twenty plus lock picks and proceeded to attempt to get into this door.
Now I’ve never claimed to be a master thief or anything but I’ve picked a couple of lock’s before now and thought my skills up to the – boy was I wrong! I went through all of my lock picks without managing to get into the house!
I was at my wits-end, I needed to get inside and was about to kick the door in – I was that angry with myself – but just then a guard turned into the street so I beat a hasty retreat to a convenient side ally where to my delight, I found an entrance to the city sewers!
I know, normally people aren’t delighted to see the city sewers, but I was out of lock picks and thought that perhaps the sewers would be a good place to find some more!
So I rampaged through the sewers killing everything I could find – rats, crabs, goblins, more rats, loads more crabs – and searching every container I could get my hands on, all to get some lock picks.
It felt like I was down there days and surfaced with four new lock picks! Great, let’s give that damn door another go! As a side note, I find it interesting what creatures will eat, I found one lock pick inside the body of a rat!
Anyway, back I went to this house only to find that he’s back at home so set about the task of waiting again for him to leave. When he did, I tried my four new picks on his door and guess what? I broke them all without getting into the house!
What I wouldn’t give for some more lock picks!
I saved up some money and bought the “open average lock” spell from the mages guild in Cheydinhal. That will get you into the place
You do know that if you bribe a begger to happiness 70+, he will tell you how to join the theives guild and you can buy unlimited lock picks for 5gp ea.
Also saving the game before attempting a lock usually helps too.
Have you tried the dupe glitch? =P
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT TRYING THE DAEDRIC QUEST FOR THE SKELETON KEY WICH IS UNBRAEKABLE ITS NORTH OF LEYAWIN EAST OF THE RIVER THEN FURTHER EAST FROM THE BANK
there is a trick two opening locks. when a tumbler is ready to be set it makes a double clink instead of just one.
Absolutely Nick. Take a look at my guide to lock-picking here. It should hopefully provide the help you need…
I have broken all of the lockpicks i got from the thieves guild. And I dont know where to get more. Can some one tell me where to buy more lock picks.
Davis, take a look at my guide to lock-picking here and also the comments on that post. It should hopefully provide the help you need…
so .. ik opened the lock (didn’t waste any lockpicks…it wasn’t that hard, was it?) and got into the house, but i immediately got arrested…
HHAAAAHAAA!!!
Sucks To be YOU!!
Just Kidding….
Yeah I think personally its a load of crap about the lock pick situation i either need to find a mod for unlimited or know where theres a very good supply of them cause i’m in the same position as the guy at the top of the page
christ, just do the skel key quest already. it’s not that damn hard.
Yeah, I’ve noticed some odd undercurrents in the Oblivion game.
First, you have the merchants in the Imperial City conspiring at price-fixing. Granted Thoronir was undercutting them with grave-robbed goods, but I pity the enterprising merchant who decides to hold prices down by holding his costs down. He’ll end up in the crypt with Agarmir.
Second, you have these creepy vampires soliciting you to go kill a guy they accuse of being a vampire. Yeah, right guys. You’re lurking in this dark old house, telling lame stories about just happening to notice, and escape, a vampire, and I can practically see your fangs poking out when you talk. Compared to these self-loathing vampire, a dope-smoking gay evangelical minister almost seems like a reasonable guy.
I dunno compared to these citizens, maybe the Oblivion gates are an improvement…
lolz… seriously, just do othe dupe glitch already
look for shifty sam outside the imperial city wall he can sell u lock pics =D
shifty sam out side the imperial city wall sells lock picks buddy =]
go to bruma and u must be in the thieves guild i think not sure got to look for ongar look down he sells things to u will see lockpicks he sells about 100. i cant remember the respawn time on them though i do know they respawn again so u can buy them…
i really like the oblivion game i go round to A mates place to play it an when i went to get a reco form the mage in anvil i think.. u had to get thr Ring of burden so i dropped most things includen my locks an picked up every thing except my locks which seem to dissapeared. an i cant join the thieves guild cause that chick wint come an see me
If you arent part of the underground brotherhood, or the thieves guild, or you dont want the skeleton key - use the quick travel feature to the stables on the western side of the imperial city, then follow the outside western wall northbound, there you fill find a guy dressed in a black robe, he sells 30 lock picks at a time for 6 gold each
do deadric quest for skeleton key.(unbreakable pick)
thats funny because when i did that quest a few moments ago all he did was sneak into one of the inns and stole an apple! Then he had me waiting in the inn for about 10 hours
if your up for murder you could join the dark botherhood. at the chedinhal sanctuary there is a member that sells spells and lockpicks.
You guys rock! The best way to get em is the dude outside the main city, all garbed in black
Better yet when u join the theives guild , stock up 5$ a peice , u cant complain , can buy lockpicks for the rest of the game =), unless u really really suck….
hehe.. im making a career out of stealing and killing - working both for the dark brotherhood and the thieves guild, and trust me, u need all the lockpicks u can find… ive cleaned half the houses in bruma
You could just pickpocket Agamir for his house key…