One of the honors players can earn inThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis becoming a Thane. Each major settlement, or hold, has a jarl who can give the Dragonborn this title. It comes witha free follower, a magic weapon, and a one-time opportunity to avoid paying a fine or getting arrested within the hold.
In most cases, becoming a Thane inSkyrimis straightforward, and players can skip the quest entirely by overthrowing the old jarl as part of the Civil War quest. However, becoming Thane in Riften is never easy, even if the Dragonborn installs someone new. It doesn’t help that players must find a somewhat obscure character to get the ball rolling. Here’s how to become nobility in the Rift.
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Helping Hand and The Raid
The first thing players need to do isvisit the Riften docks.The docks are outside the town, but the best way to get there without getting wet is to use a door on the town’s western wall. One of the large buildings on the docks is the Riften Fishery, and one of the workers there is an Argonian called Wujeeta. Notably, Wujeeta isn’t an “essential” NPC. If she dies before players can begin this quest, it becomes impossible to become a Thane of Riften without cheating.
Wujeeta issuffering from a skooma addiction, and she needs a healing potion to get the skooma out of her system. Any strength of healing potion will work, but she won’t accept a crafted potion. This miscellaneous quest ends when the Dragonborn gives her a potion, but a new one can begin immediately afterward.
This new miscellaneous quest is called"The Raid.“Speak to Wujeeta again to get a new dialog option asking her where she got her skooma. She’ll refuse at first, but players can Persuade, Bribe, or Intimidate her to get the information. Her supplier is a man namedSarthis Idren,who hangs out by the Riften Warehouse, another location in the docks area. However, the Dragonborn must go speak to the Jarl to get the key.
The Jarl will provide the key when asked, but they want the Dragonborn to come back afterward. Once inside, Sarthis' bodyguard will attack the Dragonborn on sight, and Sarthis will join him a moment later. Downstairs in the warehouse is a roomfull of moon sugar and skooma, and on a table is a satchel with a note. Read this note, then return to the Jarl to explain what happened.
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Supply and Demand
The note mentionswhere Sarthis gets his skooma. The Jarl of Riften will ask the Dragonborn to go to Cragslane Cavern to disrupt the supply line. Cragslane Cavern is a fair ways north of Riften, but players should have no trouble finding it using the objective marker.
Aside from skooma trafficking, Cragslane is apparently also a place to watch wolf fights. The Dragonborn will have to fight their way through several pit wolves and gamblers. Along the way, be sure to look for the bookThe Wolf Queen, v1under the bar to raise Lockpicking. To the south of the arena is a character called the Butcher. Killing him will complete this part of the quest. The Butcher is a tough NPC, but players can take advantage of his pathfinding by jumping in and out of the fighting pit.
Return to the Jarl of Riften to receive a reward. The Jarl will mention that the Dragonborn is on their way to becoming a Thane, but will offer no other advice on how to achieve this title.
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Helping Out in Riften
Players must nowcomplete at least three miscellaneous quests handed out by the people of Riften. Riften residents in the docks area count towards this, but not anyone out in the rest of the hold.
Pilgrimage
Alessandra in the Halls of the Dead (underneath the Temple of Mara) wants to return her father’s dagger to Andurs inthe Halls of the Dead in Whiterun.
Stoking the Flames
Balimund the blacksmith needs 10 Fire Saltsto reheat his forge. Flame atronachs are the only way to find Fire Aalts in the wild, but as Balimund mentions, players can buy some from apothecaries. Players may need to visit several apothecaries multiple times to get enough.
Special Delivery
Bolli, the owner of the Riften Fishery, wants to give a purchase agreement to Kleppr, the manager of the Silver-Blood Inn in Markarth. Players don’t need to return to Bolli to complete this quest.
Distant Memories
The merchant Brand-Shei wants to know more about his past, and he thinks he can find it in the Wreck of the Pride of Tel Vos. In the ship, right on the water line, is a chest containing Lymdrenn Tenvanni’s Journal. Bring this back to Brand-Shei to complete the quest. If the Dragonborn has already framed Brand-Shei for theft, they can find him in the Riften Jail under Mistveil Keep. Otherwise, this merchant has a stall in the town square.
Consider Adoption
If players complete the quest “Innocence Lost"and have the Hearthfire DLC, adopting a child from the Honorhall Orphanage counts towards helping Riften residents.
After completing the quest “The Book of Love,” Dinya Balu in the Temple of Mara will ask the Dragonborn to hand out missives to the people of Riften. Give these missives to 20 unique characters, then return to Dinya to complete this quest.
Surgery
If players have the Dawnguard DLC, paying Galathil for facial surgery in the Ragged Flagon counts towards becoming Thane.
Truth Ore Consequences
Hafjorg, the wife of the apothecary Elgrim, needs to visit Shor’s Stone to speak with Filnjar about a strange ore sample. Filnjar is the town smith, and will hand over the sample as soon as he’s asked. Return to Hafjorg to complete the quest.
Bring It!
Harrald, son of the (original) Jarl, broke his sword on a stone wall. Get his repaired sword from Balimund, the blacksmith.
Bloody Nose
Hofgrir Horse-Crusher, the owner of the Riften Stables, willchallenge the Dragonborn to an unarmed brawl. Beat him to contribute to the Thane quest and also ride his horses for free.
Few and Far Between
Ingun Black-Briar is Elgrim the Apothecary’s apprentice, and she’s been using a lot of his ingredients.Bring her 20 Nirnroot, 20 Deathbell, and 20 Nightshade to complete this quest.
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Ringmaker
Madesi is another merchant who spends his time in the market square. He needs supplies for his unique style of jewelry: two Flawless Sapphires, one Mammoth Tusk, and one Gold Ore. There’s no specific place to find all these items, but the game will remind players when they find something on the list.
The Bonds of Matrimony
Maramal in the Temple of Mara isstarts the marriage quest. If the Dragonborn marries someone it counts for this quest.
Ice Cold
Marise Aravel is a food merchant who sells her wares between the market square and The Bee and Barb Inn. She needs five Ice Wraith Teeth to preserve her produce. Ice wraiths are easier to find than flame atronachs, at least in the frozen parts of the map. Players can also find this ingredient in apothecary shops.
Grimsever’s Return
Mjoll the Lioness patrols the upper paths of Riften throughout the day. She lost her weapon Grimsever inMzinchaleft, a Dwemer ruin. She doesn’t ask the Dragonborn to retrieve it, but at level 14 she’ll tell players where to find the ruin. She’ll be grateful when the Dragonborn returns her weapon.
Under the Table
In the Black-Briar Meadery is a note addressed to employees that mentions recent thefts. One employee, Romlyn Dreth, is responsible, and will ask the Dragonborn to smuggle a barrel of mead to the Vilemyr Inn in Ivarstead. Players can either do this for him, or instead turn Romlyn in to Indaryn, the meadery manager. Either ending counts for the Thane quest.
Stabilized
When players first enter Riften, they’ll come across a conversation between Shadr, a merchant, and Sapphire, a member of the Thieves Guild. Shadr will ask the Dragonborn to talk to Sapphire, who spends her time in The Bee and Barb. The way the conversation goes depends onthe Dragonborn’s status with the Thieves Guild, but paying Shadr’s debt is always an option.
The Lover’s Requital
Head to Riften Jail to find Sibbi Black-Briar in an unusually well-maintained cell. He wants the Dragonborn to find his old fiancé, Svidi. Svidi is in hiding as the bard Lynly Star-Sung in the Vilemyr Inn in Ivarstead. Confront her and use a Speech skill to learn the truth, then decide whether to tell Sibbi. This quest only counts if the Dragonborn tells Sibbi, but thankfully players have plenty of other options if they’d rather not.
Caught Red-Handed
Svana Far-Shield works in Haelga’s Bunkhouse, but she doesn’t like her job. She wants to embarrass Haelga, so she asks the Dragonborn tocollect her tokens of affection, Marks of Dibella, from three of her lovers: Bolli, Indaryn, and Hofgrir. Players can use Speech skills or Pickpocket the items from the three men. Killing them will fail the quest. Bring the Marks back to Haelga to get a bribe, then speak to Svana for her reward.
Sealing the Deal
Talen-Jei works at The Bee and Barb and wants to marry the innkeeper, Keerava. He needs three Flawless Amethysts for the engagement ring.
Hunt and Gather
Wylandriah is the Jarl’s court wizard and spends her time in Mistveil Keep. She misplaced three items and needs someone to collect them. She lost her spoon in Fellstar Farm in Ivarstead, her soul gem in The White Phial in Windhelm, and her orichalcum ingot inThe Frozen Hearth in Winterhold. Each item is in a satchel, so follow the quest markers and collect them in any order.
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Obviously, some of these quests are easier to complete than others. If players want to become Thane as quickly and cheaply as possible, the best quests to complete arePilgrimage,Bring It!, andTruth Ore Consequences.
Purchasing Honeyside
After completing at least three of the above quests, the Jarl of Riften will mention that the Dragonborn is in good standing with the people of the town. However, there’s one last barrier to overcome: the Dragonborn must own property in town. Specifically, the Dragonborn must buy the house Honeyside from the Jarl’s steward. This house becomes available after completing “Supply and Demand.”
The asking price for Honeyside is 8000 gold, but curiously, players can get away with spending less. So long as players have at least 5000 gold on them, they can select the “I’ll take it” dialog option. The steward will then take all the Dragonborn’s gold or 8000, whichever is less.
Once the purchase is complete, the Jarl will name the Dragonborn Thane of the Rift and give them a weapon called the Blade of the Rift.The Riften housecarl is named Iona, and she’ll be waiting in Honeyside.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
