What are they and what do they look like?

Shadow Marks are drawn and designed by Delvin Mellorio and are created to help guild members avoid making mistakes or simply help with loot.
Delvin Mallory's words (quote):
“Do you want to know how to behave in unfamiliar places? Don’t want to accidentally break into a necromancer’s lair or fall into another guard’s trap? Then memorize this book. Knowing shadow marks is what determines whether you can make a small fortune for yourself or end your way with a cut throat.
These little icons can be found all over Skyrim... usually they are carved on door frames or building facades, but in general you can see them almost anywhere a thief has set foot. This is our way of communicating with each other without using words. Well, so that an inexperienced thief does not become a dead thief, you understand. You can count the marks on your fingers, so don’t even think about lying that there was no time to learn them.
Okay, I blabbed something. Come on, put on your student cap and get to work."
Examples:

Location of the book "Shadow Marks"

>Riften Tank
>College of Winterhold-Arcaneum (located on the table)
The book contains drawings of marks, as well as their descriptions.

Shadow marks:

Shadow Mark "Guild"
The symbol of our Guild. Means that this place is safer than in the Flask. If you see such a mark, you know that someone from the Guild is definitely nearby.

Shadow "Safe" label
Usually we put such a mark where we have already explored everything and found a safe way in or out - well, for example, a corridor without traps. Or we mark a house that has already been cleaned. If you see such a mark, go where it points, and everything will be fine.

Shadow mark "Danger"
If you see such a mark, turn back. You can, of course, continue to go, but you were warned. The mark means that there is something ahead - or, say, behind the door - that will turn you inside out and not itch you.

Shadow Mark "Escape"
So, if you have the rare pleasure (if you don’t want to fly out of the Guild, try to make it rare) of being put behind bars, look for this charm. If you notice it, within a couple of steps you will be out into the fresh air.

Shadow Mark "Protected"
We place these marks in those places that should not be cleaned. Not because it's dangerous, but because you'll get a kick in the ass. The owners of houses with such marks are under the protection of the Guild, and don’t even think about touching them.

Shadow Mark "Buyer"
This tag will quickly become your favorite. The one who is next to her will buy your... goods stolen by back-breaking labor for a fair price.

Shadow Mark "Thief's Cache"
Who said that we only take without giving anything in return? If you see such a mark next to a chest or a hollow log, then get ready, a surprise awaits you. A kind of gift from the Guild to a thief in fact. Who shouted that membership in the Guild does not make life easier?

Greetings to all travelers of Skyrim. Since I didn’t see information on this topic anywhere, I decided to post it myself. So, I think every player throughout Skyrim has come across various markers near houses, shrines, caves, shelters and other places, and probably thought about what they are for and is it possible to navigate by them somehow? I will tell those who don’t know this yet - yes. Each of them has its own meaning and some are useful not only to characters in the thieves’ profession. The only place I have found so far where you can find out about the meaning of the marks is the Thieves Guild itself. There, by the main character's bed, there will be a book called Shadow Marks. That's what we need. And so that some people do not try to get to it in the game itself, I will post its full contents in this blog.

Shadow Marks

(Delvin Mallory)

Do you want to know how to behave in unfamiliar places? Don't you want to accidentally break into a necromancer's lair or fall into another guard's trap? Then learn this book by heart. Knowing the shadow marks is what determines whether you can make a small fortune for yourself or end up with your throat slit.

These little icons can be found all over Skyrim... usually they are carved on door frames or building facades, but in general you can see them almost anywhere a thief has set foot. It is our way of communicating with each other without using words. Well, so that an inexperienced thief does not become a dead thief, you understand. You can count the marks on your fingers, so don’t even think about lying that you didn’t have time to learn them.

Okay, I blabbed something. Let's put on your student's cap and get to work.

Interpretation of Shadow Marks

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

GUILD

The symbol of our Guild. Means that this place is safer than in the Flask. If you see such a mark, you know that someone from the guild is definitely nearby.

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

SAFELY

Usually we put such a mark where we have already explored everything and found a safe way in or out - well, for example, a corridor without traps. Or we mark a house that has already been cleaned. If you see such a mark, go where it points, and everything will be fine.

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

THE ESCAPE

So, if you have the rare pleasure (if you don’t want to fly out of the Guild, try to make it rare) of being put behind bars, look for this charm. If you notice it, within a couple of steps you’ll be out in the fresh air.

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

THIEVES' CACHE

Who said that we only take without giving anything in return? If you see such a mark next to a chest or a hollow log, then get ready, a surprise awaits you. A kind of gift from the Guild to a thief in fact. Who shouted that membership in the Guild does not make life easier?

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

PRODUCTION

This mark means that there is something to profit from nearby. Convenient if you don’t want to break into some house and not find even a couple of septims lying around

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

BUYER

This tag will quickly become your favorite. The one who is next to her will buy your... goods stolen by back-breaking labor for a fair price.

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

UNDER PROTECTION

We place these marks in those places that should not be cleaned. Not because it’s dangerous, but because you’ll get a kick in the ass. The owners of houses with such marks are under the protection of the Guild, and don’t even think about touching them.

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

DANGEROUS

If you see such a mark, turn back. You can, of course, continue to go, but you were warned. The mark means that there is something ahead - or, say, behind the door - that will turn you inside out and not itch you.

Interpretation of Shadow Marks.

EMPTY

P.S. I hope this information is useful to many.

Shadowmarks are a tool for the Thieves Guild to determine the value of a target house. Some are protected, some are useless, others have money, and others can even be dangerous. If you've ever wondered why five potential player homes in major cities were without these markings, this is the place to be. Now, instead of being the only houses in the city where there were none, they will be marked according to their value. If the player does not yet own the property, the house will be marked empty. If the player owns the property, it will be flagged as containing valuable loot. If the player is a member of the Thieves Guild, and the city is under the influence of the Guild, then it will be marked accordingly as belonging to the guild member. Signs must be updated correctly throughout the game as the player purchases houses and joins a guild.

Requirements:

Skyrim Special Edition 1.1.47.0.8 or higher. DO NOT extract the contents of the BSA file into the Data folder.

Installation:

Unzip the contents of the archive into the Data folder Connect the esp.

Removal:

Delete files Shadowmarks.esp, Shadowmarks.bsl, Shadowmarks.bsa from the date folder

Shadow marks

Delvin Mallory

Do you want to know how to behave in unfamiliar places? Don't you want to accidentally break into a necromancer's lair or fall into another guard's trap? Then learn this book by heart. Knowing the shadow marks is what determines whether you can make a small fortune for yourself or end up with your throat slit.

These little icons can be found all over Skyrim... usually they are carved on door frames or building facades, but in general you can see them almost anywhere a thief has set foot. It is our way of communicating with each other without using words. Well, so that an inexperienced thief does not become a dead thief, you understand. You can count the marks on your fingers, so don’t you dare lie and think that there was no time to learn them.

Okay, I blabbed something. Come on, put on your student cap and get to work.

Interpretation
shadow marks

"Guild"

The symbol of our Guild. Means that this place is safer than in the Flask. If you see such a mark, you know that someone from the Guild is definitely nearby.

"Safely"

Usually we put such a mark where we have already scouted everything out and found a safe way in or out - well, for example, a corridor without traps. Or we mark a house that has already been cleaned. If you see such a mark, go where it points, and everything will be fine.

"Dangerous"

If you see such a mark, turn back. You can, of course, continue to go, but you were warned. The mark means that there is something ahead - or, say, behind the door - that will turn you inside out and not hurt you.

"The escape"

So, if you have the rare pleasure (if you don’t want to fly out of the Guild, try to make it rare) of being put behind bars, look for this charm. If you notice it, within a couple of steps you will be out into the fresh air.

"Under protection"

We place these marks in those places that should not be cleaned. Not because it’s dangerous, but because you’ll get a kick in the ass. The owners of houses with such marks are under the protection of the Guild, and don’t even think about touching them.

"Buyer"

This tag will quickly become your favorite. The one who is next to her will buy your... goods stolen by back-breaking labor for a fair price.

"Thieves' hiding place"

Who said that we only take without giving anything in return? If you see such a mark next to a chest or a hollow log, then get ready, a surprise awaits you. A kind of gift from the Guild to a thief in fact. Who shouted that membership in the Guild does not make life easier?

"Prey"

This mark means that there is something to profit from nearby. Convenient if you don’t want to break into some house and not find even a couple of septims lying around.

"Empty"

The complete opposite of "Prey". Stomp on, there's nothing inside.

Over the past two decades, things have been going horribly for the Thieves Guild. Its members are haunted by failure at almost every step, and their number is steadily declining. Rumor has it that higher powers have placed a curse on the guild...

Look under every stone

The guild is based in Riften. I was brought there when during the story mission " Diplomatic immunity" I found an unusual gem. There is exactly the same one in the Dark Brotherhood hideout, for example, and that’s not all. With it, a task appeared in the Miscellaneous section. In Riften, I met Hammer, who immediately realized that the stone was stolen and offered to show it to Vex, the buyer of the Guild. But for this you need to become its full member. To do this you need to talk to Brynjolf, the task will begin Chance meeting.
When you are finally accepted into the Thieves Guild, Vex will tell you that there are "Barenziah Stones" that were stolen by one thief and distributed throughout Skyrim. Vex will only buy the complete set, 24 pieces. A description of the location of each pebble can be found. And here's the map:

Also appeared, adding a marker for each stone. Searching will become much easier!
Once you have found all 24 stones, Vex will send you to Torvald's Cave to search for the Crown of Barenziah. The number of fat trolls in the cave and surrounding area is off the charts. The Falmer live in the depths of the cave. Go to Torvald's Cave - The Void. From there to Torvald's Cave - Crossroads. Here you will immediately meet the ghost of a refugee from Morrowind, next to whose skeleton lies a worn diary. There are three such diaries and skeletons, and you will most likely find the third before the second. The crown lies with the remains of a Dunmer caravan, guarded by a ghostly elf. Take the crown to Vex, it will appear on the bust, in the same place as all your other trophies.

Completing the quest will give you an increased chance of finding gems! They are very convenient to sell, not to mention the ability to make expensive jewelry.

Chance meeting
Actually, joining the thieves guild itself.
During the day you will definitely find Brynjolf at the market in the Rift. Of course, he won’t tell you anything just like that. While the entrepreneur is diverting attention to himself, you must rob Madesi, take his ring and put it in the chest under Brand-Shei's shop. In the Russian version, by the way, everything is mixed up... besides, I had a bug when the ring ended up with Madesi himself, then the pointer showed me to steal it again from Madesi's box, and only then put it in Brand-Shei's chest, and then a copy of it goes into his pocket! In a word, complete nonsense. Perhaps this happened due to the fact that I simultaneously completed the tasks “A Rat Driven into a Corner” and “A Chance Encounter”.
P.S. You can see the arrest of Brand-Shay, who was already promptly reported to the guards.

Reliable roof
Brynjolf will be waiting for you at the Ragged Flagon Tavern. He is impressed by your fighting qualities, oddly enough. To finally be accepted into the guild, you will have to collect the debt from three people without killing anyone.
Calling them:

• Helga
• Bercy Honey Hand
• Kirva

You enter into a dialogue, choose the option that says about a fight. You win, say it again and that’s it.
How ridiculous local fist fights look...
Bring the money to Brynjolf.

Clarity
Follow Brynjolf. Listen to his conversation with Mercer Frey. You are now officially accepted. You will be sent to the Goldenflower estate, you must burn three beehives and clean out the safe to remind you who is boss. You will also receive several tasks in the MISCELLANEOUS section to familiarize yourself with the guild bonuses. You will be given branded armor, keep it! You can ask Vex about the secret passage to the estate through the sewer. The safe is in the basement of the house, you can steal the key if you want. In the owner's room you can find a Bee Figurine, which Delvin Mallory will happily buy; a task will appear in the Miscellaneous section.
Then go outside and set fire to exactly 3 hives. You can also get to them unnoticed through the collector.
You can return to Brynjolf.

Wrong honey
You need to meet with Jarl Maven Black-Briar, most likely she is hanging out in the Bee and Sting tavern. She will send you to Whiterun, to an establishment called the Prancing Mare. Talk to Mallius Macius there. Now go to Honning's Meadery, which is near Whiterun, and talk to its owner Sabjorn. He will hire you to exterminate rats. Go down to the basement, you need to make your way through the underground passage. There will be not only skeevers, but also spiders, and also a crazy alchemist named Heimlin. Place poison in the straw nest and move on to enter Honning's Varnitsa. Climb up and put poison in the vat. Take the key near the door and get out. Report to Sabjorn about the successful baiting of the rats. Enjoy the show. Talk to Mallius. Go up the stairs to the second floor and clean out Sabjorn's chest of drawers. You can also find a Decanter of Honning Honey there, which Delvin Mallory will happily buy from you. Return to Maven to hand over the documents and receive your reward. Return to Brynjolf at the Thieves Guild.

Scoundrel's whim
Talk to Mercer Frey. He will direct you to a contact and also offer to talk to Brynjolf.
In Solitude, talk to Gulum-Ei, who will most likely be in the Laughing Rat. Convince or bribe him. Then follow the Argonian to the Eastern Imperial Company warehouse on the pier. Beware of the guards. You can climb up onto the cabinets with shelves. If you look up near the ship on the rafters, you will see a house on a ledge. Inside there is an Eastern Imperial Company Naval Chart that can be sold to Delvin Mallory. Gulum-Ai will enter the Salt Water Grotto. You can safely kill the marauders, except for Gulum-Ai himself. He will tell you about the employer and give you a deed of purchase for the Golden Flower estate. Return to Mercer at the Thieves Guild. He will tell you about Karliya.
P.S. The task will appear in the Miscellaneous section. You still kept your thieves' armor, right?

Conversation with silence
Mercer Frey will be waiting for you at the Snow Veil. After the conversation, go to the door. Mercer will open the lock. I had a bug - the lock didn’t open, and Mercer was butting against the wall. The solution is to quickly move to the same location from the map. The number of draugr and traps inside is off the charts. At times Mercer will give you hints. Towards the end of the first level, you can find a ship model on a pedestal that you can sell to Delvin. In the Sanctuary it will be about the same, and at the end you will learn the power word of the cry “Disarmament”. You will see the unexpected simplicity of opening a lock that you yourself would never open without a claw. Enjoy the show!

Difficult Answers
After the conversation, go to Winterhold and find Enthir. Alas, he cannot translate Gall’s diary, since it is written in a rare language - Falmer. You will need to go to Markarth's Understone Fortress and Colcelmo. He will ask you to kill the spider Nimhe in the ruins of Nchuand-Zel. A side quest will begin along the way The Lost Expedition. Then he will give you the key to the Dwemer Museum, right there in the Understone Fortress. From there you will get to Colcelmo's laboratory. You can use traps to your advantage. They are activated by valves and levers. In the room with the magician's son Ainkantar there is a Dwemer puzzle cube that can be sold to Delvin. Go out onto the balcony of the wizard Markarth. There, use Colcelmo's Stone.
To copy the inscriptions, you need a roll of paper and coal, of which there is plenty in the room. Get out and return to the Frozen Hearth in Winterhold, Karliah and Entir are already waiting for you. Enthir will be able to translate the diary, talk to him and Karliah in turn. You will receive a Nightingale Blade as a reward.

The pursuit Travel to Riften at the Ragged Flask. Karliah will be waiting at the entrance, follow her into the Cistern. Watch the scene, then talk to Brynjolf. He will send you to search Mercer Frey's estate.
He can also (additionally) tell you about the ladder on the inside of the house. By the way, you can open it not only with a bow, but also with magic.
(Optional) You can ask Vex about Vald. She will tell you about his debt to Maven Black-Briar. A task indicating it will appear in the Miscellaneous section. It turns out that Wald lost the Dual Feather, which is unique in its properties, when he sailed across the lake. You need to get it out of there. Remember in Morrowind there was a task to get a ring from the bottom of a large puddle? So, compared to the survey of Lake Honrik, it was mega simple. However, I also managed to find the pen, if you are too lazy to do it yourself, here are the screenshots:

Return to Maven, she will give you documents about Wald's debt. Now he will happily let you in and give you the key. And really, why kill people needlessly? By the way, if he attacks you, a simple calm spell (illusion) will help.

One way or another, you end up in the Riftenveld estate. Marauders are waiting for you inside. The passage you need is hidden behind the “suspicious cabinet”. Watch your step. On the table you will find Mercer's plan, as well as a bust of the Gray Fox, which can be sold to Delvin at the guild. And also on the showcase - greetings from Oblivion! - glass sword of a unique blue color "Cooler"! Return to Brynjolf.

Revived triad
Talk to Karliah. Go to the meeting point at the standing stone. After the conversation, go to the Nightingale Hall. There you will have to use the Nightingale Armor Stone. Put on the received set and follow Karliah. It is impossible to refuse to take an oath - you will be doomed to guard the twilight tomb after death... that's the perspective. Stand in the marked circle. After the initiation, talk to Karliah. As you may have already guessed, Mercer Frey stole the Skeleton Key, the main artifact of Nocturnal. Since you are now the Nightingale, his protection falls on your shoulders.

Blindness
You need to go to Irkntand. By the way, the armor can already be removed. Outside you will meet bandits, and inside there will be Dwemer mechanisms. The lift will take you to the Great Hall, where Karliah and Brynjolf are already waiting for you. They will follow you further to meet Mercer. When you get into the hall with a shiny ceiling, there will be a lever at the top left. The second one is on the opposite side. You need to pull them quickly, otherwise the gate will close. There are a lot of Falmers here. The tower will collapse and you will have to climb up to continue the chase. In the next room there will be a Dwemer Centurion. You can just pass by if you can't win by force. In the next room there will be doors to the Slave Pens.
You will immediately find yourself in a torture chamber, from there into a corridor with fire traps and into the Falmer parking lot. From there you will get to the Sanctuary. Here Mercer picks out the eyes of a giant statue and then attacks you. Take the skeleton key and both Falmer eyes from his body, which you can sell to Delvin. The hall will quickly begin to flood with water. Stones will collapse from above and open a passage to the Bronze Water cave. Talk to Karliah.

A quick note regarding the Skeleton Key
According to the plot, you must abandon this miracle and return the artifact to its place... but is it worth it?
The Skeleton Key is essentially the Eternal Lockpick perk in the Hacking branch. To open it, you need to upgrade your hack to 100 and spend at least 6 perk points! Lockpicks stop breaking, and you throw the worry about their number out of your head.
Now imagine this: you quickly run through the Thieves Guild storyline until you receive the Skeleton Key. Now you don’t need to download Hack, at all!!! You save 6 perk points, a couple of hours of training and don't worry about the number of lockpicks!
If you want, you can save before completing the task Return of Twilight, go through it, watch the finale of a wonderful line of quests, and don’t give a damn about the funny spells that are given at the end. And then load the save and continue playing with the Skeleton Key! This can be considered mild cheating, but the decision is always yours.

Return of Twilight To return the guild's luck, you will have to participate in a special ritual test. Travel to the Twilight Tomb. You will be greeted by a ghostly nightingale guard. In a conversation, you can learn about Nystrom’s diary, who failed to complete the Pilgrim’s Path that you need to complete.
First test: battle with the ghosts of nightingales. Second test: Don't step into the rays of light, stick to the shadows. Test three: Pull the two rings on the sides of the statue. Test four: There are pitfalls to overcome. For example, by picking the lock of the door on the left. Test five: Enter the Inner Sanctum, jump down, you will find Anders' skeleton with a note. Wander around until the scene starts. Unlock the Black Lake Castle. The skeleton key will disappear. Nocturnal herself will appear and give a heartfelt speech. It is unclear where Karliah will appear from. You will be offered three abilities (Talents in the magic section) by standing on a certain circle on the floor:

• Full moon: Nightingale discord. Effect: Instantly absorbs 100 units. enemy's health.
• edge of the moon: Cloak of Shadows Nocturnal. Effect: When sneaking, you automatically become invisible for 120 seconds.
• Half moon:Nightingale deception. Effect: People and creatures in the area of ​​effect of the spell attack everyone in a row for 30 seconds.

Use the portal to exit the sanctuary. If you suddenly intend to use them, you can change the ability in a day, returning to the sanctuary.

However, to officially recognize you as the head of the thieves guild, you need to complete the tasks of Delvin Mallory and Vex, who live in the Ragged Flagon. It was possible to go through them much earlier, but they will be described here. Don't forget that you can take on two tasks at the same time - from both employers.

Delvin Mallory:

Numbers

You will need to quietly get close to the office book of a store to make changes there. It is enough to use it discreetly. Return to Delvin for your reward.

Fishing

Standard pickpocketing: there is an object whose pocket you need to steal some item from. Keep in mind that you will need a high pickpocket rate. Bring the item to Delvin.

You are tasked with robbing an entire city for a tidy sum! For example, scrolls are highly valued; you can cover the entire amount with one. Return to Delvin.

Vex:

Theft

A fairly routine burglary. You break into the desired house and take the desired item, drag it to Vex.

Toss

You need to get into the house and leave evidence in some chest. Return to Vex for money.

Cleaning

There is a house, and in the house there are several valuable items. You need to steal them all and bring Vex.

Robbery

Hacking safes in stores. Go into the store, quietly break into the safe, take the task object from there and take it to Vex. Requires high hacking skill.

There are also four tasks that can be obtained by completing 5 minor tasks in a certain city.
If the required task does not appear, reboot and take it again, they are completely random.
Also, after each quest, a new merchant will appear in the Wild Flask.
And there is one more small task from the Miscellaneous section, which can be obtained from Tonilla, about helping the Khajiit caravans.
Summerset Shadows
After completing 5 minor tasks in Windhelm, Delvin will give a special assignment regarding the newly appeared competitors. Travel to Windhelm and find Thorsten the Cruel Sea. He will talk about the tragic death of his daughter at the hands of the Altmer. Go to Niranya, she trades at the market during the day. Glad that you will not kill her, she will betray Linvi and his Altmer gang of marauders, calling themselves the Summerset Shadows, who live in the Talking Hills cave. There you will meet Summerset shadows and Linvi, from whose body you can remove the desired Fjotli silver pendant and unique leather armor. Return to Torsten the Cruel Sea and give the amulet. Now Niranya will buy stolen items from you.

"Picky Sload"

You must complete 5 small tasks in Solitude. Delvin Mallory will send you to Solitude to talk to the Erikur merchants. He will send you to the port to see Sabina Nitt, who hangs out on the ship Red Wave. For "Balmora blue", a rare smuggled drug, she will demand 1500 gold. But you can also steal the key to the chest from her, dive under the pier and get the goods yourself. Or even without stealing the key, but simply by opening the lock. Go to the ship "Finicky Sload". Throw "Balmora blue" into the captain's chest. There is also one of Barenziah's stones in the captain's quarters! Return to Erikur.

Manual amnesty
Complete 5 minor tasks in Whiterun.
Delvin Mallory will send you to Whiterun to talk to Olfrid the Son of Battle. He wants to get his friend out of prison. To do this, you will have to steal one letter and correct the documents. Go to Dragonsreach and make your way to the Jarl's chambers, nothing complicated. Return to Olfrid for your reward.

Silver blank
After you complete 5 random small tasks in Markarte, Delvin will send you to the jeweler Endon. A silver blank was stolen from him, and he asks you... to steal it back. Travel to Pine Outpost. In addition to the unusual silver blank, there is also one of Barenziah's stones. Also, those who like to read diaries will not be disappointed by the story of this small gang of robbers. Bring an unusual silver blank to Endon and he will begin to cooperate with the guild and buy stolen goods from you. A new merchant will also appear in the Wild Flask.

After completing all four city quests, as well as the storyline, including Return of Twilight, the final quest will begin:

Change of leadership
Return to the guild and talk to Brynjolf. Then stand in the center of the hall. After a short dialogue, talk to Brynjolf again. All that remains is to get the guild head’s armor from Tonilla.

May the shadows cover you!