The issues with the Guild settled, Brynjolf took over as leader of the group at base. Karliah also decided to stay with the Guild but handles most of the travelling. That leaves me free to pursue my other duties. I am the Harbinger and the Arch Mage, after all. Still, there's opportunity to help the Guild with general larceny and fixing ledgers to hide the Guild's activities.
While heading out from Riften one night, I encounter a worker-woman, who begged me for a curative potion. I always have a couple on hand so I gave her one. After she calmed down, the woman - Wujeeta - claimed that she had to purge herself of Skooma symptoms before her turn up at work, or she'll be fired. Skooma addiction, in Riften? The Guild would want to stop this... (they're thieves, not drug dealers)
I pressured Wujeeta to reveal her source before I headed to the Jarl with the information.
The Jarl Laila is aware of the Skooma sellers plying their trade in Riften, but she had so far been unsuccessful in shutting down the operation. Sarthis Idren, the slippery Skooma dealer here in Riften, has informants in the Jarl's guard, and so was able to escape and restart his trade after every sting. If someone trustworthy outside of the guard is to confront Sarthis Idren alone, however... The Jarl need not say more.
Sarthis didn't see me coming. As luck would have it, I found a letter on his body that pins the Skooma refiners at Cragslane Cavern, a short distance north of Riften. I rooted out the Skooma makers once and for all before reporting back to the Jarl.
Hearing of my success, the Jarl Laila is grateful and eager to grant me title as Thane of Riften, allowing me to buy property in town and access to a housecarl. With the Guild based here, I thought it fitting to own property in town too.
I also helped another Riften local - Mjoll the Lioness - to retrieve her glass sword, Grimsever. Mjoll lost the weapon when her expedition to Mzinchaleft, a Dwemer ruin, went south. Mjoll nearly lost her life there, and had never gotten over the loss. Despite her views about the Guild's influence in town, a fine warrior like Mjoll deserves her weapon back - and she doesn't need to know that a leader of the Guild had a hand in returning it.
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