I've read a lot about bugs with the two forsworn-related quests in Markath, mainly that completing them will result in Markarth guards constantly harassing you and trying to send you to jail, even after you have paid any bounty and served your time.

From what I've read, it sounds like this happens every time, but I could be wrong about that. Is it possible to do these quests without effectively having to sneak around Markarth all the time or be hassled by guards? Are there any particular choices in these quests more or less likely to cause this to happen?

Yup, if you don't want to be hassled by the guards, kill the Forsworn before you leave the mine.

There is a way, and The Tallest might be giving the right answer. My main character got through it fine without glitching. I can't tell you how though. Why can't I tell you how? I don't remember any part of that quest, I was piss drunk when I did it. But it is possible to complete without the guards attacking you in the end.

I finished these quests without any trouble from the guards afterwards. I killed that main dude in the mine and escaped on my own. Didn't kill any of the other forsworn on the way out.

Finished it without any bugs, escaped together with the Forsworn fromm Cidhna Mine, just didnt participate in the Fight in town afterwards,

Out of all of my characters, only one has had that glitch. Simply save before you do the quest and reload it if you get the bug. It doesn't happen every time.

This bug only occurs if you attack a guard after your escape. Simply leave it to the forsworn and the guards will be hunky dory with you.

Thanks. After reading the skyrim wiki it made it seem like it was almost unavoidable.

Actually, this makes perfect sense now and doesn't seem like a glitch. If you attack a guard and help the forsworn escape...you'd be considered a forsworn, right? So the guards would continue to harass you. I don't think this is a glitch, in all honesty.

It is a glitch and does happen to everyone just not on the same level there are two types of people coming out of the mines

type 1, those who did not fight along side the forsworn they are free to come and go in the city, but if they get caught committing even the smallest of crimes the entire cidhna mine loop starts all over again forcing a reload of the previous save.

type 2, those that fought along side the forsworn when leaving the mine, and cant step into the city without getting attacked and starting the loop over again.

Here is a fix that will work for both types of people.

To fix on XBox and PS3, make sure your level is high enough and enter Markarth. Upon entering the city, do not have any guards spot you, and enter the Shrine of Talos. The three guards from the previous quest "The Forsworn Conspiracy," will still be there, and the middle guard will engage in the same conversation as at the end of that quest. The other two guards will attack you, and because you are in conversation, there is no way to fight back, so be prepared. Answer the guard with "You're corrupt, Thonar is paying you," and then again with "Fine, I'll come quietly." The guard will then do nothing, so heal yourself. After a few seconds, the same guard will attempt to arrest you, and give you the option to pay off your bounty

These guards will be there regardless if you killed them during the first encounter or not they respawn.

See:


Seems there is some controversy here - it sounds like the poster below helped the forsworn, and is not having any trouble with the guards.


Personally I think it is a glitch, considering there are even some people who never do anything with the quest other than see the murder and get approached by Eltrys, and even they get hassled by the guards sometimes. Also, the fact that the entire quest is started automatically as a scripted event when you enter Markarth. I don't think a quest that could prevent you from becoming Thane or completing several other quests within Markarth would be automatically started upon entering the town.

its a glitch for sure as I was able to walk around the city after and do quests for the Jarl he even apologized to be for me being locked up, they I get caught pickpocketing someone and the entire loop starts over. I had to reload. I did the fix, paid my fine 1000 gold and now I am free to do what I want in the city like the cidhna mine even never happened other than the off comment from the locals.

Kill Madanoch before talking to him in the Mine. Seriously. That's what I did. My character wanted nothing to do with him, so she shanked him with the shiv.

I have this bad glitch as well, but how do you manage to enter Markarth unnoticed by guards?? Cause when i fast travel to Markarth i spawn near the main gate and there's guard standing all the time at the gate:/

Does he drop the key to the Dwaven ruins, or can you out past the guards and get your stuff back?
I just did this quest for the first time and accidently lept to my death when I got out to markarth and it reloaded me back to my last save(the start of being in the mine/prison). Glad I noticed this thread.

Never had a problem after both quests if I follow the Forsworn and scape the mine with them.

However, with my current character I killed Madanach and then escaped the mine alone. Now if I am taken to jail in Markath, all the prisoners in the mine are hostile and attack me as soon as I am there. Being completely naked with no weapons or armor, it is difficult to survive there, specially due to some of them being able to use magic. You can run, grab a picaxe and along with shouts weil away at them.

I don't know about the key other than the one to the barred gates that lead out. You should get your stuff back as soon as you exit.

But here is the thing. When the guards starts harassing you they will keep repeating the same sentences. Just like this on my required character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BmI9VbKbf4

This is indeed a bad glitch. The guards will not toss you in jail either.

This just occured to me, is Thonar Silverblood kill-able if I off Madanoch instead of letting Thonar get killed by him. Before the game came out they said you could kill anyone but I keep running into NPC's that just fall down on one knee until they regen health and, Thonar seems like he'd be an invincible NPC since he's quest related.

This is what worked on multiple times for me. Just leave with the Foresworn but stay out of the fight and wait 1 hour before walking around town and you should be fine

The only issues I ever had with the quest on 360 was when I returned the Shrine of Talos for the last time and the guards accosted me for snooping around, and I chose to kill as many guards as possible before getting arrested. I'm fairly certain that if you don't kill the guards in the shrine and just go quietly, the quest won't bug out on you.

I only had problems if I tried to return to the Shrine of Talos.

Have y'all read the dates of the posts to which y'all are replying? The recent question(s) was (were):

Does he drop the key to the Dwaven ruins, or can you out past the guards and get your stuff back?

Yes, you are able to kill Thonar after completing Cidhna Mine and killing Madanoch. Other than getting a little lip from that ignorant **** Lisbet, you shouldn't have any problems. I've done these quests this way practically every time.

Cool thanks for the tip.

lol sorry for the necro I been doing that lately, just easier to bring up an old topic than rephrase a new one.