The Thieves Guild questline in Skyrim is full of stealth, betrayal, and riches, but sometimes technical issues get in the way of your score. One notorious bug occurs during the quest ‘The Pursuit,’ where you must track down the Argonian Amusei in Markarth and investigate the body of Theranis. Some players know this as the ‘Larthjar glitch’ after a common spelling mistake, but the core problem is always the same. If Amusei refuses to lead you to the body, or the corpse is uninteractable, this guide will walk you through every reliable fix so you can keep chasing Mercer Frey.
How the Quest Is Supposed to Work
‘The Pursuit’ begins after you have finished snooping around Mercer Frey’s house in Riften. You learn that Mercer is hiding out in the Dwemer ruin of Irkngthand, but first you need a way in. The trail leads to Markarth, where a former associate of Mercer’s named Amusei can be found. He is an Argonian who lives in the Warrens, the city’s cramped underground slum. Once you locate him, a scripted conversation starts. Amusei will agree to help, but only after showing you the body of Theranis, a Dark Elf fence who was murdered by Mercer. Your task is to examine the corpse, which triggers Amusei to hand over a key and some important information, progressing the quest to its next stage.
This sequence is meant to be simple: find Amusei, follow him to the body, interact with it. But a handful of common bugs can bring everything to a screeching halt.
Common Symptoms of the Glitch
When the glitch strikes, you might see one or more of the following:
- Amusei stands still and does not move toward the body, even after you exhaust his dialogue.
- Theranis’s body is present but you cannot interact with it. No prompt appears, or the prompt appears but nothing happens.
- Amusei is completely missing from the Warrens, or he is stuck inside a wall or floor.
- You are stuck on the quest objective “Question Amusei” or “Examine Theranis’s body” despite having done everything correctly.
Step-by-Step Solutions
Try these fixes in order, from least invasive to most drastic. You will almost certainly find one that works.
Make Sure You Are Speaking to the Right NPC
Sometimes the game simply does not register that you have found Amusei, or the map marker leads you to the wrong spot. Amusei is always inside the Warrens in Markarth. The Warrens entrance is a door on the lower level of the city, near the water. Once inside, head down the central corridor. Amusei is usually standing near a small alcove with a body lying on a bedroll. If you cannot see him, wait in the area for a few in-game hours. He might be sleeping, stuck behind clutter, or just slow to load. You can also try leaving the Warrens entirely, wait for 24 hours, then re-enter to reset his position.
Force the Script to Advance
If Amusei is present but refuses to guide you to the body, try interacting with the corpse directly. Approach the body and look for any activation prompt. If nothing appears, try hitting the body with a weak weapon or using the Unrelenting Force shout to move it slightly. Sometimes repositioning the corpse is enough to snap the scripting back into place. As a last resort, if you have the Raise Zombie spell from the Conjuration school, cast it on Theranis’s body. The game may treat the reanimated corpse as a fresh target, enabling the interaction after the effect expires. Be aware that this can have unpredictable results and should be saved before trying.
Use Console Commands (PC Only)
If you are playing on PC, the command console is often the fastest way to break through quest bugs. Press the tilde key (~) to open the console. Then follow these steps carefully:
- Check Amusei’s status: Type
prid 000198E3and press Enter. Then typemoveto playerto teleport him right in front of you. This can fix him spawning inside geometry. - Advance the quest stage: Type
setstage TG08 55and press Enter. This should complete the “Examine Theranis’s body” objective and trigger Amusei to give you the next quest item. If that does not work, trysetstage TG08 60to skip a little further ahead. - Resurrect Theranis: Click on Theranis’s body with the console open so that his RefID appears. Then type
resurrectand press Enter. This forces the game to reload the NPC. You may then be able to interact with him. After you get the item, you can kill him again if needed, though it will not affect the quest.
Always save before using console commands, as they can sometimes cause unexpected side effects if the wrong value is entered.
Reload an Earlier Save or Restart the Quest
If all else fails, your best bet is to go back to a save from before you entered the Warrens for the first time. Many triggers in this quest are very sensitive to the order in which you do things. If you sprinted ahead, explored too far, or accidentally hit Amusei, the script may have broken permanently for that play session. Reloading an older save gives the game a fresh chance to load everything correctly. For PC users, you can also restart the entire quest stage by typing resetquest TG08 in the console, but this will wipe all progress on ‘The Pursuit’ and may affect other Thieves Guild quests. Only use it as a last resort.
Preventing the Glitch in Future Playthroughs
Bethesda games are known for their quirks, but a few habits can dramatically lower your chances of encountering this bug. First, always install the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (or the equivalent for your version). It fixes thousands of scripting errors, including several related to Amusei and the Warrens scene. Second, quicksave before entering any new area that contains a major quest NPC. Third, walk rather than sprint during scripted moments, and let dialogue play out fully before moving on. While not foolproof, these steps will help you avoid many headaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the quest ‘The Pursuit’ about?
‘The Pursuit’ is the ninth quest in the main Thieves Guild storyline. After discovering Mercer Frey’s betrayal, you track him to the snowy ruins of Irkngthand. Before entering, you must get information from Amusei in Markarth, which leads you to the body of Theranis.
Where exactly is Amusei in Markarth?
Amusei is inside the Warrens. The entrance is a door on the lowest level of Markarth, just past the marketplace near the water. Inside, follow the path down and look for an Argonian standing by a dead body on a bedroll. The map marker should point straight to him once the quest updates.
The body is there but I can’t interact with it. What can I do?
Try clicking on the body even without a prompt. If that fails, use Unrelenting Force to push it, or cast a reanimation spell on it. On PC, use the console command setstage TG08 55 to manually advance the quest.
Can I use console commands on PS4 or Xbox?
No. Console commands are only available on the PC version of Skyrim. On consoles, you must rely on reloading saves, the Unofficial Patch, or trying the in-game workarounds described above.
Will the Unofficial Skyrim Patch fix this glitch?
Yes. The Unofficial Patch resolves many scripting issues in ‘The Pursuit,’ including the Amusei and Theranis bug. It is highly recommended for all players, regardless of platform.
I’m stuck after examining the body. What next?
After you successfully interact with Theranis’s corpse, Amusei should give you a dialogue option to receive a key and a message. If he does not, try talking to him multiple times, or walk away and return. If still stuck, use setstage TG08 60 on PC. On console, reloading an older save is the safest bet.
With these fixes, you should be able to move past the Amusei and Theranis glitch and continue your quest to bring down Mercer Frey. Remember to save often in Bethesda games, and if all else fails, the console is your best friend on PC.
