I’m currently working through the Thieves Guild quest line in Oblivion and I’ve hit a wall at Ahdarji’s Heirloom. After talking to the countess, she mentioned she takes her ring off at night, so I searched her private chambers but couldn’t find it. I asked the beggars, and they directed me to her steward, but the jewelry box is still empty and the countess isn’t carrying the ring when I try to pickpocket her. Reloading to a previous save hasn’t worked either—I just boot back to the most recent one. I even tried killing someone to trigger the blood price, but S’Krivva and Armand seem totally oblivious. Am I completely stuck on the Thieves Guild quest?
2 Answers
One trick I’ve heard is to wait in the castle around 10 PM, then sneak around. There’s a secret room you can access that can help you avoid the guards. Unfortunately, this bug has been around for ages and is a pain! But if you crouch and wait until the guards leave, you might get a chance at the ring! Just try to be sneaky—sometimes you can wait after they leave if you’re hidden enough.
It sounds like a classic bug! Here’s the scoop: sometimes if you enter the castle during the countess’s monthly trip to Chorrol (between the 15th and 17th of each month), she doesn’t place her ring in the jewelry box as she should. You could try asking her where she keeps the ring and then waiting until she returns after her trip; she should place it in the box properly afterward. If that doesn’t work, toggling to a different quest might help the ring spawn back in. And if all else fails, an older save might be necessary. Also, if you’re on PC, using console commands could potentially fix the issue.
I’m on Xbox too, and she’s not on her trip! I’ve already tried a lot from UESP, hoping for some more options here.
Every time I try waiting, I get that ‘You can’t wait while you’re trespassing’ message. So frustrating!