Skyrim:Riften

Riften
Riften in The Rift hold (view on map)
RiftenOrigin
Government
Mistveil Keep Riften Jail
Inns
The Bee and Barb The Ragged Flagon
Shops and Services
Black-Briar Meadery Elgrim's Elixirs Honorhall Orphanage Pawned Prawn Riften Stables The Scorched Hammer
Guilds and Temples
Hall of the Dead Temple of Mara Thieves Guild
Houses
Aerin's House Beggar's Row Black-Briar Manor Bolli's House Haelga's Bunkhouse Honeyside (for sale) Marise Aravel's House Riftweald Manor Romlyn Dreth's House Snow-Shod Manor Valindor's House
Other
The Ratway Riften Fishery Riften Warehouse

Riften

Riften is the capital city of the Rift, located in the southeast corner of the hold. The city lies near the borders of both Morrowind and Cyrodiil, and is home to the Thieves Guild, who inhabit the sewers beneath Riften known as the Ratway. Honorhall Orphanage is located in the city, as well as Mistveil Keep, the jarl's residence.

When you come to Riften for the first time, the guards will tell you to head to the north gate, where you need to pay a tax before entering the city. You can choose to pay the tax (the amount depends on the level of your character), or try to persuade or intimidate the guards, convincing them to open the door for free. Another option is to commit a crime and be arrested. You will be taken to the city's jail inside the walls, and released outside the jail, or you can escape. Or you can enter from the Black-Briar Meadery's back door (near the western gate), or through the sewer grate next to the docks that leads into the jail. Alternately, with a good enough pickpocket level, one can steal the key off of the guard demanding pay.

The market at Riften Grand Plaza is made up of stalls run by a few of Riften's citizens: Madesi, an Argonian jeweler whom you can assist in finding materials for his jewelry; Grelka, a cranky armor merchant who offers expert Light Armor training; Brand-Shei, an Argonian-raised Dunmer who sells a little bit of everything, and Marise Aravel, who sells fresh meat and produce. Brynjolf, a merchant of ill-repute, can also be found here. Down on the lower decks near the canals is Elgrim's Elixirs, which is run by Elgrim and his wife Hafjorg. The forge is run by Balimund, who seems quite proud of his work, along with his apprentice Asbjorn Fire-Tamer. The Pawned Prawn is run by Bersi Honey-Hand and his wife, Drifa. Finally, there's the Black-Briar Meadery and the town inn, the Bee and Barb, which is run by Keerava and Talen-Jei.

Riften is also home to a powerful noble family, the Black-Briars. Maven, the head of the family, owns the Black-Briar Meadery, and has ties to the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood. According to Maul, "If she tells you to do something, you damn well better do exactly what she says", indicating that she is not someone to trifle with.

For more historical information on Riften, see the lore article.

Quests Starting Here

Most of the Thieves Guild quests start here. For details, see its page.

Thane

• I Done Got Thaned!

Divine

• The Book of Love

Daedric

• A Night To Remember (one of several possible start locations)

Other

• Unfathomable Depths
• Promises to Keep

Map

1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 11 12 9 11 13 1 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 20 22 1 23 24 25 26 26 Map of Riften

Skyrim Bolli's House Aerin's House Haelga's Bunkhouse Beggar's Row Honeyside Snow-Shod Manor Elgrim's Elixirs The Bee and Barb The Pawned Prawn Riftweald Manor Black-Briar Meadery Marise Aravel's House The Ratway Temple of Mara The Scorched Hammer Valindor's House Hall of the Dead The Ragged Flagon - Cistern Black-Briar Manor Romlyn Dreth's House Honorhall Orphanage Mistveil Keep Riften Jail Mistveil Keep Jarl's Chambers Mistveil Keep Barracks

• Each white dot (or pog) corresponds directly to a door. All doors are numbered and relate to a Key on the side of the map.

Notes

• If the Rift is transferred to Imperial control during Season Unending, you may find Imperial soldiers fighting with one or more Riften guards.
• After completing A Chance Arrangement, there is a 20% chance of encountering a thief inside one of the stores or houses.
• There are many barrels in Riften containing raw meat or fish, in addition to numerous salt piles.
• Riften also appears in Arena and ESO.

Bugs

• Attempting to persuade the guard to enter Riften always succeeds.
  • PC Only This bug is fixed by version 1.3.0 of the Unofficial Skyrim Patch.
• If the Empire takes Riften, you will routinely see the new Imperial guards fighting with Stormcloak guards who weren't disabled properly, similar to Sarethi Farm. You will receive a bounty if you try to intervene. ^?