Online:Everyone Has A Price

Walks-Softly wants to teach someone a lesson... Faction: Thieves Guild Quest Giver: Message from Walks-Softly in the Thieves Den Location(s): Abah's Landing, Velmont Estate, Shark's Teeth Grotto Prerequisite Quest: Shell Game Reward: Unidentified Bahraha's Curse Amulet Average Leveled Gold 10 Reputation XP Gain: Standard XP ID: 5570

"That's preposterous. She's not worth half that much."

Walks-Softly wants some more of my help with the situation involving his old friend, Anais Velmont. The letter he left indicates he's come up with a solution that he wants to run by me.

Quick Walkthrough

1. Meet Walks-Softly near the docks.
2. Observe the discussion and speak to Walks-Softly.
3. Break into Velmont Estate and place the forged letters.
4. Return to the Thieves Den.
5. Travel to Shark's Teeth Grotto.
6. Meet Walks-Softly inside the grotto and decide how to proceed.
7. Meet Walks-Softly back at the Thieves Den.

Detailed Walkthrough

Meet Walks-Softly near the docks

You can find a letter addressed to you from Walks-Softly.

[PlayerName],
"I must once again ask you for your help and advice. I have a solution to the situation with my old friend, but it's hard to explain. I'd prefer to show you in person instead of writing the details here."

<Continue reading.>

"Meet me near the docks. You can find me in one of the warehouses overlooking the waterfront. I'll see you there and explain everything.
—Walks-Softly"

Go to Walks-Softly, who will be located inside a building near the docks marked on your map. Upon entering, Anais Velmont will be shouting angrily that Walks-Softly won't get away with this while being tied up in the back. Talk to Walks-Softly. He will tell you he figured out the best way to teach Anais a lesson and that you will understand shortly. He will then tell you to watch what happens, and starts talking to Anais acting like you came to bring a response to a ransom. Although Anais will first still act angry, she soon becomes scared when Walks-Softly tells her they told him "she wasn't worth half that". Figuring she won't be saved by the mansion guards, she tried to use her family pressure asking Walks-Softly to ask her mother for the ransom, which he declines as impossible, causing Anais to become even more scared. After this, speak to Walks-Softly again.

Break into Velmont Mansion and place the forged letters

Walks-Softly tells you he wants Anais to see that people aren't property and that they shouldn't be sold, traded or turned into slaves. If asked, he will also explain that the ransom was made up to scare her, and that in reality, no one knows she's missing— and he'd like to keep it that way. To prevent her family agents from coming to look for her, he asks you to plant some forged letters in the Velmont mansion. That way, he hopes he can earn some time to teach Anais a lesson by keeping her trapped and powerless, hoping it changed her outlook on keeping pets and slaves. He'll tell you to meet him at the Thieves Den after you're done.

Go to the Velmont Mansion. Note that the door is locked again, so make sure to bring lockpicks with you.

Once inside, first take the stairs in the front-left of you. Be careful of Percy Velmont downstairs, as well as the guard upstairs. When the guard is to the back, climb into the basket and wait for the guard to walk the other way. Get out of the basket, plant the letter on the table, then go back the way you came. After this, move to the courtyard.

To plant the second letter, go into the hallway on your left, and go into the Velmont Suites. Go upstairs, plant the letter on the Steward's Desk, and leave the way you left. There are two possible witnesses in this room, but both should be easy enough to avoid.

For the last part, move to the door on the other side of the courtyard. Enter the Family Gallery, which is right across from Anais' room (which you visited on the previous quest). Sneak upstairs, plant the letter on the Dressing Table, and leave. Again, this room has two possible witnesses, one of which a guard, but they shouldn't be too hard to avoid.

After you've planted all the fabricated evidence, leave the Velmont Mansion and return to the Thieves Den.

Shark's Teeth Grotto

Back in the Thieves Den, you'll find another letter from Walks-Softly.

"Urgent Message from Walks-Softly"

[PlayerName],
"While we where both attending to other matters, that special shipment from my past was discovered and absconded with by pirates. I have to rescue her!
Contacts throughout Abah's Landing have told me that the shipment has been taken to Shark's Teeth Grotto. I'm heading there immediately. If you have the inclination, I wouldn't turn down your help.
—Walks-Softly"

Go to Shark's Teeth Grotto. Anais will be on the highest level. If you haven't done so yet, this might be a good time to simultaneously do The Sharks Teeth, which can be obtained from Shalug the Shark at the beginning of the delve. In either case, ascend the grotto, either by following the delve quest's objectives or heading north through the cave system, until you reach Walks-Softly, who stands crouched between a bridge and a door. Alternatively, fight your way down to the right passage until it opens up to the sky where a skyshard can be seen to the left— go right, then cross the bridge nearby. Note that the objective marker will wrongly tell you to go back, even after talking to Walks-Softly. However way you get to the Argonian, talk to him.

Walks-Softly will tell you Anais is in the building behind him. You can either try and pick the lock on the door yourself or find a key to the door from one of the pirates. If you found the key already, you will be able to give it to him right away, after which you will be told to unlock the door.

After entering the Pirate Hide-Out, a scene will play out: Anais will be mad and blame Walks-Softly for the situation, clearly not having learned the lesson Walks-Softly had hoped she learned. Talk to Walks-Softly again, who will tell you he's not sure how to proceed. At this point, you need to make a choice. Set Anais free, or leave her so she can learn what it's like to be a slave. After you made your choice, Walks-Softly will follow your suggestion, and you will need to speak to him once more in the Thieves Den to finish the quest.

If Anais was left behind, you will learn that the pirates demanded a large ransom for her which is yet to be paid. And if you suggested she be set free, Walks will have kept his word and escorted her back home, he believes she is planning revenge.

Regardless of your choice, you can also find Pimsy at the Den, as the forged letters you placed allowed him to be freed.

Notes

• Prior to Update 39, this quest required you to have reached Thieves Guild Rank 6.
• The Urgent Message from Walks-Softly lacks the typical golden glow of readable notes.
  • Unlike most quest items, this note when seen in the inventory lacks a description.
• Although you are able to read the individual letters after placing them, doing so will likely get you caught by one of the guards or at least earn you a bounty from one of the servants. They can be found here:
  • Letter to Percy Velmont
  • Orders from Lady Anais
  • Travel Itinerary
    • The letters can be also be read before placing them by accessing them in your quest items.
• Despite Walks-Softly stating in his urgent message that he has gone to the grotto to go rescue Anais, he will still be present during main Thieves Guild quests.
• The key to the locked room where Anais is being held can be obtained from First Mate Rodros or any Wake Walker pirates in the delve.
  • The locked door is blue, on the right side of the map - upper level.
• If Anais is left behind at the Grotto, she can later be found there. She will now have an eyepatch and a change in outlook, though she still feels abandoned.
  • If Walks-Softly instead sets Anais free, she can later be found outside her home. She claims that while she isn't prepared to shut down the family business, she now understands the need for compassion at times.

Bugs

• Leaving the Pirate Hide-Out (the room Anais is locked behind) before talking to Walks-Softly will make the door you just entered inaccessible. ^?
  • Relogging the character will allow you to unlock the door again, and replay the scene between Anais and Walks-Softly
• Anais Velmont's dialogue when entering the warehouse has no audio to match the subtitles. ^?
• In Shark's Teeth Grotto, an objective marker appears above Walks-Softly, instead of on the door referenced in the objective. However, outside of dialogue information, he doesn't play a role in getting the door opened as he cannot pick the lock and the key he lets you use yourself. ^?

Quest Stages

Everyone Has A Price
Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
	I need to meet Walks-Softly in a warehouse near the docks to find out about the solution he's come up with for dealing with his old friend, Anais Velmont. Objective: Meet Walks-Softly Near the Docks
	I should watch Walks-Softly as he interacts with Anais Velmont so I can see what he's planning to do. Objective: Observe Walks-Softly's Plan
	It appears that Walks-Softly has kidnapped Anais and asked for a ransom to be paid. I'm not sure how this teaches her the lesson that Walks-Softly keeps talking about. I should speak to him and find out what he's actually thinking. Objective: Talk to Walks-Softly
	Walks-Softly wants to keep Anais's family from looking for her while he teaches her a lesson. He asked me to plant these letters he forged in the Velmont Mansion to explain her absence. Objective: Plant the Travel Itinerary Objective: Plant the Letter to Percy Velmont Objective: Plant the Orders from Lady Anais
	Walks-Softly requested that I meet him back in the Thieves Den after I delivered the forged letters to the Velmont Mansion. Objective: Return to the Thieves Den
	Walks-Softly left me another message. This one indicates that pirates have taken Anais Velmont captive and spirited her to Shark's Teeth Grotto. I should head to the grotto and help Walks-Softly rescue his old friend. Objective: Rescue Anais Velmont from Shark's Teeth Grotto Objective Hint: Get Past the Locked Door
	I arrived to find Walks-Softly talking with Anais Velmont. I should listen to their exchange. Objective: Observe Walks-Softly's Discussion
	Walks-Softly located Anais in the pirate hide-out in Shark's Teeth Grotto. I should find out how he wants to proceed. Objective: Talk to Walks-Softly
Finishes quest	(If you told Walks-Softly to teach Anais a lesson) I convinced Walks-Softly to leave Anais with the pirates to teach her a lesson. I should go back to the Thieves Den and meet up with Walks-Softly so that we can put this despicable business behind us. Objective: Meet Walks-Softly at the Thieves Den
Finishes quest	(If you told Walks-Softly to rescue Anais) I convinced Walks-Softly to rescue Anais from the pirates and escort her safely back to her estate. I should go back to the Thieves Den and meet up with Walks-Softly so that we can put this despicable business behind us. Objective: Meet Walks-Softly at the Thieves Den

Notes

* Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the game and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.

• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.