Skyrim:Hired Muscle

This page is currently being rewritten as part of the Skyrim Quest Redesign Project. The page is being rewritten and checked in several stages. All users are welcome to make changes to the page. If you make a change that is relevant to the project, please update this template accordingly, and make sure you have observed the project guidelines.   Detail Walkthrough: written by multiple users, not checked Objectives: written by NepheleBot, not checked Reward: not written

This article could benefit from an image. See Help:Images for information on how to upload images. Please remove this template from the page when finished.

Fulfill a contract for the Companions to bring a citizen back in line. Quest Giver: Farkas Location(s): Whiterun, Jorrvaskr Prerequisite Quest: Take Up Arms Reward: Gold ID: CR04

Quick Walkthrough

1. Speak to the assigned target.
2. Brawl with them to send a message, but don't kill them.
3. Return to Farkas.

Detailed Walkthrough

Note: it is best to complete this quest as soon as possible after receiving it, because many of the quest targets can possibly die (either through random or scripted events), at which point it becomes impossible to ever complete the quest or take any other jobs for the Companions.

Farkas has gotten word that a citizen has been causing trouble for someone in their city. He needs you to go and rough up that person in order to bring them back in line. Farkas will remind you that you are just to send them a message, not to kill them.

The possible targets include more than 400 different NPCs, encompassing nearly every citizen in Skyrim. The NPC will be located in a hold that you have previously visited, so early in the game you may only be given NPCs living in Whiterun Hold, but later in the game there are many more possible options. The NPC may live in a city, town, or a remote settlement.

Once you have traveled to the target's location, talk to them and select the dialogue option to brawl with them. It is best to start the brawl in an area with as few other NPCs as possible. In particular, it is best to have any follower wait in a different room. You may not use any weapons, magic, or shouts during a brawl. Winning a brawl gains you the respect of your adversary, as their disposition toward you will become more favorable afterwards. If anyone else becomes hostile as a result of your brawling, you should be able to run to a guard and yield to him, clearing any hostility.

If you kill the target, you will still complete the quest. The quest is marked as "Failed" in your quest journal, but it is no longer active, and you will be allowed to pursue other jobs in the Companions questline. Farkas will not be pleased, and you will receive a decreased amount of gold for your reward.

Return to Farkas for a gold reward.

Notes

• If your target is someone you can fight for money, you can collect a reward from them after the fight, even if you've already won a bet with them previously.

Bugs

• If one of the targets dies before you get the quest, you can no longer finish the quest or take any other jobs. You can reload a save before taking the contract, or PC users can type Setstage cr04 100 into the console.
• Some targets reside in locations that require you to trespass. In these cases, your target's dialogue will constantly loop "You're not supposed to be in here" and not allow you to initiate the brawl, rendering the quest impossible to complete correctly. One solution to this problem is to assault the target and then run to a non-trespassing location out in public, where the target (and perhaps others) will follow you. If your character is an Imperial, you may then calm the target (and, if applicable, the group of people now assaulting you) by using the Voice of the Emperor power. If your character is not an Imperial, you may be successful in stopping the hostility by sheathing your weapon (yielding). Alternatively, you may approach a guard and go to jail for the assault, but hurry back to the fight location before the target has returned to the trespassing zone.
  • You may clear the quest from your active questlist by killing the target and thus failing the quest. After killing the target, return to Farkas and he will give you a lesser amount of gold for your payment before allowing you to take another job.

Quest Stages

Hired Muscle (CR04)
Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry
10		<Alias=Brute> has been causing trouble for someone around <Alias=BruteTown>. I need to rough <Alias.PronounObj=Brute> up to remind <Alias.PronounObj=Brute> of <Alias.PronounPosObj=Brute> obligations. (Objective is assigned): Intimidate <Alias=Brute> in <Alias=BruteTown>
20		<Alias=Brute> won't be causing as much trouble for <Alias=BruteTown>. (Objective is assigned): Return to <Alias.ShortName=Questgiver>
30		I got carried away and killed <Alias=Brute>.
40		<Alias=Brute> was killed, through no fault of my own.
100

• The following empty quest stages were omitted from the table: 0, 1, 105, 200, 250

 

Notes

• Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the Radiant Quest system, 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.
• If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
• On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage CR04 stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages, but it is possible to clear all stages of the quest using resetquest CR04.