Skyrim talk:To Kill an Empire

No Quest Dialogue

Gianna does not engage in quest dialogue with me--she says the beginning of it, the "oh I had no idea...the gourmet...its just..." and then the dialogue ends and I have no opportunity to continue it. I was wearing the chef's hat during the dialogue. My character IS a vampire, so I wonder if that might play a role in it? But I tried talking to her as a level 1 vampire with the same result, so I don't know what the problem is... — Unsigned comment by 35.40.140.154 (talk) at 19:56 on 17 November 2011

Answer from Angadialas:

you need to be of norma race, you cannot be a vampire and probably not a werwolf or other. The system recognizes only pure races and even if you have orc, nord, imperial, dark elf or something like that written in char chart in reality the system has a hidden "vmpire' "werewolf" as the race. The system doesn't recognize it and ends the conversation because it cannot proceed with the righ dialogue option. — Unsigned comment by 212.49.43.28 (talk) at 13:22 on 18 November 2011

With regards to werewolves, that's untrue. As a dark elf/werewolf character I managed to complete the quest just fine with all of her dialog. It may still apply to vampires however. 71.227.218.35 07:47, 25 November 2011 (UTC)

I had no issues completing the quest as a vampire, so it shouldn't be that.--Kuribattaraya 17:20, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

I had this same bug. I'm not sure what's causing it, but for those wishing to bypass it, opening the console and typing: "player.setstage DB09 30" (without the quotes) will get you to through that particular dialog. — Unsigned comment by 74.182.173.192 (talk) at 08:29 on 28 November 2011

I had this same bug as a Vampire. After reading this page, I went and cured my Vampirism, and was able to get past this point fine. It seems that being a Vampire definitely can cause this quest to glitch out, so I'm not sure why others have had no issues completing it as a Vampire... Dan 9410 23:32, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

I can confirm the Vampire glitch. Just went through it myself on the 360. Had to reload an earlier save and cure myself first. It turned out right where the glitch occurs Gianna makes a comment about the race of the gourmet. If you are indeed tagged "vampire" as earlier suggested the game I guess can't read your race (sorry not up on computer talk). Perhaps its not the same for Werewolf's because you actually have to transform from normal where as a Vampire is constantly some degree of Vampire. Someone else may wish to confirm the werewolf theory. --Jonny Bravo 05:33, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I just completed this quest as a vampire. It worked fine. On my first play through I was a werewolf and that worked fine too. Kimi the Elf 09:20, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

I think this is possibly an early glitch that's been fixed in current patches, given that I've played this both as a werewolf and a vampire without any problems. --Morrolan (talk) 18:39, 24 January 2013 (GMT)

According to the following note on the Bethsoft.com support page, this has been fixed with a patch: When playing as a vampire, Gianna will not finish her dialogue and halt the quest. If your character is a vampire, Gianna will not finish her dialogue, and you will be trapped in Solitude Castle Dour and you will be unable to progress through the quest. You should load a save made prior to entering the Solitude Castle Dour during To Kill An Empire, and cure your character of vampirism before proceeding. Issue resolved by downloading the latest title update. --Blackpete (talk) 03:23, 8 May 2013 (GMT)

I am a Khajiit and it WON'T LET ME CHAT TO HER!!! PLEASE HELP! i had same problem but now i cant do it had to lad to before i was in darbrotherhood makes me mad.

I had the same problem with being a Khajiit. I have no clue how to fix it.Lostinthedark (talk) 02:46, 18 October 2015 (UTC)

Doors Locked

The doors are locked and i cannot leave the builing, so i cant cure vampirism i need help (360) — Unsigned comment by 184.79.220.100 (talk) at 09:04 on 2 December 2011

Guard in Whiterun

I was in Whiterun when I had this quest active. One of the city guards told me "I know who you are" and then later whispers something with regard to the assassination plot. It came and went very fast and I didn't get everything she said. Couldn't tell if she was trying to clue me in to the double-cross or not. Bootstomp 07:46, 6 December 2011 (UTC)

I get that alot it is unrelated to the quest. However I think it is related to the dark brotherhood (or maybe the thieves guild?) Kimi the Elf 04:56, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

I think the line is "I know you are, _hail sithis!_", where the second part is whispered (so often difficult to make out) -- Haravikk (talk) 18:31, 10 November 2012 (GMT)

Gianna

After killing the emperor, I killed everyone else around (more loot...) However, you can't kill Gianna, but if you hail her she'll say "Keep it together Gianna!" It's very funny. Bootstomp 07:50, 6 December 2011 (UTC)

This is a part of the brotherhood quest if you recall astrid metions going to all the holds and spreading lies about the commander of the oculatus to throw everyone off of the scent of the brotherhood. — Unsigned comment by 31.200.141.99 (talk) at 20:32 on 23 April 2012

No Poison?

Never received the poison vial from Astrid and therefore couldn't poison the meal. I ended up just hitting the emperor with an arrow but still i was a little disappointed. Everything else played out the right way. — Unsigned comment by 98.125.136.47 (talk) at 01:31 on 17 December 2011

It's not a poison vial, but Jarrin Root. In your inventory it's under Ingredients. — Unsigned comment by 86.177.252.47 (talk) at 15:44 on 19 December 2011

Commander Maro

I attempted to speak with Commander Maro (or is it Mora?), and every time that I attempt it he automatically attacks me. At first, I had Lucien with me and they both automatically attacked one another. After Lucien was defeated, Maro came after me. He is un-killable, so I had to run out of his visual zone. I then attempted again after he had stopped chasing me, this time without Lucien, and he again attacked me without me provoking him at all (maybe I'm just really ugly to look at).

Xbox 360, btw. — Unsigned comment by 98.31.57.253 (talk) at 21:48 on 22 December 2011

To Kill What Empire?

I finished recipe for disaster but then never got the next quest, and no one in the dark brotherhood has any other dialogue options other then "tell me a little about yourself". I tried the setstage DB09 command to force the quest on me but no luck. any ideas? — Unsigned comment by 70.66.197.143 (talk) at 02:10 on 24 December 2011

I had a similar problem, after hours of trying different possible solutions I came up with a fix. I have amended this to the "bugs" section of the article. 121.44.151.140 13:54, 4 March 2012 (UTC)Smashfist

No Bounty?

Is it possible to complete this quest without getting the bounty? My current assassin char has over 100 murders with 0 life time bounty. I would like to keep it that way, but I also want to do the DB quests with her as well. — Kimi the Elf ^{(talk | contribs)} 01:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

I have a theory that if you turn into a werewolf before crossing the bridge it could prevent you from getting a bounty.--Vukodlak 18:56, 6 May 2012 (UTC)

Worth a shot but the bounty might be scripted to be placed on the player. It could work though. RIM 18:58, 6 May 2012 (UTC)

So I tried wolfing out in fact your forced back to human form when Maro appears. So the answers is you can't even be in wolf form when it happens. --Vukodlak 22:55, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

I think it may be worth noting somewhere (on the crimes article?) which quests lead to unavoidable bounties. Although this is the only quest I can think of where the bounty can't be avoided... --172.129.126.72 05:15, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

Finishing the quest The Forsworn Conspiracy, you get an automatic 1000 gold bounty added to The Reach due to you murdering all of those innocent people. Or so the guards say. This is the only other quest I personally know that does this, or at least if not it makes sense as my Breton hasn't been stopped by any guard in any hold for murder. --70.236.41.187 05:13, 12 November 2012 (GMT)

This part of the article is either unclear or contains an error.

"If you are a Thane of Haafingar, you can use the one-time privilege of Thanes to avoid the fine for free, provided you have not already used it; however, you must first finish the quest, and you cannot avoid the fine when you are escaping Solitude. Killing the Penitus Oculatus Agents will erase your bounty."

I am not a thane. I replayed this several times, first killing only the 3 agents on the bridge and no one else, and then where I also killed everyone inside the interior where the emperor dies. In both cases I still acquired a bounty. Does the second sentence mean that if one is the thane AND kills the agents the bounty is erased? Or is it just incorrect? I really don't want the bounty, thanks.

(←) It appears that the bridge-bounty is scripted. The AOE destruction spell method as currently highlighted on the main page does stop the "cutscene" from occurring [presumably because the three Occulus soldiers would have been killed?], but the player still will be forced to pause for a brief second, with the bounty still applied to the PC. Amusingly enough, if you hug the eastern railing while getting as close as you can to the door without triggering the cutscene, cast a Frenzy type spell as close as possible to either/both guard(s) on the side(s) of the doorway, and trigger the "cutscene", Maro will clap and begin his speech as per usual, but his entourage will begin attacking each other inside the tower, which in effect cuts Maro's speech short. Ultimately, the bounty is still applied. --CStone (talk) 16:10, 17 March 2018 (UTC)

The bounty is applied via a script attached to the cutscene. It is possible and has been proven to able to avoid a bounty, but it is very tricky. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 17:58, 17 March 2018 (UTC)

I managed to avoid the bounty by grabbing a platter before even going outside, then used that wall breach glitch to glitch through the side of the bridge. It causes a problem though, which I will explain. By completely skipping that scene with Maro it seems the game still expects it to happen, and it will try and trigger that the next time you go back up there. So the next time you attempt to go up and cross the bridge (no matter when you try, and no matter what side of the bridge you approach from), as soon as you step foot on the bridge the game will pause as if that scene is about to happen but Maro never shows up and you get stuck. --Haywud (talk) 13:57, 27 July 2018 (UTC)

I completed it without a bounty on my latest (Special Edition) playthrough. After poisoning the Emperor I used the Voice of the Emperor (heh) to keep the guests from attacking me. Then I stepped out onto the bridge and vanished before the cutscene with Commander Maro. (I didn't use Invisibility or a Shout, but an amulet added by a mod ( Dovahkiin Hideout Continued) which transported me out of the cell. (Maybe console commands would work as well.) So I appeared in the Hideout with no bounty, and completed the quest by traveling to the Sanctuary. --Wyldebill (talk) 08:38, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

My testing matches what you say here. Killing any one of the three Penitus Oculatus will skip the cutscene dialogue, but the bounty is still applied. The version of Commander Maro that appears in the top section appears to be immune to all forms of damage. Searching around, I can't find any video that confirms this method of avoiding a bounty. The only way of dodging the bounty I can confirm are clipping exploits (the platter trick, bucket levitation, "tcl" in the console, etc). I also discovered there's another (arguably less glitchy) way to accomplish this: the classic Whirlwind Sprint + Netch Jelly trick can catapult you through the cutscene trigger zone into the tower, skipping it. However that doesn't remove the cutscene triggers if you were to return, and it will leave your game in a trapped state where stepping here after Death Incarnate hangs the game. The page also makes claims about the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, but that once again has no effect on the cutscene-applied 1500 bounty. Both the AoE spell and the Cowl methods seem geared toward avoiding ordinary bounty mechanics and have no effect on the cutscene scripts. I suggest those notes are removed unless someone can cite video showing them working as described. --Olaus (talk) 08:40, 29 January 2023 (UTC)

Moved from Article

This bunch of bugs basically describes what can go wrong if you try and circumvent what you're supposed to do at the bridge. Just kill the three guards and no problems will arise. The third "bug" is not even a bug - just keep traveling until you're out of sight.

• If you don't kill the three guards summoned by Commander Maro, they won't despawn and will prevent fast travel any time you're near the overpass they congregate on. Their ref numbers are 64324, 64325 and 64326. The problem can be fixed on the PC by entering the console and typing "prid 64324" followed by either "disable" or "kill", and then repeat it for the other 2 numbers. The guards have also been reported respawning, although the conditions for this are unknown; the fix is the same. (On some systems the guards ref numbers are not 64324, 64325 and 64326 but actually 643d4, 643d5 and 643d6. (Encountered on PC))
• If you did not kill the guards summoned, but successfully escape and return to the sanctuary (and complete the full quest)- when you later return to Solitude and head to the same spot where the ambush took place, you may find yourself confronted with the three guards. The guards will not attack you, instead they stand scowling at you at the stairwell. If you exit to Skyrim, then re enter and head back up the tower, you will find their dead bodies which can be searched.
• After you kill Maro's men on the rooftop, you may try to fast travel and it will not work, the game telling you that you cannot while guards are persuing you. If you encounter this glitch, simply go to the next city and do something to get your bounty up and pay the fine. This will fix the problem since the game script will register you without a bounty again and you may fast travel and wait to your hearts desire. Sleeping may also fix this problem.

--Krusty 09:22, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

• The topic asking what poison you should use when talking to Astrid is grammatically incorrect. what the topic shows is "What poison I should use?", where the "I" and the "should" are supposed to be switched.

Removed this because it's not a bug. --Kotekzot 16:58, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

It counts. It should go somewhere. Please make use of edit summaries. SkoomaManiac 17:07, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

What's the context of the phrase? Does Astrid mention a poison you should use before you can select that? I do not think it should be included, regardless. There are tiny grammatical errors like this in many places, but they are generally not pointed out on this wiki unless they are directly quoted and require a sic tag. --Velyanthe 20:38, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

I've reinstated the above bugs (involving not killing the guards.) You don't have to be deliberately trying to break the game to get them -- many character types (someone focusing on illusion magic who uses invisibility to slip past, say) might choose not to kill them legitimately, and the fact that this results in bizarre behavior by the game is indeed a bug. This is especially true since players who are getting into their character might have a legitimate personal reason to not want to kill guards who are just doing their job (and might even assume the game will acknowledge this decision, though obviously it doesn't.) When the script assumes that players will act in one specific way, and acting in some other reasonable manner breaks the game, that's a bug. --Aquillion 21:32, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

I tried to use the dragon shout to go ethereal and jump off the bridge, but although the side walls are relatively low, you can't jump over them. This is annoying, since the purpose of this shout is precisely to allow you to drop from high places when you need to. --174.6.51.17 03:51, 23 September 2012 (GMT)

Bounty and No Fast Travel.

The bounty half of this quest ties in with a current issue I'm having. I'm in the Thieves Guild and have the Speech perk, yet I'm still not able to waver my fines by bribing guards. Is this because my bounty is set too high? However, when I am able to bribe guards, the bribe amount is freaking outrageous. This is very irritating, since I also have stolen goods in my inventory and even if I did want to pay off my bounty, I'd lose some really awesome stuff.

Secondly, fast traveling during this quest. I wasn't able to and assumed that I was meant to just carry about on foot, which I did, however after reading some of this I'm assuming this isn't normal? I'm not having any issues with fast traveling after this, and to be honest having to go all the way back to the Sanctuary on foot kind of added to the whole ~experience~, but still. 69.76.222.152 06:10, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

In order to invoke Thieves' Guild influence in cities, you have to do the influence quest there first (which requires doing five of the random Thieves' Guild quests before it will be offered.) In this case, you have to have done The Dainty Sload. Being a Thane of Haafingar will also work, though Thanes can only avoid a bounty once. I used neither of those, and the fast travel limitation still went away when I left the city and was away from any hostiles (the way it usually works) -- did you try traveling once you were outside the city and had successfully evaded the guards? (Actually, I believe I used Illusion magic to calm them, but it should work the same way if you sneak away or otherwise escape them.) --Aquillion 21:24, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

Fast travel note

"You cannot fast travel directly to the sanctuary, so the quickest option is to fast travel to Falkreath and head west." However, the next paragraph says that if you pay your fine via the Guild, you can fast travel. Why can you not directly fast travel? I'd assume it's because of the Oculatus agents outside the sanctuary if anything, since you can still FT to Falkreath, but then why can you FT if you pay via the Guild? Unless the article is saying that you can't FT due to hostile guards, in which case paying the fine should fix this and you wouldn't be able to FT to Falkreath as the article says you can. Vely^{►Talk►Email} 16:33, 7 April 2012 (UTC)

I couldn't fast travel because the icon for the sanctuary was missing -- perhaps because the Oculatus were destroying it. Wyldebill 12:24, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

Can't pay fine

This quest broke my game. I have the Thieve's guild influence and when I talk to the guards after killing the 3 Oculatus guard I have the option "I'm with the guild, pay fine $750". I have way more than $750 but then I only have the "too rich for my blood" choice. Why can't I pay my fine? Going to jail and escaping gives the same result, and if I try to run away on foot I get a "can't fast travel when guards are pursuing you" message even though I walked kilometers away from guards. I also tried to use the setcrimegold/paycrimegold console commands and nothing happens. In short, the only way I can continue playing without losing ability to fast travel and enter Solitude is to sleep in my cell and lose all levels progress, which is not cool. — Unsigned comment by Dunge (talk • contribs) on 19 April 2012

Can't Progress

So, I killed the emperor with the jarrin root, killed the oculatus guards, and then ran out, but for some reason, every time I get back to the sanctuary everything is progressing as usual, except the whole place is on fire and its crawling with oculatus agents. Astrid is just leaning against the wall, veezara is sitting crosslegged on the floor, and when I try to talk to nazir I just get a "By sithis, help me!" even tho all the oculatus are dead. there's two arnbjorns, one werewolf and one normal. Festus is both pinned to the tree like he's supposed to be and walking down the halls as he usually does. It's hilarious, but it's getting old. I'd like to get through the questline. Anyone know what's going on? I'm on x360 by the way, so no console commands. 99.123.194.2 23:25, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

If you are on the X360, you will have no choice but to reload a previous save. Work through the saves starting with the most recent. I'm on the X360 as well and the quest went OK with me. Let us know if that still doesn't help. —Daniellibus ^{• Talk • E • C} 23:32, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

I actually tried that, but the only save I have that's even anywhere close to the quest is right before I get the Jarrin root. I lost a bunch of my saves when my sister went through my hard drive and deleted them so she could make space for kinectimals or something. I'm going to go back to that save one more time and try something different (I always killed the nobles who were at the dinner, as well as gianna, so I'll skip that and just run back to the sanctuary). Thanks for the help. 99.123.194.2 23:42, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

There is nothing wrong with the game. The next quest, Death Incarnate, gives you the details on whats going on. Your game is not broken. The Silencer speaks^Talk 01:01, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Silencer, reread what was said--there's two copies of each NPC, one acting normally and one following the quest script. Vely^{►Talk►Email} 01:14, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Oops. IP have you tried killing them yourself, as they are sripted to die here they may be mortal. The Silencer speaks^Talk 01:18, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Yeah. They're still essential. The copied ones -- the ones doing what they're supposed to during this quest -- can be killed, but the originals cannot. 99.123.194.2 02:10, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Huh. Totally forgot I had an account for this place. This is 99.123.194.2. Still can't fix this thing. Can't find anything on this site about it or elsewhere-- I think I'm the first to have this issue. *UPDATE* Nothing's working. Going back to a previous save that's from a long time back would defeat the purpose here; it'd be easier to just create a new character. Kicking myself for not saving more. Atomic223 02:14, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Traped

i am a vampire so i cannot progress in the quest but ive also lost all previous saves to my brother and i am currently traped in the castle can anyone give me any help at all — Unsigned comment by 98.135.26.149 (talk) at 13:48 on 23 July 2012

It seems you are stuck. If you can't make your back out or forward to the emperor, then perhaps attacking any guards and getting arrested (if there are any) may get you out, though this may block the rest of the questline. If you do get out, try getting to the walkway and see if the door up there is accessible. The Silencer speaks^Talk 20:14, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

follow gianna

when i went to solitude i got to the point of going inside the emperor's palace.. and when i went to gianna she was not talking but the dialog was there.. it was like the same thing that happened with esbern, but i could still finish cooking the emperors food, but when i got to the point of following gianna to deliver the foood, the door was locked (same with esbern's quest)and she just stood there.. i cant open the door and cant get out.. im not a vampire nor warewolf. normal nord what can i do to finish this quest?

it's easy just open the console of the game. click on the door than tape in the console UNLOCK and the dorr wil open and you can keep in your Quest. Akram.

To Kill a mockinbird?

We know bethesda and there really obvious easter eggs and references, much like our dearest M'aiq the Liar. But this is one i'm not sure of and I might just be over thinking it, but is this a reference to the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" which the moral is "Shoot all the bluejays you want but its a sin to kill a mockingbird". This made me think "is it a sin to kill the emperor? Has he ever harmed?" Gunbeard 15:58, 25 July 2012 (UTC)Gunbeard

SPOILER SPOILER I also thought that It was maro who "killed the mockingbird" with the decoy emperor, But really I might be overthinking it, has anyone else thought this? SPOILER SPOILER Gunbeard 15:58, 25 July 2012 (UTC)Gunbeard

Easter Egg proposals should go on the Easter Eggs talk page. I do not think there is any connection here. All you are going off of is a phrase, not the events of the book, and even the phrase has little connection. Vely^►t►e 16:07, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Well I'll do some research and make a proposal, but I'm always finding hidden ties and stuff like that and it might just be the way I think now.Gunbeard 20:52, 25 July 2012 (UTC)Gunbeard

Plus this is the main phrase of the book, and one of its strongest messages.Gunbeard 20:54, 25 July 2012 (UTC)Gunbeard

Go ahead and research it if you think there's a connection, I just really see no connection at all. Vely^►t►e 20:56, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Double bounty

After I do this, once I encounter the Solitude guards, threy try to arrest me on a 1599 bounty, and after persuading my way out of it, they proceed to give me another bountyof the same amount (which I can't persuade myself out of). Any idea as to why? Has anyone else experienced this? 98.217.230.157 13:38, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

A decade late, but might be useful info for folks passing by:

I've had this happen on another quest, a radiant Danwguard quest to Kill Travelling Bard in Dragon Bridge, where I got caught in the act and had the same issue trying to clear my bounty. Playing on Switch with the fully updated Anniversary Edition (survival mode inactive). (Haven't had the bug for To Kill An Empire, but then I just used the Thieves' Guild discount to buy my way out of the bounty, and that successfully cleared it.) So I don't know what causes the issue, but it's probably not a quest-specific bug. SaltInstitute (talk) 22:21, 10 February 2023 (UTC)

Gianna Executed? - moved from article

If you leave the dining room before the Emperor dies, then Gianna can be heard being executed, but will pass by you with the pot still in hand walking back into the kitchen.

I am moving this here because I can't find any indication that she gets executed. Can somebody confirm? --Xyzzy^Talk 21:28, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

IIRC, she is executed if any of the guards remain alive. If not, she remains by the emperor's corpse muttering "Keep it together, Gianna!" or something like that. --174.6.51.17 03:55, 23 September 2012 (GMT)

Can't get out?

Once I kill the decoy emperor, I go to escape through the opposite door, but it says I need a key. Is there any possible way to fix this?

Classyblonde208 (talk) 03:37, 13 November 2012 (GMT)

It is possible that you do need a key. Did you take one from the emperor? If this doesn't work, then if you're on PC, open the console by clicking ~ (also the ` button), left-click the door so that its ID shows up (either a numeric or alphanumeric code), type unlock, and hit enter. If you're on PS3 or 360 and the key from the emperor does not work, then I do not know how to help. Vely^►t►e 16:17, 13 November 2012 (GMT)

Not able to proceed after killing the emperor.

After killing the "fake" emperor and entering the door back to Skyrim, I was not able to proceed after the cutscene where the guards try to stop you. The 3rd one should talk to you if I'm not mistaken. However I managed to bypass this "bug" by opening the console and entering: enableplayercontrols Then just walked past them and ran out of town. The quest went further on. — Unsigned comment by Nukemonk (talk • contribs) at 19:48 on 9 January 2013

bugged wardrobe

During the quest I was looting random stuff and stumbled upon a wardrobe that was also a cupboard. If I looked at it from a different angle, the name changes and the loot inside also changes. The same door opens when I activate it. It's in the room with Mede's decoy. Xbox patch 1.8.159.0.7.166.152.73.156 23:20, 16 February 2013 (GMT)

(360) no "Thane" dialog w/ guards in Haafingar after "To Kill an Empire"

I finished "Recipe for Disaster" for the Dark Brotherhood, & then immediately sidetracked to become Thane of Haafingar get out of the bounty in "To Kill an Empire." I completed the objectives in succession, but there is no dialog option to use my Thane privilege (which I never used because I just got it.) There is a "persuasion" option which seems to work, but the guards attack me anyway when the dialog ends. I went through the trouble of becoming Thane specifically to avoid paying this particular fine. What gives? P.S. I snuck past the three guards on the bridge...Treebeard151 (talk) 23:52, 25 February 2013 (GMT)

It may not be payable during the quest because Haafingar is set to be your enemy at that point. Finish the quest and then return to a guard, at which point it may be payable due to the faction reset.

I'll update the information on the page to reflect this. I'm 90% sure that what I'm saying is correct. Vely^►t►e 00:05, 26 February 2013 (GMT)

(FYI update)I bit the bullet, paid the fine, and have long since finished the D.B. quests. No matter what crime I commit or when, I have never been given the "Thane" option from any of the guards in Haafingar. I guess I became Thane at the wrong time.Treebeard151 (talk) 4:58, 4 March 2013

On my latest playthrough, I did this quest after already becoming Thane. I'm also on 360, all DLCs installed, and I had the same experience as Treebeard. Which strikes me as a change; I can't remember when, but it seems to me that I've used Thane of Haafingar to get out of the 1500 bounty in the past. --Morrolan (talk) 03:56, 5 March 2013 (GMT)

Emperor does not die

When entering the dining room, the emperor is standing (not sitting) with his legs through the chair. The dialog follows as normal but after the emperor eats the poisoned potage he just remains standing and nothing happens. — Unsigned comment by 88.244.64.232 (talk) at 14:35 on 19 August 2013

Stuck in the kitchen.

I've googled a bit and haven't found a single easy way out of this, wanted to see if anyone knows one. So, I'm a vampire. I got to the part where I should talk to gianni, I tried, she didn't go past the first few sentences. I waited a few times, to see if she was one of the NPC's that you had to contact at a certain time of day. Didn't realise that this overwrote my autosaves. I'm on the xbox 360, so can't use commands. The only way I can see working is saving to a hard drive and editing the save on a PC, but I really don't want to do that. Is there any way for me to get out into solitude and cure my vampirism, or just skip it and kill the emperor? This is a major glitch by the way, and I would very much appreciate it being fixed.

Pentius Oculotas Agent

On the PS3. After poisoning the false emperor, i crouched down and sneaked my way out to avoid killing anyone else. Upon exiting the tower, I was met by 3 Pentius Oculatus Agents but I was still crouching so they didnt see me, so I also my made way around them without killing them. But I still had to run from the guards and I took a carriage home. After completing the dark brotherhood quests I returned to solitude, paid the ridiculous fine and noticed three red dots on the minimap. I knew that it were these men being it was in their direction. So I crouched and rolled my way up there. After accidently bumping into one I ran back down and hid. When I lost them I went back up and stood up ready to fight. But they didn't attack. The red dots were still there, the attack music was on and they said enemy stuff like "over Here!" Or "This ends now!" But they just stood there. More bark then bite I suppose. I'm going to kill them anyways because they'll interfere with fast traveling and waiting, but I thought I'd share the info. Cjesseg (talk) 19:18, 14 March 2014 (GMT)

Yes, this is the first bug listed on the page. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 19:29, 14 March 2014 (GMT)

Oh, I must have misread it or skipped it. It sure is. Sorry. Cjesseg (talk) 20:00, 14 March 2014 (GMT)

Gianna Glitch

Hey, I'm playing this quest and Gianna at the end of the dialogue just spins in place, does anyone know why that might be or how to fix it? Loading saves didn't work.... I'm on an Xbox 360 so I can't use console commands. Lostinthedark (talk) 02:37, 18 October 2015 (UTC)

I found restarting to fix it — Unsigned comment by 75.136.42.216 (talk) at 02:52 on 16 December 2015

Probable One-Off Bugs

I've removed the following two bugs from the page, as they seem very likely to be one-off occurrences. The second one, I verified in-game and it does not occur for me at all. If either of these happen to others, please move them back to the Bugs section of the page:

• After making the soup, Gianna may start spinning in place holding the pot and not move. You cannot interact with her. This stalls the quest indefinitely.
  • There's no known cause and reloading a save won't fix it. Because the door is locked behind you, there is no way out other than loading a save.
• If attempting conversation with one of the emperor's guards before his death will cause the game to freeze.

– Robin Hood  ^(talk) 07:06, 2 January 2016 (UTC)