Question about nightingale guild

[Shady]

I was completing the thieves guild quests to get the sword that you get from mercers house, and the very next line of the quest prompts me to join the nightingale guild. I don't really want to do that, but I don't know what to do? Should I just walk away and leave them there in the ceremony hall? All I was after was the sword, which I have now.

Also, I can't finish the thieves guild quest line without joining the nightingales???

[Quevik]

You need to join them in order to finish the quest line, correct.

It's not really another guild tho, more of a sub-faction. Like the circle for the companions. You finish that ceremony, then one more major quest, then a medium finisher that people sometimes skip and is a roleplayable option.

Rewards for joining are the armor and your choice of three seperate powers after the final quest (Which are all... fairly decent). Or a minor artifact if you choose not to complete the final quest.

But you cannot complete the last three without joining.

[Shady]

Oh alright. So I can join the nightingale guild and it wont stop me from joining another guild? In other words, there's no downside?

[steventirey]

Originally posted by Shady:

Oh alright. So I can join the nightingale guild and it wont stop me from joining another guild? In other words, there's no downside?

Again, the Nightingale "guild" isn't a guild. Its the upper levels of the the thieves guild. Also, no guild or organization interferes with any of the others in any way. You can join and advance to the top in all guilds at the same time. (The only faction/guild choices that do interfere are the Imperial/Stormcloak choice, and the Volkihar vampire/Dawnguard vampire hunter choice.)

Basically, no one really cares at all what you do elsewhere. It won't interfere with other guilds.

[Halliwax]

There's no gameplay downside to joining the Nightingales. Some people dislike it for roleplay reasons, but really it's no different than the vast majority of quests: no choice but to do it or abandon the quest.

There's only a few cases where you need to pick a side in a quest that effects quests down the line and not just the immediate reward: Dawnguard or Volkihar, Stormcloaks or Imperials, join the Dark Brotherhood or destroy it.

[Shady]

OK ok thanks

[Valden21]

Originally posted by Shady:

Oh alright. So I can join the nightingale guild and it wont stop me from joining another guild? In other words, there's no downside?

It's not a Guild of it's own. The idea behind the Nightingales is that there's a secret business deal between the Thieve's Guild and Nocturnal; she provides them with extraordinarily good luck, and in turn, they give her a few of their members to serve as her special-ops force. In essence, they're an elite group that acts within, and as part of, a larger group. It's like the relationship between the Circle and the rest of the Companions; the Circle is made up of the Companions' elite members, and you can't be in the Circle unless you're also in the Companions. The relationship between the Thieve's Guild and the Nightingales works exactly the same way; the Nightingales are just the elite of the Thieve's Guild.

[alexander_dougherty]

Originally posted by steventirey:

Originally posted by Shady:

Oh alright. So I can join the nightingale guild and it wont stop me from joining another guild? In other words, there's no downside?

Again, the Nightingale "guild" isn't a guild. Its the upper levels of the the thieves guild.

Not quite, it's Nocturnals personal cult (as opposed to her worshippers who aren't selected and approved by Nocturnal herself).

They recruit from the Thieves Guild, and anyone who they choose who isn't thieves guild is enrolled into thieves guild.... But they are a sepparate organisation, with no guarantees they will achieve a high Thieves Guild rank.... although with Nocturnal's gifts they do.

[steventirey]

Originally posted by alexander_dougherty:

Originally posted by steventirey:

Again, the Nightingale "guild" isn't a guild. Its the upper levels of the the thieves guild.

Not quite, it's Nocturnals personal cult (as opposed to her worshippers who aren't selected and approved by Nocturnal herself).

They recruit from the Thieves Guild, and anyone who they choose who isn't thieves guild is enrolled into thieves guild.... But they are a sepparate organisation, with no guarantees they will achieve a high Thieves Guild rank.... although with Nocturnal's gifts they do.

As far as the game is concerned, its the upper levels of the thieves guild. Its all the same organization, accessed through the thieves guild questline. From a lore standpoint, yes they are separate.

[alexander_dougherty]

Originally posted by steventirey:

Originally posted by alexander_dougherty:

Not quite, it's Nocturnals personal cult (as opposed to her worshippers who aren't selected and approved by Nocturnal herself).

They recruit from the Thieves Guild, and anyone who they choose who isn't thieves guild is enrolled into thieves guild.... But they are a sepparate organisation, with no guarantees they will achieve a high Thieves Guild rank.... although with Nocturnal's gifts they do.

As far as the game is concerned, its the upper levels of the thieves guild. Its all the same organization, accessed through the thieves guild questline. From a lore standpoint, yes they are separate.

Ah, sorry I was viewing from the lore viewpoint.
Yes, as a game mechanic, they are the upper echeilons of the Thieves Guild.