Hour 22: Flight from Cheydinhal

I decide to get cracking on the Thieves Guild quests again, and am asked by Armand to recover the details of taxes which were wrongly levied on the peasants living in the Waterfront district. Strangely, one of them, Myrvyna Arano, is listed as 'exempt':

I wonder if this will be explained at any point. The quest goes to plan and I even manage to steal a few sets of armour from the guard barracks during the process. I sell these to Ongar in Bruma, immediately giving me enough 'credit' to be entrusted with the next quest. I must steal a statue from the chapel in Cheydinhal. This will actually be the first time Woodley Rhyme has set foot inside a chapel - I've had no cause to do so before now.

The chapel is a very impressive-looking place

In the chapel I see a man named Hill the Tall, who I've heard several people mention in random bits of dialogue. Take a look; he is certainly slightly taller than me, but I don't think he really warrants a height-based nickname - he's hardly a colossus:

You'll notice I am wearing dark green robes instead of armour. These are the robes I was given upon entering the Arcane University, and I've been wearing them since then, as they give a slight boost to my magic. Once I can enchant some armour to do the same (or preferably better) job, I'll most likely revert back to armour.

I break into the Undercroft of the chapel, and see a guard there. I'm under strict instructions not to kill anybody, so I wait for the guard's patrol to take her out of the way, the steal the statue. Unfortunately, stealing the statue releases a cackling Ghost whom I am forced to battle. The guard comes running back and I flee in dismay, clutching the statue. What's worse, the guard follows me out of the chapel! She evidently informs the city guard, too, as before I can reach the main gate they begin shouting at me and chasing me with weapons drawn!

Unable to fast-travel due to 'enemies nearby', I foot-slog it towards the Imperial City, with the guards in hot pursuit. Repeated castings of my newly-created 'accelerate' spell give me a slight edge in speed over them, and I gradually outstrip them. About halfway to the city, a mounted guard catches sight of me and dismounts. I lead him on a merry chase and circle back to his horse, steal it, and ride the rest of the way back to the Watfront district.

To my horror, the district is crawling with guards, and they're all looking for Armand! They catch sight of me a few times, but each time I manage to evade them. I eventually take refuge in the lake itself, where the guards seem unable to follow me. After waiting for a while and creeping round undetected, I learn from another guild member that Myvryna Arano is an informant. So that's why she was exempt from the tax! I am to stitch her up as the statue thief, and inform Hieronymus Lex, the captain of the guard, of her guilt. I plant the statue in her cupboard, but when I speak to Hieronymus, he immediately arrests me!

I pay the fine, go to jail to have any stolen items confiscated (I don't have any), then return to the Waterfront. Hieronymus and his goons are still bumbling round the place, looking for Armand, who they believe stole the statue, Their investigation technique consists of running from street to street repeatedly asking everyone if they've seen Armand. The fools! This does create a rather bizarre situation, though. The reason I was 'wanted' in the first place is because I was spotted stealing the statue by the chapel guard. I've now been arrested (some time later) for that crime, yet they're still hunting for the perpetrator?! I try not to think about it too much. 

On my return, I speak to Hieronymus again and persuade him to search Myrvyna's room. She's arrested, and Armand's off the hook. He directs me to Bravil to receive further assignments. Damn it, I was hoping to avoid that cesspit for a while longer!