How do you get rid of a bounty after killing the emperor?

As a passionate Skyrim player who has accumulated my fair share of bounties, I‘ve learned all the tricks to removing those pesky reminders of misdeeds past. So if you successfully assassinated Emperor Titus Mede II in the Dark Brotherhood questline but still have some unpaid fines, here is the lowdown on escaping the long arm of Skyrim‘s law.

The good news is there is no bounty specifically for killing the emperor. The Penitus Oculatus agents who attack you on board the ship will not place a bounty if killed. But any existing bounties you had before that point still stand and will cause guards to pursue you on sight.

Luckily there are plenty of ways to clear your name:

Simply Paying Your Dues

The easiest option is to cough up the gold when confronted by a guard. The amount depends on your highest individual bounty, with fines increasing for more serious crimes:

You can haggle with the guard to reduce the bounty up to 20-30%, but he will turn hostile if you walk away without paying.

Pro tip: If you‘re carrying stolen goods, avoid paying on the spot as they will be confiscated. Drop them first or choose jail time instead.

Dungeon Time alternative

Instead of paying your bounty, you can opt for jail time which typically clears a bounty in 24 game hours. On release, all stolen items in your personal inventory will be confiscated so stash them in a container if you want to keep them.

The only exception is evidence from the Thieves Guild which will still be in your inventory. Handy for fast travel!

Jail locations are scattered across Skyrim‘s major cities and towns. But if in a remote area, getting arrested can be tough without triggering a guard‘s fight response.

Insider tip: Punching a guard will land you in jail without increasing bounty, so no need to murder civilians!

It Pays to Be Thane

As Thane of a Hold, guards will sometimes overlook petty crimes and let you go without paying bounty.

You need to first complete a quest for the Jarl to get the title as an honor:

• Whiterun – Complete Dragon Rising by killing the dragon at the Western Watchtower
• Windhelm – Supply Ulfric Stormcloak with weapons for the rebellion
• Solitude – Contribute to the war effort by delivering enemy intel

This VIP treatment doesn‘t work for major infractions though.

Limitation: Thanes cannot be excused for assault or murder bounties above 40 gold.

Make Witnesses Disappear

Witnessed crimes still incur a bounty even if you kill the civilian afterwards, as the crime gets reported in those crucial seconds when the bounty icon appears.

But you can avoid bounties altogether by stealth killing all witnesses before detection. This takes perfect timing and muffled clothing/spells to dampen noise.

Certain NPCs like children and quest givers will retreat rather than fight if attacked. But they can still trigger a bounty by reporting crimes that guards overhear.

Fun fact: You can exploit this with Shadowmere, the magical horse from the Dark Brotherhood. Since it can‘t die, you can practice crimes and then kill in front of it without penalty!

Leverage Your Thieves Guild Connections

As a member of the Thieves Guild with high sway in the East Empire Company, you can call in favors and bribe a guard to remove bounties under 500 gold.

You first need to complete reputation quests for Delvin Mallory and Vex up to the Silver Cistern job for Markarth Treasury House. This unlocks the bribe guard dialogue option.

Your Speech skill also comes into play:

At 70% odds, bribing doesn‘t always work. But quick manual saves beforehand let you reload and retry!

Thieves Guild experts recommend always keeping at least 250 gold in cash to maximize bribe opportunities.

Let the Guards Arrest You

If you want to serve jail time or collect a bounty invoice to pay later, surrendering to a guard through dialogue is a profitable option.

Since they confiscate only stolen items categorized as quest items, treasures like jewels and ingots are kept. Very useful for smuggling contraband across borders!

Sneaking up behind a guard and initiating dialogue prevents them attacking on sight due to high bounties. Once jailed, you‘ll wake outside the cell, free and clear.

Note: This exploits a loophole in the law enforcement system Skyrim desperately needs to fix for criminal reform.

Consequences If You Refuse To Pay

Unlike real life, unresolved bounties never expire in Skyrim. They will haunt you eternally.

The more severe penalties include:

• Constant attacks from bounty hunter thugs who will hound you across Skyrim seeking the reward money
• Stalling the civil war questline as military leaders withhold promotions until all Hold bounties are cleared
• Preventing purchase of property and sleeping in owned beds

So I recommend resolving bounties promptly before they spiral out of control!

I hope these tips help you master the virtual judicial process effectively in Skyrim. May your rule breaking remain undetected and your bounty count stay at zero!