Opportunities for money-making in Skyrim may not be as frequent as you might like. Bounties pay a pittance, most factions barely cover the cost of work, and good luck finding a shopkeeper with the gold to lift two dozen dragon bones from your weary shoulders.
If you are feeling the financial pinch, you might find an offer from a shifty Argonian tempting. He is waiting to find a daring and hungry business associate to make an opportunity come crashing ashore, literally. What he wants is almost certainly on the wrong side of the law. This guide cannot be your legal counsel, but it can get you out alive.
Starting Lights Out!
You will need to speak to Jaree-Ra in Solitude to start the quest. The Argonian spends his days waiting by Angeline's Aromatics, trying to find someone to help him with a "business venture".
If you take the bait, he explains that a fully laden cargo ship, the Icehammer, is sailing down into Solitude. You will need to ensure that the Solitude Lighthouse has its fire extinguished to make it runs aground.
The Solitude Lighthouse is north of the city, accessed by following a road heading north from the stables and past the docks. A nearby fast-travel point would be Brinewater Grotto, visited during the Thieves Guild quest Scoundrel's Folly.
At the Lighthouse, climb the stairs to the top and interact with the fire to extinguish it.
Claiming The Loot
Return to Jaree-Ra at the Solitude Docks. He asks you to meet with his sister, Deeja, at the Wreck of the Icerunner to claim your share of the loot.
You find the Icehammer crawling with Blackblood Marauder bandits and devoid of loot. Deeja is waiting deep within the ship. She gleefully tells you that she needs to handle one last loose end: you. You will have to defeat her and search her body for a Note from Jaree-Ra.
The Icehammer can be challenging to navigate. To reach Deeja, take the stairs opposite the door and walk south to the last door on the left, with a dead body inside. Find a staircase in this room, heading down. Deeja is at the opposite end of the lowest deck.
You will have to raid Broken Oar Grotto to get your share of the loot and take your revenge.
Clearing Broken Oar Grotto
The last of the Blackblood Marauders and their scaly leader have turned a trapped ship into their home at the grotto. You should stay on the right side of the grotto, encountering token resistance from the sentries.
Jaree-Ra is at the very end, on the ship with a platoon's worth of bandits. The ship's layout makes stealth challenging and a brawl highly likely. If a head-on assault looks risky, try to pick off enemies from a distance until you are discovered.
Make sure to loot Jaree-Ra for a key to a locked chest with the treasure and to end the quest. With your employer dead, your reward will have to be looted from the grotto.