I'm still learning the systems and trying to avoid the various wikis because they're all so spoilerific even when they try not to be, so I'm asking here.

I found an orc hold. Had a chat with the gate guard, found the location of a the rest of the holds, learned about a valuable artifact, then killed them all. Quietly. Without leaving witnesses. I incurred 2k bounty which was cleared at the end - tried for a perfect run but it just wasn't happening.

Everything in the hold is still flagged as 'steal', but the bounty came from 'tribal orcs' when it was there briefly. Will anyone else in Skyrim care about this stuff and will I have any problems selling it? Still haven't found the thieves' guild or fences and don't have enough speech for investor yet. (It's not like orcs are real 'people'...)

For those wondering, my character holds a deep grudge against the orcs due to the vast numbers who tried to kill her during the events of Daggerfall. Switching to a vegan diet after leaving the Valenwood did wonders for her health. I'll let you guess why she keeps ending up a prisoner...

If an item is marked "stolen" in your inventory, then you won't be able to sell the item to ordinary vendors without the appropriate speech perk. The Thieves Guild is located in Riften. Wander through town during the day, and you'll pick up the quest.

Thanks, that's what happened. I'm a little bit impressed the game bothered to remember which green apples were 'stolen' and which weren't...

I'll run into the Thieves Guild somewhere or another eventually I'm sure. My speech will probably kick up faster at the rate its going, though.