When you request Rhiada allow you to meet with Thonar, though, she will explain that he’s got important business and has no time. You can choose to try persuading, bribing, or threatening her to get your time with Thonar- if this works, she’ll let you go ahead, but stay where she is, as she has work to do. Curiously, if you fail or choose to take none of these options, you can opt to just walk around the counter past her and up the left-hand stairs to reach Thonar’s quarters and talk to him directly- she won’t actually stop you.
You can talk to the Silver-Blood servants here, but neither of them has anything of particular interest to say.
Past the counter on the left side, you will see a woman reading- this blonde is Betrid Silver-Blood and while she is predictably arrogant about her position as Thonar’s wife and a member of the Silver-Blood family, this arrogance is relatively understated- she calls you a vagrant and will explain that the Silver-Blood family owns everything in Markarth worth owning, and claims to be bored of speaking to you anyway, but isn’t by any means vicious. She also speaks rather proudly and lovingly of her husband, who she considers the real power in the family- while not the eldest brother, ‘my Thonar’ is the one who handles business and keeps things running.
Up the stairs past her is a closed door, which opens on Thonar Silver-Blood in his quarters.
You can choose to speak to Thonar about whichever you like- Margret, the guard sent to threaten you, or the attack in the marketplace. Which you select really doesn’t matter- as soon as Thonar’s done threatening you and telling you to leave, his two servants will abruptly turn, attacking his wife and killing her before you really have a chance to do anything about it. A melee opens up with the two on one side and Thonar and his clerk Rhiada on the other side- you can do as you like, but Thonar cannot die here and now.
Once the attack is over you can finally get a few answers out of Thonar, but they aren’t as much use as you would like. According to the Silver-Blood, the head of the Forsworn, Madanach, is living in Cidhna mine. Thonar had him spared from execution at the fall of the Forsworn rebellion in exchange for taking care of various problems for the Silver-Blood family- rivals, rebellions, and idiots are the ones he lists. This attack, however, makes it obvious that Madanach is not in Thonar’s control any longer- he’s had the man’s wife slain. Unfortunately, Thonar lays this partially on you, blaming you for prompting the attack and threatening to have you arrested. He also throws you out of his house.
