March 24, 2013 3:42 AM EDT
If you side with Hadvar, you can pick up Iron and Steel Ingots at Alvor's forge without stealing them. You can also get a Ebony Weapon early on by heading to Solitude and accepting the bards college quest involving Olaf One-Eye, he's guaranteed to carry one and you don't even have to kill him on your own, an essential bard-ghost will do it for you.