Dark Brotherhood (Skyrim)

The Dark Brotherhood is an organization of highly trained assassins who carry out assassination contracts in the name of Sithis. The Dark Brotherhood is called upon by those who must utilize their deadly services through a ritual called The Black Sacrament. They were once the most highly feared organization in all of Tamriel, but have lost their reputation over time. At one point, they were governed by The Five Tenets, which set the ground rules for being in the Brotherhood, but those Tenets have long since been abandoned. The Dark Brotherhood has been operating in Tamriel for many centuries, at one time having many clandestine sanctuaries across the Empire. They worship Sithis, the avatar of entropy and chaos, as well as the Night Mother, who is the spiritual leader of the Dark Brotherhood. However, the Night Mother has not spoken to anyone for quite some time...

"Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child on to me for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear"-The Black Sacrament ritual

Joining/Destroying the Brotherhood
Any man or woman may join the Dark Brotherhood, provided they are efficient killers and skilled in the art of stealth. Initiates must also display the ability to kill mercilessly, without regret or sorrow. As a result, their ranks include Vampires, Werewolves, Bandits as well as Mages. While on your travels in Skyrim, go to any inn, and ask for the latest gossip from the innkeeper. The innkeeper may tell you that Aventus Aretino is trying to perform the Black Sacrament in Windhelm.Or, if you happen to be in Riften, speak to a man named Maul. He can usually be found standing against a post off to the left as soon as you enter the city. After sharing some tough words with you, he gives you information on both the Thieves Guild, and the Dark Brotherhood; for a price, of course. (If you pass a persuasion or intimidation speechcraft test or have an unusual gem to show off to Maul, this information is free). Sometimes a Windhelm town guard may mention that the Arentino boy is trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood, which will give you the miscellaneous objective as well. However you choose to initiate it, speaking with Aventus Aretino initiates the quest Innocence Lost and your plunge into the Dark Brotherhood. After accepting Aretino's proposal, visit the Honorhall Orphanage. Speak to the children there, and they will tell you Aventus Aretino escaped and planned to kill their caretaker, Grelod the Kind, by summoning the Dark Brotherhood. Kill Grelod (the children will cheer and celebrate once she's dead.)

After Innocence Lost has been completed, wait 24 hours and sleep in any bed. Or go to a different city and a courier will appear and give you a note with an imprint of a black hand (the infamous insignia of the Black Hand) and the words 'We know' written beneath it, obviously referring to your recent transgression of the law. Once you receive the note, find and sleep in any bed (the acquisition of this note is optional). Following your restful slumber, you are seemingly abducted by a Dark Brotherhood Assassin in your sleep, and wake up in an Abandoned Shack. There, you are asked to kill one of three people in the room, initiating the quest With Friends Like These. Killing one, two, or even all of the potential victims will earn you an invitation to join the Dark Brotherhood. You may also take the opportunity to destroy the organization by attacking the Dark Brotherhood representative, Astrid. This will initiate the quest Destroy the Dark Brotherhood! (This is the only chance you will get to destroy the dark brotherhood because after you join, the Brotherhood members are otherwise unkillable.)
 * Killing a Dark Brotherhood Assassin (when attacked randomly, at a random location) holds no ramifications as the 5 Tenets have been abandoned.
 * There are no repercussions for sacrificing a Dark Brotherhood Initiate in Boethiah's Calling.


 * Werewolf status - if you are currently infected as a Werewolf you do not earn resting bonuses by sleeping in beds, although you can still sleep in them. This means you CAN initiate the meeting with Astrid as a werewolf.
 * Killing Astrid yields a pair of boots, enchanted with the Muffle ability. (also obtainable by joining the Thieves Guild and becoming a Nightingale . The Nightingale Armor features boots with the muffle ability.

Dark Brotherhood Quests

 * Delayed Burial
 * Innocence Lost
 * With Friends Like These...
 * Sanctuary
 * Contract: Kill Beitild
 * Contract: Kill Narfi
 * Contract: Kill Ennodius Papius
 * Mourning Never Comes
 * Sentenced to Death
 * Whisper In The Dark
 * Contract: Kill Lurbuk
 * Contract: Kill Hern
 * The Silence Has Been Broken
 * Contract: Kill Deekus
 * Contract: Kill Ma'randru-jo
 * Contract: Kill Anoriath
 * Bound Until Death
 * Contract: Kill Agnis
 * Contract: Kill Maluril
 * Contract: Kill Helvard
 * Contract: Kill Safia
 * Breaching Security
 * The Cure For Madness
 * Recipe For Disaster
 * To Kill An Empire
 * Death Incarnate
 * Hail Sithis!
 * Where You Hang Your Enemy's Head
 * The Dark Brotherhood Forever
 * Honor Thy Family

Armor Sets
When completeing quests in the Dark Brotherhood, the player can obtain four different armor sets.
 * Shrouded Armor (Skyrim) (Obtained at the beginning of With Friends Like These...)
 * Cicero's Armor or the Jester's Outfit (Obtained during The Cure For Madness)
 * Ancient Shrouded Armor (Obtained by redeeming Olava's Token, which is gained during the Breaching Security quest)

Dawnstar Sanctuary
Upon finishing Hail Sithis!, the Dark Brotherhood quest line will be complete. However, you may report back to Nazir to retrieve other minor quests that do not have significance to the faction's storyline and the player also gains access to The Dark Brotherhood Forever quest from the Night Mother which loops indefinitely, rewarding 500-1200 gold per assassination. At this point, you will also unlock the Dawnstar Sanctuary since the hideout near Falkreath has become uninhabitable.

Once you inform Nazir of the move to the Dawnstar Sanctuary, he will give you the following quest: Where You Hang Your Enemy's Head. This quest is not essential, but allows you to furnish the faction's new headquarters. Nazir will tell you to pay a visit to Delvin Mallory, of the Thieves Guild, who apparently has various ties with the Dark Brotherhood. He is able to acquire and sell you the furnishings that will make the Dawnstar Sanctuary a bit more habitable. These furnishings include a fully stocked laboratory, a master bedroom which can be used to store your items, and a torture chamber with four live inhabitants who can be tortured to receive four additional quests for hidden treasure. After the sanctuary has been entirely outfitted, Nazir will recruit two more Dark Brotherhood members. Both of these new members can be found around the hideout and may be recruited as your companions. The total upgrade of the sanctuary will cost you 19,000 septims, allowing you to use the 20,000 septim reward for completing the Hail Sithis! quest to pay for the improvements.

Dark Brotherhood Apparel
The iconic Shrouded Armor gives strong bonuses to many skills related to assassination.You can also obtain the Shrouded Robe, handwraps, shoes, and hood that are worn by Gabriella. A set of the Shrouded Robes is located on a shelf across from the doorway Astrid is usually leaning in. Also, once you acquire the Dawnstar Sanctuary, you can find a complete Jester's Outfit like the one Cicero wears inside the sanctuary. (NOTE: The Jester's Outfit is available at the bottom of the first set of stairs when you first enter the Dawnstar sanctuary to deal with Cicero during The Cure For Madness quest, and does not require his death to obtain. The enchantments, however, are weaker than those on Cicero's armor).

Notable Members

 * Astrid
 * Nazir
 * Cicero
 * Babette
 * Gabriella
 * Festus Krex
 * Arnbjorn
 * Veezara
 * The Night Mother
 * Dragonborn