Mourning Never Comes

Background
Muiri requests that Alain Dufont be killed. She will also provide an optional target, Nilsine Shatter-Shield, however Nilsine does not have to be killed to complete this quest.

This quest is received by speaking with Astrid in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary after completing at least one of the first three contracts assigned by Nazir.

Objectives

 * Talk to Muiri
 * Kill Alain Dufont
 * Kill Nilsine Shatter-Shield (Optional)
 * Talk to Muiri
 * Talk to Astrid

Talk to Muiri
After Astrid assigns the contract and points out who to speak to, the quest continues in Markarth, where Muiri can be found. During shopping hours, she can often be found at her place of work, The Hag's Cure. She will explain the situation, express why she wants it done and her feelings on the people she wishes dead. The quest markers will now appear on the map. If the Dragonborn exhausts all dialogue options, she will supply two vials of Lotus Extract.

Kill Alain Dufont
In Raldbthar, a bandit is visible (there may be several bandits outside, depending on the Dragonborn's level). Once inside, Alain can be reached in two ways: by moving past the flames to a leveled locked gate, and directly into a room with Alain and two bandits; or by working around the ruin using stealth. Working up and around the ruin, going through a second Master level gate will lead to a platform above Alain. On this platform there will be two levers, and next to them are the Dwarven ballista traps they fire. These fire explosives down at Alain and his bandit comrades if the levers are activated.

Strategies

 * In the same room Alain is in, on the upper platform are two large Dwarven crossbows. Each has a nearby switch that is used to activate them. The explosions from these may ignite the oil below. One is aimed almost directly at one of the bandits sitting in the chairs (being off enough to one side to possibly hit the other bandit as well), while the other is aimed behind Alain, but on the other side of the oil puddle. Strangely though, the two bandits that are sitting down will not be killed by the exploding crossbow bolts as long as they are sitting in the chairs.
 * Most (if not all) can be killed instantly by luring them towards the fire (by firing an arrow at the camp fire or using Throw Voice on the fire), and then triggering the giant crossbow aimed at them.
 * To avoid a fight without a high Sneak level, it is much easier to go directly through the flames at the beginning (or squeeze around the right side of the right-hand post from where the flames originate) than to go around the ruin. Alain can be taken out easily with a bow, and his fellow bandit likely won't look for the assailant for too long.
 * Beneath Alain is a small amount of oil. A fire spell might be able to burn him (and the two other bandits) in one attack. The bandits upstairs may not hear the fire or any subsequent fight.
 * With high enough sneak skill, it is possible to shoot arrows to lure his friends upstairs, then once they're walking up the stairs, do a forward roll repeatedly to reach Alain. He can then be killed silently (with a dagger, bow, etc.). Once he is dead, it is possible to sneak back out of the room.
 * With a high enough Sneak level, Throw Voice, and Silent Roll, it is possible to sneak through the area with multiple bandits. Throw Voice, used in the sleeping area, will cause everyone to run into the room to investigate. At that point it is possible to roll past. Note that people getting out of bed may still detect the Dragonborn if they face the doorway that must be passed.

Reward
600-1200

Kill Nilsine Shatter-Shield (Optional)
There is a bug that may prevent completion of this quest unless the quest Blood on the Ice is completed first.

This part of the quest is available in Windhelm. The easiest way to locate Nilsine is to make this quest active, then follow her quest arrow.

Strategies

 * To do this without getting a bounty, one method is to wait until 9:00 PM when Nilsine will go to the Windhelm Hall of the Dead or the Temple of Talos (praying for and mourning her dead sister). There she can be killed in one hit using the lotus poison provided by Muiri without raising any suspicion.
 * Another good strategy is to pickpocket the key from her during the day, or to simply pick the master lock to her house (which requires a high Lockpicking skill). Sneaking into her house at night when she is in bed allows a sneak attack, which will kill her instantly and soundlessly.
 * She can also be backstabbed her while she is walking home from the Hall of the Dead. The small staircase connecting the residential district to the graveyard is shadowy, and guards do not often go there.
 * Alternatively, a Fury spell can be used to make her attack the guards, who will then kill her. This will cause a bounty of 40 to be placed on the Dragonborn's head, but that is still a lot less than 1000 (if murdering her is witnessed). This can be done without being detected, if cast while sneaking, and the Illusion perk Quiet Casting has been acquired.
 * Similar to a Fury spell, a Dragonborn with the Poisoned perk unlocked can easily reverse pickpocket a Potion of Frenzy on her while sneaking and under an invisibility spell or potion in the middle of the market and avoid any bounty.

Reward
Muiri will give Muiri's Ring if Nilsine is also killed.

Talk to Muiri (again)
The reward(s) is(are) available from Muiri back in Markarth.

Talk to Astrid
This ends the quest and begins the next (Whispers In The Dark).

Trivia

 * If Raldbthar was already cleared out and Alain Dufont already killed before starting this quest, the dialogue options will be to simply inform Muiri that Alain is already dead. She seems disappointed, as his death is something of an anti-climax since she was hoping to be the cause of his demise, but trusts that he is dead and pays the reward. However, this means the quest ends there and there is no option to kill Nilsine Shatter-Shield, making it impossible to obtain Muiri's Ring without console commands.
 * If the quest is completed with both Alain and Nilsine killed, Muiri becomes a candidate for marriage.
 * Using console commands to resurrect Alain after killing him will not make Muiri offer the Nilsine quest.
 * When the quest is completed, if Nilsine Shatter-Shield is killed, then her mother Tova Shatter-Shield will commit suicide.
 * If Nilsine is killed before Muiri asks the Dragonborn to, that part of the quest will still be complete, but it will not mark the objective as complete. However, Muiri's Ring will still be received
 * If Nilsine is killed with the Ebony Blade after completing Blood on the Ice, she counts as a trusted friend to charge the blade.

Bugs

 * Sometimes Nilsine will be flagged as essential, and can not be killed, making the bonus unobtainable.
 * Sometimes, when looking for Nilsine, no quest marker will appear. However, if the console command "player.moveto 0001B12A" is used to find her, the Dragonborn will be transported to a strange room filled with corpses known only as "Unknown Location." She will be dead. The objective can still be completed, however, by using the "resurrect" command to bring her back to life, and then killing her again. A bounty may still be added. It is then possible to escape the room by typing in "player.moveto xxx"(xxx being a live npc code, for example "player.moveto 000198B8" teleports the Dragonborn to Muiri).
 * Very rarely, even if Nilsine was not killed, she will be marked as killed, and Muiri's ring is presented as a reward.

Прощай, любовь

Leidloses Erwachen