Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-10870829-20130615162944/@comment-10468436-20130618153145

One could make the argument that Astrid and the rest weren't really Dark Brotherhood Assassins, and so the Tenets didn't apply to them anyway, much less bind them when broken. Cicero talks about this in one of his journals [fourth or fifth one]. Astrid barely recognized the Night Mother's authority when she finally decided to let the Listener meet with Motierre, but that was all very political. In reality she had no respect for the Night Mother. She certainly didn't adhere to the Tenets... And like someone said, if that had been the case then the Wraith (Wrath of Sithis) should've visited her in her dreams [I think its their dreams]... and since we know she broke the Tenets more than three times she really shouldn't be apart of the Dark Brotherhood anymore, as is Dark Brotherhood tradition. Point is, Astrid and the rest of the gang acted like Dark Brotherhood assassins, but were so only in name. That is perhaps why we hear nothing about the Wrath of Sithis visiting Astrid... because she wasn't apart of the Dark Brotherhood in the first place! That is only a wild explanation though.

If that isn't the case, then she really should've been visited by the Wraith, even though there is no mention of it in-game. If you think about it, Astrid broke the 1st Tenet three times by the time Cicero had attacked her, which would effectually make her no longer apart of the Dark Brotherhood, and justify Cicero's actions. The first time is when you first meet Cicero in the sanctuary, when she says 'her word is law', ascribing authority to herself. The second time is when she fails to recognize the superiority of the Night Mother's decision after you spy on Cicero in the Night Mother's coffin. And the third time is spelled out to us by Astrid herself right before Cicero attacks, when she says that she said some irreverant things about the Night Mother.

So really, Cicero gave her three chances, and that is really Dark Brotherhood tradition, Wraith or no Wraith. What you have to understand about Cicero is that he is the most devoted to the Dark Brotherhood than anyone else. He's watched countless comrades die to protect the Night Mother in various realms and sanctuaries, and when he sees the irreverancy of Astrid, well it just infuriates him. He actually has a very admirable quality in his character.