Dark Brotherhood (Skyrim)



The Dark Brotherhood is an organization of highly trained assassins who carry out assassination contracts. 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 once 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...

Joining or Destroying the Brotherhood
"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

Any man or woman may join the Dark Brotherhood. 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. The player can go to any inn and ask for the latest gossip from the innkeeper. The innkeeper may tell the player that Aventus Aretino is trying to perform the Black Sacrament in Windhelm.Or, if in Riften, the player should speak to a man named Maul. He can usually be found standing against a post off to the left at the enterance of the city. After sharing some tough words, he can give information on both the Thieves Guild, and the Dark Brotherhood; for a price, of course. (Upon intimidation, persuasion or upon being shown an unusual gem, Maul's information is free). The children at the Honorhall Orphanage will also speak about Aventus' attempts to summon the Dark Brotherhood, which will give the player a miscellaneous objective as well. Speaking with Aventus Aretino initiates the quest Innocence Lost and starts the Dark Brotherhood questline. After accepting Aretino's proposal, the player is directed to visit the Honorhall Orphanage. Upon speaking to the children there, and they will tell the player Aventus Aretino escaped and planned to kill their Headmistriss, 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, sleep in any bed for 24 hours. Also, a courier may appear to the player in any city, with a note with a black hand and the words "We Know". After receiveing the note, sleeping in any bed will begin the next phase of the quest (the acquisition of this note is optional). After some restful slumber, the player is seemingly abducted by a Dark Brotherhood Assassin in their sleep, and wakes up in an Abandoned Shack. (This is where the decsision to join or destroy The Dark Brotherhood can be made). There, the player is asked by Astrid 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 the Dragonborn an invitation to join the Dark Brotherhood. The Dragonborn 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 to destroy the dark brotherhood because after joining, 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.


 * A Werewolf can still sleep in any bed, initiating the quest
 * Killing Astrid, or pickpocketing her with the Perfect Touch perk (which will allow the player to join the Dark Brotherhood), yields a pair of boots enchanted with the Muffle ability. (This armor feature is 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
 * 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 completing quests in the Dark Brotherhood, the player can obtain Three 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)
 * Shrouded Robes (Obtained laying on the ground in the Falkreath Sanctuary)

Dawnstar Sanctuary
"What is life's greatest illusion? Innocence, my brother."

- Sanctuary door.

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