Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary (Skyrim)

Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
Map
Hold	Falkreath Hold
Location	West of Falkreath
Type	Settlement
Quests	See the Dark Brotherhood
Characters	See below
Word Wall	Marked for Death
Location ID	DarkBrotherhoodSanctuary DarkBrotherhoodSanctuaryExterior

For other uses, see Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.

"-What is the music of life?
-Silence, my brother.
-Welcome home."

―Door to the Falkreath Sanctuary

The Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary is a small underground settlement located in Skyrim. The last remnants of the Dark Brotherhood are based here. The sanctuary can be found near the road heading west from Falkreath and just southeast of the Roadside Ruins (i.e. on the southeast side of the actual road).

Entry

"This Sanctuary has been my entire life since I was a young woman. That's when I first discovered my, shall we call it "aptitude," for elimination."

―Astrid

File:BlackDoorDB.jpg

The door to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.

Outside is a pitch-black pool of water and a mysterious door displaying a carving of a skull, with a bloody handprint signifying The Dark Brotherhood emblazoned on it. When approached, it asks the following of the Dragonborn in order to gain entry: "What is the music of life?" The correct answer is, "Silence, my brother." The incorrect answers are as follows:

• "Um... the lute? No, drums!"
• "Screaming?"
• "Some kind of choir. With chanting."

Only after the Dragonborn has had direct contact with the Brotherhood can one be allowed entry to the sanctuary. The pass phrase needed to enter, "Silence, my brother," is only gained by starting "With Friends Like These...," or killing Astrid when she is encountered and thus starting the quest "Destroy the Dark Brotherhood!" Giving an incorrect answer will cause the door to say, "You are not worthy."

Architectural design

Most of the actual sanctuary is an Ancient Nordic Ruin, but also consists part of a cave network with multiple rooms. As most of the sanctuary is an Ancient Nordic Ruin, between two staircases is a word wall where a word of the dragon shout Marked for Death can be learned.

Pets

Inside the sanctuary, a docile pet frostbite spider named Lis can be found. In her lair is the skeleton of Gaston Bellefort, who, according to his journal, was spying on the Dark Brotherhood and thought himself unnoticed. Attacking Lis will provoke the rest of the Brotherhood.

Dawnstar Sanctuary

Main article: Dawnstar Sanctuary

There is also a Dark Brotherhood sanctuary located near Dawnstar. It is abandoned, but the Dragonborn can gain access to it in a later quest if the Dark Brotherhood is joined. When attempting to gain access to that Sanctuary, the door will ask, "What is life's greatest illusion?" The correct answer is, "Innocence, my brother." The incorrect answers are as follows:

• "Um... The one where you saw a lady in half?"
• "Being happily married?"
• "Dreams are reality, and reality is really a dream?"

If the Dragonborn answers with any of the incorrect responses, the door will simply reply, "You are not worthy."

Notable items

• Shrouded Armor – Astrid gives this to the Dragonborn upon the completion of the quest "With Friends Like These..."
• Shrouded Robes, Shrouded Shoes, Shrouded Hand Wraps, Shrouded Cowl Maskless, and Shrouded Hood – on top of a cupboard in the very first room.
• A Stone of Barenziah is on a dresser in the bedroom to the west of the first room.
• Word wall for Marked for Death – In the main chamber where, upon first arrival, the other members of the Brotherhood are gathered, talking about their contracts. On the northwest side of the stone steps next to a waterfall.
• Sacred Witness (Sneak) – on a table on a bedroom along the northeast wall of the cavern near the room with the stained glass window.
• Sithis (Alteration) – on a bookshelf in the first room.
• An Explorer's Guide to Skyrim – in a room up the stairs to the southwest of the dining hall/kitchen, near the arcane enchanter.
• The Apprentice's Assistant – inside Babette's room.
• Lost Legends – on a shelf with candles in area where Astrid usually stands.
• Various soul gems scattered throughout the dungeon.

Characters

• The Night Mother
• Astrid
• Nazir
• Cicero
• Babette
• Gabriella
• Arnbjorn
• Festus Krex
• Veezara
• Lis (Gabriella's pet frostbite spider)

Facilities

• Alchemy Lab
• Arcane Enchanter
• Anvil
• Grindstone
• Workbench
• Wood Chopping Block

Trivia

• In Dawnstar, asking Thoring for rumors will result in him telling the Dragonborn about a black door near Dawnstar. This is a reference to the Dawnstar Sanctuary.
• If the door to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary is approached before completing the quest "With Friends Like These..." and joining the Dark Brotherhood, no map location marker will be seen.
• If visited after completing the Dark Brotherhood's questline, the hallway to the main chamber and the main chamber itself are still accessible, though the other rooms will be blocked off and cannot be entered.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary (Skyrim). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

•  PC   360   PS3   All items stored in containers in the sanctuary will be lost after the quest "To Kill an Empire," if unmoved.
• The word that is on the Word Wall can potentially become unavailable after completing the main story quest.
• The game may freeze if the Sanctuary is entered after "Death Incarnate" is completed.
•  360   Sometimes, the Dragonborn may normally enter the Sanctuary but suffer extreme lag when inside.
  • Pausing for a few seconds will sometimes solve the lag.
• If the Dragonborn is using Dead Thrall when entering the sanctuary, the thralls will be lost, but will remain on the active effects list.
• The books in the bookshelf may permanently disappear after activating it.
  • This can be fixed by loading a previous save.
•  PC   When entering the previous Sanctuary after the Dawnstar Sanctuary has been established, the loading screen will still say "The Sanctuary in Skyrim's Pine Forest is the Dark Brotherhood's last remaining refuge in all of Tamriel."

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim