Honor Thy Mother

Honor Thy Mother
Quest Giver	Arquen
Location	Bravil
Prerequisite	Following a Lead
Next Quest	Whispers of Death
Faction	Dark Brotherhood
Reward	Assorted treasure Improved Blade of Woe Advance to Listener rank
Type	Dark Brotherhood quest
Quest ID	Dark18Mother

Not to be confused with Honor Thy Family.

Honor Thy Mother is a quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. After Lucien's death by the Black Hand, Arquen suggests that the Hero and the remaining members meet with the Night Mother to discuss the next steps for the Dark Brotherhood. They are to speak with Arquen between 12 am and 3 am in Applewatch.

Walkthrough

Return to talk to Arquen at the designated time between 12 am to 3 am in Applewatch and when she is finished explaining, the Hero will be teleported to the statue of the Lucky Old Lady in Bravil along with the rest of the members. Arquen performs the ritual to open the door to Crypt of The Night Mother. The statue begins to move and reveals a hidden door beneath it. When she and the other Black Hand members have gone down, follow them through the door. Although it is not necessary, it might be a good idea to 'use' the statue to benefit from its buff.

Once they have entered the crypt, Arquen will begin speaking to the Night Mother. After a short time they'll all discover that Mathieu Bellamont is the traitor, who will then pull a dagger and kill two of the other Speakers Banus and Belisarius before turning on the Night Mother. Mathieu will repeatedly try to attack the Night Mother, but she's ethereal and can't be harmed. Then he attacks the Hero and they must defeat him. He carries a Dagger of Numbing and it's not a hard battle, though a low-level Hero may find it useful to use a poison.

The traitor is dead

Once the traitor lies dead, the Night Mother says that she knew all along of Mathieu's plot since he was a boy. She could have stopped him anytime, but allowed him to keep pursuing, so that the Dark Brotherhood may learn a lesson from being so blind at the growing threat.

The Night Mother tells the Hero to help themselves to any treasure (random as well as dependant on level) in the room. She also warns them to take everything they can, as they will not be allowed back in the chamber after this event.

There are three small coffin shaped containers made of stone and reagents on the Night Mother's altar, as well as the weapons and robes of the traitor and the two dead Black Hand members. After collecting any desired items, tell the Night Mother they are ready to leave. She will also make the Hero the new Listener of the Dark Brotherhood and upgrade their original Blade of Woe.

Talking to the Night Mother once a week

When talking to the Night Mother again, she will teleport the player back to the Sanctuary in Cheydinhal. The Dark Brotherhood questline is over and there'll be no more contracts, but the Hero will be able to speak with the Night Mother once a week to get orders of assassination for Arquen, and they'll be given 200 gold each time.

Journal

Journal Entry
Update: Upon receiving the quest: I should play along for now, until I figure out who the traitor is. I'm sure Arquen will give me further instruction.
Update: After speaking to Arquen: Arquen has informed me that she will recite an incantation that will allow the Black Hand an audience with the Night Mother. Arquen also realizes this is all very new to me, and told me I'd be fine as long as I just followed along.
Update: After the ceremony: The incantation has revealed the hidden door to the Night Mother's crypt! I must follow the other members of the Black Hand down into the crypt. Once we're down there, the traitor will surely try to destroy the Night Mother. I must stop the traitor at all costs!
Update: After killing the traitor: The traitor, Mathieu Bellamont, is dead, and the crisis that has plagued the Dark Brotherhood is now over. The Night Mother still needs to name a new Listener. I should wait and hear what she has to say...
Update: After the Night Mother speaks: The Night Mother has named me Listener of the Black Hand! It would appear my days of killing for the Dark Brotherhood have come to an end. When I'm ready, I should speak to the Night Mother again and she will use her power to teleport me to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary.
Update: After speaking with the Night Mother: Arquen and I have been teleported to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. I should speak now with Arquen, who will serve as my servant and guide in the days to come.
Update: After speaking with Arquen: I have spoken with Arquen and she has offered her guidance. Quest complete

Gallery

The skeletons in the crypt

Trivia

• It might be a good idea to either drop off extra items at a safe location or make sure to have a powerful Feather spell on hand, before speaking to Arquen as there will be several items worth taking as once the Night Mother's crypt has been exited, the Hero can never return. Still, keep weapons and armor at the ready.
• There are the skeletons of five children in the room despite there being no living children in-game. This is a reference to the story of the creation of the Night Mother. The story is that she bore five children for the Dread Lord, Sithis, and slew all of them for his enjoyment.

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