Dark Brotherhood

"Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear."

- The Dark Brotherhood's Black Sacrament

The Dark Brotherhood is a group of assassins in the Elder Scrolls video-game series. The group is run like a cult unlike more traditional assassin groups. The ideology of the Dark Brotherhood places much importance on hierarchy and loyalty. Members tend to treat murder as either a skill, art or pleasure if not all three. The Dark Brotherhood believes they are agents of Sithis, an epitome of the primordial void of nothingness that predates creation, and believe that it is their sacred duty to send souls to him.

Founding
The Dark Brotherhood was founded by the Night Mother, whose true name has been lost to history. Legend goes that The Night Mother bore five sons immaculately conceived in her through Sithis. Sithis then demanded tribute for the Night Mother to kill her children, a demand she quickly complied with. These five children are said to be the first Dark Brotherhood and where the term originated. In return for the tribute Sithis granted the Night Mother his voice and spoke to her from that day forth allowing her to act as his parley to the ears of mortals. There is much ambiguity as to whether or not this actually happened as the Night Mother was originally a supplicant to the Daedric Prince Mephela, arch-fiend of secrets and plots, and the Dark Brotherhood only became an organized group after she left the cult; But regardless of validity, the story of the Night Mother becoming the Dark Brotherhood's unholy Messiah after sacrificing her own sons to the void, is the Brotherhood's standard belief.

The Black Hand & Dark Sanctuaries
Whether the story of the Night Mother birthing and killing Sithis children is myth or not the Night Mother her self is quite real, although long since dead, her ghost speaks to one member of the Dark Brotherhood only, this person is titled the 'Listener'. In honor of the Night Mother's five sons there are four colleagues that confer with the Listener, each is titled 'Speaker'. As the name implies the Speakers speak for the Dark Brotherhood and protect the Listener with their lives if need be as, the Brotherhood's sole line to the Night Mother's spirit. Since the Speakers are the only ones who ever interact with clients seeking assassinations, recruit new assassins or appoint contracts to underlings, the identity of the Listener remains safely unknown to any mortal members outside the Listener him/herself and the Speakers. The Listener and his/her Speakers are referred to as 'The Black Hand', possessing four fingers and a thumb however each has a nail - a personal bodyguard, this agent is titled 'Silencer'. With the Speakers of the Black Hand as supreme commanders and the Listener as a the token silent leader the Dark Brotherhood calls for it's lower agents to do the actual work, their units are divided up all across Tamriel in various secret locations, each such locations is a hideout for the local talent and referred to as a 'Dark Sanctuary'.

Dark Sanctuaries are very close-knit groups and each one has a Dark Sanctuary leader. Only the leader of each Dark Sanctuary has any sort of official contact with the Speakers of the Black Hand and being more intimately familiar with their individual assassins of the Sanctuary, assigns cases based on each member's area of expertise matching the best agent for the job. Money payed by the client is split between the Listener, Speaker and Sanctuary Leader in addition to the actual assassin sent, although the assassin keeps the bulk of the pay out. Higher ups will give out bonuses for special order kills if the assassin proves skilled enough to meet the request.

Lucien Lachance
"You sleep rather soundly for a murderer.. That's good; you'll need a clear conscience for what I'm about to propose."

- Lucien Lachance

Race: Imperial

Position: Speaker

Preferred instrument of death: One-handed blades

Preferred method: Stealth

Unique skill set: Charisma and loyalty

Lucien is a member of the Blackhand as one of it's speakers, Lucien handles recruitment in Cyrodiil and assigns potential assassins to the sanctuary in Cheydinhal. Lucien is completely devoted to the Dark Brotherhood and the Night Mother. He is considered both an inspirational figure by the Brotherhood's lower-level assassins and an expert assassin by his peers. Lucian insists those that he works with are professionals and at least as loyal to the Dark Brotherhood as he is.

Ocheeva
"Walk always in the Night Mother's cold loving embrace."

- Ocheeva

Race: Argonian

Position: Sanctuary Leader

Preferred instrument of death: Daggers

Preferred method: Stealth

Unique skill set: Shadow Scale training

Ocheeva is the Leader of Cheydinhal's Sancturay. Ocheeva was trained as a Shadowscale with her brother Teinaava back in their home of Blackmarsh. As a Shadowscale Ocheeva was born under the sign of the Shadow, allowing her to become invisible once per day. Since she hatched Ocheeva was trained as an assassin and eventually her career brought her to Cheydinhal where she showed enough distinction to be promoted to the Sanctuary Leader. Ocheeva cares deeply for her fellow assassins as family but can distance herself from any one of them the instant they display a willingness to betray the Brotherhood.

Teinaava
"I welcome you to our family, and this Sanctuary. May you find yourself at home here, in the loving embrace of our Lady the Night Mother."

- Teinaava

Race: Argonian

Position: Sanctuary Leader's Right-Hand

Preferred instrument of death: Bow & Arrows

Preferred method: Long range take downs

Unique skill set: Shadow Scale training

Teinaava is brother of and second in command to Ocheeva. Teinaava is a Shadowscale like his sister and can become invisible once per day. He gives advice on contracts, usually encouraging methods that minimize the risk of being discovered by guards and potential threats. Teinaava prefers his bow and arrow for use in the field so he can disappear into the shadows from afar once the target lies dead. Teinaava ingratiates himself to all new members as a loving family member.

Vicente Valtieri
"Spill some blood for me dear Brother."

- Vincente Valtieri

Race: Breton

Position: Assassin Assessment

Preferred instrument of death: His own fangs

Preferred method: Magical Subterfuge

Unique skill set: Vampirism

Vicente is in charge of assessing new assassins. Vicente gives out low risk assignments jobs but intentionally adds challenging caveats to the jobs to detect real talent. Vicente is a Breton infected with vampirism, he is old enough to be apparently vampyric but overcomes his apparent undeath with magic and stealth. Vicente is fond of using illusion magic and conjuration and though he is strong willed enough to over-come his hunger for blood around his extended family Vicente is all too glad to feed off his targets. Vicente will offer new assassins with real talent a chance to be a vampire like him by sucking their blood in their sleep. Unsurprisingly Vicente is oldest member of his sanctuary.

Antoinetta Marie
"Sometimes, right before a kill, Sithis speaks to me. He whispers in my ear and fills my heart with the joy of suffering and death!"

- Antoinetta Marie

Race: Breton

Position: Assassin

Preferred instrument of death: Swords

Preferred method: Close range

Unique skill set: Sociopathy

Antoinetta Marie is one of the low-ranking members of the Dark Brotherhood she is dispatched for various jobs with no specific set types of assignments earning her talents over others. Antoinetta prefers to use long swords and spends much of her time practicing her strike in the sancturay. Antoinetta relishes in her kills as a sort of holy work, believing that each kill brings her closer to Sithis.

Telaendril
"Warmest welcomes to you. I am Telaendril. Wood Elf and loyal daughter of Sithis. I hope you find our Sanctuary to your liking."

- Telaendril

Race: Wood Elf (Bosmer)

Position: Assassin

Preferred instrument of death: Bow & Arrows

Preferred method: Poisoning

Unique skill set: Infiltration

Telaendril is a Bosmer assassin that was assigned to Cheydinhal from her home in Valenwood. Lucien arrived to kill Telaendril for her father but Telaendril evaded him long enough to get away and decided to turn the tables and kill her father. Lucien, impressed with her skill at avoiding him and mind-set at killing her own father made her an offer to join the Dark Brotherhood. Since Telaendril has proven a master of Intel missions she poses as a normal citizen to gather information on her targets schedules before striking, always from afar with deadly poisons spread across her arrows. Telaendril encourages her Dark Brothers and Sisters to use terrain to their advantage for sneaking to and away from their targets. She is in a relationship with Gorgron gro-Bolmog and despite their completely opposite kill styles Telaendril finds Grogon's eagerness to murder targets in the most brutal manner possible as endearing.

Gogron gro-Bolmog
"You know what they say, home is where you hang your enemy's head!"

- Gorgron gro-Bolmog

Race: Orc (Orsimer)

Position: Assassin

Preferred instrument of death: Two Handed Battle Axe

Preferred method: Direct bloodshed

Unique skill set: Berserker strength and rage

Gogron gro-Bolmog appears to be a former bandit turned Dark Brotherhood assassin. He is considered strong even for an orc and is master of two-armed weapons and heavy-armor. Gogron does not concern himself with style, special conditions or even stealth, like his lover Telaendril, to Gongron all that matters is the target winds-up dead. Gongron moves quickly even in heavy armor and his usual method of attack is to smash in his target's skull or break their spine. Gongron does not understand much of the complexities of the Dark Brotherhood's theology but is happy that they appreciate his talents. Despite his sadistic nature Gongron is friendly and frank when advising his Dark Brothers and Sisters.

M'raaj-Dar
"Let's get one thing straight, the Tenets prevent me from killing you. But I don't have to like you. I'll sell you equipment, but only because Ocheeva is making me."

- M'raaj-Dar

Race: Khajiit

Position: Mystical supplier/ assassin

Preferred instrument of death: Magic

Preferred method: Magic

Unique skill set: Mystical knowledge

M'raaj-Dar is the Cheydinhal sanctuary's resident mage who sells spells and enchanted items to his Dark Brothers and Sisters. M'raaj-Dar's spells and enchanted items are all specially crafted to be used for stealth, subterfuge or horrifying kill methods. While a loyal member of the Dark Brotherhood M'raaj-Dar does not trust new members of the Dark Brotherhood and can only be won over by those who prove themselves accomplished killers. M'raaj-Dar's preferred method in battle is to use destruction magic to blast his targets into dust and is fond of life-drain, frost and fire spells to do it.

Astrid
"Look, the Dark Brotherhood is a family. This Sanctuary is a family. And, we've always welcomed those... shunned by society. Werewolves, wizards, eternal ten year-old vampires... what does it matter? In truth, I've rarely met a lunatic I haven't liked."

- Astrid

Race: Nord

Position: Sanctuary Leader

Preferred instrument of death: Daggers

Preferred method: Stealth

Unique skill set: Leadership skills

Astrid is leader of Skyrim's Falkreath Sanctuary. In Skyrim's era the Dark Brotherhood has fallen on hard times to the point where Astrid and her Sanctuary are the last collection of Dark Brotherhood assassins in Skyrim and possibly the world. Since there is no Blackhand Astrid acts as the highest ranking member of the Brotherhood and is not only her Sanctuary's leader but supreme commander as even the Night Mother has disappeared in the passing years. When Ciero arrives in the Sanctuary with the actual Night Mother seeking safety for her bones Astrid feels challenged by the new power structure but allows it out of respect to the Night Mother and confidence that she has her Sanctuary's complete loyalty. Astrid is fond of both stealth and skill though she ultimately only cares that jobs get done she admires those who do so with style.

Arnbjorn
"Here's all you need to know about me. I'm a werewolf. I like killing things. I love Astrid. I hate annoying people. And the color blue gives me a headache."

- Arnbjorn

Race:Nord

Position: Sanctuary Leader's Right-Hand

Preferred instrument of death: Two-Handed Blade

Preferred method: Direct

Unique skill set: Lycanthropy

Arnbjorn is Astrid's husband and her second in command. Arnbjorn is a werewolf and a former member of the heroic mercenaries known as the Companions. It seems Arnbjorn became addicted to being made a werewolf by the Companion's inner-circle and either left or was cast out when his need for violence conflicted with the Companion's urge that members hold themselves to higher standards. Whatever the reason Arnbjorn departed the Companions and joined the Dark Brotherhood where he met and soon married Astrid. Arnbjorn likes to use the most finely honed two-handed weapons possible, to tear and bash his targets into piles of meat which he then enjoys eating in his werewolf form. Arnbjorn is suspicious of all new members and very protective of his wife. While he is a dangerous assassin he turns into a force or death whenever his wife and family are threatened.

Nazir
"I don't like mimes, minstrels, thespians, acrobats, jugglers, troubadours or tumblers. Flutists give me a headache. I particularly hate jesters. As a rule, I'm also not crazy about the corpses of old women. For the Night Mother, I'll make an exception. But Astrid is the only mistress I serve."

- Nazir

Race: Redguard

Position: Assassin Assessment

Preferred instrument of death: Scimitars

Preferred method: Speedy take-downs

Unique skill set: Veteran Mercenary experience

Nazir is a former Al'akir mercenary from Hammerfell but soon left them for matters he does not wish to discus with anyone. Nazir assigns contracts to new targets, all such missions are completely optional and simple but numerous. Nazir enjoys ribbing other members and likes to demean newer members to urge them to strive to be better with each job. Even though Nazir relishes in other forms of murder and even casually admits to killing his own father he does not enjoy speaking of his past and only makes vague references to some very bloody affair before he left the Al'akir, this may suggest some form of post-traumatic-stress-disorder. Nazir refers to other Al'akir and Redguards in general as lesser than himself. Nazir's preferred weapon, like the other Al'akir, is the scimitar. He uses his blade with speed and moves over distances quickly thanks to his mastery of light armor. Thanks to his speed and experiences he is considered Astrid's trusted lieutenant with a critical nature that makes him a natural for assessing new talent.

Babette
"Never pass up the chance to buy a good potion... or poison. And one more thing. Have fun. You'll be committing a dark deed, but there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy yourself. You're only young once. Trust me, I know."

- Babette

Race: Breton

Position: Assassin/Alchemy supplier

Preferred instrument of death: Her own fangs

Preferred method: Subterfuge

Unique skill set: Vampirism/Child-like appearance.

Babette is the Dark Brotherhood's oldest member and a master of alchemy and subterfuge. As a vampire Babette is a natural killer and licks her lips with each new assignment but the real value is that she contracted vampirism as a child, which keeps her from physically aging and allows her to pose as an innocent little girl. Babette may be the most crafty assassin of the Falkreath sanctuary, she uses trickery to lure her targets into isolated areas and then strikes drinking their blood and hiding the body. When not striking directly Babette uses her mastery as an alchemist to poison her foes' food and drink and often just strolls out of crime scenes with other local children while the guards attend to the bodies. Babette's poisons are not all her alchemy skill is good for and she acts as a medic for other members by mixing together potent potions, medicines and antidotes for her wounded Dark Brothers and Sisters. Babette has access to a blood suck ability that lets her absorb a foe's health, a powerful necromancy spell that raises high level dead bodies as zombie minions, an invisibility spell and a high sneak stat however due to a flaw in Skyrim's programing can not employ them in battle instead having her behave in accordance to her graphic leaving her combat A.I. to make her act like a normal child.

Gabriella
"Well, I enjoy moonlit nights, taking long walks on the beach, knitting and unicorns. In fact, I once took a seaside stroll, on a moonlit night, and discovered a unicorn, which I proceeded to stab in the throat with a crochet needle! I'm a woman of refined, yet simple tastes."

- Gabriella

Race: Dark Elf (Dunmer)

Position: Assassin

Preferred instrument of death: Bow & Arrows

Preferred method: Poisoning/stealth

Unique skill set: Precognition

Gabriella is the Falkreath sanctuary's archery expert, she prefers to snipe her targets from a distant hidden location. Gabriella longs for the glory days of the Dark Brotherhood and eagerly welcomes the Night Mother to the Sanctuary when Cicero arrives with her. Gabriella likes to use terrain to her advantage and find isolated perches to snipe from to allow her time to escape if she is discovered after her target falls. She likes the finer things in life and views an assassination as good a time as any to enjoy them.

Veezara
"Me, I have been part of the Dark Brotherhood from the day I first hatched. I am a Shadowscale, you see. Born under the sign of the Shadow. I serve Astrid, and this Sanctuary. Life is simple, and good."

- Veezara

Race: Argonian

Position: Assassin

Preferred instrument of death: Dual long-swords

Preferred method: Close range

Unique skill set: Shadow Scale training

Veezara is the last of his kind, a Shadowscale. Though he was trained from birth to serve the the Dark Brotherhood for his ability to turn invisible once per day before being shipped off to Skyrim his talents appeared wasted for a long time before he met Astrid. As the last known Dark Brotherhood offical Astrid represents Veezara's purpose in life and he is more than willing to give said life up to protect and serve her. Even among the Dark Brotherhood's complex hierarchy laws and enforcement of loyalty Veezara may be the most honorable of his brethren and looks out for his Dark Brothers' and Sisters' safety. Veezara is able to take on several town guards at once. In addition to his natural born ability to turn invisible Veezara is good at stealth and a master of long-swords. Veezara likes to get close to his targets for a critical strike but makes certain he is not seen getting close.

Festus Krex
"Do what I do. Walk up to your target, introduce yourself, melt their skin off and then run like the wind. Works every time!"

- Festus Krex

Race: Imperial

Position: Assassin/ mystical correspondent

Preferred instrument of death: Fire

Preferred method: Fire!

Unique skill set: FIRE!

Festus Krex is an Imperial mage in the Falkreath sancturay. Before joining the Dark Brotherhood Fetsus was a teacher at the College of Winterhold where he educated other up and coming magi as the Destruction school teacher. Fetsus left the college's employ because his superiors were constantly re-enforcing the notion of safety, something he felt only slowed him down, Fetsus also claims that no-one at the college understood the glory of the destruction school. Fetsus has no patience for jobs with speicial conditions and prefers to handle all his jobs the same way, by lighting everything on fire. Fetsus spends his spare time inventing new enchanted items and perfecting his magic, he has been working on a spell to turn people inside-out for some time. Fetsus is well known for being near imposible to please and criticizes his Dark Brothers' and Sisters' short comings, often looking for imperfections to berate. His difficulty to impress apparently even extended to his personal life and he claims to have murdered his wife for drawing his bathwater a couple of degrees cooler than he asked for. Like Gabirella, Fetsus wants a return to the good old days when the Dark Brotherhood was feared and powerful with an organized hiarchy.

Cicero
"♪ Madness is merriment, merriment's might, when the jester comes calling with his knife in the night! ♪"

- Cicero

Race: Imperial

Position: Night Mother's Keeper

Preferred instrument of death: Dual Daggers

Preferred method: "Stabstabstabstabstabstabstabstab and then stab stabstabstabstabstabstabstabstab!"

Unique skill set: Insanity/Obsessive loyalty

The history of Cicero is an odd one and one better left vague. When the authorities first began coming down on the Dark Brotherhood The Blackhand appointed Cicero as the Keeper, guardian of the Night Mother's body. The Listener of the Dark Brotherhood was killed by the authorities and Cicero was given a pass phrase to identify the new Listener once he or she arrived, as only the Night Mother and Cicero would know the phrase Cicero could use the code to identify a new Listener. Cicero spent years smuggling the Night Mother from one hiding place to the next hoping to either come across the Listener or be dubbed Listener himself. Cicero would eventually discover the last of the Dark Brotherhood holed-up in a sanctuary in Skyrim and made the journey there. Cicero told Astrid of his precious cargo and who he was but Astrid was uneasy about allowing them haven in her Sanctuary. Cicero demanded that Astrid honor her vows and give the Night Mother her sanctuary as a resting place, Astrid eventually agreed but made it clear her authority was absolute. Cicero is constantly sizing up loyalties of members of the Sanctuary hoping that they were more loyal to the Night Mother than Astrid if Astrid forgot who the true leader of the Dark Brotherhood was. Fetsus and Gabriella were loyal to the Night Mother above all else, Arbjorn and Veezara were loyal to Astrid above all else and Nazir and Babette respected the Night Mother above their own lives but considered their loyalty to Astrid as their Sanctuary leader. Cicero's stay at the Falkreath sanctuary was an exercise in control of egos and tempers for all those involved, Cicero's own obvious insanity only added to the tense situation.

The Five Tenets
The Dark Brotherhood lives by five rules for it's members, all rules must be honored or face the wrath of Sithis, or rather the Night Mother's magics acting on behalf of Sithis. Breaking any such rules will result in dark magics that summon evil creatures to discipline the offender. But aside from discipline actions the Dark Brotherhood just plain tends to hold itself to a higher standard than most assassins and so the Tenets are less of a set of rules than an official code of conduct and taken very seriously. The rules are listed as follows.


 * Tenet 1: Never dishonor the Night Mother. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.


 * Tenet 2: Never betray the Dark Brotherhood or its secrets. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.


 * Tenet 3: Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.


 * Tenet 4: Never steal the possessions of a Dark Brother or Dark Sister. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.


 * Tenet 5: Never kill a Dark Brother or Dark Sister. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

Unknown to most members though the third, forth and fifth Tenets may be retracted at a moment's notice by the Night Mother and thus by the Listener if corruption is suspected, at which time ALL suspects are killed to ensure security.