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| “ | 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. |
| “ | They say that when you murder someone, the Dark Brotherhood comes to you in your sleep. It's how they recruit new members. | „ |
| ~ Oblivion NPC's. |
The Dark Brotherhood are major characters in The Elder Scrolls franchise.
A murderous group of assassins, the group is run more 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.
History[]
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 and Dark Sanctuaries[]
Whether the story of the Night Mother birthing and killing Sithis's 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. The leader of each Dark Sanctuary is the only one to have any sort of official contact with the Speakers of the Black Hand. Since Dark sanctuary leaders are intimately familiar with their individual assassins of the Sanctuary they, assign 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.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim[]
By 4E 201, the Dark Brotherhood is a shadow of its former self. In Skyrim, the only Dark Brotherhood Sanctuaries left were located in Falkreath Hold and The Pale with the Falkreath and Dawnstar Sanctuaries. The Dawnstar Sanctuary was abandoned, but the Falkreath one was used by the surviving Dark Brotherhood members, led by Astrid, which included her husband Arnbjorn, Argonian Shadowscale Veezara, former Alik'r Nazir, vampire child Babette, Dunmer expert archer Gabriella, and Destruction magic master Festus Krex, along with the frostbite spider Lis. Cicero, Keeper of the Night Mother, was found trying to deliver her sarcophagus to the Sanctuary, but his wagon suffered a broken axle. Found by the Dragonborn, Cicero asks the Dragonborn to request the aid of the nearby farmer, Loreius, to help him fix his wagon. If the Dragonborn convinces Loreius to help, Cicero rewards the Dragonborn with some gold as gratitude, but if the Dragonborn instead sides with Loreius and reports Cicero to the patrolling Pale Hold Guard under suspicion of carrying illegal cargo, Cicero is arrested, and later takes revenge by murdering Loreius and his wife as retribution.
After the Dragonborn joins the Dark Brotherhood, Cicero arrives at the Sanctuary with the Night Mother, but Astrid warns him that she's in charge of their little "family". It is later that Astrid begins to suspect that Cicero is crazier than he appears due to speaking to someone when alone in the Night Mother's chambers. When the Dragonborn slips into the Night Mother's sarcophagus to eavesdrop on Cicero, the Night Mother speaks to the Dragonborn, dubbing them her new Listener for the Dark Brotherhood, and revealing a hefty contract from Amaund Motierre. It is revealed later that Motierre's contract is for taking out the Emperor of the Mede Dynasty himself, Titus Mede II. Deciding this would get the Dark Brotherhood back on the map, Astrid sends the Dragonborn to carry out the steps leading to Mede's assassination:
- First, murder his cousin, Vittoria Vici, during her wedding to Asgeir Snow-Shod, as the wedding was an attempt to broken peace between the Imperial Legion and Stormcloaks. Vittoria's death would be seen as an attempt to prolong the Skyrim Civil War and force the Emperor to come to oversee it personally from Castle Dour in the provincial capital of Solitude.
- Second, kill Gaius Maro, son of Commander Maro, head of the Emperor's elite guard, the Penitus Oculatus, and plant an incriminating letter on Gaius, making it look like he was a Stormcloak spy gathering intel for Ulfric Stormcloak so the rebel leader could plan an assassination attempt of his own on the Emperor. Maro would be so demoralized by the belief that his son was a traitor that the Penitus Oculatus would lower their guard, and Mede would believe an attempt on his life was already thwarted, putting him at ease.
- Third, eliminate the Gourmet, a well-known expert chef set to come to Castle Dour to personally present a meal he made to the Emperor while he's staying at the castle to oversee the Skyrim Civil War. Killing the Gourmet and acquiring his writ of passage would allow the Dragonborn to slip into the Emperor's Tower at Castle Dour disguised as the Gourmet and potentially assassinate the Emperor in person.
In between these steps, Cicero finally jumps off the slippery slope of his insanity regarding Astrid's leadership of the Brotherhood, attacks and wounds Veezara, and flees to the Dawnstar Sanctuary, where the Dragonborn finds him and chooses to either kill him or spare him. After Cicero is dealt with and the Dragonborn could now slip into the Emperor's Tower as the Gourmet, the Dragonborn is given some potent Jarrin Root to poison the Emperor's meal with. However, while the Dragonborn carries out the assassination attempt, Astrid, fearing for her "family" in the other Brotherhood members, rats out the Dragonborn to Commander Maro in return for amnesty. As a result, the Dragonborn only kills a decoy Emperor, before being confronted by Maro, who reveals he had no intention of upholding his deal with Astrid, and in revenge for his son Gaius, he intends to wipe out the Brotherhood to the last man so the Emperor will never have to worry about them again. True to his word, his forces are burning the Falkreath Sanctuary to the ground. Festus is found pinned to a tree outside with over 20 arrows impaling his body, while everyone else is inside, already dead, or soon to burn to death in the flames. Nazir is the only one who is still alive, fighting off Maro's agent Arcturus when the Dragonborn arrives to save him. Trapped, the Dragonborn hides in the Night Mother's sarcophagus as Nazir pushes it out the stained glass window into the water below and joins them shortly thereafter. Once the flames have died down and been extinguished, Babette rescues Nazir, and the two of them recover the Night Mother and Dragonborn. All of the other assassins and Penitus Oculatus have been burned beyond recognition, but the Night Mother reveals that Astrid still lives, only to be found barely clinging to life with her body burnt and charred severely. Realizing how foolish she'd been with trying to go against the Night Mother and the Dark Brotherhood's Five Tenets, Astrid casts the Black Sacrament on herself and asks the Dragonborn to kill her and leave her fate in Sithis' hands. The Dragonborn ends Astrid's suffering, before being reminded that the Emperor still must be eliminated. While Nazir and Babette move the Night Mother to the Dawnstar Sanctuary to restart the Dark Brotherhood there, the Dragonborn infiltrates the Emperor's flagship, The Katariah, moored below Solitude outside the East Empire Company Warehouse, and makes their way to the Emperor's quarters, finding Mede inside, who puts up no resistance, accepts his death, and asks the Dragonborn one last favor before letting the Dragonborn kill him: Kill the one responsible for authorizing the hit on him in the first place, meaning killing Motierre as retribution for his betrayal. After the Dragonborn agrees, Mede is slain, and the money Motierre leaves behind as payment covers renovating the Dawnstar Sanctuary so the Dark Brotherhood can begin rebuilding, with the Dragonborn thus becoming the main assassin for the group as they carry out orders from the Night Mother whenever she has a new contract for them to carry out.
Known Members[]
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.
Voice Actor: Wes Johnson.
Lucien is a member of the Black Hand as one of its 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.
Voice Actor: Elizabeth Noone.
Ocheeva is the Leader of Cheydinhal's Sanctuary. 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.
Voice Actor: Jonathan Bryce.
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.
Voice Actor: Ralph Cosham.
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 overcome 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: Evangelism.
Voice Actor: Catherine Flye.
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 sanctuary. As her preferred weapons are short range, Antoinetta takes great pains to map-out her surrounding for the quickest routes to her target. Antoinetta relishes in her kills as a sort of holy work, believing that each kill brings her closer to Sithis. Antoinetta even sometimes claims right before a kill she sometimes feels the whispers of Sithis, who fills her with the transcendent joy of death. Antoinetta's work reinforces a state of inner-peace for her, which results in the kills themselves being the true reward of the contracts for her. Her continued emotional state requiring the maintenance through murder has ensured her complete loyalty to her sanctuary on a fundamental level as a true-believer.
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.
Voice Actor: Linda Canyon.
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 mindset at killing her own father made her an offer to join the Dark Brotherhood. Since joining, Telaendril has proven to be a master of intel-missions by posing 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.
Voice Actor: Jonathan Bryce.
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.
Voice Actor: Jonathan Bryce.
M'raaj-Dar is the Cheydinhal sanctuary's resident mage. He 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 10-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.
Voice Actor: Cindy Robinson.
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 Black Hand 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 Cicero 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.
Despite allowing Cicero and the Night Mother into the Sanctuary, when the Dragonborn is chosen to be the new Listener by the Night Mother to hear her voice and get contracts for the Dark Brotherhood, Astrid, fearing her position as leader of the Sanctuary was compromised, waits until the Dragonborn is sent to eliminate Titus Mede II at Castle Dour in Solitude, then meets with Commander Maro, head of the Emperor's elite guard, the Penitus Oculatus, to rat them out in exchange for the Dark Brotherhood being spared retaliation. Unfortunately, Astrid's belief in Maro keeping his word was misplaced. Furious over the death of his son, Gaius, not only does Maro stick a 1,500 gold bounty on the Dragonborn's head for the attempt on Titus' life, making them a wanted fugitive in Haafingar Hold, but also sends his men to slaughter Astrid and the rest of the Dark Brotherhood, burning their sanctuary to the ground with them still inside. Astrid, severely burned and charred from the inferno, is found by the Dragonborn, Nazir, and Babette, the only survivors. Having realized her folly too late, and violated the Five Tenets because of her actions, especially with having her little Dark Brotherhood "family" go against them to survive as long as they had, Astrid casts the Black Sacrament on herself to atone for her sins, leaving her fate in the hands of Sithis for her treason against him, the Night Mother, and the Five Tenets. The Dragonborn ends her suffering with a mercy kill before dealing with the Emperor and having Nazir and Babette begin rebuilding the Dark Brotherhood at the Dawnstar Sanctuary.
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.
Voice Actor: Michael "Popeye" Vogelsang.
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 as an assassin he is dangerous he turns into a outright force of death whenever his wife and family are threatened. However, after his wife sells out the Dragonborn to the Penitus Oculatus, they raid the Sanctuary and burn it. Arnbjorn turns into a werewolf to fight off his attackers, but still falls in battle to them and his body burned beyond recognition.
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.
Voice Actor: Erik Dellums.
Nazir is a former Alik'r mercenary from Hammerfell but 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 Alik'r, this may suggest some form of post-traumatic-stress-disorder. Nazir refers to other Alik'r and Redguards in general as lesser than himself. Nazir's preferred weapon, like the other Alik'r, 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. Nazir is one of the only survivors of the Penitus Oculatus' raid on the Falkreath Sanctuary, and moves to the Dawnstar Sanctuary to reestablish the Dark Brotherhood there with Babette, the Dragonborn, and the Night Mother.
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.
Voice Actor: Harley Graham.
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. According to her, she has been a vampire for over three hundred years.
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, as she can also act 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 programming 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.
She is one of the few survivors of the Penitus Oculatus' raid on the Falkreath Sanctuary, moving to the Dawnstar Sanctuary with Nazir, the Dragonborn, and the Night Mother to rebuild the Dark Brotherhood there.
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.
Voice Actor: Lani Minella.
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. When Astrid betrays the Dragoborn to protect Gabriella and the other assassins from retaliation by the Penitus Oculatus, Gabriella meets her end when the Penitus Oculatus raid and burn the Sanctuary, leaving Gabriella's body to be burned beyond recognition.
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.
Voice Actor: Tim Blaney.
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 official 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. However, when Astrid tries to protect him and the other assassins by ratting out the Dragonborn to the Penitus Oculatus, Veezara is killed when they raid and burn the Sanctuary.
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!.
Voice Actor: Jim Cummings.
Festus Krex is an Imperial mage in the Falkreath sanctuary. 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 enforcing the notion of safety again, 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 special 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 impossible 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 Gabriella, Fetsus wants a return to the good old days when the Dark Brotherhood was feared and powerful with an organized hierarchy. When Astrid betrays the Dragonborn and squeals to the Penitus Oculatus about the attempt on the Emperor's life, when the Penitus Oculatus raid the Sanctuary, Festus apparently attempted to fight them outside the Sanctuary, but his skills in Destruction magic did little to help him as he was shot multiple times with arrows and left pinned to a tree, making him the first fatality of the raid to kill Astrid and the rest of the Dark Brotherhood.
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.
Voice Actor: Andy Morris.
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 Black Hand 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, Arnbjorn 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.
In the end, when he hears Astrid speak ill of the Night Mother, furious at this blasphemy against the Five Tenets, he snaps and tries to attack her, only to wound Veezara instead when he comes to Astrid's defense and flees to the Dawnstar Sanctuary. Regardless of what the Dragonborn does when confronting Cicero and he asks to be spared and to lie to Astrid, Cicero is one of the few survivors of the raid on the Falkreath Sanctuary by the Penitus Oculatus, and later regroups with Nazir, Babette, the Dragonborn, and the Night Mother to rebuild the Dark Brotherhood at the Dawnstar Sanctuary.
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.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Thieves Guild
- Sithis
- Night Mother
- Dragonborn
- Hero of Daggerfall
- Hero of Kvatch
- Vestige
- Werewolves
- Vampires
- Witches
Enemies[]
- Empire of Tamriel
- Imperial Legion
- Mages Guild
- Fighters Guilds
- The Companions
- College of Winterhold
- Tribunal
- Nine Divines
- Aedra
- Daedra
- Aldmeri Dominion
- Thalmor
- Daggerfall Covenant
- Ebonheart Pack
- Morag Tong
- Akaviri
- Sloads
- Dragons
- Stormcloaks
- Penitus Oculatus
- Great Houses of Morrowind
- Nerevarine
- Dragonborn (if the Dragonborn destroys the Dark Brotherhood)
- Anyone who doesn't worship Sithis or the Night Mother
Gallery[]
.png "Elder Scrolls - Dark Brotherhood (Online).png (281 KB)")
.jpg "Sithis (Tarot).jpg (77 KB)")
.jpg "The Night Mother (Legends).jpg (630 KB)")
.png "Black Sacrament (Legends).png (2.46 MB)")
.jpg "Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary Door (Legends).jpg (728 KB)")
.png "Completed Contract (Legends).png (273 KB)")
.webp "Dark Brotherhood (Merch Art).webp (100 KB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Dark Brotherhood Assassin (Tribunal).jpg (164 KB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Dark Brotherhood Assassin (Oblivion).jpg (142 KB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Dark Brotherhood Assassin (Remastered).jpg (435 KB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Dark Brotherhood Assassin (Skyrim).jpg (320 KB)")
.jpg "Elder Scrolls - Dark Brotherhood Assassin (Online).jpg (187 KB)")
.jpg "Lucien Lachance (Legends).jpg (357 KB)")
.png "Shadowmere (Legends).png (1.68 MB)")
.jpg "Hero of Kvatch (RE).jpg (204 KB)")
.jpg "Dark Brotherhood after Bravil (Legends).jpg (551 KB)")
.png "Elder Scrolls - Dark Brotherhood Members (Skyrim).png (3.29 MB)")
.jpg "Astrid (Legends).jpg (2.84 MB)")
.png "Cicero (Legends).png (233 KB)")
.png "Babette (Legends).png (1.73 MB)")
.jpg "Veezara (Legends).jpg (396 KB)")
.jpg "Dovahkiin (dragonborn).jpg (393 KB)")
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  Villains
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Primordial Gods and Forces Daedric Princes Daedra Dragons Vampires Frostbite Spiders Ayleids Aldmeri Dominion Imperial Legion The Longhouse Emperors Thieves Guild Order of the Waking Flame Dark Brotherhood Blackwood Company Order of the Black Worm Glenmoril Witches Stormcloaks Penitus Oculatus Legion Zero Tribunal Sixth House Dragon Cult/Dragon Priests Dwemer Dunmer Draugr Soul Cairn Gray Host The Ascendant Order Creatures Others | ||