The Dark Brotherhood is an ancient guild of assassins who worship Sithis and the Night Mother. Pray to her through the Black Sacrament, and someone may answer – for a price. In Skyrim, the Brotherhood has shrunk to a small family of killers hiding in a sanctuary in the woods of Falkreath Hold.
How to join
Rumours in Windhelm tell of a boy, Aventus Aretino, performing the Black Sacrament. Visit him and he asks you to kill Grelod the Kind, the cruel matron of the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften (“Innocence Lost”). Do it, and soon after you wake up somewhere you did not fall asleep, facing Astrid, the Brotherhood’s leader (“With Friends Like These…”).
Who runs it
Astrid leads the Falkreath Sanctuary. Her family of assassins includes the werewolf Arnbjorn, the vampire child Babette, and – arriving with a very large coffin – Cicero, the jester Keeper of the Night Mother.
The questline
The Brotherhood’s contracts grow bigger and bolder until they culminate in the most ambitious assassination in Skyrim, ending with “Hail Sithis!”.
Destroying the Brotherhood
If you would rather end them, you can refuse Astrid’s test and report the Brotherhood to the guards, which leads to a quest to destroy the sanctuary instead.
Good to know
- Members can ride Shadowmere, a near-immortal black horse with glowing red eyes.
- The Shrouded Armor is one of the best stealth sets in the game.
Rewards & benefits
Shrouded Armor, Shadowmere, the Blade of Woe, paid contracts and Cicero as a follower if you spare him.
Unofficial fan wiki. Facts are checked against the games; spot something wrong? Let us know.