Dark Brotherhood Faction Guide ~ In progress

[StryderOfOblivion]

1.Prequel

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Save, save, save, and save again! If Oblivion doesn't crash every now and then, there is something wrong with your game. Always be prepared.

If you are interested in the Dark Brotherhood, then you will obviously have an assassin character. If this is your first time, you may not have to many stealth mods. Here is a few that I would recommend.

Deadly Reflex

Attack and Hide OR Stealth Overhaul

Thieves Arsenal

Deadly Reflex can give some great abilities to stealth and assassin characters. For instance, the sleep stab ability. Great for many quests.

Use alchemy! Poisons are vital to an archer or an assassin who prefers daggers and shortswords. Keep your items in good condition, and enchanted items are great for the same reason as poisons.

And always remember to have fun, and take it slow, don't go back-to-back-to-back! Take a break between every few quests and go explore some dungeons.

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2.Getting Started

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Now how to join the Dark Brotherhood. Similarly to the Thieves Guild, it has no visible headquarters. Anybody who has been playing Oblivion for a while will hear the rumor that the Dark Brotherhood visits you in your sleep after you murder somebody. And that is how they recruit. This is true.

But who to kill? Any non-essential character will work, but beggars are useful in the Thieves Guild quests, and shop owners are always useful. At this point, I decide a role-playing aspect of my character. Perhaps I am a racist, in which case I kill an Argonian or Khajiit. Or an Imperial if I am an Argonian or Khajiit. Perhaps you want to be a rapist, find some poor women, kill her, and voila! Role-playing who you kill can always keep life interesting. Perhaps you have a grudge against a shop owner who didn't have an item you wanted. Grudges are never good, and I have always found that killing that person does wonders to relieve the grudge!

So now that you killed somebody, go to bed! At the prescribed hour, you will be visited.

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3.A Knife in the Dark

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A man named Lucien Lachance will approach you. Before you can do anything he will initiate conversation. He tells you all about the Dark Brotherhood, and that you will be welcomed as a full fledged member if you do one thing. Kill a man named Rufio, who can be found at the Inn of Ill Omen, between the Imperial City and Bravil. As a "bribe" he gives you a new dagger. It is weak, and you don't have to use it, but it gets the job done in this quest.

Walk on over to the Inn, and talk to the owner. He will inform you that Rufio is in the private rooms downstairs. Find the trapdoor, and go down. Locate Rufio's room, and you will probably find him sleeping. He is only awake 4-5 hours a day. Wake him up and talk to him if you wish. He hints why he is a marked-man, and then begins running away.

You shouldn't have any problem killing him. As Lucien Lachance said, he is old and weak. Kill him, and for the second time, go to bed.

Lucien Lachance will visit you once more. He shall inform you that you should now proceed to the Abandon House in Cheydinhal, where their sanctuary is located.

When you enter the Abandon House, go to the basement. Bring a torch, light spell, or night-eye spell for your first few times. A dark corridor leads you to a door, that when activated, will ask you a question. Enter, and speak to Ocheeva. She will give you a two-piece set of armor, and refer you to Vicente Valtieri, for more contracts.

Talk to your new family members. When you have accepted a contract, they will give you tips to complete it if they have a disposition of 30 or better. The Khajiit, M'raaj-Dar, will sell you your basic assassin equipment, and knows a nice array of spells to teach you.

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4.A Watery Grave

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Find Vicente Valtieri. He often hangs out in his personal quarters. Talk to him, and he will discuss his, "condition". He also tells you that your first contract will be to kill a Pirate Captain in the Imperial City Waterfront District.

Run on over, or fast travel, and begin walking towards the ship. You have three options:

1. Simply walk onto the ship, and the pirates will attack you. Kill them and go to the Captains cabin, and then kill him.

2. You will see a pile of crates, walk towards them, and when you get close enough to one that is opened, a message will appear, asking if you want to hide in the crate. Select yes, and you will be "teleported" to the ship. Now sneak your way up to the Captain's Deck, and kill him. Beware of two pirates who will be talking at one or two points. Just wait for them to finish talking, and stay out of their way.

3. Jump to the balcony on the back end of the ship. Pick the lock at the door, go in, and kill the Captain.

Once the Captain is dead, you have to move quickly. Loot his body, and take the key. Now head over to the dresser, and use the key to open a Jewelry Box, that contains some pretty valuable gems. And head out of the balcony mentioned in option #3. Be quick, because the pirates will knock on the door, and after a moment, will barge in.

Head back to Cheydinhall, and check in with Vicente Valtieri for your reward.

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5.Accidents Happen

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That they do, an un-deniable fact of life. But are accidents always accidents?

Vicente gives you your next contract, which has a bonus, as long as you kill the victim in the proper way, and the man servant of the said person doesn't die.

Your victim is located in Bruma. Follow your quest marker till' you find his house. Wait till about 8:00 PM. Now you have to options:

1. Go through the front door, and sneak upstairs. Very risky.

2. A less dangerous way is to go around the house, and go through the "back door." This will take you to the basement. Go through the door, and you will see the stairs. Walk up the stairs. Less risky, but still a chance of getting caught.

After reaching the top of the stairs, look to your left, where you will see a wall, with a small hole in part of it. Walk up to it and activate it. It will slide to reveal a crawl space. On the far end, you will see an intricate work of knots. Sneak over to it, activate it, and it will fall to the floor.

Your done. As long as you weren't caught, and the man servant wasn't killed, you will receive a nice bonus. In this case, an enchanted Elven dagger named Sufferthorn.

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6.Scheduled for Execution

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I think that you will take a rather large amount of pleasure in this contract. Remember Valen Dreth? The man who taunted you, saying that you would die in that prison, even though you escaped within an hour or two? Your job is to make sure that he dies in his cell.

Vicente tells you to use a sewer grate that a prisoner recently escaped from. Sound familiar? You ought to be able to simply fast travel, but walk if you want.

So far, this is your hardest contract. The tunnels are filled with patrolling guards. Stay patient, use chameleon and invisibility potions and spells as much as possible. Don't kill a single guard, and you get a bonus!

Luckily, all the guards have a low sneak skill, but they are directly positioned in your path.

When you reach Valen Dreth, talk to him if you want, it doesn't matter. You can shoot him through his cell door, or open it and end his life with a blade. Luckily, he is weak, and should bite the dust in one hit. Now you have two choices:

1. Trace your steps and leave.

2. You may have come across a guard named "Captain Gepard Montrose". If you do, pick his pocket and take his keys. One key will open the door to Valen's cell, and the other will open a door to the guards barracks. For a quicker and easier escape route.

You will get your usual leveled gold reward, and the Scales of Pitiless Justice. Your next mission is unique, but there is also a new side quest for you to complete.

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[StryderOfOblivion]

Reserved for Part 2 of the Guide.

[greenwarden]

Nearly two years later...time for a lock.