Dark Brotherhood
Contents
The Dark Brotherhood
Description
The Dark Brotherhood is a renowned and infamous faction of assassins that is spread across all of Tamriel. Working as both a business and a cult, the Brotherhood was feared across Tamriel. Many knew of its existence, and those who did chose to tolerate it, in fear of meeting their own demise. Now the Brotherhood has made its way in to this world to spread their ways even further.
History
Second Era
The Dark Brotherhood originally sprung from a religious order called the Morag Tong, who worshipped the Daedric Prince Mephala. Mephala encouraged the Morag Tong to commit ritual murders. At this time, the Order was discarded as obscure cultists due to the lack of leader in their group. This was all to change with the coming of the Night Mother. The Night Mother was the supposed lover and partner of Sithis. It was widely believed that the Night Mother was the source of the doctrine dictating how the Morag Tong (and eventually the Dark Brotherhood) worked as a group. Some actually thought the Night Mother was the Daedric Prince Mephala, in the form of a mortal Dunmer woman.
Some time after 2E 324, the last living Night Mother resided in Bravil. The Night Mother bore Sithis five children, who she then killed so that their souls could go to the Dread Father. The act was considered too cruel, so she was killed and her house burned. Thirty years later, an unnamed man heard voices in his head, not from Sithis, but the Night Mother herself. He became the first of many Listeners to come.
Third Era
During the events of Warp in the West, the Dark Brotherhood was active across Tamriel. Their existence was accepted and widely ignored. During this time, the Dark Brotherhood worshiped the Daedric Prince Mephala as their leader, not Sithis. This was probably caused by the then-recent split from the Morag Tong. During the late Third Era, the Morrowind Dark Brotherhood headquarters were located not far from the city of Mournhold. Their local leader, an Imperial known as Severa Magia, called herself a Night Mother. She lived in Ald Sotha.
- Oblivion Crisis
During the Oblivion Crisis, the Dark Brotherhood was infamous and very well-known throughout Cyrodiil and the rest of Tamriel. Within Cyrodiil, the Brotherhood was situated in Cheydinhal, specifically the Cheydinhal Sanctuary.
During this time, the Listener, the highest-ranking member of the Dark Brotherhood aside from the Night Mother herself, was Ungolim, a wood elf who lived in the town of Bravil. The Listener heard the words of the Night Mother and, from her lips, the Listener received assassination requests in the form of prayers by potential employers, marking how contracts were initiated and fulfilled. Each night he would visit the statue of the Lucky Lady Unknown to all but the Listener and select members of the Black Hand, the statue of the Lucky Lady was actually the entrance to the Night Mother's Crypt.
Fourth Era
- Recession
Since the Oblivion Crisis, the Brotherhood had been fighting for survival. They had lost virtually all influence within Tamriel and had resorted to doing petty murders within Skyrim.
On the 27th of Sun's Height in 4E 188, the city of Wayrest was lost to corsairs, and by the 5th of Last Seed of the same year, the Wayrest Sanctuary was raided and destroyed by corsairs. There were no survivors. On the same day, the Black Hand ordered the Corinth Sanctuary closed, and its members sent to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary in Cyrodiil.
By the 27th of Hearthfire in 4E 188, the situation in Bravil grew ever more threatening. The city had erupted in violence, due to a war of control waged by Cyrodiils two largest skooma traffickers. By the 1st of Sun's Dusk of the same year, the statue of the Lucky Old Lady was destroyed, and Alisanne Dupre, the Listener, left her private residence to guard the Crypt of the Night Mother. Rasha, the Speaker, sent Garnag and Adronica to aid in the crypts defense, but on the 21st of Sun's Dusk, Garnag returned alone with the stone coffin of the Night Mother. The Crypt of the Night Mother had been raided, with Adronica cut to pieces and Alisanne Dupre burned alive in storm of mage fire.
On the 4th of Evening Star in 4E 189, Rasha declared himself the Listener, claiming the Night Mother had spoke to him. He could not, however, name the Binding Words, so Cicero killed him. By the 10th of Sun's Dawn in 4E 190, there were only three people left in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary: Cicero, Garnag and Pontius. On the 16th of Rain's Hand in 4E 191, Pontius was killed, and on the 29th of Last Seed of the same year, Garnag was killed.
- Dragon Crisis
At the beginning of the Dragon Crisis in 4E 201, the Dark Brotherhood was led by Astrid. Under her leadership the Five Tenets were discarded, breaking with the traditions and culture of the previous two eras when the Brotherhood was operated as a cult as well as a business. The Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim was reduced to a single sanctuary, located just outside of Falkreath.
- Delayed Burial
The Night Mother's coffin traveled with The Night Mother's Keeper, an eccentric jester named Cicero. The wagon Cicero was using to transport the coffin broke down near Loreius Farm. Cicero met with the Dragonborn and had them fix the wagon. Thus, the Dragonborn had secretly become known to the Brotherhood.
- Innocence Lost
Rumors of a child who ran away from Honorhall Orphanage were quickly spread throughout Skyrim. The child was rumored to be Aventus Aretino. Curious of the rumors, the Dragonborn traveled to the Aretino Residence in Windhelm and found Aventus performing the Black Sacrament. Thus, a contract was now made to kill Grelod the Kind, the hated owner of Honorhall Orphanage. The Dragonborn traveled to Riften and entered the orphanage, killing Grelod, to which the orphans cheered. Aventus rewarded the Dragonborn with the Aretino Family Heirloom.
- With Friends Like These...
After some days, the Dragonborn received a mysterious note with an imprint of a black hand and the words "We Know" written beneath it. Sometime after receiving the note, the Dragonborn slept. Shortly later, the Dragonborn woke up in an abandoned shack, located in the marshes of Morthal. A Dark Brotherhood assassin, Astrid, was in the cabin as well. She revealed that the Dark Brotherhood was aware of the murdering of Grelod and were pleased with it, but since Aventus Aretino performed the Black Sacrement, the contract for killing Grelod the Kind was for the Dark Brotherhood, and the Dragonborn stole that contract. Astrid demanded that a debt had to be paid for the kill that was stolen from them. She kidnapped three other people and brought them to the shack, along with the Dragonborn. Astrid told the Dragonborn that there was a contract out on one of them, and that the Dragonborn had to figure out who to kill. The Last Dragonborn either killed one, two, or all three of the people, and then Astrid made an invitation for the Dragonborn: to come to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary in Falkreath and become a member of the Dark Brotherhood.
- Mourning Never Comes
After poisoning and killing Emperor Titus Mede II, Commander Maro intercepts the Dragonborn's escape and reveals the slain Emperor was just a double, and that a traitor within the Brotherhood have informed him of the hit in exchange for their safety. Maro goes back on his words, however, and proceeds to send his men to destroy the Falkreath sanctuary. Fighting through the destruction, the Dragonborn survives the onslaught by hiding in the Night Mother's coffin. Being rescued by Babette and Nazir, the Dragonborn then discovers that Astrid herself is the traitor, who then apologizes for double-crossing them and pleads that the Dragonborn kills her. The Dragonborn becomes the leader of the Brotherhood after Astrid's death.
- Hail Sithis!
The remaining members of the Brotherhood are relocated to the Dawnstar Sanctuary, after the sanctuary was acquired in The Cure for Madness.
To Amtgard!
After a happenstance with a portal, Dark Sister Zsadist Nightshade found herself in the Kingdom of the Golden Plains and made a new home. After only a few years she found a dying Keeper, Cicero, had somehow brought himself and the Night Mother to the Great Wastes becoming trapped themselves. Cicero's final wish was for her to take the mantle of Keeper and become a Speaker, to spread the word of Sithis to this strange world. Zsadist upheld her promise, taking the Night Mother with her to every place she journeyed to. In doing so she sought in hopes to find the Listener, praying they would be found in this world.
The Listener had been found in a Tiefling known as Morthemos. He had approached the coffin bearing Dunmer, Zsadist, and revealed himself while he stared at the coffin as if having a conversation with the Night Mother. In time, they began the process of bringing forth the Dark Brotherhood chapter in this world. Together they continue the works of Sithis and the Night Mother. Seeking those worthy to uphold the Five Tenets and traditions of the guild.
Members
- The Listener - Morthemos
- The Keeper - Zsadist
- Speaker - VaLance
- Speaker - Sir Drake
- Speaker - Sir Hern
- Speaker -
