Campfire Lore: The Dark Brotherhood
Warning: Spoilers
“You sleep rather soundly for a murderer.” - Lucien Lachance
When it was released in 2006, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was a game changer for modern video gaming. The graphics were breathtaking for the time and they still hold up quite well to this day with the exception of the awkward Npc dialogue and character models (although I still find them relatively charming). Looking back on my first playthrough, the best aspects to this game were the storylines. Although some did fail to live up to their conclusion, like both the Fighters and Mages guild, there was still quite the majority that did the opposite. The Dark Brotherhood questline, for instance, is one of the best the game has to offer (being neck to neck with the Thieves guild but I’ll get to that one later).
Also known as the Assassins Guild, the Dark Brotherhood is an underground group with its own sets of values and beliefs. At first glance, it would be easy to write them off as heartless murderers but after you meet the members of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, you find they’re just a family of misfits who were casted out of society and have finally found their sense of belonging. Each character is distinct and provides useful information for each contract you take. Even if you’re not interacting with them, just hearing them talk amongst themselves within the sanctuary makes it feel like home. These characters are essential to what makes The Dark Brotherhood’s story work so well. The biggest reason being that later in the quest line to progress you’ll have to kill them. This cruel twist of fate is only just the beginning of a guild in its prime crumbling from the inside out and falling into disarray.
Within the playthrough of the questline, this descension is what solidifies the Dark Brotherhood’s story as one of the best the game has to offer. Having the player single handedly destroy the guild without knowing it leaves a hearty impact especially when the true culprit is revealed at the end when he tries to end the Night Mother herself (though him trying to kill a spirit with an iron dagger is nothing but laughable). After all is said and done, the Night Mother’s last conversation with you ties the story together. You were meant to bring on a new age to the guild. The death of those whose lives you took, each a stepping stone to rid the corruption that had entangled itself with the Dark Brotherhood. In short, you were the Night Mother’s chess piece taking each and any one that threatened the queen (the core of the Dark Brotherhood). This adds to the close look at the theme of betrayal and loyalty. Even more so on how it can easily make or break a group in a matter of moments. Basically seen from the players loyalty to the group and how they go about dealing with the betrayal both breaks and makes the guild. This well shaped focus is what made the Dark Brotherhood’s questline so memorable. Especially when the player replays and notices the little details added to leave a black rose petal trail to reason cracks formed in the guild in the first place.
Aside from these themes, what also adds to the great storytelling is the replay value. With each contract, the player can decide how to execute them depending on their character build or whatever their imagination comes up with. This is especially true for the ‘Who Dun it?” Contract that is known as a community favorite among players. There are so many ways to go with to complete it and keeps the quest feeling fresh each time it’s returned too. It’s a shame that the Skyrim Dark Brotherhood do not carry on this legacy (which I’ll likely talk about more in a future article). However, it is safe to conclude that the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion quest line for this guild is one the best in its series and is always a joy to return to as we wait for the Elder Scrolls VI.
