The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim offers players the chance to join a number of different organizations, and one of the fan favorites is the Dark Brotherhood. A guild with a history reaching back centuries, the Dark Brotherhood is more than just a cabal of killers: it is both religious order and business, with a strict code of conduct that all members are held to.
Of the joinable guilds in Skyrim, the Dark Brotherhood has perhaps the most interesting and colorful of histories, one worth exploring by fans. Bethesda has certainly delved into the Brotherhood’s history over the years and many Elder Scrolls installments, and now it’s time for us to do the same with a complete rundown of the Dark Brotherhood through the ages.
Origin Story
The first time the Dark Brotherhood was ever mentioned was in the journal of Blood Queen Arlimahera of Hegathe, written during the second era (2E 412, to be exact). But the exact formation of the assassins’ cabal is shrouded in mystery, with only a few details available.
The Dark Brotherhood didn’t start with that name: at first, they were a religious order called the Morag Tong, worshippers of the Daedric Prince Mephala. Back then, they weren’t assassins; rather, Mephala encouraged the Morag Tong to commit ritual murders. However, the Morag Tong weren’t taken terribly seriously, thought of only as obscure cultists with no true leader.
The Night Mother’s arrival gave the Morag Tong the leader they desperately needed; she was supposedly the lover of Sithis, though some actually thought she was the Daedric Prince Mephala in the form of a mortal Dumner woman. The Night Mother eventually had 5 children by Sithis, all of whom she killed so that she could send their souls to their father. Because of those heinous crimes, the local villagers killed her and burned her house down. Thirty years later, a man began hearing the voice of the Night Mother in his head - and became the first Listener.
However, other theories suggest that the Dark Brotherhood was an offshoot of the Thieves’ Guild, rather than the Morag Tong. Either way, the formation of the Dark Brotherhood came down to the woman who became the first Night Mother, and her connection to Sithis, who demanded souls to satisfy the Void’s eternal hunger. There was also a note addressed to “Brother” found under the floorboards of a house in the Nordic village of Jallenheim in 2E 358, depicting the war between the Brotherhood and the Morag Tong.
And, given the evidence found within Queen Arlimahera’s journal, that places the formation of the Dark Brotherhood sometime between 2E 358 and 2E 360.
The Third Era
During the Third Era, the Dark Brotherhood were at the height of their power. This was demonstrated right at the start of the third era (in 3E 41) with the assassination of Tiber Septim’s heir, Pelagius I, and continuing all the way until 3E 325.
During the events of Warp in the West, otherwise known as the events of The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, the Brotherhood was widespread across Tamriel; their presence accepted, ignored, and silently feared. However, Dark Brotherhood members of the early third era worshipped Mephala, not Sithis - probably as a result of their relatively recent split with the Morag Tong.
Then, during the Oblivion Crisis, the Dark Brotherhood was seen as an infamous organization throughout Cyrodiil, based within the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. The Listener of the time (the highest-ranking member of the Brotherhood aside from the Night Mother) was a wood elf named Ungolim who lived in the town of Bravil. The Listener was tasked with hearing the words of the Night Mother and carrying out her orders in the world; namely, receiving assassination directives in the form of prayers and fulfilling them.
In 3E 433, the Dark Brotherhood was betrayed from within; a trusted Speaker, Mathieu Bellamont, attempted to destroy the organization as revenge for the assassination of his mother. A new member quickly rose through the ranks and purified the Cheydinhal sanctuary, eventually becoming the Listener themselves. However, despite this triumph in the end, the Black Hand of the Brotherhood had already been lost, and the Cyrodiil branch of the Brotherhood was left relatively crippled…a state that did not improve with time.
The Fourth Era
The early fourth era did not treat the Dark Brotherhood well. Since the time of the Oblivion Crisis, the guild had been in steady decline, losing essentially all of its influence throughout Tamriel, resigned to committing petty murders within the borders of Skyrim.
During the Dragon Crisis in 4E 201, the Dark Brotherhood was led in Skyrim by Astrid; under her rule, however, the Five Tenents were discarded and ignored, and traditions of the previous two eras were broken - before the jester Cicero arrived with the Night Mother’s coffin. Just over a decade previously, the Night Mother’s crypt in Bravil was raided and her previous Listener (Alisanne Dupre) burned alive for her dark connections. As such, the Brotherhood was in a rough spot.
As we all know, the Dragonborn was the Night Mother’s chosen Listener during the events of Skyrim, one who was chosen to restore the Dark Brotherhood to its former glory. Listening to the Night Mother led the Dragonborn (and the Brotherhood behind them) down a path of murder leading to the assassination of Emperor Titus Mede II. During that process, Astrid is revealed to be a traitor and the Falkreath sanctuary is purged by Imperial soldiers, but the Brotherhood emerges from the ashes victorious nonetheless.
The Future
Will the Dark Brotherhood appear in The Elder Scrolls 6? The odds would suggest that the answer is yes. Since the Dark Brotherhood has been one of players’ favorite organizations to join, it’d make sense for another iteration to present itself in the next installment of The Elder Scrolls. Of course, the truth remains to be seen and the exact state of the Brotherhood as well.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available to play now.
