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oblivion how to join dark brotherhood

To join the Dark Brotherhood in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion , you must secretly murder an innocent NPC and then sleep in a bed; this triggers a visit from Lucien Lachance, who offers you the initiation quest “A Knife in the Dark.”

Oblivion – How to Join the Dark Brotherhood (Quick Scoop)

“So you’ve heard the whispers and want in? Time to let the Night Mother ‘notice’ you…”

Below is a story-style but practical walkthrough you can follow step by step.

Step 1 – Meet the Requirements

  • You must be able to:
    • Kill a non-hostile, non-creature NPC (someone not already attacking you).
* Find any usable bed and **sleep** in it afterward.
  • Faction, race, or class do not matter; almost any character build can join.

Step 2 – Get the Brotherhood’s Attention

The Dark Brotherhood does not advertise; you have to “apply” in blood.

  1. Choose an innocent target
    • The game flags some killings as qualifying “murders,” such as random townsfolk or side-quest NPCs not marked essential.
 * Killing bandits or obvious enemies usually won’t count, because they’re hostile.
  1. Commit the murder
    • Sneak behind your chosen NPC, attack, and finish them off.
    • If you do it successfully, you will eventually see an in-game notification that your “actions have been observed” (this is the Night Mother noticing you).
  1. Do not confuse this with normal combat
    • Just fighting in self-defense or killing creatures does not trigger the Dark Brotherhood.

Step 3 – Sleep and Await Your Visitor

After you’ve murdered someone, the next crucial step is sleep.

  • Find any bed: an inn room, a guild bed you have access to, or a bed in a house you own.
  • Activate the bed and choose to rest.
  • Instead of a normal wake-up, you’ll be interrupted by Lucien Lachance , a Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood.

This cutscene is your formal invitation: you’ve passed the “entry exam.”

Step 4 – Accept Lucien’s Offer

Lucien will explain that your murder has drawn the attention of the Dark Brotherhood and that you’ve been chosen.

  • He gives you the initiation contract : kill a man named Rufio in the Inn of Ill Omen (quest: “A Knife in the Dark”).
  • Agreeing to his terms sets you on the official Dark Brotherhood questline.

From a story perspective, this is the moment your character steps fully into the assassin’s path.

Step 5 – Complete the Initiation Contract

Your next task is to prove that your first murder was not a fluke.

  1. Travel to the Inn of Ill Omen along the Green Road.
  1. Find Rufio , who hides in a small basement room.
  1. Kill Rufio in any way you prefer (stealthy backstab, spell, etc.).
  1. After killing him, you can rest again or continue adventuring; the quest will update to direct you back to Lucien.

Once this contract is done, you’re ready to enter the Brotherhood’s hidden base.

Step 6 – Enter the Cheydinhal Sanctuary

When you have completed Rufio’s assassination, you’re told how to reach the first Dark Brotherhood sanctuary.

  • Go to Cheydinhal and look for a seemingly abandoned house in town.
  • Pick the lock to get inside, then head down to the basement.
  • There you will find the secret Sanctuary door.
  • You must respond with the password when prompted (Lucien explains this in the quest dialogue).

Once you give the correct response, the door opens and you officially step into the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary. Inside, speaking to Ocheeva completes your initiation and makes you a full member, unlocking contracts, gear, and training.

What You Get After Joining

After joining, you gain access to:

  • A permanent sanctuary with beds, trainers, and merchants.
  • A chain of assassination contracts that form one of Oblivion’s most famous questlines, eventually making you the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood.
  • Unique rewards such as Shadowmere (a powerful horse) and an upgraded Blade of Woe by the end of the questline.

An example: early on, your first internal contract has you hunt Captain Gaston Tussaud in the Imperial City, teaching you how to blend stealth and planning like a true assassin.

Mini FAQ – Quick Answers

  • “Do I need a specific level?”
    No, the Brotherhood can be joined at low level; only some side quests (like Daedric quests) have level requirements, not the Brotherhood invite itself.
  • “Does any murder count?”
    It must be a game-recognized “murder” of a non-hostile NPC; many quest targets or bandits do not qualify.
  • “What if guards see me?”
    You can still join, but you’ll have to deal with bounties and jail time separately; the Brotherhood only cares that you killed.

Bottom Note

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.