How to Start the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion

If you want to start the Dark Brotherhood questline in Oblivion, you must secretly murder an innocent NPC, sleep in a bed, then speak to Lucien Lachance when he appears and complete his first contract to fully join.

Quick Scoop

  • Commit a deliberate murder of a non-hostile NPC (not in self-defense).
  • Wait for the message: “Your killing has been observed by forces unknown…”.
  • Sleep in a safe bed (inn room, player-owned bed, etc.).
  • Lucien Lachance will wake you and give you the quest “A Knife in the Dark.”
  • Travel to the Inn of Ill Omen, kill Rufio , then sleep again.
  • Lucien sends you to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, password “Sanguine, my Brother,” which officially starts your Dark Brotherhood career.

Step-by-Step: How to Start Dark Brotherhood Oblivion

1\. Commit a qualifying murder

  • Find a non-hostile, “innocent” NPC : not a bandit, not a creature, not someone already attacking you.
  • Lure them somewhere quiet (a house at night, a back alley, or a lonely road).
  • Use a sneak attack (dagger/bow) from stealth to reduce guards noticing you.
  • When it works, you’ll see the text box:

“Your killing has been observed by forces unknown…”

If you don’t see that line, it didn’t count for the Dark Brotherhood.

2. Sleep to trigger Lucien Lachance

  • After the “observed” message, find a safe bed :
    • Rented room at an inn.
* A guild bed (if you’re in the Mages/Fighters Guild).

* A player-owned house bed.
  • Sleep for at least 1 hour.
  • Instead of a normal wake-up screen, you’ll be interrupted by Lucien Lachance , a Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood.

He explains that your murder was noticed by the Night Mother and offers you a path into the Dark Brotherhood.

3\. Accept “A Knife in the Dark”

  • During the conversation, Lucien gives you your initiation contract :
    • Quest: “A Knife in the Dark”.
* Target: an old man named **Rufio**.
  • He tells you to go to the Inn of Ill Omen , located off the Green Road south of the Imperial City.

This is your test to prove you’re serious about joining the Brotherhood.

4\. Find and kill Rufio

  • Travel to the Inn of Ill Omen (you can follow the quest marker).
  • Ask the innkeeper about Rufio to learn he’s hiding in the basement.
  • Head downstairs, find Rufio in his small room, and kill him (sneak attack is easiest).

You don’t need anything fancy; any lethal hit will do, but stealth reduces bounty risk.

5. Sleep again to finish your initiation

  • After killing Rufio, leave the inn and find another safe place to sleep.
  • When you sleep, Lucien appears again and confirms your initiation is complete.
  • He officially welcomes you into the Dark Brotherhood and gives further instructions.

At this point, the Dark Brotherhood questline is truly started.

6. Go to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary

  • Lucien tells you to travel to Cheydinhal.
  • Find the Abandoned House near the eastern wall of the city.
  • Go into the basement and approach the ominous Black Door.
  • The door asks for a password; answer with:
    • “Sanguine, my Brother. ”

The door opens, and you enter the Cheydinhal Sanctuary as a full Dark Brotherhood member.

Tips, Roleplay & Forum-Style Notes

Minimizing trouble with guards

Players on forums often recommend:
  • Use sneak and a dagger for an 8x backstab multiplier and quick kill, reducing time for witnesses to react.
  • Choose isolated NPCs or ones tied to quests you plan to do anyway, so the murder is “efficient.”
  • Save your game before killing, in case guards swarm you or you change your mind about who dies.

Roleplaying angle

A lot of players frame the first kill as the **moment your character “crosses the line.”**
  • Some wait until mid-game so the assassination feels like a big moral turning point.
  • Others join early to build a full assassin playthrough focused on stealth, poisons, and light armor.

The Dark Brotherhood remains one of Oblivion’s most beloved and talked-about questlines even now, often mentioned in modern retrospectives and videos.

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  • H1: “How to Start Dark Brotherhood Oblivion: Complete Beginner Guide”
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  • Meta description idea (under ~160 chars):
    • “Learn how to start Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion: commit the right murder, trigger Lucien Lachance, complete ‘A Knife in the Dark,’ and unlock the Cheydinhal Sanctuary.”

Short paragraphs, bullets for the step list, and a clear structure (Requirements → First kill → Lucien → Rufio → Sanctuary) will keep readability high and fit current guide trends.

HTML Table: Core Steps

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Step</th>
      <th>Action</th>
      <th>Key Details</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>1</td>
      <td>Commit a murder</td>
      <td>Kill an innocent, non-hostile NPC and see “Your killing has been observed by forces unknown…” [web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>2</td>
      <td>Sleep in a bed</td>
      <td>Use a safe bed (inn, house, guild). Lucien Lachance appears and offers “A Knife in the Dark.” [web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>3</td>
      <td>Travel to Inn of Ill Omen</td>
      <td>Follow the quest marker, ask for Rufio, find him in the basement room. [web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>4</td>
      <td>Kill Rufio</td>
      <td>Assassinate Rufio to prove yourself to the Brotherhood. [web:1][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>5</td>
      <td>Sleep again</td>
      <td>Lucien returns, confirms your initiation, and sends you to Cheydinhal. [web:1][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>6</td>
      <td>Visit Cheydinhal Sanctuary</td>
      <td>Enter the Abandoned House, use password “Sanguine, my Brother” at the Black Door to join fully. [web:1][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR

To start the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion, murder an innocent NPC, sleep to meet Lucien Lachance, complete the “A Knife in the Dark” contract on Rufio, then use the Cheydinhal Sanctuary’s Black Door with the password “Sanguine, my Brother.”

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