The dead drop instructions were usually left in tree stumps or hidden boxes, but one was underwater, behind a locked door inside an Ayleid ruin, guarded by a Minotaur. What the hell, Lucien?!
After my fourth victim was slain, Lucien Lachance appeared and informed me I had been killing the wrong targets! Someone had been switching the dead drop instructions for fake ones (it turned out to be some oik who runs scared when I confront him - so how the hell did he get past the Minotaur?!), and I had been gradually eliminating key members of the Black Hand - the organisation that runs the Dark Brotherhood! Well it serves them right, they were all pushovers and no match for my advanced archmagic techniques.
I set about trying to uncover the identity of the traitor but it was too late, as the Black Hand took revenge on Lucien (fortunately suspecting nothing of me, as I was only following orders). They stripped him, hung him upside down and brutally mutilated his body, before killing him, which I then discovered. It was actually a genuinely horrific sight and pretty macabre as I spoke to each of the surviving members of the Black Hand and they took great delight in telling me of the thrill that torturing him had given them. Unfortunately I knew about this twist already (overheard someone mention it years ago). If I had not then I would have been hugely shocked and upset!
The Black Hand fools, who couldn't see the flaws in the imbecilic logic which lead them to conclude that Lucien was the traitor, led me down with them to the Night Mother's shrine, to consult her. They give me some badass Black Hand robes, which of course I try on:
You can see I've also amassed a good bit of gold by this point too.
In the Night Mother's shrine, the traitor finally reveals himself and I slay him (not before he actually tries to futilely stab the ghost of the Night Mother - what a fool! Then again, I suppose I *do* fight and kill wraiths and ghosts all the time, so I don't know why she was immune to his swipes).
I am then informed that I will work for the Night Mother as a Listener, and gradually rebuild the Cheydinhal Sanctuary which had previously been cleansed in the Purification.
With that, I've reached the end of the Dark Brotherhood questline! Looking back, it did seem epic - 29 quests all-told, far more than the Mages Guild, although they were mostly very straightforward assassinations that didn't take long to complete. There were several twists and I'm glad I've finally completed it now. I did find the very end, where you meet the Night Mother, a bit anti-climactic though.
And that's the best part of another two hours gone. The quests were interspersed with jaunts back into local towns in order to sell my loot (usually glass weapons or enchanted weapons) and a few random fights here and there (I killed another Land Dreugh and a couple of Spriggans). I guess I will have a go at finishing the Thieves Guild next!
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