Forums » Elder Scrolls

• SpookyBorn2021

  

  • 1467 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 4:09 PM EDT

  So my second in a multi-part series of Forum Hosts, last time we talked about everyone's least favorite character (well most people's apparently.) Cicero

  This week we talk about a member who betrays the entire sanctuary to Commander Maro, to be fair she never wanted the Sanctuary to be destroyed but she did personally betray the Listener. 

  So Astrid, crazy traitor who would stop at nothing to get you killed, or merely a protector of the Sanctuary, trying to keep it alive, even at the sacrifice of a member..

• Borommakot

  

  • 1217 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 4:17 PM EDT

  Control freak, who suffers the consequences for her choices in the death of her family, grievous physical pain, and finally her own death.
• Premier Eden

  

  • 152 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 4:25 PM EDT

  Seeing as I am not a fan of the Dark Brotherhood, crazy assassin who deserved her death. Too bad they didn't get the rest

• Tom

  

  • 624 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 5:31 PM EDT

  I actually liked Astrid and her way of running the Dark Brotherhood. Assassins-for-Hire are more attractive to me than fanatic cults of death.

• SpookyBorn2021

  

  • 1467 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 5:39 PM EDT

  Pretty much this for me...I have no problem with either but this is a more logical Brotherhood.  

• Breaker

  

  • 41 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 5:44 PM EDT

  Except the DB never fully drops the "cult" side of it, nor fully embraces the "for-hire" side, so it's held back by the fact that the DB questline can't decide which it wants to be.
• SpookyBorn2021

  

  • 1467 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 5:50 PM EDT

  Until Cicero comes along it is most certainly more of a for-hire group, they had more or less completely shoved Sithis out of the way and the  Night Mother was considered dead and gone so they used the Black Sacrament simply because it was easy.

• Tom

  

  • 624 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 6:56 PM EDT

  I doubt that. With the Black Sacrament, they're forced to wait until rumors spread far and wide enough for them to pick up on and investigate. They could provide more direct means of contacting them, which would make the process quicker and easier to make money.

  Continuing with the Black Sacrament only pushes the perceived notion that they're still backed by god-like forces. It provides that air of dark mystery and invincibility they've needed to survive this long.

• SpookyBorn2021

  

  • 1467 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 7:35 PM EDT

  That does make more sense, I meant it was easier then creating a whole new way of contact. I have no idea when the Dark Brotherhood was mostly destroyed and they had no Listener but if it was a short period of time, maybe it took less time for a dozen people to deal with,

• Deleted Member

  
   

  March 15, 2015 9:34 PM EDT

  I was just going to say that the Sacrament is easier than the Dark Brotherhood opening up a PO box. I imagine they had a network of spies and contacts that would pass them rumours and such.

  I'm not a big fan of the DB in general. I think fanatical cultists, while potentially being a lot of fun, is a cliche that grows incredibly old very quickly. The whole murder-for-hire idea I was very much behind and I remember the first time I played the quest, I was completely with Astrid and all, "Yeah, let's get rid of that batshit talking corpse and do some real assassining! Screw Cicero!" and then the questline forces you to become the Listener and "reform" the DB back to the fanatic cultist side of things.

  In her actions, she was pretty much a bitch, but I think that's a qualification for running a crime organization. She did what she felt she had to and I find it hard to fault "villains" who follow this line of thought.

• Mannimarco

  

  • 161 posts
   

  March 15, 2015 11:20 PM EDT

  I Think shes a stuck up, idiotic, jealous  Dummy.  She only became the leader by being the favorite of a dying leader and no one stepping up to lead instead her. She's not a good assassin and is a control freak. When the rightful leader came and WIFE of their God, She felt threatened as her only thing she owns of value besides her unique blade is going to be taken from her. So she sells out the A Legendary assassin in order to save her Leadership as the Good people of her group risk their lives trying to hold together the last of a once Famous League Of Assassins.  Personally I dont like her at ALL. Sithis knows what to do to Traitor and Fakers in the Void.    #Hail Sithis

• SpookyBorn2021

  

  • 1467 posts
   

  March 16, 2015 4:49 PM EDT

  Well we got slightly off topic, I know what everyone thinks of the Dark Brotherhood in general now but hey that isn't much to do with the question.

  I always thought that Astrid, while slightly crazy (a trait of all Dark Brotherhood members though) was a fairly efficient and capable leader, she kept the Brotherhood alive and would do anything she could to keep it that way. I can hardly fault her for trying to get the Dragonborn killed because in the end he was a threat to the Guild, if he had successfully killed the Emperor (before Maro) it would have brought much more attention to the Dark Brotherhood then they needed.