Skyrim: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Astrid - TheGamer

Out of all the factions in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, none is as interesting as the Dark Brotherhood. A guild of assassins which has existed for centuries, it's no wonder it often ends up being among the favorites of fans. It's the best way to make a lot of money, and the unique items and quests gained from it are definitely worthwhile.

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The Dark Brotherhood is also home to Astrid, the leader of the sanctuary in Falkreath before its untimely destruction. Astrid is the perfect assassin, but also deeply obsessed with power and control despite how seemingly friendly she appears to be at first. Although she's one of the most compelling NPCs in the game, there's still quite a bit about her that seems strange or even illogical.

10 She Gives You Shadowmere

After Cicero shows his true colors during the main quest of the Brotherhood, the Dragonborn is sent by Astrid to chase after him and kill him. In order to reach Cicero fast enough the Dragonborn is given a gift. Shadowmere, a unique dark horse, will rise from the pond next to the sanctuary's entrance.

This horse is no doubt dear to Astrid, and pretty much immortal. At this point, Astrid is well aware that the Dragonborn is a Listener and has been contacted by the Night Mother, so it makes no sense for her to be giving such remarkable gifts to them.

9 She Relies On Rumors To Know Who To Kill

It's evident the glory days if the Dark Brotherhood are long gone, and while there are many explanations to why this might be the case, one of the primary weaknesses of Astrid's group is their inefficient work method. Since there's no Listener, her group relies solely on rumors.

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This seems like an extremely unreliable way to find out who has performed the Black Sacrament to summon the Brotherhood. And yet, Astrid seems to value her position over the well-being and reliability of the guild. One can only imagine how many Sacraments she has missed from not having a Listener.

8 She Somehow Kidnaps The Dragonborn

In order to join the Dark Brotherhood the player needs to first speak with Aventus in Windhelm, and then travel to Riften to kill Grelod the Kind. However, this alone isn't enough. They'll receive a note from a courier with the Brotherhood's symbol, but they then must sleep to trigger the next phase.

The Dragonborn is essentially brought to the Abandoned Shack by Astrid, and while it could be argued that she most likely got help, depending on where the Dragonborn slept it seems unlikely her kidnapping could have gone unnoticed. How in the world did she actually do it?

7 She Trusts Commander Maro

Astrid is only human, that much is certain, and her humanity is shown clearly when she strikes a deal with the Penitus Oculatus in order to have the Dragonborn killed. However, this is a terrible deal to make. Who in their right mind would trust the head of an Imperial security team, when they're from the Dark Brotherhood themselves?

Astrid's trust is perhaps one of the greatest storytelling flaws in the entire game. As an assassin and the leader of the guild, she definitely should have known better. And yet, she falls into Maro's trap easily.

6 She Gets Respect Automatically

It's no secret that Astrid's view on the guild's rules and regulations are revolutionary and even modern. They stray away from the roots of the Dark Brotherhood, and yet, for some reason the other members, from child vampire Babette to even Festus Krex to a degree, stand by her side without question.

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It's difficult to say why this is the case. The respect and loyalty she receives doesn't actually make any sense, since she's not really doing anything great to improve the group's standing in Skyrim or to prove herself. So, why does everyone respect her? Perhaps she's just charismatic, but one would think among assassins, much more is needed than just the right words at the right time.

5 She's Not Scared Of The Night Mother

Sithis is the patron saint of all Dark Brotherhood members. By his side is the Night Mother, a real person who once killed all her children in exchange to becoming Sithis' bride. Sithis is the representation of all things dark, and with the ability of the Night Mother to speak from beyond grave, it's clear that the two of them wield great, mysterious power.

The Night Mother may not be able to move or fight, but she works in strange ways that could be considered supernatural. As such, she has power that Astrid wouldn't be able to resist or fight against. Despite this, Astrid shows not regard or fear towards the Night Mother and certainly not towards Sithis, as she invents her own rules for the guild.

4 She Ignores The Five Tenets At A Time Of Crisis

Sithis and the Night Mother aside, there's another reason why logically Astrid should be respecting the Dark Brotherhood's original Five Tenets. The guild is presently at a low point, and it isn't until the Dragonborn arrives that things truly start to change for the better.

Perhaps, if the Dragonborn had never arrived, had Astrid returned to the Five Tenets and the original rules of the Dark Brotherhood, she could have restored its glory slowly overtime and even looked for an actual Listener. And yet, although her sanctuary is among the last across Tamriel, she's not concerned about keeping to the rules or restoring the guild.

3 She's Impressed By The Dragonborn After Two Kills

It takes a very special individual to become an assassin. One needs to have natural talent, but also have the mindset to never regret a kill and to almost downright enjoy death and destruction. As such, not anyone can join the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood and aspire to be a successful assassin.

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The Dragonborn might be god-like, but they're not perfect either. Due to this, it's bizarre that Astrid is so ready to have them join after killing just two people: Grelod and one of the masked prisoners at the Abandoned Shack. That really doesn't tell anything about whether or not the Dragonborn would make a great assassin.

2 She's Not Afraid The Dragonborn Will Kill Her

There's something else that's strange in the Abandoned Shack sequence, and it's the fact that Astrid isn't that prepared for a confrontation. This is the Dragonborn we're talking about here. Everyone in Skyrim should be afraid of them, given how powerful they are and how expansive their arsenal is.

Moreover, fighting Astrid isn't that hard. The Shrouded armor she wears is weak, and although her Blade of Woe is powerful, a character like her relies on sneak attacks rather than close quarter combat against a fully armored character. It's almost as if she's not at all worried about being killed by the Dragonborn, but the truth is, she should have taken some security with her.

1 She's Married

Anyone who joins the Dark Brotherhood most likely isn't the most stable of individuals out there. It does require a person to love killing and inflicting pain, and to believe in Sithis and worship them as a primary deity. Many of the members actually already have twisted pasts that make them downright sociopaths.

With that in mind, it's strange to know that someone as cold and ruthless like Astrid is married. Granted, Arnbjorn isn't the spitting image of kindness either, but if the two of them are able to love each other, it means they have some degree of morality and empathy within them, which contradicts the Dark Brotherhood's ideals.

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