With Friends Like These... - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Wiki Guide

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With Friends Like These...By Stephanie Lee, Hector Madrigal, Brendan Graeber, +162.5k moreupdatedAug 29, 2017

The quest With Friends Likes These... will be triggered the first time you go to sleep after finishing Innocence Lost.

Objectives

• Kill one of the captives
• Speak with Astrid
• Enter the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
• Speak to Astrid

Walkthrough

After completing Innocence Lost, wait for a courier to deliver a message from the Dark Brotherhood (if after waiting for a while and the courier doesn't show, just fast travel or take a carriage to Falkreath which is the closest city to the sanctuary. He should come then). Then go to sleep in any bed for any amount of time. You will feel well rested when you awake (unless you have the blood of the werewolf, which would mean that you do not get any sort of rest), but you’ll not be where you last laid yourself to rest. A hooded woman known as Astrid tells you that she is from the Dark Brotherhood and that you owe a debt to them.To repay it, you must simply kill one of the three captives in the shack (to kill one is optional) . Kill all three to impress Astrid if you want.

At this point, she extends an invitation to join the secret society of assassins, gives you the key to the shack, and urges you to enter the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary near Falkreath. Walk up to the creepy-looking door and respond with “Silence, my brother” to be welcomed in.

Speak to Astrid for your welcome package for officially joining the Brotherhood and also end the quest.

Walkthrough Version 2 - Kill Astrid

So... A hooded woman known as Astrid tells you that she is from the Dark Brotherhood and that you owe a debt to them.To repay it, you must simply kill one of the three captives in the shack. Simple enough right?

Well, if you get to talking to the three captives that kneel before you (whether out of basic interest or earnestly trying to discover which one could have had a 'hit' placed on them) you will discover that one is a mother of six, the other a soldier and another a Khajiit who's already had a contract taken out on him before...Killing the Khajiit may ease the consciences of some, but for others there is always the option of killing Astrid.

Kill Astrid and you will find the key to escape the shack on her body, the quest for the Dark Brotherhood will come up as failed... dang. There goes that quest line. Until a new quest pops up "Destroy the Dark Brotherhood". You are now able to set the captives free and instructed to inform a guard of Astrid's death.

You can literally walk up to any guard and tell them of Astrid's death. Solitude may be the best destination to quick-travel to though, seeing as it is nearest the shack. After you have informed a guard, he/she will tell you to find a general at Dragons bridge and pass the message on - still in disbelief that you were able to take down the leader of the Dark Brotherhood.

Either way you will still be able to get into the sanctuary and claim the Stone of  Barenziah, the Word of Power (Marked for Death), and a few skill books.

Up Next: Sanctuary

PreviousInnocence LostNextSanctuary

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The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimBethesda Game StudiosNov 10, 2011+4Learn moreGo to comments