Brother
Member
No quest in Skyrim came close to arousing strong emotions in me until the Dark Brotherhood questline...I've played it two and a half times and each time my rage and sorrow is greater than before. On my first playthrough, when Maro first told me he'd destroy the Brotherhood, I didn't believe him. I figured I'd show up at the Sanctuary and everything would be alright. Everyone would be shaken up, like after the attack from Cicero, but no one would lie dead.
Man, was I ever wrong. When I discovered poor old Festus Krex, his arms raised to shield himself, transformed into a human pin-cushion by the arrows that pierced his body, I started hammering away on my mouse buttons out of anger. My character delivered power attack after power attack, but no matter how viciously I slew the Penitus Oculatus agents, my revenge could not bring back my wizard mentor from the dead.
And I'm not just roleplaying, mind you. I was seriously PISSED.
I ran inside the sanctuary, shivering at the thought of what I would find. Without waiting to listen to the coversation I heard coming from around the corner, I charged in, buchering the startled soldiers. My heart sank as I found the body of Gabriella. I'd never gotten to know her very well, but I'd hoped to see more character development in the future. Perhapse we could have become fast friends.
Worse was when I slew Arnbjorn's attackers AND HE DIED ANYWAY. I had been so close to saving one of my favorite Brothers of Darkness, and the game wouldn't allow for it. I reloaded save after save, saving him over and over, but he always died. But if I had been upset over the death of my werewolf friend, I was quaking with rage when I found the body of my absolute best friend, my favorite lizard, Veezara. I reanimated his corpse to fight the Sanctuarie's defilers one last time, but his mindless moaning only reminded me his soul had fled the empty shell of his body.
The smallest seed of hope was planted within me when I discovered Nazir and Babette had survived. The hope blossomed and I quivered with excitement as I eagerly ran to the location at which, I had discovered, Astrid waited to speak with me. But those hopes were cruely snatched away from me when I learned of my beloved leader's treachery. I wished the rat had been someone like Cicero, so I could truly enjoy killing the traitor. But it was Astrid. The truth crushed me.
I was disappointed when the only veangence I was allowed to deal out was to Maro. I wanted a quest to hunt down every last Penitus Oculatus agent and destroy them. I wanted to turn each one of them into a human pin-cushion as they had done to Festus. I wanted to put all of them in the Dawnstar Sanctuary torture room!
But it was not to be.
I love this questline. But I hate it even more.
Man, was I ever wrong. When I discovered poor old Festus Krex, his arms raised to shield himself, transformed into a human pin-cushion by the arrows that pierced his body, I started hammering away on my mouse buttons out of anger. My character delivered power attack after power attack, but no matter how viciously I slew the Penitus Oculatus agents, my revenge could not bring back my wizard mentor from the dead.
And I'm not just roleplaying, mind you. I was seriously PISSED.
I ran inside the sanctuary, shivering at the thought of what I would find. Without waiting to listen to the coversation I heard coming from around the corner, I charged in, buchering the startled soldiers. My heart sank as I found the body of Gabriella. I'd never gotten to know her very well, but I'd hoped to see more character development in the future. Perhapse we could have become fast friends.
Worse was when I slew Arnbjorn's attackers AND HE DIED ANYWAY. I had been so close to saving one of my favorite Brothers of Darkness, and the game wouldn't allow for it. I reloaded save after save, saving him over and over, but he always died. But if I had been upset over the death of my werewolf friend, I was quaking with rage when I found the body of my absolute best friend, my favorite lizard, Veezara. I reanimated his corpse to fight the Sanctuarie's defilers one last time, but his mindless moaning only reminded me his soul had fled the empty shell of his body.
The smallest seed of hope was planted within me when I discovered Nazir and Babette had survived. The hope blossomed and I quivered with excitement as I eagerly ran to the location at which, I had discovered, Astrid waited to speak with me. But those hopes were cruely snatched away from me when I learned of my beloved leader's treachery. I wished the rat had been someone like Cicero, so I could truly enjoy killing the traitor. But it was Astrid. The truth crushed me.
I was disappointed when the only veangence I was allowed to deal out was to Maro. I wanted a quest to hunt down every last Penitus Oculatus agent and destroy them. I wanted to turn each one of them into a human pin-cushion as they had done to Festus. I wanted to put all of them in the Dawnstar Sanctuary torture room!
But it was not to be.
I love this questline. But I hate it even more.
