One of the most intriguing and well-written questlines in Oblivion as you journey throughout Cyrodiil, the Dark Brotherhood operates in the shadows in service to the Night Mother and Sithis. Unlike some of the other able groups, gaining entry to this family is a bit more complicated and requires some consideration, as it involves a sacrifice.

Unsurprisingly, to the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion, you will first need to murder an NPC to catch the attention of the murderous faction. While any non-essential character roaming around Cyrodiil will do, some options are a little better than others. From horrible NPCs that deserve it to characters that will let you kill two birds with one stone, as it were, here are some of my favorites when I want a visit from Lucien Lachance.

10 Respawning Followers

This Will Cause Guild Problems

A simple solution to finding a target to kick-start the Dark Brotherhood questline is to kill a follower. Unlike Skyrim, Oblivion gives you a limited number of followers, many of whom are essential or attached to questlines themselves. However, there are a few followers who are classed as respawning followers, and these are perfect candidates, although there can be some drawbacks.

Respawning followers are usually attached to guilds or factions, meaning killing them may get you in trouble with the associated group. One of my favorites is the Mage Apprentice, who will become available after completing the Mages Guild questline, and killing them may result in you being expelled. However, a Mages Guild suspension is easily fixed, with the items needed simple to find.

9 Arena Enemy Combatants

Plan Ahead & Get The Right Spells

A quick and easy way to kill an NPC with no bounty is to fight in the Arena. Arena enemies will trigger the Dark Brotherhood questline, but only under specific circumstances. However, this is easy to achieve and allows you to progress through the Arena questline while also kicking off another faction quest.

To have Arena enemies count, they will need to be under the demoralize condition, which will make them unwilling to fight and attempt to flee from you. There are a few ways to get this effect, with the easiest being to play as a Khajiit, as they have the racial trait Eye of Fear, which can be used once per day. Other sources include staves such as the Staff of Demoralize or spells such as Touch of Fear or Voice of Dread.

8 Roxanne Brigette

Bravil's Skooma Den Is A Depressing Place

Roxanne Brigette isn’t an Oblivion NPC many outside of the hardcore explorers will have heard of. That’s because Roxanne spends all her time in the infamous Bravil Skooma Den, located south of the city's main gate, above Carandial's House, and opposite the magic shop A Warlock's Luck. The door to the Skooma Den is locked with a hard lock, but once you’re inside, you’ll be able to find Roxanne easily.

Responsibility in Oblivion measures an NPC's lawfulness on a scale of zero to 100. NPCs with Responsibility 30 or less will generally commit crimes such as stealing.

Despite claiming that she’s only there to help the boys, Roxanna is a skooma addict, and the only resident in the den with any Responsibility. This means that she can be killed. It will count as a murder, but none of the other addicts will report the crime. While many of the addicts in the Skooma Den will count towards the Dark Brotherhood initiation, Roxanne is the best target as she is the only one who would report you otherwise.

7 Hrol Ulfgar & Nivan Dalvilu

Mephala's Quest Is A Great Opportunity

Just a little northeast of the Imperial City, you will be able to find Mephala's Daedric Shrine in Oblivion. Once you reach level 15 and make an offering of nightshade, you will be able to start her quest, which also happens to be a great way to start the Dark Brotherhood questline. Mephala will ask you to start a feud between two families who live in a small village.

You will need to travel to Bleaker's Way, which is south of Bruma and a short distance northwest of Mephala's Shrine. Here, you can kill Hrol Ulfgar and Nivan Dalvilu for Mephala, planting evidence to frame the other family as part of the Daedric Prince's plan. This is one of my favorite methods, as you not only get the Brotherhood quest trigger but also the excellent Ebony Blade.

6 Alval Uvani

Get A Head Start On Brotherhood Quests

While some Oblivion NPCs are hapless victims, others are so unpleasant they make perfect Dark Brotherhood targets. Alval Uvani is a rude and arrogant dunmer who Brotherhood will be sent to kill as part of the faction's questline. However, what many might not know is that Alval is not marked as essential and can be killed at any time, allowing any quests involving him to autocomplete when picked up.

Alval's scheduled stops are: Morndas/Tirdas in The Lonely Suitor Lodge (Bravil), Middas/Turdas in the West Weald Inn (Skingrad), Fredas/Loredas in Olav's Tap and Tack (Bruma), and Sundas in his home (Leyawiin).

The tricky part with Alval is finding him, as the battlemage travels around the map, stopping periodically in inns before moving on. I found it best to try and figure out which inn he will be at, and then follow him out of the city to a more remote location. Be warned, though, as Alval is a decent battlemage and a tough fight for lower levels.

5 Arnora Auria

Complete A Quest To Start Another

Sometimes quests in Oblivion present opportunities to kill an NPC with little consequence, which will also trigger a visit from Lucien Lachance. The Bruma quest “Two Sides of the Coin” sees you dealing with two thieves who will each try to pit you against the other. At one point in the quest, you will need to decide whether you should kill Arnora Auria, and for anyone planning to the Dark Brotherhood, the answer should be: yes.

Killing Arnora isn’t difficult, and as she will be in her home with no witnesses, there will be no bounty for you to worry about. After speaking with Jorundr and agreeing to kill Arnora, it is vital to kill her as soon as you enter her home. If she is spoken to and you explain that you intend to kill her, Arnora will become hostile and attack, and this will not trigger the Brotherhood quest.

4 Aelwin Merowald

Skip A Tedious Quest

Not all quests in Oblivion are worth the time and effort it takes to complete them, and “Go Fish” is the perfect example of this. This tedious side quest is considered by many to be one of the worst quests in the game, and sees a local fisherman asking you to collect 12 Rumare Slaughterfish scales. The reward for this is barely worth it; however, the fisherman is still worth seeking out for another reason.

Aelwin Merowald sticks to a very strict schedule, which makes getting him alone incredibly easy. The best time I've found is when he is at home, which is from 6 pm until 6 am every day, although as the village of Weye only consists of two buildings, there are very few witnesses around. I personally tend to skip “Go Fish”; however, if you do begin the quest, it should be completed before disposing of Aelwin.

3 Adoring Fan

Don't Worry, He'll Be Back

The Adoring Fan is a great choice and a favorite target for many looking to the Dark Brotherhood for many reasons. The Adoring Fan will appear by your side after you’ve completed the Arena questline and become the Grand Champion, offering to worship the ground you walk on. Irritating beyond belief, if you agree to let him follow you, this enthusiastic bosmer will become a less than helpful follower.

The Adoring Fan is useless in a fight, fleeing until danger has ed; however, in death, he proves his worth to the more dastardly inclined. The Adoring Fan can be killed with no consequences and no loss of him as a follower permanently. Simply kill him, get a visit from Lucien, and three days later, the Fan will be back at your beck and call.

2 Umbra

Find Her Early For The Best Results

Another great target to trigger the Dark Brotherhood questline, and save time on another quest later, is Umbra. Umbra is a wood elf who is in possession of a very special sword, and during the Daedric quest for Clavicus Vile, you will be sent to find and kill her. However, it is better to find Umbra as early as possible in Oblivion for a few reasons, one of which is her excellent armor.

Umbra can be found in the Ayleid ruins of Vindasel, southwest of the Imperial City. Killing Umbra before starting the Daedric quest counts as murder, but as Umbra is the only inhabitant of the ruins, there will be no bounty or witnesses. Dealing with Umbra in this way also byes the gold offering needed to trigger Clavicus Vile's quest later, saving you 500 gold.

1 Glarthir

Everyone's Favorite Paranoid Bosmer

Glarthir is well-known amongst long-time Oblivion players and seems to fall into the category of you either love him or hate him. The suspicious bosmer will approach you the first time you arrive in Skingrad, asking you to meet him and giving you the quest “Paranoia”. Glarthir is convinced that people around town are spying on him and want you to watch them and report back to him.

There are a couple of ways this can be approached in Oblivion Remastered, such as killing Glarthir immediately when meeting him around the back of the chapel. I recommend getting some gold out of him first by watching his targets, and after he gives you a note, informing the Surilie brothers of his plan. It’s important to reach Glarthir before the brothers, and not to initiate conversation with Glarthir to trigger the Dark Brotherhood quest.