As one of the most memorable characters in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s Dark Brotherhood questline, Lucien Lachance is loved by many in the community. He’s the player’s first introduction to the shadowy guild and becomes a close confidant as the quest progresses.
That said, those who haven’t played The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion yet will have likely come across Lachance during their playthrough of Skyrim, albeit unknowingly. Regardless of where players first meet Lachance, his story is an interesting one, though it ultimately ends in tragedy.
Climbing the Ranks of the Dark Brotherhood
Little is known about Lachance’s early life. Though he’s known to have journeyed to the land of Skyrim in his youth, specifically to Riften. There, a thief stole his purse and Lachance retaliated by “taking” their eyes. This suggests that Lachance has had a penchant for violence since his younger years.
Later in his life, Lachance joined the Dark Brotherhood, where he took on multiple contracts and climbed the ranks. At one point, he accepted a contract from a man who wanted his ex-wife killed for leaving him. This seemingly mundane contract would later lead to his demise, though that comes into play much later.
Eventually, Lachance becomes a Speaker, making him a part of the Dark Brotherhood’s main governing body — the Black Hand. This subgroup within the guild consists of nine members in total. Though the lower-ranking members of the guild only know of five. First and foremost is the Listener, the “thumb” of the Black Hand. As the Night Mother’s chosen follower, the Listener receives messages from her, then passes them on to the Speakers.
The Speakers, then — of which there are four — assign members of the guild to carry out the Night Mother’s bidding. Finally, each Speaker is assigned a Silencer. These members are expert assassins that represent the “nails” of the Black Hand, and none of them are bound by the Five Tenets. As such, their existence is hidden from the rest of the guild.
As Speaker, Lachance both trained and recruited members to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, including the player. The Hero of Kvatch’s primary interaction with Lachance often comes as a surprise to first-time players. After killing any innocent NPC and then sleeping in a secure area, Lachance will appear before the player and comment that they sleep “rather soundly for a murderer.” After which, he will invite them to join the Dark Brotherhood.
Hunting for a Traitor
When the player officially joins the shadowy assassin guild, they won’t meet with Lachance for some time. Instead, they’ll be given tasks by the guild’s other, lower-ranking members. After completing these quests, the player will be summoned to Fort Farragut, where Lachance explains that the Black Hand has declared there is a traitor in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. Because this traitor has been active even before the player’s recruitment, they have been deemed innocent.
It falls to the player to perform the Purification, an ancient rite wherein a member of the Dark Brotherhood eliminates all the members residing in a sanctuary. This action goes against the Dark Brotherhood’s Five Tenets. Thus, Lachance promotes the player to Silencer, to absolve them from punishment for killing another member of the guild. Once the Purification is complete, the player then officially becomes Lachance’s personal Silencer.
At this point, the player will start receiving orders from Lachance through dead drop locations scattered throughout the map. These dead drops will require the player to murder a number of NPCs across Cyrodiil. However, Lachance later learns of how his own Silencer is massacring members of the Black Hand and intercepts the player in Bravil, where he deduced that the player would attempt to kill Ungolim, the current Listener. Unfortunately, Lachance arrives too late and, face-to-face with his Silencer, he angrily proclaims that they’ve betrayed the Dark Brotherhood. Though he quickly realizes that the player’s been tricked as well.
Lucien Lachance’s Demise
As it turns out, the traitor still lives, and they’re intercepting the player’s dead drops and replacing them with false targets. Lachance reveals to the player that they’ve been systematically killing off members of the Black Hand. Now, the remaining members believe that Lachance is the traitor, so he orders the player to go to the next dead drop to find out who has been switching the orders.
Lachance leaves his dwelling in Fort Farragut to take up refuge in Applewatch. Meanwhile, the player’s investigations will lead them to the Anvil Lighthouse, where a putrid smell is emanating from the basement. Exploring that area reveals a shrine to a dead woman, her severed head upright on an altar and mutilated body parts strewn about the floor.
The player will also find an item called the Traitor’s Diary. In it are the mad ravings of Mathieu Bellamont who is one of the Speakers — lamentations about his mother’s death, arrogant proclamations about his infiltration of the Dark Brotherhood, and, most notably, promises to kill Lucien Lachance for the murder of his mother.
With this evidence, the player rushes to Lachance. Unfortunately, the remaining members of the Black Hand will get to him first. By the time the player arrives at Applewatch with the truth, Lachance’s mutilated corpse is already hanging from the ceiling of the small farmhouse. With the supposed threat now dealt with, the Black Hand promotes the player to Speaker. Worse, Bellamont will be there, noting that Lachance’s “punctures and slashes are almost poetic.”
Beyond The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
With Lachance dead, the player is given one final story quest to conclude the turmoil within the Dark Brotherhood. In the Honor Thy Mother quest, the player will enter the Night Mother’s crypt in Bravil, along with the other Speakers, and speak to the Unholy Maiden herself. Arquen declares that the traitor is dead, but the Night Mother denies this, saying that Lachance served Sithis until his death. At this point, Bellamont will attempt to destroy the Night Mother, only to be killed by the player.
Though Lachance’s mortal life ends, he serves the Dark Brotherhood still. In Skyrim, Lachance comes in the form of the Spectral Assassin, whom the player can summon once a day after completing a specific Dark Brotherhood quest. This Spectral Assassin has unique dialogue, referencing events that took place in Oblivion, and he also has much to say about the Dragonborn and the Hero of Kvatch. Most notably: “You stand now at the precipice of the Void. I am reminded of another Listener, a protege I knew long ago. So long ago.”
Lachance’s death was caused by deception within his own family, but his soul rests easy with the Night Mother and the Dread Father. With them, he continues to serve the Dark Brotherhood and its bloody purpose. It makes for a bittersweet ending.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
