The Dark Brotherhood is not evil.

The dark brotherhood is not evil. I am absolutely reviled by their portrayl in Skyrim. I feel as if lore on DB is often factually based, and not about how the members of the brotherhood feel about murder, and sithis. The following is a way of interpreting DB lore, murder, and sithis worship that makes it a lot more understandable, and less spooky ooga booga evil for the sake of being evil.

Who is Sithis? Why is he of note?

Sithis is not a skeletal man lurking in the shadows with a dagger who enjoys murder for the sake of murder. The dread father is the source of chaos in the Aurbis, and the spiritual grandfather to the Dunmer, Khaijit, and Argonians. He is the soul birthed from Padomay. He is the father of the daedric gods, and a force of padomaic change in the world. Without Sithis there would be no Azura to have made the Dunmer, and Khaijit, and given them their culture, and appearance. Without Sithis the Hist would not have changed the Saxheel to the argonian. Sithis is the father of fathers, and thus we owe him our lives, our culture, our appearance, and our very lives.

The Wheel, and Sithis' place in it.

Imagine a wheel standing in a pitch black space of nothingness. If the wheel turned on its side is the tower that one stands atop after achieving chim, and the spokes of the wheel are the Aedra, and the spaces between the spokes are the Daedra. Then Sithis is the nothingness that surrounds the wheel, and is an essential part of the blank space inbetween the spokes of the wheels.

The Void.

Even the analogy of the wheel fails to describe the true extent of the nothingness of the dread father. Allow me to ask a question. What do you see with your foot? No. Thats not a typo. What do you see with your leg? Not black. Not white. But absolute, and utter nothingness, and when you are with Sithis in the void you will know this state of nothingness in its purest, and most unadulterated form. It will engulf, and consume your spirit entirely, and wholly. A terrifying concept to some, but a more terrifying concept to most brothers, and sisters of the dark brotherhood... the children of Sithis would to have your spirit persist ungratefully, and meaninglessly without serving your grandfather. A spirit undeserving of the life that the dread father gave to it with an outstretched hand.

The art of murder.

Murder for a dark brotherhood assassin, or a worshipper of Sithis is not an act of rage, or hatred, but a rather intimate act. For a child of Sithis murder is just as intimate as making love is. Both of the acts usually involved being covered in sweat, and other bodily fluids ;). To sink your dagger in the throat of a man, woman, or child. To see the shock, and horror in their eyes as their spirit as their very soul is clutched by the Dread Father... a beautiful sight to behold. No doubt the closest one will come to experiencing the nothingness, and beauty of the void whilst retaining ones existence, and self. It is not a power trip. It is not a sexual act. It is best described as intimate, and grisly yet beautiful form of Padomaic worship that one would not "enjoy" like a carnal pleasure, but something that would fill the murderer with a sense of meaning, and contentment. The same way a muslim man may claim to have spoken with Allah, or a christian may have claimed to have spoken with Yahway of the bible. Assuming they are being truthful the act would not give them carnal pleasure, but contenment, and meaning. The creator of the universe. The father of time. The alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. Is communing with them specifically to let them know that they have done them a great service, and in the afterlife will join them in utter nothingness.

The allure of the utter nothingness of the void, and why we do what we do.

The nords of Skyrim, and Atmora are stubborn, brash, and stupid warriors. They think with their hearts not their souls. For if they were enlightened then the soul would hunger to be with Sithis in the void, but all they know in life is the joys of drinking, fighting, and conquering. Caring not for the scholarly aspects of life they only care for what their heart knows, and not what the spirit knows. Yes of course there are the uneducated assassins for hire that belong to the brotherhood that aren't too religious, but they are not the majority. The majority of the dark brotherhood are scholars that have been enlightened, and made aware of their great Padomaic ancestor. You see the uninitatied fear the void. After all the utter nothingness of the void would be quite frightening if you fail to grasp the bigger picture. You have to view the larger picture. The way the elder scrolls games are played are not very accurate representations of life in tamriel. If they were fewer people would play them however I've a feeling that many of you, and myself would enjoy it.

Lets take the ESO questline for example. This is one of my favorite DB interpretations i think they did it very very well. There is a ledger of available contracts that you can repeat over, and over in order to increase your DB rank so that you can do more story quests. You prolly have to do 15-20 contracts to rank up, and finish the story. These contracts are accepted in The Kvatch/Bruma sanctuary. Trekking on foot from the gold coast to Mournhold, Deshaan, and tracking a specific man without rousing any suscipisioun from guards is a MASSIVE undertaking. If you dropped a TES lore buff in the Aurbis they aren't going to accomplish shit even with CHIM on their side. You must be physically fit you must provide food for yourself you have to have a safe place to camp at night whilst on your journey you must be a proficient tracker/resourceful person who can track a man you must feed your horse, and allow them to rest.

The elder scrolls world when experienced first hand is a bleak, cruel, unforgiving, dangerous world. I dont mean dangerous like you could get hit by a car like our world is. I mean sleeping in a fucking swamp eating bread, and raw meat praying that you dont get your throat cut open by some bandit, or get ripped up, and eaten by a pack of wolves. Closing your eyes knowing that you will most likely die if not by animal, or man then by disease, or hunger. All these people have is their religion. All these people have to give their bleak lives meaning is their religion. We see it in our own world. Middle eastern countries that are complete, and utter shitholes. You see people very closely sticking to the rules of their religion, and killing in the name of their gods. In the western world you often see people being rather loosey goosey with their religious texts. Often interpreting most of it as metaphor or being appropriate within the historical concept, but not applicable today.

But there is no allah of islam, or yahway of the bible in the Aurbis. Instead. We have Sithis. Not to offend the people of faith, but religion of our world mostly revolves around faith, and believing on faith, but in the Aurbis their is no faith. Sithis is as real as you, and I. We know it. Unless the daedra, the aedra the night mother, and all the scholars are in on a big conspiracy to conjure up sithis for some reason. Knowing not by faith, but for a practically concrete fact that Sithis is the father of creation, and the father of the daedra that are the father of the dunmer, khaijit, and argonian. Knowing that Sithis gave life to you, your culture, your people, and everything you hold near and dear in such a bleak, and hopeless world. Sithis is a beacon of light in an otherwise hopeless world.

I guarntee that when you live such a boring meaningless dull existence if someone contacts you offering you a group of friends, and mentors who will offer you exciting, thrilling, religious work, and teachings for buckets full of gold you're going to devote your life to that group. Especially if you were born to a padomaic race.

Who Do we kill, and why?

A common question that bothered me when my understanding of DB lore was lacking. Why dont they rampage? Why dont they just walk into town, and slaughter villages of people? The answer is simple. The night mother. Ahh the beautiful bride of Sithis. Cloaked, and steeped in legend, and myth. Some say she was a dunmer woman who communed with Sithis, and killed her children whilst some say she is a ghost. Whatever the case may be she is no doubt the Bride of Sithis, and arguably an anticipation of Mephala. Spinning deceitful webs of lies, and placing the world atop the web, and pulling the strings of the webs watching the world itself tremor, and shake because of her actions. Empires falling, Countries being invaded, History being written because of the elaboratley constructed web of deceit, lies, and murder carried out by the glorious black hand. She is the filter of Sithis' wrath. Sithis' wrath knows no bound for he would gladly accept every soul in the Aurbis into the void with glee, but it is his bride that guides us, and tells us whom to kill, and whom not to kill. A buyer will perform the black sacrament, and it is the night mother who decides rather or not the assassination will be performed. Rather Sithis shall see that soul in the void or not. She is the vital middleman for without her Sithis' wrath would know no bounds. One may think that Sithis' would wish for more souls. The more the better, but Sithis is pure, and utter chaos. For some reason Sithis wishes for his bride to deem which souls are "worthy" of the void. Sithis is like a nightclub manager. The night mother is the bouncer letting the cool people inside. The club? The void. Who are we to question the will of a God?

Sithis is beautiful. Sithis is life. Sithis is love. Sithis is the beacon of hope in an otherless bleak, and miserable world. Sithis is the chaotic padomaic force of change in the Aurbis, and Sithis demands murder as worship, and who are you to question the will of a chaotic, and ever changing God?

TL:DR HAIL SITHIS! HAIL SITHIS! HAIL SITHIS!

Edit: If I've cited anything incorrectly please let me know so I can change it. I think I got most of it right though. If this gets good feedback I may post more about Sithis, and the void, and DB, and the morag tong.