Oblivion talk:A Knife in the Dark

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Shrouded Armor[edit]

What are the stats for the Shrouded Armor and Shrouded Hood? Yoppula 14:46, 26 February 2007 (EST)

Shrouded Armor is based on a leather Cuirass, light armor, Weight 2.35, Health Points 440, Armor Rating 15, Fortifies Sneak, Illusion, Marksman, Blade and Acrobatics 8 points
Shrouded Hood is based on a leather Helmet, light Armor, Weight 0.5, Health Points 80, Armor Rating 2.5, Fortifies Sneak, Illusion, Marksman, Blade and Acrobatics 2 points
Should these be present in a list somewhere, such as Specialty Gear? --JustTheBast 15:07, 26 February 2007 (EST)
Yes you really would think so, I suggest you add them ;o) Jadrax 15:15, 26 February 2007 (EST)
I was about to save them as an addition to Other Specialty Gear, but stopped, when I realized those were all unenchanted items. I've added them to Unique Items for now, but that doesn't seem right either, since others in the brotherhood use them as well, so they're not unique. --JustTheBast 15:55, 26 February 2007 (EST)
Mmm, ok very good point. Are there nay other non-unique magic items like this? Jadrax 16:04, 26 February 2007 (EST)
It's not leveled, it's not unique, it's not random either. Non-Random Loot sounds like it should fit, but the page doesn't look like it.
There's also the Black Hand garb, which as far as I know still isn't anywhere. Somewhere there's a discussion about that, which kind of hit the same problem: where do enchanted items go when they're not random loot but they're also not unique? I doubt there are enough such items to justify having their own page. I think a call just needs to be made as to whether they're a better match for Oblivion:Unique Items or Oblivion:Magic Items and then reword the introduction to whichever page is chosen to make it clear that items like these are also included. This is something that's long overdue for being fixed, and I kind of feel like any type of decision is better than continuing to stall and not having the information available at all. --Nephele 16:12, 26 February 2007 (EST)

Well, Arena Raiments Which are enchanted but not unique are on the site, but in a pretty odd place. Jadrax 16:14, 26 February 2007 (EST)

Sorry, got distracted by vandals. Personally I think the place that's most useful and intuitive for these places is the Unique Items section, unless we totally Other Specialty Gear to be more than a list of redirects. I agree with Nephele that making a new page dosent make any real sense, items are already pretty split up and hard to compare as is. This has the added benifits of you ahve already done it, so it mkust have seemed the best to you? Jadrax 16:28, 26 February 2007 (EST)

It looked like a list of items that were most similar to what I was trying to place, namely enchanted armor, that was neither leveled nor part of random loot. It was only after I saved it, that I realized the set was not unique - only restricted to a very small list of NPCs. I guess my first idea, to put it in among Other Specialty Gear like the Blades and Blackwood Armor would technically be more suited, but it would be the only enchanted set there, making integration awkward.
Loosening the strictures of Unique Items is probably a better way to go, since this also allows the page to beacome a place to list other "homeless" items, like the arena raiments, etc. --JustTheBast 16:55, 26 February 2007 (EST)

Lachance's range[edit]

Can Lachance enter plug-in specific areas to welcome you to the Dark Brotherhood? E,g Dunbarrow Cove or the Wizard's tower? I know he doesn't function properly in the Shivering Isles, but does he in places for other plug-ins?

There shouldn't be any problems outside the SI. He could certainly enter the private quarters of Battlehorn Castle in my game.--LordDagon 08:57, 12 July 2008 (EDT)

Easy Completion[edit]

I didn't know it was possible, but I was able to complete this quest without ever killing Rufio. I simply went into the abandoned house in Cheydinhal and talked to Ocheeva - it finished the quest for me at that point. Does that always happen, or did I just hit a weird glitch? I think it should be added to the main page if more people than just myself can get this to happen.--Mikekearn 04:07, 11 November 2007 (EST)

Hm, nevermind, I figured out what happened. I have the PC version, and one of my mods lets you hold <shift> or <ctrl> to drop items in stacks or individually by bypassing the confirmation popups - this also can apparently "confirm" the answer to the question asked at the entrance, letting you in before you're supposed to be able to.--Mikekearn 04:10, 11 November 2007 (EST)

Night Mother, there's a Murderer sleeping in my bed...[edit]

To answer the burning question: "What would happen if Lucien recruited me while I was at his own home?" I initiated this quest by traveling to Fort Farrugut and spending an hour in Lucien's bed.

The quest progressed in the normal manner, but when Lucien was finished speaking, he Chameleon-ized, walked but a short distance and came to a stop beside the rope ladder. There he waited, rebuffing any attempt at new conversation until my character left the chamber. Quickly returning down that ladder, I found that Lucien was gone.

I have to assume that Lucien's AI package has him attempting to return to Fort Farragut from wherever he first recruits you, then disables him as soon as the two of you are a cell apart. All in all it's not a very interesting result, but it answers the question of just what he'll do if he comes to you while asleep— in his own bed!Dark Spark 23:31, 28 January 2008 (EST)

Door, door on the wall, will you let me in or not at all?[edit]

After Lucien told me to go to the abandoned house to complete my quest, I went there but the door wouldn't talk to me. I mean, the door wouldn't ask me the question that should be answered by 'Sanguine, my brother'. Help please?

Nevermind, reloading fixed this error. I'm not sure how it happened, though, as it is not listed in the wiki. --Behemothzero 04:55, 15 May 2008 (GMT+8)

I think this quest is an easter egg[edit]

When I played this quest I could've sworn it was a Lord of the Rings easter egg. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but chapter 11 in the Fellowship of the Ring (book 1) is called "A Knife in the Dark." In this chapter, the Ringwraiths go to an inn to kill the hobbits, kinda like when you go kill Rufio at an inn. Anyone agree?

Goldbrand43 12:40, 10 July 2008 (EDT)

Yes, and that's already on the article. Although the chapter you refer to has the hobbits and Strider being attacked on Weathertop, not in an inn. –RpehTCE 13:12, 10 July 2008 (EDT)
I was just reading Fellowship of the Ring, I saw 'A Knife in The Dark' and jumped on my laptop so quick, thinking I was some kinda genius for dicsovering this... And it's already there. :( call999itsashark talkmail 12:03, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Rufio question?[edit]

Is it possible to complete this quest by killing rufio, sleeping in his bed to make Lucien Lachance appear and then going to the Sanctuary? If it is possible it means that the player can just kill Rufio without ever speaking to Lucien until he arrives telling the player to go to the Sanctuary. This would mean you only need to sleep once.--Repeater 15:26, 19 April 2009 (EDT)

Never mind I just found out he isn't part of the game until this quest starts--Repeater 15:44, 19 April 2009 (EDT)

He does appear, edit needed[edit]

I slept in the Inn of Ill Omen after the murder, and Lucien did appear. The article states that he won't. I didn't sleep in the Private Quarters though (I slept in one of the rooms upstairs after paying the owner). The article is either wrong, or you'll need to specify perhaps. SwedishBerzerker at youtube.com 13:27, 16 May 2009 (EDT)

I've just deleted that note. In an unmodded game I tried sleeping both in the basement and in the main inn, and in each case, Lucien appeared. Although the script to make Lucien appear excludes the inn, it seems that doesn't work. –RpehTCE 15:07, 16 May 2009 (EDT)
I've just tried sleeping in the main part of the inn (after speaking to the owner about 'Bed') and Lucien refuses to appear. I may be missing other factors in his appearance. 82.2.51.132 19:39, 16 May 2009 (EDT)

Toungue tied[edit]

In my quest log it says ' I need to talk to Ocheeva ' and when I do it doesn't activate anything. I've tried talking to Vincente Valteri as he is the next person I would have to talk to. Is there any way that I can complete this quest???

If you're on the PC, you can use the console to advance the quest ie.
setstage Dark01Knife 100
Alternatively, and if you are on the PS3 or XBox, try using an older save in which you have not already started the quest. Jujimufu 03:16, 15 November 2009 (UTC)Jujimufu
She was supposed to talk to you as soon as you walk through the door. Don't know why this happened. --Darkheart 00:35, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![edit]

lachance has no greeting or dialougue all during knife in the dark, forced throughj with console but wont allow me to say password or enter santuary Scotty1215 15:02, 27 February 2010 (UTC)

Try COC "CheydinhalSanctuary". --SerCenKing Talk 18:00, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

For anyone who killed Lucien and still wants to join the Dark Brotherhood[edit]

Ok so I am fairly new to this game and to this wiki so I apologise in advance if this is in the wrong place etc. I stupidly killed Lucien earlier on and searched everywhere on how to join the guild later in the game, but it seemed there was no way of doing so. But I just found a way! I used the console to advance through "A Knife in the Dark", then entered the sanctuary also using the console. I then spoke to Vicente and obtained "A Watery Grave", using the console again to advance through it then through the next quest, "Accidents Happen" (receiving my bonuses along the way :p). I spoke to Vicente again and although I wasn't previously part of the guild at all, he promoted me to Slayer and this now shows up in my journal!

One note - before speaking to Vicente, some other members of the guild noticed I didn't belong there and were starting to threaten me, but after I got promoted this stopped. So if you try this workaround, don't hang around in the sanctuary too long before you are a part of the guild! ;) Purplesarah 01:23, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Another method that could work would be to use the console to resurrect Lucien Lachance. You might run into some trouble later in the dark brotherhood questline if he is dead... Specifically when you are supposed to talk to him again. ;) -Weroj 01:43, 28 May 2010 (UTC)
I saw on another forum that somebody tried this and it didn't work, I just tried this myself and couldn't get it to work either. Thanks for the advice though :) I'm still new to using the console so it could be an error on my part, either way if I get stuck in a later quest I'll try skipping through with the console again :) Purplesarah 02:23, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Freaky Floating Rufio[edit]

I've seen multiple videos of this and done it myself. When you go into Rufio's room, you close the door behind you, or something. I dunno if it matters. But if you shoot Rufio if he's halfway through the doorway, he dies and freezes in midair. When you close the door, he falls.

Think this should go on the page? Try it if you don't believe me.

Sincerely, InvertedWalrus 21:40, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

I've actually also done this, but it needs investigation ony why it happens when it does. --Arch-Mage Matt Did I Do That? 21:41, 31 August 2010 (UTC)
Righto. TO THE FORUMS
So, this means that it can't go up yet? --InvertedWalrus 22:34, 31 August 2010 (UTC)
It shouldn't until we determain the cause. --Arch-Mage Matt Did I Do That? 00:12, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

infamy[edit]

The infamy point is rewarded on talking to Lucien after Rufio's death.

I had wanted to let the infamy go to the Gray fox and put the hood on before talking to Ocheeva. After I had talked to her I noticed that I had gained an infamy point. I was surprised, because I had assumed the point would be added on quest completion.

My last save unfortunately was just after I had talked to Lucien, I slept in Rufio's bed to avoid sunlight, as Im a stage three vampire. I know the point was not added after killing Rufio, before speaking to Lucien. I checked my stats before sleeping in Rufios bed to summon Lachance, and only had a murder count added.

I couldnt find this info on the quest page, and I suppose its useful information for people who want to avoid (or accumulate) infamy.

Does this go in notes or the main article?

--Merari 14:47, 6 November 2010 (UTC)

Good idea. It's definitely worth noting this for people trying to avoid the infamy. rpeh •TCE 10:31, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

Moved notes[edit]

  • The name of this quest is the same as a chapter in The Lord of the Rings in which a Nazgûl stabs Frodo with a poisoned blade.
  • Rufio's health is only 1, and if you confront him he runs away to an adjacent room and stands still, cowering. This makes him arguably the easiest kill in the game.
  • It does not matter who (or what) kills Rufio; as long as he ends up dead you will be accepted into the Dark Brotherhood.

I've been pruning the notes sections. Feel free to re-add these if you feel they are relevant/useful. --AKB Talk 06:26, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

A Glitch I can find no mention of anywhere[edit]

With my Breton Mage character I was pretty careful not to kill anyone "innocent," even during combat, and in fact Lucien never visited me during the sleep. However, I recently discovered that he's standing still outside the Bravil Castle's gate and, if I talk to him, he starts this quest's dialogue. How can this be possible? O_o Andrea — Unsigned comment by 93.36.215.222 (talk) at 06:35 on October 19, 2011

I have never encountered, or even heard of,that glitch before. It is probably just a once off glitch for any number of reasons. what console are you playing on, mods and using console commands can affect things like that. RIM 12:51, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
Another question: I recently noted, after spotting Lucien, that my murder count is 16. However, I'm sure that I've never killed an innocent NPC and that the Dark Brotherhood never approached me. How is it possible? Thanks for the explanation - Andrea — Unsigned comment by 93.36.215.222 (talk) at 15:46 on October 19, 2011
I have no idea, maybe a glitch involving an un-patched game or using mods on PC is all I can think of. Are you sure it's murder, it could be just "people killed" stat.RIM 15:34, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

Killing Rufio with a spell[edit]

*STRANGE: When Rufio is killed physically (melee weapon, bow and arrow or bare hands), no bounty is incurred. However, killing him with Flare will always result in a bounty of 40, and somehow the woodland ranger knows just exactly where to find you. Further testing is needed to determine if killing Rufio with other spells will incur a bounty or not. — Unsigned comment by 75.186.12.60 (talk)

Moved the above from the article for corroboration and further testing. --Gaebrial 11:10, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

From what I have experienced (before Skyrim came out :P) is that you cannot stealthily kill with magic. Any use of magic to kill will incur a bounty whether or not there is a witness. I first saw that in this quest as well, where I reloaded several times because I kept getting a bounty from magic. --DKong27 Tk Ctr Em 18:30, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

LotR reference?[edit]

The name of this quest is the exact same name of the eleventh chapter of the first book of The Fellowship of the Ring. Should this be added to the trivia section? BrenMan 94 (talk) 20:25, 12 October 2012 (GMT)

I suggest that you being up that possibility on this here and it should be answered quicker than on here. For now I believe it could be a possibility, but it must reach a consensus before being mentioned. -Helenaannevalentine(talk) 20:52, 12 October 2012 (GMT)

He doesn't appear in SI with Oblivion GOTY.[edit]

I've only played the GOTY version of SI (XBox). Lucien just doesn't appear on my game when I sleep in SI. I've leveled in SI many times after the unseen forces message, he appears the first time I sleep in Tamriel. --Morrolan (talk) 02:11, 26 July 2013 (GMT)

This was confirmed long ago. There is also a very easy way to know if something does happen, check to see if the patches (official or unofficial) have a fix for it. If they do you can rest assured that it is/was possible. Silence is GoldenBreak the Silence 02:29, 26 July 2013 (GMT)
I believe it was confirmed long ago; however I also know that it's no longer the case. The bug got fixed, don't know when, but it's clearly not there anymore. Given that the last patch was in 2007, it seems kinda strange to keep ancient bugs documented as though they are still a problem. --Morrolan (talk) 04:11, 26 July 2013 (GMT)


Lucien Lachance doesn't visit me after killing Rufio[edit]

This problem has happened so many times, and it was after installing Unofficial Oblivion Patch Supplemental, seeing that the most recent Unofficial Oblivion Patch has Supplemental integrated, it brought along the glitch. I remember reading that there is 2 different Luciens, so which one do I call to me? This problem has been happening for years, I wonder why no one has made a topic about it.Megaman (talk) 16:47, 6 December 2015 (UTC)

Hmm...it appears that sleeping in his bed, in Fort Farragut, allowed him to come to me and engage in conversation Megaman (talk) 16:47, 6 December 2015 (UTC)

Cleanup message needs to be dropped.[edit]

This is a quest walkthrough, dialogue is a necessary inclusion. By the standard of this message every quest article on UESP would need to be cleaned up. — Unsigned comment by GlassDeviant (talkcontribs) at 21:33 on 30 June 2016 (UTC)

The tag was added after this discussion. Our quest walkthroughs aim to be walkthroughs, not articles for documenting the minutia of the NPCs and places encountered. Under our current Oblivion guidelines, the dialogue belongs on the NPC pages, not here. This page therefore doesn't match the correct style, so a cleanup tag is perfectly reasonable. —Legoless (talk) 22:44, 30 June 2016 (UTC)