Online:Lyra Viria

Lyra Viria is an Imperial and a former member of the Dark Brotherhood. While investigating the background of the Black Dragon, you will meet Lyra inside the Enclave of the Hourglass. Later on you will find out that Lyra herself is the Black Dragon. She was once a Silencer at the Blackwood Borderlands Sanctuary, and friends with Green-Venom-Tongue. 

During the quest A Ghost from the Past, you and Green-Venom-Tongue discover that Lyra was tasked with carrying out the purification of the Sanctuary. Subsequently, she was ordered to kill Primate Jonas, the predecessor to Primate Artorius. After that, Artorius offered Lyra to become his champion, the Black Dragon - an offer Lyra accepted.
In The Wrath of Sithis, Astara will ask you to travel to Knightsgrave and ensure that Lyra is killed. In Knightsgrave, the Wrath of Sithis will appear and consume Lyra's soul. 
 

Related Quests




Quest-Related Events
A Lesson in Silence
She appears in the Interrogation Hall inside the At-Himah Family Estate.
:The Black Dragon: "Grand Sermonizer, have you discovered the location of the Sanctuary yet?"
:Grand Sermonizer Fithia: "Unfortunately, this assassin expired before revealing anything useful."
:The Black Dragon: ''"I'll capture another. Try not to kill this one before we learn the location of the Dark Brotherhood's lair."
:Grand Sermonizer Fithia: "Lord Akatosh, hear our prayer! Let me just prepare the body … like so."
:Tanek: "Who is that black-armored warrior? Some kind of mercenary?"
:Tanek: "Now's our chance. Follow me!"''

Dark Revelations
thumb|right|Lyra
As you search the Enclave of the Hourglass, you'll come across what appears to be an imperial servant, known only as Lyra:
:Lyra: ''"I'm unarmed. May we speak before you kill me?"

:"It seems you have me at a disadvantage. But you don't have to be afraid of me. Put away your weapons and I'll help you in whatever way I can."
:Tell me where I can find the Black Dragon.
:"The Black Dragon? How brave of you to seek the most powerful warrior in our order. I can show you where her chambers are, if you like. You know, the Black Dragon was a lot like you once, before she sought redemption."
:: 
::"Very much the same, I see .... The Black Dragon was an assassin. A member of the Dark Brotherhood. Until she had enough of following the commands of others."
::: 
:::"You're pretty good at that. Silence can be very intimidating. In the right hands, of course. Come. I'll take you to the Black Dragon's chambers and you can meet her yourself."
:::: 
::Like me? What do you mean?
::"As I understand it, she was an assassin. She killed on command and with impunity, leaving a graveyard full of corpses in her wake. She's a member of the Dark Brotherhood. That is, she was. Until they pushed her too far."
:::How do you know all this?
:::"Members of the Order are encouraged to talk about their pasts. But we should get to someplace more private. You don't want to get caught out in the open if more of the Order appears. I'll take you to the Black Dragon's chambers. We can talk there."
:::: 

:Lyra: "Stay close. The Black Dragon's chambers are behind that door. Follow me."''

Inside the chamber, she'll comment:
:Lyra: ''"Hmm. Looks like we're all alone."
:"The Black Dragon isn't here. I suppose she'll be back soon, if you want to wait."
:Why are you helping me?
:"Primate Artorius teaches us that no one is beyond redemption. In time and with effort, all wrongs can be righted. I can be patient. Can you?"
:Are you trying to redeem me, too?
::"Redemption isn't for everyone, and I'd never presume to do such a thing. Unless, of course, you're open to the idea. Do you regret your role in all of this? You can tell me. I'm a good listener."
::What if I did have some regrets?
::"Regret is a specter of the past that haunts the present. If you had regrets, I'd tell you to leave this place. Leave the Gold Coast. Go far away and find whatever peace you can. If only I listened to my own advice …."
:::It sounds like you have a few regrets of your own.
::::"The Primate says regrets are as numerous as the stars in the sky and they shine brightest in the darkness. But I don't want to talk about religion anymore, do you?"
:I don't need redemption. / I'm not looking for redemption.
::"The Primate says regrets are as numerous as the stars in the sky and they shine brightest in the darkness. But I don't want to talk about religion anymore, do you?"
thumb|left|Lyra turns into the Black Dragonthumb|right|The Black Dragon strikes again
As you read her journal, Mirabelle appears and whispers to you.
:Mirabelle: "Psst! Assassin, up here! I'm waiting for the Black Dragon."
:Lyra: "Setting a trap for the Dragon, is that the idea?"
:Mirabelle: "Wait, who is that with you?"
 
:Lyra: "I am death, you silly fool!"
 
:Lyra: "We'll meet again, assassin, and next time I'll be ready to deal with you!"''

A Ghost from the Past
Green-Venom-Tongue takes you back to his former sanctuary in Black Marsh to witness events from the past.  All of them involve Lyra carrying out the purification of the sanctuary.

Hallan's final moments are witnessed in this quest. Lyra approached Hallan armed with two swords. Their final conversation proceeded as follows:

:Hallan: "Lyra? Is something wrong, Sister?"
:Lyra: ''"I'm sorry it's come to this, Brother."
:Hallan: "What are you doing? No, Lyra. Stop!"''

With a single clean swipe, Lyra cut Hallan's throat, killing him.

Vrayden's final moments are witnessed in this quest. Lyra approached Vrayden armed with two swords. Their final conversation proceeded as follows:

:Lyra: ''"Traitor? I'm not the one who betrayed my Brothers and Sisters!"
:Vrayden: "The Black Hand would never sanction this! I don't believe it!"
:Lyra: "You don't need to believe it. You simply need to die."''

Lyra struck once with her left-hand blade, slashing Vrayden and spinning him around; with her right-hand blade, she impaled him upward through the back and throat.

Duras's final moments are witnessed in this quest. Lyra approached Duras armed with two swords. Their final conversation proceeded as follows:

:Duras, chuckling: ''"What? Are those tears? Executioners aren't supposed to cry, Lyra. Come &mdash; plunge your blade into my heart! If Sithis calls for me, I will gladly leap into the Void. When we are called, we must obey."
:Lyra: "You really believe that? Even now, you think this insanity has some sort of meaning?"
:Duras: "Purpose and meaning are illusions for the masses. But we know the truth, Lyra. Now strike and send me home!"''

Lyra lunged forward, impaling Duras upon both blades and lifting the body into the air. Duras struggled, visibly in pain, before quickly falling limp. Lyra lowered the body, and used her boot to dislodge her blades from the corpse.

Annalise's final moments are witnessed in this quest. Lyra approached Annalise armed with two swords. Their final conversation proceeded as follows:

:Annalise: ''"Wait, Lyra, you know me. I'd never betray the Brotherhood."
:Lyra: "I do know you, Annalise, but my orders are clear."
:Annalise: "Please &mdash; there has to be another way."
:Lyra: "If only that were true."''

Annalise backed away and turned to run. Lyra drew the Blade of Woe and hurled it into the back of Annalise's skull, just as any assassin would. Annalise's body landed face-down, and Lyra whispered a final farewell: "Goodbye, Sister."

At the shrine to Sithis, you'll see one last memory of Lyra:
:Lyra Viria: "Please, Dread Father. Talk to me! Were all these deaths truly what you wanted?"
:Speaker Arawen: "Allow me to assure you, child. You have done exactly as you were commanded."
:Lyra Viria: :''"Speaker? I didn't know you were here."
:Speaker Arawen: "Another sacrament has been performed. You must go to the city of Kvatch and eliminate Jonas, the Primate of Akatosh."
:Lyra Viria: "But Speaker... my family... I need time to...
:Speaker Arawen: "Your family? Such personal attachments are beneath you. Remember who you really are. Ruthless. Ambitious. You are my Silencer. My weapon."
:Lyra Viria: ''"Yes, Speaker. I remember. I'll go to Kvatch immediately."''

In hopes of finding out Lyra Viria's past, Green-Venom-Tongue asks you to meet him on the steps of the Cathedral of Akatosh in Kvatch. There, with the aid of some smoking resin, you witness the Primate convincing Lyra to betray the brotherhood and join him and the church:
:Artorius: "Put away your weapon, child. We have much to discuss."
:Artorius: "You feel lost, without purpose. But the opposite is true. Everything has led you to me."
:Lyra Viria: "Oh really? I just see another witness that needs to be silenced."
:Artorius: "I performed the Sacrament that brought you here. Not because Primate Jonas needed to die, but because the Dragon God wanted us to join forces."
:Lyra Viria: ''"Join forces? I don't understand …."
:Artorius: "You need to turn away from the Void and step into the light. Join me and together we'll walk the path to redemption."
:Lyra Viria: "Redemption? I'm a murderer! There's no redemption for someone like me."
:Artorius: "Nonsense, child. Akatosh performs more impressive miracles than that all the time. We just need to turn your talents to the holy work of the Dragon God."
:Artorius: "Become my champion, a sword of Akatosh—my Black Dragon that burns away evil's darkness."
:Lyra Viria: "I … yes. I see it now. I pledge my blade and my life to you and to Akatosh. Show me the way."''

The Wrath of Sithis
Path of the Order
Deep inside Knightsgrave in a passage known as the Path of the Order you'll see a shadowy figure mocking you:
:The Black Dragon: ''"They sent you to hunt me down? I suppose that's what happens when all the good assassins have already been eliminated."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "Lyra? Ah, a shadow! Clever. Very clever."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "The Black Dragon's using shadows to track our progress."

Make your way to the door to the next room and the shadow appears again:
:The Black Dragon: "You'd kill me, Venom? You were my Brother once. Join me and forget your obligations."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "Join you? I'm going to send you to the Void, traitor!"''

Overlook of Time
Through the door, you'll encounter Lyra again:
:The Black Dragon: "The Brotherhood is a pox. It deserves to be destroyed."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "What lies did Artorius fill your head with, Lyra?"

At the door to the next area:
:Green-Venom-Tongue: ''"Assassin, did you see that? That wasn't one of Lyra's shadows."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "Like something out of the old stories we scared the initiates with …."
:The Black Dragon: "The Brotherhood. The Order. I'm done being used, Venom. Just leave me alone!"
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "I can't do that, Lyra. You brought this on yourself."

Chamber of the Enduring Flame
:The Black Dragon: "Turn back! I don't want to kill you!"
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "Hmm. Interesting. It seems that gate blocks our way."

A large gate blocks your path:
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "One moment. I think I can get through that break in the bars."

Green-Venom-Tongue crawls up the gate and over the top; on the other side he sees a lever:
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "Let's see if this switch opens the gate …. No, but it did open this other door."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "This is still my kill, Assassin. When one door opens, the best course is to leap right through."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "Try to find another path. If you hurry, maybe I'll let you help me make the kill."

Green-Venom-Tongue disappears and the shadow appears again:
:The Black Dragon: "Follow me and you die, assassin. You can't defeat me."''

Approach her and suddenly the wall behind her explodes and Minotaurs pour out to finish you.

Order Armory
In the next space you'll be mocked again:
:The Black Dragon: ''"You are a determined one, I'll give you that. You must have really bought into the Brotherhood's lies."''

Make your way through the corridor and you'll come to an unfortunate scene. The shadow is crouched over a prone Argonian:
:The Black Dragon: "I believed the lies once, when they told me we were family. Then they made me kill them."

The shadow fades as you approach the assassin:
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "I almost had her … but Lyra was always a step faster than me …."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "I saw the Wrath of Sithis, Assassin. The Dread Father hunts her, too."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: "Just like in … the old stories …."
:Green-Venom-Tongue: ''"You're the blade of Sithis … kill her and the Dread Father … will claim her soul …."

You start a long chase through the complex:
Chamber of Shadow
:The Black Dragon: "What did the Brotherhood give me? Nothing but guilt and shame."

The Path of Light
:The Black Dragon: "The Order? They offered me redemption. But in the end it was just more lies."
:The Black Dragon: "And you know whose lies hurt the most? Primate Artorius."''

The Paragon's Crown
:The Black Dragon: ''"Artorius isn't as pious as he pretends. You know, he even had me murder his beloved mentor."
:The Black Dragon: "And now I killed Green-Venom-Tongue, too."
:The Black Dragon: "I wonder, if we betray the Brotherhood, does the Wrath of Sithis really claim our souls?"

A pair of doors open onto a rotunda:
:The Black Dragon: "Green-Venom-Tongue challenged me and failed. What hope do you have? Even my shadows are more substantial than you!"
:The Black Dragon: "Now's your chance to impress me, Assassin."

Multiple versions of the shadow appear in succession, each with a different fighting style:
:The Black Dragon: "Show me every flaw, every weakness."
:The Black Dragon: "If you're the best your Sanctuary can throw against me, they're already all dead!"
:The Black Dragon: "Not bad for someone who's swinging at shadows!"
:The Black Dragon: "With each of my shadows you dispatch, I learn one more way to kill you!"
:The Black Dragon: "Primate Artorius manipulated all of us. He led us to this cliff. Will you leap and continue to follow his lies?"

Once you defeat all the shadows, the chase is on again:
:The Black Dragon: "I told Artorius the location of your Sanctuary. Brema was good enough to reveal it to me before I slit her throat."
:The Black Dragon: "The Order of the Hour will purify your Sanctuary. You cannot stop it."''

Finally you come to another large set of doors that open to reveal a huge cavern with a massive dragon statue at the far end:
"And here we are. I'm ready to die."|thumb|right
:The Black Dragon: ''"And here we are. I'm ready to die. Let's see if you're good enough to kill me."

Approach the area at the foot of the statue and Lyra will attack:
:The Black Dragon: "You remind me of who I was. That's why I'm going to kill you."
:The Black Dragon: "If not redemption, then let me have battle!"
:The Black Dragon: "At least in combat, the lies we tell are pure!"
:The Black Dragon: "I'm impressed, Assassin."

As you defeat her the Wrath of Sithis appears, wraps Lyra up in mystical chains, and drags her down into the void:
:The Black Dragon: "No! What's happening?"
:The Black Dragon: "The stories were true! Sithis, have mercy!"

Notes
Lyra also appears in the Dark Brotherhood card set from the story expansion The Fall of the Dark Brotherhood for Legends'', as the card The Black Dragon.