To Kill an Empire To Kill an Empire is a quest available in . In the final act of a grand plot to assassinate Emperor Titus Mede II , the Dragonborn is sent to impersonate the chief chef ( The Gourmet ) and serve him a " meal to die for . " Walkthrough . Briefing . With all the pieces finally in place , Astrid prepares the Dragonborn for the honor of assassinating the Emperor . She says to head to Castle Dour in Solitude and present the Gourmet ' s Writ of Passage to the officer in charge , Commander Maro . The Dragonborn is to prepare a special meal for the Emperor using a secret ingredient : Jarrin Root , which is a deadly poison . Impersonating the chef . Note : to avoid unwanted complications , it may be best to leave any follower behind before heading to Solitude . Otherwise , it will be difficult to find them later . The main quest begins at Castle Dour , where Commander Maro can be found . He will be waiting by the Emperor ' s Tower entrance . Once he is shown the Gourmet ' s Writ of Passage , he says that the Dragonborn must speak to the castle chef , Gianna , and the door behind him can then be entered . Once inside , the Dragonborn should find Gianna . She will accept the Dragonborn ' s claim to being The Gourmet , but will not allow them to cook without a Chef ' s Hat , which can be found on a shelf nearby ( to the left when facing Gianna ) . She has already prepared the broth , and will ask what ingredients to add . The ingredients suggested don ' t matter . Eventually , there will be an option to give her the Jarrin Root to be added to the stew . Whether added or not , Gianna will finish the dish and carry it up to the Emperor . The Emperor ' s last meal . If the root was added , the Emperor will drop dead shortly after tasting the meal . The guards will immediately suspect the cooks of poisoning him , and will become hostile . With a high enough Sneak skill , hiding as the Emperor is eating the meal can prevent detection by the guards . There is no need to watch the event as it happens , so the Dragonborn can go into the next room and start sneaking there . Once the Emperor is dead , escape through the back door as instructed . If the root was not added , the Emperor will suffer no ill effects . The Dragonborn must then kill the Emperor to complete the quest . It is much more difficult to remain undetected using this method , as the Emperor is in a very crowded room , with few safe vantage points for ranged attacks and even fewer for melee . Alternatively , since the Emperor is completely unarmed and unprotected , he is extremely easy to kill . This will turn the guards hostile , but will not in itself add a bounty . With the Poisoned perk in the Pickpocket tree , an easy way to kill the Emperor without being detected is to give him a frenzy poison . This will cause the guards to attack the Emperor , during which time the Dragonborn can hide in the next room . It may take 2 – 3 frenzy poisons to do this , however , as the Emperor will attempt to flee the room once given the poison . Betrayal . While crossing the bridge , the Dragonborn will be stopped by three Penitus Oculatus Agents , along with Maro . He ' ll explain that the man who was just assassinated was a decoy . He goes on to explain that someone within the Dark Brotherhood made a deal to let him capture the Dragonborn , and in return , he would retract all aggression against the Dark Brotherhood . However , he intends to break the deal , killing the Dragonborn and assaulting the Sanctuary . Regardless of how the Emperor was killed or whether the Dragonborn was detected , a 1 , 500 ( or 750 if the Thieves Guild has influence in Solitude ) bounty will be placed on the Dragonborn once Maro finishes his speech , and the soldiers will attack . Either way , the quest continues back at the Sanctuary . It may be easier to escape Solitude by continuing down the spiral staircase past the first landing , since it leads directly outside of Solitude . Fast travel , however , may be impossible while near Solitude with such a high bounty . Also , fast travel directly to the Sanctuary is not possible because the map location is overlaid with a quest marker , so it is necessary to travel somewhere close and walk / run there . Also , if the Dragonborn has a follower who was left behind somewhere in Solitude ( so as to avoid questions while impersonating the Gourmet ) , they should be retrieved before leaving Solitude for good . Sanctuary Under Siege . By the time the Dragonborn arrives , the Sanctuary is already under attack by Maro ' s men . This quest will then be completed , and the next quest , " Death Incarnate , " will begin .