Cicero Cicero is a lethal jester and the Keeper of the Night Mother ' s coffin . He is found on the road north of Whiterun , near Loreius Farm , transporting the coffin of his " mother . " After confrontation , he may be found within the Falkreath Sanctuary or the Dawnstar Sanctuary , depending on the Dragonborn ' s progress through the Dark Brotherhood questline . He is the secondary antagonist of the Dark Brotherhood questline . Personality . Widely regarded as bothersome , obnoxious , strange , and insane , Cicero sports flamboyant attire and often speaks with a high - pitched voice . Cicero speaks to both himself and the Night Mother ' s remains often , and as such , he is considered mad . As Keeper of the Night Mother , Cicero takes his vocation very seriously , willing to wound or kill anyone who questions or ignores the Night Mother ' s authority , although he was not always like this ; as evident from his first two journals , before becoming Keeper , Cicero was quite sane , comparatively speaking . His final contract involved killing a jester , and slowly , while most of his fellow assassins were being killed in Cyrodiil , Cicero descended into madness , obsessing over the jester , and adopting aspects of the jester ' s persona . Interactions . Delayed Burial . While traveling north of Whiterun , the Dragonborn may encounter a peculiar man in a jester ' s outfit with a broken - down cart . It turns out his name is Cicero and he will beseech them to aid him , stating he needs repairs for his wagon wheel to move his mother ' s ( The Night Mother ' s ) corpse to a new burial site . Whispers In The Dark . Cicero is suspected of treason against the Dark Brotherhood when he continuously locks himself in a room with the Night Mother . He can be heard mumbling , but no one can hear what he is saying . Suspecting that Cicero and another member of the brotherhood are conspiring to betray the other members , Astrid sends the Dragonborn to investigate . The Dragonborn hides in the Night Mother ' s coffin , eavesdropping on Cicero and his conspirator . While hiding , the Dragonborn learns that Cicero is , in fact , speaking to the Night Mother ' s remains , although she does not speak back ; his private sessions with her were his attempts to verify himself as being the Listener , the one person who can hear the Night Mother speak . Shortly after this discovery , the Dragonborn hears the Night Mother ' s voice , becoming the Listener . Exiting the coffin , Cicero at first suspects the Dragonborn of defiling the Night Mother ' s remains , but soon realizes that she has selected the Dragonborn as the Listener . Bitter that he was not made Listener , he still congratulates the Dragonborn . Astrid barges into the room , accusing Cicero of conspiring against the Brotherhood . Cicero explains that the Dragonborn is the new Listener ; however , despite this Astrid gets ready to attack him . Violence is averted when the Dragonborn explains that the Night Mother spoke to them . Astrid sends the Dragonborn on several contracts , until she can sort out the mess . The Cure for Madness . After killing Gaius Maro on his inspection route , the Dragonborn returns to the Falkreath Sanctuary , finding Veezara wounded , Arnbjorn missing , and Astrid quite disgruntled . In a fit of defiance , Cicero attacked Astrid for challenging the Night Mother ' s authority , but was intercepted by Veezara . Surviving the skirmish , Cicero fled to the Dawnstar Sanctuary , Arnbjorn following close behind . Arriving at the sanctuary , the Dragonborn finds Arnbjorn bleeding heavily and searches the sanctuary for Cicero . Battling through several Spectral Assassins , the Dragonborn finds Cicero , wounded and babbling . The Dragonborn has the option to kill Cicero , but if they decide not to , Cicero remains at the Dawnstar Sanctuary , even after the Penitus Oculatus destroys the Falkreath Sanctuary . Cicero ' s Journal . Cicero has five journals that are scattered throughout his room at the Falkreath Sanctuary , telling the story of his slow descent into madness . Background . As is detailed by his journals , Cicero was once a member of the Bruma Sanctuary before it was destroyed and later a member of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary , and was renowned for his cloak - and - dagger killing style . He mentions riots in Bravil leading to the death of Alisanne Dupre , the Night Mother ' s previous Listener , and the desecration of the Night Mother ' s crypt beneath The Lucky Old Lady . Voted Keeper of the Night Mother by the remaining Brotherhood members , Cicero fulfilled one last contract before starting his new duties ; he was scheduled to kill a jester , with whom he slowly became obsessed . His attire and flamboyant manner mimic this jester . He ordered Garnag , a fellow Brotherhood assassin , to murder Rasha , a member of the Black Hand , who had falsely claimed to be the next Listener . Eventually , through the months after the last Listener ' s death , the remaining Brotherhood members left the Sanctuary to look for contracts or food and never returned , leaving Cicero trapped alone in the Cheydinal Sanctuary . Eventually , he grew more and more insane from obsessing over his last kill , isolation , and due to trying to talk to the Night Mother and become her Listener . Eight years later , he wrote letters to Astrid in Skyrim to appeal for sanctuary , fleeing from Cheydinhal to Skyrim with the Night Mother ' s coffin . As a Follower . If the Dragonborn chose to spare his life , Cicero is found upon exiting the Dawnstar Sanctuary after " Hail Sithis ! , " where he becomes a possible follower . Cicero is flagged as essential before " The Cure for Madness . " If he is spared , he becomes essential again , making him unable to be killed . While following the Dragonborn , he makes several off - beat jokes and humorous observations about the current location or quest . While not following the Dragonborn , he lurks around the sanctuary near the Night Mother ' s sarcophagus , talking to himself and tending her . Cicero is a unique follower in the fact that he will often , for no reason , start to dance if he is a follower . This can happen at any time , anywhere , regardless of what outfit Cicero is wearing . Cicero is also unique in that he is the only named follower , other than Serana , who cannot be recruited into the Blades . The only other followers who cannot join the Blades are the Dark Brotherhood Initiate s . Equipment . His default outfit has no defense , and as such he will wear any armor given to him . It is still possible to get Cicero ' s clothes after sparing him . Although it is not possible to take his clothing while he has it equipped , even with the Perfect Touch perk , by telling him to follow and then giving him any armor . He equips it , making it possible to pickpocket his clothing if he is relieved as a follower , but in this case the inventory tells that the chance to pickpocket the hat , the shoes , and the clothes is 0 % . Having him follow the Dragonborn once more allows for their armor to be retrieved . This can be used to get multiple sets of Cicero ' s clothes since each time armor is removed from him , his original clothes return . A copy of Cicero ' s default equipment , called the Jester ' s Outfit , lies on a table in the Dawnstar Sanctuary , meaning it is not necessary to kill , pickpocket , or use console commands to obtain his outfit . However , the enchantments on this equipment are weaker and its value is less .