The Black Hand Content . By Geon Alinie , Chronicler - at - Large My in - depth investigation of the clandestine organization known only as the Dark Brotherhood has been a long and difficult process . But after years of research , countless interviews , and no small amount of good luck , I ' ve finally been able to put together a profile of the assassin cult ' s ruling body - the notorious Black Hand . While much of what follows has been augmented by theory and conjecture , the basis upon which I constructed the profile is undeniably factual and true . So , what group of individuals is strong enough to command the assassins of the Dark Brotherhood ? A group called the Black Hand . Like any hand , the group consists of five members : four fingers and a thumb , as it were . The members corresponding to the fingers are called the Speakers , while the member representing the thumb is called the Listener . These are titles and ranks , and as ridiculous as they may sound to anyone not steeped in the lore of the cult , the assassins take these terms very seriously . Now , I need to explain an even stranger concept . It will sound unbelievable , and it may very well be nothing but a legend used to keep the lesser assassins in line , but from everything I ' ve been able to uncover , the cult holds fast to this concept . They claim that a near - deific figure known as either the Shadow Matriarch , the Dark Woman , or the Night Mother leads the Dark Brotherhood . Apparently no one ever sees this Dark Woman . Instead , she whispers commands to the Listener , who then selects one of the Speakers to pass the command along . And , yes , most of these commands relate to murder . What does the Listener hear ? Details , as you can imagine , are sketchy , but an educated guess allows us to assume that the Dark Woman provides either the name of the client of the target that has been named for the kill . The Listener passes this information on to one of the Speakers , who then either personally selects an assassin to carry out the deed or provides the information to a minor functionary to assign the contract . Now , as far as I can tell , the assassins don ' t all gather in one place . Instead , the cult divides its members into small , self - sufficient units known as either Havens , Sanctuaries , Shelters , or Assassin Ports . Again , details on these topics are often fluid and even contradictory , but I have done my best to make sense of the stillness within the noise . The leader of these Havens , which seem to be established in specific geographic locations as to spread the assassin ' s reach far and wide , is either called a Dame or a Matron ( although one source referred to her as a Widow , but the other names were much more common in my research ) . The Speaker can pass along orders to this subordinate and have her select the assassin best - suited to carry out the deed . Finally , I was able to ascertain that each Speaker commands a personal assassin . For truly special missions , I can only assume . I ' m not sure if these personal assassins are considered wrists or knuckles of some other body part , but I did learn that they are possibly granted the title of Quieter , or maybe Husher , or even Silencer . Something menacing and ridiculous like that . These are supposedly the best of the best , master killers without peer . Whether they constitute as members of the Black Hand or not , I was never able to determine , nor did I come across information concerning how they receive their orders . The Dark Brotherhood . The Black Hand . Melodramatic names for a demented cult of killers - but they are killers , all the same .