Whispers in the Dark

Whispers In The Dark is a quest available in in which the Dragonborn must ascertain the intentions of Cicero due to his suspicious behaviour under the direction of Astrid.
==Background==
Astrid has heard Cicero speaking with someone, in whispered tones, in the chamber of the Night Mother. She fears they're conspiring against the Sanctuary, and wants me to eavesdrop on the conversation. I'm to sneak into the chamber, and hide in the coffin of the Night Mother.
==Objectives==
#Hide in the Night Mother's coffin
#Eavesdrop on Cicero
#Talk to Cicero
#Talk to Astrid
#Receive a side contract from Nazir
==Walkthrough==
Astrid informs the Dragonborn about a matter with which she is concerned. Cicero is acting erratically, locking himself in the Night Mother's chamber, and speaking to someone within. Astrid fears that he and someone else may be conspiring against the Brotherhood. She wants the Dragonborn to hide in the Night Mother's Coffin and find out who he is conversing with.
===Night Mother's coffin===
The Night Mother's Coffin is in the room of the Dark Sanctuary with the stained glass window, and has a novice lock on it. Upon going inside, Cicero is overheard entering into a conversation and it quickly becomes apparent that he is and has been speaking to the Night Mother, though he has never received a response. Throughout Cicero's one-sided conversation, the Night Mother will be illuminated and speak directly to the Dragonborn informing them that they are the "one" and that Cicero cannot hear her because he is not the Listener. The Night Mother then informs the Dragonborn to seek out and accept a series of contracts from Amaund Motierre in the nordic burial ruins of Volunruud and to tell Cicero the following phrase: 'darkness rises when silence dies'.
===Confrontation with Cicero===
When the Night Mother has finished speaking to the Dragonborn, the coffin will open and Cicero will express his anger, accusing the Dragonborn of debasing and defiling the Night Mother. Astrid will then enter the room to check on the commotion and when the Dragonborn informs Cicero that that the Night Mother spoke to them, with the phrase she provided, Cicero will become ecstatic and proclaim the Dragonborn as Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. Astrid, however, after being informed of the Night Mother's instructions, orders the Dragonborn not to go to Volunruud until she can assess what has happened and to instead seek out Nazir for contracts, as she feels her authority as Mistress of the Sanctuary has been challenged. After accepting a contract from Nazir, the quest will be complete.
==Journal==
Whispers In The Dark – DB04	Whispers In The Dark – DB04
ID 	Journal Entry
10 	Astrid has heard Cicero speaking with someone, in whispered tones, in the chamber of the Night Mother. She fears they're conspiring against the Sanctuary, and wants me to eavesdrop on the conversation. I'm to sneak into the chamber, and hide in the coffin of the Night Mother.
*Objective 10: Hide in the Night Mother's coffin
20 	
* Objective 20: Eavesdrop on Cicero
30 	
*Objective 30: Talk to Cicero
40 	
*Objective 40: Talk to Astrid
50 	While eavesdropping on Cicero, I heard the voice of the Night Mother, who named me Listener. Astrid seems unsure what to believe, and needs time to process this latest development. I'm to see Nazir for more side contract work
*Objective 50: Receive a side contract from Nazir
200 	While eavesdropping on Cicero, I heard the voice of the Night Mother, who named me Listener. Astrid seems unsure what to believe, and it's hard to tell what effect this will ultimately have on the Sanctuary.
*Quest complete
==Trivia==
*It is not possible to look around in the Coffin; the Dragonborn's field of vision is stuck on the Night Mother, most likely so that they will not miss her speech. Despite this if you enter the Coffin stealthed you will be stuck looking at the waist of the Night Mother making events less clear.
*When eavesdropping on Cicero (before getting caught), at one point in the monologue, he will get frustrated at the Night Mother's silence and shout at her.
*It is possible to just follow the Nightmother's words and ignore Astrid's command to approach Nazir for another contract by manually locating Volunruud - Amaund Motierre will be there already, and upon being approached will greet you regardless of whether you followed Astrid's words beforehand.
==Bugs==
* After entering the coffin, the voice of the Night Mother can become barely audible - subtitles are suggested.
*After the coffin scene, the Dragonborn is told to speak to Nazir to find more contacts. However, there will be no such option, which prevents continuation of the Dark Brotherhood quest line. This can be fixed on the PC by opening the console and typing SetStage DBSideContract04 0. This will finish the quest and allows the contracts to be taken.
*Upon entering the coffin, Cicero may not say anything, and the coffin cannot be left. Waiting as much as 2–3 minutes may work, but not always. This can happen if the iron door to The Night Mother's chamber is closed before going into the coffin.
**Entering the Night Mother's coffin, then pressing Wait for an hour or two may fix the glitch.
**Leaving the Sanctuary and coming back before entering the coffin also fixes the glitch and causes Cicero's dialogue to begin properly.
**Saving the game, exiting, then reloading and waiting for one hour may also begin Cicero's dialogue.
**Using the console command TFC to toggle free camera on and leaving the coffin will cause Cicero to enter the room and begin his dialogue.
*Skipping through the last lines of dialogue with Cicero may cause him to start repeating his beginning, angry dialogue, though another full conversation will not result. This glitch appears to have no negative effect.
*Occasionally during the aforementioned glitch, Cicero may become invincible and will not react to being attacked.
*After exiting the coffin, the Dragonborn may be stuck in first person view. Toggling between third and first person does not resolve the issue, nor does completing the quest.
*Also after exiting the coffin, the door to the left will not open. However it is possible to walk right through it.
==Appearances==
*
de:Flüstern im Dunkeln
es:Susurros en la oscuridad
fr:Chuchotement dans l'obscurité
pl:Zadanie:Szepty w ciemnościach
ru:Шепотки во тьме
uk:Шепіти у темряві
Category:Skyrim: Falkreath Quests