Listener

The Listener is the title held by a member of the Black Hand, the inner circle and ruling body of the Dark Brotherhood, and is supported by four Speakers.Dialogue with Arquen during "Following a Lead" in The Listener's role is to visit the Night Mother to receive contracts made by those who have performed the Black Sacrament. Once the Listener has heard the words of the Night Mother, they disseminate the contracts to the Speakers who, in turn, pass the contracts to Brotherhood sanctuaries, to their Silencer, or meet with the invoker themselves.Dialogue with Arquen during "Honor Thy Mother" in Dialogue with Lucien Lachance during "Purification" in Dialogue with Astrid during "Sanctuary" in Listeners are treated with great respect and deference by other members of the Brotherhood, including members of the Black Hand.
The Night Mother chooses who is worthy to be named a Listener by first telepathically communicating with them and revealing to them a phrase known as the Binding Words as recorded in the Keeping Tomes, that is "Darkness rises when silence dies."Cicero's Journal - Volume 4Events of "Whispers in the Dark" in It must then be spoken to the Keeper of the Night Mother to confirm their new position; the Binding Words are kept a closely guarded secret between Keepers to ensure that only a true Listener is chosen.
==Notable Listeners==
===Ungolim===
Ungolim was a Bosmer Listener during and prior to 3E 433 before he was killed by the Hero of Kvatch operating as Speaker Lucien Lachance's Silencer. For some time, Speaker Mathieu Bellamont had been secretly swapping out Lechance's orders to the Hero and replacing them with orders to kill members of the Black Hand in revenge for the death of his mother. The Hero killed Ungolim before Lechance was able to intervene.Events of "A Kiss Before Dying" in 
===The Hero of Kvatch===
After the death of Ungolim in 4E 433, the Hero of Kvatch took up the position of Listner after communicating with the Night Mother and thwarting Mathieu Bellamont's plot to destroy the her and the Black Hand. With the Cheydinhal Sanctuary purged and all but one other member of the Black Hand alive, the Hero became responsible for rebuilding the Brotherhood in Cyrodiil.Events of "Honor Thy Mother" in 
===Alisanne Dupre===
Alisanne Dupre was a Breton Listener from 4E 187 or earlier until her death in 4E 188. Her father, Uther Nere, orchestrated a plot to destroy the Dark Brotherhood after Dupre killed her own mother, Nere's wife. Nere was killed by her father while protecting the Night Mother's corpse after gang riots desecrated the Lucky Old Lady statue in Bravil.Events of "Revelations" in Cicero's Journal - Volume 2Cicero's Journal - Volume 3
===The Last Dragonborn===
In 4E 201, if the Last Dragonborn chose to join the Dark Brotherhood rather than destroy it, they eventually become the Listener after communicating with the Night Mother despite her long silence to fulfil contracts and rebuild the Brotherhood's presence in Skyrim. The Dragonborn then goes on to assassinate Emperor Titus Mede II and relocate the Brotherhood to the Dawnstar Sanctuary following the destruction of the Falkreath Sanctuary by the Penitus Oculatus.Events of "Hail Sithis!" in Events of "Death Incarnate" in Alternatively, the Last Dragonborn may have killed Astrid, the leader of the Brotherhood in Skyrim, followed by most of the other members on behalf of the Penitus Oculatus.Events of "Destroy the Dark Brotherhood!" in 
==False Listeners==
The act of falsely claiming to hear the Night Mother's words is punishable by death within Brotherhood. In 4E 189, Rasha, a Speaker serving as interim leader in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, claimed to hear the Night Mother speak to him following the death of the previous Listener, Alisanne Dupre, but when he failed to recite the Binding Words to Cicero, the Keeper subsequently ordered a Brotherhood assassin, Garnag, to kill him.
==Gallery==
Ungolim, the Listener card art.png|Ungolim, a Listener during the Third Era.
Alisanne Dupre Card Art.png|Alisanne Dupre, a Listener during the Fourth Era.
==Trivia==
*According to Speaker Arquen, members of the Black Hand could be appointed as a successor to the current Listener if they were to die. If both the Listener and their successor dies, the Black Hand would be forced to invoke the Night Mother directly to appoint a Listener.
*According to Astrid, a member of the Falkreath Sanctuary in Skyrim, and Cicero, a Keeper of the Night Mother, the relationship between the Night Mother and a Listener is incredibly intimate.Dialogue with Astrid in Dialogue with Cicero in 
*The relationship between the Night Mother and the Listener appears to not entirely be for finding contracts, as seen in , where the Night Mother will speak to the Dragonborn about Cicero, their safety, Astrid's fate after her death, and the rebirth of the Brotherhood in the Dawnstar Sanctuary.
*When the Last Dragonborn visits Sovngarde, Tsun asks them why they should be allowed to enter the Hall of Valor. The Dragonborn can reply that they are the Listener for the Dark Brotherhood, to which Tsun will reply that the Dragonborn, as Listener, is trespassing.Dialogue with Tsun during "Sovngarde" in 
==References==
es:Oyente
pl:Słuchacz
ru:Слышащий
pt:Ouvinte
Category:Dark Brotherhood
Category:Lore: Ranks
Category:Lore: Titles