Cicero might be one of the most unsettling yet fascinating characters you’ll encounter in Skyrim. This jester-turned-assassin serves as the Keeper of the Night Mother’s coffin and embodies the ideological heart of the Dark Brotherhood’s conflict. His descent into madness, twisted devotion to tradition, and role as a potential follower makes him a pivotal figure in the Dark Brotherhood questline. Whether you’re planning your first playthrough or your hundredth, understanding Cicero’s story and your options for dealing with him shapes how the entire faction questline unfolds. Let’s break down who he is, how to interact with him, and the choices that determine his fate.
Key Takeaways
- Cicero in Skyrim is a psychologically unstable jester-assassin and Keeper of the Night Mother who believes she communicates directly with him, creating ideological conflict with Astrid’s modern Dark Brotherhood leadership.
- Your critical choice in ‘The Cure for Madness’ determines Cicero’s fate: kill him permanently or spare him to recruit him as a powerful stealth-focused follower with solid one-handed and light armor skills.
- Reading Cicero’s scattered journals throughout the Falkreath Sanctuary reveals his psychological unraveling and motivations, essential context for understanding his rebellion and the Brotherhood’s internal struggle between tradition and pragmatism.
- If you recruit Cicero as a follower, equip him with quality one-handed weapons like Mehrunes’ Dagger and light armor to maximize his stealth bonus and combat effectiveness in coordinated sneak attacks.
- Killing Cicero during ‘The Cure for Madness’ is the only opportunity to permanently eliminate him since he’s marked essential at all other points in the game, making this quest moment the pivotal turning point for his storyline.
Who Is Cicero?
Cicero is an Imperial assassin and the Keeper of the Night Mother in Skyrim. Originally stationed in the Bruma and Cheydinhal sanctuaries of Cyrodiil during the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, he was tasked with protecting the Night Mother’s remains. His last contract, killing a jester, broke something in him. Isolated for years with only a corpse and his deteriorating mind for company, Cicero adopted the jester’s persona, complete with the distinctive costume and comedic mannerisms mixed with dangerous unpredictability.
By the time he arrives in Skyrim, Cicero is fundamentally unstable. He speaks to the Night Mother as though she’s alive, cites her as the source of his orders, and views himself as her devoted servant. This isn’t role-play, he genuinely believes the Night Mother communicates with him, validating his actions and directing the Brotherhood’s path. His journals, scattered throughout the sanctuaries, detail his psychological unraveling with haunting clarity. What makes Cicero particularly dangerous is that beneath the madness lies genuine competence, he’s a skilled assassin with high sneak, one-handed combat, and murder as his calling card.
Cicero’s Role In The Dark Brotherhood Questline
You first meet Cicero on the road north of Whiterun near Loreius Farm, traveling with the Night Mother’s coffin in the side quest “Delayed Burial.” He’s desperate to reach the Falkreath Sanctuary and initially asks for help. Your choice here, aid him or report him to Loreius, doesn’t lock you out of the Dark Brotherhood, but it does flavor future interactions.
Once you join the Dark Brotherhood through “Innocence Lost” and “With Friends Like These,” Cicero arrives at the Falkreath Sanctuary with the Night Mother in tow. This is where the real conflict emerges. Astrid, the current Sanctuary leader, runs a modern, pragmatic Dark Brotherhood focused on contracts and profit. Cicero, but, represents the old ways, the Night Mother’s will as the guiding force. He immediately clashes with Astrid over leadership, creating ideological tension that defines the late-game questline.
The Shrouded Hand Mystery
The “Shrouded Hand” is community terminology for the Dark Brotherhood’s reach and the Night Mother’s invisible influence over faction decisions. For Cicero, this unseen hand is literal, he claims the Night Mother speaks directly to him, issuing commands and validating his mission to restore traditional practices. This becomes the crux of his rebellion. He attacks Astrid mid-quest and flees to the Dawnstar Sanctuary, forcing you to hunt him down in “The Cure for Madness.” The choice you make at that moment defines not just Cicero’s fate, but the Brotherhood’s ideological direction moving forward.
How To Interact With Cicero As A Player
Your engagement with Cicero spans multiple points in the Dark Brotherhood chain:
Early Meeting (“Delayed Burial”): Found near Loreius Farm, Cicero requests help transporting the Night Mother’s coffin. Helping him or reporting him affects dialogue later but doesn’t prevent you from joining the Brotherhood. Report him, and Loreius Farm becomes hostile territory: help him, and Cicero remembers your kindness with occasional positive remarks.
Sanctuary Phase: Once Cicero is at Falkreath, read his journals (“Cicero’s Journal – Vol. 1” and “Vol. 2”) scattered in the sanctuary. These entries reveal his unraveling psyche, obsession with the Night Mother, and growing resentment of Astrid. They’re crucial for understanding his motivations beyond surface-level madness.
The Critical Choice (“The Cure for Madness”): After confronting him in the Dawnstar Sanctuary, you can kill him or spare him. If you spare him, he survives and can be recruited as a powerful follower after completing “Hail Sithis.” You can find him at the Dawnstar Sanctuary afterward. If you kill him, he’s gone permanently, no resurrection, no second chance.
As a Follower: If spared, Cicero becomes a viable companion with solid stealth, one-handed, and light armor skills. He’s one of the more thematic Dark Brotherhood follower options available in the game, aside from popular companion mods like Skyrim Inigo that add new depth to follower mechanics.
Can You Kill Cicero In Skyrim?
Yes, but with limits. During “The Cure for Madness,” after you’ve fought through the Dawnstar Sanctuary and find Cicero wounded and cornered, you have the option to kill him outright. Once dead, he’s gone forever. You cannot resurrect him, recruit him, or encounter him in future playthroughs of that character.
Outside of “The Cure for Madness,” Cicero is marked as essential and cannot be killed through normal combat. The game specifically prevents his death at any other point, forcing you to either ignore him or reach that critical quest moment.
Many players choose to kill Cicero because:
- They align with Astrid’s modern vision for the Brotherhood
- They dislike his unstable personality and unpredictable behavior
- They want to eliminate the threat he poses to the sanctuary’s stability
- They role-play characters who view his madness as a liability
Others spare him because:
- He’s mechanically valuable as a stealth-focused follower
- Sparing him appeals to players interested in redemption arcs
- His dialogue and personality, while unhinged, are entertaining
- He represents loyalty to traditional Dark Brotherhood values
Tips For Dealing With Cicero
If You’re Recruiting Him:
Spare Cicero in “The Cure for Madness” and he’ll be available as a follower post-“Hail Sithis.” Give him a solid one-handed weapon, something like Mehrunes’ Dagger or a daedric dagger synergizes with his combat style. Equip him in light armor to preserve his stealth bonus and let him operate in the shadows. If you want him using ranged attacks, provide a bow and a steady supply of arrows: he consumes them quickly. As a follower, he’s marked essential when recruited, meaning he won’t die in normal combat, a safety net for dangerous encounters.
If You’re Killing Him:
Wait until “The Cure for Madness” when he’s isolated and weakened. Fighting him at full health is unnecessarily difficult. His sneak skill means he’ll disappear and backstab, so keep moving and use AOE spells or power attacks to flush him out. Once dead, the Dawnstar Sanctuary remains yours without his presence.
Building Around Him:
If you’re running a stealth assassin character, Cicero complements your playstyle perfectly. Coordinate sneak attacks, have him engage from one direction while you attack from another. His one-handed damage output isn’t exceptional, but his stealth utility and thematic fit make him worthwhile. Pair him with a character using Skyrim console commands for tweaking stats if you want to enhance his combat effectiveness on higher difficulties.
On All Platforms:
Cicero works identically on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
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S, and Skyrim Switch. His quest chains, dialogue, and follower mechanics are unchanged across versions. Switch players get the full Cicero experience even though hardware limitations, though follower management can be slightly clunky on controller.
Conclusion
Cicero embodies the Dark Brotherhood’s internal struggle between tradition and pragmatism. As an assassin, he’s dangerous. As a person, he’s broken. As a narrative device, he’s unforgettable. Your decision to spare or execute him in “The Cure for Madness” reflects your character’s values and your vision for the Brotherhood. Whether he ends up dead or serving as a devoted, unhinged follower, Cicero leaves a mark on your playthrough that resonates long after the Dark Brotherhood questline concludes. He’s proof that even in a game about murder contracts and shadow cults, the most compelling characters are those wrestling with their own fractured humanity.
