Prerequisites: Complete Dark Brotherhood Quest: The Cure for Madness

Intersecting Quests: Dark Brotherhood Quest: The Cure for Madness, Dark Brotherhood Side Contract Quests, Dark Brotherhood Quest: To Kill an Empire, Side Quest: No One Escapes Cidhna Mine, Thane of the Reach

Locations: Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, Markarth, Understone Keep, Nightgate Inn, Nightgate Inn Cellar

Characters: Astrid, Festus Krex

Enemies: Anton Virane, Balagog gro-Nolob, Markarth Guard

Objectives: Report to Festus Krex, Question Anton Virane, Kill Anton Virane, Kill Balagog gro-Nolob, (Optional) Drag Balagog’s body to a hiding place, Report back to Festus Krex

Carving the Cook

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This quest begins once you complete Dark Brotherhood Quest: The Cure for Madness.

Objective: Report to Festus Krex

Astrid mentions there is one more target for you before the strike against the Emperor; she asks if you’ve heard of the “Gourmet,” a chef and author of a realm-famous cookbook. The Gourmet is scheduled to cook for the Emperor. But not after you kill him, steal his Writ of Passage, and assume his role of master chef. Follow Astrid’s advice and talk to Festus Krex for further details. When you visit Krex deeper in the Sanctuary, he tells you the mission is slightly more tricky than a simple slice-and-dice; the Dark Brotherhood don’t actually know who the Gourmet is.

Krex then shows you a cookbook signed by the Gourmet; it is signed to a man named Anton Virane, who has been tracked to the keep in Markarth. Virane is the cook there. You are to find Virane, have him tell you who and where the Gourmet really is, and then tie up any “loose ends”: You’ll be assassinating two cooks for this task. After you kill the Gourmet, Krex hopes that you’ll hide the body so any authorities take longer to reveal the Gourmet’s identity and what you’ve done. You can ask any additional questions you wish (more about the Gourmet, the cookbook, or the Gourmet’s location in Skyrim) before departing...