Skyrim:To Kill an Empire

Attempt to assassinate the Emperor while disguised as the Gourmet. Quest Giver: Astrid Location(s): Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, Solitude Prerequisite Quest: Recipe for Disaster Next Quest: Death Incarnate Reward: None ID: DB09

Gianna, ready to cook a meal for the Emperor

Quick Walkthrough

1. Travel to Solitude.
2. Enter the castle using the Gourmet's letter.
3. Cook the Gourmet's famous stew and poison it at the end.
4. Escape when the Emperor dies.
5. Return to the Sanctuary.

Detailed Walkthrough

This Soup Is To Die For

The Emperor's decoy tasting his last meal

After securing the writ of passage into the Emperor’s service, the rest of the plan is ready to fall into place. Following Astrid's instructions, travel to Solitude with the poisonous herb she gave you and report to head of security, Commander Maro. Show him the writ you stole from the Gourmet to gain entrance to the castle. Maro will allow you to pass with no trouble (commenting on your clothing depending on whether or not you are wearing the chef's hat or clothes), telling you to report to the castle's chef, Gianna. When Gianna greets you, she is both nervous and excited at the prospect of working with the great Gourmet. If you have yet to don your chef’s hat, she will direct you to one on the shelf; you cannot begin “cooking” until you are appropriately attired. Once you are ready, Enough! The Gourmet is here to cook, not talk! Let us begin.

Gianna flusters, Oh! Yes, but of course. Ahem. The Emperor has requested your signature dish - the Potage le Magnifique. I've taken the liberty of getting it started. But the cookbook only says so much, and everyone makes the Potage differently. I would be honored if we could make it... the Gourmet's special way. The base broth is already boiled. We can get started right now. So... which ingredient should I add next?

You now have four ingredients to select, at each stage there are three options, the normal, the strange and her choice.

Option	Dialogue option	Responses
First ingredient
Normal	Carrots.	"Carrots? Really? Okay... What next?"
Strange	A sweetroll.	"Ooohh.... how decadent. I never would have guessed it. What next?"
Her choice	Remain silent.	"Oh, I get it. This is a test, right? You want to see how well I know the Potage le Magnifique. Well then, I think a pinch of frost salts should do the trick, right? Now what?"
Second ingredient
Normal	You must now add a splash of mead.	"Ah, of course. I suspected as much."
Strange	The next ingredient is... vampire dust.	"Vampire dust? Seriously? Hmm... yes. I guess I can see how that would add a more... earthy texture. And, oddly enough, we do have some on hand... All right. What next, then?"
Her choice	Remain silent.	"My choice, then? Very well. I think we should add some Chaurus eggs. For additional flavor."
Third ingredient
Normal	One nirnroot.	"Really? Oh, I use Nirnroot as a special seasoning all the time as well. What a wonderful idea. Okay. Now what?"
Strange	We shall now add... a giant's toe!	"A... giant's toe? You're... sure about that?", I said a giant's toe! Do not question the Gourmet!, "Of course! I.... I'm sorry. One giant's toe. There. What, um... What next?"
Her choice	Remain silent.	"Ooookay.... Um.... Let me see. Thistle? Yes, let's try that. Just a sprig or two..."
Fourth ingredient
Normal	Diced horker meat.	"Hmmm... horker. So delicious. I swear, is there a soul alive who doesn't enjoy the taste of... Sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away. There we go, one cup of diced horker meat. I have to say, the stew seems done. Add anything else, and we may dilute the distinct flavors. So... is that it?"
Strange	You must add... a septim.	"A Septim? As in... a gold coin? Really? Ah, I see now. That would give the Potage le Magnifique a slightly metallic - but delicious - aftertaste. Simply brilliant. I have to say, the stew seems done. Add anything else, and we may dilute the distinct flavors. So... is that it?"
Her choice	Remain silent.	"My choice, hmm? All right, then - tomatoes. Simple, yet infinitely flavorful. Don't you agree? Well, I have to say, the stew seems done. Add anything else, and we may dilute the distinct flavors. So... is that it?"

When you are finished don't forget to add your "special" final ingredient: "Oh? What is this, some kind of herb? Are you sure? The Potage tastes perfect as it is. Any other ingredient might..."

Now, now, Gianna. Who's the Gourmet here?

"Heh, I'm sorry. Of course. It's your most famous recipe, after all. All right then, your secret ingredient's been added. And if I may say so... it has been an honor, getting a chance to prepare a meal with, well... the best chef in the entire Empire. I'll carry the stew pot, and lead the way up to the dining room. I'm sure the Emperor and his guests are dying to meet you."

It is not necessary to poison the Emperor with the Jarrin Root, however, in order to successfully complete the quest—you may kill him any way you want.

The Last Supper

When the Potage is complete, follow Gianna into the dining room as she serves the food to the Emperor. Right before you go in, there is a copy of the Enchanting skill book Catalogue of Weapon Enchantments on the table to your left. The Emperor will be speaking with fellow diners and a noblewoman about his cousin's murder when you enter. Gianna will serve the Emperor the meal you cooked and, regardless of the ingredients, he will compliment its amazing taste. If you added the Jarrin Root, the Emperor will soon die a rather unspectacular death. The guards will attack you upon the Emperor's death, and Gianna will attempt to defend you before fleeing, although this may be avoided by successfully sneaking as he dies. If you didn't add the poison, the Emperor and his guests will continue to slurp their soup until you assassinate him. Once the Emperor is dead, exit through the door opposite where you entered upstairs.

Betrayal

Once out the door it looks like you are home free. However, as you cross the bridge and you will be ambushed by Commander Maro and several of his agents. He reveals that the man you killed was a decoy. Maro explains that someone from the Dark Brotherhood betrayed you and revealed to Maro your plans to assassinate the Emperor. Maro agreed to allow the Brotherhood to continue its business in exchange for you. He then tells you that because the Dark Brotherhood killed his son he intends to go back on his word and wipe them out. He has sent his agents to attack the sanctuary already. As soon as the conversation with Maro begins, your bounty in Haafingar will be set to 1500, so the city guards will be on the lookout for you. Escape the city by following the tower's stairs to the very bottom and head to the Brotherhood Sanctuary. You cannot fast travel directly to the sanctuary, so the quickest option is to fast travel to Falkreath and head west. The quest ends when you reach the Sanctuary.

Notes

• It's possible to cross the bridge without getting stopped by Maro and incurring a bounty. To do this, cast a Destruction spell with a large area of effect, (for instance Fireball) a couple of times in both the upper and lower doors across the bridge, and slowly walk across. You'll be stopped as if Maro was talking, but you'll quickly exit back out, not getting attacked by the Penitus Oculatus or getting the bounty. You can then easily leave.
• You should remove all items you own or want from the sanctuary before completing this quest, or they may be lost, including the Stone of Barenziah located in Astrid's room.
  • This has been fixed by a patch.
• Maro will have different dialogue based on your equipment when you talk to him. If you are wearing a Chef's Hat or Chef's Tunic, he will say "Your clothes... of course... I should have realized..." Otherwise, he tells you "You are not dressed as I had expected." Regardless, he allows you to pass.
• If you escape before being stopped by a guard for your crime, you can fast travel, but it may take a while to get out of range of the guards. If you still have trouble fast traveling, you can use the carriage.
• If you are in the form of a werewolf or vampire lord while crossing the bridge, you'll automatically change back when Maro appears.
• If you are part of the Thieves Guild and have completed The Dainty Sload quest, you can buy your way out of the city for 750 gold, paying off your bounty and allowing fast travel.
• Another way to avoid the bounty is using the Thane's privileges. If you're Thane of Solitude do the following: kill Maro's men, locate a Solitude guard before leaving the city and tell him/her you're the city's Thane.
• After the quest, the Emperor's Tower will still be freely accessible, both from the walkway escape exit and from the front door inside the castle courtyard. However, the door to the dining hall will be permanently locked from both sides. The tower is completely abandoned after this point, so you can take what you want without consequence. Be aware that the whole place respawns, however, so it cannot be safely used as a house.
• If you give the Jarrin Root to Gianna, you can quickly drop the Root, and retrieve it later, allowing the Dragonborn to have the Emperor poisoned, and keep the root.

Bugs

• The guards who arrive with Commander Maro may either remain there if you sneaked past without killing them, or respawn if you did kill them. They stand still and scowl at you, and will never attack, though they do appear as red dots on the compass if you come near the sky bridge and prevent fast travel like any other enemy. You can kill them without incurring any additional bounties, and they will not fight back. If you have an aggressive follower with you, your follower may attack them; they still will not fight back.
  • PC Only This bug is fixed by version 1.2.4 of the Unofficial Skyrim Patch.
  • Ficheiro:Pc22.png Their reference numbers are 643D4, 643D5 and 643D6. The problem can be fixed on the PC by entering the console (press "~") and typing prid 643D4 followed by disable, and then repeating for the other two numbers.
• This quest may not start on completion of Recipe for Disaster.
  • Ficheiro:Pc22.png Setting the stage through console does not work as the stage always remains 0. The cause of the bug is currently unknown, and the easiest way to overcome this bug is to skip the quest entirely. To do this, move to a location away from the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, and use the console commands completequest db09 followed by setstage db10 10. This immediately starts you on the following quest.
• Looting the Emperor's dead body seems to cause a glitch where the world incorrectly loads and you travel on the land under the buildings' foundations, causing the quest to become stuck on "Escape from the tower". ^?
  • To fix this, load from the previous autosave before cooking the Emperor's last meal and do not loot the Emperor's dead body.
• If have a follower, you can ask them to stand in the way of the conversation between you and the cook, they may interrupt your conversation, this also happens if guards are chasing you after you clear Commander Maro but before you enter the Castle Dour. ^?
  • To fix this, simply reload the last save.

{{Bug|When I start to talk to Gianna she says in the middle of the conversation "its just" and the conversation starts over and I cant continue.

Quest Stages

{{ Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|!|To Kill an Empire|DB09}}

{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=5|2=|3=It would appear all the contracts leading up to the Emperor's assassination have been completed. I must now speak with Astrid, and receive further instructions.

Objective 5: Report to Astrid

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=10|2=|3=Using the Writ of Passage issued to the chef known as "The Gourmet," I must enter Castle Dour and play the part of the culinary master, who is scheduled to prepare a feast. This will be my opportunity to assassinate the Emperor, using any tools at my disposal.

Objective 10: Report to Commander Maro

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=20|2=|3=

Objective 20: Report to Gianna

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=25|2=|3=

Objective 25: Report to Gianna while wearing a chef's hat

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=30|2=|3=

Objective 30: Make the Potage le Magnifique

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=40|2=|3=

Objective 40: Follow Gianna to the dining room

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=50|2=|3=

Objective 50: Kill the Emperor

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=60|2=|3=

Objective 60: Escape the Tower!

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=70|2=|3=It was a trap! The Emperor was actually Titus Mede II's double, and Commander Maro said I had been betrayed by someone within the Dark Brotherhood. Despite his deal, Maro has sent troops to destroy the Sanctuary. I must return there and help my Family!

Objective 70: Return to the Sanctuary

}}{{Predefinição:FULLPAGENAME0/Line|1=200|2=fin|3=After learning the Emperor was actually Titus Mede II's double, and being confronted by Commander Maro, I learned Maro had betrayed the betrayer, and sent troops to destroy the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. I returned there, to lend aid to my fellow Family members. }}

Stage	Finishes Quest	Journal Entry

• The following empty quest stages were omitted from the table: 0, 75, 255.

 

Notes

• Any text displayed in angle brackets (e.g., <Alias=LocationHold>) is dynamically set by the Radiant Quest system, and will be filled in with the appropriate word(s) when seen in game.
• Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
• Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in any order. Some stages may therefore repeat objectives seen in other stages.
• If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
• On the PC, it is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage DB09 stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages, but it is possible to clear all stages of the quest using resetquest DB09.

Prev: Recipe for Disaster

Up: Dark Brotherhood

Next: Death Incarnate