7: Bad Medicine

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Guide - Dark Brotherhood

7: Bad Medicine

Roderick, an old and dying warlord, is your next target. Roderick is currently being looked after in Fort Sutch, which is just north of Anvil. He is on his death bed, and being kept alive with the use of a powerful medicine.

Ocheeva provides you with a bottle of poison, which must be swapped with Roderick's medicine if you want to receive the bonus reward upon completion of the contract. If any of Roderick's mercenaries discover you, or you are forced to kill Roderick in any other fashion, you will forfeit the bonus. You'll need lockpicks; if you don't have an adequate supply, speak to M'raaj-Dar in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary and purchase a bunch before setting out.

Travel to Fort Sutch, find the entrance, and head inside. Once inside, you'll be able to see Roderick's medicine marked on the map by a green active quest marker. To remain eligible for Ocheeva's bonus reward, you must not be detected by anybody in Fort Sutch, so you'll have to take your time. Don't head straight when you first enter the fort, as there's a guard patrolling the area. Instead, unlock the gate to your right and follow this tunnel. The tunnel leads past the gate and into the next area. It is quite dark in the fort, so you are unlikely to be detected if your character's Sneak skill is at a decent level, but take care not to accidentally bump into a patrolling mercenary.

Sneak through Fort Sutch to reach the Medicine Cabinet, and swap Roderick's Medicine with the poison Ocheeva provided you with.

Hug the wall to your right, and follow along the wall until you come to an open doorway. The proceeding area is very dark, so utilize the local area map to see where you're going, unless you have a Nighteye potion or spell. Follow your compass to the cabinet containing Roderick's Medicine; open the cabinet, remove Roderick's Medicine, and swap it with the poison. To place the poison in the cabinet, open the cabinet, press LT/L2 to switch over to your inventory, and look for the Roderick's Poison under the Misc section. Once you have placed the poison in the Medicine Cabinet and removed the medicine, you then must make your way out of Fort Sutch. Just backtrack to the door, and keep an eye out for patrolling mercenaries.

Once out of Fort Sutch, return to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary and speak to Ocheeva there. If you managed to indirectly poison Roderick without being spotted, Ocheeva will give you the Deceiver's Finery as reward. 'The Night Mother's Child' will be added to your quest list, and can be completed by accepting another contract from Ocheeva.

Swapping Roderick's Medicine with the poison.