The Dragonborn goes to the Temple of the Divines in Solitude and attends the public wedding reception of Vittoria Vici and Asgeir Snow-Shod with the objective being to kill the bride. A bonus is received if Vittoria is murdered while addressing the crowd.
Walkthrough
Before leaving the Sanctuary, it is a good idea to talk with the Dark Brotherhood members. In particular, Gabriella says that she has scouted the area and has left something on a parapet overlooking the balcony ("an excellent spot for a long-range kill"), while Babette will talk about a loose gargoyle that can be used to do the deed.
Entering the temple
The quest begins in Solitude, in the Temple of the Divines. In front of the temple there will be a group of people. The bride and groom are in two chairs opposite the temple door. Talking to the bride starts the event immediately, or else it will start on its own after waiting a while.
Alternatively, after entering the temple, up the first stairs on the right and out the door on the right, the Dragonborn will end up on top of the roof, looking down on the gathering. The event will start on its own.
The Balcony
After about thirty seconds, the bride and groom will get up from their thrones, and enter a door. This door will lead them to the balcony above their place of honor that faces the assembled guests. Vittoria should be killed after she starts speaking.
Methods for Killing Vittoria
Quick Fast Travel
Staying hidden while standing on the balcony behind her during her speech allows her to be killed in one hit (using a silent kill method like Assassin's Blade). Any repercussions can be avoided by immediately fast traveling to another location before anyone notices and becomes an enemy. Using a weapon that can capture a soul at the same time should be considered. However, the bonus gold is not available using this method.
However, it is possible to push the gargoyle onto Vittoria during her speech and then immediately fast-travel to another location before she dies. This will bring her body along. She continues the death animation at the destination and dies there, which allows her body to be looted. This method avoids any bounty yet does get the bonus.
Sniper
Gabriella left Firiniel's End (an enchanted, elven bow that does 20 frost damage), Elven Arrows, and a potion of true shot on the balcony across from where the bride delivers her speech. It is reachable by using the door in the northwest corner of the courtyard in front of the temple. There will be a clear shot from this point but there will be a chance of immediate discovery after the shot and pursuit by the guards, depending on Sneak skill. Collecting the bow is recommended even if it is not used for the quest, as it has fairly high stats and a useful enchantment.
The shot can also be taken from the walkway above the balcony where Firiniel's End was left. The walkway runs all around the courtyard, however the angle and cover options appear best at the furthest corners. The shot should be taken while sneaking. Once done, a hostile response can be prevented by immediately backing away into the corner (or drinking an invisibility potion between release and impact), then staying hidden until the way is clear.
Another way to kill her is by using the Illusion spell Fury on the bride. This will always be fatal, because this causes everyone to attack her. This will forfeit the gold bonus, however. The perk Quiet Casting is needed to do this unobserved.
Statue
Babette revealed that a gargoyle statue above the balcony where Vittoria gives her speech is loose. Dislodging the statue during her speech will crush and kill her. The walkway above the bride gives access to the gargoyle. When the bride starts speaking, pushing the loose gargoyle (while in sneak, preferably) gives the best chance of escape, as no one may even see the act. This will usually (though not always) give the bonus for killing her in the middle of her speech. All the guests and the groom will now be hostile - however, a bounty may not be accrued. There is a window of time between when the crash is heard and when someone calls out where it is possible to fast travel out, making an easy escape, but losing the ability to loot her corpse.
It is also possible to drop the statue on her while standing next to her on the speech platform by crouch hopping. This will make it easier to quickly loot her body but requires high sneak skill.
On rare occasions, if the gargoyle falls on Vittoria, the groom may also be crushed. This can cause an additional 1,000 bounty in Haafingar.
However, sometimes the bonus will be forfeited even if the statue is pushed onto Vittoria during her speech. Reloading a previous save and killing Vittoria again may be necessary if this happens.
Frenzy Poison
A way to minimize hostile reaction to the attack (or at least offer a big distraction), is to give a frenzy poison to Asgeir Snow-Shod. This requires having the Pickpocket perk Poisoned. Asgeir will then attack and kill Vittoria Vici. This can also be achieved by casting Frenzy on him, if the Illusion skill level is high enough. After this, the guards will have to fight both him and his parents before they can do anything else, and by then the Dragonborn can be out of Solitude, and back in the Sanctuary.
Bomb
Another alternative that avoids sneaking is to summon a Flame Atronach right next to Vittoria and then destroy it. Upon death, the Flame Atronach will create a large explosion that should kill Vittoria and, since she was not directly killed, will not incur any bounty.
Dragon
If the The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn add-on is available, and if a dragon shows up, it can be tamed with the Bend Will shout, and then commanded to kill Vittoria.
Poison
With the Pickpocket perk "Poisoned", it is possible to sneak onto the balcony and, provided the right poison is used, drug Vittoria Vici, then make a quick getaway. No weapons, no half-hearted sneak attacks and best of all, no bounty.
Plain, Old-Fashioned Murder
She can openly be killed, then a daring escape made with the guards hot on the Dragonborn's tail. This method does incur the standard thousand gold bounty, just like any other murder, but the bonus may still be earned if she is killed while speaking to the crowd. With the right perks and high enough Sneak and Archery levels, she can be shot with an arrow in the middle of the crowd without getting caught. As long as detection is avoided, this allows escaping without incurring the wrath of the Penitus Oculatus.
During the Quest Deceiving the Herd
If the The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard DLC is installed, the Deceiving the Herd quest is active, and the quest log reads "Kill someone out in the streets of Solitude," she can simply be killed while wearing the Dawnguard armor. Planting the Incriminating Letter on Vittoria Vici's corpse satisfies that other quest.
Werewolf/Vampire Assassination
Another way is to go to a private spot or go somewhere that is unoccupied and then activate the transformation to Werewolf or Vampire. There should be no bounty for killing Vittoria while transformed. Further, the werewolf transformation makes it easier to sprint out of Solitude. The guards can be lost by heading to the Statue to Meridia just west of Solitude.
Escaping
If immediate escape is not achieved, the Argonian Veezara will appear and say that Astrid sent him to help. He will take care of the crowd, allowing the Dragonborn to slip away. Being a member of the Thieves Guild can allow for an easy escape as well, because a guard can be bribed or only charge half of the bounty and everyone will 'forget' everything. Fighting the crowd is not advised as it can result in a hefty bounty, damaging the economy, preventing some quests from being achieved, and making Solitude sparsely populated to the point of eeriness. Alternatively, the Dragonborn may sheathe his weapon, and the guards will cease attack. However, Veezara may still try to kill the Penitus Oculatus guarding the door.
Achieving the bonus
The bounty will be paid as long as the bride dies during her speech on the balcony, regardless of the method used, except for a Frenzy cast on her. The bonus is simply a large amount of leveled gold. The unique spell named "Spectral Assassin" (which summons Lucien Lachance as a temporary follower once per day) will be given even if the bride isn't killed on the balcony.
Conclusion
After reporting back to Astrid, whichever outcome achieved, she says to speak to Gabriella. This immediately concludes Bound Until Death and begins Breaching Security.
Achievements
| Bound Until Death Complete "Bound Until Death" | |
| Points | 10 
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| Trophy |  |
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Trivia
- Vittoria's corpse contains Vittoria's Wedding Band, Wedding Dress, Wedding Sandals and Wedding Wreath. These items can also be found afterwards in a coffin in the Solitude Hall of the Dead. Any items taken from her coffin will count as stolen.
- If detection occurs and a fight begins, the Snow-Shod family members present will begin fighting the guards. This will end with the whole Snow-Shod family being killed.
- Sometimes yielding to the groom will stop the crowd's attack. Veezara will still come to assist in the escape.
- Even if the Dragonborn is never detected and Veezara didn't show up, he will later (when talking at the sanctuary) say that it was "a pleasure to fight by your side".
- A dragon may appear during the wedding. If so, the guests will act normally but the guards outside the wedding will attack it.
- If Pantea Ateia has been killed prior to the wedding, her body will be lying on the floor where she should be performing.
- The other members of the Dark Brotherhood seem to envy the Dragonborn when talked to during the quest.
- If the Dragonborn goes to where the newlyweds are sitting before the speech, there is a boy named Kayd present. If he is asked if he's having a good time, he replies 'Not really. Just a bunch of elders standing around, looking important. I wish something exciting would happen.'
- If attempting a sneak bow snipe at the very back of the area, Kayd might pose a detection problem even to highly-skilled Sneaks, considering how often he would turn around to talk to the Dragonborn. One way of getting around this is to constantly consume invisible potions before, during and after the shot.
- Vittoria has multiple slightly different versions of her speech, of which one will be randomly triggered during the quest.
- Before the quest, the Dragonborn may encounter a noble couple and guard, bringing gifts to Vicci's wedding. They can optionally be killed for their loot. After the quest, the Dragonborn can encounter a couple wearing ragged clothes. The characters claim to have been attacked by bandits. These could be the same characters.
Journal
| Journal Entry |
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I must journey to the Temple of the Divines in Solitude, attend the public wedding reception of Vittoria Vici and Asgeir Snow-Shod, and kill the bride. I'll receive a bonus if I kill Vici as she addresses the crowd.
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I have killed Vittoria Vici, the Emperor's cousin, at her own wedding, and everyone will assume it's related to the ongoing war. The Emperor will now be forced to visit Skyrim to deal with the aftermath, paving the way for his assassination.
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Bugs
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This section contains bugs related to Bound Until Death. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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