- "Enough! Enough of this! You will all suffer for the pain you have caused me! I will destroy your Night Mother, and the Dark Brotherhood will fall!"
- ―Mathieu Bellamont, upon revealing he is the traitor.[src]
Mathieu Bellamont is a Breton assassin who resides within the cellar of the Anvil Lighthouse. He is the primary antagonist in the Dark Brotherhood quests. He is a long-serving member of the Dark Brotherhood, having joined the organization when he was a boy.
Background
Bellamont joined the family with the sole intention of destroying it as revenge for the murder of his mother years earlier. His dark plans finally came to fruition when he was appointed to serve on the Black Hand as the Silencer to Alval Uvani. Using his position on the Black Hand, as well as the unknowing aid of a particularly ambitious family member, Bellamont proceeded to wreak havoc on the Brotherhood, killing off one Black Hand member after another.
Biography
Early life
- "It's all right, mother. It's almost over. I'm close. So very close. How long have we struggled? How long have we waited? Too long, I know. But it's almost over. I promise."
- ―Mathieu Bellamont[src]
Mathieu Bellamont was raised by his mother from birth, and the two apparently shared a very close bond. Bellamont's parents appeared to have separated, and his father, angered by this, contacted the Dark Brotherhood in order to exact his revenge.
The Night Mother heard the prayers of the vengeful man, and sent her child Lucien Lachance to tear apart the young family. Lachance observed the Bellamonts for some time before entering their home and proceeding to behead the hapless mother. Mathieu was able to escape death by hiding under his bed, but the sight of his mother's severed head drove him insane. He swore that day that he would destroy the Night Mother, the Dark Brotherhood, and in particular Lucien Lachance.
Welcome to the Family
- "I hate it! All this lying, all this pretending! Sithis and the Five Tenets be damned! How long do I have to live by their rules? How long before I get my chance? I saw Lucien Lachance yesterday. He was in the Sanctuary talking with Ocheeva. He was right there! So close I could have severed his spine in less than a heartbeat! Oh Mother, never before have I had to exercise such self-control. What's sickeningly ironic is that it was the Dark Brotherhood's discipline that allowed me to restrain myself. I've been a part of their "family" for so long it's a part of me, whether I like it or not. And in all that time I've fooled them all. They see me as a fellow member of the Brotherhood, a trusted family member. Some day soon I will learn the truth about the Night Mother, and when I do, I will use that trust to get close to her. Close enough so that I may render the head from her body, just as Lucien Lachance did to you so long ago!"
- ―Mathieu Bellamont[src]
The severed head of Mathieu Bellamont's mother.
Consumed by revenge, madness and grief, young Bellamont set plans in motion that would change the Dark Brotherhood forever. He began his vendetta with his father's beating heart, thus earning the attention of the Night Mother (who observed Bellamont's murder). Later that night Bellamont received a visit from none other than Lucien Lachance.
Unaware of Bellamont's true identity and intentions, Lachance embraced him into the "family" like a brother. Mathieu was initiated as a murderer at the Cheydinhal Sanctuary where he quickly gained a reputation as one of the most ambitious family members the Brotherhood had ever produced. As well as earning the attention of the Black Hand, Bellamont also developed a relationship with a fellow family member by the name of Maria. Bellamont loved her, and hoping that they could build a real family (as opposed to the Brotherhood's twisted take on love) revealed his plans to her.
Maria was Dark Brotherhood through and through, however, and was disgusted by his treachery as well as his relationship with his dead mother. She rejected him, and in his fury he killed and mutilated her, later remarking that there was nothing left of her body to discover. Having lost sight of his originally well-structured plan, Bellamont began to cut a bloody swathe through the family, killing many of his brothers and sisters and burning the corpses. It was only when the Blanchard was murdered, most likely the very Speaker under whom he served as a Silencer, that the Black Hand suspected something was amiss and put out the word that the Brotherhood had been infiltrated.
The Black Hand
- "Some wonderful news, mother! Advancement at last! Lucien Lachance paid a visit to the Sanctuary today, to talk with me! He told me the Black Hand needed my services. One of the other Speakers is looking to replace his assistant, who was killed fulfilling a contract. So Lucien Lachance suggested me! I met with the Speaker, and will serve as his new "Silencer." Ha! Lachance might as well have given me a contract to kill the Night Mother herself! I am now one step closer to realizing our dream. I will learn the Night Mother's identity and tear the heart from her chest. Oh yes, and I have something special planned for Lachance himself..."
- ―Mathieu Bellamont[src]
Years later Bellamont continued to kill unnoticed amongst the Brotherhood. Using his position in the Black Hand, as well as the unknowing aid of a particularly ambitious family member, Bellamont proceeded to wreak havoc on the Brotherhood, killing off one Black Hand member after another.
The remaining Speakers gathered at Applewatch Farm, brutally torturing and killing Lucien Lachance who was believed to be the traitor. The Hand then made its way to Bravil in order to consult the Night Mother on the Black Hand's future. The traitor saw his chance and made to attack the Night Mother, to his dismay however the ethereal specter of the Brotherhood's matron could not be harmed by physical damage. At last the Black Hand saw its true enemy and the remaining two Speakers killed Bellamont, finally bringing an end to his madness.
Personality and traits
- "We kill and kill and kill! All we know is death! It ends here!"
- ―Mathieu Bellamont, when attacking the Night Mother.[src]
Mathieu Bellamont was functionally insane. Witnessing the murder of his mother by Lucien Lachance severely unhinged him and filled his head with little beyond thoughts of vengeance, murder, and, on some occasions, suicide. However, he was very calculating and patient, having kept his plans for revenge very secret for so long.
Bellamont kept a diary from the beginning of his time with the Dark Brotherhood which he wrote using the blood of various victims, whose bodies he kept stored in his cellar home, along with his mother's head, which he talked to, and believed spoke back to him.
If his mother's head is taken from the Anvil Lighthouse basement in the quest "Following a Lead," then dropped on the ground in Applewatch, Mathieu Bellamont has some unique dialogue. Ultimately, he struggles to properly speak as he is distracted by the sight.
Bellamont despises the Dark Brotherhood and what it does. His ultimate goal was to 'kill' the Night Mother and destroy the Dark Brotherhood. He has managed to retain enough stability and humanity to fall in love with Maria, but even that was lost to the Dark Brotherhood, acting as the final nail in the coffin of his sanity.
Interactions
Following a Lead
The Hero must now travel to the city of Anvil. Once there, they should wait near the barrel behind the statue in the pond, and see who comes to set up this fake dead drop. They must then confront this person and find out why they've been tampering with the contracts.
Honor Thy Mother
After Lucien's death by the Black Hand, Arquen suggests that the Hero and the remaining members meet with the Night Mother to discuss the next steps for the Dark Brotherhood. The Hero is to speak with Arquen between 12 am and 3 am in Applewatch. If, while in Applewatch with the remaining members of the Black Hand, the Hero drops Mother's Head on the ground, Mathieu will say, "What... What is that? Is that a... a head? No... No, it can't be... I.... Um, Sorry, Speaker... I'm... distracted...."
Trivia
- There are signs indicating that Mathieu was a cannibal. (For example, there are severed body parts found in the Lighthouse were he lived as well as torn torsos and naked victims hung from closets.)
- He believed that his dead mother spoke to him, much like the Night Mother speaks to the Listener.
- His connection to his dead mother might be based on that of Norman Bates' relationship with his mother in Psycho.
- Ironically, Mathieu seems to have gotten what he wanted even after death, as the Dark Brotherhood was hunted into near-extinction during the Fourth Era.
- There are two major differences between the fake Dead Drop orders Mathieu wrote for the Hero and the official ones from Lachance. First, Mathieu's are in a more flourishing style of handwriting, closer to cursive than Lachance's block-print handwriting. Second, the false orders gave a small backstory and a reason why the targets were wanted dead, as opposed to the official ones simply giving names and locations.
Appearances
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (mentioned only)