The Cure for Madness

The Cure for Madness
Quest Giver	Astrid
Location	Dawnstar Sanctuary
Prerequisite	Breaching Security
Next Quest	Recipe for Disaster
Faction	Dark Brotherhood
Reward	Shadowmere
Quest ID	DB07

Objectives

• Talk to Astrid in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
• Search Cicero's room, reading the last chapter of his journal and obtaining the password for the Dawnstar Sanctuary
• Travel to the Dawnstar Sanctuary, either kill Cicero or spare him, then report back to Astrid

Walkthrough

The Dragonborn is met by Gabriella upon arrival in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. She redirects the Dragonborn to speak with Astrid immediately. Astrid states that Cicero went crazy and attempted to kill everyone before fleeing. She recommends searching Cicero's room for clues.

In his room, on an end table next to his bed is the final volume of Cicero's Journal. All the previous volumes can be found on nearby elevated surfaces. When reading the final volume, it will provide details of the password and location for an older and unused Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary near Dawnstar. After letting Astrid know of the findings, the Dragonborn is instructed to kill Cicero. She provides the horse, Shadowmere, as a means of getting to him. Despite the fact that Shadowmere is unique in appearance, choosing to obtain him is not essential to completing the quest.

While in the Sanctuary, talking with Nazir can make three new contracts available: "Contract: Kill Anoriath", "Contract: Kill Ma'randru-jo", and "Contract: Kill Deekus".

Tracking Cicero

Outside the Sanctuary is a black pool that resolves itself into Shadowmere. He can be ridden to Dawnstar or else the Dragonborn can fast travel there. Once there, Arnbjorn is sitting injured on the ground just outside of the Dawnstar Sanctuary. He tells of his injuries, saying they were from a fight with Cicero, but that he injured Cicero equally as seriously, so the Dragonborn should just "follow the blood" to find him. After suggesting that he return to the home Sanctuary, Dawnstar Sanctuary should be entered.

Once inside, Cicero can be heard asking whether the Listener has come, and then saying that Astrid has sent her best. There is a full set of the Jester's Outfit on a table to the left as you enter the first room. As the Dragonborn continues, you will come to a bridge with a spear trap. As the trap is triggered, Cicero taunts the Dragonborn. Continuing on, at the bottom of a circular set of stairs is a table with the skill books The Marksmanship Lesson (archery) and Fire and Darkness (one-handed), as well as a set of Worn Shrouded Armor on a cupboard to the right. In the very next room, along with the Sanctuary Guardians, is a fire trap. Cicero continues his commentary as the Dragonborn proceeds.

The next room contains a set of steps in the southwest corner leading up to a gate of metal poles that can be opened by pulling a chain near the bottom of the stairs. This opens a large round opening in the northeast wall, and a door in the southeast corner. The stairs lead back to an earlier part of the path, so they should be ignored for now. The southeast door is barred from the other side. The round opening leads to an ice cave (which Cicero calls a "forced addition").

Deeper into the cave you will find the unique troll Udefrykte, along with numerous dead animals and bear traps. There is a ledge on the left side with a ramp leading to a chest containing a meager amount of coins. Continuing on through the bottom level of the cave, you will come to a room with a wooden door that leads to a retracting pole gate (the chain to open it is on the wall to the right). At the bottom of the stairs is a hallway with coffins on either side. The coffins are mostly empty - a few have bloody rags or skulls. There is a master-locked chest in a dead end passageway to the left (south) with leveled loot. At the end, another set of stairs leads up to the right (north) to another retracting pole gate opened by a chain to the right. At the end of this hall is the barred door to the left (that can now be opened) and another door to the right that leads to Cicero. As the Dragonborn approaches, they sheath their weapon.

Confronting Cicero

Cicero is found lying on the ground faking an injury. He asks that his life be spared and that the Dragonborn lie to Astrid about killing him. Should the Dragonborn decide to let him live, there is no effect on the outcome of the quest nor the attitudes of the other Brotherhood members. It should be noted that if Cicero is spared in this quest he will become an available follower for the Dragonborn. If he is killed, his body can be looted for his outfit (the Jester's Outfit on the table at the entrance is less powerful), some gold and a leveled dagger. If he is attacked, he will get up and fight back, revealing that he isn't actually injured.

Completing the Quest

Return to Astrid and inform (or lie to) her about Cicero's death. She will then thank the Dragonborn and suggest they hold on to Shadowmere "a while longer," in addition to starting the next quest, "Recipe for Disaster".

Journal

Journal Entry
Upon my return to the Sanctuary, I was informed by Gabriella that there was some kind of "incident" with Cicero. I need to speak to Astrid to find out what happened. Objective: Talk to Astrid
While I was away, Cicero went berserk and tried to kill Astrid. He fled the Sanctuary, with Arnbjorn in pursuit. I need to locate them both, and then kill Cicero. Objective: Search Cicero's room
Objective: Talk to Astrid
Objective: Behold Shadowmere
Objective: Locate Arnbjorn
Objective: Talk to Arnbjorn
Objective: Enter the Dawnstar Sanctuary
Objective: Kill Cicero
Objective: Kill Cicero, or leave the Sanctuary
Objective: Report back to Astrid
After learning that Cicero went berserk and tried to kill Astrid, I was ordered to go to the Dawnstar Sanctuary, find him, and end his life. The matter has now been resolved. Quest complete

• Note: The objective to Behold Shadowmere appears in the journal after the Quest complete stage if it is never completed in the first place (i.e. if the Dragonborn proceeds directly to the Dawnstar Sanctuary)

Trivia

• The Legend of Red Eagle may be found after descending the first staircase in the sanctuary. Just before the hallway out of the L-shaped room there is a bookshelf next to a chair and table to the right. The book is found on the lower section of the bookshelf. This will start the quest "The Legend of Red Eagle".
• It is possible to both get Cicero's armor and let him live, by using the Perfect Touch and Poisoned perks of the pickpocket skill, as well as any form of paralyzing poison. To get his armor, Cicero can be pickpocketed, giving him the poison. He will become paralyzed shortly, allowing his impossible to nab armor to be grabbed without fail. Alternatively a Staff of Paralysis or the spell Paralyze can be used.
• If the Ghost of Lucien Lachance is active while exploring the Dawnstar Sanctuary, Lucien will tell the player that it is not wise to kill Cicero, because the Keeper is a sacred position in the Dark Brotherhood. He says that "The Dread father does not wish this!"
• The Jesters Outfit can be picked up just as the Dawnstar Sanctuary is entered. A full set is on a table just to the left of the entrance. A better version can be looted from Cicero, if he is killed.
• For those who dislike the chore of leveling the Sneak skill, this is the perfect opportunity to increase skill levels. Although time consuming, this quest has perfect opportunities to level this skill. After entering the sanctuary, the Jester Outfit can be taken, which will help with sneaking. After equipping the outfit, Cicero should be found but not killed. After speaking to him, moving to the corner directly behind him and crouching into the sneak position should allow the Dragonborn to be hidden. Once the Sneak eye says hidden, the corner should be faced, then walking slowly (or if the "Silence perk" is unlocked, walking at a regular speed) will eventually increase Sneak skill. This method is quite time consuming, but it works. (Hint: A rubber-band can be put on the controller, then the game left alone, and upon returning, the sneak skill will be leveled up. It is necessary to periodically verify that the Dragonborn is still hidden.)
• Cicero's 500 gold may be taken twice. This can be done by pickpocketing him before attacking. [If the Dragonborn is caught pickpocketing Cicero's gold, Cicero will attack and talk about his ploy to trick the Dragonborn and reveal he's not really injured. However, if the Dragonborn sheathes his/her weapons, Cicero will accept the surrender and go back to his fetal position.
• If Cicero is spared (just lying to Astrid upon return to the Falkreath Sanctuary, saying that he was killed), and the quest "Hail Sithis!" is completed, he will have the option to be a Follower. Inside the Dawnstar sanctuary, Nazir will state that he knew the Dragonborn wouldn't kill him. Nevertheless, Cicero is back.
• If the Dragonborn decides to kill Cicero, the door can be unbarred across from the door leading to the room Cicero is hiding in. Then, back up onto the steps in the first room, sneaking and shooting Cicero with a bow from a distance will cause him to get up and immediately lay back down. The process can be repeated until he is dead.
• Humorously, the numeric value in the Console Command Quest Stage ID for the objective to "Behold Shadowmere" is 666.
• Killing Cicero will charge the Ebony Blade. Those who are with the Dark Brotherhood but are iffy about certain contracts may choose to kill Cicero for further progress on the Blade.
• With the Perfect Touch perk, sets of Shrouded Armor can be pickpocketed from the Sanctuary Gaurdians.
• If Serana is a follower, she may sit on the ground near Arnbjorn, apparently mimicking his injured stance.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to The Cure for Madness. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

Click to see the list of bugs encountered

360   PS3   Although the guardians can't be looted after they are killed, the Dragonborn can pickpocket them for Shrouded Armor pieces and weapons/arrows, if the Misdirection and Perfect Touch perks have been unlocked. If done fast enough the weapons they drop when killed can be picked up.  PC   360   PS3   The Dragonborn may get stuck in an infinite loop where Astrid says "You need to hear this!" and then never says anything else. This can be fixed by simply 'Waiting' in position for an hour. If Cicero is killed, and his armor set looted, he can be raised by using the Conjuration spell Reanimate Corpse and then brought through a new loading screen. When this is done, his armor will re-spawn on his body.  360   If the last guardian is killed and looted, the game may freeze.  360   Sometimes after retrieving Cicero's journal, when reporting back to Astrid it will state, "This person is busy." Reloading the game from the point of entering the Sanctuary, then talking to Astrid, grabbing the journal, and reporting back to her, should resolve the issue. The door in the southeast corner of the room just before the ice caves can be opened by simply jumping over the door bar. If successful, the Dragonborn will be just outside Cicero's room.  PC   360   PS3   Sometimes after returning to Astrid once Cicero has been killed, she will say her first line of dialogue and will be unable to be interacted with. Instead when she is talked to, she will repeat the same line of dialogue over again.  PC   PC users can fix this by using the console command setstage DB07 200 and then setstage DB08 2. This will cause the quest to end and the next to begin.   PS3   360   Occasionally when attempting to leave the Sanctuary after killing Cicero, the door will not respond to Use (Or be replaced by a wet stone wall), thus making it impossible to leave. Simply restarting the console will fix this. When arriving at the Dawnstar sanctuary, the Dragonborn may not be able to talk to Arnbjorn immediately, but if attacked and killed he might start dialogue.  Alternatively, loading an old save and riding Shadowmere all the way up to Arnbjorn without dismounting until after "discovering" him may resolve the issue.  PC   Sometimes Shadowmere does not spawn outside in the pool of water. If Shadowmere doesn't spawn, the Dragonborn should stand by the pool, then type prid 0009CCD8 and moveto player on the console. This will then spawn Shadowmere in the pool.  360   PC   Cicero may not attack on occasions when attempting to kill him. He will stand upon being attacked and lay back down immediately. Time may permanently slow down when fighting the Sanctuary Guardians in the Dawnstar Sanctuary if Quick Reflexes is unlocked and it comes into effect while fighting them. Time will still be slowed down after the effects of the perk should have worn off. This can be solved by opening the skills or map menu, exiting and re-entering the sanctuary, or saving then loading that saved game.  PC   360   PS3   If Cicero is pickpocketed while he is lying down (apparently injured), he will get up and attack. The only way to get out of this is by quickly running, closing doors, and resetting traps while running from him. When the sanctuary is exited, quickly getting on Shadowmere (assuming he is being kept), and fast travelling immediately to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary will lose him. Sometimes the Dragonborn will complete "Breaching Security" and then be told to go speak with Astrid as there has been an incident with Cicero. When speaking to Astrid the only dialogue option available is to ask her about herself. Veezara may also not be available. This can be fixed on the PC by going into the console and writing setstage DB07 15 (this only fixes the Astrid problem). However when the Dragonborn checks Cicero's room they may find him in his room acting normally. Loading an earlier save does not always fix the problem.