This is the final part of the Dark Brotherhood Quest line. In it you refurnish the Sanctuary in Dawnstar. It isn’t very difficult, you just visit the Thieves Guild in Riften.
I found that all the upgrades except the garden are a waste of money because they are visual rather than practical. Although it does make the Dawnstar sanctuary look a lot better.
You can keep doing Dark Brotherhood quests for quite a while, just walk up to the Night Mother and she will give you an assassination assignment. These aren’t fun but are a good way to make a little money on the side.
This quest is managed by Festus Krex. After you have completed “The Cure for Madness” (click for guide) Astrid will as you to report to Festus Krex who will give you he details about “Recipe for Disaster”. He will ask you to question Anton Virane who you can find in Markath in the Understone Keep.
After you have question Anton Virane you have to kill him. This is somewhat difficult to do without getting a bounty. I decided to kill everyone in the room who saw me kill Anton Virane which removed the bounty because the last witness was killed. The guards outside will probably appear as red enemies, but stay hidden and they won’t find you and eventually stop looking.
Killing Balagog gro-Nolob and Hiding His Body
To get a bonus you have to hide Balagog gro-Nolob’s body after you have killed him. It is easy to kill him without getting a bounty because he is in the basment and nobody else is around. If somebody does happen to be down there with you kill them as well and you won’t keep your bounty.
Dragging Balagog gro-Nolob’s body in a corner will do the trick. I found that the best corner was:
Th highlighted corner is the best place to hide Balagog gro-Nolob's body. Be sure to keep dragging him around the hey stack until the note for completing the optional task appears on your screen.
After you have done the deed of killing Balagog gro-Nolob report back to Festus Krex at the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary to complete the quest and receive the next quest.
I found him sitting in the Morthal Inn. I presume he usually walks around Morthal. Be sure to use a bow and arrow because if you use a sword you will get a bounty, even if you are hidden. It is easiest to kill him inside buildings because less people are moving around.
Killing Hern
Hern is very easy to kill because he lives far away from any city. The two living there aren’t tough, although if you are having problems I suggest using a bow and arrow.
