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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Hints
A Knife in the Dark
1 of 16: You're to go to the Inn of Ill Omen (location 52 on the Great Forest map) and kill off some old lazy guy named Rufio.
2 of 16: Go to the inn when you're ready, then enter it and talk to Manheim Maulhand.
3 of 16: He'll tell you that Rufio is down in the "private quarters" area.
4 of 16: Find the trap door near the exit door and go through it.
5 of 16: The locked door down there just leads to a vacant room, so go through the unlocked door to find Rufio's room.
6 of 16: He'll almost certainly be in bed since he sleeps most of the day and night. (If he's not there, wait until he stops wandering around the inn and returns to bed.)
7 of 16: TIP: You can easily build up your Sneak skill by walking around Rufio's room in Sneak mode when he's in bed. Do this for awhile to get a nice big skill increase!
8 of 16: When you're ready, quickly kill Rufio with the Blade of Woe dagger that Lachance gave you, or any other weapon.
9 of 16: Then sleep for an hour on Rufio's bed to get Lachance to reappear, congratulate you, and give you your next instructions.
10 of 16: NOTE: Talk to Lachance about everything to learn some important things, such as what to not do in order to avoid the Wrath of Sithis. (It's a spirit you'll have to defeat the first time you sleep after committing an infraction so you can get back into the Brotherhood. The usual "three strikes and you're out for good" rule also applies.)
11 of 16: Fast-travel to Cheydinhal's East Gate and locate the Abandoned House just east of the Great Chapel of Arkay.
12 of 16: Sneakily lockpick the Abandoned House's boarded-over front door when no one's looking.
13 of 16: Find the basement door inside and use it.
14 of 16: Go through the hole in the north wall and down the tunnel past it until you reach a dead end at a large and spooky-looking carving on a door.
15 of 16: When a voice asks you what the color of night is, give the answer that Lachance told you to use.
16 of 16: Once you're inside the sanctuary, talk to Ocheeva to finish this quest and get your neat enchanted armor and hood.