Bad Medicine is the seventh main quest in the Oblivion Dark Brotherhood storyline.
To begin this quest, you must first complete the previous mission, The Lonely Wanderer. After completing that, you can speak to Ocheeva in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary to accept your next contract.
This guide will explain how to infiltrate Fort Sutch, poison Roderick, and escape undetected to receive the bonus reward, The Deceiver’s Finery.
For more information on joining the Dark Brotherhood, visit our how to join page, and for a list of all quests, check out our walkthrough.
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Starting the Bad Medicine quest
To start, you need to complete the previous quest, The Lonely Wanderer.
After completing that, speaking to Ocheeva will allow you to take on your next mission to eliminate Warlord Roderick with poison.





Accepting the mission will send you to Fort Sutch to kill Roderick with poison. To unlock a bonus reward, you must complete the mission without being seen and use poison specifically.
Fort Sutch is located west of Kvatch. Speak to Dark Brotherhood members for advice before heading out.




Finding and entering Fort Sutch
Fort Sutch is located underground near the ruins. To enter, find one of the openings on the outer walls. One entrance leads to a circular room with a large opening to drop into.




After dropping down, head through a broken wall and make a right turn to find a door leading into Fort Sutch. Look for a medicine cabinet to poison Roderick.
















Locating the cabinet and poisoning Roderick without being detected
Sneak through the ruins, avoiding soldiers. If spotted, the optional objective fails, and you lose the bonus reward.
Use the medicine cabinet to swap Roderick’s medicine with poison. Backup saves are recommended due to the difficulty of navigating without being seen.








Avoid guards by lockpicking gates and avoiding patrols. Use stealth and crouch to stay undetected.
















Navigate through corridors and up stairs to reach the medicine cabinet. Use the medicine cabinet to swap Roderick’s medicine with poison.
















Swap the medicine using the ‘Search’ command. Place the poison in the medicine cabinet. The objective will update upon closing the menu.












Exiting Fort Sutch without being detected
Save before exiting and return the way you came, avoiding patrols. Use stealth and crouch to stay undetected.
Exit through the same tunnel and lockpick gates. Fast travel will not be available until you exit the fort.




















Completing the quest and earning The Deceiver’s Finery
Return to Ocheeva in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary to report your success.








You’ll receive a payout and a bonus reward, The Deceiver’s Finery, if you completed the mission without being detected. This robe increases your Personality and Speechcraft skills.








With this quest complete, you’re ready to move on to the next mainline quest, Whodunit?.