I'll cut straight to the chase:

Upon returning to the DB sanctuary after assassinating Mede's double, how did you feel about the deaths of the brotherhood members? Do you feel they were handled well? Were you sorry to see any of them dead? How did you feel about Nazir and Babette surviving?

Personally, as I was riding from Solitude to Falkreath on Shadowmere (which felt pretty epic in itself), I thought to myself "I know that most, if not all of them, will die. But if any survive, I hope Nazir and Festus are amongst them."

Needless to say, my hopes for Festus were crushed pretty quickly. Seeing him pinned to the tree and riddled with arrows was the first and only time I've felt sad whilst playing Skyrim. I just thought he was one of the most interesting characters in the DB, His death looked epic too - I can imagine him going outside to investigate strange noises, then just being hit by a hail of arrows.

I was a little sad to see Arnbjorn die; I didn't and don't like him, but his death was awesome, and it was a pity to see such a great beast felled.

Veezara and Gabriella I could give or take. They weren't very well developed as characters, and their deaths had no "story" to them like Arnbjorn's or Festus's.

I was incredibly glad to find Nazir alive and ticking, and I knew that Beth either wouldn't kill Babette, or if they did, wouldn't let us see it, for obvious reasons.

I found Astrid's deaths was fairly mediocre to be honest. I find it hard to believe she would have the strength to talk when the rest of her body has been turned to charcoal.

I thought Gabriella's was particularly gruesome and tragic, I mean she gets her beautiful head crushed by that stone table. Veezara's death was weird but justified (his loyalties were with Astrid not the Night Mother); I just wonder why the Penitus Oculatus stripped him after killing him. I never found Festus until the last time I did the questline, and that really pissed me off. Arnbjorn was a jerk, and I was just sad I didn't get to kill him. Astrid deserved what she got, and what kind of leader is that, hiding while all your people get slaughtered due to your own [censored] up.

I dunno, it seemed to me like the will of Sithis was trying to protect some of his more loyal members (Gabriella and Festus), but they got overwhelmed anyway, what with the particularly awful way they died.

I thought it was a little odd how Veezara was stripped, too. And come to think of it, that table was crushed, funny what you don't remember.

I feel sorry for all of them, I liked them and really feel a family member. Hah it would be awesome if in next TES we could summon some of them just like Lucien in Skyrim

That would be cool, but I doubt it, simply because no single one of them represents everything the DB is, like Lucien did.
Astrid was a traitor, and the others, in the grander scheme of things, were relatively minor.
The only one who I think might reappear as a ghost is Cicero, because of his adherence to the old ways.

I did feel very sad for them. But i guess it was necessary for them to die,
otherwise it would be too un-realistic to have them all survive in that raid.

The introduction to DB was very good when you first see them all gather together to chat about their exploits.
It really felt like a close knit family albeit a twisted one. They even still continue to chitchat about their exploits even as you continue to play the DB storyline.

Veezara - I like it how he was always sitting down at his favourite spot like he is always thinking of something.
Yes i also thought it was really strange why he died naked. Those sick Penitus Oculatus!!

Arnbjorn - Originally i didn't like him cause he had that attitude about him. But i kindda got used to it cause i suppose Werewolfry probably forces
people to be grumpy lol. When i saw him fighting the soldiers, i was trying my best to help him kill em off, but he kept dying. I didn't know that he's
supposed to die and thought i could save him, so i kept reloading the game and kept cursing why i can't save him.

Gabriella - Felt a kinship to her, cause Illucia is also a fellow Dark Elf sister. Very sad she didn't make it.

Festus - I didn't expect him to survive the attack, but was horrified to see how he died from the multiple arrows, that is a very horrible way to die.
His death was the one that triggered Illucia to release her anger on all Penitus Oculatus soldiers, devils! every single one of them!

Babette - I didn't expect her to die too cause she's a child, but then again im glad she lived cause i think she's quite cute.
She reminds me of Claudia in "Interview with the Vampire". It helps also that she didn't have the same bratty conversations
as other kids in the game. (Granted she's 300 years old lol)

Nazir - Oh i love this guy! I half expected him to go "This is THREE DOGS AWOOOoooOO!!!!" (Same voice actor i think lol)

Astrid - When i realized i was being betrayed, i half expected the betrayer to be Astrid seeing how they so strongly forshadowed
how much she wants the DB to be under her leadership. She has lofty ideals, and i think she truly does care for the family.
I feel pity for her because it was a bad choice she made even though it was done with good intentions.
But i still feel that it was much too naive of her to trust Maro on this matter.

Cicero - Oh i did not kill him. From the moment i first heard his voice, i just loved this character!
He's so crazy, so out of place, so wild! Really love this voice actor's work, portraying his loneliness/madness thru his voice work.

I rather liked them all. Their deaths pretty much ensured that I will never side with the Empire

The only one I felt sad for is Festus, He's so badass and he is the only one who still actually respect the old ways. Oh, and the spider, my khajiit assassin loved to play around with it.

About Arnbjorn, well, as soon as I saw him in werewolf form I thought "Second form, scripted death alright." True enough, even if I managed to beat his attacker he still drop dead for no obvious reason. Veezara and Gabriella, well I never get that close to them to lost them. I believe the reason Veezara found naked was because he cause the chaos in the wedding and they want his skin to make Solitude guard to feel better.

Babette might be able to escape with her vampire power and Nazir is in strategic position, giving him a bit of time. As for Astrid, I already knew that things would come to this ever since she pauses when speaking about listener or other term from the old ways during her explanation at the beginning of the mission, so my decision to turn Jarrin Root into a poison and not using it during infiltration was the right choice. I'll leave her fate to the dread father as I kill Maro with the poison from the Jarrin Root she gave me. She might be a [censored] who denies the old way and turn me on the penitus oculatus but she admitted it and apologized in hour of her death, but it's thanks to her that the dark brotherhood can continue its existence. After all, she's a prodigy who was given the spell to summon Lucien and she was smart enough to accept contract from rumors during the period of no listener. She might have betrayed the dark brotherhood, but at least she atoned for her sin at the end of her life, perhaps the dread father will give her a chance to correct her mistake as the dread father gave Lucien a chance to perform the service he unable to perform in his life.

I like them all to some degree. I wasn't too fussed about the werewolf, or the argonian.
It honestly made me sad seeing Festus pinned to the tree.
Killing Astrid was also rather emotional for me, even though she betrayed me, and didn't accept the old ways and the night mother - she brought me into the family. + her actions were an attempt to protect the rest of the family.

Though none of them are as good as Lucien's death. I remember walking into that farm seeing lucien and wtf...
Poor festus, he was one of the ppl i respected. At least nazir is alive, but i doubt that the DB will become powerful again.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. With the word that the Brotherhood successfully killed Mede AFTER their Sanctuary had been raided and their members slaughtered, public gossip about them is bound to skyrocket, which means more business for them. The more they kill the more people fear them, meaning the more power they have, and the more likely people will go about murdering to try and get their attention so they can join their ranks.

On topic: I felt sad to see all of them go, even Astrid, misguided as she was, with the minor exception of Anbjorn. In fact, their deaths are one of the main things I'd console command/mod if I had Skyrim for the PC. I think you SHOULD be able to save them, especially if you aren't going to get new members with actual personalities down the road. It's lonely with just Nazir, Babette and Cicero.

While I love the Dark Brotherhood, I wasn't too disappointed by the Skyrim chapter deaths. In Oblivion, they gave you time to form bonds with your fellow murderers, but in Skyrim, everything just went too fast. I felt like I barely knew most of them, so I didn't take it to heart when they died. I know it sounds weird, but the one I felt sorry for the most was Astrid, even though all of that was her fault in the first place. I don't know. Like I said, I felt way more connected to the chapter in Oblivion, which made killing them less than pleasurable.

I was so happy that Nazir survived. (I wish he was able to marry too!)

I also decided not to kill Cicero but I find him irritating nonetheless.

Plus, there's never a shortage on people wanting other people dead.

Festus was the only one I was upset about, he was awesome. Totally loyal to the real Dark Brotherhood and he had such great things to say, like turning his contracts inside out.

The rest of the heretics can suffer in the void for all I care, Veezara was cool but only because he was supposedly the last of his kind but his blind loyalty to Astrid was his undoing. I would have gutted them myself if I was given the chance, Oblivion style. I totally smiled when I heard that Cicero tried to knife that harlet and fled.

The only time thruput the game I felt sad for losing someone was festus. Him and ciceeo made the DB for me. When I saw festus at the beginning, I went into a rage! As for Astrid, I was under the assumption that sinve she formed the black sacriment on herself, shes wasnt going to die until I put her down, so naturally my toon stood there watching her filled with such agony while I went a smoked a cig and drink a beer, u know give ol Astrid plenty of time to feel that pain. Then I sheaved the dagger, took out my 2handed mace and since im not very skilled at it proceeded to smash her limbs and ribs before I repeatily smashed her face, smilely knowing damn well shes gonna go thru worse to make up for her betrayal.

so in respect of ol Mr festus, ill give ya a line
"advice heh? Well just do what I do. Walk up to the target, introdus urself, melt their face off, and then run like the wind outta there!"
Truer words or wisdom have not neen spoken.
R.I.P.. Festus, u will be missed.

It's good to see I'm not the only Festus fan here, and not the only one who found his death to be particularly horrific and rage inducing. Him and Nazir are the biggest badasses in the DB, Cicero is awesome too, but in his own way.