I had been wondering why the assassins had been sent after this character very early in the game. I still don't know for sure on this one, but decided to try a new character and see what happens (if anything).

Sure enough, I was attacked on the new character, who has an otherwise spotless crime record (just one trespass in the Battle-born house). I killed a skooma dealer, though, or maybe a thief. That must've triggered it. Only... I can't with certainty say one preceded the other. However, it does give me something to look for on the next character, who I'll just have wandering the roads. I can't imagine a contract put out on me if I haven't done anything to harm anybody else first, right?

i imagine its just part of the game.. as soon as you play.

but yeh let us know

Well with my first char I played a pure mage that did not steal or murder anyone and had zero bounty. Never had any assassins sent after me or hired thugs. Second char a thief and I had thugs and an assassin sent after me relatively early in the game. I still had no bounty but stole alot of stuff from people.

The thing is that the note says the client performed the sacrament. So far I've only seen the kid in Windhelm do that, as well as Maven Blackbriar. Now Maven might have reason, but it's a stretch at this point.

This really got me intrigued when it first happenned to me. Why would someone want me dead. what have I done that would give them reason. Or was it part of a quest.
I assume it happens to every one just to highlight to them that there is an organisetion out there that performs assassinations.

when you search the assassins that came for you, they normally have a note with information about who put the hit on you

I don't think I have played a character yet who didn't get an assassin after them sooner or later, however some of my characters do not see them until much later in the game so I would assume it is some action on my part that triggers them.

That's the hired thugs, one of them has a contract that shows who wanted to hurt you (In my case a Whiterun Guard, strangely enough no bounty, didn't tresspass either).

DB Assassins carry a different note that tells someone performed the Black Sacrament to have you killed, signed by Astrid.

Pretty early on in my game I was hunted down for a bounty. The bounty note had a somewhat familiar name, but I just couldn't place where I had heard it. So I go back home to Whiterun and... there they were. It was one of the little boys running around town saying how they aren't scared of you.

Really? I bump into this kid on the way to sell my goods and he, in turn, puts out a contract on me? Seriously? I was buying Thundercat trading cards at his age (or rather stealing them for lack of money) and he's buying hitmen?

Yeah I've had a similar occurance in my game. Hired thugs attacked me after I left Riverwood for the first time, and when I killed them I found a note signed by a Moira. Knowing that I had not met any npc named Moira thus far in my playthrough, I googled it and found her to be a named Hagraven from a quest I had not even started yet.

This makes me think that the event is either completely random, or seriously buggy.

About the DB assassins, has anyone been attacked by one while being a DB memeber themselves?

Have you met her sister Anise? She lives in a shack fairly close to Riverwood.

You don't suppose it's Moira from Fallout 3 do you?

I don't know why they come, but there are two ways to stop it:
Kill Astrid
Join the DB

I've never had one come after doing either of these things.

I had ever hit put on me in my game I had thalmor assassin,hired thugs and Darkbrother Hood assassin I killed them tho.