Milling about Whiterun, we were approached by an Orc in a strange leather outfit I had never seen before. He said he was looking for recruits for his group - the Dawnguard. He explained there was a new vampire menace in the world, and it was their duty to stop it.
It seemed pretty interesting, and I wanted a suit of his armor, so we jumped a carriage to Riften and searched out their home. The castle Dawnguard was very impressive, dwarfing most architecture I had seen thus far in Skyrim.
I met their leader, Isran, who must be an avid pipe smoker. Isran was adamant I check out a nearby cave along with Vigilant Tolan. After dispatching some of the weaker fledglings, we came upon Lokir interrogating another Vigilant, but we were too late. The vampire killed the man and set off for a strange structure in the center of the cavern. Before his foot could hit the nearby bridge, I skewered his throat with an arrow, and felled his companions as well.
Belrand wasn't keen on this area of the cave, and I agreed it looked quite strange. After solving the riddle of the central area, the middle of the room dropped down and revealed an enclosure. Upon opening a woman fell out, gasping for air, seemingly asleep previously. She introduced herself as Serana and asked who I was. She was obviously a vampire and it surprised her that the one releasing her was not. I also noticed the Elder Scroll she carried with her. She seemed very nice so I offered to lead her back to her home - a castle to the west of Markarth and Solitude.
We went south, as it was now dusk and out of consideration of our companion we decided to travel at night, and walked quietly around the eastern side of Whiterun and quickly grabbed a carraige to Markarth. When we arrived, we wasted no time with the town and started north. The mountains were treacherous and I often became separated with my companions. But by dawn we had met at a small jetty and crossed to the castle.
The castle itself was quite impressive and had a ominous feel to it. The gate keeper who looked of scurvy allowed us in once he saw Serana. The inside was grand and beautiful, but tarnished by ghastly sights. These vampires were not the classy type I had heard of in Cyrodiil, but were quite bestial and made a mess of all of their meals upon the tables and floors.
There was much celebration. I was offered the "gift" of becoming a vampire, but I realized my mistake in leading this woman here and quickly and politely left the castle. I think I have done something terrible, so I decided to officially join the Dawnguard to set this right. We walked to Solitude and quickly took stock of our supplies at home, and then grabbed a carriage to Riften.
Isran was not pleased, and was more hoarse than ever. He tasked me with finding a few important people to rally to the cause out in the world. There was nothing else I could help with that was grander at the moment, and I felt guilty so quickly agreed. Belrand and I left the castle and decided to stay in Riften for the rest of the day and night. We did a good bit of shopping, selling off some treasure. I have quite a bit of gold now, almost 6 digits. I am not sure why I have this compulsion to horde money, but it is there.
We returned to the Thieves guild, sold some more goods and caught up with the locals down there. I received more contracts from Vex and Malloy. They sounded like fun! I did enjoy sneaking around a rich person's house, if I had a reason to. Otherwise, felt a bit guilty. I also realized looking into the pool of water in the cistern, I had grown a bit older. I am more beautiful, if I do say so myself, but since the last time I saw my reflection I am much more mature and regal looking. Ah well. Even I someday will look like the old hags in the cistern!
Returning to the surface and poking around a bit more, I heard rumors of Skooma and spoke to an Argonian in the Bunkhouse. The poor woman had lost everything using Skooma, but fortunately had finally kicked the habit out of desperation. The stuff can be dangerous, and Riften is likely full of it being a first stop from the land of the red mountain. She finally let it be known who her supplier was, so I spoke to Maven about it. With her information and influence behind us Belrand and I went to a nearby cave where it was suspected it was being created. We dispatched a couple of ragged guards in the entrance, and went deeper. There was a group of people gambling over dog fights. The poor things were tearing each other apart for a couple of coins for their masters. I swiftly put each out of their misery, and this did not please the onlookers. They charged up the stairs and were caught by Belrand, who flipped one in the air and over the rails, and then froze another to death before shattering him. I supported Belrand with my bow, but was surprised from behind me by a huge brute of an Orc with a sinister looking hammer. As he swung I heard and dodged his blow, his hammer sticking in the decking. It was too close to Belrand to shout or use my bow, so I drew Thirsty and had at him. I must admit he was tough, and I found myself forced to try a bit of the skooma in a lull. It tasted horrible, but gave me a vitality unlike anything I had tasted before, which was more than enough to kill the man and come to Belrands rescue. Belrand asked why I was so excited, but I waved him off and we gathered all the evidence. There were tons of skooma and supplies to make it.
We headed back to Riften, and just as we entered we saw some guards being attacked by vampires. We took care of them without loss, and the guards thanked me. A stern reminder my next objective needed to be finding those two people. No more getting distracted!
Until next time,
-ST
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