Lore:Dawnguard

The Dawnguard are a group of Vampire hunters that originate from the province of Skyrim. They are based in Fort Dawnguard, in the region of the Rift, towards the provincial border in the Velothi Mountains. It is found in the Dayspring Canyon of the Velothi Mountains.

History

Second Era

4th era Dawnguard member

The Dawnguard traces its origins to the early to mid-Second Era. Fort Dawnguard was once a stronghold owned by the Jarl of Riften. The Jarl's son was an adventurer, which proved to be his demise when he contracted vampirism. The Jarl of Riften, unwilling to have his son killed, used his money to build Fort Dawnguard as a prison to hold him. The hired men that guarded the prison would become the early Dawnguard. The Dawnguard was eventually forced to kill the Jarl's son, which led to the group's banishment from the Rift. However, the Dawnguard stuck to their cause of vampire hunting. A silver and gold sword known as the Guardian's Claymore was bestowed on the first leader of the Dawnguard, and is renowned for its ability to block attacks. The group would start to use crossbows with silver bolts, a practice later adopted by the Fighters Guild during the Interregnum. The group would eventually dissolve and fall into obscurity. A rumor was that the group had all contracted vampirism and stalked the Rift until they were all defeated.

Another story is that, far from being a noble group of vampire hunters, the early Dawnguard was a secret organization whose members would go on midnight raids to pillage houses. They stashed their loot in caches guarded by their sigils, which could only be opened by a sunfire spell. It's unknown how reliable this account is, as it comes from a priest ofArkay who claimed his god, who talked to him regularly, had told him some of it. Regardless, the Dawnguard did have treasure caches as described, so it is possible he was correct.

Fourth Era

Fort Dawnguard in 4E 201

In 4E 201, the Vigilants of Stendarr had established a chapter in Skyrim, specifically in the region of the Pale. One of their members, Isran, decided to leave the group to reform the Dawnguard. Keeper Carcette had mocked Isran's desire to rebuild Fort Dawnguard, and that it was not worth the manpower to repair. Isran believed that the Vigilants were weak, and very unprepared for a real threat. As a vampire threat had begun to emerge out of Skyrim, the word about the Dawnguard and their stronghold would spread across the province. At one point, the Vigilants of Stendarr's base of operations was wiped out by the Volkihar Clan, and a survivor of the group sought help from the Dawnguard. The Dawnguard's investigation of the vampiric threat, as well as, the Dimhollow Crypt had led them to the discovery of Serana, a Daughter of Coldharbour. What followed after was a conflict between the Dawnguard Vampire Hunters, and the Volkihar Clan, which would involve the prophecy known as the Tyranny of the Sun. In the end, the prophecy was not fulfilled, and Tamriel was spared from danger. It's unknown if the Dawnguard would continue to operate in Skyrim, or if they were wiped out by the Volkihar Clan after the defeat of Lord Harkon.

Notes

• Two Dawnguard axes and a helm can be seen on the back of the Knights of St. Pelin Body Markings.

Gallery

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  Isran, current leader of the Dawnguard

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  An Armored Husky (Skyrim)

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  An Armored Troll (Skyrim)

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  Dawnguard relics

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  Dawnguard belt

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  A Dawnguard Vampire Hunter's crossbow (ESO)

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  The Guardian's Claymore (Blades)

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Skyrim^DG article.
• For game-specific information on Fort Dawnguard, see the Skyrim^DG article.