The Dawnguard

Chapter 1: Joining the Dawnguard

I heard from a rumour that a group called the Dawnguard were forming. They were said to be vampire hunters, but they didn't seem to be keeping secret about their existence. I was passing through Riverwood at sunset, the location that helped me on my initial journey through Skyrim, to play my lute at the Inn, when a scream came from the Inn. Sigrid came screaming out, with three vampires on her tail. Instinctively, I drew my sword and charged at the closest vampire with my shield up. The thrall noticed too late that I was charging, and I knocked him over with a bash of my shield and drove my sword through his chest. The second and third vampires saw me as a threat, and one ran at me. The second one, which was a thrall of the third, swung his sword in an overhead arc. I blocked the attack with my blade, but before I could counter, the third had created a bolt of lightning and shot it towards me. I placed my shield between me and the bolt, but the shield didn't completely stop the attack. The lightning rode along my armour, electrocuting, and momentarily stunning me.

The third, being the master of the other two, was able to walk up to me while I was stunned, but before he could draw his dagger, a bolt flew from the shadows behind him and landed in the back of his shoulder. He cried in pain, and a second bolt flew and hit his thigh. I saw the bolts as small arrows, since I didn't know what a crossbow was at the time, but I took the opportunity to swing my sword's edge at the distracted second thrall and decapitated him. The master had realised he was outnumbered now, and attempted to resurrect the first thrall. As he powered his spell, a third bolt flew and impaled his right hand, the sudden pain forcing him to dispel his resurrection spell. This opening was enough for me to act on, and I thrusted my sword into his exposed back, and from that he died, going limp on my impaling blade. After redrawing my sword from the carcass, an Orc emerged from the shadows of the Inn and said;

"You there. You seem to know how to handle yourself." Noticing the compliment, I replied;

"Thank you...?" Hoping he would give me his name.

"Durak." He answered; "The Dawnguard is looking for anyone willing to fight against the growing vampire menace. What do you say?"

I realised that I hadn't heard many incidents with vampires involved, so I asked;

"What exactly are the Dawnguard? I've heard of them, but not much."

"We're a group of vampire hunters." He answered; "The Hall of the Vigilants was destroyed by vampires because they didn't take the vampire threat seriously. They all got torn to pieces when they went up against the vampires, and that's why Isran is re-establishing the Dawnguard." I saw the justice in fighting these vampires so I asked;

"Where do I sign up?" And with that remark, Durak seemed to lighten up, and answered;

"Talk to Isran at Fort Dawnguard, south-east of Riften." And after that, Durak walked off, so I assumed he was going to recruit more members, heading in the direction of Whiterun. I had to make a stop at my house back in the Falkreath hold, so I could re-supply for the trip to Riften.

I arrived home just after dark, the moon lighting the night sky, and the wind soothingly pressing against my exposed skin. I had a feeling that this decision was going to be an important, as well as a dangerous one, just like my decision to defeat the Bringer of the End Times, Alduin. I placed my armour on a mannequin inside my house, got my dinner sorted and relaxed for the journey tomorrow. As I ate my dinner, I thought of all the problems I had fixed in Skyrim, and the problems I had caused. I had lost count on how many people I helped throughout Skyrim, and after some time I didn't feel like attempting to remember how many, so I had rounded it to about two hundred, but there were potentially more. After dinner, I went to bed, and as I laid there, I thought to myself;