Chapter 1 – Dawn
The sun glanced inside the wood and stone barn as it rose over the trees in the distance and lit up the surrounding meadow grass. Near the entranced lay three bodies, all young Nord men. Two of the bodies were bloody all over, their skin was shredded into pieces and their faces would be barely recognisable to their closest kin. The final body had some blood around his neck and a crossbow bolt in his back, his face was that of a labourer, rough, and his slight stubble showed his youth. Further into the barn was a small cart, piled on top of it was a stack of fresh hay, which obscured the view further back into the barn. On all of the walls, apart from the entrance, were large bays with piles of straw, and in the furthest bay sat a body, hidden in the shadows.
The body stretched its arms, wiped its mouth and lay back in the straw behind it. It sighed deeply and closed its eyes slowly, but soon opened them again at the sound of approaching footsteps. Its pupils looked to the roof of the barn, and then shot towards the sound of a figure in the entrance. It was not visible and could be anyone, or anything. The body did not seem nervous, but more surprised at what was happening.
The figure in the door way stepped forward, and the light now hit his face. It was shallow and wrinkled; all his skin seemed dry and rugged. The man was old; a man who had lived his life labouring and now seemed more peaceful in his posture and the way his eyes seamlessly looked around the bodies without shock or remorse. He crouched down and inspected one body's neck; the man froze and glanced around the barn, and then he announced his presence. "Are you still here?" The man's voice was harsh and commanding, that of a man used to power, and that of a man who knew the power of fear. It was also the voice of a true Nord, one born and raised in the wilds of Skyrim. There was no reply. "Are you still here?" The man asked again; he seemed calmer now and his muscles seemed more relaxed. The man stood up and the body opened its mouth.
"Yes", the body answered the question and the man jumped back in surprise and fear. The man turned and reached for a pitchfork next to a pile of hay: he grasped it tightly and raised it in front of him, and then further to head-height. "I am sorry for the inconvenience," the voice was very relaxed and seemed more civilised, "but they had to die". The body stood up and peered over the cart, but the man did not notice. "You look puzzled." The man jumped back, almost out of the barn; he now knew that he was being watched, and he didn't like it. The voice was disembodied to the man, and the echo made it hard to find the source. It continued, "These men were sons of Hircine, and wished to do harm to the people in this area. If you would like to know why they wanted to do that…" The voice paused, leading the man to inspect the area around him. "You would have to ask their father, wouldn't you? Now more importantly, I'll be leaving and let you deal with these beasts."
The man jumped back into the entrance and swung his pitchfork to block anything getting past. The body got up and worked around the cart, allowing the young morning light to show him. He was young, quite tall and slim, and the only skin visible was that around his eyes, but they were of a man much older than himself. He stood encased in dark leather, with a hood over his hair, and had extra protection from metal plates (dark with a blood red trim) dotted around his body. A belt wrapped his waist, and two straps ran from his right shoulder down to his left side. On his back hung a quiver full of crossbow bolts, but no crossbow was in sight. Around his waist was a small leather bag, and two reinforced scabbards; one was of a sword with a beautiful silver and gold guard and pommel, with a dark wood for the hilt; the other held a dagger, with a similar design, but only using silver and a lighter wood for the visible portion of it. "My name is Cassius. I mean you no harm; I only wish to see a plague washed from Nirn."
The old man stared at his eyes, and the other stared back. The old man sensed the sincerity in Cassius' voice, but he didn't trust him anymore than he did before. "Alright then. You can go. You don't seem like the others." Cassius' face questioned him, but the man turned and walked out of the barn, still holding his protective pitchfork. Cassius stood motionless until he had thought of what to say, but that wasn't well thought out anyway. He expected something, but the old man told him differently; that didn't mean he could reveal anything to man. Cassius burst out of the barn and turned the way the man had gone. "Wait what do you mean? What 'others'?" Cassius emphasised his final word, and prepared to listen intently to the man.
The old man turned around. His lower lip wobbled and, with a deep breath, he held back tears. As he began to speak, Cassius slowly crept toward him, trying not to frighten or intimidate the man. The man was verging towards crying when he began. "They took them. Why did they take them?" He sighed. "A couple of weeks ago, my grandchildren were taken. All we found were shreds of their clothes and hair. It was your kind, I know it was. A few nights before, a friend was telling about the rumours that were surfacing… and then they took them." He moved his head into his hands, and took a breath. He drew more courage and continued. "Their father died in the war, and so my daughter brought them her to us to take care of them. She lives here too, the farm house, over there." He gestured behind him. "We can't even bury them. They can't go to Sovngarde without that." The man dropped to the ground, and threw the pitchfork away from him. "They were so young."
Cassius raised his hands to his hips, and kicked a pebble from under his boot. He stared at the ground and then looked pitifully at the man. "I will bring them back to you, and I will rid this place of their attackers. I will not stop until they rest peacefully. I just need to know your name." Cassius wanted to help, but his true motive was the vampires themselves. The man responded: "It's Hodlin".
Cassius turned away from him, back towards the barn. He looked past it: the rolling fields hit a cliff, and on top was a thick wall. A city seemed to occupy the top, and Cassius knew where the first place he would need to go was. He began walking westward, past the barn, toward Whiterun.