It was snowing when I arrived at Dimhollow Crypt. I sighed and kept walking, careful not to slip on the steps leading up to the entrance. The blasted cold was one of the worst parts about Skyrim, but I was slowly becoming used to it. I doubted I'd ever like it, however.

A torch lay outside the mouth of the cave, abandoned in the snow. It had gone out, but it still seemed fresh. Something was wrong. I drew my bow and crept inside.

It was dark in the cave, very dark. The wind chill was gone, but it didn't help the cold much. I could still see the clouds formed by my breath in the air.

The short tunnel let out into a larger cavern filled with ancient, broken stone arches. A waterfall came down from the ceiling into a pool at the middle of the chamber. The ground around it was cracked and uneven. From somewhere in the cave, I heard a harsh voice speak.

"These Vigilants never know when to give up. I thought we'd taught them enough of a lesson at their hall."

"To come in here alone…" a second voice said with a snort. "… A fool like all the rest of them."

"He fought well, though. Jeron and Bresoth were no match for him."

"Ha! Those two deserved what they got. Their arrogance had become insufferable."

I finally caught sight of them by the faint torch light. Two figures dressed in dark clothing stood on the other side of the cave. Even from a distance I could see their eyes glowing like embers in the darkness. Vampires. I made out the outline of a body at their feet. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I prayed that it wasn't Tolan.

The first vampire sighed. "All this talk is making me thirsty. Perhaps another Vigilant will wander in soon."

I nocked an arrow and drew it back, waiting.

"I wish Lokil would hurry it up. I have half a mind to return to the castle and tell Harkon what a fool he's entrusted this mission to."

"And I have half a mind to tell Lokil of your disloyalty."

"You wouldn't dare," the second snarled. "Now shut up and keep on watch."

I heard a faint thunk as I shot down the first vampire. When the second vampire spun wildly, amber eyes searching the shadows for me, I stuck her with one of my arrows as well. From my place of safety I watched their bodies burn away. Once I was sure it was safe, I hurried over to them.

The body did belong to Tolan. His throat was torn open, presumably by the vampires. He held his amulet of Stendarr tightly in his fist. I carefully pried it away, tucking the horn charm and its chain into my pack. I'd find a shrine to place it at and maybe give the man some peace. It was the best I could do in the circumstances.

Tugging on a nearby chain half-hidden in the shadows, I opened the portcullis that blocked the passage leading deeper into the underground ruins.

I encountered yet more vampires throughout Dimhollow's dark passageways. I usually found them fighting off draugr that rose to defend their crypt. I waited until one side emerged victorious before finishing them off. It was easier than fighting off both types of undead at once.

The vampires also had strange, black, furless hounds with them that constantly let off a strange black mist. Their eyes glowed blood-red to their masters' fiery orange.

The tunnels wound downward, an underground stream started by the waterfall at the entrance running through them. Old bones lay at them bottom of the pools that occasionally collected here and there. Wrinkling my nose, I hurried onward. All that mattered was finding whatever the vampires were looking for – and they were looking for something – before they did. They wanted it enough that the result of them finding it I'm sure would be catastrophic.

Rough passages eventually ended in a door flanked by statues depicting hulking, winged beasts. Carefully, I pulled the door open and peered through. On the other side was a balcony looking out onto another large cavern. The water that ran through the rest of the ruin seemed to collect there in a massive pool. Its surface was inky black and rippled slightly. Above it was some kind of circular platform covered in several rings of stone arches. I crept inside, quietly shutting the door behind me.

"'ll never tell you anything, vampire!" A man's voice cried out. "My oath to Stendarr is stronger than any suffering you can inflict on me."

Below, before the bridge leading out to the man-made island, two vampires stood over a man lying on the ground. I saw that he was wearing the same combination of robes and armor that Tolan had.

"I believe you, Vigilant. And I don't think you even know what you've found here. So go and meet your beloved Stendarr." The vampire drew his sword and ran the Vigilant through, twisting his blade with a growl. The man gasped once. Then his head fell back and he was still.

"Are you sure that was wise, Lokil?" The other vampire snapped. "He still might have told us something. We haven't gotten anywhere ourselves with–"

"He knew nothing," Lokil sneered, cutting her off. "He served his purpose by leading us to this place. Now it is up to us to bring Harkon the prize. And we will not return without it. Vingalmo and Orthjolf will make way for me after this."

"Yes, of course, Lokil. Do not forget who brought you news of the Vigilants' discovery."

He grinned at her. "I never forget who my friends are. Or my enemies."

The two of them abandoned the Vigilant's body and started toward the bridge. Before they could reach it, I shot an arrow at them, taking down the female. Lokil instantly ducked into the shadows and disappeared from view. I held my breath and listened hard for sounds of footsteps. Nothing.

There was a loud snarl in my ear and I whirled around, instinctively using a Shout. Lokil went flying as the boom echoed through the chamber, hitting a pillar and sliding to the ground. I hurried over to the stunned vampire. Holding him down with a boot on his chest, I shot him through one of his bright yellow eyes. He hissed before turning to ash.

I made my way down the stairs, across the bridge, and onto the island. Passing through the stone arches, I glanced around warily. Deep, concentric rings cut into the stone floor beneath my feet, linked by cold metal braziers. At the very center was a pedestal topped with a button. I stopped before it, frowning. Was that what the vampires were looking for? There was really only one way to find out.

I pressed it.

Instantly, I felt something prick my hand. I started back. Yanking my hand away, I saw a needle descending back into the top of the pedestal. Its tip was tinged red with my blood. All around, purple flames roared to life in the braziers and raced around the circles. I watched their progress as I healed my palm.

With a low rumble, the floor slid down into sunken steps as the pedestal rose, revealing a stone monolith beneath. Just as suddenly as it begun, everything went still and silent. I took a few cautious steps forward and slowly circled the monolith. That had to be what they were searching for, but… what was it, exactly? Reaching out, I carefully touched the stone with my fingertips. A panel slid down then, revealing the monolith for what it truly was.

A coffin.

There was a body inside, a woman's. The only problem was… she didn't look dead, or not nearly as dead as she should have. The place must have been sealed up for hundreds of years, if not longer. But she didn't look anything like the draugr that inhabited the earlier portions of the ruins. No, she looked like she'd only just been sealed in.

Her skin was very pale, the features of her beautiful face angular and refined. Dark veins marred the skin beneath her closed eyes. Her black hair brushed against her shoulders. She wore black and rose-colored light armor with a dark cape slung over her shoulders. A gilded dagger rested on her hip. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

The woman suddenly let out a gasp and fell forward, catching herself on her hands. I hastily knelt down beside her.

"Steady," I told her. "Deep breaths."

She took several shaky breaths and shook her head. "Unh… Where is… Who sent you here?"

"Who were you expecting?" I asked her.

"I was expecting someone... like me, at least."

She finally looked up at me, and I saw her bright amber eyes.

I frowned. "Are you a..."

"Vampire, yes," she said.

I got to my feet and she did as well. She wobbled a little, but remained upright. Once she seemed satisfied that she wouldn't fall, she crossed her arms and watched me.

"Why were you locked away like this?" I asked, nodding to the coffin.

"That's... complicated." She sighed. "And I'm not totally sure if I can trust you. But if you want to know the whole story, help me get back to my family's home."

"Fine. As long as you don't get in my way."

"I was going to say the same thing to you."

I snorted. Oh, that was definitely going to be interesting.

"So, I can't exactly take you home if I don't know where "home" is," I pointed out.

"My family used to live on an island to the west of solitude. I would guess they still do. Not the most welcoming place, but depending on who's around, I'll be safe there."

"Someone you don't want to see?"

"My father and I don't really get along." She groaned. "Saying it aloud makes it sound so… common. "Little girl who doesn't get along with her father." Read that story a hundred times."

I didn't push any further. She hesitated a moment and said, "By the way... my name is Serana. Good to meet you."

I cautiously shook the hand she held out. "Mara."

Even through my glove, her skin was like ice. I couldn't imagine that it was very warm inside that stone coffin for however long she was trapped in there. That was when I noticed the somewhat-familiar gilded cylinder strapped to her back.

"Wait… is that an Elder Scroll?" I asked her, surprised.

She pulled back, suddenly defensive. "Yes, it is. And it's mine."

"I wasn't planning on stealing it," I told her, holding up my hands. "I was just curious about why you had one."

"It's–"

"Complicated. Got it. Any idea how to get out of here?"

The vampire shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. This place looks pretty different from when I was locked away."

Glancing around, I noticed that there was a doorway set high in the opposite wall from the way I'd come in. I nodded to it and said, "Let's try over there."

Serana followed me across another bridge and up the set of stairs that led up to the door. On the landing was one of those winged statues. As we neared it, there was a loud crack and it reared up with a roar. I shot an arrow at it, but it did little more than bounce off. Serana rushed forward, raising her hand. Between her fingers glowed a pulsing red light. I heard a strange crackling, rushing sound. When the monster staggered I Shouted at it and it slammed back into the wall, crumbling from the force of the impact.

Serana turned back to face me. "Was that what I think it was?"

"Yes. Now let's keep moving and pray we don't run into anything else on the way out."

We finished climbing the stairs and I pulled open the door at the top. Serana peered inside.

"This feels like the right way." She laughed. "I was starting to worry."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's go."

The crypt-lined passages ahead led out into a dark, octagonal chamber. A set of stairs led down from where we stood and from every other side as well down to the room's sunken middle. Four pillars surrounded the room's only source of light: a firepit at the center. On the other side, cut into the stairs, was a kind of dais. A draugr lounged in the throne that rested on it. The moment we stepped into the chamber, he looked up at us and growled.

"Damn it," I hissed.

Several other draugr appeared out of the shadows. I heard Serana draw her knife.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked her.

She nodded. "I still remember how to fight."

"Good. You'll need to."

I quickly drew and fired, shooting down one of the approaching undead. It tumbled down the stairs, but another quickly replaced it. I cut down every one of them that got in my way as I ran for their leader. The draugr lords could Shout, something I'd learned the hard way. It saw me coming and grinned as it banged its axe against its shield. I fired an arrow at it, which it quickly deflected.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Serana gesturing over one of the fallen draugr. Blue light streamed from her hands into the corpse. It promptly got to its feet and hefted its axe before running straight for the draugr lord. The more powerful draugr cut it down with ease, and it disintegrated into dust. Faint blue tendrils rose from the pile. When the draugr looked back up at me, I shot it through one of the eyeholes in its helmet. It crumpled and lay still.

Serana hurried over a moment later looking shaken, but unharmed. I led her up to another hallway at the far side of the room. At the end was a gate, and on the other side I saw a short, snow-filled tunnel leading out into the light. Tugging on a nearby chain, I opened up the gate and we stepped out.

The moment we were out in the open, Serana stopped, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "It's so good to breathe again! Even in this weather, it's better than the cave."

It was snowing again. White flakes fell all around us and stuck in the vampire's dark hair. She quickly tugged up her hood to cover her head.

"How long were you in there?" I asked her.

"Good question. Hard to say. I… I can't really tell. I feel like it was a long time." She chewed on her lip for a moment before asking, "Who is Skyrim's High King?"

"She hasn't been officially crowned yet, but everyone's sure Elisif of Solitude will be High Queen," I told her.

"I don't know that name. You say she's Jarl of Solitude? Who supports her?"

"With Ulfric dead, most of Skyrim is now backing her, along with the Empire."

"Empire? What… What empire?"

I looked at her, feeling confused. What in Talos's name did she mean by that?

"The Empire? Centered in Cyrodiil? Ring any bells?" I asked.

She stared at me, perplexed. "Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire? I must have been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than we planned."

I did a quick count. "What empire," she'd said. There'd been an Empire in Cyrodiil since the days of Alessia… over four thousand years ago. I let out a long, surprised whistle.

"And I thought I was asleep in a cave for a long time," I murmured.