Hello people and welcome back to Skyrim: Darkblade Chronicles. Now for more good stuff at Fort Dawnguard as usual...or is it usual?
Services begin and end with their intentions, whether they're noble, selfish, true or untrue. Without which, services can either be called so through name only, or they would not even exist. The road to Oblivion is said to be paved with noble intentions, but the trouble arises with a lack of regard for the price. There are many of which that cannot be afforded by decent folk, nor can they be paid for with the blood of others, lest the price only increase.
Should such a balance be disturbed, the violators will do nothing but flee from their own folly until they finally shed their cowardice. There is a very good reason why society as a whole frowns upon those who try to make others suffer for their failures. At it's most volatile, people are outcasted, or even tortured or slain for their transgressions not only against the people, but the values upon which their societies are constructed.
Neither Divine or Daedra can save one from the effects wrought by that which one has caused.
Eventually, the feast was fully-prepared, and the entire Dawnguard was present, with Isran, and some new Dawnguard recruits on the end of the table opposite to the one Sheldon was sitting at.
"How is Dexion?" Sheldon asked simply.
"The old man's still upstairs, recovering." Isran said.
"He's really had it hasn't he?" Celann said casually.
"We went from Forebear's Holdout, to Valtheim Towers, then to here...and we wasted no time." Sheldon said.
"Was he hurt?" Agmaer asked.
"No, but it was clear that he is well past his physical prime." Sheldon said.
"He couldn't even join us apparently." Durak said.
"I could take some up to him." Agmaer said.
"That would be kind of you Agmaer." Sheldon said.
"I'll do that right now." Agmaer said as he stood up, then he took a plate of goat meat, bread with melted cheese, and a mudcrab leg as he left the kitchen.
"Divines bless that kid." Celann said as he shook his head.
"Indeed..." Sheldon trailed off, then he took another bite out of his cheese-coated bread.
"Hey Sheldon? What do you think of the new crossbows?" Sorine asked.
"I'm quite impressed...which is not easy to do." Sheldon said.
"And that's only one schematic I know about." Sorine said.
"Me and Serana took the liberty of making more crossbows, and all of the crossbows we made, and found were enhanced by my hand." Sheldon said.
"Speaking of crossbows...you said you were familiar with them when we first met. How exactly did you know about them?" Durak asked, then Sheldon looked away as the rest of the Dawnguard looked at Sheldon.
"Have you heard of the Beast of Bruma?" He asked.
"You mean the vampire who terrorized that region decades ago?" Sorine asked.
"Yes." Sheldon said.
"But he's just a myth." Celann said.
"No...he was as real as I am." Sheldon said, then the Dawnguard looked at each other and whispered among themselves.
"What about him?" Sorine asked.
"He knew about vampires too, in fact, he had the same idea most vampire hunters had, and that crossbows were the ideal weapon against them." Sheldon said.
"What does that have to do with you?" Gunmar asked.
"Because the ebony crossbow I acquired is the same one he had." Sheldon said.
"What?" Gunmar asked seriously.
"I found that crossbow in the ruined lair of a vampire hunter, and he clearly knew the Beast's tale. He even had a nearly-ruined book titled 'The Beast of Bruma' near his bed." Sheldon said.
"But again, what does that have to do with you?" Sorine asked.
"Because I studied the legend before I returned to Skyrim...just before I was captured by the Empire." Sheldon said.
"Is that how you knew about the ebony crossbow?" Sorine asked.
"Yes...to my knowledge, it's the only one on Tamriel, and it's now in my possession." Sheldon said.
"The ultimate vampire-killing weapon, in the hands of the ultimate vampire killer...a fitting combination." Durak said seriously.
"I prefer my dragonbone bow...but you're not wrong about the ebony crossbow." Sheldon said, then everyone stared at him.
"You lost me at 'dragonbone'." Sorine said.
"I have two weapons composed of dragonbones, a bow, and a battleaxe, both of which are also composed of ebony in certain areas. And no, I don't intend to share dragonbone equipment with anyone." Sheldon said.
"Why not?" Gunmar asked.
"Because dragonbones are difficult to work with, are not easy to come by...for obvious reasons, and I don't want dragonbone weapons to become too common, lest they eventually fall into the wrong hands at some time in the future." Sheldon said.
"I suppose that's true..." Gunmar trailed off.
"Even though dragonbone weapons rival Chillrend in their potency...my sentiment stands. However, there are alternatives that should be more than adequate." Sheldon said.
"Such as?" Sorine asked.
"Practically anything that was bolstered with powerful alteration magic." Sheldon said.
"Yeah, that'll do it..." Celann said casually.
"If that's the case, why have Chillrend in the first place?" Durak asked.
"I like the way it looks." Sheldon said simply.
"That's it?" Sorine asked seriously.
"I also have a sentimental attachment to it, especially with the stories behind it." Sheldon said.
"What stories?" Gunmar asked.
"It turns out that the Hero of Kvatch used it during his campaign...and he carried it with him until he disappeared." Sheldon said.
"What do you mean he disappeared?" Celann asked.
"Just that, I tried to find out what happened to him through multiple sources when I could afford to do so...and I found nothing that confirms whether he died in battle, or peacefully Even my Clairvoyance spell gave me nothing useful." Sheldon said.
"O.k...that is strange..." Sorine trailed off, then Sheldon held out his hand, and materialized Chillrend in plain view as everyone recoiled, widened their eyes, or exclaimed.
"It is also this blade that laid low Alduin the so-called World-Eater." Sheldon said seriously.
"And everything else apparently." Celann said.
"Indeed." Sheldon said, then Agmaer entered the kitchen.
"He has his food now." He said.
"Very good." Sheldon said, then Agmaer sat next to him.
"What did I miss?" Agmaer asked.
"It turns out the Beast of Bruma is real, the Dragonborn has no intention of giving us dragonbone weapons, which apparently doesn't mean a damn thing, and apparently the Hero of Kvatch used Chillrend first." Sorine said as Agmaer stared at her.
"Who's the Beast of Bruma?" Agmaer asked, then everyone stared at him, and Sheldon looked at him last.
"He was a vampire who hunted the rest of his kind, not only to keep the people he sympathized with safe from them, but because of a desire for vengeance." Sheldon said.
"So...vampires can turn on their own kind afterall." Agmaer said.
"Most certainly, and it wasn't just vampires. Countless bandits fell to the Beast's blades and fangs alike, as well as anyone else that incurred his wrath. Eventually, his desire for blood and destruction led him to cause so much of it, that the people dubbed him the Beast of Bruma." Sheldon said.
"Yikes..." Agmaer groaned.
"Hold on, how do you know the Beast wasn't a legend? And even if he wasn't, his reign of terror was supposed to have happen over a hundred years ago. How could you possibly know about him?" Durak asked.
"Because I have a book about him, and the details of his...crusade, are so richly-detailed, that no one could possibly have made it up." Sheldon said.
"There's a book about him?" Celann asked seriously.
"There's very few books about him, and like I said, the tales it contains are quite detailed...arguably too much so. As a consequence, everyone believed him to be a legend." Sheldon said.
"And you took an interest in his legend to help combat vampires?" Gunmar asked.
"I take interest in anything that can help me with anything." Sheldon said.
"Can you share it with us?" Sorine asked.
"I'm sorry, this book is my personal-" Sorine cuts Sheldon off.
"I meant can you copy it." She said.
"I probably could...but should I is the question." Sheldon said.
"Sheldon...you're talking about a legendary vampire in the middle of a fortress full of vampire hunters. The word 'should' doesn't mean a damn thing in this case." Sorine said seriously, then Sheldon stared at her.
"I used Clairvoyance to confirm whether or not the Beast did what the book says he did, but some of it was exaggerated, especially with the wording used. In addition...the book doesn't cover everything." Sheldon said.
"O...k..." Sorine trailed off.
"Well...how helpful was the information you got from the book?" Agmaer asked.
"Quite, it details how the Beast's vampiric foes fought, particularly with blood magic, and how not all vampires are created equal." Sheldon said.
"O.k...that sounds useful, the blood magic bit that is. Vampires having a hierarchy is obvious." Celann said.
"There were also a few vampires in Skyrim that I fought who knew the Beast's legend, and even fled here as a result." Sheldon said.
"So he caused more problems here as a result?" Durak asked.
"He was relentless Durak; if there was a vampire to be found, it was likely the Beast would scour the entire area looking for them...and few vampires left the area with their heads on their shoulders." Sheldon said seriously.
"O.k...this is starting to sound like a horror story." Agmaer said.
"It kind of is...for vampires at least." Sorine said casually.
"Thanks to Clairvoyance, I discovered that the two owners of Half-Moon Mill, Hert and Hern, were vampires. And they were faithfully supplying Falkreath with lumber...but at a staggering cost. They captured, bled, and butchered travelers and bandits alike, and it's likely they ditched the corpses by giving them to necromancers." Sheldon said.
"And you dealt with them accordingly." Gunmar said.
"Actually...the Dark Brotherhood did, just before they fell." Sheldon said.
"The Dark Brotherhood...?" Gunmar asked.
"Yes, they had contracts on multiple people, and I only found their newest member, the one who did all the killing for them, after he had killed the emperor." Sheldon said.
"Who was he?" Agmaer asked.
"A vampire who had somehow acquired staggeringly similar magic to my own. But now...he suffered the same fate as the rest of the Dark Brotherhood, and it will be some time before they terrorize the world again."
"Well, that's what happens when you pull a fast one on the Dragonborn." Sorine said.
"It's a shame about the people that assassin murdered..." Durak trailed off.
"Don't feel too sorry for them; most of them were causing trouble for the ones whom their contracts were placed." Sheldon said.
"How do you know-? Oh wait, Clairvoyance, duh..." Agmaer said.
"Hert and Hern also had a book that talked about werewolves...which was somewhat odd, especially since it was the only book they had." Sheldon said.
"Maybe they were looking into the werewolves' weaknesses." Gunmar said.
"That, but it's likely they were interested in werewolf blood. It's actually considered a delicacy among vampires as it turns out." Sheldon said.
"Are you kidding?" Sorine asked.
"He's the Dragonborn...when does he ever kid?" Celann asked.
"Anyway, vampires can become werewolves, but only if they ingest enough of the werewolf's blood...and under very specific circumstances." Sheldon said.
"What sort?" Agmaer asked.
"Like vampires, not all werewolves are created equal. There's a reason some of them have control over their inner beasts, and others do not." Sheldon said.
"And that would be?" Agmaer asked.
"The potency of the...condition." Sheldon said.
"You mean the curse." Durak said simply.
"Some see it as a blessing, and others see it as a curse." Sheldon said.
"And you?" Agmaer asked.
"Depending on how one receives lycanthropy...it could easily be either." Sheldon said.
"Well, vampires and werewolves don't get along very well from what I've heard." Gunmar said.
"The last thing we are doing is turning the Dawnguard into a pack of werewolves." Sheldon said seriously.
"Damn right we aren't." Celann said.
"As for Half-Moon Mill itself...well, it's still useful to Falkreath, and more than a few people are operating it now that that truth has been revealed to them, not to mention that an equally large number of improvements are underway." Sheldon said.
"I take it you've been keeping tabs on the place?" Sorine asked.
"I rarely don't." Sheldon said simply.
"Well...here's hoping the new owners are more...civilized than the last ones." Gunmar said.
"That is most likely..." Sheldon trailed off, then he continued to eat what was left of his meal. Serana stopped looking from behind the wall she was hiding behind, and took a moment to think. The intense look on her face revealed her thoughts on what she had heard, now all that was left to think about was how she would act on her thoughts, and when...
When the feast ended, the Dawnguard either went to bed, or they went outside for their guard duties. In the meantime, Sheldon created more dough, blended more sauces together, cooked more meat and vegetables for future consumption, and even boiled a kettle full of organs for the Dawnguard's dogs, and the trolls Gunmar was training. Serana remained in the cavern as she did as the Dawnguard spoke among themselves, and she drank from the White Phial when she wasn't brewing potions, or smelt metals.
Sheldon eventually returned to the cavern, then Serana stopped shoveling ore, and she slowly walked toward him as he worked on the forge.
"Sheldon? Can I talk to you?" Serana asked, then Sheldon stopped what he was doing, and turned to her.
"About what?" He asked.
"Well...I heard some of what you were talking about..." Serana trailed off.
"How much exactly?" Sheldon asked.
"Enough to know Chillrend is more special than I thought..." Serana said, then Sheldon sighed.
"What else?" He asked.
"This...Beast of Bruma...is he who you were talking about when you kept saying that vampires fighting each other is...not unheard of?" Serana asked, then Sheldon took a moment to think.
"Yes..." He breathed out, then Serana stared at him.
"Why haven't you mentioned him before?" She asked.
"I had no need to, and it's...a sensitive subject to say the least." Sheldon said.
"I see..." Serana trailed off, then Sheldon turned his head to her.
"You aren't curious?" He asked
"Oh I'm curious, but...I think we've talked enough about the importance of privacy by now." Serana said casually.
"We have indeed..." Sheldon said, then he turned back to the forge and continued his work as Serana looked at the kitchen, folded her arms, and smirked.
"On a lighter note, it's nice to see Dexion is doing better. Well...better-ish." Serana said.
"He's not fully recovered yet, but you're right." Sheldon said, then Serana chuckled.
"If this was a fairy tale, then the role of damsel-in-distress would have shifted from me, to Dexion." She said.
"I suppose it would, although you have demonstrated how little that role can mean." Sheldon said.
"Hey, even ladies that spend their lives cooped up in a castle can bite deep, even if they aren't vampires." Serana said.
"That was never in question." Sheldon said, then Serana took a moment to think as Sheldon picked up a hammer.
"You know...I'm amazed my father hasn't sent any of his knights to find me." Serana said.
"Knights?" Sheldon asked.
"Yeah, in my father's castle, did you see the ones in black armor?" Serana asked, then Sheldon looked away.
"So that's who they are..." He trailed off.
"They're supposedly as tough as Malkus was, if not more so. I haven't seen any of them before my...incarceration, but you don't get armor like that, and especially a place in my father's guard unless you're a force to be reckoned with." Serana said, then Sheldon stared at her, and looked at the forge again.
"I do not fear them..." Sheldon said simply, then he hammered at the hot metal he was holding.
"What tool of destruction are you working on now?" Serana asked casually.
"I haven't decided yet...but there is always work to be done in this place." Sheldon said.
"Tell me about it..." Serana groaned, then Sheldon started hammering the metal, and took a moment to think.
"The sun should go down soon..." He trailed off.
"You got anything in mind?" Serana asked.
"Yes...first we will look at the blood magic you can use, not alteration." Sheldon said.
"Why?" Serana asked, then Sheldon put down the hammer, and looked at her.
"Because I know you haven't used everything you have available." Sheldon said.
"Only because I didn't have to." Serana said.
"Yet..." Sheldon breathed out, then Serana took a moment to think, and shrugged.
"Well, you are one resistant piece of work when it comes to magic...so I guess it'll work." She said.
"As do I." Sheldon said.
"So...when do we get started?" Serana asked.
"We'll start right now..." Sheldon said.
"Alright...lead the way." Serana said simply, then Sheldon left the cavern, and Serana followed him to the back room of the kitchen, and up the spiraling stairs.
When they reached the roof, there were no Dawnguard members in sight, even on the tops of the bastions on the paths that led to the balconies on the bulging walls.
"There should be plenty of space here..." Sheldon said as they reached the area that led to the sun dial above the chapel of Stendarr.
"What do you want to see first?" Serana asked as she looked over the dozens of square feet around them.
"It's your magic; you tell me." Sheldon said, then Serana took a moment to think, then she smirked.
"Well, there is blood shard..." She trailed off.
"Which lets you launch a rapid barrage of small but deadly shards of solid blood, I know." Sheldon said.
"Alright...think you can handle it?" Serana asked, then Sheldon materialized Spellbreaker.
"Let us begin..." He said simply, then Serana channeled red magic into her hands, and launched multiple blood shards at Sheldon. Spellbreaker lived up to its name as Serana held out her hand, and released several blood shards every second. Sheldon's arm never waved under the physical force of each shard, but the magicka Serana used was absorbed as naturally as it always had before.
Serana eventually stopped using her spell, and Sheldon lowered his shield.
"I think I made my point..." Serana said casually.
"Not entirely, I know there are more spells you can use aside from blood shard...and blood orb." Sheldon said.
"Well, there is blood wave." Serana said as she channeled blood magic into her hand, and released a several-foot-wide wave of bright red energy. Sheldon barely had enough time to raise his shield and active its ward when the wave of blood magic struck him. Spellbreaker absorbed the spell without difficulty, and Sheldon lowered the shield once again.
"Impressive...now let us see how much space it truly covers." Sheldon said, then Serana releases another blood wave at the area over Fort Dawnguard, and Sheldon watched at it traveled to the other side of the canyon, and disappeared.
"It doesn't have much range...but blood blast is a different story." Serana said, then she channeled blood magic into both of her hands for several seconds. She then released a large orb of blood magic at the other side of the canyon, and the orb exploded when it hit the cliffside. The explosion did nothing to the rocks, but the size of the explosion put the blood wave spell to shame. Well over a dozen meters of space were covered, and Sheldon stared at the explosion, then he put his hands on the railing, and leaned toward it.
"You are more powerful than I'd dare hope..." Sheldon trailed off.
"You should see what I can do with necromancy." Serana said as she folded her arms.
"Is there more involving your blood magic?" Sheldon asked.
"Well there's this." Serana said as she channeled blood magic into her hands, and when she released it, Sheldon watched as a faint red aura appeared around Serana, and dozens of small bat familiars flew around her in circles.
"Vampiric cloak..." Sheldon trailed of.
"Yep, anyone who wants to get close to me in battle would get chewed up by bats." Serana said.
What of your abilities that come when you're blood starved?" Sheldon asked.
"Don't worry about that; I've mastered my powers shortly after I became a vampire. In fact, my father was adamant that I do so...but it's clear as day that he's done the same thing in the centuries I've been gone." Serana said as she dispelled the vampiric cloak.
"That explains why your blood magic is so powerful..." Sheldon said.
"Yeah, being a pure-blooded vampire on top of retaining the potency of my blood magic when I'm not thirsty as if I was thirsty is quite a combination isn't it?" Serana said casually.
"Indeed." Sheldon said.
"I also know blood magic that involves touching my enemy, and I know equilibrium, which-" Sheldon cuts Serana off.
"Equilibrium?!" He asked seriously.
"Yeah, equilibrium, the spell that trades life for magicka?" Serana said.
"I know what it is but...that spell isn't just uncommon, it's forbidden, and not without good reason." Sheldon said.
"Well, thick lot of good it does for a vampire. Laws placed on magic's use don't apply to us, especially since I can just take life from someone else and heal myself. And with the White Phial...don't get me started." Serana said.
"Then I suggest you use equilibrium as often as you do the White Phial." Sheldon said.
"That's...kind of overzealous don't you think?" Serana said.
"There are ways to store excess magicka, hence why I absorb whatever sources of magicka I encounter, even when my natural reserve is full." Sheldon said, and Serana looked at him curiously.
"You lost me at 'storing excess magicka'." She said.
"Masters of alteration can store magicka like they can store items, and I have learned to do both. Hence why I absorb magicka whenever possible, and it is made much easier when I have this." Sheldon said as he materialized the Staff of Magnus...and Serana recoiled and widened her eyes.
"What is that?!" She asked seriously.
"This is what allowed me to harness the power of the Eye of Magnus." Sheldon said as he ran his hands over the staff.
"Wait...you mean the Eye of Magnus? The same one the ancient Nords fought the Snow Elves over in Saarthal back when Ysgramor first came to Skyrim? That Eye of Magnus?" Serana asked.
"So you know of it...?" Sheldon asked.
"I read about quite a few stories in my time, and the Night of Tears is one I read several times. Although...the one I read about is quite different from the one written about in this era." Serana said.
"Did Clairvoyance show you that?" Sheldon asked.
"You mean the book difference or-" Sheldon cuts Serana off.
"The book difference." He said.
"Then yes...it also showed me that Vingalmo is a recent addition to my father's court, and he used to be a Thalmor." Serana said.
"What?!" Sheldon asked seriously.
"I used Clairvoyance shortly before we entered my father's castle so I knew what to expect, and who was still there. It turned out he was more busy than I thought..." Serana trailed off.
"Are they as strong as you are?" Sheldon asked.
"Not likely, not only are they much younger than I am...they also haven't done much training. At least, the ones who aren't knights haven't." Serana said.
"I see..." Sheldon trailed off.
"So...can we go see the Eye of Magnus?" Serana asked.
"No, the Thalmor tried to take it once, and nearly destroyed the College of Winterhold with it. So it was taken by the Psijic Order." Sheldon said.
"The Psijic Order is real?" Serana asked.
"As real as the Beast was..." Sheldon trailed off.
"Whatever happened to the Beast?" Serana asked.
"He died in combat, not with a vampire...but a man clad in ebony armor." Sheldon said.
"Who was he?" Serana asked.
"No one knows for sure; many believed he was a knight of Daggerfall, others that he was a rogue who took the armor from a knight he slew. But when tales of the Beast's death flowed throughout Tamriel...many minds were eased." Sheldon said.
"Even though he hunted vampires, and bandits for that matter?" Serana asked.
"He did more than just hunt them; his most hated foes were put on display, either in pieces, or with large stakes impaled into them." Sheldon said, and Serana widened her eyes.
"Sheesh...no wonder people weren't fond of him." She said.
"The problem was that he terrified the wrong people. Even the Vigilants of Stendarr didn't condone his actions, although...they didn't know he was a vampire until much later." Sheldon said.
"I thought they only went after daedra, and anyone who serves them?" Serana asked.
"Normally yes, but...if even they get involved in something that is not their charge, that speaks volumes for the terror he sowed." Sheldon said.
"Why did he go that far?" Serana asked.
"The same reason all people who go down the path of darkness do such things, hatred." Sheldon said.
"But why? Why did he hate his own kind so much that he'd resort to that?" Serana asked seriously, then Sheldon sighed deeply.
"Yet another mystery, but whatever it was...it must have been an atrocity even by vampire standards." He said, then Serana looked at him curiously.
"What about this...ebony knight?" She asked.
"It was never established who he was; he killed the Beast, traveled the continent, then disappeared." Sheldon said.
"Just like that?" Serana asked.
"Yes..." Sheldon said simply, then Serana stared at him.
"A mystery for the ages..." She said casually.
"One of many." Sheldon said, then Serana smirked, looked away, then looked at Sheldon again.
"So...anything else you have in mind?" She asked.
"What of your bound sword spell?" Sheldon asked.
"What about it?" Serana asked.
"Did you practice with it?" Sheldon asked.
"Well, you never saw me use it in combat did you?" Serana said.
"Fair point..." Sheldon said.
"And I'm still not going to fight you with it." Serana said seriously.
"I don't expect, but I am more than somewhat curious about your vampiric prowess..." Sheldon trailed off.
"Well, I showed you my blood magic, but without any corpses...my hands are tied with necromancy, and I'm not about to take the form my father showed you." Serana said.
"I see..." Sheldon trailed off.
"I guess that just leaves me stretching my legs with blood magic..." Serana said.
"Indeed it does." Sheldon said, then Serana smirked.
"Study closely." She breathed out, then she released a blood wave at Sheldon as he raised Spellbreaker.
Well, there's a new piece of lore for you...the Beast of Bruma. Now you know what Sheldon was talking about all this time when he mentioned vampires turning on each other. Although it should go without saying that I'm just getting started on that front.
I also discovered that, according to the wiki...
"The Prima guide states that Vingalmo was once a member of the Thalmor circa 4E 101 before being turned into a vampire."
So...Bethesda put this info in a book instead of the game itself. I know this is not the only time that's happened, let alone the worst case, but come on. Leaving things out of the game/movie and leaving the audience to find out on their own is dogshit even on a good day.
Some blood spells from the Mysticism magic overhaul mod, and some blood magic spells from Sacrosanct, and Sacrilege I thought were kind of underwhelming, so I gave the mods a mod. Some of the blood magic in the latter mods involved turning corpses into bombs, setting foes up with damage-over-time, or leaving them open to heavy damage from other spells. Personally, I hate magic like that; let me do damage now dammit...although to be fair, if it's for a super strong opponent, brains on top of brawn will carry you further than either one alone. But if I have to set up a single opponent just to damage that one opponent, when there's a ton of them coming at me...screw setting things up.
Anyways, the fuse is lit for some more powder kegs to blow, so be sure to Rate, Review, and Share while the flame burns. Stay tuned.