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My Vampire Lord doesn't disappear in the cloud of bats during Bats nightpower. Instead, his armor pieces disappear and re-manifest, while VL does naked dash. Using Sacrosanct and Vampire Lord Retexture (Demonic). Has anyone encountered similar bug?

Have anyone encountered this bug? Instead of disappearing into the swarm of bats and reappearing, my VL does naked dash, and only his armor disappears/reappears. Using Sacrosanct, VL Retexture (which I tried to turn off - same result), and.. what else could affect VL model? Creature framework maybe has VL's remodel, but Sacrosanct is loaded after it. Would appreciate any help. The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Special Edition 2022.01.25 - 19.51.23.01.mp4

It's Destana. Time for me to get back in the saddle. Runa's caught up with her leaving Skyrim and she has more to tell, but that'll have to wait. Last time, Runa and I joined the Companions (as a favor to Ysgramor) and I'm pretending I'm not who I am so they can actually test me and make me a little stronger. It was 4 weeks until the invasion, minus three days and I was making good time so far. Let's see... I just became an official member of the Companions. As I understand it, to advance in the Companions, I needed to do a job or two for them. So that night, after getting molested by Etrienne (I got her name wrong last time) and subsequently killing her and listening to Runa talk for a couple hours about herself, I went into Farkas' room and poked him til he woke up. "What?" He spat. "Got any more jobs for me?" I asked. "Blast it, woman, are you coming on to me again?" "No, no no. For real, are there any more people who need beating up or anything? Preferably somebody who is difficult to beat up this time." "Shor's Bones, I need to sleep. Check on my dresser," he turned over. I picked up a missive. Vulwulf Snow-Shod, a resident of Riften, had been kidnapped by Forsworn. Luckily, the Forsworn are not unified and this will would most likely not effect my planned attempt at peace with them later on. I poked Runa, laying in her bed, "I hope you got some sleep today. Wanna go questing?" She sighed, "Sure. Sounds good." I decided that since it was in the same general area, I would go to the Thalmor Prison and save Thorald Graymane while I was out. The Prison was north of Solitude in the mountains and it took us the rest of the night to get through the difficult terrain. In the morning, we got within sight and both stealthed (Gods, I love Runa's ability to stealth along with me, unlike SOME people). And the Thalmor drew their weapons. "Dang," I whispered. But they started aiming their bows at the sky, and shooting arrows. "A dragon," Runa whispered back, "No, two dragons!" "I have never been so happy for a dragon attack," I smiled. As they ran around the walls and shot arrows at them, we snuck up behind them and stabbed them in their backs. Once we'd taken out most of the Thalmor, we walked in the front door, leaving the rest to keep the dragons busy. Avulstein mentioned the option of peacefully negotiating with the Thalmor for his brother's release. But I had a better idea: complete and utter annihilation of them so they can't bolster the Thalmor invasion in a few weeks. We made our way forward, sniping them as we went (Runa had a hunting bow and was okay with it at this point, still not her primary attack mode). Then when the Thalmor got wise, and alerted their brethren, they came in force. Runa took point with her heavy armor and toughness while I continued to snipe them and Unrelenting Blast them away from overwhelming her. About that time a dragon soul started to flow into me. Alright. The battle continues outside. We eventually eradicated them and let Thorvald out. He grabbed a woodcutter's axe, expecting a fight, but there were no Thalmor left. Not too bad. When we got back outside, I suddenly remembered there were dragons. But all the Thalmor were dead in a heap beside a set of dragon bones. The other dragon attacked us, and a group of reinforcement Thalmor with green elven armor and claws (upgrades!) engaged, but the crossfire and the three of us meant they got dead. Thorvald gave me a message to give to his mother, and that he was going into hiding. Apparently, he'd also heard about the news of an invasion from his jailors. We traveled south to a tower connected to a set of caves in the mountain, which was where Vulwulf was being held. Three Forsworn guards. Two in the tower, one guarding the bridge to the caves. I smiled, ready to test out new and old skills. I took careful aim with my bow, and aimed for the tiny dot on the bridge. Seconds later she was falling from her perch, dead. We snuck up to the tower and found there were locked grates that could only be opened from the inside. I imagined there was some convoluted way of getting to the top, but I knew what I needed to do instead. "Hold here for a minute," I said. Instead of relying on dumb rope arrows, I casted my Flight spell. Thank you Serana. I hovered to the top of the tower, and seeing one milling about at the highest level, I dropped onto her, stabbing her through the neck. Then I walked down the stairs and pulled the chain, opening the way for Runa. The last guard turned stupidly, finding my form invisible via me hot-swapping to my bow, and Runa walked up on her and bisected her. EASY. We walked back up the stairs and found the topmost door to be barred from the other side. We went through the middle door, and found a Hagraven in a cage. She said, "Pretty, pretty flesh... let Melka out!" "Who put you in there?" Runa asked. "Petra. Evil Petra put me here stole my tower. Hate her, chew her bones! Let me out, kind meat. You're a pretty Breton, correct?" "What? Neither of us are Breton," I replied. "Oh, yes. You all look the same," Melka said. "What do we get?" I asked. "Ah, I have a pretty staff. We wring her neck together. Take my prize staff. I just want my tower back," she replied. I pulled the chain. "Mom! She's a Hagraven," Runa said, "Can we trust her?" "Meh, probably not. But haven't had a lot of bad experiences with their kind... yet," I said. She took the lead. In the next room she pulled the middle lever, opening the correct passage and not blasting us with fire, "Press only middle! Clever trick, yes? Nobody ever thinks of middle." We fought our way through a few forsworn, but with Melka blasting with spells and me with arrows it was pretty easy. I got the drop on Petra and backstabbed her. Then I pulled a chain to let Vuwulf out and I looted the place. She tried to offer me her staff. I shrugged, "I don't really need it. We'll be going now." "Thank you, pretty Bre~ humans. I tell my friends not to eat you," Melka said. We let the man go back to Riften and we headed back to Whiterun. It was afternoon when I walked up to Fralia Graymane, "Thorald is safe." "Oh, thank you! Where is he?" "He told me he was going to lie low until after the invasion. He said, suffer the winter's cold wind," I said. "For it bears aloft summer's seeds," Fralia said, back, "That's my boy. Thank you. Here, I was going to give this to Thorald, but you take it." She handed me a sword, and I figured they're rich, so I threw it in my pack. I walked up to Vilkas, "I rescued Vulwulf." "So I hear. You've brought honor to us. You're taking to this like a pro. Destana... that sounds familiar," Vilkas replied. "Uhh... does anybody have anything else for me right now?" I asked. "Skjor said it was time to take the next step," Vilkas said. At that moment, Skjor was walking down the perpendicular hallway and I turned and charged over. "What did you need, Skjor?" I asked. "Both of you, meet me tonight at the Underforge. You've proven your worth. What I have to tell you is not for everyone to hear," Skjor said, "It's at the base of the Skyforge." I pursed my lips as he walked away. "That's ominous," Runa said. Then she yawned. "Alright, alright, we can take a nap. We can even have a mother-daughter cuddle like we did in the old days!" I chuckled. "Weirdo," Runa smiled. "Am I embarrassing you??" I laughed even harder. We took in a meal (me blood, her food) and slept until about 10. When we approached the Underforge, Skjor was waiting. He pressed a rock on the formation and said, "Jorrvaskr is the oldest building in Whiterun. The Skyforge was here long before it was. The Underforge taps an ancient magic that is older than men or elves. That's why Skyforge steel can only be made here." As the door opened, it revealed a dark passageway with a great bowl. "What is this?" I asked. Skjor walked inside, the stone sliding back behind us, "We bring you here to make you stronger, new blood." A werewolf was standing in the corner, eyeing us warily. It cut its wrist, a small stream of blood at the bottom of the bowl. This one had breasts, so by process of elimination I determined it must be... I waved, "Hi Aela." "Wait, you're a werewolf?" Runa asked. "They're... all werewolves." "All who? The companions?" "No, just the circle," I said, "Try to keep up." "Yes, this is Aela. She's agreed to be your forebear," Skjor said, "We do this in secret because Kodlak is too busy trying to throw away this great gift we've been granted. He thinks we've been cursed, but we've been blessed. How can something that gives us this kind of prowess be a curse? So we take matters into our own hands." Runa looked skeptical. Finally, she spoke, "Getting this out of the way, my mom will probably accept. I don't know if she has a thirst for power, or just morbid curiosity.... I swear the only way they convinced her to take her 'destiny' as a dragonborn seriously was the amount of power shouts gave her." "You're the dragonborn?" Aela spoke, and her voice was deep and gravely. "Yeah, well, you caught me, I guess," I said. "I... don't want to be a werewolf," Runa said, "I am not into transforming who I am for power or curiosity." "Nobody's forcing you," Skjor said, "But we're offering you a seat in the circle as well. But you must be of the same blood as us to join. We must be blood brothers and sisters. That is how it has been since Ysgramor, even without Hircene's blessing." "What a beautiful technicality," I said, "My question is - we've been in this organization for like four days, and you're already offering us seats at your council?" "Well, I admit this is complicated. A lot of the rookies have only been with us for a matter of months. Turns out when you have a whole faction of werewolves and the Silver Hand finds out, they tend to kill your people indiscriminately." "So you need some powerful people to help you get rid of them," I said. "Not only that, Kodlak is not long for this world. We don't just need more members; we need more members of the circle. We need more strong members. Also, I knew who you were from the get-go. I was amazed you wanted to join, but I knew you'd be a good fit for the Circle if you were serious." I sighed, "That's exactly what I didn't want when I joined here. Tell me, though, do you know what I am?" "Other than the Dragonborn?" Aela asked. "You're a vampire," Skjor said. "You are perceptive," I smiled. "She is the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, and a very skilled assassin," Skjor continued. Runa nodded, "He's good." "I am many things," I said, "Did Vidnar tell you where I went when I rode that dragon?" "Well, he was pretty drunk, but he told me you rode it to Sovngarde. I figured he was pulling my leg," Skjor replied. "Wanna know who I met?" "Who?" "Ysgramor. He asked me to look in on the organization. I think he thought a poison seeped into the Companions. And I gotta tell you, this is probably what he was talking about," I pointed to the blood in the bowl. "Should I be insulted by this?" Aela asked. "Oh, make no mistake. I'm not the one to take the moral high ground. The girl was very much right - curiosity certainly hasn't killed me yet, but it's come damn close. A pact with Hircine may be a little better than a pact with Molag Bal. Or, you know, that time I married Sanguine and had a child with him. I have no qualms against this, but it doesn't seem like a very 'Companions' thing to do." "You... married...?" Skjor started. But then I continued, "I am going to accept your gift. Just... give me like an hour." "Well... okay," Skjor said as we walked out. Runa shrugged, "Are you sure you want to do this? What happens when vampirism and werewolf~ism clash in your body?" "From what I've read, making me a werewolf will just cure me of vampirism, and vice versa. So I can turn myself back at any time. You almost sounded like you look down on me in there," I said. "No. You do you, mom. It's just not my way of doing things," Runa replied, "I'm going to bed." I nodded. I loaded up 'Teleport Volkihar Castle,' and cast it. I hit the telepad down to the common area and walked into the banquet hall. Serana was sitting at the table with some of the New Way vampires. "Hey!" I shouted. "I missed you!" Serana said, blood dribbling from her mouth. The vampire sitting next to her got up to make room for me. "Hey, I need to talk to you about something," I said. She tilted her head, "Sounds troubling. What's on your mind?" "Well, I joined the Companions because Ysgramor asked me to. They want to turn me into a werewolf," I said. She raised her eyebrows, "Are you thinking of becoming one?" "Well... you know me and new experiences. I just want to know that if I do, you will still be with me. And if I need you to, you can change me back," I said. She stared at me for a minute, mostly studying my eyes I think, then she smiled, "Of course. Just don't... rip me in half or anything. Werewolves are known for being savage." "No way." "You know what's funny?" She asked. "What's that?" "When I met you, you were a vampire. I've never seen your natural eye color. You know what, this might actually be good," she smiled. "They're gray. Nearly white or silver. Sometimes in the sun they look golden-ish. Not burning and glowing like this, but like a human's," I replied. "I bet they're beautiful. I can't wait to see them," Serana smiled. "Damn, you really know how to make me not scared to try this. I was a little bit," I said. Serana stared at me for another minute, "Can I talk to you about something now?" "Of course." "You remember when you first met me?" "Yeah." "Did you ever ask why you were so calm when you saw me? Most humans attack vampires on sight. And I saw you do that... so many times, even as a vampire. I was like any other vampire in that cave. Maybe a bit more attractive, but you get the point." "Well, yeah, because you saw me before I got the drop on you," I smirked, "And you were friendly. There are a few vampires who are actually friendly. I'll give anybody a chance if they actually talk to me first. You know about my plan with the forsworn, right?" "You were calm, because I casted a 'Calm' effect on you," she sighed, "Look, you were the first person I saw after being locked up for thousands of years... and you were armed to the teeth! I wasn't exactly mind controlling you, but I did mess with your head. Deceiving you without your consent. In that moment, I was just like my family. Seriously not 'New Way,' material. I manipulated you." "You didn't need to," I shrugged, "But I'm not mad about it." "Really?" "I'm not leaving you or anything. I'm not exactly an Aedra myself. And I have no regrets." "But everything we've done together has been for me. Have you ever thought about that?" "I tend to think I get something out of this deal," I smiled, pulling her up against me, "It's ironic that an undead vampire can shine so much light on my life." I swear she started to tear up, and I smiled, "None of that. I have a couple people waiting for me in a dark cave. I need to go." I kissed her, hopped the portal to the tower and hopped in the one to Whiterun, which put me at the front gate. I ran back to the yard next to the Skyforge. That'd taken about 15 minutes. Skjor was sitting at the bench in the yard. "Ready?" He asked. "Sorry," I said, "Five more minutes." I built a small fire with a cooking pot, and dumped out about 40 potions of blood, and 20 pieces of human meat I'd harvested. "Don't worry about what this stuff is," I said. I proceeded to chug all 40 potions. Then I cooked all the human meat into more blood potions, and drank them as well. "Hey, um... if you're going to watch this, you have to promise not to call the guards or whatever," I said to Skjor. "I'm not sure what I'm agreeing to, but okay." I was starting to think at this point he wanted to see. "Have you ever seen a Volkihar Vampire transform?" I asked. "No..." He said. I concentrated, and transformed. "What... the fuck!" He said, "Vampires can do that?!" "No. Most of them can't. Only like five of them I know of," I said. I funneled the lifeblood power to my Vampire Lord form, then I reverted to my human form, "Alright." We went back to the Skyforge. "Hey, um, before I do this, am I going to uncontrollably transform?" "Most likely," Skjor said, "You might be more in control than a normal person your first time. I suggest finding your way out of the city, or find a hiding place and wait it out. I can come track you down in an hour or two when it wears off." "An hour... or two?" I sighed. I drank the blood, and I blacked out. When I came to, I was in the yard. My heart was racing, muscles pulsing. I felt powerful, with the claws, jaws and hunger of a wolf, and my strength was multiplied. I got down on all fours, thinking, ‘Must get away from city…’ Over and over. Luckily, it was night, and the only guard I saw had his back to me. I charged out through the front gate. From there, it’s a blur until I woke up, some distance away in the wilderness. I was naked, and Aela was standing over me. “Whew, how was my first time?” I asked her. “Anything like your former power?” She asked. “Similar, but different.” “You gave us even more trouble than Farkas did at his first turning. You’re strong,” Aela said, “You got a taste of the power. The more you transform, the more foes you slay and feed upon, the stronger you become.” “Sounds a lot like my old form, in fact, but it was much stronger in magic. From what I’ve seen, werewolf is a lot stronger in melee,” I said, “But instead of feeding on blood, you feed on flesh, which I used to be able to get blood from.” “The transformation doesn’t last long, though. The blood of your foes extends the time. Just be careful where you do it. Some cowards in this land can’t stand the sight of the glory before them.” I took a minute and thought about what I knew from Vampire Lord form. It’s a magic transformation, and when you go into it your gear is shunted into an extradimensional space and spring back onto your person when you return to your form. Sometimes I was able to conjure clothes for myself in VL, sometimes I didn’t bother. This is similar to the ability I’d heard some Eldergleam Druids use when they transform into animals. I could only imagine werewolf worked the same way. I looked down, and remembered I was naked. Maybe I would need to work on that. On the other hand… “Gods, are you always so hot when you transform? I feel like my skin is burning. I’m actually glad I’m naked right now,” I said. “Would you like help taking care of it?” Aela asked. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Sex helps,” she said, “Hircine smiles on us.” I nodded, and she laid me down on the cold ground, strapped on a device and got me off using it like a man. It did help. When I got up, I made several more observations. “Ah, gods. I’m hungry. I’m thirsty,” I said. She handed me a waterskin and said, “I almost envy you. That first time is the most… intense.” All at once I experienced the crushing weight of mortality. I was a little tired. I could feel cold. But then again… it was like a filter had been lifted off my senses. It was like the last few months as a vampire I’d been feeling desire, pleasure and existence like I was seeing it through a dim mirror. And it had been so long, and so subtle at the time I’d forgotten what it all felt like. Was it better or worse? I wasn’t sure. More time was required. “We should go. Skjor went up ahead to a Silver Hand outpost.” We walked forward and found a barely-guarded outpost. But it was still night, I guess. I shot a guy with a bow, and Aela killed a woman with her maul. “Hmm… think I’ll give this new form a test drive,” I said. I transformed and fed on the two corpses at my feet. Then we walked in the building. In the first room, I killed a guy and fed, and found us stuck at a set of bars. “Cowards, barring our progress,” Aela said. I looked around for the chain for a few minutes. Finally found it, then charged through the fort for some action. And let me tell you – werewolf form is physically powerful. I could strongly swing my claws and launch people, or I could pounce on people and pretty much instantly rip them apart. I was having fun. We fought our way to the end, to a room full of Silver Hand and a man Aela called, ‘The Skinner.’ I ran over to him and instantly bisected him. I cackled a deep laugh and proceeded to rip apart the rest of them then fed. Skjor was on the dais, dead from his wounds. Aela came over and hugged me. She laid me down and did things to me in werewolf form with the same device she had before. I mean, it felt good so I didn’t resist. “Thanks. I needed that,” she said. At about that time, I reverted to human form, getting the re-dressing correct this time. Then she walked to the dais. She sighed, “The bastards somehow managed to get Skjor. He was the strongest among us, but they swarmed him. Looks like he took out half a dozen, but their arrows got him.” Aela covered him and had a moment of silence, “Now I can see why he wanted you to join. Clearly you are strong. You picked those guys apart. The beast blood is as tied to our human form’s physical strength as our general spiritual strength. Please, leave me to bury him. I’ll see you back at Jorrvaskr. Soon, the Silver Hand will tremble at our sight.” I left, but I decided I would do one more thing before I returned. It was about dawn, and I walked over to the road to call Arvak. Before I did though, a group of Goblins attacked me on the road. I, of course, seeing more fuel for my beast form, transformed and fed. Then I was attacked by Dawnguard. Man, these guys just don’t know when to quit. Not even a vampire anymore, but I killed them too. Anyway, how I decided I would get back to Whiterun was by flying. I had a wild hair and threw on some fur clothes and flew around a little bit to clear my head. Also, to feel the cold and wind in my hair and really remember what it was like to be a living creature. I accepted I probably would become a vampire again someday to artificially extend my lifespan and youth, but I figured I would enjoy this while I could. You know what new thing I learned? It is much MUCH easier to kill dragons while you can fly. I have no problems using a bow while flying, and I can chase dragons over any obstacle when I can fly. Also, the night sky is beautiful without obstruction. At the end of day six, I returned to Jorrvaskr and slept. Because I have to sleep now. Ugh. But I guess feeding in werewolf form makes me not hungry.

Hey, it's Destana. So, I just killed the Emperor of Cyrodiil and part of the rest of Tamriel. Not really Hammerfell, or Skyrim, or any of the Elven nations. Or Elswyer. That's mostly controlled by the Thalmor, I've heard. High Rock? Black... Marsh? Oh, nope. They seceded after the Oblivion Crisis. Only Cyrodiil and High Rock. WHAT AN EMPIRE! I decided I would leave Runa and the others to do the rebuilding, both of the Dawnstar Sanctuary and of the Dark Brotherhood itself. Also, Runa was intent on tackling some easy jobs of no-name people from the Night Mother. Anyway, I'm also a vampire. And I've accepted I'm going to be this way atleast for a little while. It has pretty cool powers and so far I've been able to stop myself from doing anything too heinous. People I was going to kill anyway, I just drink their blood. No problem! So I figured the 'mission' the Dawnguard gave me a couple days ago would be a neat thing to pursue. A vampire artifact seems like something that could benefit me. And even before I was a vamp I could kill other vampires without much trouble, so I figure I go as the Dawnguard guy and kill the vampires and just take the artifact for myself. Whether or not I work for the dawnguard after that is up to them, I guess. And I'm mostly done with going into dungeons by myself. I got ambushed by Falmer a few too many times for comfort in the Sightless Pit while I was working with the Helgen Boys. So, I called upon Inigo and Sofia. A slightly smaller, stealthy group. We trounced the vamps by the door with Shadowmere's help (too bad he doesn't come with us into dungeons) then headed inside. The first area was a pretty standard ranged pick-off session. As we went deeper, I found vampires fighting draugr. I let them fight it out and killed the survivor. We pushed our way in more, where a vampire was interrogating a vigilant of Stendarr. I shot him in the head and my guys finished off his two friends. And then, some kind of sliding brazier puzzle, unlike any of those in the Nord ruins. I slid them around a bit and figured it out, the bottom of the dais descended to turn into a pillar. Curious, I opened it. A woman came out. A vampire, I could tell. But her eyes were different and she didn't immediately want to kill me. (Maybe vampires just need better PR, and manners?) "Who sent you?" She asked. "Isren, of the Dawnguard. Though, I don't really work for them." "Does he work for my father?" She asked. "Who's your father?" I asked. "Hmm... well, he's very powerful. Or maybe he was," she replied, "I'm surprised a vampire wouldn't know who he is." "Yeah, well, I've been a vampire for about a week. Of course you'd be able to tell. Pretty obvious." "I could smell you before my eyes were open," she smiled. "The Dawnguard will want to kill you," I said. "I don't know why you'd associate with them. Only a matter of time until they turn on you," she said. "A means to an end. They didn't serve a purpose, other than giving me your location," I replied, "Why were you locked up here?" "I'm not sure I trust you," she replied, "But if you want to know the whole story, get me back to my family's home." "Where's that?" I asked. "West of Solitude on an island," she turned to leave, "By the way, my name is Serana. Nice to meet you." I smiled at her, "Nice to meet you too. Destana." "Holy shit is that an Elder Scroll?" I pointed to the thing on her back. "Yeah. But its mine." "Alright," I shrugged. We killed a room full of skeletons, but it was quick work for the four of us. And in a gilded throne, an Ancient Draugr Lich, though he wasn't very impressive. I snagged a word wall, then we emerged from the cave. While I was looking at my map for where to head next, I asked, "So how long were you down there?" "I dunno. Who is Skyrim's High King?" "Up for debate. I'm going to try and get it for Ulfric Stormcloak," I said. "Never heard of him," she replied. "The Empire, of course, backs Elisif. But we flushed them out," I continued. "What empire?" "The... one in Cyrodiil," I replied, "If you predate the empire, that puts you in there for ... like 450 years." "We should get back to the castle." We skirted the coast until we came to a boat overlooking the castle. I never knew this area existed. We hopped on the small boat and I rowed across. "Hey, before we go in there..." she said as we pulled ashore. "Are you alright?" I asked. "Just wanted to thank you for freeing me," she said, "After we get inside, I think I need to be on my own for a little while. Let me take the lead in there." I nodded, "Sure." "Wait... tell me something," she continued, "Why did you do this for me?" I smiled, "Frankly, I'm interested in this whole 'vampire family' thing. And you look interesting too." "Perhaps I am," she replied. "You guys should probably not come with us," I said to Inigo and Sofia. "I'll be in Riften," Inigo replied. "I think you'll miss me," Sofia said, "And I'm curious." "All right. Come in at your own risk," I said, walking in the front door. "How dare you trespass here!" A man accosted me, "Wait, Serana! I can't believe my eyes!" Then he ran to the balcony overlooking the great hall, "My lord! Serana has returned!" "My long lost daughter!" The master said as we walked down the stairs, "I trust you have my Elder Scroll." "That's the first thing you ask me when I come home?" Serana asked. "Of course I love you, daughter. Must I say it? If only your traitor mother were here. I'd put her head on a spike after the reunion. And who is this soul who brought you back to me?" "Destana." "Greetings, I am Lord Harkon. Of course, you know the nature of our family. One of the oldest vampire families. You have done me a great service. Now, I would like you to be rewarded. I offer you my blood. Take it and walk as a Lion among sheep," he said finally. "I'm already a vampire," I replied. "You contracted a disease, perhaps. But you are no true vampire. Take my offer and you'll know the difference," he explained. He groaned, then he transformed into what looked to me like a giant werebat. I smiled, "What the hell. Why not." "Hold still," he said. I awoke some time later next to a fountain of blood. "Ah, you're finally awake," he said, and I started to get crippling anxiety that I was going to wake up in a cart somewhere and this all was just a dream. "Let me show you how to use your newfound power," he continued, and I was snapped back to reality. I could feel a sudden power... like the power of being a vampire, but moreso. My skin crawled until, like blood bursting from my pores as I assumed the form he'd shown me. He went through the suite of powers my alternate form granted me. He taught me how to transform, and when we were done he told me he had a job for me. I didn't really feel great about doing jobs for a powerful vampire. This could only end badly. I may now have made a full transition into immortal monster, but I wasn't planning on doing anything I didn't want to do. But I would go along for now. I talked to Garan (one of the court vampires) who sent me to use the Bloodstone Chalice at Redwater Den. Great. More fetch. I grabbed a bit of a drink (not lethal) from one of the blood wenches there. When I got there it was 1 am. I'm not really keeping track of time very well now, since I don't really need to sleep anymore. A man was standing by the dilapidated, collapsed building. "You here for the Skooma? Go through the trapdoor," the man said. I went inside, and the doorman said to me, "If you're heading down below, keep your weapons to yourself and you'll be fine." I walked down further. A line of private rooms, people coughing pink smoke to my right, a counter to my left. "You're new down here. Welcome to the Redwater Den. Finest Skooma in the world!" The dunmer woman said. "How about a sample?" I said. Clearly not interested, I wanted to get access deeper inside. "Sure. Just pick a room," she replied, handing me a red bottle of Skooma. After looking at the patrons in the rooms, I was doubly not going to do this drug. Emaciated and dying was all I could say about them. Something inside me, call it my 'remaining humanity' wanted to stop this operation. Ironically, the easiest way to do that might be transform into my Lord form and start blasting. I resigned myself to my normal ways for now, sneaking and stealth. But I had a powerful trump card. I walked into the empty room by the barred door at the end of the hall, waited until the safety patrol was looking on in another guest, popped my head out and picked the lock, closing the door behind me silently. Beyond was a large room with large vats with a man working them. I ventured past stealthily. I wanted to disrupt this entire operation - I could see in front of my eyes what it did to people. But I would do the job first. I made my way up a ramp to a small sleeping area and found a vampire sleeping, his thrall patrolling and heading for me in her normal path. I waited behind boxes and cut her down. Either I made a lot of noise or the vampire was attuned to his thrall's wellbeing, because he started to rouse, so I stabbed him in the chest with Dawnfang. I walked to a path through what looked like it used to be a mine before the red water business. Seeing a thrall and there was nowhere to hide, I used Invisibility and got the drop on him, finishing him. I did the same with the next thrall and a skeleton, who reanimated once and I had to cut him down a second time. A secret pullchain opened up a stone wall which revealed the vampire's sanctum. I killed her two death dogs, then opened her coffin and killed her. Going deeper, I found the actual spring and overheard two more vampires talking. "Why not just drink the blood from the spring instead of run a skooma den?" The man asked. "The boss said it's not actual blood - it's just profaned," the woman replied, "Drinking it gives you strength, but it gets you pretty messed up. That's why we started selling it in Skooma." I took out my bow as I walked down to the lower area. I aimed for the man's center mass, when the woman started to walk around. I smiled, lining up a shot on the woman as she passed directly in front of the man. The arrow traveled right through her chest and clipped the man in the shoulder. By the time he looked up I was already shooting him in the head. But then I could feel half a dozen others running in my direction. I drew my sword, still with invisibility in my offhand and shrouded myself - no fair fights here! As the first one came for me but couldn't find me in the shadows, I stabbed her in the back. I strafed around a structure and went for the others, but I slipped! I toppled and fell into a hole. Falling forward, I hit my chest on a crossbeam in the pit and the second crossbeam I landed on my feet, barely keeping a grip on whatever I could purchase with my hands. I looked down about ten feet and the pit was filled with man-sized spikes. Shor's Bones! I nearly ate it right there! I jumped to the side to the path leading out of the pit, avoiding the pendulum axe blades with a Whirlwind Sprint. I wondered if it was time to test out these new skills. Yes. Yes it was. I walked up the path and as soon as I found the way out I transformed. I paved a path in blood through the rest of the people there, until I reached the Redwater Spring. Two vampires emerged from the structure on the opposite side of the pool. "Good. Now I can make quick work of both of you and return the chalice to Vialmo," the woman said. "But the plan was we take the chalice back together," the man said. "My orders were actually to kill you both," she replied. Still in Lord form, I just threw some drains and was done with the both of them. I exited and realized I was in a back room with barrels of the skooma, behind the counter at the beginning. I decided it was time. Popped out from the back room and instantly slew the receptionist, then the safety guard. Then the skooma producer. I continued my onslaught until all the dealers were dead, including the doorman and the outside doorman. Unfortunately, all the addicts had already died of their extensive use. I headed back toward the castle. But decided I would take the scenic route. I passed through Fort Greenwall - a bandit fort. When I got there, two Eldergleam Druids, or Storm Mages seemed to be attacking, but they were killed by the bandits before I even reached them. I just killed all the bandits. Something I may have done anyway, but with every kill I enhanced my Lord powers, some of which enhanced my regular vampire powers now. I transformed back into my regular form to travel. I passed by Windhelm near sunset and I figured it was a good time to take a break and get a snack (hehe). I walked into the Palace of Kings and Ulfric was still sitting on his throne. "Hey!" He shouted from across the hall. "Hey, Ulfric! Is Fenrir annoying you that much?" I said as I slowly walked towards him, making sure not to approach the throne yet. "Actually, quite the opposite. Training the boy this past month or so has been a great distraction from court affairs." "Where is he now?" "Galmar took him out for a hunt this morning. Should be back tonight." "Ahh... now I see why you're bored," I said. "Why... why are you staying so far away? Would you come closer so I don't have to shout?" He asked. "Sure, but, I'm going to ask you to prepare yourself," I warned him. I'd been wearing my full helm on my way into town, though a lot of random townspeople don't seem to notice the blatantly obvious golden eyes. "All right," he said. I got closer and pulled off the helm, my white hair falling into place. "I see. You're a vampire now," he said, not sure what to make of this. "So you're one of the perceptive ones," I said. "I see you're in control of yourself," he looked me over, "Either vampires aren't the feral beasts easily swayed to evil we've been told about, or you have a lot of willpower." "Meh, it's not so bad. I do have cravings, yeah. But, really, killing a dozen bandits is a normal Tirdas for me. Now I just drink their blood." "As far as I know, there's no cure," he said, "Except, becoming a werewolf." "That doesn't seem like a solution. Like burning your house down to kill a rat infestation," I replied, "Anyway, I think I might stay this way for a while." He raised an eyebrow, "Going to raise a few questions about your legitimacy as a prophesied... savior of... whatever." He chuckled. He was just trying to push my buttons, but he could see it wasn't working. "My thoughts exactly!" I smirked, "So, are you curious?" "Curious...?" "You know..." I started, then I walked up the steps to the throne and sat on his lap, "You might be asking yourself, 'is it cold now?' The answer might surprise you." I kissed him, biting his lip a little. He blinked, "Hey, Jorlief, leave us be. Tell the guards at the door to step outside for a bit." "Are you sure, my Thane?" The steward whispered, "She's a vampire, you know." "Jorlief!" He said back, "I trust the Dragonborn implicitly. We're practically..." He looked at me. I wasn't sure what he was going to say, but I think I wanted to know. Jorlief walked out. "What were you going to say there?" I asked. "... Family," he replied. "What are you proposing?" I said, but it came out as, 'What? Are you proposing?' "Perhaps," he said, "A High King needs a proper queen." "I'm anything but proper," I chuckled, and so did he. "Sure you want a commoner, slave, prisoner...vampire as your queen?" I asked. "You're you. No matter what you become," he replied. "That is the most wise thing I've ever heard you say, old man. I think you really have changed in the past decade," I said, "You know what? I think I have a plan to finally make you High King. Wait awhile and we'll see if it works out." "Psh! We'll see. Old man!" He said, but I pulled him close and kissed him again. Of course, we had sex on the throne. And on the platform. And then we went to his bedchamber. After about 4 times, he told me he was feeling very tired so I brought him food and water from his table, and let him know I didn't need to sleep as long as I fed. My powers of charisma must've grown, because then I asked him if I could taste his blood, and he said yes without hesitation. I could feel the power. I already guessed he might be a blue blood. He went to sleep and I laid there for a while. But I was wide awake after the invigorating drink. When I heard him snoring, I got up silently and crept out, throwing on some old dark robes. I walked down the hall and looked in a couple rooms. One of them was one of Ulfric's trusted warriors. Another - Galmar, who was fast asleep. I smiled. I went to the next room and sure enough, Fenrir was there. He looked over at me as I opened the door. "Oh, sorry, kid. I figured you'd be asleep," I said. "Mom! Come over," he replied, "We got back about an hour ago." I laid next to my boy and we snuggled. He was still a boy, but he was definitely a big boy now. "Aren't you tired?" I asked. "Yeah. We hunted bears. But I can't sleep," he said. "Look at you. You've become brave," I said. "You've become a vampire," he said, giggling. "Yep," I shrugged, and we got up and went over to the table next to his bed with two chairs, "I don't need to eat or sleep." He grabbed an apple and ate while I explained it to him. He seemed okay with the idea. For the first time since I'd let him stay here, I took a good look at him. He definitely looked stronger. His hair was braided. His skin had darkened even more than mine because he was outside all the time. He'd laid down in his armor - the new Stormcloak armor, and he looked good in it. "Honey, you shouldn't sleep in your armor. Causes aches and pains," I said. "Yeah. I figured I'd go straight to sleep, was too tired to take it off," he replied, "But here we are. Mom, are you going to stay? Or are we going back home?" It'd been a while since I'd been to the house. "Nah, I just wanted to check on you," I said, "You keep working on your sword arm and I'll be back for you in a bit." "I use an axe now," he smiled, showing it off next to his Stormcloak round shield. "Looks good on you," I said back. I laid with him until he went to sleep, and by the time it was almost sunrise (ugh, sun). I left and finally went back to Volkihar castle. I approached Garan and immediately said, "Two of your vampire buds tried to kill me. They're dead now." "Good. Welcome to court politics," he said back, "Return the chalice to Lord Harkon." I walked into his private room where he was sitting across from the fireplace, brooding. He looked up from his pursuit to say, "Good. You're here." I sat down beside him, "You wanted to see me?" "Yes. When I told you I was grateful for returning my daughter, I didn't tell you everything. I wasn't sure I could trust you yet." "I suspected as much. Only a fool reveals everything upfront," I replied. "Your cunning serves you well," he said, back, "As you know, vampires are powerful but we have limits. The sun." "Yeah, I do kinda hate the sun these days," I said back. "A great enemy. For centuries I searched for a way to deal with it. I found an old prophecy written by a moth priest about Elder Scrolls. It tells of a time when vampires will have dominion over the sun. I believe the answer lies in Serana's Elder Scroll. I'm assembling the court. I have a task for you. Come. Hear my proclamation." He stepped out onto the platform in the main room while I joined the court. "Scions of the night! Hear my words! The time has finally come! A new age of darkness begins!" I narrowed my eyes. Age of darkness, eh? I do dislike the sun. But, a lot of things depend on it. I would not only say this plan is selfish, but also stupid. If there's no sun, there will be no plants, so no animals. If there are no plants and animals, there will be no humans. And thus, no vampires. I decided I was going to go along with this plan until Harkon tipped his hand and sabotage it. "I have spread false rumors of an Elder Scroll here to draw a moth priest to Skyrim," Harkon continued. Not exactly false, we actually have a scroll, but ok... "Go forth, and find him," Harkon finished. I walked up next to the platform and noticed Serana'd come out of her hiding places. She turned toward me, "You going to look for him?" "Yeah," I said. "Want company?" She asked. "From you... yes," I replied. She smiled, "Any ideas?" "Nope. What about you?" "How about the College of WInterhold?" She asked. "Yeah, they do have a pretty big library there," I said back. And I could visit my other boy. We traveled across Skyrim on Shadowmere. On the bridge to Winterhold I asked, "You alright? Happy to be back with your family?" "The reception was pretty cold, even for vampires," she said back, "I can't believe the first thing he asked was if I had the Elder Scroll." "Yeah. Sorry," I said. Why was I apologizing? I walked through the doors and realized it was nighttime. I went towards the librarian's bunkroom. I asked Serana to stay outside, then I stealthily walked into his room and stole the big sack of coins on his nightstand. Then I woke him up with, "Hey, do you know where to find a moth priest?" "Moth... priest?" He rubbed his eyes, "Usually in Cyrodiil. But there was one here recently. Think he left for Dragon Bridge." "You taking any of your master tests soon?" He asked. "I dunno. I kinda got distracted from my studies," I nodded, "Thanks." I walked back out, and cruised over to Damien's room. But he was just sitting in the common room by a stack of books a mile high. "Hey kid, what you doing up at 4 am?" I asked. "Mom!" He shouted, then ran up and hugged me, "I'm studying. I've learned a lot of destruction spells. Wanna see?" "Can't stay long. On the hunt for a moth priest." "Aww," he groaned, "But there's no classes today." I pursed my lips, "Wanna come with us for a while?" "Sure! Who's this?" He asked. "I'm Serana. Nice to meet you," she said. Of all the things he could've said, I assumed it would be along the lines of 'spooky girl,' but he said, "You're pretty." She blushed. I laughed, "He's right. This is my son, Damien." "Son, huh? He's aware we're vampires, right?" She asked. "Of course I am!" Damien smiled, "I think I have you beat! I'm half daedra!" "Well, I guess you do, kid," Serana smiled. We all three cruised on over to Dragon Bridge. I was in the middle, with Serana behind and Damien in front. While we were riding, I noticed he'd changed a little bit too. He was definitely starting to show his father's angular chin. But he looked handsome, especially with the hair out of his face. "Nice haircut," I said to him over the wind. "Thanks. Figured the old one was a kids' haircut. Nice eyes, by the way," he smirked. He looked back at me, "So is this your new girlfriend?" Serana didn't hear him or didn't react. I replied, "Your dad and I aren't technically broken up." "Mom, I know how you operate. Nonexclusive," Damien said, "I'm not blind. Not that there's anything wrong with that." I smiled, "I'm just helping her and her dad out. What about you? Met any girls?" "I may be aging a little faster than a normal boy, but I still think girls are icky," Damien replied. I laughed. I accosted the first guard I saw, "Seen a moth priest?" "They rode south a while ago, over the bridge," he replied. So we took off on foot after the group. Not too far there was a toppled-over carriage, three dead and blood smeared all over the road. The vampire's bags held a note written by Malkus, another court vampire, "Prepare an ambush at Dragon Bridge. Take the Priest to the Forebears' Hideout until I can come break him." Another court squabble? By this point I was starting to get a little pissed at these bickering children that call themselves vampires. We ran off in search of the hideout. This time I transformed right off the bat (that's a pun), to which Serana commented, "Beautiful," when she saw my naked form. I would beg to differ, but, it does get the job done. I cut down the Dawnguard there that were struggling with the vampires, then I killed the vampires as well. Damien seemed to freeze during the battle, unable to cast even a single spell to help me. I picked him up when it was over and told him I'd take him back to the college where he'd be safe. I released the Moth priest and used my vampiric powers of seduction to make him a thrall. I decided to take Damien back first - I stopped off to visit the Archmage during the night and sneak feed him. I had assumed he was a blue blood too, and I was right. Then I returned the moth priest to Volkihar Castle. I was sorry Damien didn't get to show off his new destruction spells, but really, this was some heavy stuff we were dealing with. "Somehow I knew it would be you who found him," Harkon said. "More of your court's boys just getting in the way," I said. "Whatever. Just command your thrall to read the scroll," Harkon replied. "Well, go on," I said to the priest. He opened it. "A bow. This is Auriel's Bow. Among the night's children, a dread lord will arise. In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and day and night will become one," he continued, "I think there is more to this. Written on other Elder Scrolls. One that speaks of ancient blood. One of dragons." "Bah," I scoffed, "After all that you mean to say I need to find another TWO Elder Scrolls?" Harkon folded his arms, "It seems so. Not as useful as I might have liked. Even so, good job." "Any clue where I can find them?" I asked. "One was stolen away by my traitor wife. The other is locked away in some dwemer ruin somewhere," he replied. I walked outside. A moment later Serana appeared next to me, "I might have an idea where to get the Blood scroll." "Why didn't you say something?" I asked. "Less chance of getting ambushed again," she smiled at me, then she eyed me for a moment, "And I think we both know the path this line of jobs is going down." She studied me for a moment, "Would you consider yourself... a good person?" "Not really. But if you're wondering if I'm on board with the 'night conquering the day,' then no. It's idiotic." "So you're just working with him until you can steal away what you need here and keep him from fulfilling his goal?" Serana smiled her devilish smile at me. "What started out as curiosity and want to explore these new powers, turned into that, yes. What is between you and your father anyway that you'd turn against him too?" "The prophecy is his life. I don't even think he sees me as his daughter anymore. Just a means to an end," she replied. "So where's the scroll?" I asked. "Like he said, my mother has it. We just need to find my mother." "That's not really a lead." "She said she would be hiding somewhere he would never search," Serana said. "Sounds unhelpful." "Yeah, I can't think of a single place he hasn't looked already." "How about..." I started, "How about in the castle?" Her red eyes flashed a bit of hope, "You're a genius. I bet it has something to do with her Alchemy garden. My father hates going there." "How do we get there?" "Well, in order not to rouse suspicion... we should go in the secret entrance. C'mon!" She said, leading me around the side of the castle. We swam around the outside of the island and let me just say I'm glad I'm a vampire right now, because the freezing waters didn't kill me. We fought our way into and through the undercroft (I transformed again to make short work of the things there). Then we reached a courtyard with a sundial puzzle. I reverted to my natural form to work on the puzzle. "This looks much more desolate than last time I was here," Serana said, "She used to have so many plants growing here. Now it's just weeds. I bet my father wrecked the place and walled it off when she left." "Look," I pointed up, to what looked like a vampire lord or gargoyle perching on the rafters silently. "It doesn't seem to be reacting to our presence," Serana said, "I think... the Night Matron is her name?" I pulled out my bow. Because why not? Realizing the Vampire Lord form would not stand up to another monster that was pure muscle, I decided I would use my traditional approach. I pulled out a fire arrow and shot her in the head. She roared and flew right for me. One claw swipe and I was hurting. I chugged a potion and dodged around the moon dial. I decided I would use some tactics here. I charged up and cast Pride of Hirstaang, summoning a bear to take the hits for me. Then I chugged a magicka potion and cast Summon Inigo and Summon Sofia. He appeared ready to go, but she appeared completely naked (but with a sword in her hand - thank the gods!) The bear went down and the Night Matron went for Serana, who was holding her own for a bit with her drain power. I peppered the thing with Elemental Bolts and then more Fire Arrows when I ran out of Magicka again. The creature went for Inigo now, who'd drawn its attention with a great deal of shots with the bow. Sofia supported with Ice Shards, then sword strikes when it came close to them. I laid one final shot into the thing and it died as I ran out of Fire Arrows. "Thanks, guys," I said, and I handed them each a sack of coins. "Yeah, well, you keep calling me when I'm naked," Sofia said, "I'm outta here." "Sure I can't interest you guys in a dungeon crawl?" I asked, "It's a vampire castle." "I'm leaving too. This place gives me the creeps," Inigo said. "Just go that way out, back the way we came in," I said. Then I started on the puzzle. "My fellow... traveling companion," Serana said awkwardly. "Yes?" I fiddled with the dial. "This garden used to be very serene. But it hasn't aged well," she said, "I mean... I wasn't..." Wow, hundreds of years old and she still gets tongue-tied. It was that moment I could tell she was starting to get interested in me. "You trying to flirt with me or something?" "That's... entirely possible," she said. I proceeded to solve the moon dial puzzle and a spiral stairway opened up. "Wow," Serana said. "You wouldn't believe how many puzzles I've solved since I got to Skyrim," I said. We continued on. "I've never even been to this part of the castle," she said. And we walked in on a group of skeletons sitting down at a table. They arose. After that last fight, they were pretty easy. I used my transformed state again. In the next room was a gargoyle, but I let him hit me while I drained and he couldn't even keep up with the damage! In a moment, he collapsed into a pile of rocks. We piledrove our way through the rest of them - me gaining power as a Vampire Lord all the while. Until we finally reached the alchemical lab. A large open room with a spiral on the floor and lots of still-preserved alchemical components strewn about. Serana walked around a few minutes, talking about the contents of the laboratory. I found an alcove with books in it. Some good picks, and her journal, which I gave to Serana. She cracked it open. After a minute she said, "Ah, yes. She told me about her theories about the Soul Cairn." "What's that?" "Well, when you soul capture, you don't actually use the soul as fuel. You trade the soul for an eternity of servitude to... whatever is in there, and they grant you the power to enchant your stuff," she explained, "If she's made it there, we should figure out how. The circle in the center of the room is definitely a portal." "Let's see..." she listed off the ingredients in the book, "Damn it." "Hmm?" "We're also going to need a sample of her blood," Serana said. "Well, you're half her. Maybe your blood would work?" I shrugged. "Hopefully," she shrugged. I ran around and just gathered up all the ingredients and sorted them out in front of the activation brazier. Then I dumped the correct ones in. "The rest is up to me," she said, "Might want to stand back. I'm not sure what's going to happen (if anything) when I do this." "Before we go in, what do you plan do say to your mother if we find her?" I asked. "I've been asking that question since we started going through the undercroft," she folded her arms, "She was so sure about what she was doing." "Sounds like she did it to protect you," I replied. "Maybe. A vampire mother is still a mother, I guess," she replied. "So how did you become a vampire?" I asked. "Is this the time?" She asked. "We've been going nonstop since we met. If not now to take a break, when?" I asked. "Alright. Well, do you know where vampirism came from?" "I would guess a daedric lord," I replied. "Molag Bal. He is powerful, and his will is made manifest. The first vampire wasn't a willing subject, I'm told. My whole family took part in the same ritual. It was... degrading." "Ah... Old Molag Balls," I said, "Anything to do with the Daedric Lord of Rape sounds ungood." "Please, let's not talk about this anymore," she looked away. I grabbed her and held her close. "What... are you doing?" She asked. "I'm giving you a hug," I replied, "Has it really been that long since somebody touched you lovingly?" "Maybe..." She said. I pulled her close and kissed her. "What... was that?" She asked. "You know, I've faced death a hundred times at this point. And still I'm here," I said, "I just met you, but now we're traveling to another dimension of beings that trap souls." "What are you saying?" She asked. "I feel like this might be my last chance to do this. We might die in there. Or something much worse," I said. "Do what?" I kissed her again, "You know what I want." She could feel it too. The inevitable pull of death. The weight of regret. We undressed each other. And then we made love.

Hey, it's Destana. I'm a vampire now. I have a mission to kill the emperor very soon and I need to kill the Gourmet to steal his clothes. My first thought was that the Dawnguard, being slayers of vampires, know more about vampires than probably anybody else. So I thought I'd pay them a visit. I rifled through my junk and found a full helm and slapped it on. It seemed to go with my Crusader armor. Make me look very paladin-like. And also, hid my big GLOWING GOLDEN EYES. As I approached I noticed it was a sparse tower, with a few men training. Another man approached on the path at the same time as me. "You here to join the Dawnguard too?" He asked. "Yeah," maybe a lie, maybe not, "Killing vampires is fine, but I was wondering if anybody has ever found a cure? Could bring all of them back to normal." "A cure? Yeah!" "Oh, you know something? I'd be..." "A swift death!" I hung my head and walked inside. A stern man looked at me as I approached, "Who are you and why are you here?" "I heard you needed people to hunt down vampires," I said. I gathered from other conversations his name was Isren. "Yeah! I see word's finally getting out." "What are you planning to do?" I asked. "First thing is get this old fort back into shape. Right now a vampire could practically walk right in," he said. I smirked nervously, though the full helm hid the look. "I do have a job, if you're looking. Vigilant Tolen was telling me about a cave the Vigilants were poking around in, related to recent vampire attacks. Dimhollow, was it?" "Yeah. Supposed to be a long-lost vampire artifact down there. Our hall was attacked, our order decimated and we can't support such operations anymore," Tolen said. "Alright, I'll check it out," I said. But, really, I didn't have time to go to the very northwest edge of Skyrim. This was a waste of time. But the helm seemed to fool everyone. I could feel the hunger starting to return, though. I hopped on Shadowmere and rode to the Sanctuary. Now it was late afternoon of Day 11 and I headed for Markarth for Anton Virane, the man who knew about the Gourmet. I walked into Understone Keep to what looked like kitchens. Anton had a few cooks working for him and there were no doors to distract prying eyes and ears, so some actions were probably off the table, lest I be arrested. I poked him in the shoulder. "Yes, yes, for the last time, I am a Breton. Not a reachman," he said. "Home of amazing Breton cuisine," I said. "What do you want?" He turned towards me from his stew-pot. "The Gourmet. Where is he? Who is he?" "What? No way I'd betray his trust," Anton said back. "Well, what if I have ways of convincing you?" I asked. "Seriously, I can't see any part of you through that armor and helm. Are you trying to seduce me or something? Are you even a woman?" He chuckled. "Oh, believe me. I'm a woman. I'm a huge fan of the Gourmet. And chefs in general. How about I give you a taste of what I plan to do to the Gourmet when I find him?" I asked. "That's... tempting," he looked at his staff, then whispered, "I'm sure he won't mind if I tell you where he is, if you do for him what you're going to do for me. I assume sex, right?" "Yeah!" I said. Gods, I am out of practice at this. "His name is Balagog, an orc. He's been staying at the Nightgate Inn, by Windhelm. Been in a holding pattern since the Emperor cancelled his last trip to Skyrim." I took him to the alcove nearby where the cooking staff slept. Damn Markarth and their lack of doors. I sat on his face, and then I snapped his neck. One of his cooking staff heard it and came running, but I was charging out of there. Luckily, the guards didn't respond or didn't care because just at this moment the Lost Valley Forsworn were attacking with a giant and mammoth (these guys are such a bother). I slipped past and rode to the Inn where the Gourmet was holed up. Now it was evening, about 8. I walked around until I finally found him, in an unusual room in the basement. He was fast asleep. "Don't mind if I do," I whispered. Then I realized I just needed to kill him and take his place. So I drank his blood, draining him to death. Easy. I threw his body in a sack to hide the body after grabbing his Writ. I got an immediate transfer of knowledge that must've been afforded to a vampire's first drink. I now knew, that if I drank the blood of certain powerful, gifted individuals, I would develop my vampiric powers even further. These people were known as 'blue bloods,' because of their powerful nature they tended to become leaders of men and mer. I also felt immediate power because this was the first person I'd killed by draining. I felt a power of the blood, like magic, coursing through my veins. I recognized a power similar to magicka, and wondered if a special kind of blood magic could be learned from doing this to many people. I put that knowledge away for further use. As I exited, I noticed the guards were fighting with a dragon, but I figured they could use the training and kept on. (Am I getting more callous?) Anyway, I rode down the road a little bit and dumped the body in a pond. I traveled back to the sanctuary, arriving at about midnight. I woke up Festus Krex and told him the details. "Have you seen Runa?" I asked him after he was done grumbling. "She's been up for awhile," he pointed, "Eating, I think." I walked into the serving room and sat down next to her, "Hey kid! How'd the last two weeks treat you?" "Did alright. Mostly killing bandits and wolves," she took a long drink of water, "Found a new greatsword, got a backpack, ring and necklace. Decided I would take your advice to heart and started wearing my Shrouded Boots and actually trying to sneak. What about you? And why are you wearing that clunky helm?" "Well, no use trying to hide it," I pulled off the helm, "At least for a while, I'm a vampire." Runa stared at me for a moment, then she took a bite, "That sucks." I chuckled, then I said, "All the same, I went ahead and killed the Gourmet a few hours ago. The Emperor should be arriving today. I managed to scrounge up a chef's outfit from my junk, but I think you should be the one to take point this time." "Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Yeah. What with my big glowing eyes, you'd have to be an idiot not to notice. That's verrrrry suspicious. So you're going to be the one who preps the dish. Astrid gave me Jarrin Root to put in the Potage le Magnifique," I explained, "Just act natural. You have a winning charm. No one will suspect a thing." "What about you?" "I'm going to secure your escape route. There's a passage and a bridge I once used to sneak into Solitude. We're going to be running out that way," I explained handing her the outfit and all the gear needed, "I stay hidden on the bridge while you do the deed." We made our way over to Solitude on Shadowmere. It was a cloudy, rainy morning. I went up the backway while Runa walked into the front gate. She ducked into the Inn to change into her Chef outfit, then headed to Castle Dour. There were a lot of Imperial guards here, dispatched to protect the Emperor, no doubt. She walked up to Commander Maro. He looked younger than she'd thought he would. "Stop right there! This area is off limits right now," he rebuffed. She handed him the Writ. "By order of ... his eminence. By the Gods, the Gourmet! By your clothes, I should've realized!" He said, "Right this way! Straight to the kitchen." She walked in, Gianna, the Dour cook already having started on the meal, "Please, I don't need any more supplies." "You misunderstand, for I am... the Gourmet!" She said, with some panache. So proud. "Ah! You look a little young to be... But no matter. When I heard the Gourmet was brought in to cook for the Emperor, I was overjoyed to work with someone of your caliber. I didn't imagine you'd be a Nord, or so young. Where in the world did you learn to cook like that?" "Yes, of course," Runa said, "I am known as a cooking prodigy. I appear young because I am. Some people have a calling to magic. I am a wizard of spice. But, enough of this, I am here to cook!" "I've already started your famous dish! But the cookbook only says so much. What else should we add?" Runa looked at the ingredients on the table. She had actually been cooking for the family for years when opportunity allowed it. She responded, "A sweetroll, first. Allow it to melt in the broth." "How decadent!" "A splash of mead, then season it with Nirnroot." "I would've imagined. I use Nirnroot all the time," Gianna responded. "Anything else?" "Diced Horker Meat," Runa said. "Love it!" Gianna poured the already-chopped scraps in, "Seems done." "One more thing," Runa produced the Jarrin Root from her sleeve, "A secret ingredient. This is a rare herb from the far south." "Hmm... alright. You're the expert," she smiled, "Alright. Done. I'll carry the stew pot. It's been an honor, Gourmet." Runa smiled. Her job was done. She followed Gianna to the serving table. There he was, sitting at the head of the table. Emperor Titus Mede II. "Ah! Finally. As Emperor, I of course reserve the right of first taste," the Emperor said. Which... don't emperors usually have official tasters? This is why. Runa slowly moved towards the back door as he tasted the dish. Smart girl. "What's this? I feel strange..." the Emperor said, starting to waiver. "Treason! The Gourmet and the Chef have poisoned the stew!" The guard shouted, and they all drew their swords, but Runa was out the back door, where I could see her now. "Sorry, Gianna!" Runa yelled as she threw off the Chef's tunic, revealing her... revealing 'armor.' And we ran for the tower behind us. A slow clap issued from the tower heights. "That man is by far, the most insufferable decoy the emperor has ever employed," the voice said. It was Commander Maro. I gritted my teeth. There were a cadre of guards in front of us. We drew our swords. "Surprised? So was I when a member of your 'family' came to us with the plan. We worked out a deal. I get you, and the brotherhood gets to continue existing. But, I changed my mind. You killed my son. So I'm going to kill you, and my men are going to torch your precious Sanctuary. Kill them, make sure there's nothing left," he said, walking down the stairs. "This... is an insult," I said quietly, "Three men?" Runa roared and charged at the archer, bypassing the two sword-and-board boys. She slashed him apart in one blow, while I felled one of the others. The third man chased after Runa, who was wearing a lighter-looking armor, I guess. As he turned the corner, though, she immediately brought her new greatsword down on his shoulder, then his head, and once more to fell him. She raised an eyebrow, "Not even a challenge. And those guys didn't even follow us through the kitchen." "That's my girl," I said, "No time to gloat though. We have a traitor to find and some Imperials to stab." We ran down to the back entrance and hopped on Shadowmere, pushing him to his limits. I could tell he was loving all the murder and destruction we were spreading around. When we reached the sanctuary and hopped off Shadowmere, the beast charged into battle ahead of us, trampling an Imperial and knocking down another. Runa rushed in behind him and immediately beheaded a Penitus agent. We passed by two more agent corpses and Festus Krex, filled with arrows. I never liked the guy, but these guys were going to pay nevertheless. We rushed in to find the sanctuary ablaze. Runa charged in headlong, without thought to her safety, while I stayed back and fired arrows. The group of soldiers has pinned down Arnbjorn in his werewolf form. Runa rushed up and got the drop on one, beheading him. Arnie claw-swiped another, throwing him into the flames. I pierced one with arrows, and Runa got the final one, impaling him on her greatsword. Shor's Bones, the girl was in a rage! "Know where anybody else is?!" I shouted to him, but he could only growl. Runa rushed forward, toward screams, only to be rebuffed by the flames. She took a side passage and found another agent about to manhandle Alexstraza - a little orphan and new addition to the sanctuary, so she sliced him up. These guys must be their throwaway agents, because they were being cut down like chaff. Or maybe the brothers and sisters had already given them a fight to remember! Runa rushed ahead of us, calling out for other survivors only to find Nazir tangling with two more agents. Runa darted up behind them and stabbed one of them in the back, and that was all the distraction Nazir needed to behead the other with his scimitar. "These fools think we're amateurs at killing!" Nazir growled. I finally caught up with Runa and shouted, "We need to get out of here soon! The blazes are going to kill us all!" "Agreed!" Nazir shouted, and there was an explosion, cutting off the path we'd come in through. Arnbjorn was trapped in the previous chamber, but he was doubling back as we spoke. Runa rushed ahead of all of us, as if a voice was showing her the way. When we caught her again, she'd jumped into the casket with the Night Mother and closed the lid. And then, all hell broke loose. There was an explosion that blew the casket through the stain-glass window into the water and we all realized - the water! It looked like we were trapped in here by fire now, but water would be our salvation. I threw water breathing potions to Arnbjorn, Nazir, Alexstraza and Babette (who'd been trapped, but been freed by Arnbjorn while I chased Runa). We drank and we jumped, huddling around the Night Mother's casket under the water. It was a while before the flames abated, but they consumed everything. Arnbjorn and Nazir hefted the casket out of the water. I explored to see what or who'd been left in the blaze. I knew Festus was dead. But no Gabriella either. Arnbjorn disappeared into the ashes and dust, human again. He looked like suspected the betrayer, but didn't want to face the facts. Nazir pried open the Night Mother's tomb, Runa coming to with a start. "Thank the gods you're alive!" Nazir shouted. Runa coughed, "Where's my mom?" "She went to check for survivors," Babette said. "Astrid's still here. The Night Mother told me!" Runa said, "Follow me!" When she walked into the room, I was already staring daggers at her. She was lying there, black circle of candles drawn around her, flesh charred and disgusting from being burned alive. But still, she was alive. "You're... alive!" Astrid choked out, "Shhh... I have much to say and I'm dying. I'm sorry... it was me. I betrayed us in return for this brotherhood... going back to the way it was. I was such a fool. You were the best of us." "You're a traitor," Runa said. "But you're alive! Now there's a chance," Astrid explained, "That's why I did this..." She was referring to the circle around her, "I performed the Black Sacrament, using myself as the components. You lead the brotherhood now, as it was intended. Take my blade. Finish the contract. First, kill me to complete... the ritual." "Alright," Runa's lip curled up in rage, she picked up the Blade of Woe. "Hey, Listener," I said, putting her hand on my shoulder, "Let me do it." She nodded gravely, handing me the dagger. Can't really two-hand a dagger (unless you're a weirdo). She knew she was becoming enveloped by the rage and could tell I was trying to save her the pain of having to kill yet another friend. I stepped forward. Of course, I also had an ulterior motive. I kneeled down and bit into the only bit of uncharred flesh I could find, draining her of blood completely. I felt the 'blue blood' power and the hemomancy begin to take shape. It was at this point that I was considering staying a vampire, on purpose, for a while. "If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I wouldn't have believed it," Babette said, "I can't believe Astrid would have done this to us." "By the gods," Nazir shook his head. Runa returned to the coffin. When I showed up, she was nodding. She turned to me. "The assassination is still on," she said. I smirked, "That old bitch sticks to it, eh?" "Amaund Motierre knows where the real emperor is. We're to meet him at the Bannered Mare." Nazir was walking down the stairs at that time, "Seriously? We're completely destroyed." "We'll find a way," I said. "I know you will!" Nazir replied, "Go find this guy. See what he says. When you've done the deed, meet us at the Dawnstar Sanctuary. This place is not fit for us anymore." We nodded to each other. It was back on. We hurried over to Whiterun, and realizing I hadn't slept (and no longer needed to) and she was full of adrenaline (though she'd had a several hour nap in a coffin) I asked, "Do you need to stop off for a while at the Mare?" "Let's talk to him first - then we'll see," Runa said, her eyes determined. She walked in to the back room he was in first, "Amaund. Sithis is owed a soul." "By the gods! I heard about your Sanctuary. I figured you were all dead," he replied, "I had nothing to do with that! I wanted the real emperor dead." "Where is he?" I asked. "You mean after all that, you're still going to perform the assassination?" He asked, bewildered. She nodded, silently. "This is astounding news! He's in Skyrim, but he won't be for much longer. He's on his ship, the Katariah, in the Solitude harbor. They set sail in the morning. If you get onboard the ship and kill him, I'll reveal the location of the dead drop that has your payment!" He was responding feverishly. "Don't worry, we'll find a way," I said, then we walked out into the Inn proper. Runa got some food and I sat across from her, taking off the helm. After she'd ate a little, I finally said to her, "So hey. I want to ask something of you." "What's that?" She asked. "I want you to rent a room here. Have a good night's sleep. In the morning, we'll head over to Dawnstar," I said. "But...the emperor..." "It's about to be nighttime," I said, stating something that was painfully obvious to me, "You're the most important member of the brotherhood. It's about time you stop going into the most dangerous situations." "Think you can do this alone?" She asked. "Of course I can. I'm going to go full stealth. There are going to be a lot of guards, much stronger than the paltry ones the Oculatus threw at us." "Something I'm not overly good at," she said. "Right. Don't worry. I can take care of this," I said. I slid my helmet back on and got on Shadowmere. She was still a girl, not really made for all this killing yet. Ultimately, I'm her mom, and I decided it was my time to explore these new powers I'd gotten access to. Of course, I was going to use Astrid's dagger for this job. Daggers were a close third for my weapon types, and they offer a more personal touch - easier to conceal and quicker to deliver a killing blow. I was going to be supremely careful this time. I never should've sent Runa in by herself. I rode Shadowmere hard and reached the ship around midnight. I jumped into the sea from adjacent cliffs and swam over to the chain, climbing onto the ship via the bilge. A sailor who'd been dozing immediately heard the commotion and rushed over, but I'd already casted Invisibility. As he walked around looking for me, I slit his throat and hid his body behind some boxes. The room to the left had a sailor sleeping soundly, so I decided I needed a snack and I drained him to death. Down the passageway opened up to a common room with a bar, which held an Imperial soldier and a sailor, sharing a drink at this late hour. I shrouded myself again and walked into the room as the soldier was walking out, then I grappled the sailor, draining his blood until he fell unconscious. I walked up to the second deck, wandering around. I looked for important-looking rooms. The first one I tried held an Oculatus agent who was still awake, but I got the drop on him, so I slit his throat. The second was the captain's room, but he was asleep. I bashed him over the head to make sure he stayed asleep, then I ransacked his room. (Might as well, right?) Also, I did want the ship to be able to leave, so I wasn't killing every human here (I intentionally left a lot of sailors and the captain alive). At last I came to a door with an extremely complex lock and I thought... this may be it. Once I was in, I slipped to the left, sensing movement. Another Oculatus agent in his bed. I stabbed him in the neck and tucked him back in. Then, I ventured down the hall. This time one agent sleeping and one in a chair dozing off. I stabbed the chair man in the back, and the sleeping one I drained to death. (Whew.... getting full). Finally I reached the end of the hall with a door in front of me and stairs to my left. I opened the door quietly to find a Lieutenant pacing. I ducked to the side and threw on invisibility again. As he walked out, confused, I stabbed him in the back and dragged his body back in the room, shutting the door. Up the stairs. Two more doors. One led outside and the other, I could tell, was the Emperor's room. Not taking any chances, I casted lock on the outside door (incase he had guards posted out there) then strode into the Emperor's room. As I walked in, he locked eyes with me, as if he'd been expecting me. "I told Maro you can't stop the brotherhood," Titus Mede said. He didn't seem fearful at all. Just resigned. "You knew I was coming?" I asked. "Come now, we have a date with destiny, as emperors and assassins often do," the emperor said back. I folded my arms. It felt like another trick. "You will kill me today. But would you suffer an old man one more moment before the end?" He asked. I sighed, sheathing my dagger, "Alright." For a killer and a vampire, I'm still a softy. "Regardless of your path through life, I sense a certain... ambition on you," the emperor said, wizened eyes on me. "There are those whose ambition would destroy the world if they let it. Would you do me a favor?" "I'm listening," I said. "Whoever set this plan in motion, I ask that you kill them." I folded my arms, considering it. If I had any love for the empire, I think that killing the rot at the roots of it would be a good move. On the contrary, if I didn't have love for the empire, killing a high-ranking Imperial official would be pretty sweet too. "I'll do it, old man," I replied. "Before that, perhaps another request?" He asked. "What else?" I asked. "This one is entirely up to you," he said, "I wish to feel the touch of another one last time." I blinked. This old man was coming on to me on his death bed. Something within me perked up. Who else could say they'd fucked an emperor? I smiled, "Alright, old man. But I am still going to kill you. And... I'm going to drink your blood." "Of course. I offer no resistance," he replied. As an aside here, I have to say that the man was pretty gifted. Not only in the size department, but... he had to have cum three times before I got around to drinking his blood. I felt the sting of the sun coming up as I put my teeth in his neck. Shor's Bones, was that the old man's plan, to fuck me for three hours until his guards came to save him? Maybe, though I had killed 99% of the guards on the ship. I am thorough. Anyway, after I was done drinking at least two of his bodily fluids, I did a quick search of the room, then got the hell outta there. I got to the Bannered Mare around noon, not making any effort to go quickly. I walked upstairs to Runa still sleeping in the two-person bed and took a little nap on the other side of the bed. Because sometimes you just want to sleep, you know? I wasn't hungry, I just felt like sleep. When I woke up she was sitting in a chair on the balcony. "It's done. Let me settle with Amaund. Can you get our stuff ready?" I asked, then I cruised down to Amaund, who'd stayed in the room we'd left him in with bated breath. "Gods, did you do it?" He asked. "Yep. Done." "You have served all of Tamriel in ways you can't possibly imagine," he said, "Your payment waits for you at a dead drop. In an urn, at the chamber in Volenruud where we first contacted you. Now go, please, collect your payment, and let us never see one another again." "One more thing," I said. He raised an eyebrow, "What else?" "Just a favor from an old man," I said. "Oh gods... you're going to kill me aren't..." he started, but I stabbed him in the neck. I shut the door behind me and found Runa, "Let's stop by Volenruud on the way." We looked in the urn and it held 20,000 gold! Nazir, Babette and Arnbjorn were at the Dawnstar Sanctuary. Arnbjorn had been told about Astrid. He looked sad, but hopeful for the future of the brotherhood. "This place is pretty nice. We should've moved here ages ago!" Babette said. Nazir said, "Took a little while, but the casket is upstairs. Now that we're here, you should talk to Delvin Mallory and see if we could outfit this place a little. I'm going to put out the word and try to get some new recruits." "I'm going to commune. See if she's got anything for us," Runa said, walking toward the mother's casket. I rode Shadowmere all the way to Riften (nearly a day trip) and met Delvin Mallory in the vault room of the Thieves' Guild as he was depositing some things. "How's life, guild master~ oh! You're a vampire now!" He exclaimed. "Yeah, well. It's not a big deal." "Thought you guys were dead after I heard the sanctuary got burned to the ground. How's little Runa?" He asked. "Not bad. You know, she's the Listener!" "My word. From the mouths of babes... come assassination targets," Delvin chuckled, "What can I do for you?" "A few things - we moved to Dawnstar. Think you could outfit the place?" "It will cost a pretty penny. I assume out of the brotherhood's coffers. What did you have in mind?" He asked. "Poison station, secret entrance. Bedroom," I replied. "Done. I'll tabulate the expenses when we're done here. What else?" "I have a lot of rare artifacts I've been picking up. Wonder if they'd be worth to fence. This model ship, shipping maps, half a dozen other things. Oh yeah! And the eyes of the falmer I forgot to ever actually give to you," I said, showing him my huge pile of loot. I'd have to make sure and fence the dozens of other things with the normal fences. "Hmm," he thought, doing math in his head, "Carry the two... Shor's bones! I think I actually owe you money after that transaction! This stuff is worth an emperor's ransom." "Speaking of which, have you heard anything about the assassination?" I asked. "That was you guys?" He chuckled, "Amazing! I knew you were something else when you walked up to the Flagon, just a dirty little streetrat." "It was me specifically," I said, "Working alone. It was the skills I learned here that got me through one of the hardest stealth missions anyone could've conceived! Kill the Emperor." "Listen. Me and Vex are finally going to tie the knot. We'd be honored if you'd be there," he said, "I meant to give you an invitation, but you're so damned wily I never get a chance to see you." "Of course. I'd be honored." "Oi! You gotta stay the night here! Share a pint or two, or three with the boys! Catch up like old times!" Delvin shouted as he started to walk into the cistern proper, "Brynjolf! You'll never guess who actually killed the big man!" "Lemme guess, it was the daft lass followin' ya," he shouted. The boys cheered at seeing me at one of these scant opportunities when I actually slow down. I spent a night in merriment down in the Flagon. It made me miss old times, when I was just a girl, just showing up to Skyrim. So much had happened. So much still to tell. The Emperor being killed was a huge deal. This, as you might imagine, throws the Empire into a bit of chaos, and shakes up the order of the world as it had been for many years. The dragon problem is getting worse every day. And then there's my vampirism. The Dawnguard was no help - but what about the vampires? Maybe, I thought, while there was a lull in the Dark Brotherhood's missions, Runa and the others could handle recruitment for a while. I would contact the vampires and find out more about this 'condition.' That vampire artifact was a good place to start.

It all started with the fact that my character after becoming a vampire, with Sancrosanct installed, received neither Vampiric Drain, nor Weakness to Sunlight or Vampire's Seduction. But i have Vampire Lord, new perks, and etc. So I tried to change my load order a bit. And nothing. Then I reinstall some mods like Ineed, Ordinator, RaceCompatibility (because i'm using Ningheim race) in attempt to repair the vampire’s abilities. Because of this, my load order has changed, and now I have CTD at the end of the loading and when I am trying to start New Game. LOOT didn't help me, Save Script Cleaner either. Obviously, the problem is in boot order, but I don’t see what needs to be changed. Please check. Thank you for your advises. like your site and forum