Fort Dawnguard
Map
Hold	The Rift
Type	Guild headquarters
Quests	Main questline
Characters	See List of Fort Dawnguard inhabitants
Enemies	Dawnguard members if Volkihar questline is selected.
Location ID	DLC1DawnguardHQ01

Fort Dawnguard is a location found in The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard.

It serves as the stronghold for the Dawnguard, an order of vampire hunters.

Fort Dawnguard can only be accessed via Dayspring Canyon southeast of Stendarr's Beacon. It is hidden deep within the Velothi Mountains, near the border of Skyrim and Morrowind.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Disbandment and disrepair 1.2 Restoration 2 Architecture 3 Interior 3.1 Main lobby 3.2 Dining area 3.3 Crafting area 3.4 Sleeping quarters 3.5 Training area 3.6 Dead Drop Falls 3.7 Master bedroom 3.8 Torture room 3.9 Rooftop 4 Characters 4.1 Outdoor 5 Bugs 6 Appearances 7 References

History

The fort dates back to at least the Second Era, when it was built by the Jarl of Riften. The Jarl's son, through his overly confident and adventurous pursuits, contracted vampirism. The Jarl refused to kill his own son, so instead commissioned the construction of the fort and contracted a large mercenary force, branded the "Dawnguard", in order to keep his son quarantined.

Disbandment and disrepair

Historical accounts vary on the years that followed. Some believe the Dawnguard were forced to put down the Jarl's son, in doing so they were banished from the hold and officially disbanded. They later continued their work as vampire hunters, until they broke up, due to the fact people increasingly disregarded the threat of vampires, weakening the power of the Dawnguard^[1]. Other accounts claim that the Dawnguard, upon seeing the immense power of the vampire, decided to become vampires themselves. They were said to have preyed on the Rift until they were hunted down^[2].

Either way, the fort fell into a state of disrepair and was eventually abandoned.

Restoration

Isran came and repaired the fort in the Fourth Era, which he then used as the headquarters of the new Dawnguard.

Architecture

Fort Dawnguard has the appearance of a large castle with several towers. The masonry work inside the fort is not only very precise but the stone surfaces have the appearance of a slight shine to them. The tall arched hallways are supported by huge, decorative rectangular pillars. The inside of the fort itself has an arched theme to it, from the ceiling to the blind arches on the walls.

Interior

Main lobby

The main lobby is a large circular area littered with various barrels and crates. Eight banners adorn the walls displaying the symbol of the Dawnguard. The floor consists of weathered cobblestone and decorative slabs that line the edges of two curved iron grates. Straight ahead is a hallway that leads to all major rooms in the fort. When the player is standing in the middle of the circle facing away from the main enterance, the second floor is to the right, the small balcony is another right. The large balcony is to the left, and left again.

Dining area

To the west is the main dining area. The rectangular room is littered with general clutter and barrels of food. A grand fireplace decorated with banners and animal skulls can be found to the side of the large dining table. Two cooking spits are available for use. Adjacent to the fireplace is two shelving units containing general silverware. Behind the shelving is a storage area of sorts. Various barrels and crates can be found lining the walls, along with several bales of hay and two disused kegs covered in cobwebs. A map of Skyrim can be found on a desk by a small table.

Crafting area

Heading further west is where the crafting section can be found. To the left is a small room with an Arcane Enchanter and Alchemy Lab. The shelves contain some basic ingredients and potions, along with several animal skulls. Adjacent is a fully fitted smithy, containing a blacksmiths forge, grindstone and workbench. On the lower level a smelter and tanning rack can be found. The Forge, Arcane Enchanter and Alchemy Lab will only be available if the Dawnguard are joined and the quest Prophet is completed.

Heading past the smithy, the fort seems to open up into a large cave. Opposite the smelter is a small wooden pen built against the cave wall where Gunmar keeps his Armored Trolls. To the south are two archery targets. Heading back east along the main hallway leads to the sleeping quarters.

Sleeping quarters

The large square room features a dining table and another grand fireplace. Animal hide rugs line the floors and the walls are adorned with several mounted deer and bear heads. Around the edges of the room are several cots. Shelving units on the western wall hold pieces of Dawnguard armor and weapons.

Training area

Heading further west, the fort walls again seems to end and open up into a large cave. This section is used as a training area and three training dummies can be found on a wooded platform against the north wall. In addition a small dog pen can be found in the far corner, holding Sceolang and Bran. This cavern also leads to Dead Drop Falls.

Dead Drop Falls

Main article: Dead Drop Falls

Dead Drop Falls is a series of caves that run deep into the mountains.

Master bedroom

This room is on the second floor and is cluttered with boxes, barrels, and sacks. The room has a pillar in the middle, and contains a cot, a table, and a shelf. As the Dragonborn progresses through the Dawnguard storyline this room is upgraded into a master bedroom. The cot is replaced with a bed, there are now 4 wardrobes, and there's also an addition of a mannequin. Dawnguard banners, candles, rugs, and mounts with wolf and moose heads decorate the room. A weapon rack is added, and there are two troughs which hold weapons and ingredients. 5 steel ingots and 2 bolt quivers are also in the room for the taking.

Torture room

A blood-splattered room up on the second floor. There are various torture devices in the room, along with blood and bones everywhere. Human skulls sit on two shelves while 8 deer skulls are mounted on the wall. There is plenty of Nord Mead on the wall and some iron ingots as well. Large cobwebs hang off the ceiling as with the rest of the fort.

Rooftop

There are two sets of stairs that lead to different parts of the roof. One set of stairs opens to a small circular rooftop where two bedroll reside. Nearby a copy of The Lusty Argonian Maid can be found. There are two weapon racks parallel to each other. There is also a chest. The other set of stairs goes to a part of the roof that is significantly larger. On this rooftop there are 5 weapon racks, two chests, a tanning rack and a grindstone. There is also a table with two chairs, a bedroll, and Dawnguard Shield and Dawnguard Boots.

Characters

• Agmaer - A Nord male recruit. Potential follower.
• Beleval - A Bosmeri female vampire hunter. Potential follower.
• Bran - A war-dog and potential follower. Appears after "Bloodline".
• Celann - An old associate of Isran and seasoned veteran. Potential follower.
• Durak - An Orcish male vampire hunter. Potential follower.
• Florentius Banius - Resident alchemist and master Restoration trainer. Appears after "Bolstering the Ranks".
• Gunmar - Dawnguard's blacksmith and master Smithing trainer. Appears after "A New Order".
• Ingjard - A Nord female vampire hunter. Potential follower.
• Isran - Leader of the Dawnguard and Heavy Armor master trainer.
• Mogrul - An Orcish male vampire hunter.
• Sceolang - A war dog and potential follower. Appears after "Bloodline".
• Sorine Jurard - General goods merchant and master Archery trainer. Appears after "A New Order".

Outdoor

The following members can be found scouting the outer walls in Dayspring Canyon.

• Ollrod - A Nord male vampire hunter.
• Tilde - A Nord female vampire hunter.
• Vori - A Nord female vampire hunter.

Bugs

•  360  The balcony around the circular foyer may fail to load properly. If this is the case, many of the upper rooms are inaccessible.
  • Solution: Reloading the game fixes this issue.
•  360   A large, vital section of the Deadrop Falls area of the fort may not load, thus turning the path into a large, unloaded physical and visual drop off.
•  360   Everyone inside Fort Dawnguard randomly attack all at once.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard (First appearance)

References

Start a Discussion Discussions about Fort Dawnguard

• 

  Is it possible to join the Dawnguard after curing Vampirism?

  7 messages
  • 
    A Wikia contributor
    Is it just me or is Bethesda SLACK at posting bug fixes when it comes to quest lines. Such as in the Nightingale Hall where the girl turns aro... 2013-05-17T02:28:24Z
  • 
    I Like Bow Ties Bow Ties Are Cool
    You just need to check yourself before you wreck yourself. 2013-05-17T02:35:57Z
• 

  Fort Dawnguard Page

  7 messages
  • 
    Epzo
    No? If you finish the vampire questline you kill all the Dawnguard right? In addition you accomplish everything the Dawnguard didn't want to happen. 2013-04-04T10:52:52Z
  • 
    A Wikia contributor
    189.26.64.78 wrote:when i enter in the fort, everyone atacks me. I play in PS3 Are you a vampire? If so, cure it with Falion or become a werewo... 2013-04-04T11:21:15Z

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