A few months ago I posted a build called The Chirurgeon. It was my take on creating Dr. Frankenstein in Skyrim. While making the build I had the idea of doing a series on classic movie monsters, this led to the creation of The Creature of Lake Ilinalta. So today I present my take on Dracula in Skyrim.
-THE FORGOTTEN KNIGHT-
Once a member of the Akaviri force that invaded Tamriel in the first era, now forgotten and entombed in a frozen crypt beneath an abandoned keep near the Pale Pass. The knight was once an esteemed commander of the Akavir. He was given the forward command when they crossed the Jerall Mountains in southern Skyrim and commissioned a remote mountain keep as a forward head quarters. However, fate saw fit to condemn him there. A great rock slide cut them off from the rest of the advancing army. Isolated they continued to press the attack unaware that the supply line had been cut. Repeated pleas for more supplies, food, weapons, and soldiers, went unanswered. A realization was growing in the heart of the knight. He had been abandoned by his brothers, forgotten and left to die in a strange land. A vehement curse left his lips then, born of hate and anguish, that he would never see his wife or children again, that he would never return home in victory or in honorable death. But something heard his curse, something unnatural that lived within the crypts below the fort. It came to him that night and promised him power, power to exact his revenge on those who abandoned him, on the heathens who persecuted him at every turn, on the world itself. The knight agreed, whatever the price he would pay it, anything to be free of this frozen mountain prison, anything to see his family again. So the thing from the crypts changed him, made him a predator of the night, blessed him with powers born of darkness, and a hunger darker still.
Race: Imperial is the best fit for this build. The racial power Voice of the Emperor combines well with the vampire power Vampiric Seduction, creating two useful “calm” powers that can be used once a day, mimicking Dracula’s hypnotic ability.
Stone: Warrior to start off. Then the Steed stone until we get the conditioning perk. Later I switched to the Lord for magic resistance to help mitigate the damage from late game fire spells.
Primary Skills: Two Handed, Heavy Armor, Block
Secondary Skills: Restoration, Illusion, Sneak
Stat Placement: M:1 H:2 S:2 I stuck with this for the whole play thru. We will need some magicka for healing and calm spells as well as plenty of stamina for power attacks.
Weapons: The Ebony Blade, also known as the Vampire or Leech this is the perfect weapon for the Forgotten Knight.
Apparel: Blades Armor set, Ebony Mail, Helm of Yngol, Masque of Clavicus Vile
Gear: Ring of the Beast, Amulet of Bats
Shouts: Whirlwind Sprint, Slow Time, Animal Allegiance, Kyne’s Peace, Aura Whisper, Become Etherial, all of which mimic Dracula’s supernatural powers. Marked for Death.
Perk Spread Level 31
Two Handed: The Forgotten Knight’s main offense is his greatsword. All the perks are taken to increase the damage of the Ebony Blade which cannot be smithed. Eventually we’ll take all of the perks in the center tree and all of the deep wounds perks to squeeze every last point of damage out of our sword.
Heavy Armor: The Knight is a bulwark on the battle field, equal parts immovable object and unstoppable force. Take every perk in this tree. The steed stone is a good substitute until we pick up the conditioning perk.
Block: The first layer of defense, the knight will eventually take every perk in this tree. Key perks are the bashes giving us a tactical advantage on the battle field.
Restoration: The augmenting perks like Respite and Regeneration make our low level healing spells do double work, I suggest grabbing these once they become available. Necromage synergizes with vampirism in the late game, making the Illusion tree calm spells affect more powerful opponents.
Illusion: The Forgotten Knight is a master of hypnotism, and is able to calm the most berserk rage. The focus here is the calm based spells. The calm aspect of this skill can be mastered very quickly since the key perks are all pretty low on the tree.
Sneak: Not many perks are taken due to our vampiric boost to sneaking. Sneak is used mainly for feeding in towns and villages allowing us to sneak up on sleeping victims. Muffled Movement helps in this regard since heavy armor makes the most noise.
Vampirism: Key perks to aim for are Blood Healing, Poison Talons, Night Cloak, and Mist Form; all of these perks are used as part of the knight’s special powers and augment his unique use of the vampire lord ability.
The Beginning
Isolated, and with dwindling supplies, hunger and cold are beginning to take their toll on the men. Morale is low and every few days a man disappears, worthless deserters I hope the wolves get them. The hidden pass that leads to the keep has been blocked by a rockslide and ogres stalk the lower slopes. Not a single scout has returned, I fear they have all met some dire end in these cursed mountains. I worry about the commander. He has taken to secluding himself in his chambers and refuses to eat or drink. His skin has taken on a deathly pallor and there is a feverish look to his eyes. The last thing we need is the commander to fall ill. - Journal of an Akaviri soldier
What the thing from the crypts was is not known, nor is the payment for the gift it gave the commander. The aftermath however, was recorded in the fervent hand of several now long dead akavir who served under the commander, and were stranded in the Jerall Mountains that dark winter.
Vata and I are the last, all the others have fallen to the commander’s ravenous hunger and tonight he will come for us. Vata thinks she knows a way to seal him in his coffin something she calls Stalrhim a magic she learned in Solstheim during the campaign. I have seen his power however, seen him tear through his own men and gorge himself on their blood. No “enchanted ice” is going to stop that. I haven’t the heart to say this to Vata, it may be a fool’s hope but it’s better than the impotent fear I now feel. I just hope our end will be swift, not like the others who now dot the courtyard like gruesome trees in a hellish dream. -Journal of an Akaviri soldier
The Armament of the Forgotten
Heavy armor is the focus of any combat oriented knight, so getting a set as early as possible is highly recommended. To this end, following Ralof out of Helgen will get you a full set of imperial armor, which allows you to start leveling this skill from the very beginning. Our goal is the Blades armor set, which is reminiscent of the ancient akavir armor that the knight would be familiar with. The set can be obtained at very low levels if one focuses on the main quest, which is highly recommended, until you get access to Sky Haven Temple.
The end game set is the Ebony Mail, the power and style of this set is well known, furthermore it goes well with the other blades pieces creating a sleek dark look that is not unlike the blades set. There are also two alternate helmets that I used for their various enchantments and aesthetics that go well with the armor sets in question, the Helm of Yngol and the Masque of Clavicus Vile. These helms are the closest representation in Skyrim to a general’s kabuto without mods.
The signature weapon of the Forgotten Knight is his two handed katana the Ebony Blade, also known as the Vampire or the Leech, it is a truly malevolent weapon possessed of a hunger as dark as the knight’s own. As soon as you reach level twenty head to Whiterun and complete the Whispering Door quest to get this weapon. The ebony blade has an absorb health effect that improves with every friendly person you murder, eventually capping out after ten murders. And will do a respectable 30 points of absorb health damage with every hit once fully charged. Furthermore the blade has infinite charges so you won’t need to worry about hoarding all those soul gems you find laying around. The one downside is that the blade cannot be smithed for more damage, which is why there is a heavy focus on the Barbarian and Deep Wounds perks.
There are several ways to charge up the Ebony Blade, personally I prefer to do it the way it was intended by gaining the favor of an NPC and then hacking them to pieces when no one is looking, or right in front of their friends and family depending on how depraved you are feeling that day, then rinse and repeat with a new NPC. However, if you want to game the system, the fastest way to charge the Blade requires a reanimation staff and one friendly NPC who has outlived their usefulness. Simply kill the unfortunate soul then raise them with the staff, repeat nine more times and viola a fully charged Ebony Blade.
The Knight’s Steed
Another major aspect of this build is mounted combat. Every knight needs a mount worthy of carrying him into battle and Skyrim has been kind enough to provide us with the perfect horse, Shadowmere. What better mount for a vampiric knight than a demonic horse? Mounted combat takes some practice to get right as you will need to learn how to time your strikes so they coincide with when your horse passes by the enemy. Once mastered this is a very satisfying combat choice and feels epic when you charge down the road towards a roaring giant.
I suggest buying a horse early so you can get the feel for how they maneuver and the timing of your attacks. Free-to-ride horses can be obtained from the stables at Solitude and Riften by performing a minor quest for the owner (harvesting corps or winning a brawl). The end goal of course is to obtain Shadowmere who is the perfect steed for the Forgotten Knight.
Powers and Weaknesses
Crimson Mist: The Forgotten’s body becomes a noxious mist confounding all attempts to harm him, while at the same time weakening his foes. Then he suddenly bursts into action with a demoniac bloodlust turning all of his surrounding foes into this abilities namesake.
Requirements: Marked for Death, Mist Form in “human form”, Ebony Blade, Ebony Mail, and the Sweep Perk.
Start the battle by shouting Marked for Death onto as many opponents as possible then cast Mist Form. Continue to attract attention to yourself getting as many hostiles in range as possible. Marked for Death will be depleting the enemies armor while the Ebony Mail will be whittling away at their life. Finally, when Mist Form expires start swinging with the Ebony Blade, you will literally be wreathed in a Crimson Mist while you absorb the life essence of all those around you.
The Blood Beast: The knight is able to take on many forms, including the terrifying Blood Beast a feral amalgamation of bat and man. This creature possesses unnatural speed, monstrous strength, and uncanny abilities that defy the natural order.
Requirements: Vampire Lord Form and Ring of the Beast.
When the potent combination of heavy armor and the Ebony Blade aren’t enough, assume the form of the Blood Beast. Limiting ourselves to physical combat in this form the Poison Talons perk and the Ring of the Beast will make short work of most enemies. Blood Healing will sustain us allowing for greater carnage. This build uses Vampire Lord Form like lycanthropes use beast form, aside from leveling the Vampirism skill we won’t be using the blood magic abilities.
Vile Swarm: The Blood Beast is not a stable form; the malleable physical nature of this creature allows him to disassemble his body into a swarm of bloodsucking bats. This terrible cloud darts from victim to victim draining them of their lifeblood.
Requirements: Vampire Lord Form and Amulet of Bats.
The Vampirism perk Night Cloak summons a swarm of bats that damages surrounding enemies, and functions in much the same way as the Ebony Mail’s poison cloak ability, acting as a sort of enemy radar. The Amulet of Bats turns our Bats ability into a strategic weapon, making it both offensive and defensive. Allowing the beast to escape a tight spot and damage the enemy at the same time.
Bloodlust: The Forgotten Knight is not without weaknesses, such is the payment for the incredible power he now possesses. The Knight is in constant hunger, always thirsting for the blood of the living. Centuries of dealing with this hunger has strengthened his control over it, but he must still feed regularly or risk losing himself to the need.
Requirements: Feeding.
For role-playing purposes you must feed every night. The powers you possess exact a hunger upon your undead form. You must sustain it with the blood of the living.
Tyranny of the Sun: A creature of death and darkness the knight can barely tolerate the suns presence, and his powers are severely limited when under the sun’s rays.
Requirements: Avoid travel during the day. None of the listed special powers are available during the day.
The vampires of Skyrim are similar to the Dracula mythos in that sunlight doesn’t destroy them it just makes them weaker. To this end the special abilities listed above cannot be performed during the day, similar to Dracula, who was unable to change his form during the day.
Play Style / Role Play
General combat and dungeon crawling see your basic two handed play style, run in and hit them with the pointy end until they stop moving. This straight forward approach works fine for duels where you can overcome a single enemy, and easily outmaneuver their attacks thanks to the steed stone or conditioning perk. Groups can be more difficult as they flank you and attack from multiple directions at once, this is where the calm spells/voice of the emperor shine, allowing you to systematically execute all of the small fry while their comrades watch on hypnotized.
In the wilds of Skyrim mounted combat can be very fun and skilled riders will be able to use the horse’s bulk to push enemies off of bridges or over cliffs as they race by. Furthermore, the horse helps mitigate stamina usage for those occasions where we are caught outside during the day. Letting us save that precious resource for combat.
For tips on how to role-play this type of character checkout Blackblood's Roleplay Guide to Vampirism. It is a great and detailed guide on how to role-play one of the undead.
Specific to this character is a focus on his desire to subdue and rule over others. He originally came as a conqueror and never bent the knee to Reman Cyrodil, so his agenda is unchanged. He will have his vengeance on the descendants of those who wronged him so long ago. To this end he will originally stand against the Empire, until he discovers that thru some twist of fate he himself has become Dragonborn. This will set him on a path of ruler ship, he sees the dragon blood within him as his right to the throne, and will do anything necessary to attain that goal.
The Main Quest at least up to Alduin’s Wall for our armor set. Remember however that in our past life we were a dragon hunter and that drive still runs deep within us. If anything undeath and being dragonborn has only strengthened our desire to hunt this most worthy of adversaries.
The Dawnguard quest line, start this quest as soon as it becomes available to gain access to our special powers.
Rebuilding the Blades, the time has come for you to take over Tamriel, to that end you will rebuild the ancient Akaviri order of Dragon hunters now known as the Blades.
The Dark Brotherhood quest line, to get our steed Shadowmere and one word of the Marked for Death shout. Our dragon blood is all the evidence we need to prove our worthiness of the throne, but first a pretender must be removed.
The Civil War quest line, Imperial side, the Forgotten Knight hates this land and is more than happy to subjugate it to another’s rule.
The Whispering Door should be completed at level 20 to gain our sword.
A side quest specific to the character of the Forgotten Knight is to buy up as much property as you can. Similar to Dracula, the knight seeks to spread his influence and the acquisition of property is a good way to do this. This will involve becoming a thane of many holds, which may seem out of character except that the knight is playing the long game. Good deeds are not anathema to him as long as they serve his purpose, and to that end spreading tales of his heroics helps him control the people and it further masks his dark nature.
Freedom at last! My mind clears for the first time in centuries. The hunger has faded and I grow curious of the outside world. How long was I asleep, how long did I lay in that frozen tomb? The fool Vighar proved to be a malleable sort. My hunger was so great that I nearly took his head off in my need when he finally freed me from that cursed ice. Instead it was his thrall that I tore into. Two more thralls fell to my fangs before I had enough control to notice that Vighar was truly enjoying the spectacle. He thinks I’m another low-blooded vampire; he has no idea of what I am capable of. Soon he will be my slave but for now I will wait and regain my strength. I will learn what has befallen my traitorous comrades, I will have my vengeance.
-Knight Commander Mishaxhi
Conclusion
Thanks to all of you who took the time to read this build, I truly appreciate your interest and hope you have found this build as enjoyable to read as I did playing and writing. I borrowed heavily from Oblivion for the background on this character and those of you who have played that game may recognize the reference. Granted I reinterpreted, and expounded, on the story a lot to make if fit my purposes. The goal was to create a story similar to that of Dracula using the setting of Skyrim. I would like to thank Blackblood for his role-playing guide. I would like to also give some credit to Phil who posted an idea for a vampire knight in the Character Building Recycle Bin, while I went in a different direction this was the initial seed that sparked my imagination. Finally I would like to give a big thanks to the whole Vault community for making the Tamriel Vault such a great place to be.
If you liked this build then please check out my other “creature feature” builds; The Chirurgeon and The Creature of Lake Ilinalta. Or you could visit my page for all of the builds I’ve created so far.
Thanks again and Happy Halloween!
-Vargr
A few months ago I posted a build called The Chirurgeon. It was my take on creating Dr. Frankenstein in Skyrim. While making the build I had the idea of doing a series on classic movie monsters, this led to the creation of The Creature of Lake Ilinalta. So today I present my take on Dracula in Skyrim.
-THE FORGOTTEN KNIGHT-
Once a member of the Akaviri force that invaded Tamriel in the first era, now forgotten and entombed in a frozen crypt beneath an abandoned keep near the Pale Pass. The knight was once an esteemed commander of the Akavir. He was given the forward command when they crossed the Jerall Mountains in southern Skyrim and commissioned a remote mountain keep as a forward head quarters. However, fate saw fit to condemn him there. A great rock slide cut them off from the rest of the advancing army. Isolated they continued to press the attack unaware that the supply line had been cut. Repeated pleas for more supplies, food, weapons, and soldiers, went unanswered. A realization was growing in the heart of the knight. He had been abandoned by his brothers, forgotten and left to die in a strange land. A vehement curse left his lips then, born of hate and anguish, that he would never see his wife or children again, that he would never return home in victory or in honorable death. But something heard his curse, something unnatural that lived within the crypts below the fort. It came to him that night and promised him power, power to exact his revenge on those who abandoned him, on the heathens who persecuted him at every turn, on the world itself. The knight agreed, whatever the price he would pay it, anything to be free of this frozen mountain prison, anything to see his family again. So the thing from the crypts changed him, made him a predator of the night, blessed him with powers born of darkness, and a hunger darker still.
Race: Imperial is the best fit for this build. The racial power Voice of the Emperor combines well with the vampire power Vampiric Seduction, creating two useful “calm” powers that can be used once a day, mimicking Dracula’s hypnotic ability.
Stone: Warrior to start off. Then the Steed stone until we get the conditioning perk. Later I switched to the Lord for magic resistance to help mitigate the damage from late game fire spells.
Primary Skills: Two Handed, Heavy Armor, Block
Secondary Skills: Restoration, Illusion, Sneak
Stat Placement: M:1 H:2 S:2 I stuck with this for the whole play thru. We will need some magicka for healing and calm spells as well as plenty of stamina for power attacks.
Weapons: The Ebony Blade, also known as the Vampire or Leech this is the perfect weapon for the Forgotten Knight.
Apparel: Blades Armor set, Ebony Mail, Helm of Yngol, Masque of Clavicus Vile
Gear: Ring of the Beast, Amulet of Bats
Shouts: Whirlwind Sprint, Slow Time, Animal Allegiance, Kyne’s Peace, Aura Whisper, Become Etherial, all of which mimic Dracula’s supernatural powers. Marked for Death.
Perk Spread Level 31
Two Handed: The Forgotten Knight’s main offense is his greatsword. All the perks are taken to increase the damage of the Ebony Blade which cannot be smithed. Eventually we’ll take all of the perks in the center tree and all of the deep wounds perks to squeeze every last point of damage out of our sword.
Heavy Armor: The Knight is a bulwark on the battle field, equal parts immovable object and unstoppable force. Take every perk in this tree. The steed stone is a good substitute until we pick up the conditioning perk.
Block: The first layer of defense, the knight will eventually take every perk in this tree. Key perks are the bashes giving us a tactical advantage on the battle field.
Restoration: The augmenting perks like Respite and Regeneration make our low level healing spells do double work, I suggest grabbing these once they become available. Necromage synergizes with vampirism in the late game, making the Illusion tree calm spells affect more powerful opponents.
Illusion: The Forgotten Knight is a master of hypnotism, and is able to calm the most berserk rage. The focus here is the calm based spells. The calm aspect of this skill can be mastered very quickly since the key perks are all pretty low on the tree.
Sneak: Not many perks are taken due to our vampiric boost to sneaking. Sneak is used mainly for feeding in towns and villages allowing us to sneak up on sleeping victims. Muffled Movement helps in this regard since heavy armor makes the most noise.
Vampirism: Key perks to aim for are Blood Healing, Poison Talons, Night Cloak, and Mist Form; all of these perks are used as part of the knight’s special powers and augment his unique use of the vampire lord ability.
The Beginning
Isolated, and with dwindling supplies, hunger and cold are beginning to take their toll on the men. Morale is low and every few days a man disappears, worthless deserters I hope the wolves get them. The hidden pass that leads to the keep has been blocked by a rockslide and ogres stalk the lower slopes. Not a single scout has returned, I fear they have all met some dire end in these cursed mountains. I worry about the commander. He has taken to secluding himself in his chambers and refuses to eat or drink. His skin has taken on a deathly pallor and there is a feverish look to his eyes. The last thing we need is the commander to fall ill. - Journal of an Akaviri soldier
What the thing from the crypts was is not known, nor is the payment for the gift it gave the commander. The aftermath however, was recorded in the fervent hand of several now long dead akavir who served under the commander, and were stranded in the Jerall Mountains that dark winter.
Vata and I are the last, all the others have fallen to the commander’s ravenous hunger and tonight he will come for us. Vata thinks she knows a way to seal him in his coffin something she calls Stalrhim a magic she learned in Solstheim during the campaign. I have seen his power however, seen him tear through his own men and gorge himself on their blood. No “enchanted ice” is going to stop that. I haven’t the heart to say this to Vata, it may be a fool’s hope but it’s better than the impotent fear I now feel. I just hope our end will be swift, not like the others who now dot the courtyard like gruesome trees in a hellish dream. -Journal of an Akaviri soldier
The Armament of the Forgotten
Heavy armor is the focus of any combat oriented knight, so getting a set as early as possible is highly recommended. To this end, following Ralof out of Helgen will get you a full set of imperial armor, which allows you to start leveling this skill from the very beginning. Our goal is the Blades armor set, which is reminiscent of the ancient akavir armor that the knight would be familiar with. The set can be obtained at very low levels if one focuses on the main quest, which is highly recommended, until you get access to Sky Haven Temple.
The end game set is the Ebony Mail, the power and style of this set is well known, furthermore it goes well with the other blades pieces creating a sleek dark look that is not unlike the blades set. There are also two alternate helmets that I used for their various enchantments and aesthetics that go well with the armor sets in question, the Helm of Yngol and the Masque of Clavicus Vile. These helms are the closest representation in Skyrim to a general’s kabuto without mods.
The signature weapon of the Forgotten Knight is his two handed katana the Ebony Blade, also known as the Vampire or the Leech, it is a truly malevolent weapon possessed of a hunger as dark as the knight’s own. As soon as you reach level twenty head to Whiterun and complete the Whispering Door quest to get this weapon. The ebony blade has an absorb health effect that improves with every friendly person you murder, eventually capping out after ten murders. And will do a respectable 30 points of absorb health damage with every hit once fully charged. Furthermore the blade has infinite charges so you won’t need to worry about hoarding all those soul gems you find laying around. The one downside is that the blade cannot be smithed for more damage, which is why there is a heavy focus on the Barbarian and Deep Wounds perks.
There are several ways to charge up the Ebony Blade, personally I prefer to do it the way it was intended by gaining the favor of an NPC and then hacking them to pieces when no one is looking, or right in front of their friends and family depending on how depraved you are feeling that day, then rinse and repeat with a new NPC. However, if you want to game the system, the fastest way to charge the Blade requires a reanimation staff and one friendly NPC who has outlived their usefulness. Simply kill the unfortunate soul then raise them with the staff, repeat nine more times and viola a fully charged Ebony Blade.
The Knight’s Steed
Another major aspect of this build is mounted combat. Every knight needs a mount worthy of carrying him into battle and Skyrim has been kind enough to provide us with the perfect horse, Shadowmere. What better mount for a vampiric knight than a demonic horse? Mounted combat takes some practice to get right as you will need to learn how to time your strikes so they coincide with when your horse passes by the enemy. Once mastered this is a very satisfying combat choice and feels epic when you charge down the road towards a roaring giant.
I suggest buying a horse early so you can get the feel for how they maneuver and the timing of your attacks. Free-to-ride horses can be obtained from the stables at Solitude and Riften by performing a minor quest for the owner (harvesting corps or winning a brawl). The end goal of course is to obtain Shadowmere who is the perfect steed for the Forgotten Knight.
Powers and Weaknesses
Crimson Mist: The Forgotten’s body becomes a noxious mist confounding all attempts to harm him, while at the same time weakening his foes. Then he suddenly bursts into action with a demoniac bloodlust turning all of his surrounding foes into this abilities namesake.
Requirements: Marked for Death, Mist Form in “human form”, Ebony Blade, Ebony Mail, and the Sweep Perk.
Start the battle by shouting Marked for Death onto as many opponents as possible then cast Mist Form. Continue to attract attention to yourself getting as many hostiles in range as possible. Marked for Death will be depleting the enemies armor while the Ebony Mail will be whittling away at their life. Finally, when Mist Form expires start swinging with the Ebony Blade, you will literally be wreathed in a Crimson Mist while you absorb the life essence of all those around you.
The Blood Beast: The knight is able to take on many forms, including the terrifying Blood Beast a feral amalgamation of bat and man. This creature possesses unnatural speed, monstrous strength, and uncanny abilities that defy the natural order.
Requirements: Vampire Lord Form and Ring of the Beast.
When the potent combination of heavy armor and the Ebony Blade aren’t enough, assume the form of the Blood Beast. Limiting ourselves to physical combat in this form the Poison Talons perk and the Ring of the Beast will make short work of most enemies. Blood Healing will sustain us allowing for greater carnage. This build uses Vampire Lord Form like lycanthropes use beast form, aside from leveling the Vampirism skill we won’t be using the blood magic abilities.
Vile Swarm: The Blood Beast is not a stable form; the malleable physical nature of this creature allows him to disassemble his body into a swarm of bloodsucking bats. This terrible cloud darts from victim to victim draining them of their lifeblood.
Requirements: Vampire Lord Form and Amulet of Bats.
The Vampirism perk Night Cloak summons a swarm of bats that damages surrounding enemies, and functions in much the same way as the Ebony Mail’s poison cloak ability, acting as a sort of enemy radar. The Amulet of Bats turns our Bats ability into a strategic weapon, making it both offensive and defensive. Allowing the beast to escape a tight spot and damage the enemy at the same time.
Bloodlust: The Forgotten Knight is not without weaknesses, such is the payment for the incredible power he now possesses. The Knight is in constant hunger, always thirsting for the blood of the living. Centuries of dealing with this hunger has strengthened his control over it, but he must still feed regularly or risk losing himself to the need.
Requirements: Feeding.
For role-playing purposes you must feed every night. The powers you possess exact a hunger upon your undead form. You must sustain it with the blood of the living.
Tyranny of the Sun: A creature of death and darkness the knight can barely tolerate the suns presence, and his powers are severely limited when under the sun’s rays.
Requirements: Avoid travel during the day. None of the listed special powers are available during the day.
The vampires of Skyrim are similar to the Dracula mythos in that sunlight doesn’t destroy them it just makes them weaker. To this end the special abilities listed above cannot be performed during the day, similar to Dracula, who was unable to change his form during the day.
Play Style / Role Play
General combat and dungeon crawling see your basic two handed play style, run in and hit them with the pointy end until they stop moving. This straight forward approach works fine for duels where you can overcome a single enemy, and easily outmaneuver their attacks thanks to the steed stone or conditioning perk. Groups can be more difficult as they flank you and attack from multiple directions at once, this is where the calm spells/voice of the emperor shine, allowing you to systematically execute all of the small fry while their comrades watch on hypnotized.
In the wilds of Skyrim mounted combat can be very fun and skilled riders will be able to use the horse’s bulk to push enemies off of bridges or over cliffs as they race by. Furthermore, the horse helps mitigate stamina usage for those occasions where we are caught outside during the day. Letting us save that precious resource for combat.
For tips on how to role-play this type of character checkout Blackblood's Roleplay Guide to Vampirism. It is a great and detailed guide on how to role-play one of the undead.
Specific to this character is a focus on his desire to subdue and rule over others. He originally came as a conqueror and never bent the knee to Reman Cyrodil, so his agenda is unchanged. He will have his vengeance on the descendants of those who wronged him so long ago. To this end he will originally stand against the Empire, until he discovers that thru some twist of fate he himself has become Dragonborn. This will set him on a path of ruler ship, he sees the dragon blood within him as his right to the throne, and will do anything necessary to attain that goal.
The Main Quest at least up to Alduin’s Wall for our armor set. Remember however that in our past life we were a dragon hunter and that drive still runs deep within us. If anything undeath and being dragonborn has only strengthened our desire to hunt this most worthy of adversaries.
The Dawnguard quest line, start this quest as soon as it becomes available to gain access to our special powers.
Rebuilding the Blades, the time has come for you to take over Tamriel, to that end you will rebuild the ancient Akaviri order of Dragon hunters now known as the Blades.
The Dark Brotherhood quest line, to get our steed Shadowmere and one word of the Marked for Death shout. Our dragon blood is all the evidence we need to prove our worthiness of the throne, but first a pretender must be removed.
The Civil War quest line, Imperial side, the Forgotten Knight hates this land and is more than happy to subjugate it to another’s rule.
The Whispering Door should be completed at level 20 to gain our sword.
A side quest specific to the character of the Forgotten Knight is to buy up as much property as you can. Similar to Dracula, the knight seeks to spread his influence and the acquisition of property is a good way to do this. This will involve becoming a thane of many holds, which may seem out of character except that the knight is playing the long game. Good deeds are not anathema to him as long as they serve his purpose, and to that end spreading tales of his heroics helps him control the people and it further masks his dark nature.
Freedom at last! My mind clears for the first time in centuries. The hunger has faded and I grow curious of the outside world. How long was I asleep, how long did I lay in that frozen tomb? The fool Vighar proved to be a malleable sort. My hunger was so great that I nearly took his head off in my need when he finally freed me from that cursed ice. Instead it was his thrall that I tore into. Two more thralls fell to my fangs before I had enough control to notice that Vighar was truly enjoying the spectacle. He thinks I’m another low-blooded vampire; he has no idea of what I am capable of. Soon he will be my slave but for now I will wait and regain my strength. I will learn what has befallen my traitorous comrades, I will have my vengeance.
-Knight Commander Mishaxhi
Conclusion
Thanks to all of you who took the time to read this build, I truly appreciate your interest and hope you have found this build as enjoyable to read as I did playing and writing. I borrowed heavily from Oblivion for the background on this character and those of you who have played that game may recognize the reference. Granted I reinterpreted, and expounded, on the story a lot to make if fit my purposes. The goal was to create a story similar to that of Dracula using the setting of Skyrim. I would like to thank Blackblood for his role-playing guide. I would like to also give some credit to Phil who posted an idea for a vampire knight in the Character Building Recycle Bin, while I went in a different direction this was the initial seed that sparked my imagination. Finally I would like to give a big thanks to the whole Vault community for making the Tamriel Vault such a great place to be.
If you liked this build then please check out my other “creature feature” builds; The Chirurgeon and The Creature of Lake Ilinalta. Or you could visit my page for all of the builds I’ve created so far.
Thanks again and Happy Halloween!
-Vargr
