Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

322 2. THE ELDER SCROLLS CHAPTER 2: DAGGERFALL
[66.2] Vampires of the Iliac Bay II
Vampires of the Iliac Bay, Part II
by Anonymous
I told in the first chapter of my story how I became a vampire and of my first kill. While it
might (and, indeed, should) horrify the reader that my first victim was a friend of the mortal I
used to be, it is my understanding that they are not uncommon first kills.
I left the snow white corpse in the alley and ran to the only place I felt perversely safe, the
masoleum. For the first couple days of my undeath, I starved myself while I considered my
fate. I relearned what I was capable of doing, and found that I was stronger, faster, tougher,
and more agile than before. I had powers that as a knight I had only seen powerful mages
wield. Later, I discovered additional abilities, such as a total immunity to disease. Helpful
when descending on a plague-stricken city like a jackal.
I also found my weaknesses. I could no longer stand the light of the sun -- exposure to it for
longer than a few seconds burned me terribly. It also pained me to enter temples and other
places of worship. The worst effect, of course, had to be my blood lust. If I did not kill a
warm blooded creature once a night and drink its blood, my hunger would gnaw at me, and
any wounds I suffered would not heal no matter how much I rested.
Is this the moment for me to admit that there was a time I loved being a bloodsucking creature
of the night? It is not impossible to live only at night, merely occasionally inconvenient. And I
wouldn't have to kill humans every night, merely warm-blooded creatures. Orcs have a
delicious, rich brothy blood; rats are a little sweet for the only meal of the night; werewolves
are a real treat, almost decadent the tincture between human and beast. A real gourmet's
delight.
About a month after I died, I was having the best time of my life. One night, I received a letter
from someone who said he was "family." Curious, I went to visit him at his tavern, and was
told about the tribe of vampires to which I belonged -- the Montalion. In return for me
performing certain duties for the "family," the man at the inn would train my in my vampiric
abilities and skills.
Though I never got very much detail, I surmised that the two main differences between the
different vampire clans is geography and powers. Montalion alone have the gift for
teleportation, but the other eight have powers of their own.
My mentor (that is the title he used) would congratulate me after each mission I performed,
and came to trust me more and more. If asked, he would tell me about the Montalion's newest
alliances, who they were manipulating, who they were stalking. It was then I started to
become frightened at last. They, and all of their rival clans, were draining the blood of
Tamriel itself.
I panicked. I had to find a cure. But nowhere could I find any book or rumor suggesting that
vampirism is anything but permanent. So I resolved to kill myself, but I wanted to bring the