[I love Skyrim and I love actually living the game as my character. I don’t use fast travel and I try to play as realistically as possible with help from multiple mods. Because of this, I find myself wanting to write the story of my characters. This one is about Stiv, a vampire that leaves his coven and goes out on his own.]

The coven was useless. The coven was useless.

Living in a cave, picking off the random traveler or merchant on the road was no way for a vampire to live. Stiv’s so called vampire family was useless. They lived as rats rather than the superior beings they were meant to be. All this potential was wasted, all suggestions to venture out and claim more of Skyrim shot down by the majority.

It was time to leave. It was dusk and Stiv took a step outside the cave. The final moments of the day’s sunlight leaving a mild tingle on his pale flesh. Flanking the entrance to his now former home were two thralls, under the power of the miniscule vampire group.

“Anything you need, master?” Asked the one on the left. Both were former bandits, begging to be servants rather than food for the coven. An early warning alarm couldn’t hurt just in case a wandering mercenary caught wind of them.

Stiv looked to the thrall on the right, then to the one on the left to respond, “I’m leaving. Don’t expect me to return.”

“But sir, no one-” The former bandit was cut off, surprised to see a quick flash of steel and then blood trickling down his neck. The other bandit was already dying, a red mist-like energy being sapped from his body and absorbed into the vampire’s other hand. Both fell to the ground, their life fading in different ways. They would have been excellent meals, but the blood is only good as the heart still beats. In this weakened state, stealth is difficult and the formerly seasoned bandits would have noticed him no matter what. Stiv moved on.

A vampire didn’t need many provisions. He fed off the blood of his victims, so hunger and thirst were both sustained by this one necessity. The issue was, Stiv was thirsty. Very thirsty. Not one traveler in over a week. Only the smallest life forms wandered around the cave, so there was only enough blood to survive, nothing more.

After about 30 minutes of walking, lights started showing in the distance. A town? There was a town this close to the cave and we didn’t know about it? Stiv thought without pausing his stride. We didn’t know or……they refused to do anything about it. He was in fact speeding up his pace to a near jog. Hunger and rage for his former family were enough to fuel him for now.

Before he entered the center of the small village, Stiv pulled his hood over his head. A vampire that goes without feeding for a long while is very noticeable. Their skin seems to tighten against their bones, especially their slightly morphed skulls.

The town wasn’t very big and there were still some people roaming around. Most were traveling in and out of the local inn. Once he got close, Stiv peered at the sign. The Frostfruit Inn. What town was this? Might as well get some answers while he was here. It would be a long night. With his decision made, Stiv pressed open the wooden door with a slight creaking noise following.

He stepped in, noticing less than a dozen people inside, mostly nords, only a portion of which turned their heads at the new stranger. The others didn’t seem to care. Without breaking stride, Stiv made his way to the innkeepers desk.

“Looking for a room, friend?” The tall, blonde nord asked, trying to peer under the hood Stiv was wearing. “Or…..would you like something to drink? You look as pale as a ghost.”

Stiv made sure not to turn his head to look at the innkeeper directly. He shook his head while looking at the desk, ruffling some papers that seemed to be available for the customers, “A room would be fine. And what town is this anyway? This is my first time making the trip to Skyrim.”

The papers seemed like work and bounty notices. Stiv picked one up and read carefully. A bounty for a bandit leader in the Rift. 300 gold pieces for his death as long as proof was delivered. If I’m going to make a home among the living, Stiv thought, I may as well find a way to make some profit.

The innkeeper was looking at some papers of his own as Stiv read then pocketed the bounty notice. “This is Rorikstead, sir.” He thumbed through the papers, seemingly looking for something specific. “Seems we have a room available, if you would like. That one on your left, closest to us.” The nord pointed to a door behind Stiv. “Ten gold for the night.”

“I’ll give you 15,” Stiv replied, “If you let me stay through midday tomorrow as well.” He reached behind his back to his coin pouch, taking out the amount offered and placing it on the desk. “I’ve had a long day as you’ve already seen from my complexion and I may be passed out for quite a while.”

The innkeeper picked up the coins, counting them as he dropped them somewhere under his desk and smiled to his customer. “I’ll try to make sure no one bothers you.”

An hour later, An hour later,

Relaxing on a wooden and wicker chair in his small room, Stiv had the bounty notice in one hand and a bottle of mead in the other. The mead did little to quench any thirst, but the effects of the alcohol still coursed through him, even if the impact is negligible compared to a normal being. It was more to blend in with the company when he picked it up from the innkeeper.

He studied the bounty notice, especially the drawing of the bandit leader. Another nord, no surprise there. This country was full of the tall, honorable oafs. Flipping the paper over, more details were written on the back. A small group of bandits. The leader and two more since the last sighting. The additions included a breton, much like Stiv himself, and an argonian, a lizard like humanoid. If Stiv could get some nourishment, he could use stealth and cunning to his advantage. In his current state, he could be spotted as a vampire by even the random passerby.

Glass breaking then shouting from the main room. Stiv lifted his head and set down his held items. He slowly stood up and walked to the door, pulling his hood back up. He opened the door slightly to listen to the commotion, soon stepping all the way out afterwards.

“What are you doing up!” A balding nord was shouting, a broken glass bottle in his hand. The inn had emptied a bit more, but the remainers were watching same as Stiv. In front of the shouting man were two small girls, barely half the height of anyone in the room. “I told you to go to bed!”

The two girls were whimpering, trying to step back from what seemed like their father. One spoke up. “But we heard something behind the house,” She tried to say between sobs. “We think there’s a monster there.”

“That’s why I told you to stay inside!” The father knelt down in front of them and lowered his voice.. “Do I need to remind you how your mother died? She was killed by one of those…monsters. Do you want the same thing to happen to you?” He was pointing the broken bottle at them now.

This is when the innkeeper decided to speak up, “Ok Lemkil, I think that’s enough,” The innkeeper was walking towards the three slowly, attempting to dissolve the situation.

Lemkil looked up at the innkeeper, then to his daughters. “Let’s go, you two.” He placed the broken bottle on the nearest table then made his way out of the inn, his daughters hesitantly following. The innkeeper picked the broken bottle up and made his way to gather supplies to clean the rest of the mess. Everyone else went back to their business as if this happened every day.

Stiv watched Lemkil the whole time, following him out the door and keeping an eye on him. One thing was going through his mind. Would those girls be better off without such a father like that? It didn’t take long for the vampires mind to be made up. He slid back into his room and waited.

It was midnight and the Frostfruit Inn was silent. It was midnight and the Frostfruit Inn was silent.

The only person inside the main room was the innkeeper’s assistant, who seemed to work the night shift. Stiv nodded to the younger man, making it seem like he was just going on a late night stroll. Without any fuss, Stiv stepped out of the building.

A cool breeze hit him as soon as he stepped on to the front porch. It was a nice and welcome night. A few guards littered the area, but none were close enough to notice the vampire. Even so, Stiv still walked in a casual and inconspicuous manner. If he were noticed, he didn’t want to seem suspicious. He made his way across the road where, earlier, he saw Lemkil and his daughters enter a house he assumed was their home.

Although Stiv disliked his old family of vampires, he did learn quite a bit from him. So before he left the cave, he made sure to take with him supplies he thought to be necessary in any future activity. Along with the gold he used at the inn, he grabbed some lock picks as well. He took some out of a small pack he wore on his belt and inserted the set into the lock of Lemkil’s house.

The lock was a simple matter. Most normal homes didn’t have much security because its inhabitants don’t think themselves as a target for thieves, which is true in most cases. Stiv only took about a minute to unlock the door, making sure no guards patrolled nearby. A small creak of the door and he was inside.

Just as the outside of the home had shown, it wasn’t a very spacious place. A dinner table with chairs, a couple of bookshelves, dressers, all the usual amenities. Then he saw the beds. All three asleep. The girls at one end, the father at the other. Slowly and carefully, Stiv walked over to the man, making sure to move in the open areas of the building for fear of knocking something over.

He stood over the sleeping nord. Stiv was craving blood at this point. It has been so long since he had a full meal. Normally, he would have been able to make do with a small, unnoticeable area to bite, such as the wrist or ankle. But his thirst was too much. He knelt down, and without hesitation, sunk his now exposed fangs into the mans neck. It only took a few seconds to drain all he needed. This would be the nords final rest.

Satisfied with his meal, Stiv could feel the changes over his body as the craving was replaced by power. He looked into a nearby basin of water, his reflection staring back at him. He looked like the breton he used to be. A smile creased along his face. He snatched a cloth near the basin and wiped the blood off of his mouth and chin, tossing it on the dead man’s face.

Not wanting to risk sticking around for the girls to see their now dead father, he exited the building, making sure no one was around before stepping fully out. He didn’t bother placing the hood back over his head as he walked back to the inn.

“You look more refreshed, sir,” The innkeeper’s assistant said to Stiv.

“Yes, that fresh night air does wonders, doesn’t it.” Stiv smiled to the younger nord. “I’m going to turn in for the night.”

“Rest well,” The assistant replied back as he worked on cleaning the desk.

Stiv entered his room, closing the door completely behind him, his smile still stretched across his face. He sat on the bed, reflecting on the return of his full power. A starved vampire might be physically stronger, but nothing can contend with a fully sated one. He sat there, going over his potential as red lights seemed to gather around him, his eyes flickering a bright yellow. Tomorrow is a new life for him.