Board Thread:Online Discussion/@comment-10781165-20130620192050/@comment-10516645-20130620222225

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's set in stone that the Jarl of Riften created the Dawnguard. I think the only matter of debate is what happened to the Dawnguard afterward. One theory is that they killed the Jarl's vampire son and they were banished from the hold, but continued to hunt vampires. But, the people began to not take the vampire threat seriously, and the Dawnguard lost influence and respect and eventually disbanded. Another theory is that they saw the power the vampire son had and they chose to become vampires themselves. They then preyed on the people of the Rift until they were hunted down.