Fort Dawnguard

It serves as the primary stronghold for the Dawnguard, an ancient 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.

Erection and early 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. 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.

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.

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 dummys 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
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 gruesome, 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.

Inhabitants

 * Agmaer - A young Nord male recruit. Potential follower.
 * Beleval - A Bosmer female vampire hunter. Potential follower.
 * Bran - A husky war dog and potential follower. Appears after Bloodline.
 * Celann - A old associate of Isran and seasoned veteran. Potential follower.
 * Durak - An Orc 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 Orc male vampire hunter.
 * Sceolang - A Husky 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

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Everyone inside Fort Dawnguard randomly attack all at once.