Prophet (Dawnguard)

Prophet
Quest Giver	Isran
Location	Forebears' Holdout
Prerequisite	A New Order
Next Quest	Seeking Disclosure and Chasing Echoes
Faction	Dawnguard
Reward	5 new followers Blood-Kin (if not already)
Type	Main Quest
Quest ID	DLC1VQ03Hunter

For other uses, see The Prophet.

Prophet is a quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard.

Background

Serana told me that her father was trying to gain power over the sun by fulfilling a prophecy found in the Elder Scrolls. If we could read the prophecy, we might be able to stop him. Serana had one of the scrolls, but we'd need a Moth Priest in order to read it.

Walkthrough

Discussion

After talking to Isran, he leads the Dragonborn to talk to Serana, who arrived at the fort to tell the Dawnguard of her father's plans. Upon talking to Serana and Isran, he allows Serana to stay if she does not touch anyone. Serana says they need a Moth Priest to read the Elder Scroll she brought, and Isran says an Imperial scholar has recently arrived in Skyrim.

Serana recommends the Dragonborn find the Moth Priest, and says she will go with the Dragonborn, only if it is just her and the player. Any follower must be dismissed to have her tag along, although there is a glitch that allows Cicero to come as a second companion. If the Dragonborn elects to leave Serana alone and not bring her along, she stays at Fort Dawnguard.

Investigation

Ask a Carriage Driver

Ask any carriage driver outside a city if he has seen a Moth Priest. He will mention that he is not sure, but can be persuaded or bribed for answers. The driver will reveal that the Moth Priest asked him to take him to Dragon Bridge.

Ask an Innkeeper

Ask any innkeeper in any city if they have seen a Moth Priest. They will say that the Moth Priest had recently stayed in the inn, on his way to Dragon Bridge.

Visit the College of Winterhold

Head to the College of Winterhold, and speak to Urag gro-Shub in the Arcanaeum. He will reveal that a Moth Priest came by to study in the library, but left for Dragon Bridge.

Dragon Bridge

Upon reaching Dragon Bridge, ask the guards or Clinton Lylvieve about the Moth Priest's whereabouts. They will mention that he left south across the bridge a short while ago. A trio of vampires may attack while asking about the Moth Priest's whereabouts, but the Hold Guards will assist in killing them.

Travel south across the bridge and eventually find an ambushed carriage. Search the vampire corpse for a Vampire's Note indicating that the Moth Priest was taken to Forebears' Holdout.

Forebears' Holdout

Forebear's Holdout

Upon entering the cave, head left and kill or sneak by the death hounds and vampires before crossing over to the main building and up the stairs to the upper platform. The Moth Priest, Dexion Evicus, is being held here in a magical barrier.

Once all the vampires are dead, search Malkus' body to find a Weystone Focus, or let Malkus live and pickpocket the Weystone from him. Place the Weystone on the altar above the barrier to deactivate it. Dexion Evicus will awaken, but will still be partially enthralled. After defeating him, he will come to his senses and thank the Dragonborn. After talking to Dexion, he will agree to help read the Elder Scroll and will head to Fort Dawnguard.

Travel back to Fort Dawnguard and report to Isran. Next speak with Dexion, who will begin to read the Elder Scroll. He first sees a vision of Auriel's bow, then a voice whispers to him about a dread lord of the night who will rise up in a time when dragons return. He then reveals that two other scrolls are needed to learn the secret of the bow's power and complete the prophecy. One scroll contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, the other speaks of the potency of the ancient blood. Once the reading is complete, Dexion will say the reading has wearied him, and the quest will end and the quests "Chasing Echoes" and "Seeking Disclosure" will begin.

Elder Scroll reading

Dexion: "I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow! Now a voice whispers, saying "Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise." In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one.

The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other scrolls. Yes, I see them now... One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood.

My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls."

• Serana must be present for reading.

Journal

Prophet – DLC1VQ03Hunter
ID	Journal Entry
5	When I returned to Fort Dawnguard, Isran told me that he needed to speak to me, and he asked me to follow him. Objective 5: Follow Isran
7	When I returned to Fort Dawnguard, I was surprised to learn that Serana had come to the base searching for me. She claimed to have something urgent she needed to tell me. Objective 10: Speak to Serana
10	When I returned to Fort Dawnguard, I was surprised to learn that Serana had come to the base searching for me. She claimed to have something urgent she needed to tell me. Objective 15: Speak to Isran
15	Serana told me that her father was trying to gain power over the sun by fulfilling a prophecy found in the Elder Scrolls. If we could read the prophecy, we might be able to stop him. Serana had one of the scrolls, but we'd need a Moth Priest in order to read it.
17	Serana told me that her father was trying to gain power over the sun by fulfilling a prophecy found in the Elder Scrolls. If we could read the prophecy, we might be able to stop him. Serana had one of the scrolls, but we'd need a Moth Priest in order to read it.
20	Serana told me that her father was trying to gain power over the sun by fulfilling a prophecy found in the Elder Scrolls. If we could read the prophecy, we might be able to stop him. Serana had one of the scrolls, but we'd need a Moth Priest in order to read it. Objective 20: Locate a Moth Priest Objective 24: (Optional) Ask carriage drivers about the Moth Priest Objective 26: (Optional) Ask innkeepers in cities about the Moth Priest
30	Serana told me that her father was trying to gain power over the sun by fulfilling a prophecy found in the Elder Scrolls. Only a Moth Priest can read an Elder Scroll, so we've set out to find one. Objective 25: (Optional) Visit the College of Winterhold to ask about the Moth Priest
40	Eager to unlock the secrets of an ancient prophecy thought to be hidden within Serana's Elder Scroll, Harkon has ordered his court to find a Moth Priest. I now have reason to suspect that there's a Moth Priest in Solitude. Objective 26: (Optional) Ask innkeepers in cities about the Moth Priest
45	Serana and I heard a rumor that a Moth Priest recently visited Solitude. He was thought to have stayed at the Winking Skeever. Objective 27: Speak to the innkeeper in Solitude
50	Serana told me that her father was trying to gain power over the sun by fulfilling a prophecy found in the Elder Scrolls. We've set out to find a Moth Priest who can read Serana's Elder Scroll, and the trail has led us to Dragon Bridge. Objective 30: Ask people in Dragon Bridge if they saw the Moth Priest
52	Serana and I are one step behind the Moth Priest. We journeyed to Dragon Bridge and learned that he had passed through the town, heading south across the bridge. Objective 32: Search along the road south of Dragon Bridge
55	I'm one step behind the Moth Priest. After leaving Dragon Bridge, I searched along the road for any sign of his passing. I found an overturned wagon and some dead vampires and Imperial guards. Was this the Moth Priest's wagon? Objective 35: Investigate the scene of the attack
57	I'm one step behind the Moth Priest. After leaving Dragon Bridge, I searched along the road for any sign of his passing. I found an overturned wagon and some dead Imperial guards and vampires. Was this the Moth Priest's wagon? Objective 37: Read the Vampire's Note
60	Harkon's vampire agents have captured the Moth Priest and taken him to a place called Forebears' Holdout. I must rescue him before the vampires can break his will. Objective 40: Rescue the Moth Priest
65	Harkon's agents have captured the Moth Priest! I have tracked them to Forebears' Holdout, but the vampires have enthralled the moth priest and I will have to confront him in order to break their hold. Objective 41: Deactivate the magic barrier
66	Harkon's agents have captured the Moth Priest! I have tracked them to Forebears' Holdout, but the vampires have enthralled the Moth Priest and I will have to confront him in order to break their hold. Objective 42: Defeat the enthralled Moth Priest
70	Harkon's agents captured the Moth Priest and enthralled him, but I was able to break their hold on his mind. Objective 45: Speak to the Moth Priest
80	I rescued the Moth Priest from his vampire captors and asked him to meet me at Fort Dawnguard. I must return to Isran and tell him of our success. Objective 50: Report your success to Isran
90	With the Moth Priest safely back at Fort Dawnguard, he can now read Serana's Elder Scroll and learn more about the prophecy that Harkon is hoping to use to gain power over the sun.
100	With the Moth Priest safely back at Fort Dawnguard, he can now read Serana's Elder Scroll and learn more about the prophecy that Harkon is hoping to use to gain power over the sun. Objective 60: Speak to the Moth Priest
200	After the Moth Priest's reading, we have more questions than answers. The old priest saw a vision of a weapon called Auriel's Bow, but we need to find two more Elder Scrolls in order to unravel the rest of the prophecy. Quest complete

Trivia

• If Serena creates a Thrall that survives the battle, after talking with Dexion, the Thrall may begin to sleep in one of the coffins.
• After completion of this quest, Agmaer, Celann, and Durak will all become available as followers, as well as Beleval and Ingjard, 2 new Dawnguard recruits. In addition, Durak will make the Dragonborn Blood-Kin, immediately granting them access to all Orc Strongholds (barring Orcs, who always have access to the latter by default).
• When Dexion reads Serana's scroll, the scroll is also still on her back.
• The elk outside the entrance will immediately respawn upon freeing Dexion, and exiting.
• It is possible, before finishing this quest by having Dexion read the Elder Scroll, to speak to Sorine Jurard and start the quest to rescue Florentius Baenius and return him to Fort Dawnguard so he can be in attendance as well when Dexion reads the Elder Scroll.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Prophet (Dawnguard). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

Click to see the list of bugs encountered

360   When going to save Dexion, he may be outside of the magic barrier. If he is, then do not deactivate the magic barrier. If its deactivated, he will stay down after being defeated.  360   When entering Fort Dawnguard or Castle Volkihar, Dexion may attack everyone. The only known fix at this time is loading a previous save.  PC   360   PS3   It is possible that Malkar can be inside the barrier, making it impossible to open without reloading.  PC   360   PS3   Upon releasing Dexion, he will be hostile. After he has been defeated, if he does not stand up and remains downed on his knees, then he will attack the other people at Fort Dawnguard or Castle Volkihar when he gets there.  PC (Fix)   360 (Fix)   PS3 (Fix)   This can be fixed by reloading a save.  PC (Fix)   This can be fixed by opening the console by pressing the "~" key, clicking on Dexion while the console is opened, and entering "resurrect". Dexion will continue attacking the other people, but the Bend Will shout will stop both Dexion and the Dawnguard from attacking each other.  PC (Fix)   360 (Fix)   PS3 (Fix)   This is caused by the vampire who is inside the barrier defeating Dexion before he can be saved, which initiates the interaction that would have been had if he had attacked the Dragonborn first. A solution to this is to cast Harmony (with the necessary perks) before going through the archway leading to the bonfire. The range of the spell is more than sufficient. This will not affect Malkar or the Nightmaster Vampire, so if only their names appear in the affectee list then it has worked on the vampire within the barrier. Killing Malkar, getting his Weystone and deactivating the barrier will make Dexion become hostile as scripted and the objective "Defeat the enthralled Moth Priest" will appear. Once he and all the other vampires have been defeated, he will no longer be hostile.  360   Dexion may randomly attack the Dragonborn.  360 (Fix)   If the Dragonborn is not an Imperial or does not have any magic or a dragon shout that can manipulate humanoids, the most simple way to avoid this glitch is to not have Serana as a companion during the quest by dismissing her as soon as the quest starts.  PC (Fix)   This can be resolved by finding the note on a dead vampire on the road south of Dragon Bridge (next to the first destroyed wagon) in order to avoid this glitch. The Moth Priest will still be hostile initially, but will yield upon defeating him.  PC (Fix)   This can be resolved by achieving level 60 Illusion and dual casting Pacify frequently with the necessary perks.  PC (Fix)   This can be prevented by making sure that Serana does not follow the Dragonborn into Forebears' Holdout. Even if she accompanied them all the way to Dragon Bridge, as long as she does not go inside Forebears' Holdout, Dexion should no longer be hostile once outside.  PC (Fix)   This can be resolved by, upon entering Forebears' Holdout, opening the console and entering "prid xx007b88" followed by "setav health #" with # being a very high value (for example, 1000000), and, after opening the barrier, quickly returning his health to a more reasonable value (for example, 100).  PC (Fix)   If this glitch is occurring, it can be circumvented by opening the console ("~"), clicking on Dexion to select him, entering the command "kill", exiting the console, waiting for Dexion to kneel down, opening the console again and entering "resurrect". Dexion will still appear as an enemy on the compass, but will not act aggressively or prevent fast travel.  PC (Fix)   If the Dragonborn has two or three of the Words of Power for Bend Will, they can use it on Dexion when he begins to attack everyone in Fort Dawnguard and he will cease. That will allow him to read the scroll and complete the quest.  PC   360   XB1   Guards may not run through quest script and cannot be interacted with beyond their usual script.  PC (Fix)   360 (Fix)   XB1 (Fix)   The need for speaking to the guards can be bypassed by going south out of Dragon Bridge to find the ambushed caravan.  PC (Fix)   360 (Fix)   XB1 (Fix)   Talking to Clinton Lylvieve will advance the quest and mark the ambushed caravan on the map.  360   Isran's and Serana's script may not activate after following Isran. The only known solution at this time is to reload a previous save.  PC   PS3   After asking Dexion to read the Elder Scroll, he may loop his reading animation, and the quest will be stuck.  PC (Fix)   PS3 (Fix)   Wait for two hours and the animation will stop and the quest will continue.  PC (Fix)   Opening the console "~" and selecting Dexion, followed by entering "ResetAI" will fix this.  PC   Once Isran tells the Dragonborn to talk to Dexion to read the Elder Scroll, he may not read it and no option for him to read it appears when he is spoken to.  PC (Fix)   When entering Fort Dawnguard, speak with Dexion before speaking to Isran.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard