The Redguard stood completely still as one of her brethren, as she came to call them, smeared war paint on her face. A spiralling design that went from her neck to the edge of her mismatched eyes. The Nord, by the name of Saerin gently traced over her scars, he was the son of Agemaer, a former farmer who had joined the Dawnguard at the same time as the Dragonborn. The paint was cool on her skin. Such strange traditions the Nords had.
She had yet to see red guards wearing any war paint. But it was nice, it made her feel powerful.

"Ready?" She breathed, once he had finished. He nodded. Just like her, he remembered a time when vampires were the lowest of the low, scurrying from the light of day and hiding in dusty old ruins of Nordic ancestors. But now... Now they crawled out of their ratholes to bask in the darkness of the blocked out sun.
"Get the others. The time is now."
Her companion nods and gestures for the others.

It didn't take long for the others to emerge from their hiding places from behind the watch tower outside of Castle Volkihar with weapons in hand, weapons of all kind. They all wore rags. Including Ka'ava; it was the only thing they were able to get to clothe themselves.
"Brothers, Sisters, today we will do what we've been training for, what we have been yearning for since the day the Dragonborn turned their back on the dawn. Clan Volkihar must fall!"
A series of low cheers.

Ka'ava wasn't stupid enough to just charge in there with brute force. The element of surprise was on their side. The vampires wouldn't expect a bunch of humans to attack them in their own home.
"Do you have the potions?" She asked Saerin who nodded and began to pass the series of potions to the others, who took it carefully, "These are invisibility potions. Saerin stayed awake the whole night making these, they will last thirty seconds only so once we get across that bridge and in front of the door, you drink it and those of you with long ranged weapons, position yourselves in a hiding spot. Those of you with melee weapons, you will follow my lead. Understand?" They all nodded.

@Miakardia

The court was alive with laughter and jeers, the vampires of Clan Volkihar crowded together, with a large space in the centre of the room, where three Death Hounds slowly circled one another. Human subjugates moved slowly around the room, weaving between their vampiric masters, their heads low, their flesh littered with half-healed cuts and scars where the skin had been sliced to allow the masters to feed. The guards at the door of the room watched the fight from the corner of their eye, pretending they weren't, whilst a single man stood apart, at the back of the crowd, not really paying attention to the fight, not joining his brothers with his cries of bloodlust.

The lone male watched with his fellows with more interest than he watched the fighting. His dark hair slicked back and his eyes flickering from vampire to vampire, taking in each little detail. Though his features were stony and cold, almost perfect, as though he were sculpted from rock and ice, the lack of colour in his cheeks and the hollowness of his eyes could not disguise his bosmer features as well as he'd have liked. It was these features, and his upbringing during his time in Valenwood that did not allow him to take part in his clanmates' 'sport'.

"If Lord Harkon was here, Drakus, you would not look on with such distaste at his favourite sport..." A voice spoke quietly behind the former mer. The bosmer vampire turned, seeing a tall blond-haired man who had once been a proud nord before he found his family here.

The mer smirked a little, "Ah yes, but Lord Harkon is not here, so I do not need to pretend to enjoy his little games... I can admire them for what they are, barbaric indulgences of the minds of barbarians..." He raises an eyebrow at the man as all the other vampires let out either cries of anger or cheers of bloodlust, depending on which way they'd bet, as one of the death hounds ripped out a second's throat. "See..?"

Quickly, the small group of all kinds of human and even races sneaked along the bridge, it took about five minutes to scurry across. Ka'ava's group was not exactly big, and rightly so, it was a sneaking operation, not a full scale attack. They needed to be careful and swift as a fish when it came to things like these.
Once they reached the heavy set double doors, Ka'ava and her group quickly chugged down the invisibility potions, their forms disappearing with a pop sound.

Ka'ava opened the doors slightly, just enough so that her body could fit, she slipped inside. She waited for the rest to finish coming in. The last of her group slowly closed the door behind them, barely making a sound. She noticed the guard standing near the entrance to the main dining Hall, where the vampires seemed to be entertaining themselves.

Ka'ava shivered, though she knew that this was no time to be backing out now.
She tip toed towards the guard who stood near the entrance. He hadn't noticed that the door opened just slightly when they had entered, for he was watching the fight that was going on below.

Perfect

She readied her war axe to strike.

The bosmer vampire's head snaps to the side, cutting himself off halfway through a sentence in which he was explaining to the other vampire why killing and drinking the blood of mer and men was acceptable, but baiting hounds into ripping one another to pieces was not. "Something is not right." He hisses through his teeth. He had felt the change in the air, though he might not feel the cold any longer, he still knew when it was cold in a room, and a cold breeze had just rolled through the room.

Snapping his gaze to the guard, Drakus frowns as he sees the guard is not paying any attention to his post at all, and is completely transfixed by the death hounds, as the final two circle each other around the tattered remains of the third.

"Do not alarm the others. Collect the guards from upstairs, then circle back around..." Drakus speaks quickly and calmly to the other vampire, sending him a look that told him not to argue, before moving quickly and gracefully away from the rest of the group, down a side passage off of the room, towards the staircase that led to the balcony overlooking this room.

The others found hiding spots around the area just as Ka'ava positioned herself behind the vampire, ready to decapitate him. She signalled to the archerers to ready their crossbows or their bows, whichever they happened to carry. Her fingers pointed towards the entrance to the main area. One archer heaved his crossbow onto his shoulder, pulling the string back, aiming towards a vampire sitting at the table.

Ka'ava's eyes widened when she saw a vampire walking up the steps towards them.

Shit!

She held in a gasp of panic. She needed to think fast. Her eyes flickered towards the guard then back at the vampire who was approaching. Take the guard out, or this guy?
There was a strange aura coming from this one, something that screamed danger. Ka'ava knew that there were different types of vampirism. The Normal kind, which one could get from another vampire, then the other kind, the kind that one got from the Daedric Prince, Molag Bal himself. And nine divines know what the few vampire lords in existence have done to gain the Prince's favour. She could've suppress a shiver.

She had stayed waiting a bit too long because the others glanced at her weirdly. She breathed and decided to get her archers to attack the others. Ka'ava gestured for the others to aim. They did, and then her fingers turned, giving them the signal to fire. She resisted the urge to close her eyes as the invisible arrows whistled in the air.

A sharp sound filled the air, the whistle of flying arrows and crossbow bolts, quickly followed by cries of pain rained down across the stone walls of Castle Volkihar. The voices of dozens of his brothers all crying out at once, dropping to their knees. Drakus' eyes darted around quickly, looking for the source of the whistling noise, before he frowned.

As the cries of pain changed to shouts of anger and shock as the vampires noticed their fallen brothers, a snarl ripped through Drakus' throat, tearing through his lips as he transforms, his skin losing what colour it had left, two bony wings bursting out from his back as he grew taller and more muscular, ripping through his clothing. His heightened senses helped him to see... His eyes were still useless, but he could hear them now... The fast beat of their hearts as they pounded against their ribcages... The soft rustle of their fingertips over their weapons.

With a scream of bloodlust, Drakus darts forward and swipes at one of the invisible crossbow holders by the balcony, his powerful arm in his vampire lord form throwing the attacker off the balcony with ease.

Ka'ava stood up just as the effects of the potion was wearing off. All around her, chaos erupted, her sisters and brothers engaged in battle immediately. Some were successful in decapitating a few, but Ka'ava could still see that they were losing numbers quickly.

The Redguard had to resist the urge to look as her group was being slaughtered like cattle. She saw one of the crossbow archers be thrown over the balcony by the vampire lord, landing with a sickening crunch down the steps.

She swung her war axe at the guard, hoping to hit him, she prayed to the nine divines to give her strength, even Talos, who was not her god, but one should get all the divine help they could get.
"FOR DAWNGUARD!" One of her brothers nearby howled as he threw himself into the battle, his bow clattering to the ground as he took out his war axe.

The guard cried out in shock as a war axe appeared as the redguard wielding it's invisibility potion wore off. His cry was cut short as the axe found its mark, easily cutting through his armour.

"FOR DAWNGUARD!" An archer roared, and Drakus turned to him as he threw down his bow and charged the vampire lord with his war axe gripped tightly. The vampire lord raises an arm almost lazily, and used blood magic to drain the man's energy. He kept coming, growing slower and more sluggish with each step, until just before he reached Drakus, the axe slipped from his hands and he fell to the ground, dead.

A sharp stinging sensation pierced Drakus' side, and he looked down, letting out a dreadful screech. A crossbow bolt in sticking out of his hip. He looks up and sees a nord furiously attempting to reload his crossbow. Drakus is faster though, and throws himself across the room at him, wrapping his wings around him as he sinks his fangs into the nord's neck, ripping out his throat, and letting the dead man fall to the ground.

Looking down at the chaos around him, Drakus lets a small hiss spiral out of his lips. He raises both hands, and the archer and nord slowly raise to their feet, the archer picking up his fallen axe, and the archer drawing a sharp dagger from his belt. They both lumber forward towards their still living brothers, their bodies under the command of the vampire lord.

Ka'ava almost cried out in relief as the war axe found its mark, but her victory was short lived. For when she overpowered the vampire, she saw two of her brethren, now dead, shuffling towards her and two other of her brood. They were the only ones left of the group alive. A Dunmer and a Brenton.

They were backed up against the wall, weapons at the ready. Ka'ava gripped her war axe tightly, gritting her teeth. The Dunmer held an enchanted crossbow, aiming it at the undead of their group. The brenton held a war hammer. Ka'ava couldn't resist staring into their eyes. Eyes that a few minutes ago were alive. But now, the light in them was dim, nothing was left of them. The choking scent of blood and flesh of her brothers and sisters filled her nostrils now, making her want to puke.

She knew the battle was lost. There was no way that they'll win now; in a castle full of these monsters. How stupid she had been to believe that her idiotic little sneak attack would work. But by the divines, she would not go down so easily.
The desire for revenge washed over her, the desire was very strong, almost clouding her judgement.
The Redguard let out a scream, launching herself at the zombies that had once been her companions, her friends with absolutely no mercy. Everything that they once were, was gone now. That was what she told herself.

The Brenton and the Dunmer shook themselves out of their shock and aided her.

Drakus watched in silence, pacing side to side slowly, his cold eyes watching the redguard and her companions cut down his reanimated corpses. The recently deceased were no match for the still living, and the three young vampire hunters would undoubtedly cut them down soon enough. His intent was not to have the wights kill the three survivors, only tire them. There was a chorus of boots on stone, as from both ends of the balcony hall, vampires emerged from staircases, hissing and snarling, some brandishing weapons, others ready to cast their magicks at their opponents.

The vampire lord held up both hands, signalling for the vampires to come to a halt. They had been to eager to watch the hounds tear each other apart, they could continue to watch as lesser beasts fought for their lives.

One of the undead wights fell as it was cut to pieces, and Drakus raises his right hand again, reanimating two of the other fallen vampire hunters, then two more, sending them shuffling towards the still standing three.

Ka'ava gritted her teeth again. From the corner of her eye, she saw the vampire lord stop his minions from attacking. Instead, he reanimated more of her fallen comrades. Was this some kind of sick game to them? She realised that these monsters really had no respect for human life, just like their disgusting creator, Molag Bal. She did not want to be their plaything and neither did she like the fact that the vampire lord was using the corpses of her friends in such a manner.

A low groaning from one of the reanimated corpses caught her attention, bringing her out of her train of thought. Ka'ava was saved from being slashed with the corpse's dagger by the Dunmer who launched a steel bolt at the undead who toppled over with one last sigh.

Ka'ava's eyes widened, "Look out!" She exclaimed, but it was too late. The undead that had been creeping up on the Dunmer shoved its war axe into his Ribs. The Dunmer cried out, his face twisted in pain as he collapsed. Dead.

One down, two to go. The vampire lord stops his pacing and takes a step toward the remaining two fighters, closing his hands into fists, releasing the corpses from his necromancy, and letting them crumble away into glowing piles of ash. He stood, watching the two, a Redguard and a Breton, neither holding ranged weapons, so he was safe at this distance, unless one of them was foolish enough to disarm themselves in throwing their melee weapons.

He let them wait for a few seconds, to recover their energy, then transforms back into his humanoid form, that of the short bosmer. "We are not all beasts here... There has been enough blood wasted. Which of you is more senior in your ranks? You will remain behind for questioning. The other will be released..." The bosmer's eyes flicked from redguard to Breton slowly, and back again, waiting for an answer.

Her brenton companion glanced at Ka'ava, who was glaring at the vampire Lord who now had transformed back. She almost wanted to laugh at his comment. Not all beasts? She begged to differ.
"I am." She said, keeping her war axe close, just in case the vampires tried anything. Her hands closed around the axe, it made her feel a little bit more assured to have a weapon in her hands.

The brenton stayed beside her, his eyes scanning the vampires in the background. Though Ka'ava knew- she could feel the relief washing over him, that he would be allowed to live. She did not blame him. It was human nature to be relieved when you were the one getting the chance to be able to live. Ka'ava, on the other hand, kept her gaze on the vampire Lord. If need be, she would go down fighting.

The bosmer watched in silence as the redguard stepped forward, she carried herself with an air of pride, so he did not doubt her words. The Breton looked scared too, too scared to be more than a grunt. His eyes darted around full of fear, but a glimmer of relief and hope passed through those same eyes when his companion stepped forward.

Walking forward slowly, the bosmer moved almost catlike. His movements were lazy but carefully determined and graceful, as if they took not effort at all. "A valiant move, to let your underling go like that... You should have let him take your place, so you could crawl back to the hole you emerged from, grow stronger and strike back. This is why you died so easily last time, Dawnguard, you're all too noble and pure... It is your greatest weakness, yet you treat it as if it were a strength." He circles them slowly as he speaks, using himself as a distraction as a handful of vampires hidden in the crowd knocked arrows to their bows.

He slowly walked back towards the balcony, then stopped. "Take the redguard to our dungeons. And kill the spare. I will interrogate her later." The crowd parted around the archers, and as one, they fired their bows towards the Breton, whilst others moved slowly forward to restrain the redguard.

The brenton didn't even let out a scream, he didn't realise what had happened until it was too late, he crumbled to the floor with a sigh. Ka'ava's eyes widened as she was grabbed by the vampire lord's minion. If looks could kill, the vampire Lord would have been burning like a crisp horker on a cooking pot.

"And your kind thinks itself so high and mighty?" She hissed, her voice dropped with malice and hate as she was forced down the steps. She struggled against them, turning her head to let out a scream, "Beasts! The lot of you! Your day of judgement will come, mark my words. Humanity will rise again and you daedric bastard children of Molag Bal will be brought to its knees!" She spat finally, then let the vampire lord's minions take her to the dungeons without any more struggling, satisfied with what she had said.

Ka'ava always had a particular dislike for Molag Bal, more so than the other Daedric princes. In her eyes, he was the most cruel; taking away someone's dignity & respect, only to turn them into hideous and twisted monsters afterwards. It made her want to vomit.

The vampire lord stayed stood at the balcony for some time, watching his brothers clean up the bodies of the deceased, both vampire and dawnguard alike. After three hours of standing still, thoughts racing through his mind, as he watched his fellows scrub blood from the stone floors, he heard a voice at his side.

"Drakus..." The vampire spoke quietly, as though he were worried speaking too loudly would annoy his superior.

In response, the vampire lord turned his head to look at the newcomer. He was dressed in a guard's uniform, all clad in armour, a sword at his hip. "What would you have us do with the prisoner, my lord?"

The bosmer blinked slowly. The vampire who spoke to him was at least a head taller than him, a broad shouldered nord, yet fear still flickered in his eyes, and that pleased Drakus, immensely. "Nothing yet. Send word to Lord Harkon of what has occurred here, by messenger, then assemble all of the guard who were on duty before the attack. I want them all executed."

"All of the-?"

"All of them." The vampire lord speaks sternly and without a flicker of doubt in his eyes or voice.

The vampires did not treat her kindly, taking her weapon before throwing her about roughly as they pushed her into the cell and slammed the door shut. Ka'ava heard the lock click and their echoing laughter retreating up the steps. She gritted her teeth and brushed away the dirt on her rags.

Disgusting vermin

She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Dull eyes stared back at her.
They seemed to keep human subjugates here.

Ka'ava sighed and retreated to the far end of the cell, away from the humans huddled together. Their eyes seemed dead, as if they had given up long ago, just a hollow shell of their former selves. Ka'ava shivered, but not from cold, though it was damp and cold down here, but instead from disgust.