"I wonder if this was how you saw the story ending. With your bloodline destroyed and your prophecy ruined... being forced to watch as a half-breed like me stands while you stumble and fall."

Point of Origin

Dragon Bridge, a small yet thriving Imperial lumber settlement located in the western reaches of the northern province, also known as Skyrim.

Age

Due to his existence as one of the undead—and debatably a Son of Coldharbour thanks to the gift of Harkon's blood—in addition to his highly cautious and pragmatic nature, Arcamor has managed to stay alive for several hundred years. Long enough for the Blood Wars to become a highly speculative and distant memory in the minds of everyone but him and the other children of the night that lived through it, anyway.

Appearance

Arcamor is a rather average man in terms of height and build, being as tall as most other Nords while also sharing his people's stocky yet muscular physique thanks to years of manual labor on his family's farm. These traits have hardly changed following his transformation into a vampire however, with his eyes, face, and skin tone being the only things to have undergone the most radical of alterations. His skin, while once a healthy bronze in color, has since become nothing more than a very sickly looking shade of grey. Arcamor's eyes, too, have changed. Shifting from their regular emerald hue to an almost bloodlike red, before finally settling into a piercing shade of golden-orange following the bestowal of Harkon's gift. Lastly, his facial structure has been somewhat rearranged as well. For despite the rather obfuscating presence of his beard, it is plain to see that Arcamor's cheeks have narrowed prominently, while the folds of skin that run from his nose to the corners of his mouth have grown significantly deeper. The bridge of his nose also features several ridges and is shortened as well, much like the nose of a bat. Prominent ridges also appear around his forehead and eyes, and a deep crimson line runs from the bottom of his nose to the very bottom of his chin.

Other than that there is not much of note in regards to his appearance, save for the fact the his hair is a dark—almost inky—black and that he keeps it cut as short as he possibly can for practicalities sake, generally around shoulder-length or so.

In regards to clothing, however, Arcamor is a bit more... striking. He wears a full set of hardened leather armor, reinforced to deflect the edges and points of most blades naturally, though curiously his left arm is clad in what seems to be a gauntleted vambrace of Daedric make instead of more leather as one would expect, the entirety of which is fastened to him via a rather complicated looking series of buckles and straps. On top of this he wears a hooded half-cape that almost touches the floor, which he keeps pinned in place by a bat-shaped brooch and silver chain, with the majority of the fabric falling to conceal the left side of his body in its entirety. While he doesn't mention where he got his gear from, it can be assumed that Arcamor either found it while adventuring or crafted it himself.

Personality

Even in the midst of his mortal years Arcamor was a rather serious, if down to earth man, never really aspiring to much save putting food on the table and ensuring his foolhardy brother Lokil didn't get into too much trouble. Following his betrayal at the hands of his own brother however—who was the one responsible for turning him into a vampire in the first place thanks to his dalliance with the priestess of a local coven—Arcamor became much darker and far more hateful towards his sibling. He saw Lokil's stupidity as the main reason their nice, quiet life had come to a horribly forceful end, and for the longest time he was hellbent on hunting down and killing him. Although after years of fruitless searching and numerous dead ends, Arcamor eventually gave up, falling into the adventuring lifestyle instead where he eventually mellowed out somewhat. Though he still retained a largely cold, cautious, and pragmatic outlook on life during this time, mainly out of necessity thanks to his vampiric nature. It's hard to have empathy when your entire being centers around hunting down living creatures for their blood after all, not to mention having to watch as every one you've ever cared about slowly withers and dies while you live on.

Melancholy and brooding aside, Arcamor's likes and dislikes haven't really changed, merely adapted. He still loves taking walks through the woods for instance, although now he must wait for night to fall instead of going out during the middle of the day like he used to, he's still a sucker for a good song, and he still maintains a deep enjoyment for engaging in stimulating conversation with a close friend. Conversely, Arcamor absolutely abhors those who betray their allies and doesn't much care for jesters or their particularly grating brand of humor. He also harbors a strong distaste for animal blood, claiming the liquid has an overpoweringly gamey feel to it, though he is not above drinking it should the need arise.

Finally, while he says he doesn't get attached to other people either due to his tendency to lose them or their tendency to stab him in the back, several relationships he's had over the course of his life paint a very different picture. Harkon's daughter Serana is a prime example of this, for while he initially escorted her to Castle Volkihar out of a desire to learn more about the newest group of undead his wool-headed brother had gotten himself mixed up with this time, Arcamor quickly found himself forging a strong bond of friendship with the ancient being. One that only deepened as their days of adventuring wore on before being cut tragically short. Additionally, in the years following Harkon's defeat, Arcamor began to grow fond of the other vampires in the court. Seeing them less as his new subjects and more as his adopted, if dysfunctional and occasionally insane, family. A strange stance for a vampire to have to be sure, but one he stands by to this very day, even if he doesn't admit it.

Species/Race

During his mortal life Arcamor was no different than any other Nord, sharing the same resistance to cold and love for mead and battle so typical of that race. It was only after his transformation into a vampire, and reception of Harkon's gift, that his true potential was finally unleashed. Though the cost for this was, of course, a nigh-fatal aversion to sunlight, a weakness to intense flame, and an almost total loss of his humanity, in addition to permanent exile from the hallowed halls of Sovngarde so long as the curse remains.

Species Description

Vampirism is a syndrome that is acquired after the disease Sanguinare Vampiris has infected the body longer than three days. Harmed by sunlight or flame, stigmatized by mortals, and infamous for their unquenchable thirst for blood, vampires go to extreme lengths to hide their ailment or even their entire presence from mortals. Despite these drawbacks, however, some advantages are conferred. Strength and speed are increased to inhuman levels, while several magical abilities are conferred to the host—such as the ability to remotely drain another's lifeforce or the ability to turn invisible for example—with each of these growing progressively stronger the longer the host has gone without feeding. Additionally, thanks to the injection of Harkon's blood into his veins, Arcamor also possesses the power to take on the form of a Vampire Lord. This gives him a plethora of new abilities with which he may slaughter his foes, though he may only access them when cloaked in darkness, for he cannot assume the mantle of a Vampire Lord while bathed in the cleansing light of the sun.

Equipment

Equipment List [+]

• Harkon's Sword: The personal weapon of former Volkihar scion, Harkon, before it was fished from his bloodied remains. This sword closely resembles the blades wielded by the ancient Akaviri, as it is identical in terms of make to its regular counterparts, but what sets it apart are its colors and tsuba (sword guard). The latter of which curves to form the shape of two bats on either side of the blade, and the former of which is golden, while the swords of the Akaviri are silver in color. Arcamor typically keeps it stored in a sheath fastened securely to his waist.
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• Requiem: A longer weapon that requires two-hands to properly wield Requiem, as Arcamor took to calling it following his discovery of its soul stealing enchantment, is a Daedric Dai-katana that he found while exploring the ruins of Angarvunde and promptly took to using once his business there was concluded. Additionally, it was at the edge of this blade that Harkon met his final end, being impaled by it before having his blood drained and soul taken by Arcamor himself. Lastly, mainly because of its rather unwieldy length, he often keeps the blade housed in a sheath strapped to his back.
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• x10 Black Soul Gems (5 filled, 5 empty): Black Soul Gems are a special type of soul gem that, unlike conventional ones, can contain both black and white souls. Black souls are those of sentient, humanoid beings, such as Men, Mer, Argonians, Khajiit, and Dremora, whereas white souls are those of animals and certain lesser Daedra. Furthermore, all black souls are of the grand level. The main benefit of a black soul gem is that it can capture grand level souls from humanoids, as those souls cannot normally be captured by other types of gems. These sources tend to be plentiful and easier to kill when compared with common grand level white soul sources, such as mammoths. Black soul gems can also absorb souls that are smaller than grand. Finally, after a black soul gem is used for enchanting, the soul that was inside it goes to the Soul Cairn. Because of this and the fact that the souls trapped within remain conscious, several questions and concerns regarding the ethics of this gem's use have been raised, which has lead to their prohibition in many institutions across Skyrim.
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• x5 Potion of Blood: Potions of blood are a type of healing potion used by vampires, one that also helps supplement the consumption of human blood. Unlike most of the other potions found or sold in the north, which have rather basic designs, the vials potions of blood are stored in are ornate from the casing to the cork.
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• x735 Septims: The Septim is the main currency in all of Tamriel. It is named after the dynasty that rules the Septim Empire founded by Tiber Septim. It is officially called a Septim due to the engraving of Tiber Septim on the obverse side. The legend on the obverse (front) is: "The Empire is Law. The Law is Sacred." The reverse reads: "Praise be Akatosh and all the divines." Septims are also colloquially known as Drakes, due to the seal of Akatosh on the reverse side. These are typically carried in a small leather pouch kept somewhere on Arcamor's person, usually in a place that is safe from prying eyes and wandering hands.

Skills

Skill List [+]

• One-handed (Master) - The art of combat using one-handed weapons such as daggers, swords, maces, and war axes. Those trained in this skill deliver deadlier blows. It was one that Arcamor was skilled in before, but mastered over the course of his unlife, especially when it comes to fighting with swords.
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• Two-handed (Master) - The art of combat using two-handed weapons such as greatswords, warhammers, and battleaxes. Those trained in this skill deliver downright devastating blows, although they trade a great deal of speed for pure striking strength in the process. This was not a skill that Arcamor was proficient in by any stretch of the imagination during his mortal life, however, though his time as a blood fueled immortal has helped him more than make up for any previous shortcomings.
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• Light Armor (Adept) - The skill encompasses lighter armor variants in all of their uses and forms. And though he is not a master when it comes to fighting in say, glass or even dragonscale armor for example, Arcamor is still more than capable of holding his own. Namely by using what experience he does have to avoid the majority of ruinous blows and lethal strikes that are sent his way.
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• Smithing (Adept) - Smithing is referred to as the art of refining raw materials and combining them to create or improve pieces of armor or weapons. And while he is not an expert in this art by any means, nor anywhere near the level of a fully-fledged blacksmith, Arcamor does know enough about the process of armoring to adequately repair and maintain his gear.
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• Destruction (Adept) - The School of Destruction involves harnessing the energies of fire, frost, and shock. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Fireball, Ice Spike, and Lightning Bolt, among many others. Arcamor uses this to primarily cast frost based spells that damage and slow his foes, though the knowledge housed within this School has also helped improve his use of the Vampiric Drain ability as well.
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• Enchantment (Novice) - Enchanting is a type of arcane crafting, and lets the enchanter add certain magical improvements to a piece of armor, a weapon, or object. Arcamor, despite his extremely long life, never took the time to advance his knowledge in this area past what a beginner would typically learn. Thus he can-at most-use a soul gem to recharge an item and fiddle about with adding singular enchantments to an object, but nothing more than that for the time being.

Known Magic

Spell List [+]

Magic, also known as the Clever Craft, is the art or ability to alter the world through magicka. Magic is the manipulation of magicka to directly control reality in some way. The individual casting of this force to form a mystical effect is called a spell. One who works magic is a mage, and one who fights with both melee weapons and magic is a battlemage. Those who prefer magical and thief skills are called nightblades. Although all races generally possess some degree of magical aptitudes, those with elvish blood in particular far outshine the others.

There are many theories as to where magicka comes from. According to a legend, Magicka is what is left of Magnus' power when he was all but destroyed in the creation of the mortal plane. It is likely that Magicka is also made up of the residual power of the other creators of Nirn. Other theories include that when Magnus created Mundus, he unintentionally tore a hole into Aetherius, with his lesser deities opening smaller cracks, which allowed magicka to flow through stars. Others explain as being accumulated life-force of dead organisms, which mages tap to convert into magical spells, and so on.

In any case, the following list contains all of the spells Arcamor currently knows...

• Vampiric Drain - This spell drains health from an opponent and heals the caster with it. Targets of this spell also have a chance to contract Sanguinare Vampiris during use, which leads to Vampirism unless cured within three days.
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• Frostbite - Frostbite is a Novice level Destruction spell. Casting it projects a continuous stream of frost. It slows enemies down while doing a consistent rate of damage per second to the target's health and stamina.
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• Ice Spike - Ice Spike is an Apprentice-level Destruction spell. Similar to the path of an arrow, the caster ejects a spike of ice from the palm. The spell requires time to charge as well as time to reach its target, evening the ratio between damage and accuracy. Speaking of which, damage caused by this spell reduces the target's health along with their stamina in equal proportion. This spell also slows the target down.
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• Frost Rune - Frost Rune is an Apprentice-level Destruction spell. Casting it causes blobs of ice to shoot from the hands and stick to surfaces. When a target steps on or passes too closely to a Frost Rune, it explodes, causing sizable amount of frost damage. Frozen enemies also have hindered speed.
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• Ice Storm - Ice Storm is an Adept level Destruction spell. Casting it shoots a relatively slow traveling, spinning cloud of ice that harms anyone in its way. It deals frost damage to a target's health per second. Ice Storm also does the same amount of damage to stamina as it does to health. The spell has very limited range, unfortunately, making it incapable of hitting distant targets.
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• Frost Cloak - Frost Cloak is an Adept-level Destruction spell. Frost Cloak surrounds the caster in a wall of frost for 60 seconds. If an enemy hits or gets too close to the caster that enemy is chilled for a minor amount of damage. This makes it useful for melee-oriented enemies, such as bandits, bears, and wolves.

Base Powers

Base Powers List [+]

Powers are defined by their unique nature. They are essentially magic spells, but are unique in that they have zero magicka cost, are not learned from spell tomes, most of which may only be used once per day.

• Vampire's Servant - Vampire's Servant is one of the powers Arcamor receives as he progress as a Vampire. It allows the reanimation of a very powerful body to fight alongside for 60 seconds. As a power it can only be used once per day.
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• Vampire's Sight - Improved night vision for a limited duration. It can be used multiple times a day and can be toggled on and off at will.
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• Vampire's Seduction - Creatures and people are calmed for a limited duration once per day. Calmed targets can also be used for feeding. Acquired at stage two of vampirism.
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• Embrace of Shadows - Arcamor becomes invisible with night vision for 180 seconds. Can only be used once per day; interacting with anything will remove invisibility as per usual. Acquired at stage four of vampirism.

Vampire Lords

Night Powers & Vampire Lords [+]

Vampire Lords have an altered and sinister appearance, one that is more drastically and artfully constructed than that of a regular vampire. They are also considered to be the paragons of the species as they are typically pure-blooded vampires who have either received their vampirism through another pure-blooded vampire or from Molag Bal himself.

When transforming into a Vampire Lord, the body undergoes drastic changes. In addition to wings sprouting from the back and height vastly increasing, the skin will pale, the eyes will change to an orange-gold hue, and the cheeks will narrow prominently. The wings grant the ability for much faster movement speed while sprinting, and the ability to hover allows the Vampire Lord to pass effortlessly over bodies of water. In addition, carry weight is ignored, so an over-encumbered Vampire may utilize this form for faster movement.

As a Vampire Lord, the four stages of vampirism still apply, and as time passes without feeding, the more severe these changes become. Additionally, the Vampire Lord form is inaccessible while in direct sunlight, and the vampire in question must move into shadow or wait for night to fall before this form can be properly assumed.

In any case, Night Powers are activated like regular powers or shouts and have an associated cooldown period, and they all cost magicka to activate of course. These powers will not be listed for brevity's sake, however, as Arcamor spent the majority of his time post-bestowal mastering all of them alongside his other primary skills. Thus all applicable abilities will be used on a case by case basis instead.

Other
Links to lore on Elder Scrolls vampires can be found here.

Vampire Lords

Vampires

Sanguinare Vampiris

Stages of Vampirism & Their Effects

"The measure of a man is what he does with Power."
Plato