Dragonborn

"Fus Ro Dah!"

- The Unrelenting Force, one of several shouts of the Dovahkin

In common sense, a Dovahkiin (meaning Dragonborn in ancient dragon language) is a rare individual that was born with dragon blood but with the body of a mortal. They can naturally speak the ancient and powerful tongue of the dragons.

However, when referring to the [last] Dovahkiin, the individual we are speaking about is the main protagonist and playable character of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as well as it's expansions Dawnguard and Dragonborn.

Race, Gender and Appearance
The Dovahkiin can be from any race (Human, Elf or Beast) and either gender depending on player's choice. The stereotypical Dragonborn however is a male Nord warrior, wearing an Iron Helmet which bears a slight resemblance to the Nordic Helmet which Skyrim's culture is based on, a Studded Armor, Iron Gaunlets and Boots and carries a Steel Sword and a Banded Iron Shield.

In Skyrim
At the beginning of the game, the Dragonborn is captured by the Imperial forces while attempting to illegally cross the border into Skyrim from Cyrodiil. While being transported to the settlement of Helgen, the Dragonborn discovers that Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the Stormcloak rebellion, is a fellow prisoner. At Helgen, Imperial General Tullius sentences all the prisoners to death, but a dragon attacks right before the Dragonborn is executed, providing a chance for escape.

After escaping the dragon attack in Helgen, the Dragonborn goes to the Jarl of Whiterun to warn him about the dragon attack. (S)he's then tasked to find the Dragonstone hidden in a ruin in order to find out the reason of why the dragons are coming back. After bringing the Stone back to the Jarl's court wizard, a dragon starts attacking the Watchtower nearby. The Dragonborn is tasked to kill the monster. After killing the dragon, the Dragonborn absorbs his soul, where (s)he learns that (s)he's the Dragonborn. (S)he's then summoned to High Hrothgar by the Greybeards who will teach him/her how to use his/her power.

After passing the trial with the Greybeards, the Dragonborn is contacted by Delphine, one of the last remaining members of the Blades who asks the Dragonborn to slay an awakened dragon. The Dragonborn slays the dragon and absorbs its soul which proves him/her to be the Dragonborn to Delphine. Delphine tasks the Dragonborn with finding out how the dragons are returning. She accuses the Thalmor of being the culprit, and tasks the Dragonborn with infiltrating their Embassy to discover their involvement during one of the Ambassador's many parties which proves useless as the Thalmor have nothing to do with the Return of the Dragons and even were looking into the matter themselves.

The Dragonborn however finds out that another member of the Blades named Esbern was hiding in Riften from the Thalmor. The Dragonborn is tasked to find him and get him out of there before the Thalmor find him first. The Dragonborn rescues Esbern and they set out to find Alduin's Wall which tells them more about the prophecy of Alduin's return at the end of the World. They also learn that the Heroes of the Old used a shout to defeat Alduin temporarily.

The Dragonborn goes to the Greybeards to learn this shout only to find out that they do not know the Shout themselves because it's not originally draconic but was created by mortals. The Dragonborn is told to meet the Greybeards' leader, the dragon Paarthurnax who tells him/her how to learn the shout by using an Elder Scroll. The Dragonborn finds the Elder Scroll is a Dwemer Ruin called Tower of Mzark and uses it at the Throat of the World to witness how the Ancient Nord Heroes have defeated Alduin and learns the Shout from them. After the vision ends, Alduin appears and a duel begins between them. With the help of Paarthurnax, the Dragonborn defeats Alduin but Alduin manages to escape with his remaining power. After the battle, Paarthurnax tells the Dragonborn to capture one of Alduin's allies and interrogate him about Alduin's whereabouts. In order to do that, the Dragonborn must secure the Dragonsreach in Whiterun first. And to do this, the Civil War must be completed or a peace treaty must be signed between the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Legion.

After securing the Dragonsreach, the Dragonborn calls Odahviing and manages to lure him to the trap and captures him. (S)he interrogates him about Alduin's whereabouts and finds out that he has traveled to Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife to regain his strength. His portal is located in Skuldafn, the Nordic Ruins located on the mountains between Skyrim and Morrowind. The Dragonborn travels there with the help of Odahviing and reaches the portal. The Dragonborn travels to Sovngarde and reunites with the Heroes of the Old. With their help, (s)he finally defeats Alduin for the last time. After Alduin's death, the mist in Sovngarde is lifted and the Dragonborn is sent back to Tamriel.

In Dawnguard
The Dragonborn is approached by an Orc named Durak who tells him/her about the presence of an Order of Vampire hunters known as the Dawnguard and inquires him/her to join them. The Dragonborn goes to Fort Dawnguard located in a canyon to the south-east of Riften near the Morrowind border. (S)he speaks with Isran, the leader of Dawnguard who tells him/her that there's a vampire activity happening in a cave known as Dimhollow Crypt and sends him/her to investigate. The Dragonborn finds out that the vampires are looking for an artifact. The Dragonborn kills the vampires and unlocks the tomb which contains a woman with an Elder Scroll at her back. The woman introduces herself as Serana and states that she has been sleeping for centuries.

She also says that she's an ancient pure-blooded vampire and the daughter of an immensely powerful Vampire Lord. The Dragonborn leads her out of the crypt and escorts her to her home which is in fact a gigantic castle known as Castle Volkihar located on an island to the far-west of Solitude near the border of High Rock. When they enter the castle, they're greeted by Serana's father, Lord Harkon who thanks the Dragonborn for finding the Elder Scroll and rescuing his daughter. As a reward, he offers his own vampirism to the Dragonborn.

Dawnguard Story Line
The Dragonborn refuses Harkon's offer and is banished from the castle. (S)he awakens at the coast near the castle and travels back to Fort Dawnguard where (s)he encounters several vampires attacking the fort. After the Dragonborn defeats them, (s)he informs Isran about what (s)he found in the crypt. Isran sends the Dragonborn to seek out and recruit his former allies. A Breton named Sorine Jurard and a Nord named Gunmar. After the Dragonborn convinces them to join the Dawnguard, they make their way to the fort. Isran tells the Dragonborn that there's someone looking for him/her in the fort. It turns out that Serana has left her home seeking out the Dragonborn. Serana tells the Dragonborn that they have to find a Moth Priest to decipher the Elder Scroll at her back. They set out to locate the Priest and find him in a cavern captured by the Vampires. They kill them and rescue the priest.

He introduces himself as Dexion Evicus and they make it back to Fort Dawnguard. Dexion reads the Elder Scroll which tells about a divine weapon known as Auri-El's Bow, the bow used by Auri-El (or Akatosh) himself. He cannot read any further however as his vision blackens. Serana tells the Dragonborn that the third Elder Scroll is in possession of her mother, Valerica who's believed to be in hiding from Harkon. They travel back to Castle Volkihar but through the undercoft. As they make it to the backyard, they find a sundial located in the center of the garden. The Dragonborn solves the sundial puzzle and they enter Castle Volkihar Ruins.

After several challenges in that area, they finally make it to Valerica's Study where they find a strange device which looks like a portal. In order to open it however, they will have to use several unique ingredients and Valerica's blood, at least someone who also carries her blood which would be Serana. After succesfully opening the portal, the Dragonborn attempts to enter first but fails as entering the portal starts to drain his/her life. A late coming warning of Serana indicates that mortals are normally not permitted to enter that realm and asks the Dragonborn to be turned into a vampire.

The Dragonborn may either accept or refuse while refusal will cause Serana to partially soul trap him/her as an offering to the rulers of that realm. They enter the Soul Cairn, a plane of Oblivion ruled by entities known as Ideal Masters. After fighting against several undead creatures, they make it to the area where Valerica is imprisoned.

In Dragonborn
After completing his/her trial with the Greybeards, the Dragonborn is attacked by a group of cultists who claim the Dragonborn to be a false Dragonborn. The Dragonborn kills them and discovers that they are the cultists dedicated to someone named Miraak. The Dragonborn travels to the island of Solstheim to discover the reason behind the attack. (S)he reaches Raven Rock, a settelment built by the Dunmer who escaped from Morrowind after the eruption of the Red Mountain.

The Dragonborn is greeted by Adril Arano, the Second Councilor of Raven Rock who asks him/her why (s)he is visiting Raven Rock. The Dragonborn tells him that (s)he is looking for Miraak. Adril directs the Dragonborn to the Temple of Miraak located to the north of the islad. There (s)he meets a Nord named Frea who introduces herself a the shaman of the Skaal, a clan of Nords native to Solstheim. They venture to the deepest part of Miraak's Temple and then Dragonborn discovers a Black Book. (S)he reads it and is then teleported into a different realm where (s)he meets Miraak in person. Miraak taunts the Dragonborn and then (s)he is sent back to his temple. The Dragonborn alongside Frea make it to the Skaal Village.

Skills and Abilities
Depending on the player's choice of race and gameplay style, the Dragonborn can develope various skills and abilities. The main skill however is the use of Thu'um, which means "Shout" in dragon language. Although this skill is not exclusive to the Dragonborn, meaning that other people can use it as well (most notibly the Greybeards and Ulfric Stormcloak), only a Dragonborn can use this skill without the required training as they're born with it. In addition to that, there are also three classes (Warrior, Mage and Thief) and each of them have 6 skills.

Warrior

 * Archery - Effects the player's accuracy and damage points dealt with a bow or a crossbow.
 * Block - Effects the player's effectiveness with a shield.
 * Heavy Armor - Effects the player's effectiveness with a heavy armor.
 * One-Handed - Effects the player's effectiveness with swords, axes and maces.
 * Smithing - Effects player's ability to create weapons and armour at the forge and reinforce them at the workbench (for armour) or grindstone (for weapons).
 * Two-Handed - Effects the player's effectiveness with greatswords, battle axes and warhammers.

Mage

 * Alteration - Effects the player's ability to use spells that can alter the laws of reality and manupulate the surroundings. The spells include Waterbreathing, Magic Armor, Telekinesis and Paralysis.
 * Conjuration - Effects the player's ability to summon creatures from Oblivion and also send them back there. And additionally to raise dead creatures and NPCs. Creatures that can be summoned are ranged from Fire Atronach to Dremora Lord and requires higher skill to summon the latter.
 * Destruction - Effects the player's ability to use aggressive spells that deal damage on targets. The spells include Fire (drains target's Health), Frost (drains target's Health and Stamina) and Shock (drains target's Health and Magicka). There's also a spell called 'Vampiric Drain' which can only be cast by vampires. It drains the target's life and heals the caster with it.
 * Enchanting - Effects the player's ability to bind enchantments to weapons and armor. Enchanting requires a soul gem and a soul for it. Everytime the weapon or armor is used, the soul gem depletes and must be refilled to be used again.
 * Illusion - Effects the player's ability to cast spells that can change the targets behaviour. The spells include Pacify (makes the target passive), Fear (makes the target to flee), Frenzy (makes the target aggressive), Rally (enhances the targets combat ability) and Invisibilty.
 * Restoration - Effects the player's ability to cast healing spells and wards.

Thief

 * Alchemy - Effects the player's ability to create potions and poisons at the Alchemy table.
 * Light Armor - Effects the player's effectiveness with a light armor.
 * Lockpicking - Effects the player's ability to pick locked doors and containers without the need of the proper key.
 * Pickpocket - Effects the player's ability to succesfully pickpocket other NPC's for gold and items.
 * Sneak - Effects the player's ability to wander around while hidden from view. Improving this skill will reduce the chances of getting caught. The skill is also synergizes with Lockpicking and Pickpocket skills.
 * Speech - Effects the player's ability with overall speech checks with NPC's and bartering with merchants. The higher the skill is, the more succesful attempts of Persuasion, Intimidation or Bribe towards the other NPC's can be made. This is effective for recieving better rewards or skip certain parts of a quest.

Song of the Dragonborn

 * *translated from the Dragon Language

 Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honour is sworn, To keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!

Hearken now, sons of snow, to an age, long ago, And the tale, boldly told, of the one! Who was kin to both wyrm, and the races of man, With a power to rival the sun!

And the voice, he did wield, on that glorious field, When great Tamriel shuddered with war! Mighty Thu'um, like a blade, cut through enemies all, As the Dragonborn issued his roar!

And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold, That when brothers wage war come unfurled! Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, With a hunger to swallow the world!

But a day, shall arise, when the dark dragon's lies, Will be silenced forever and then! Fair Skyrim will be free from foul Alduin's maw! Dragonborn be the saviour of men!

Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honour is sworn, To keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray! 

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