Eddie
The woman stared at Halvar for a moment, just allowing him to speak, to express his elation and excitement at meeting a fellow vampire who hides in plain sight. Unirala watched, remaining silent, and smiled softly as he ended with what he wanted to know. 

"They are here because I asked them to be here."

She understood what such a shock might be, and thus, she continued. 

"Beneath us, lies the Hall of the Dead. There was a graveyard, on the other side of town, but when the faith of the Old Ways made its way to us, a resurgence was allowed to flourish, and I was permitted the opportunity to spread my wisdom, and have them erect a temple, in my Gods' name."

Immediately, he would *Know* That his Dark Lord was unwelcomed. How could he be? The forces within the temple that had outright defied him were palpable the moment he walked in, and only continued within this chamber. 

"They are here to ease the concerns of the people. You were killed during the war. I sympathize. When dead are risen among corpses, corpses of their brethren, it is a shock. It is a horror. They become enraged for centuries, before everything becomes so... Obvious."

The woman's wrinkled lips cracked into a neutral expression. "As for, *The Lord*, you speak of..." A long pause. She stared at him, with those fiery eyes, and eventually, closed them. "Hm. Through the intervention of dark powers, you still walk Mundus." She opened her eyes, her head tilting a tad. "You met him. This I know, because when I transformed, so did I. I am a Daughter of Coldharbor, and your admiration, your belief in him," A smile etched itself into her lips. "Either you were not molested by him, or you *Enjoyed* His jagged touch."

Unirala's frown soon followed, as she continued, "I have lived a long time, Child of Bal. All over the realm. I remember when the Southern Faith invaded our people's minds, and infested them. I remember my first flock, and how we had to kill to survive. I remember when the first Shadow Generation was born, to hide from the Believers of the South. I remember cowering in the darkness, waiting for the time when the Age of The Slave Queen would die, and when the rise of the Old would return."

Unirala sighed through her nostrils, and chuckled a little. "The time has come. And thus, here I am, planting the seeds, tending the trees. The Dawnguard, once savant vampire hunters, are now, no more than protectors and paladins. Cleric-Soldiers, really. Did you see the little men outside? Farm boys, really. They were born when the Volkihar Clan was erased from this land. And now? They hunt a vampire once a year, if that."

"The Vampires of the North, have become as the Vampires in the South. Relegated to the boundaries of city walls, and the fancy tricks of illusion magicks."

Unirala sighed, frowning, as she watched Halvar. "So, Halvar, Truth of Klimmeck, you seek information on the Dawnguard. You have uncovered that they are simply protectors to a Hall of the Dead. They rarely even come inside for our sermons, as they believe in Arkay, rather than fear Orkey."

The ancient mystic turned her head, and whisked her hand. 

In between them, two cups appeared. Each one filled with blood. 

Upon a single whiff, Halvar would understand it to be Elk's blood. 

Unirala picked up the cup, sipped from it, and seemed to not mind the horrible taste. The horribly lackluster taste. The taste that refused to satiate the mind and bowels. And yet, there she was, drinking from it, and setting it down, gently wiping her lips as she looked at him. 

"Do you have further questions?"
John
*The younger vampire found himself to be enraptured into the tale that the old woman weaved for him, speaking of the times long before his own time, which gave credence to just how ancient this vampiress was. Her voice was calm with a soothing tone, as she explained herself and the purpose of her bringing the Dawnguard into the town. Once she finished, two cups filled with elk essence appeared upon the table, with the old woman taking one for herself, and the other was assumed to be for him.*

*Halvar stared at the cup for a moment, before reaching into his long, bulky coat, and pulling out a water skein from his person. Opening the leather strap that closed the container, the Nord grasped his cup, and began to slowly pour the sanguine contents of the mug into his skein. He was very careful, not wanting to let a drop go to waste. As his slow pour went on, he finally responded.* 

*"I see. So long as I have your word that the Dawnguard of Morthal are not hunters of the night as those who came before them were, but merely guardians of the crypt, and I have your word that they have no plans to involve themselves with the affairs of the hold, then both they and the hall of the dead shall not be molested by me here in Morthal."*

*"However, I think you deserve to know, that as a vampire I still consider the organization of the Dawnguard to be my enemy. If I am to achieve my ambitions, the Dawn must fall into dusk, as it were. I have big plans for Skyrim and her people, and I cannot advance those plans without the assurance that they won't be sniffed out by some pesky vampire hunters.* 

*"They may be dormant now, but so is a giant while it sleeps. I need to kill that giant before it stirs to wake. I am telling you this, so that when in the future you find the Dawnguard can no longer be leaned upon, you will have seen it coming, made proper preparations for it, and know that it's nothing personal against you or your temple. I am simply doing what I must, as every other vampire does."*

*The slow pour of the red into the skein went on at a slow pace, as he continued, "Though, I do have one more question for you. I can understand using the name of the Aedra to get the mortals flocking towards you for your own purposes. The mortals who like to believe in their own virtue love using the names of the Aedra. But, you're no self-righteous mortal, you're an ancient vampire whose knowledge might even be beyond many other long-lived vampires."*

*"Even I know, however, that the Aedra are sleeping gods. They sacrificed their beings and their consciousness to create this world as it is. They cannot hear the cries and prayers of their admirers, neither as they can see the turmoil that the mortal world endures every single day. I know this both from my studies into the history of Nirn, and before then, personal experience. As I told you before, I fought for Talos as a boy, so I learned this lesson the hard way. I'm curious how a vampire comes to revere any god but the same one that gave them the gift of eternal unlife, let alone the Aedra."*
Eddie
Unirala said nothing. She only allowed him to speak, watching from her seated position with nary a strand of hair moving from her statuesque form. The young vampire spoke, and the ancient listened. 

When he finished, and asked his question, a question of faith, Unirala only stared at him. 

"Hm. When you are given this gift against your will, your elderly body ravaged by a demon who claims to be a god, and your hand ripped out of your scalp as he *Blessed you*, return to me about your question of why I serve the Gods who created me, rather than the one who abused and raped me."

Unirala smiled softly. 

A sweet, cruel smile.

She continued, "As for the Sleeping Gods, you worshipped Talos. You worshipped him after the Great War, and the White-Gold Concordant. You were a fool, like all the others. Could you not see his blessings were not for you? His blessings were for the select few he deemed worthy. Because, he is mortal. He is not omniscient, and he never was. He ascended, but a mortal mind, even when made immortal, cannot perceive all of its followers, and all of its enemies."

"I put my faith in my pantheon because when I pray, I am satiated. I can drink the drained blood of goats and elk, and feel satisfied, even if your dark god's curse causes me to look so... Withered, ancient. Typically, the Gods would want me dead, as Vampires are an abomination unto this world. And yet, when I pray, I receive their blessings. I hear their guidance. I trust in their truths, for they impact my life, just as much as your god does."

"Now, toward your disposition toward the Dawnguard," She let out a raspy laugh. "What a youthful notion, child. I do not condone your path, thus far as you have uttered it, but I will tell you this, from one ancient to a fledgling; if there are those in the world that would have you killed, surround yourself with them. Make them your ally, and not the other way around. Make them dependent on you, for power resides in the shadows. If you want to make some real change, you would remove a perfectly good pawn from the table by eliminating any singular organization, let alone any singular person. To things like us, every creature in Mundus can become a pawn. Even Daedra. Even the Princes. Means to an end. To remove any of them before they have the time to prove themselves to you,"

She whisked her hand dismissively. "Hasty." She said in a disapproving tone. 

Unirala looked at him, before she smiled a little. "But, my young kin, perhaps I will help you." The woman sighed through her nostrils as her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes closed a tad. She sucked in some air, a thing the two of them did not require, and let it out pensively.

She nodded, opened her eyes, and chuckled. "An epiphany! A revelation. A test, it would seem."

Unirala nodded to herself, and said, "I will teach you how to disguise yourself better. To make it cost less of your own willpower. To make it seamless. To make your heart pump, your blood flow, and your fingers have the feeling of warmth to another's touch. I will teach you this, and ask nothing in return. It is my gift to you."

"But, before I do, I will tell you my motive for this. I would like to teach you my secrets, to observe what it does to you. What will become of your soul, when you can feel your own blood pump again, the beat of your own heart, and the warmth of your skin against the coziness of a blanket? I grant you my insight, so that I may see what becomes of you, when ultimately, you fail your Lord of Domination."

Unirala smiled. 

"Do you accept my wisdom, given the motives? No strings attached."