Blades ( Skyrim ) The Blades are the former protectors of the Emperor s of Tamriel . In the First Era , however , the Blades began as dragon hunters known as the " Dragonguard . " After the return of Alduin and the beginning of the Dragon Crisis , the Blades took on this role again . After the events of the Oblivion Crisis and the Great War , their order began to rapidly decline . The few remnants of this once - glorious order have gone into hiding and are being hunted by the Thalmor after their near - extermination by the Aldmeri Dominion . History . Origins . The story of the Blades begins with the Akaviri invasion during the First Era . After the Akaviri forces had fought through Skyrim and reached the Pale Pass , they were met by Reman Cyrodiil and his forces . It is said that after hearing the Emperor ' s " voice " or Dragon Shout , the Akaviri forces knelt down and swore fealty to him , whom they called Dragonborn . They later formed the order that is now known as the Blades . The true reasons for their invasion remains a mystery , though it is mentioned that they may have been looking for a new Dragonborn to serve or hunting down the dragons that escaped their continent . Downfall . The Oblivion Crisis marked the beginning of the downfall of the Blades . With the death of Uriel Septim VII and his sons , the Third Era came to a close . With no Dragonborn ruler to serve , the order fortified themselves in Cloud Ruler Temple . The Blades ' role as the Emperor ' s guards was relegated to the Penitus Oculatus , but the Blades continued to work in secret , watching for a new Dragonborn and guarding the Empire . The Blades were among the first to see the growing threat of the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion . Unlike the Penitus Oculatus , the Blades were not bound to Imperial policy and could operate freely , and thus earned the lasting hatred of the Thalmor . Though skilled and numerous , the Blades severely underestimated the Thalmor . By the beginning of the Great War , every single Blades agent stationed within the Aldmeri Dominion had been detected and executed , with their severed heads being presented to Emperor Titus Mede II as the opening declaration of war . In addition to these heavy losses , the Aldmeri Dominion forces laid siege to the order ' s ancient fortress of Cloud Ruler Temple , ultimately destroying it completely . Late in 4E 175 , the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion signed the White - Gold Concordat , ending the Great War . One of the requirements of the Concordat was the disbandment of the Blades , thus ending the order ' s public face and forcing them into hiding . Headquarters . Throughout their history , the Blades were known to have their headquarters in Cloud Ruler Temple , in Cyrodiil . Unfortunately , sometime during the Great War , the temple was destroyed by a Thalmor siege and nearly all members of the defending Blades were slain . During the Dragon Crisis , the remaining members of Blades in Skyrim found refuge in Sky Haven Temple . It was there where , with the help of the new Dragonborn , the rebirth of the order began . Sky Haven Temple was built by the Akavir themselves . It served as an outpost during the Akaviri invasion during the late First Era . After the war , the temple was visited by Reman II himself . In the presence of all the Dragonguard , he created a blood seal to seal off the temple . With the seal , the doors of the temple could only be opened by another Dragonborn . Members . While most of the Blades died during the Great War , a few managed to escape the Thalmor . While it is unknown exactly how many Blades remain , there are three known Blades who made it into Skyrim . Delphine . Delphine took the role of Grandmaster of the Blades , as she was one of the last remaining members operating in Skyrim . She is a high - priority target for the Thalmor . During the Great War , she evaded several attempts on her life . She returned to Skyrim to hide , remaining alert to the surveillance of the Thalmor . Esbern . Esbern is a Blade Archivist . He has been monitoring the ancient prophecies of Tamriel and had predicted the return of the dragons under Alduin , the Nord ic God of Destruction , whose return would lead to the destruction of Nirn . As an Archivist , he knows a great deal about the nature of the dragon threat in Skyrim . Acilius Bolar . Acilius was a Knight Brother and the only known survivor of the siege of Cloud Ruler Temple . After his escape , he left for Skyrim , hoping to hide from the Thalmor , but was cornered in Bloated Man ' s Grotto where he was killed . His Oathblade can be found there , next to his writ . Quests . Radiant quests . Radiant quests are reoccurring and can be completed unlimited times . Interactions . As the loyal servants of Dragonborns throughout the ages , Blades play a vital role in the main quest line of . First contact . The first contact with the Blades is made when the Dragonborn tries to recover the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller . Instead of the horn , there is a note , asking the finder to rent the attic room in the Sleeping Giant Inn . Once it is done , they are met by Delphine , who had previously taken the horn to lure the Dragonborn here . This was done so she could see whether or not the rumor of a new Dragonborn was a trap laid by the Thalmor . Dragonslaying . After Delphine met the Dragonborn , she remained unconvinced of his abilities and revealed that she had seen the Dragonstone , recovered earlier by the Dragonborn . Translated by Farengar , the stone had given Delphine a location of a dragon burial site , where another dragon could have been resurrected . To test the Dragonborn ' s abilities she decided to investigate the site near Kynesgrove , inviting the Dragonborn to come with her . After the site has been reached and the dragon slain , Delphine witnessed the Dragonborn ' s ability to consume dragon souls . After being convinced that this was a true Dragonborn , she returned to the Sleeping Giant Inn , where she revealed that she is one of the last surviving Blades . Saving the Archivist . Not knowing the cause of the Dragon Crisis , Delphine sent the Dragonborn to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy . With the help of a servant , the Wood Elf Malborn , the mission succeeded . The Embassy , however , held no information on who is to blame for the dragons ' return . Fortunately , a document was recovered that states that an old Blades Archivist , Esbern , is alive and hiding in the Ratway , the underground sewers beneath the town of Riften . Surprised that the old man was still alive , Delphine sent the Dragonborn to rescue him . Slaying a Thalmor search party , the Dragonborn saved Esbern just in time and convinced him to meet with Delphine back at the Inn . New home . After Esbern met Delphine , he told of an ancient Akaviri temple located in Skyrim . The temple is said to contain Alduin ' s Wall , depicting an ancient prophecy of Alduin ' s return . After this story , both Blades and the Dragonborn began a journey to the temple . Facing a resistance of Forsworn in Karthspire , the group fought their way through and finally reached the door to the Sky Haven Temple . The temple , however , is sealed . Esbern made a guess that only a Dragonborn ' s blood could open the door , and this proves to be true , as the Dragonborn ' s blood released the lock . After the door to the temple was opened , Delphine and Esbern allowed the Dragonborn to have the honor of entering it first . After a quick examination of the wall , Esbern revealed that Dragonsreach was originally designed to capture and house a dragon . Esbern decided to remain and study the wall thoroughly while Delphine took on the role of acting Grandmaster , expressing her wish to restore the order and repair the temple . Peace . If the Civil War quest line is not completed , the Blades will join ( much to the dismay of the Greybeards ) the negotiation of a peace treaty between the Stormcloaks and the Empire . Fed up with the arguing , Esbern will give a speech about how both sides are putting their lesser conflicts before the great danger of Alduin . This calmed the participants and rendered the signing of the truce possible . After the peace treaty is signed , the Blades will ask that the dragon Paarthurnax be killed . Fulfilling this request is optional , but the Blades will cease any co - operation with the Dragonborn until Paarthurnax is dead . Completing the main quest line without killing Paarthurnax will cause this side quest to disappear from the menu . If the quest Sovngarde has been completed , Paarthurnax will be flagged as essential and cannot be killed . However , returning after the epilogue scene will cause Paarthurnax to become non - essential , thus allowing the Dragonborn to get the special ending " and " be a member of the Blades . Recruits . After Delphine has settled in at the temple , she will ask for help with restoring the Blades . Up to three followers may be brought to Delphine to have them inducted into the Blades . The recruits will receive a complete set of Blades armor and a Blades sword . When they have joined the order , they will move into the temple and make it their place of residence . After three followers have been inducted into the order , Delphine will send the Dragonborn to Esbern , who will provide the locations of dragons to hunt . Archivist ' s services . Esbern will offer an option to hunt dragons . The new Blades recruits will always help with this quest and spawn near the dragon ' s location . After completing the first dragon hunt , Esbern will exchange Esbern ' s Potion for one set of dragon bone s and dragon scale s . This potion will give Dragonborn the permanent ability Dragon Infusion which will reduce melee damage received from dragons by one quarter . Through dialogue , Esbern will also offer Dragonslayer ' s Blessing , an ability that grants a 10 % increase to critical hit chances against dragons for five days .