Harkon Lord Harkon is a Nord vampire , the leader of the Volkihar Clan in , and the primary antagonist , regardless of the side taken during Bloodline . A powerful Vampire Lord , Harkon rules his brood with an iron fist . He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals , even if it means the estrangement of his own family . Harkon is one of the few individuals in Tamriel capable of granting pure - blood vampirism . Background . If asked about how he got his vampirism , Harkon will say how he once ruled as a mighty king , and that his domain was said to be vast and powerful . Despite all of this , his greatest fear was his own mortality , so he pledged himself to Molag Bal and in his name he sacrificed a thousand innocents . In return , Molag Bal granted him immortality by turning him and his family into pure - blood vampires . Due to historical contradictions with his story , it remains to be seen whether or not this story was at all exaggerated or just a downright lie made up to feed his large ego . Prophecy . As the years passed and Harkon ran Volkihar , he uncovered a prophecy called the Tyranny of the Sun , that , if enacted , would blot out the sun and allow his kin to roam freely during the day . He started becoming obsessed with the prophecy and everything in his life , including his family , was pushed aside to try and make it a reality . To enact the prophecy he required the ancient artifact called Auriel ' s Bow and the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour . He would then put the blood on an Elven arrow and shoot it at the sun with the bow . Harkon wanted to use his daughter , Serana , as a source for the blood , as she is a Daughter of Coldharbour . His estranged wife Valerica saw how obsessed Harkon was becoming and disagreed with his goal . She believed that vampires should stay in the shadows otherwise it would bring too much attention to their kind , and that mortals would wipe out the vampires , attempting to bring the sun back . In an attempt to stop him fulfilling the prophecy , Valerica locked Serana along with an Elder Scroll in Dimhollow Crypt for her protection and escaped to the Soul Cairn with the other scroll sometime before the events in . Harkon , enraged by this betrayal , commanded every vampire in his court to look for them . After the Dragonborn finds Serana and brings her to Castle Volkihar , Harkon regains the confidence to continue his quest to fulfill the prophecy . Personality . Harkon is an elitist , and sees mortals as inferior beings . He has little regard even for his family , and only remembers his wife and daughter due to his lust for power , though he does seem to think that his actions are benefitting vampire kind . Harkon is cruel and will not let anything stop him in his quest for domination . He views the vampires found throughout the rest of Skyrim to be no more than feral animals that " frighten the herd " of mortal citizens of Skyrim that he and his fellow " pure - bloods " feed upon . He harbors significant resentment towards his estranged wife , Valerica , and wished to enact revenge upon her for her betrayal . Similarly , Harkon holds a deep abhorrence for lycanthropes , considering the condition " filthy . " Interactions . Bloodline . The Dragonborn first encounters Harkon upon returning Serana to Castle Volkihar after the quest " Awakening . " As a reward , he offers the Dragonborn the ability to become a Vampire Lord and join his clan of vampires . Alternatively , the Dragonborn can refuse his offer and fight with the Dawnguard against him . Prophet . If the Dragonborn sides with the vampires , Harkon sends the Dragonborn and Serana on a quest to find someone capable of reading the Elder Scroll . The two soon learn they need to find Dexion Evicus , a Moth Priest who can read Elder Scrolls , who ' s held up in Forebears ' Holdout . After getting Dexion and bringing him back to the Castle , the Dragonborn learns that two additional Scrolls are needed to complete the prophecy . Harkon then sends the Dragonborn to find them , stating that they are located hidden with his wife Valerica and the other in some Dwarven ruins . After finding and deciphering the last two Elder Scrolls , the Dragonborn is finally sent to recover Auriel ' s Bow . Kindred Judgment . Eventually , the Dragonborn and Serana realize that Harkon ' s plan will doom vampires and mortals alike and decide to stop serving him . Once the three Elder Scrolls of Blood , Dragon , and Sun have been deciphered and Auriel ' s Bow has been gained in the quest " Touching the Sky , " the Dragonborn and Serana go to Castle Volkihar to confront Harkon . After some dialogue , there is the option to either kill Harkon or give him the bow . Either way , Harkon begins the fight . Equipment . After killing Harkon during Kindred Judgment , his ashes appear at the foot of the Molag Bal vampire altar . They can be looted for the following items :