Fort Dawnguard Fort Dawnguard is a location in . It serves as the headquarters of the Dawnguard , an order of vampire hunters . The fort can only be accessed via Dayspring Canyon north of Stendarr ' s Beacon . It is located in the Rift , hidden deep within the Velothi Mountains near the Morrowind border . History . The fort dates back to at least the Second Era , when it was built by the Jarl of Riften . The Jarl ' s son , through his overly confident and adventurous pursuits , contracted vampirism . The Jarl refused to kill his own son , so instead commissioned the construction of the fort and contracted a large mercenary force , named the " Dawnguard , " in order to keep his son quarantined . Disbandment and disrepair . Historical accounts vary on the years that followed . Some believe the Dawnguard were forced to put down the Jarl ' s son , in doing so they were banished from the hold and officially disbanded . They later continued their work as vampire hunters , until they broke up , as people increasingly disregarded the threat of vampires , weakening the power of the Dawnguard . Other accounts claim that the Dawnguard , seeing the immense power that being a vampire gave , decided to become vampires themselves . They were said to have preyed on the people of the Rift until they were hunted down . Either way , the fort fell into a state of disrepair and was eventually abandoned . Restoration . Isran came and repaired the fort in the Fourth Era , which he then used as the headquarters of the new Dawnguard . Architecture . Fort Dawnguard has the appearance of a large castle with several towers . The masonry work inside the fort is not only very precise but the stone surfaces have the appearance of a slight shine to them . The tall arched hallways are supported by huge , decorative rectangular pillars . The inside of the fort itself has an arched theme to it , from the ceiling to the blind arches on the walls . Interior . Main lobby . The main lobby is a large circular area littered with barrels and crates . Eight banners adorn the walls displaying the symbol of the Dawnguard . The floor consists of weathered cobblestone and decorative slabs that line the edges of two curved iron grates . Straight ahead is a hallway that leads to all the major ground floor rooms in the fort . When standing in the middle of the circle facing away from the main entrance , the second floor is to the right , the small balcony is another right . The large balcony is to the left , and left again . Dining area . To the west is the main dining area . The rectangular room is littered with general clutter and barrels of food . A grand fireplace decorated with banners and animal skulls sits to the side of the large dining table . Two cooking spits are available for use . Adjacent to the fireplace are two shelving units containing general silverware . Behind the shelving is a storage area of sorts . Barrels , bags and crates line the walls , along with several bales of hay and two disused kegs covered in cobwebs . A map of Skyrim is on a desk by a small table in a side room . Crafting area . The crafting facilities are further west . To the left is a small room with an arcane enchanter and alchemy lab . The shelves contain some basic ingredients and potions , along with several animal skulls . Adjacent is a fully fitted smithy , including a forge , grindstone and workbench . A smelter and tanning rack are on the lower level . The forge , arcane enchanter and alchemy lab will only be available if the Dawnguard are joined and the quest " Prophet " has been completed . Heading past the smithy , the fort opens up into a large cave . Opposite the smelter is a small wooden pen built against the cave wall where Gunmar keeps his armored troll s . To the south are two archery targets . Heading back west along the main hallway leads to the sleeping quarters . Sleeping quarters . The large square room features a dining table and another grand fireplace . Animal hide rugs line the floors and the walls are adorned with several mounted deer and bear heads . Around the edges of the room are several cots . Shelving units on the western wall hold pieces of Dawnguard armor and weapons . Training area . Heading further west , the fort walls again end and open up into a large cave . This section is used as a training area and three training dummies are on a wooden platform against the north wall . In addition , a small dog pen is in the far corner , holding Sceolang and Bran . This cavern also leads to Dead Drop Falls . Dead Drop Falls . Dead Drop Falls is a series of caves that run deep into the mountains . Master bedroom . This room is on the second floor and is cluttered with boxes , barrels , and sacks . The room has a pillar in the middle , and contains a cot , a table , and a shelf . As the Dragonborn progresses through the Dawnguard storyline this room is upgraded into a master bedroom . The cot is replaced with a bed , there are now four wardrobes , and a mannequin is added complete with Dawnguard armor . Dawnguard banners , candles , rugs , and mounts with wolf and moose heads decorate the room . A weapon rack is added , and there are two troughs which hold weapons and ingredients . Five steel ingots and two bolt quivers are also in the room for the taking . Torture room . A blood - splattered room up on the second floor . There are various torture devices in the room , along with blood and bones everywhere . Human skulls sit on two shelves while eight deer skulls are mounted on the wall . There is plenty of Nord mead on the wall and some iron ingots as well . Large cobwebs hang from the ceiling as with much of the rest of the fort . Rooftop . There are three sets of stairs that lead to different parts of the roof . Two sets of stairs each open to a small circular battlement with two bedrolls and a chest . There are two weapon racks parallel to each other on each rooftop . On the rooftop nearest to Dead Drop Falls , there is a copy of " The Lusty Argonian Maid " , a Dawnguard helmet , a pair of Dawnguard gauntlets . On the rooftop nearest to the entrance and the stairs to the second floor , there is a copy of " The Talos Mistake " and an Amulet of Talos sitting on two barrels . Beside one of the bedrolls here the skill book " 2920 , vol 01 - Morning Star " is located . The third set of stairs goes to a part of the roof that is significantly larger . On this rooftop there are five weapon racks , two chests , a tanning rack and a grindstone . There is also a table with two chairs , a bedroll , a Dawnguard shield , and a pair of Dawnguard boots . Characters . Outdoors . The following members can be found scouting the outer walls in Dayspring Canyon .