Vampire ( Skyrim ) Vampires are one of the enemies featured in and its plug - in , . They are individuals afflicted with the disease " Sanguinare Vampiris " . The disease causes drastic physical and biological changes that are permanent if not cured within three day s . Among these changes include a heightened vulnerability to sunlight and fire and an increased resistance to frost . All benefits and inhibitions are sustained by the consumption of blood . Origins . Vampires can be traced back to the Daedric Prince Molag Bal , the Lord of Domination , who created the first vampire sometime around the First Era . Lamae Beolfag was a Nedic virgin who was raped by Molag Bal . It is recorded that after the ordeal , Molag Bal shed a droplet of blood on her brow and left her to die . During the night she died , but as her funeral pyre was still burning she emerged as the first pure - blood vampire . Pure blood . Molag Bal has since been known to confer Pure Vampirism to other individuals directly via a ritual that granted them great power over " lesser " vampires . One such case was Lord Harkon , who claims to have slaughtered a thousand innocents in order to gain this power , though this might be an exaggeration due to contradictory evidence . Daughters of Coldharbour . Females seeking to gain the pure - blood vampirism are required to undergo a ritual with Molag Bal . Such confluences are called Daughters of Coldharbour . A tradition developed among Molag Bal worshipping cults which dictated that females be offered to him on his summoning day . Few survive the ordeal and those who do emerge as pure - blooded vampires . Being selected as an offering was considered to be an honor that is not rejected lightly . Stigma . Due to their predatory nature , vampires are widely viewed as evil and violent creatures . Citizen s and Hold Guard s consider vampires open threats and attack anyone who reveals themselves to be a vampire ( or if it can obviously be seen ) . In some cases , vampires are actively hunted down and destroyed by certain people , namely the Vigilants of Stendarr and the Dawnguard . Volkihar Clan . The vampires who inhabit the wilds of Skyrim are largely considered to stem from the powerful Volkihar Clan that began with Harkon . These vampires are not considered to be of pure blood like Harkon and his family , as their vampirism was contracted from other lesser vampires . As such they are often looked down upon by members of Harkon ' s court . They are said to live under haunted , frozen lakes and only leave their dens to feed , however more often than not they are encountered in remote caves and ruins . It ' s unknown if any Volkihar Vampires possess the ability to reach through the ice of frozen lakes as described in books , or if it ' s just folklore . In addition , the Volkihar share many of the same traits as their Cyrodilic counterparts . A few are known to be more cultured and civilized than the vampires of other provinces and as such can seamlessly blend into society . Many also prefer to feed on victims while they are asleep and unaware . One difference , however , is they do not burn in direct sunlight , rather they are just weakened by it . In the plug - in , the Volkihar Clan becomes a joinable faction . Physical appearance . Vampires can be of any race but the majority of them are easily distinguishable from uninfected persons . As a result of the hemophiliac virus , Sanguinare Vampiris , the infected slowly grow a pallid complexion . Fangs protrude from their gums , allowing for easier feeding and eye color changes from the spectrum of average hues to red . Bosmer and Dunmer , which typically already possess red eyes , may pass unnoticed as vampires . When infected , the fur of the Khajiit alters as the skin of a human or elf would . Long - toothed by nature , the incisors of the Khajiit grow exceptionally long , so that they protrude below the lip . However , their pupils become thinner and more blade - like . The scales of Argonians grows greyer as the infection worsens . " Dawnguard " . With the addition of , the facial features for some human vampires was slightly re - designed to be noticeably more twisted . The most apparent is the eyes which have changed from red to a golden - orange hue . The cheeks are prominently narrowed and folds of skin that run from the nose to the corners of the mouth are also significantly deeper . The bridge of the nose features several ridges and is shortened , much like a bat . Prominent ridges also appear around the forehead and eyes , and a deep crimson line runs down from the bottom of the nose to the chin . The only exceptions to most of these drastic physical changes seem to be Serana , Valerica , Hert , Sybille Stentor and Lord Harkon . Types . Vampires come in two variants : regular and master . The specific type that is encountered is typically level - dependent , however lower leveled vampires can still be encountered at higher levels . The race and gender is radiant . The combat style of both types doesn ' t vary much . Both are primarily spellcasters and one - handed melee fighters and wear either assorted pieces of armor or standard Mage Robes . They also have a unique version of Vampiric Drain spell that is much more powerful than the version available to the Dragonborn . At higher levels it can drain health , stamina and magicka . All vampires past level 6 also gain a bonus to Unarmed Damage . Both types also exhibit the symptoms of stage two of Vampirism , namely : " Dawnguard " . introduces two new sub - types of vampire . The Nightlord Vampire , the highest standard vampire type and the Nightmaster Vampire , the highest boss level variety , replacing the Volkihar Master Vampire . In addition , vampires now wear a selection of vampire specific clothing and armor , rather than generic mage robes . These include vampire armor , vampire boots and vampire robes . Standard vampires . Standard vampires range from level 1 – 48 . With the addition of , the level 60 Nightlord Vampire is added . Master Vampires . Master Vampires are the highest possible level of vampires encountered and typically serve as the boss of a vampire lair . The standard Master Vampire s are level dependant and range from level 14 – 42 , whereas the Volkihar Master Vampire is fixed at level 53 but can be encountered when the Dragonborn is level 39 + . The Nightmaster Vampire can only be encountered at level 65 or higher .