Dragon Priest Dragon Priests ( Dovahzul : " Dovah - Sonaak " , " Dragon - Priest ( s ) " ) are powerful Undead enemies found in . Thousands of years ago , these priests ruled over Skyrim at the behest of their Dragon overlords . In their service , many of these dragon priests were granted extraordinary powers and knowledge in arcana , and some of them managed to reach lichdom to evade their own demise . They are typically buried in one of the many ancient tombs and temples dotted all across Skyrim , awaiting the return of Alduin the " World - Eater . " There are eight high ranking priests , each wearing a unique Dragon Priest Mask that bears a powerful enchantment said to be given to them directly from their dragon benefactors . These priests can be encountered at any level , and are typically found within Nordic tombs and ruins that house Word Wall s . Often they are accompanied by an array of undead underlings , such as Draugr and Skeleton s . History . Rule of dragons . During the Merethic Era , Dragons ruled much of Tamriel and Atmora . They believed that as they were the children of Akatosh , they were naturally superior to both man and mer . One of their core beliefs was that power equaled truth . The fact that they held immense power over mortals led them to the conclusion that this itself was the ultimate truth . This gave them the justification in their minds that their rule over mortals was only natural . Dragon Cult . The dragon priests themselves can be traced back to Atmora , where they were the ruling body during the Merethic Era . Known as the " dragon cult , " they worshipped many animals as avatars of the gods , the Dragon being chief among them . Dragons embraced their role as god - kings over men , but rather than deal with the actual ruling itself , they granted small amounts of power to dragon priests in exchange for absolute obedience . In turn , the priests ruled men as equals to the kings . The priests set down laws and codes of living that kept peace between Dragons and men , but to do so they demanded tribute . When the Atmorans began to migrate to Tamriel over the next several centuries , the dragon priests and cultists were some of the first men to arrive . The system of rule in Tamriel , however , was quite different from Atmora . It is unclear why this was the case , but the priests began to rule with an iron fist , making slaves of the rest of the population . At the height of the dragon cult ' s influence , the capital of Skyrim was considered to be the city of Bromjunaar , located in what is now Hjaalmarch hold . It was here the highest ranking priests met within the temple of Labyrinthian to discuss matters of ruling . It was also during this time that the highest - ranking dragon priests were granted magical masks that bore powerful enchantments . It is unknown if masks were named after the priests who wore them , or if the priest took on the name of the mask that was granted to them . Rebellion . Eventually , men rebelled against the cruelty of the cult in what is known as the Dragon War . After Alduin was banished from Nirn , a large number of the cultists were killed and the surviving dragon priests were overthrown . The survivors adapted and went into hiding all across Skyrim . They entombed the remains of the dragons that died during the war within dragon mounds , with the belief that Alduin would one day return and resurrect the faithful . However , other sects within the cult believed only those who ascended to the priesthood would be granted a second life . Resurrection . Upon death , the dragon priests insisted that their followers be buried with them in the various Dragon temples and tombs across Skyrim . This act served a specific purpose , rather than a vain display of power . Because the concept of resurrection upon the return of Alduin was a core belief of the dragon cult , the priests required their followers to perform a daily ritual to facilitate this . Every day , a group of followers that were entombed with the priest would awaken and gather around the sarcophagus of their respective priest . Here , they would prostrate themselves before it for several hours . During this time , an exchange of life force took place between the followers and the priest . This exchange sustained the dormant priest until it was time for his resurrection . Once the ritual was complete , the followers meticulously cleaned the area and would return to their burial chambers . While resting , the drained life force would magically restore itself , ready for the next day . It is believed that the followers who were doomed to perform this ritual were initially buried as grown men and women , but over thousands of years they deteriorated into the draugr that now fiercely guard the ancient Nordic tombs . Last remnants . The last known remnants of the dragon cult remained up until 1E 140 , when a legion of King Harald ' s soldiers discovered a hidden stronghold of cultists in the secluded monastery , Forelhost , high in the Jerall Mountains , laying siege to it .