- Quest 4 (Dawnguard Side) - Recruiting combat companions for the Dawnguard
Prerequisites: Completion of the quest "Bloodline" Quest Giver: Isran Region:Fort Dawnguard, random cave, northern Reach Reward: (Extensive items to be found as loot in the bear cave)
Summary: Isran slowly realizes that he needs more good people to fight the vampires. You are tasked with finding Sorine Jurad and Gunmar and convincing them to join the Dawnguard.
Quest Description
Speak to Isran
You have just been banished from Castle Volkihar and should inform Isran about everything at Fort Dawnguard. When you arrive there, you will witness the Dawnguard defending against a vampire attack.
Vampires attacking Fort Dawnguard. Isran uses the sunlight spell "Stendarr's Aura" in combat.
You can participate or watch from a safe distance - the three vampires will be killed in either case. Afterward, you can speak to Isran and tell him that you found a female vampire in Dimhollow Crypt, freed her, and then escorted her home. Isran considers the information that she carried an Elder Scroll and that you were unable to take it from her a dire situation. If the Dawnguard is to survive, it must seek support. However, he does not want to overdo it to avoid drawing unwanted attention to the Dawnguard. He tasks the player with tracking down two people whose skill and talent he values and needs here. First is Sorine Jurard, a highly intelligent Breton and a tinkerer obsessed with Dwemer weaponry. Second is Gunmar, a bear of a Nord skilled in training animals, particularly trolls.
Recruit Sorine Jurard
Sorine is located in the northern Reach, in the Druadach Mountains, south of the Orc stronghold Mor Khazgur. There, she is currently examining a small Dwemer ruin on the riverbank. She is a bit upset because she misplaced her satchel of Dwemer gyros. She suspects mudcrabs of having stolen it.
If you tell her that you come from Isran, she cannot believe it, as Isran rejected her help in the past. However, once you mention that vampires threaten Skyrim and even possess an Elder Scroll, she becomes interested. Yet, she does not want to simply abandon her Dwemer research and asks if you happen to have a Dwemer gyro for her. You can either look for her satchel (located nearby on the shore) or use a high Speech skill to persuade her to leave immediately.
Sorine has a long journey to Fort Dawnguard ahead of her.
Recruit Gunmar
You can find Gunmar hunting a vicious bear that he has been tracking for two weeks. If you tell him that Isran needs his help, he dismisses it - stating that Isran is a few years too late. Gunmar claims to have more important things to do, and Isran means nothing to him anymore. However, once you mention vampires, Gunmar wishes to hear more about it. Ultimately, he agrees to help but wants to slay the bear first so it no longer poses a threat to innocents.
Help Gunmar defeat the bear
Together, you enter the nearby cave and confront the bear. Depending on the number of additional enemies, Gunmar will need support. In the end, he thanks you and promises to head to Fort Dawnguard to hear Isran out.
Gunmar on his way to Fort Dawnguard.
Return to Isran
Upon entering the fort, you, Sorine, and Gunmar are initially subjected to a vampire test in the secured entrance hall. Isran explains this as a necessary precaution and outlines the immense danger the Dawnguard must stand against. He asks both of them to familiarize themselves with the fortress and suggests that Sorine work on the new crossbow. Gunmar is instructed to look after the trolls and outfit them with armor. Meanwhile, Isran intends to find out why a vampire showed up here looking for the player. To do this, you are supposed to follow him so you can interrogate the vampire together.
This completes the quest, and the next one in the Dawnguard storyline begins immediately.
Known Bugs
If you kill the bear before speaking with Gunmar, the quest cannot be completed (as of patch version 1.7.7). Gunmar will talk about the bear and wait for it to be slain, which is no longer possible.
Tips & Notes
The order in which you track down Sorine and Gunmar does not matter. While Sorine can always be found at the exact same location by the river, Gunmar's location is selected randomly. However, the quest marker will point to their exact positions.
The cave housing Gunmar's bear can be a small animal den, but it can also be an expansive dungeon featuring more than one zone filled with bandits, witches, or vampires. The location is randomly selected from the following options:
Bronze Water Cave
Brood Cavern
Cronvangr Hall
Fallowstone Cave
Honeystrand Grove
Pinepeak Cavern
Bonechill Passage
Crystaldrift Cave
Clearspring Tarn
If Isran discovers during the test that the player is a vampire, you will first be sent to Falion in Morthal to cure your vampirism.
After this quest, you will be attacked by randomly appearing vampires while traveling. In cities, they appear (as black-clad travelers) near the city gates and can kill guards and townspeople during combat. They are formidable opponents, especially when summoning gargoyles.
As soon as Sorine and Gunmar have settled in, you will be able to receive a side quest to find and recruit Florentius Baenius. Afterward, you can obtain quests from him to recover unique rune weapons belonging to the original Dawnguard. You are allowed to keep these items.
, random cave, northern Reach
a small Dwemer ruin on the riverbank. She is a bit upset because she misplaced her satchel of Dwemer gyros. She suspects mudcrabs of having stolen it.
) or use a high Speech skill to persuade her to leave immediately.
hunting a vicious bear that he has been tracking for two weeks. If you tell him that Isran needs his help, he dismisses it - stating that Isran is a few years too late. Gunmar claims to have more important things to do, and Isran means nothing to him anymore. However, once you mention vampires, Gunmar wishes to hear more about it. Ultimately, he agrees to help but wants to slay the bear first so it no longer poses a threat to innocents.
. Depending on the number of additional enemies, Gunmar will need support. In the end, he thanks you and promises to head to Fort Dawnguard to hear Isran out.
in the secured entrance hall. Isran explains this as a necessary precaution and outlines the immense danger the Dawnguard must stand against. He asks
both of them to familiarize themselves with the fortress and suggests that Sorine
work on the new crossbow. Gunmar
is instructed to look after the trolls and outfit them with armor. Meanwhile, Isran intends to find out why a vampire showed up here looking for the player. To do this, you are supposed to follow him so you can interrogate the vampire together.
, random cave, northern Reach
a small Dwemer ruin on the riverbank. She is a bit upset because she misplaced her satchel of Dwemer gyros. She suspects mudcrabs of having stolen it.
) or use a high Speech skill to persuade her to leave immediately.
hunting a vicious bear that he has been tracking for two weeks. If you tell him that Isran needs his help, he dismisses it - stating that Isran is a few years too late. Gunmar claims to have more important things to do, and Isran means nothing to him anymore. However, once you mention vampires, Gunmar wishes to hear more about it. Ultimately, he agrees to help but wants to slay the bear first so it no longer poses a threat to innocents.
. Depending on the number of additional enemies, Gunmar will need support. In the end, he thanks you and promises to head to Fort Dawnguard to hear Isran out.
in the secured entrance hall. Isran explains this as a necessary precaution and outlines the immense danger the Dawnguard must stand against. He asks
both of them to familiarize themselves with the fortress and suggests that Sorine
work on the new crossbow. Gunmar
is instructed to look after the trolls and outfit them with armor. Meanwhile, Isran intends to find out why a vampire showed up here looking for the player. To do this, you are supposed to follow him so you can interrogate the vampire together.