Oblivion's Order of The Virtuous Blood - Was ANYONE a Vampire?! Quests, Lore, Theories EXPLAINED!

In today's video, we discuss the quest titled: Order of the Virtuous Blood in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. If the player has a fame level of 5 or higher and spends enough time in The Imperial City Temple District, a woman will approach them and ask for their help. She tells the player to go to the house of someone named Seridur who also lives in the district. Seridur greets the player and introduces them to the order of the virtuous blood, a citizens group dedicated to finding and destroying vampires within the capital. Seridur will ask the player to locate a suspected vampire named Roland Jenseric who allegedly just fed on an innocent woman the other day. Through sleuthing and confrontation, the player unravels truths, lies and twists within the organization that lead them to a very dangerous spot. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe!
#elderscrolls #oblivion #lore #gaming #quest

[@negativedumpster9778]

Fun fact about this quest: If you talk to Cylben (Seridur's bodyguard) between 5 PM and 5 AM, he'll claim that Seridur isn't accepting visitors, on the grounds that "he's had a long night of study." It seems that Seridur went to great lengths to give himself plausible deniability, in the event someone became suspicious of him. Considering his position, I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility for him to occasionally feed off Gilen or Grey-Throat, if he ever needed to do so. They'd be the easiest targets, as they'd trust him completely. That being said, he likely preferred to go after people he didn't know, in case one of his feedings inadvertently killed his victim. It's also worth mentioning that Seridur is an Altmer. High Elves (like all Elves) naturally have long lifespans, so it would seemingly make sense for him to be living for so long. It's another reason as to how he was able to keep his secret identity, well, _secret_ for so long. Compare that to someone like Vicente Valtieri; if _he_ was in a populated city, people would inevitably start to wonder how he was surviving for so long. But since people already expect an Elf to live for quite a long time, nobody thinks anything of Seridur's sustained presence. Another thing that's worth mentioning is that Roland claims Seridur wouldn't go out during the daytime, and indeed, Seridur's AI routine never has him leave his house (or Memorial Cave, for that matter). But according to the game's files, _he doesn't have the sun damage penalty,_ meaning he would theoretically be able to go out in the daylight with no ill effects. This is despite the fact that he has the stat boosts and perks associated with day-two vampirism, which normally include sun damage. While we don't see his inexplicable immunity to the sun being demonstrated in-game, if Seridur ever _did_ go out in broad daylight, it would naturally make his facade all the more convincing. Lastly is Seridur's position as a "vampire hunter." This is obviously a ploy to make himself seem more legitimate, but it also has another, more insidious, benefit. See, the Order of the Virtuous Blood (like you pointed out) is all talk and no action, meaning they'd likely be seen as a *complete JOKE* by actual vampire hunters. A similar thing can be said about the Knights of the Thorn, an organization of supposed peacekeepers, who make it their life's mission to "Protect Cheydinhal from any threat". But the town guards of Cheydinhal don't think too highly of them, as their "peacekeeping" consists of getting shit-faced drunk and telling tall tales. The only reason anyone even acknowledges them at all is that they're lead by the Count's son. When we look back at the Order, we see much of the same. An organization of self-proclaimed do-gooders who are, in fact, only a cut above useless. If everyone thinks Seridur is all bark and no bite, it just makes it that much easier for him to get away with his vampiric debauchery. Edit: Fixed a bunch of typos; I kept misspelling Seridur's name.

[@Jarikraider]

Seridur: "We guard this city from an infestation that plagues it. We are vampire hunters. This group was formed to combat them." Also Seridur: "We lack the strength to defeat them in battle."

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

well, one doesn't invalidate the other. They want to fight, but they can't

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

Man when I first got this quest as a kid my Mam came in and told me to go to bed. I was literally so excited I couldn’t sleep, I had just got the quest handed to me by the dark elf woman.

[@ABardsBallad]

That’s awesome! I never completed it as a kid because becoming a vampire scared me too much 😂

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

The quests where someone interrupted you while you were wandering the city or waiting or when you slept and were woken up by someone were the best. Totally unexpected and random it really gave Oblivion a lot of life that I haven’t seen any other game replicate.

[@yunusakm]

Its really nice to have Oblivion KZbinrs in 2023. Thanks for your good videos man

[@burge117]

Oblivion yeah! Agreed. Such high quality content and frequent to boot ❤

[@ABardsBallad]

I really appreciate the support from you guys! It goes a long way with making these videos! :)

[@JACk79457]

@@ABardsBalladIt’s so appreciated. This is the biggest comfort from my childhood, genuinely brings me happiness seeing you or Dark Lore Dash make another post. Cannot get enough of them! Plus bonus points rewatching because I use these videos to sleep!

[@Rihcterwilker]

Oblivion is honestly the most replayable ES, imo. The dynamic npcs and massive amount of content makes it a very pleasant game to go back to.

[@Subject_Keter]

Screw oblivion man, you shouldnt need a guide on how to not brick yourself

[@ozkilla7353]

Loved that they added a vampire hunting guild but sadly it was so short and made me want more the other favorite vampire hunting quest is the one you get at bruma

[@ABardsBallad]

Totally agree! I wonder if Dawnguard in Skyrim was their fully fleshed out version of this quest!

[@melkhiordarkfell4354]

I just assumed Seridur wasn't given vampire coding so that it wasn't obvious to the player and so he is coded as a normal guy. I assume having a normal man and just addind dialogue about him being a vampire is easier than creating a custom "vampire but looks fine" class, especially for what is in essence, a very short quest. Corners probably had to be cut.

[@nickelakon5369]

They could have done what they did for the treasure collector and gave seridur a non-playable equipment that he equips during the fight to make him a vampire and say it was him deactivating a spell to hide his vampiric features or something.

[@antondavidovic3996]

This quest is oddly cosy, and its these kind of things that made Oblivion so great for me

[@Ghostyx1989]

I know exactly what you mean

[@ironscalp484]

I really liked the quests dealing with deceit in Oblivion And it's a really nice touch that they hid Seridur's vampiric attributes Really makes it that much more difficult to figure out he is the real suspect

[@ABardsBallad]

I really enjoy these kind of quests too with twists and turns!

[@TheLastFighter]

Another favorite quest of mine, 200 gold for each vampire slain. Good upload!

[@ABardsBallad]

Thanks for the continued support! The 200 gold certainly ain’t bad!

[@WinteryNeighborhoodWinterspell]

Honestly, I started a new Oblivion playthrough just because of this guy, and Dark Lore Dash

[@ABardsBallad]

Appreciate the support! :) still an awesome game to play all these years later!

[@lesgrosgainz]

Lol, I just started watching Dash like 2 months ago and this one as well. I'm actually thinking about doing another playthrough as well. I think I'll get a Series S😅.

[@pkmntrainerlilly5]

This makes me miss Oblivion. It was my first Elder Scrolls game, and it has a special place in my heart.

[@saalok]

Seridur could have been a member of the Cyrodiil Vapyrum Order, who are able to hide amongst mortals and are, according to the lore book Immortal Blood, able to hide from experienced vampire hunters. The lack of vampire dust is strange regardless though, it sounds like either a quirky behavior of him not being considered a vampire by engine standards or simply an oversight. I am admittedly assuming that he is a vampire or meant to be one, no reason for him to react in that way if he wasn't I think.

[@ABardsBallad]

Very interesting thought! I’ll have to read into the book to find out more!

[@Matt-md5yt]

We knoe a court wizard in skyrim that might also be one

[@imonke5303]

"Might" that wazard clearly has vampiric eyes, pretty obviously a vampire...

[@KimberlyKjellberg]

@@Matt-md5yt Sybille Stentor? She is confirned vampire, not only her eyes but if you use "detect dead" near her it's confiirmed.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Considering there are many lineages of vampires, he might simply be from one that is less obvious.

[@alext9320]

Always did irk me that Seridur lacked the vampiric traits. Jakben is able to conceal his traits from the player character due to him hiding his face in "panic" when you first speak to him, preserving the twist that he is a vampire. The same could be said to a lesser extent for Hassildor, if you speak to him for the first time during the mage's guild questline, because you speak to him at night so the lighting potentially conceals his nature if you're not paying attention. I can't help but feel that the ONE quest where a vampire is supposed to be manipulating the player is cheating a bit by having the vampire not be an actual vampire. They surely could have had Seridur stay in dim lighting in his home without changing the quest too much. Maybe have him sit in a chair and not look up from his book as he speaks to the player. Though just the idea that a viable disguise for a vampire is that of the leader of a group of vampire hunters is kind of dumb, especially considering that the members of the order do seem to have at least a passing knowledge of vampire lore. Surely one of them would eventually question why their esteemed leader, who has never actually caught a vampire, is nocturnal. It would have actually been kind of a funny giveaway if the members of the order under Seridur's guidance just didn't know vampire traits and weaknesses at all, like he had intentionally misled them so they wouldn't know that he is a walking red flag, and if they did catch on, they wouldn't know how to fight him... Also, the amount Roland pays you for each vampire dust is notable; 250 gold per dust is crazy, especially considering it's 250 regardless of level. You clear out one vampire den and you get 2k gold? Bananas. It absolutely ruins vampire dust as an alchemy reagent because I can't bring myself to lose that much money for a frost damage poison or a potion of invisibility, good as those effects are.

[@TheSocratesofAthens]

Yeah, that always struck me as rather cheap. I remember having an argument on KZbin a long time ago with Veriax about it, and he didn't believe me when I said that the developers purposefully didn't program Seridur with red eyes.

[@nickelakon5369]

Another quest also shows that they can use equipment to give npcs vampirism (the crown you get for the collector guy turns him into a vampire) why this wasnt used for seridur is a mystery to me.

[@ImperialKnowledge]

Always look forward to your new uploads, keep it up man!

[@winter_ghosth]

just saw your video about the board game!

[@ABardsBallad]

Thanks for sticking by me! :) I hope that you continue your amazing uploads as well!

[@noneofyourbusiness7010]

​@@ABardsBalladthis kind of reminds how small channels like these are. But fun content and presentation.

[@tomaszk9388]

Wait, your subscriber count is 3.4K not 3.4M? I am sure it’s only a matter of time considering the quality of your videos.

[@ABardsBallad]

I really appreciate the kind words! Small channel over here yet it gets all the love it needs! :)

[@DeltaFiend]

A thing I find interesting to think about in regards to Seridur's vampirism is that while I figure the half implemented vampire features of the NPC are just a janky way(thus the lack of vampire dust and normal vampires being hostile to him) to preserve the plot twist, I think that if we instead try to look for an in-lore explanation, it could be that he is not the same type of vampire that you normally see in Cyrodil. I'm fairly sure that a few books in the games mention that there are more than one offshoot of vampires, a simple example being the fact vampires in Skyrim contract the condition from a different disease and are merely weakened by sunlight rather than burning up.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

and the vampire "lords" from Dawnguard are yet another type than the regular vampires in Skyrim. And I know which book you mean. It even mentions that there is a type in Cyrodiil that is very good at hiding amongst the population and is very sociable and cultured.

[@du2981]

I must say that I adore the way you phrase each happenings within the many stories of Cyrodiil, very D&D like, very fitting for a Bard :) Have you ever tought of doing these type of content for other Elder Scrolls games? (Sorry about my english)

[@nickelakon5369]

I dislike this quest cause it could have been so much more. You get summoned, lied to, then walk out of town and a guy tells you "oh it totally wasnt me," and you just take him at his word, and thats the *right* answer. And you do the most basic investigating, asking store owner and get everything you need. I think it would be far better if the quest actually involved the player investigating. You look around the crime scene, you look into the house of roland, you eventually find him (and not in a place he would absolutely go. Why the fuck is he not dead, seridur would definitely know where he is) He gives his side you have to reinvestigate, investigate seridur's home somehow, even talk to him again (still not sure if he really is a vampire). On top of this, I think the quest could have a *way* better twist. Roland *is* the vampire, but Seridur is the killer. Roland is trying to live peacefully and seridur found out he was a vampire, tried to kill both roland and his lover (thinking she was one too) and roland managed to escape but his woman was too wounded. Lets also say that roland had been using his wife to feed (consensually) and thats why she had bite marks and how seridur got the other members of the order to believe him.

[@Lord_Raymund]

Always liked styling myself a Knight of the Virtuous Blood in Oblivion

[@UnhealthyObsessions]

Bro, your videos are awesome and really well made too! Love to see people still talking about oblivion.

[@ilikeitidont]

Amazing videos to cook/clean while playing in the background!

[@duncancarter9456]

Yes!!!!!! Great!!! Oblivion Content, thank you for keeping the torch lit.

[@connormcintosh4828]

I've never done this quest. I must pause here but I'll be back, and thank you.

[@theredwhirlwin]

Thank you for the amazing video. Love the way you narrate

[@Amerwiccan]

I literally did this quest as a vampire before. So they ain't too good at their job 😂😅

[@thesithelite9677]

Loving your content you're doing great man

[@Matt-md5yt]

Glad you covered this quest/guild my friend

[@ABardsBallad]

Thanks for watching! Definitely an interesting quest to cover with its twist and turns!

[@marciegalo]

Thank you! Looking forward to more videos

[@ulyssesthepagan7873]

Just caught up on most of your vids, good stuff. I've been a Elder Scolls fan since Arena. I hit the follow!. Oh btw if you haven't already love to see a vid on the K'Sharra Prophecy. I love Uncle Sheogorath and Wes Johnson, what a prolific voice actor!

[@RPGRecusant]

These videos have me so tempted to play more oblivion thanks for all the hard work these videos are very good Loved this side quest. its a good money maker.

[@ABardsBallad]

Cheers! Thank you for the support! It’s still an awesome game to come back to after all these years!

[@anttitheinternetguy3213]

You And dark lore Dash are The only youtubers whose uploads i really wait For!

[@ABardsBallad]

I really appreciate it! I love dash’s videos too they’re very entertaining!

[@anttitheinternetguy3213]

@@ABardsBallad yeah you both are really good at your Jobs, top of The line Oblivion videos! Keep it up!

[@lucyjamie8185]

You deserve more subscribers

[@damienparoski2033]

"Region's leading defenders against creatures of the night"? Who would take a group of firefly exterminators seriously?

[@ABardsBallad]

😂 fr!

[@cody2819]

I find it funny that you can do this quest as a vampire but nobody ever mentions it. If this guy however isn't listed as a vampire, or drops vampire dust, who was the vampire? Could this girl he supposedly feed off of had been the real vampire, and he's just simply trying to get revenge for her? Never considered that as a possibility.

[@nickelakon5369]

He's a vampire, its just an oversight.

[@WlatPziupp]

@@nickelakon5369 Not making the vampire a vampire is a pretty big oversight, but not a surprising one

[@nickelakon5369]

@@WlatPziupp and? It's happened before, a box isn't tagged and a character ends up not being the appropriate race or status. Probably the most infamous example I can think of that's Bethesda adjacent is Daniel in Honest hearts who's supposed to be Asian but ended up being Caucasian in game. Hell even in this game the *main villian* is the wrong race. Mankar Kamaron (I think I spelled that wrong) is supposed to be a bosmer, but for some reason he's an Altmer, so they added some side lore about him using mehrunes razor to change is race or some other bullshit. Development can get hectic and shit happens. He was supposed to be a vampire, but they also wanted to hide it, it was probably supposed to be something like an item making him a vampire that never got added or something. But the guy I'm responding to is acting like this has some lore implications when it's clearly just a mistake.

[@maxwellbowman4084]

@@nickelakon5369or compare the absolute mess with the King of Worms/Mannimarco’s depiction. “Let’s just make him an altmer dweeb in a robe!”

[@waidwn]

on my first playthrough of oblivion, this quest is how i ended up becoming a vampire. one of the vampires in memorial cave infected my character. i kind of ignored it, because diseases in oblivion had never been that big a deal before, so why would it be now. i figured i could get rid of it the next time i was at a chapel with a shrine to pray at. except, before that happened, my character turned into a vampire. it was a super cool moment at the time. but also, in hindsight, there's something compelling to the idea of this hero who got asked to help deal with a vampire threat, despite not really knowing much about vampires. who contracts the disease that will eventually turn them into a vampire in the process, and because they dismiss the fairly mild symptoms as not something to be immediately concerned about, becomes one of the creatures this group had asked them to hunt. do they try to figure out how to exist as a vampire without becoming too much of a monster? do they look for a cure that may or may not exist? do they wind up a worse monster than the one they set out to kill and whose affliction they now share?

[@AndrewTime9106]

I love the idea of smaller, more focused factions like this one to join. Sure, this one feels a tad silly due to incompetence. But there’s better… or slightly longer lasting… version of it in the Vigilance of Stendarr.

[@shadenox8164]

I actually kinda like how silly they are, just some ordinary people who mean well.

[@Wayofswords]

I forgot that rolands voice is actually unique he has a lisp and a different accent to the standard breton which would give an idea of a vampire to others

[@Amerwiccan]

Havent finished video yet but incase not mentioned. If you're arch mage you can duplicate alchemic ingredients with that chest. I think you can do this with vampire dust too. For those who don't abuse console commands or dupe glitches.

[@BucioR102]

Good idea with splitting video to chapters.I hope this will be permanent change ;)

[@MishaxhiVal]

Do all the quest in shivering isle please

[@Warpded]

Only an honorary member after the whole ordeal. You're the only actual vamp hunter in the "Order." If there was a quest line involving hunting vamps, they'd just use you as an attack dog.

[@Digidragon55]

It’s a shame that there is no branching path to destroying the order. Choosing to kill the scapegoat Roland. As a vampire or not. Seridur could of reveal his secret towards the player. Leading towards more benefits of being a vampire.

[@Digidragon55]

If Obilivon gets a remake or remaster. That branching path should be open!

[@DerElia]

❤

[@hsb1599]

Why ur oblivion background music so unfamiliar and odd....

[@garysworldfun]

Was ANYONE a Vampire? why yes its me

[@oxfordeducatedhighschoolhe6989]

Its just an oversight, obviously.

[@eliwoodnguyen1505]

Yaaaaaaasss I swear to god, Oblivion has so many great side quests, literally 80% of it And i dont think, vampires have a high lvl of charm spell. So she could be under spell or that is what Roland saw.

[@TheLastRaven]

Coments to feed the algorithm 3:14

[@kemonngo3106]

You sound so robotic and monotone it's hard to watch